Hey everyone! I've been writing this story for a long time now, and it's finally finished yay! This is my longest Jarley one-shot so far, and I'm pretty proud of it. Hope you guys like it!
"I cannot believe Mercedes quit on us!" Noah "Puck" Puckerman shouted angrily. "Did she even say why?"
"She said she got a better deal," Noah's younger brother Jake Puckerman said. "Some music producer guy saw a video she posted on YouTube of her singing."
"We need her though!" Sam Evans added.
"No we don't, we just need a lead singer," Ryder Lynn said.
"Yeah, but no one can compare to Mercedes," Sam said sadly.
"You're just saying that because you dated her." Puck rolled his eyes. "There are other girls just as good."
"Well we need to find one quick," Jake said. "We've got a gig next week, and we cannot cancel."
"Alright, let's just hold auditions," Ryder suggested. "Let's find us a new lead singer."
Kitty Wilde bursted through her Manhattan apartment that she shared with her two best friends, Marley Rose and Wade "Unique" Adams. "You will not believe what I found!" She said breathlessly.
"What?" Unique looked up from painting Marley's toe nails.
"Look what I found!" Kitty held up a flyer in front of Marley's face.
"What is that?" Marley stood up and waddled over to Kitty. She snatched the flyer out of her friend's hands. "An audition for a band?"
"Not just any band. The Sex Sharks!" Kitty said gleefully. "Their music really helped me when Mr. Chubby Cheeks died."
"I didn't know that hamster meant so much to you," Unique commented.
"Not the point," Kitty said, getting irritated. "The point is that there's an open audition, and Marley is going to go."
"Um, excuse me?" Marley cocked her head.
"You heard me. You are talented, Marley. The world needs to hear you. You can't stay cooped up in this tiny apartment, singing just for the two of us. You are going to this audition." Kitty crossed her arms over her chest, not taking no for an answer.
"Kitty, I don't know," Marley said, feeling a little self conscience.
"Come on Marley. You have to get over your stage fright. You can't become a famous singer if you're afraid of singing in front of people."
"I sing in front of you guys."
"Yeah, well two people is a lot different than two thousand people," Kitty said.
Marley gasped. "Two thousand?!"
"Yup. That's probably the average number of people who go see The Sex Sharks at their gigs."
"Why are they even called The Sex Sharks?" Unique asked.
"I don't know." Kitty shrugged.
"We'll it's kind of disgusting." Marley wrinkled her nose.
"Whatever. You're still auditioning, even if I have to drag you there myself," Kitty stated.
"Ugh, fine. I'll do it." Marley finally agreed.
"Okay good. The audition's tomorrow. Go wash your hair. It's looking a little greasy," Kitty said, steering Marley into the bathroom.
"Okay, who do we have first?" Jake asked as he and his band mates sat down, facing hundreds of girls who wanted nothing more than to be a part of The Sex Sharks.
"First up, Sugar Motta!" Puck shouted into his bullhorn.
"Is that bullhorn really necessary?" Ryder muttered under his breath.
A short brunette in a hot pink dress walked up to the four boys. Jake was kind of glad there was a large table separated them from her because she seemed a little...intense.
"Hi, my name is Sugar Motta, and I'm your newest Sex Shark!"
"Okay Sugar, what song are you going to sing for us?" Jake asked, feeling like a judge on American Idol.
"I'm going to sing my rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," Sugar said enthusiastically.
Puck chuckled. "Um, okay. Start whenever your ready."
Sugar cleared her throat and started to sing. Well, Jake didn't think that the sound coming out of her voice could be classified as singing. To be honest, she just sounded like a dying whale.
"Alright, Sugar that's enough," Puck shouted over her loud wails.
"So, when do I start?" Sugar asked, totally oblivious to the boys' facial expressions
"Um, we'll get back to you about that," Sam said, trying to be as nice as possible.
Puck reached for his bullhorn again. "Okay next!"
Three hours and 87 auditions later, the band still hadn't found their lead singer. Jake was starting to think this was getting useless.
"Coming through! Hey, get the hell out of my way!" Jake heard a loud girl say. He watched as two girls and a boy in a dress aggressively push past the crowd of remaining girls. "This girl would like to audition!" The loud one said.
"Alright, what's your name?" Puck asked in a monotone voice. He was getting bored and tired of hearing all these girls sing horribly.
"M-Marley," the second girl said. "Marley Rose."
Jake looked up and immediately was met with two gorgeous blue eyes. He quickly looked away when he realized he was staring too long.
"Okay Marley, what are you going to sing for us?" Sam asked.
"Um, I'm going to sing Everytime, by Britney Spears," she said nervously.
"Okay, whenever you're ready."
Marley looked to Kitty and Unique, who both gave her encouraging thumbs ups. She closed her eyes and started singing, pretending that she was in her room by herself, and not in front of four very attractive boys.
Sam, Puck, Jake, and Ryder were so mesmerized by Marley's beautiful voice, they didn't even realize she finished singing a moment later.
Marley awkwardly cleared her throat. "Um, how was that?"
"Amazing," Jake said.
"Beautiful," Ryder added.
"Best voice we've heard all day," Sam agreed.
"Okay, well we will call you sometime within the next week to tell you if you got the part," Puck said.
"Oh please, of course she's going to get it." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Before we go, can I get your guys' autograph? I'm like, a huge fan."
"Sure thing." Jake smiled as he wrote his signature on a napkin, handing it to the other three members.
"Awesome!" Kitty squealed. "Come on ladies, let's get out of here."
"Bye Marley," Jake said. "Hope we see you soon."
Marley turned around and waved. "Bye."
Kitty paced around the apartment a couple days later, Marley's phone in hand.
"Girl, you seem more nervous about this audition than Marley," Unique commented.
"Shut up."
"They probably found a girl who's better than me," Marley said, grabbing a Poptart from the cabinet.
"You don't seem so upset about it," Unique said.
"Well I didn't really want to audition in the first place, so...yeah."
"I can't believe you don't want to be in The Sex Sharks, Marley," Kitty said. "I mean, they are so-"
The phone in Kitty's hands suddenly started ringing, startling the three of them.
"Answer it." Kitty shoved the phone in Marley's face.
"No, you do it." Marley shoved it back.
"Answer the damn phone! Kitty pushed answer and pressed the phone onto Marley's ear.
"H-Hello?" Marley said into the phone, glaring angrily at Kitty.
"Hey, this is Puck from The Sex Sharks, and we would like to congratulate you for being our new lead singer."
"Congratulations!" She heard Sam, Ryder, and Jake shout in the background.
"So I got it?" Marley asked.
"Yep. I'll text you the address of where we practice. Be there tomorrow at noon."
"Thank you!" Marley said, and hung up the phone.
"Oh my gosh, I knew you'd get it!" Kitty ran to Marley and gave her a giant hug.
"I still don't know about this," Marley said.
"Oh come on. Millions of girls would kill to be you right now. You do not realize how lucky you are." Kitty crossed her arms.
"Fine, okay. I'll do it. Whatever," Marley grumbled.
Kitty smirked. "You'll thank me later."
Marley showed up the next day at the address Puck sent her. She thought it would be a professional music studio, so she was very confused when all she saw were houses.
She decided to ring the doorbell, hoping she was at the right place.
The door suddenly opened, revealing Puck with a cupcake in his hand. "Marley! You made it!"
"Yeah, I wasn't sure this was the right place."
"Well come inside. I'll show you around," Puck motioned her to walk inside.
"This is the kitchen," he said.
"Wow, it's huge," Marley marveled.
"Here's my room," Puck said after showing her the living room and bathroom. "And this is Sam's room, and that's Ryder's room across, and Jake's room is down the hall."
"You guys all live together?" Marley asked.
"Yeah, it's pretty fun. It's like a giant bachelor pad. Anyway, this is where we practice," Puck said as they walked downstairs to the garage.
"It's really loud!" Marley shouted over the music playing.
"Yeah, we're just warming up. You'll get used it, though."
"Hey Marley!" Ryder put his drumsticks down and stood up to greet her.
"Hey guys," Marley waved.
"Welcome to the band." Jake grinned.
"So, we're in the process of writing a new song," Puck explained, "and we'd like you to give us your feedback on how it sounds so far."
"Um, okay. Sure." Marley took a seat next to Jake, who smiled warmly at her. She felt herself blush. "What's the song called?"
"It's called Big Ass Heart. Wrote it myself," Puck bragged.
Marley frowned slightly. "Are you sure that's a good name for it? And while we're on the topic of names, why are you guys called The Sex Sharks? It's a really horrible name."
"Hey, it's our band. We can name it whatever we want," Puck said.
"Well technically it's now my band, too." Marley smirked. "So I have a say in the name, right?"
"Marley, we can't just change our name," Sam said, trying to keep the peace. "Everybody already knows us as The Sex Sharks."
"Okay, fine. But can since I am in the band now, can I at least have a little say in the decisions we make?"
"Like what?" Ryder asked.
"Well, how about I have a say in the type of songs we sing," Marley tried to compromise. "Punk rock songs aren't really my style. What if we try some different genres of music?"
The four boys thought about it for a minute. "We have a deal," Jake finally said, reaching out to shake her hand. When his hand came in contact with hers, Marley instantly felt a spark between them. Whoa. That's never happened before. And she has shaken hands with many people in the past.
Jake must have felt it too, because he suddenly brought his hand away and chuckled awkwardly.
Marley reached out and shook the other guys' hands too, not feeling the same spark she felt with Jake.
"Alright, now let me run Big Ass Heart by you and tell me what I should change," Puck said eagerly.
Marley laughed as she sat down and watched her new band perform the ridiculous song. She realized that for the first time in her short life, she had finally found a place where she belonged.
"Maybe you guys should hire a songwriter," Marley tried to say in the nicest way possible as she read over the lyrics of Big Ass Heart in the boys' garage a couple days later.
"No way. We've written all our songs ourselves," Ryder said.
"Look, I hate to say this, but the lyrics to your songs aren't very good," Marley said. "I mean, your biggest hit is about a guy who's a stripper."
"White Chocolate Stripper was amazing!" Sam protested. "It made us famous."
"But if you guys want to keep being a popular band, your music needs to have better lyrics." Marley crossed her arms.
"Alright, mom, whatever you say," Puck rolled his eyes.
"Maybe I can write the songs," Marley suggested.
"We're actually thinking of working on a Christmas album," Jake said. "We were thinking of doing covers of famous Christmas songs and putting our own little twist on them."
"That works too." Marley nodded. "But December's only one month away. Is that going to be enough time to record all the songs and make the entire album?"
"Only if we work fast," Sam said, grabbing his notebook. "The songs we plan to cover are, All I Want For Christmas Is You, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Let It Snow, The Twelve Days of Christmas, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, White Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman."
"Wow, okay. That sounds good." Marley gave Sam an appreciated thumbs-up.
"You are so much nicer than Mercedes," Jake said. "Whenever we gave her our ideas, she would always shoot them down, telling us that they were all stupid."
"True." Ryder nodded.
"I'm sorry she quit on you guys," Marley said.
"Don't be," Jake patted her shoulder, which instantly sent tingles down her spine. "Because we got ourselves an even better lead singer."
Marley met the boys at the recording studio the next day to work on their first song for the Christmas album. "Ready to get started?" She asked when she walked in.
"Oh my god, she's on time," Puck faked a surprised tone.
"What?"
"Mercedes was always late to everything," Ryder explained. "She was such a diva."
"Well, don't worry. I'm probably the furthest thing from a diva," Marley assured.
"There's nothing wrong with being a diva," Sam muttered under his breath.
"Dude, get over her," Puck said. "She chose her career over you. Find someone who actually cares about you."
"I guess you're right," Sam said in a small voice.
"Of course I am. Now let's start the first song."
"Um, how does this work?" Marley spoke up. "I've never sung in a recording booth before."
"It's easy," Jake said, handing her a pair of headphones. "We just put these on, and go inside that little room, and rock out. Artie said he'll be here soon to record us."
"Who's Artie?" Marley asked.
"Oh, he's our manager. We were friends in high school," Sam said.
"Are you guys talking about me?" Marley heard a voice call out.
"Yo, Artie! We're in here!" Puck shouted.
Marley saw a boy around her age in a wheelchair roll in the room. He looked kind of nerdy, with his glasses and sweater vest, but it worked for him.
"You must be the new lead singer I've been hearing a lot about," Artie said.
"Hi, I'm Marley Rose," she introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Marley," Artie said kindly. "Now you guys go in the booth and play the first song. Marley, you'll do the lead vocals and Jake will sing backup. Got it?"
"Yeah," the boys said simultaneously. Marley just nodded. She was actually kind of nervous. She never sang in a professional recording booth before. She hoped she would sound good.
"Ready guys?" Artie spoke into the mic.
"Yep," they all said. The music to All I Want For Christmas Is You played through the headphones. The boys grabbed their instruments and began to rock out to the music. Marley took a deep breath and started to sing. Soon after, Jake joined in with her, and Marley lost her focus a little. Jake had the most amazing voice she's ever heard. As they sang together, Marley could feel the connection between them.
Before she knew it, the song ended, and Artie applauded. "Good work guys. Marley, you were fantastic.
"Thanks!" Marley beamed.
"Alright, I'll give you guys a five minute break and then we'll work on the next song," Artie said, taking off his headphones.
"So, how was your first time in the booth?" Ryder asked Marley once Artie couldn't hear them anymore.
"It was amazing." Marley grinned. "I felt like I was a professional singer."
"Well, hopefully someday you will be," Jake said, smiling at Marley, causing her to blush slightly.
"Maybe Jake should sing backup all the time," Sam suggested. "You and Marley sounded really awesome together."
"Hey, I'm the leader of this band, so I make the decisions," Puck protested.
"Dude, just because you're the oldest doesn't make you the leader," Jake said. "Really, it's Artie who should be making the decisions.
"I think I should sing backup with Marley," Ryder spoke up. "I bet we would sound awesome together."
"No way, I have a better voice," Jake said.
"Guys, stop fighting," Marley said, but the boys were oblivious to her.
"Are you serious? My voice is better than all of yours' combined!" Ryder shouted.
"Oh, who told you that, your mom?" Jake smirked.
Marley sighed. "Guys, please..." She looked to Sam for help, who had just been standing there, watching the fight the entire time.
"Don't worry, I got it." Sam took his guitar and strummed a loud note against the microphone, causing Puck, Jake, and Ryder to finally shut up.
"You know, it makes us look really bad when you guys fight like that," Sam said. "Marley probably doesn't want to be around us anymore."
"I'm not going to ditch you guys," Marley said, "but I really don't want to fight like that."
"I'm sorry," both Ryder and Jake said.
Artie, who was totally oblivious to the previous argument, turned the mic back on and spoke to the band. "Are you guys ready for the second song?"
"Is Jake gonna sing backup again?" Ryder asked.
"Actually, I think Marley should sing this next one as a solo," Artie said.
"Sounds good." Marley gave Artie a thumbs up.
As she started singing Jingle Bell Rock, the four boys just stared at her in awe. Well, actually, it was just Jake and Ryder who were staring. Puck and Sam were rolling their eyes at them.
"That was awesome!" Ryder gave Marley a high five when she finished singing.
"Yeah, you were amazing," Jake said.
"Thanks," Marley giggled.
"Marley, that was excellent!" Artie's voice blared through her headphone. "I'm gonna go make a phone call. You guys take a break, and I'll be back in five minutes for the next song."
Two hours went by, and the band got halfway through their songs. Artie didn't want to record all the songs at once, because it was so much work. "You guys did an awesome job today. I'll see you in a couple days to record the rest," he said.
"Hey Marley, wanna come back to our place and hang out?" Ryder asked.
"Um, sure," Marley said. "That'd be great.
The five of them got back to the house ten minutes later and lounged on the couch. "I think wrestling's on," Puck said, grabbing the tv remote.
"Ew, wrestling?" Marley ask with a disgusted look on her face.
"How could you not like wrestling?" Puck asked.
"Because it's terrible to watch!" Marley exclaimed. "They're all beating eachother up and stuff!"
"Yeah, that's kinda the point," Puck said. "But fine. What do you want to watch?"
"Oooh, let's see. How about some Project Runway?"
"No way," Puck said.
"Not in a million years," Sam agreed.
"Oh, come on, it's not as bad as you think," Marley laughed. "You get to see hot models."
"Well in that case..." Puck scratched his chin.
"Oh, just put it on," Jake laughed.
"Earth to Puck." Jake snapped his fingers in his brother's face half an hour into the show. He was staring at the models walking down the runway and he was starting to drool.
"Whoa. Sorry." Puck wiped his mouth. "We don't speak of this," he warned.
"I don't know," Ryder spoke up. "What would Quinn have to say about this?"
"Who's Quinn?" Marley asked.
"Puck's girlfriend," Sam answered.
"Hmm. I didn't think you were the type for having girlfriends."
"Hey, I'm not just a one night stand guy. I mean, I used to be, but not after I met Quinn. What can I say? She changed me," Puck said as the other guys rolled their eyes.
Ryder shook his head and laughed. "Dude, you are so lame."
"Guys, guys, guess what?" Jake shouted as he bursted through the door of the recording studio a week later, running past Artie and into the booth.
"Dude, you're late," Puck glared at his brother, handing him his guitar.
"Yeah, I have a good reason. I got a call from Will Schuester, the manager of Schuester's Amusement Park, and he wants us to perform there for their big Winter Wonderland celebration!" Jake said, all in one breath.
"No way!" Sam exclaimed. "That's awesome!"
"But we've asked to perform there before, multiple times even," Ryder chimed in. "They've always denied us."
"Well, I told them about our new lead singer," Jake paused, glancing at Marley, "and that we have a Christmas album coming up, and Will Schuester asked if we'd be willing to perform, and I was all like, hell yeah we would."
"That's so cool!" Marley spoke up.
"When's the gig?" Puck asked.
"A week from today," Jake said. "So we have to finish this album as soon as possible."
"So are you excited, Marley?" Ryder asked. "Your first gig!"
"Yeah, I'm excited." Marley forced a smile. "And nervous," she mumbled so no one else could hear her.
"Alright, so now let's finish this damn song," Puck said.
"We should probably tell Artie the news," Sam said, remembering that their manager hadn't heard a single word of their conversation.
"Oh, right. I'll tell him later." Jake waved it off.
Two hours later, the guys and Marley finally finished their last song. It was a duet with Ryder and Jake, who couldn't be happier about it. They were best friends after all. Had been since they were three. Nothing could ever get in between them. Well, maybe except a certain blue eyed girl.
"So, I was, uh, wondering, um, would you want to get coffee with me sometime?" Ryder asked Marley as they walked out of the studio.
Marley stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. He was really cute, and had a great personality, but Marley just didn't feel any chemistry between them. However, not possessing any mean bones in her body, she couldn't turn him down.
"Um, sure," she answered, giving Ryder a weak smile. "That sounds great." She silently cursed herself for not being as aggressive and mean with guys as Kitty was. But after seeing Ryder's hopeful eyes, she just couldn't say no.
Jake, having heard the whole thing, walked past Ryder and Marley as fast as he could. He didn't want any of them to see the disappointment etched on his face. He really liked Marley too. Damn him for not asking her out sooner.
"Sometime bothering you, bro?" Puck asked, catching up to Jake.
"No," Jake mumbled.
"Dude, I can see it on your face. Something's wrong. C'mon. Tell your older brother what's up."
When Jake didn't answer, Puck just sighed. "Whatever," he said. "I'll find out eventually." He patted Jake on the back and walked ahead to his car. "Need a ride?" Puck asked.
Jake shook his head. "No, I'm good. Thanks, though." He turned around and fell into step with Marley and Ryder. "Need a ride, Marley?" He offered.
"I'm actually taking her home," Ryder said, grabbing Marley's hand.
Jake's features hardened. "Right. Okay," he said defeatedly.
"You can come ride with me, dude," Sam said, saving Jake from the awkward situation.
"Thanks, man," Jake said, hoping into Sam's car.
"Where's your car?" Sam asked once they were driving.
"It's in the shop getting fixed."
"Oh." Sam nodded. "So, what's going on with you and Marley. I sense some tension with you, her, and Ryder," he said, quickly changing the subject.
"Nothing," Jake said, his face showing no emotion. "Nothing's going on."
The band met up at Schuester's Amusement Park a week later, preparing for their performance. Marley sat next to Ryder as he tried to teach her how to play the drums. Even though at first, she was pretty hesitant about going out with Ryder, after their first date, she found him so sweet and charming. They had gone out every single day since he first asked her out, and she realized that she really liked him.
Jake stood as far away as he could from the annoyingly happy couple. He wanted more than anything to tell Marley about his feelings for her, but it was too late now. Jake didn't want something as silly as a blossoming crush to come in between his friendship with Ryder. But it was. Jake really felt something for Marley, and yes, he was jealous. He hated to admit it, but it was true. He didn't want Marley to be with Ryder, as bad as it sounded. Ryder had broken up with girls before. He wasn't always the caring, loving boyfriend that everyone thought he was. And Marley barely even knew Ryder. He didn't want to see her get hurt. No way.
"Alright guys, are you ready?" Artie made his way over to the band.
Marley took a couple deep breaths. "Yep," she said, her voice wavering a little.
"Don't worry, you'll be great." Ryder took her hand and kissed it, causing Jake to turn away. Oh, how he wished he was in Ryder's shoes right now.
"Okay, let's do this!" Puck shouted, pumping his fist into the air.
Marley, Jake, Sam, Ryder, and Puck all made their way to the stage. Puck grabbed the microphone and shouted into it. "Are all you suckers ready to hear some good music?!"
The crowd cheered, and Puck waited for the sound to die down to start talking again.
"We are The Sex Sharks!" Puck shouted again. "And we're going to perform some songs from our upcoming Christmas Album, A Very Sex Shark Christmas! Hope you enjoy!"
The music began to play, and Marley started to sing, instantly feeling her tension melting away. She sang her duet with Jake, and tried to ignore the sparks she was feeling towards him. I'm dating Ryder, she reminded herself. I shouldn't be feeling anything towards Jake. But Marley couldn't deny the fact that there was chemistry between them. The song soon ended, and Marley found herself standing dangerously close to Jake. She awkwardly moved away, and geared up for the next song.
"Whoo! That went amazing!" Sam yelled as the five of them ran off the stage after their performance. "They really liked you, Marley.
"I'll be right back," Ryder said. "I'm going to go get a drink. Want anything, Marles?"
"No thanks," Marley said, watching Ryder weave through the crowd. She turned back around to the other guys. "I can't believe that just happened!" She shouted happily.
"You were awesome up there," Jake said sincerely. "Ryder's a really lucky guy."
Marley was about to ask what that meant when she suddenly heard Sam yell, "What the hell, dude?!"
She turned around and saw Ryder sucking face with some blonde chick. Ryder instantly pulled away from the girl when he heard Sam shout. "I-It's not what it looks like!" He said in a panicked tone. "She totally came on to me."
"Oh, please." the girl rolled her eyes. She turned around and walked back to her group of friends, leaving Ryder speechless.
"R-Ryder? What's going on?" Marley asked in a small voice. "Who was that girl?"
Jake's heart ached seeing Marley so sad. He knew he should have said something about Ryder earlier.
"She's no one," Ryder said, trying to come up with an excuse. "She just came on to me. She was the one who kissed me."
"Well it didn't look like you were trying to stop her," Marley said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I thought you liked me."
"I-I do," Ryder said, grabbing her hand. Marley quickly pulled away.
"I knew dating a rock star would be a bad idea," she said, wiping her eyes. "I'm going to go." She reached for her phone to call Kitty to pick her up.
"Marley, wait," Ryder pleaded. "I'm sorry."
"I never want to talk to you again," Marley spoke, her voice never sounding this angry before. "Just leave me alone. All of you. I-I quit," Marley shouted, and ran to the nearest exit. She heard the guys call after her, but she ignored them. All she wanted to do was get out of there. She knew she was probably being over dramatic, but she didn't care. Ryder really hurt her. Marley wanted nothing to do with him ever again.
"I made you some tea." Kitty walked into Marley's room later that evening, handing her a cup of Marley's favorite green tea.
"Thanks," Marley sniffled, taking a generous sip.
"Are you seriously thinking about quitting? Kitty asked.
Marley looked up at her best friend. "What else could I do? I never want to see Ryder again."
"That doesn't mean you can sacrifice the band. They need you, Marley. They sound better with you."
"Mmm hmm, Kitty's right, girl," Unique said as she walked into Marley's room. "The band sounded so much better when you joined."
"I'll think about it," Marley said. "Can you guys close the door behind you?"
Kitty and Unique gave Marley a sympathetic look before walking out of the room. Feeling so frustrated and angry, Marley grabbed her pillow and started screaming into it. Why did Ryder do that to her? She thought he liked her. He was the one who asked her out. Marley threw her pillow down and cried until she fell asleep.
A little while later, Marley awoke to the sound of someone knocking on her door.
"Marley?" She heard Kitty say. "There's someone here for you."
Marley slowly got up and walk to the door. "If it's Ryder, then I swear I-" She opened the door only to find Jake's large brown eyes staring back at her.
"Jake, what are you doing here?" Marley asked, rubbing her eyes.
"I wanted to talk to you. You know, about Ryder, and stuff," Jake said.
Marley opened her door wider, letting him inside her room. "Okay." She nodded, motioning for Kitty and Unique to go away.
"I'm really sorry about what happened," Jake said once they were alone.
Marley looked at Jake. "Why? You didn't do anything."
"I should have told you about Ryder earlier. "None of his past relationships have ever ended okay. I should have said something."
"It's not your fault." Marley put a hand on Jake's shoulder, instantly feeling a spark. Dammit, why did that always happen whenever they touched? She pulled her hand away, feeling a blush arise on her cheeks.
"Please come back," Jake whispered. "The band isn't complete without you."
"How does Ryder feel?" Marley asked, then instantly regretting it. She honestly didn't care how he felt.
"He probably feels really bad, Jake said. " I mean, this is just my opinion, but I don't think you should forgive him. He always hooks up with random girls at gigs and concerts."
"Really?"
Jake nodded sadly. "Yep."
"Do all of you?" Marley asked.
"What? No! I mean, Puck used to, but not anymore. And Sam never does. He's still heartbroken over Mercedes dumping him."
Marley looked at Jake. "What about you?"
"No girl has even tried hooking up with me before," he confessed. "I'm kind of the 'ugly duckling' of the group. Or, so people say."
Marley burst out laughing. "That is so not true!" You're, you're very good looking," she said, blushing again.
"Thanks," Jake giggled. "But seriously, we need you."
"You guys don't need me." Marley rolled her eyes. "I'm sure there are better singers out there."
"Yeah, but they're not you," Jake said softly. Ever so slightly, he leaned closer to her.
Marley, unable to take her eyes of the gorgeous boy sitting in front of her, leaned closer too, her lips only inches away from his.
Not saying a word, Jake slowly pressed his lips against hers, bringing his hand up to the back of her head.
Marley felt that spark again when their lips touched, stronger than ever. It felt so right. She smiled into the kiss. All other thoughts flew out of her mind. All she cared about was kissing Jake.
Due to lack of oxygen, Jake pulled away after a minute. He pressed his forehead against hers. "Please come back," he whispered.
"O-Okay," Marley said without hesitation.
Jake pulled away, looking surprised. "Really?"
Marley nodded, completely confident in her decision. "Yeah. I'll come back."
"Look who's back?!" Jake called as he and Marley walked hand-in-hand into the garage of the Sex Sharks' bachelor pad later that evening.
"Oh, thank god you didn't quit on us." Sam ran to Marley, practically hugging her. "We do not want a repeat of what happened with Mercedes."
Ryder sat in the corner and played with his drumsticks, trying to ignore the presence of the girl. However, Marley started walking towards him, holding her hand out. "Can we just forget this all happened?" She asked.
Ryder smiled softly and shook her hand. "Yeah. And I totally know that you really like Jake. We could all see it."
"I guess everything worked out for the best," Marley said, glancing at Jake.
Ryder nodded. "I guess so."
Puck walked over to Jake, who was tuning up his guitar. "So that was it, huh?"
Jake turned to his brother. "What was it?"
"What you didn't want to tell me earlier? You totally had the hots for Marley, even though Ryder had her."
"You figured it out, dude." Jake patted Puck on the back. "Congrats."
"So are you guys like together now?" Puck asked. "Come on, man, don't leave me hanging!"
Jake laughed, completely ignoring his brother. He walked over to his new girlfriend and gave her a giant kiss on the lips, neither of them caring that all the other guys were watching with envious looks on their faces.
"Why can't I have a relationship like that?" Sam said to no one in particular.
"I think I'm gonna call Quinn and tell her how much I love her," Puck said.
Ryder patted Jake's back once he and Marley broke apart. "I'm really happy for you, man," Ryder said. "Really, I am."
"Thanks, dude," Jake said, pounding knuckles with him. "Still friends?"
"Best friends." Ryder grinned. "Sorry for stealing your girl. I didn't realize you had such strong feelings for her. I never would have asked her out if I knew."
"It's cool," Jake said. "I'm just glad it all worked out in the end. But if you ever hurt any girl again, I'm totally going to kick your ass."
"Don't worry, I promise I won't," Ryder said, and left the room, leaving Marley and Jake alone.
"So I never really asked, but do you want to be my girlfriend?" Jake asked as they lounged on the couch.
Marley giggled and playfully shoved his arm. "Of course, silly!"
"Okay, good. Just making sure. 'Cause I really like you."
Marley gave Jake a huge smile. "I really like you too," she said, leaning in to kiss him again. She was so happy Kitty had forced her to audition for The Sex Sharks. Now, looking at Jake, and the other guys who had rejoined them in the garage, she couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be.
Oh my gosh, I had so much fun writing this! I really hope you guys like it. I had this idea in my head for a long time, and finally decided to write it. Tell me what you thought about it in the reviews. I just got on summer break, so I'm going to have a lot of time to write for the next couple months, so send me any prompts if you have any. I plan to start a new multi-chapter Jarley fic soon, so keep your eyes open for that in the next couple of weeks. Also, the last chapter before the epilogue of The Broken Ones should be updated soon. I hope you guys have a great day, and talk to you later! :D