This is a story I've had in my head for a while. It was inspired by the YouTube video Ghost Love Score - Live in Buenos Aires posted by Nightwish. The band gives an amazing performance and the end never fails to give me goose bumps. I've wanted to write a Glee story with such a powerful singer for a while and now I have finally done that.
This is a Ryder story and though New Directions are only referenced to in this chapter, they will turn up in the next few chapters.
All reviews are welcome as long as they are written in a respectful way.
This story is rated M for language and dealing with adult themes. No lemons.
Copyright: I do not own the characters from Glee that are present in this story. Nor do I own the songs that are referenced in this story.
We are the Others
Chapter 1
The singer-songwriter on stage strummed the last chord of his song and smiled shyly at the audience. Another man walked on stage with a microphone in hand and said: "Thank you, Jack Martin! The next ones on stage are The Wallflowers, a regular!" The audience clapped enthusiastically as three men, about twenty years of age, walked onto the stage. The drummer counted and the band started to play a pop song in the style of Train.
Ryder was seated on a stool at the bar, sipping his soda, while watching the band play in the MacClaren's club. The club, open to all ages, organised an open mic night every Friday to allow local talent some exposure. It was one of Ryder's favourite places to be: one reason being the bartender Mac, a good friend of his parents, who occasionally gave his free drinks and advice and the other the discovery of local talent.
He had never taken the stage in MacClaren's, and though he enjoyed performing in glee club, he also enjoyed the absence of pressure to perform. This was his moment to just relax and enjoy the diverse music from the local artists. Just to forget catfish, Unique, Marley and glee club. Just to not think about it for a moment while music was diminishing the hurt for a while. He took another sip, while tapping his hand lightly on the bar with the beat of the music.
A girl came to stand next to him. She raised her hand to the barman to get his attention and shouted "One coke, please!" She waited patiently as the man prepared her drink. She paid him and turned around with the glass in her hand. She caught Ryder's eye and then gave him a smile. Ryder smiled back and then realised it was a familiar face.
"Skye!" Ryder said.
"Ryder," Skye exclaimed and her smile widened. "I hadn't seen it was you!"
"Me neither," he answered. "You look a bit different than at school." He took in her appearance: her red brownish hair was groomed wildly, her eyes heavily lined with black make-up and her the clothes screamed rock; a black loose t-shirt with a grey skull, black skinny jeans and a pair of boots that had loose laces. Around her wrist she had several heavy bracelets and a leather band and Ryder saw she had a ring in one of her nostrils.
She grinned, noticing that he was looking at her. "Yeah, I tend to not go all out at school. The make-up is a hassle in the mornings and honestly, standing out in our school is only good when you are a cheerleader or a football player."
"It suits you," Ryder said honestly. He had seen her at school as she was in his year and some of his classes. She always seemed as one that did not necessarily follow the trends, while still giving her outfits a rocking edge. The range of earrings she had in both ears already showed that she did not follow the norm.
"Thanks. So, what are you doing here? Are you here with your glee club friends? Are you going to perform?" Skye grabbed the empty stool behind her and hopped on it, while still looking at Ryder.
He took another sip. "No, I am alone here. I actually enjoy listening to the bands at the open mic. Some are quite good, like those guys," he gestured to the Wallflowers who had just begun playing their second song. "Others, not so good. But Mac, the owner, let's everyone play and it is always good fun here."
"This is my first time here, actually," Skye admitted. "My friends dragged me to this place, but I actually quite like it. The vibe is good."
Ryder nodded. "We are all here for the music and Mac has always stressed that all the artists play for fun."
"Have you ever performed here? I know you can sing well, I saw Grease and I know that anyone can join the glee club."
Ryder frowned and looked into his glass. "I actually quit the glee club a few days ago."
Skye looked surprised. "But you guys won regionals last weekend. Why would you quit?"
He shrugged. "Long story. But no, I have never performed here. I am not in a band and I don't want to be on stage alone. I am content here, with my soda on this stool." His tone was light, but Skye could clearly sense there was tension due to the glee club.
She decided to ignore it and changed the subject, a bit. "So, what music do you like?"
"Oh, that is always a hard question." Ryder scratched his head a bit, thinking of an answer. "I can't pick one genre really. I prefer if there is a good guitar in a song, but I don't mind the poppy song which are great for dancing. I always had fun with those in glee club, to be honest."
"Any artists?" Skye asked further.
"Lots, I can't pick one. At the moment I like listening to the new album of Fall Out Boy." Ryder said it almost as a question, almost asking if it was okay to listen to that band.
"Save Rock 'n Roll," Skye nodded appreciatively. "It's wacky, but great to listen to, especially if you can turn the volume up." She looked at the podium where the man from before now announced The Unnamed. Five very young teenagers walked onto the podium, one even almost tripping over a cable, and they began a messy cover of Let me entertain you from Robbie Williams. "Ouch," she said, turning back to Ryder.
He laughed, "Yeah, these make you appreciate the rest of the artists. I like their enthusiasm though." Indeed, the boys on stage made up for their slight lack of talent by bouncing around on stage and letting the audience sing along. He grinned at Skye. "So, what is your favourite music? Do you like Robbie or are you more a Dido fan?" he asked jokingly, looking at her clothes
Skye laughed and shook her head. "No, not even close. I am more into the rock and metal scene. Loud guitars, good drums, long hair to headbang with; I love it. I was at this concert once and it just confirmed it from me. This music gives me energy and goose bumps."
"But isn't metal al these screaming and freaky people?" Ryder asked carefully, pinpointing the stereotypes.
"Oh, you need to see and hear more, boy," Skye said, not offended the slightest. She had heard this before. "Metal is as diverse as any other genre. Sure, it is rough, but it is also beautiful." She wanted to expand more, but a guy with long black dyed hair and a lipring, had come up to stand next to her to tap her on her arm. She turned to him. "Hey, Colin! Is it time already?"
"Yup," the guy said. "We need to be ready as soon as this song has ended." The Unnamed were now enthusiastically attempting to play Umbrella from Rihanna.
"Okay, just give me a moment." Skye drained her glass, set it on the bar and turned back to Ryder. "I need to get backstage, but will you still be here in about fifteen minutes?"
Ryder was a bit surprised by the question, but said he would. "Why are you going backstage?"
Skye jumped off her stool and was already following the guy named Colin. "Oh, you know, just to perform a few songs," she answered with a wink. She gave a wave and then disappeared into the crowd, leaving Ryder behind.
Performing? Ryder thought to himself. He didn't even know she was musical, although he had known her for a few months. The musical kids tended to be in glee club or the marching band and he knew she was in neither of those. He turned to the bar, waved at Mac and requested another soda.
"Here you are, kid." The man slid the glass over to him. "Enjoying the bands?" Mac was a man in his late forties and though his hair was turning grey, his eyes gave him a sense of youth. He always said the music kept him young and that was why he had started MacClaren's. The name was not his last name as many new customers thought, but it was actually Mac's name and his wife's name Clara put together and tweaked to give it an Irish feel. The irony? There was not a single drop of Irish blood in both Mac nor Clara.
"Yeah, some are great. You should invite The Wallflowers more often. The Unnamed however," Ryder gestured to the stage," not so much."
Mac chuckled, "I know, but I like their energy. Everyone is singing along," he observed, looking at the crowd who was indeed singing along with Umbrella. "And when are you going to perform? You would be a hit, son."
The boy shook his head, laughing at the question Mac always asked when he saw him. "Not any time soon, Mac, you know that."
The man shrugged, "I can always try." He looked at a customer on the other end of the bar who was waving to get his attention. "Well, I have to get back to my other customers. I'll talk to you later, 'kay?"
"Yeah, sure." Ryder gave a wave and directed his attention back to the stage where the announcer was back again, waving The Unnamed off. He sat up straighter; it should be Skye's turn now if she was indeed performing tonight.
"Are you having a good time?" The announcer turned his mic to the audience, putting his hand behind his ear and grinned when he heard the collective cheer of the crowd. "Good! The next band is new on this stage, so give them a warm welcome: The Last of the Wilds!" Ryder clapped as he saw that indeed Skye, Colin and two other guys and a girl were walking onto the stage. Skye stood behind the mic, the other girl had a guitar, Colin the bass guitar and the other two were behind a keyboard and the drums. Ryder was surprised to see that the drummer was Hunter, one of his football team mates.
"Thank you, MacClaren's!" Skye said through the microphone, all the while grinning at the people in front of her. "We are The Last of the Wilds and we will play two covers. The first is April Rain from Delain. Enjoy!" She nodded to the keyboard player who began the song. After a few bars the rest of the band joined in and Ryder almost unconsciously began to slightly head bang. The guitar was heavy and also the drums were played with energy. Skye was head banging next to the microphone until she had to sing.
"How does it feel when all you're counting on is scatterbrain. Every wind that you have sailed upon a hurricane." Her voice was clear, but there was a clear edge that kept it from becoming sweet. She was holding onto the microphone, singing into it with all of her heart. It was still controlled, but Ryder had a feeling it would come out later to add dimension to the performance.
She was good; they were good. The guitar player supported Skye by singing the backing vocals, and the bass player was standing next to the keyboard player, both rocking to the music. The crowd agreed with Ryder, they were head banging, clapping, waving with the music and cheering the new band on.
Ryder looked back over the bar and put his thumbs up at Mac, who was also grinning; this was a hit.
The band hit the last chord and the audience cheered wildly.
"Thank you! You are an amazing crowd!" Skye yelled. "Our second and last song will be Storm the Sorrow from Epica." Immediately the drums began, the guitar and bass joining in in what was a heavier song. "Along the way I find myself. To be confined within me. No place for any other's mind to interfere" Skye hit all the high notes, leaving Ryder even more in awe. He had never heard a song this haunting with lyrics that could not be understood immediately, but the music itself and the appeal of Skye's voice reeled him in.
The song was over too fast in his opinion. He kept cheering as the band gave a bow, thanked the audience again and then disappeared from the podium. The man was back on stage and announced the next band, but Ryder was not paying attention. In his head he was replaying what he had just heard and seen. The energy had been great as the band had given its all. Sure, there had been some mistakes, but overall the band had left a great impression.
After the next band had played one folky song, Ryder saw Skye, followed by her band, pushing through the crowd to reach the bar. Her smile could not be any bigger and her cheeks were flushed. When she reached the bar she immediately leaned forward and ordered six cokes. Still leaning on the bar she turned to Ryder. "Hi again."
"Hi," he grinned. "You were great."
"Thanks! It felt great!" She turned back to the bar, paid Mac and began to hand out the cokes to her band mates. The last one she gave to Ryder. "Here, to celebrate our first performance ever. Guys," she said to her band while raising her glass. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" they said in unison, Ryder included.
"Guys, do you know Ryder?"
"Yup," Hunter, the keyboard player said. He had short black hair and was the muscly kind of guy. He and Ryder did the manhug and Ryder complimented him on his drums. "Thanks, dude." Hunter gestured to the others. "These are Colin, Naveed and Arisa. They are in the year above us."
"Hi. I loved your performance," Ryder said as he shook their hands. Naveed was a boy who was of Middle Eastern heritage and was sporting a very spiky hairdo. Ryder remembered seeing him walking through the hallways, though had never known his name. The girl, Arisa, was Japanese and had a pixie cut that matched her slight body.
"So," said Skye with a teasing smile, "what did you think of this type of metal?"
Ryder's eyebrows went up. "This was metal?"
"Yup," Hunter chimed in. "Symphonic metal, without the symphony on the cd, but still, metal. You glee clubbers don't really do rock, do ya?"
"He's not in glee club anymore," Skye said. Ryder appreciated her helping him and smiled at her.
"Nah, Mr. Shue likes some classic rock, I heard that they had a whole Journey tribute at regionals in the first year, but it's mostly poppy songs or very emotional songs," Ryder said in response to Hunter. "Why don't you join glee club? Your voice is beautiful, you could easily be a lead," he asked Skye.
Skye laughed and petted his knee. "Exactly for what you have just said. I don't like pop songs a lot, though tearjerkers are fine, and in addition, I don't dance. I want to be in a band and conquer the rock world one headbanger at a time."
"Hell yeah!" Colin said, high-fiving Skye in the process and raising his glass again. "To total rock domination!" The whole band joined him, and Ryder had to laugh.
The band on the stage began to play a Katy Perry song and it was as if the band playing had called Colin, because he whipped his head to the band. "I love this song! Come on, honey, we are dancing!" He set his glass on the table and grabbed Naveen's hand before hurrying to the crowd where several others were moving to music. Naveen had just time to give his glass to Arisa to follow his excited friend.
Hunter, Arisa and Skye didn't even seem to be surprised at the action of Colin. Hunter even took Naveen's absence as the opportunity to drink from Naveen's glass.
"Honey?" Ryder asked Skye.
She nodded. "Yeah, they've been dating for a few months now." She looked at him, gauging his reaction. Also Arisa and Hunter were awaiting his response.
"Wow, didn't know there were more gays at school, except the ones in glee club."
"Well, McKinley is not necessarily a safe place to come out, don't you think," Skye said with some bite. "Colin and Naveen are not planning to come out until after they have graduated next year."
"That's still a long time," Ryder remarked.
Arise nodded, but said: "They are not ashamed, but they understand, with lack for a better world, that Lima, Ohio is not the best place to come out."
"They are happy together," Hunter added. "They don't want other people to stain it with their intolerance. They have only told their family, us and some other people who they know won't blab about it and will just be happy for them."
"And they can thank us for bringing them together," Skye grinned. "They were already acquainted, I mean, they are in the same class," she explained to Ryder. "But because Hunter and I brought them and Arisa into the band, they fell in love. I at least deserve a mention in their wedding speech," she declared with a clap on the bar.
"Sure, Skye, I'll let them know that," Arisa said with her hand on her friend's shoulder while rolling her eyes jokingly at the boys. "She's quite serious about their relationship," she said to Ryder. "Has been shipping them since she first met them and found out Naveen was bisexual."
"Oh, Rys, it was so obvious! They were looking at each other the whole time and you could just feel the spark!"
Arisa looked exasperated for a moment, but then just caved: she squealed as well and began to recount every spark between the two boys while Skye nodded feverishly.
Hunter sighed and mouthed at Ryder: 'girls', who nodded understandingly. Hunter came to stand next to Ryder, leaving the girls in their craziness. "So, are you ready for the game next week? Adams is hard to beat."
Ryder grinned at his change of subject, but gladly joined him. They talked about the tactics coach Beiste had come up and how the results of previous games had been. After a while a new artist, this time a singer-songwriter, came on the stage and he managed to bring a sense of serenity to the club with his acoustic songs. Colin and Naveen, hand in hand, returned to the group and ordered another soda for all. Skye had obtained a barstool and sat next to Ryder, swaying to the calming music. The two just sat there for a moment, listening to the story of a boy who wanted to see the world, but was afraid for its demons.
"It's a beautiful song," Skye commented, not addressing anyone in particular.
Ryder nodded. "It reminds me of myself." The world was full of people that would hurt him, the catfish had taught him that, again.
"Yeah, me too."
They looked at each other and Skye smiled slightly and nudged him comfortingly with her shoulder. No other words were necessary.
After the last chord there was a moment of silence, something that had not happened for a long time in this hall and then the crowd cheered and clapped for the man. He shyly stood up, took a bow and left the stage with guitar in hand.
"That was entirely different from your performance," Ryder commented to Skye, who laughed at the comment.
"Indeed it was. By the way, you still haven't told me what you thought of the music itself, knowing now that it is considered metal."
"I liked it, surprisingly enough," Ryder admitted. "I am curious for some other songs."
"Really?" Skye asked enthusiastically, leaning more towards the boy. "Awesome. Why don't you come to my house now? We can listen some music, introduce you to some great songs."
Ryder straightened up, his eyebrows shooting up, almost disappearing under his hair.
"No, no," Skye said hastily. She smacked her forehead and hurried to say: "No, I don't mean I want you alone in my room."
Ryder's eyes widened more, feigning shock, but inside he was laughing. Skye seemed to have a lack of filter and he enjoyed that. It was different from how he was.
"No, no!" She sighed and said hurriedly: "No, I mean, the band is already staying over. You can join us, right, guys?" She looked over at her band who were talking among themselves.
"Huh, what?" Arisa asked.
"You don't mind Ryder joining our sleep-over tonight, right?"
Before someone could even give an answer, Ryder was already protesting. "No, you don't have to say yes. You just have gotten to know me and you don't have to feel obliged to invite me." He felt awkward now everyone was looking at him and he didn't want them to feel like he was intruding, although he liked hanging out with them. It had been a while since he had felt so relaxed.
Hunter reached forward and smacked his shoulder. "Of course you can come, dude! The more the merrier!"
"Though, not a lot more," Skye said, holding her hands up as if to keep more people away. "My parents won't like that, even though they are not at home. She explained to Ryder: "They are on their annual mini-honeymoon. I am home alone and to keep from feeling alone, I always invite some friends."
Ryder hesitated, but when he saw that no-one thought of rejecting the idea, he agreed. "Okay, but I have to call my parents first for permission."
"Yeah, sure," said Skye. She hopped from her barstool and gestured for Ryder to do the same. "Come on, we'll find a quieter place to call. We'll be right back," she said to the rest.
Arise laughed and waved at them. "Sure, we'll stay here."
Ryder slid from his stool and followed Skye to the hallway where the toilets were located. The music could still be heard, but it was not so loud that Ryder would have to yell to speak to his mother.
"Call your mom," Skye said while pointing her finger. She then pointed at the ladies'. "I'll be right back, stay here."
Ryder chuckled and took his phone out of his pocket to dial his mother's phone number. After a few seconds she picked up. "Ryder?" Her voice was a little higher than normal and Ryder realised that she was worried because of the hour at which he called her.
"Yeah, hey mom, don't worry, everything is fine." He kept his voice soothing and her his mother let out a breath as if relieved. "I just wanted to ask if I can stay over at my friend Skye's? She and her band are doing a sleep-over and they invited me."
"I didn't know you had a friend named Skye."
Ryder raked his hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, we're in the same class. You do know Hunter, Hunter Morrison from my team?"
It was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I know him. Don't her parents mind?"
"They don't." Ryder conveniently left out the fact that Skye's parents would not be at home, otherwise he was sure to not be allowed to go.
Another silence, he knew she was thinking, probably looking at the ceiling as she always did when thinking. "Okay, you may go. Are you coming home to pick up some stuff?"
Ryder smiled, both because he was happy for the permission, but also because his mother was so practical to think of stuff to sleep over with. "Yeah, I'll come get some stuff. Will I see you or will you be in bed?"
"In bed. It's good you didn't call five minutes later, I would have been asleep then. Well, baby, have fun and I will see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, mom, see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams."
"Sweet dreams, have fun!" And she hung up.
Skye was back again and was looking at him expectantly. "Well?"
He grinned. "She said yes! Though I do have to go home first to get some things."
"Nice!" She punched his arm lightly. "Come on, let's go back, I think the open mic will be over soon and you just need to listen to the best music in the world!"
Forty-five minutes later Ryder was sitting on Skye's bed together with Arisa, Hunter and Skye herself, while Naveen and Colin were sitting on the window-sill-turned-couch. Skye had turned on her sound system and all were listening to the soprano voice of the former lead singer of Nightwish, which was in Skye's opinion "the best band in the world". Ryder could not yet agree with her, especially as he needed to get used to the music, but he could understand the appeal. The lyrics were enchanting and the bombastic orchestra in the background gave the songs an extra dimension that Ryder had not heard often, but appreciated. He looked at Skye next to him, who was lying on her back with her eyes closed, clearly enjoying the music. Naveen and Colin were sitting close next to each other, whispering to each other in a private conversation. Hunter and Arisa had grabbed Skye's laptop and were surfing the web, sometimes laughing out loud at an internet joke.
Ryder's eyes explored Skye's room some more. The walls were painted a deep red, giving the room a warm feeling. Her double bed was standing against one wall, underneath a painting of a mysterious woman. Her dark eyes looked into the room as if she had a secret that she was daring you to ask about. On the other end of the room was a big bookcase filled with a variety of books. It seemed that Skye did not throw any books away, which had resulted in books that she had probably read when when she was seven mingled with books that were now popular. Her desk was situated underneath a big window, which showed the other side of the street. The desk was filled with papers, school books and jewellery; it was a mess, but Skye had not seemed to care to organise it for her friends.
"So, let's play Trivial Pursuit!" Skye jumped up and ran out of the room before anyone could say anything.
Ryder looked questioning at Hunter, who chuckled. "It's tradition. Though, we do have some rules."
Arisa next to him put the laptop away and grinned. She made a fist and released her index finger, while saying: "First rule, you only have ten seconds to answer. Second," she added her middle finger, "with every wrong answer we can draw on you."
"Draw?" Ryder asked.
"Draw. With an almost permanent marker," Hunter said. "Not permanent, Colin had some problems with that at home when I had drawn a dick on his face."
Arisa laughed at the memory. "Yeah, well, we didn't know he had this important family reunion that day."
"True, but still, just in case, the ink will be hard to get off, but not impossible. Every part of your body that is not covered by underwear is eligible to draw on."
"There is no limit to what can be drawn on you, rule number three," Arisa added. "Rule four: when failing to gain a wedge you have to do a dare. And the last rule: the winner may choose his own prize."
"Got it!" Skye came running back with the game in her hands. "All on the floor in battle positions!" She had grabbed Ryder's hand and was dragging him to the floor in front of her bed. Luckily it was covered with carpet, so it would not bee too hard to sit on. She handed him the box and then grabbed Arisa. "We are getting some more soda, you set the game up." And she was gone again, this time taking Arisa with her.
The girls were back just when Hunter had divided the deck of cards into six and had assigned each person a coloured playing piece; Ryder was stuck with green. He looked to his right where Skye had plopped down. She looked backed and asked with a serious face: "How good are you at Trivial Pursuit? Honestly?"
"Just average?" Ryder said, "Why?"
Skye laughed, and clapped him on his shoulder. "I just want to know how easy it will be to beat you."
"Not this time, Skye!" Colin yelled from across the board. "You are going down this time!"
She laughed out loud, completely in competitive mode. "Gonna try again? We all know it is useless, honey."
"Let's make a bet," Colin grinned back, matching Skye's competitiveness.
"Cole, don't," Naveen tried to intervene, but his boyfriend and Skye were not listening.
"Name it," Skye demanded.
"The loser has to sing Nicki Minaj, for the camera and upload the video to Youtube. For everyone to see."
A collective gasp was heard and Skye looked with horror at her friend. "You're cruel."
"Are you in or out?" Colin smirked, reaching his hand across to the board to her.
Skye looked with a smirk at him and accepted it. "In. You are going to regret this."
"You know the lyrics to Starships surprisingly well," Ryder laughed at Skye who was lying facedown on her bed.
She turned her head to the side and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Can you keep a secret?" He nodded. "Guilty pleasure. Colin knows that and he used it against me, the bastard." There was no venom in her tone, but Ryder could easily see she was bumped out by her loss. If only she had gotten the question right just before Colin, then he would have been the one chanting that starships were meant to fly.
"I thought you were quite good," Ryder said as comfort.
Skye smiled at him. "I hope you enjoyed tonight."
He rubbed his left arm, which was filled with tiny drawings made by the others. Spiders, hearts, flowers, even a little monkey could be seen. He knew that hidden beneath his pyjama trousers there were a dozen more drawings and there was even little star underneath his eye that Skye had drawn there. She had been drawn on considerably less, but still her arms looked colourful. Ryder had discovered that it was not just the ink of the marker, but that she also sported some permanent ink. Cherry blossoms could be seen on her shoulder blade and on her ankle was a symbol Ryder recognised from Harry Potter. The tattoos suited Skye: they were feminine, but with a dark edge.
Arisa and Hunter were setting up their air mattresses, Ryder had already blown up his, while Colin and Naveen were behind Skye's laptop, uploading the video while sneakily stealing some kisses from each other.
"Do you want to sleep?" Skye asked Ryder.
Ryder shook his head. Although it was four in the morning, he seemed to have gone past the sleepiness he had felt an hour ago.
"Come on, let's go downstairs. I know the rest will be knocked out in half an hour; we can talk more downstairs." She did not wait for his answer, but grabbed her Ipod from her desk and Ryder's sleeping bag from the ground before walking out of the room. Ryder decided it was best to just follow her, not that he minded.
Two floors down (Skye slept in the attic) was one big room that was the living room, dining room and the kitchen. In the living room was one long couch that bend in the middle to form a corner. On the walls were a few photos showing landscapes, and one of Skye and two adults Ryder assumed were her parents. Just like in Skye's room there was a big bookcase filled with books, dvd's and some souvenirs obtained from foreign countries.
While he had been observing the room, Skye had gone into the kitchen and grabbed two drinks for them. "You may sit down, you know," she said jokingly while setting the two glasses on the table. She herself sat down in the corner of the couch, settling against the cushions with her legs underneath her. She laid Ryder's sleeping bag open over the couch to use as a warm blanket.
Skye was like Ryder in her sleeping clothes: a wide t-shirt and shorts, and she had removed her make-up and put her hair in a messy knot. It was quite a contrast to her outfit just a few hours earlier and it was closer to how Ryder was used to seeing her at school.
He sat down at her request, just a small distance from her. "Why did you invite me?" The question had spooked through his head regularly all night, but he had not dared to ask until now. He knew what came from asking: a hurtful truth or a painful lie.
He needed to be sure that this was not some prank, not some lie that had at first brought him joy until the lie was revealed, just like the catfish had been.
Skye looked as if she was going to make a joke, smiling wide already, until she saw his face. Ryder knew that this was not the face she expected, but he honestly needed to know if this new friendship, as that was how he felt this was, was real and, dare he think it, permanent.
"What happened to you in glee club?" Skye asked, narrowing her eyes slightly while looking at him from head to toe.
"Why did you invite me?" Ryder turned to her, crossing his arms, daring her to give an honest answer.
She seemed to contemplate the question, raking her right hand through her hair, though it was combed backwards into a knot. "Because it felt right?" she said, looking him straight into the eyes, though she seemed unsure of her motives. She elaborated after another moment of thought. "Until now I have only seen you in the hallway or in some classes on the other side of the room. You are always with Jake and Marley or with other members of the glee club, but I have always thought that you looked like a nice guy. Honestly," she gestured to his body, "you are the epitome of the ideal son-in-law, you have to be nice."
"Nice." Ryder commented grumpily. "No guy wants to be called nice."
"Well, you are. Accept it, sir," Skye teased a little, before returning to her initial honest answer. "I liked talking to you at the bar and even after a few hours I still enjoy your company. So, yeah, I invited you on a whim, but I don't regret that. Why did you accept the invitation?"
Ryder uncrossed his arms and put one socked foot on the couch, leaning on it with his arms and chin. "I like you and your friends. I needed the distraction and attention, I think. Which is actually not fair to you."
Skye mirrored his pose, though she put both her feet on the couch. Her legs were still underneath the sleeping bag. "I don't mind. Why did you need the distraction?"
"Swear you won't tell anyone." He felt like he was in secondary school again demanding this from Skye, but he needed her promise before he told her something so personal.
"Pinky swear," Skye held her hand up with her pinky up offering it to him. He gladly accepted it and then took a deep breath to answer her question.
"I moved to Lima in September. My mother was offered a new job and she had to take it. I quickly joined the football club to make friends and because I enjoy playing sports. Then, suddenly a month later, Finn came up to me and suggested that I would join the musical. I initially reclined, but after singing together, Finn said I got a part in the musical. I couldn't say no then. I played Danny and after the musical I joined glee club. The members are crazy and as diverse as they are the same, and I felt like I belonged. It wasn't perfect. I was in this love triangle with Jake and Marley and you know who Marley chose to be with. I had difficulties with Unique, because I was confused about which gender she was."
"You say she now, though," Skye commented.
"Yeah, Jake made it clear to me that I was an asshole behaving like I did and then someone told me: 'Everyone has their own truth.' I decided that Unique would be a girl for me from then on until she would actually say that she is a boy.
"During that time I started to chat online with this girl Katie. It turned out we had a lot in common and she helped me through the chaos that was going on. I told her everything: the good things, the bad things. I asked her for advice and she basically was my rock." Ryder took a deep breath and gulped down half of his soda before he continued. "That was, until I discovered she was a catfish. It was on the day of the shooting. Were you at school then?"
Skye nodded. "Scariest moment of my life."
"I know what you mean. I actually found out before the shooting. I saw Katie in the hallway, dragged her to glee club and sang Your Song to her. She was surprised and asked why I had picked her. I told her how I had felt when talking to her on the Internet to which she then said that she had no idea what I was talking about. She told me her name was Marissa and that I must have been catfished. I accused Jake and Marley of setting this up, because of the whole love triangle. They denied it and it turned out that they had told me the truth.
"Then, in the afternoon we were in the practice room of glee club when we heard the gunshot. Sam wanted to go out of the room to search for Brittany," Ryder was looking to the side, his eyes glassy with the memory, "but Mr. Schue and coach Beiste didn't let him. We had to sit behind boxes and the piano, so the shooter would not see us trough the door window. We were all terrified and people began to text their loved ones. I immediately texted my parents and after the second gunshot I panicked and called Katie. I had to speak her before it was too late. When I called a phone began to ring in a bag in the room."
"What?" Skye gasped. "It was someone from glee club?"
"Yup, though it was a while till I found out who it was. I asked the catfish to meet me several times, but she always stood me up. When Jake asked me why I kept hanging onto Katie I told him I had told her my secrets and she had leaked none of them. I could trust her on some level, even though she had lied to me. Jake said I should share some secrets with real people and I did. I shared my deepest secret with them and half of them did not take me seriously. All these problems I had had while in the glee club had created this emotional bucket that had kept filling up." Ryder almost choked up. He combed through his hair with both hands to calm himself down to continue his story. "After my confession and their reaction that bucket was filled up to the brink. It flooded just before regionals. I demanded to know who the catfish was. Marley took the blame, but then Unique fessed up. She had been the one tricking me the whole time. I performed on regionals, but I quit right after. I was done. I am done," Ryder said with a final tone.
Skye scooted a little closer on her knees and laid her hand against Ryder's ankle. He was surprised, but the simple gesture, not too close, but still close enough, comforted him. "That is horrible. Why did she do it?"
"She likes me and needed a fake account to get close to me." His tone was bitter and his face was set, angry. "When it got serious she could not go back, she said. Marley even knew and didn't tell me anything. I feel betrayed. We were becoming friends. We hung out at school, we had fun in glee club and then suddenly she turns out to be the one who has purposely deceived me. It hurts."
He grabbed his hair and then continued in a harsher voice. "Mr. Schue is always talking about how we are safe in glee club, that we have to accept and respect each other. I don't feel that anymore. Half did not even accept my truth. I love singing, but I won't sing with people that disrespect me, that make me feel this way. I am done." His tone was firm, he was sure of himself, but tears were swimming in his eyes, threatening to escape and contradicting his words.
Skye squeezed his ankle, looking at him with her greyish blue eyes full of sympathy. "May I hug you?"
Ryder looked surprised at her question. He then nodded and he felt how Skye grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her. Her body pushed his leg to the side, so she could hug him properly. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, while his encircled her waist. It was stiff at first, but when Skye stroked his neck, something broke in him. He buried his face in her shoulder and the tears spilled out. He was not a noisy crier, but the shaking of his body told Skye that the hug needed to last a little longer.
She did not say anything but just held him. It gave him room to wonder why he was letting this girl that he had just got to really know a few hours ago, comfort him like this. He thought about how he had been hurt by the people he had called his friends and they had even been surprised by his reaction and his decision to leave glee club. His heart was filled with sadness and hurt, but as he was held by this girl, he also felt comfort and even hope, though for what exactly he did not know.
When his crying stopped after a few minutes, Skye pushed him a little away to look him in the eyes. There was a fire in her eyes that touched Ryder.
"I am your friend from now on. Not because I pity you, but because I like you as a person. I have enjoyed tonight immensely and I want to do this more often. You can sit with us at lunch, during class and next week we'll perform again at MacClaren's, so we can have a good time there. It will all be fun." She smiled at him and he just had to give a teary smile back. "I know Arisa, Hunter, Colin and Naveen like you, so you also don't have to worry about that." With her thumb she wiped away the tear that escaped Ryder's eye. "It will all be fine."
He believed her. Not entirely, but the sincerity in her voice and her eyes pushed away the apprehension he felt about any friendship. He felt brave enough to try this, but he he knew he had to be careful. Friendship could bring both joy and pain. "Thank you," he said to Skye.
She gave him another short hug. "No need to thank me." She shifted so she was sitting on the couch as a person was supposed to be. She held up her Ipod that she had taken from her room. "Do you want to talk some more or would you like to hear some good music?"
"Let's listen to some music," Ryder answered. He sat next to her and watched how Skye untangled her earphones. She handed one to him and put the other in her own ear. She also shifted the sleeping bag so it was covering the both of them.
"We'll begin with an easy listen." Skye pressed play and the song started. Ryder felt a little drained after the talk and the crying, so he slouched on the couch and laid his head on the back. Skye snuggled against him and laid her head on his shoulder without saying a word. He tensed for a moment, but the slight exhaustion and the warmth Skye provided, relaxed him and he laid his head against hers. He didn't know it yet, but this night marked the beginning of a beautiful and long-lasting friendship.
I recommend listening to the songs that are referenced, if only to know what kind of music The Last of the Wilds is aspiring to make.
Songs:
Let me entertain you - Robbie Williams
Umbrella - Rihanna (though the Vanilla Sky cover will be closer to what the Unnamed tried to achieve)
April Rain - Delain
Storm the Sorrow - Epica
Last of the Wilds - Nightwish (this is what I named the band after as tribute to Nightwish)
I kissed a girl - Katy Perry (though the single is not named, you may assume it is this one)