A/N: Hiya y'all, Zoe here. This is my first chap of a multi-chap Jarley fic! Whoo! This part is super duper short, and that's only because it's a starter. It's just to let you know what's going on in Jakey poo's life. The next chapter is probably going to be short as well since we get to know Marley, but after that I promise they'll be a decent size. Nect chapter will be up anytime from this weekend to sometime next week, depends on what my mom has planned for school. Lastly, sorry for any grammar/spelling errors, my friend quit on being my beta. If you would like to be my beta, send me a message on tumblr! So leave me a comment, please no hate, but constructive criticism is nice. Make sure you check out my tumblr too! .com
Thanks for reading!
Five years, two-hundred and sixty weeks,and one-thousand eight-hundred and twenty six days. That's how long it took for Jake Puckerman to realize what he wanted in life. Throughout high school he had always been the player, never settling down, always getting in trouble. He was that guy, the one that everyone hated but were somehow fascinated by. Despite that, everyone had always stayed away from the Puckerman in the leather jacket, everyone except for Marley Rose. Jake would never understand why Marley put up with him. He was a jerk, he knew that, but she didn't seem to care, she stuck around no matter how her hurt her. It was that that drew him to her, and eventually he began cherishing their time together, wanting to spend more time with her. But never once in his long high school years did he think of them as anything more than friends, they were just Jake and Marley, nothing less, nothing more. But he sat here now, in a small new york diner, going into his last year of college and his fourth year without Marley. He knew how she was doing, he'd heard her on a radio station while driving around the state, and he was glad she was reaching her dreams. He would have been dead weight to carry around, a burden, and there was nothing more he wanted for the talented brunette than to reach her goals. And that's why he left. Although it broke his heart that night when he said goodbye, she had cried and begged him to stay with her, but nothing would change his mind. He left their small apartment and never looked back.
It had been four years now, and Jake missed her more than ever. He missed the glee club and, for pete sake, he even missed Kitty the slightest bit. He was overloaded with schoolwork and stress and he really wanted someone to help him out. Sighing, he stood, downing his coffee and dropping a handful of dollar bills on the table. He strode outside into the cold, pulling his collar up, and marched down the street. It was mid-December, and it was absolutely freezing. New York had already experienced a snow storm this year, and it looked like another one was on the way. When he finally reached his apartment building, he happily pushed inside into the warmth, smiling at the doorman, and took the steps two by two up to the fourth floor. The door to the apartment was unlocked and Jake slowly opened the door, peering inside cautiously. Groaning when he saw the familiar head of hair on his couch, he closed the door behind him and dropped his keys on the table before turning to hang his coat on the hook.
"I swear," He sighed, sitting down next to his roommate,"We're going to get robbed one of these times."
"Aw, c'mon, Jakey, I could take 'em." Santana smiled at him,"No one can get past Auntie Tana."
Jake scoffed at the nickname, slouching down lower in his seat,"Sure you could. I'm hungry, you have food?"
Santana rolled her eyes and motioned to the kitchen,"Yeah, yeah. Go help yourself, babe."
Pulling himself up from the couch, Jake made his way to the kitchen, opening the fridge and admiring the many different plates of food. Finally deciding on a carton of chow mein, he dropped back onto the couch, picking at the food with his fork. Santana looked up at him, sighing before turning her body to face him,"Alright, babe, spill it. You're not acting yourself."
"Nothing's wrong," Jake spoke around the mouthful of food he was working on.
Making a face, Santana shook her head dissapprovingly,"You have no manners, and you suck at lying."
Letting his fork drop into the chinese takeout carton, Jake sighed and turned to face Santana,"There's absolutely nothing wrong, I'm just a little homesick, that's it."
The black haired woman frowned,"You miss her, don't you?" She knew her friend well, at she knew how he felt. She'd felt the same way after leaving Brittany behind in Ohio.
Knowing he was caught, Jake blushed and shook his head,"No, I do not miss Marley. I mean, yeah, of course I miss her. She was my best friend. But it's not like we were anything more than that, not that I wanted that, but..." Sighing and staring into his dinner he sighed,"She didn't need me around, I would have just hurt her."
Smiling sadly, Santana took the chinese from her friend, pulling him up into a hug,"It's alright, hon. Everything happens for a reason." Rubbing hs back, she walked with him down the hallway, shoving him into his room,"Go to sleep, tomorrow we'll go out. Meet some babes." Winking she shut the door and left. Jake chuckled softly at his roommate, glad to have a friend like Santana. He quickly changed into his pajama pants and got into bed, staring out the window at the city. Somewhere out there was Marley, probably with some hot famous boyfriend. And here he sat, alone and still pining over some girl who probably doesn't even remember him. Rolling over, he closed his eyes and let a sad sleep take over him.
