A/N: This story follows Ryder Lynn and Unique Adams post-Glee. As a viewer, I was extremely upset that we didn't see what happened with Ryder, Unique, Marley, and Jake. So this story follows all of them, but, like I said, mainly Ryder and Unique. I apologize in advance for anything I got wrong. And I apologize as well for sending Ryder, Unique, Marley, and Jake to NYADA, but they're all outstanding performers. Plus, NYADA gives me a huge advantage that you'll find out later.
Chapter One: When Life Gives You Lemons
Freshman Year, Fall Semester
Ryder had no clue what he was going to do.
He was all set. Going to school at New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts. His parents had been so proud of him when he got accepted. His dad had hugged him so tight. "You're going to make something of yourself, son," his father had said.
Ryder had just gotten into his new dorm room. It was bleak, but it'd be good to tidy up. He'd maybe put his Pirates of the Caribbean poster—
And then he saw his roommate.
Jake Puckerman.
.
.
.
"What—what are you doing here?" Ryder sputtered.
"College. Duh," Jake said without looking up. Then he saw who he was talking to. "Shit—Ryder—"
"You're my roommate?" Ryder still couldn't comprehend this. He'd finally put all of the drama with Jake, and Marley, and Unique behind him. When Sue Sylvester transferred him away, he became a freak at his new school. The dancing, singing football player wannabe. He'd been laughed out of tryouts. He'd been bullied, called gay, a wimp, all of that. He had a newfound respect for Unique and all she'd been through. But with all of that, it had been easy to put the catfishing business and Marley and Unique behind him. But now Jake was at NYADA—his roommate—it all came flooding back. "How did you get into NYADA? I thought your grades were shit."
"They were," Jake admitted. "I turned them around after I got transferred away. It was easy when the teachers didn't know me or expect me to be an idiot. I sort of liked being a smart kid."
Ryder suspected there was more to the story, but he didn't press. He just sat down on his bet and put his head in his hands. "Any chance we can just forget about everything that happened at McKinley?"
Jake shrugged. "Not going to be easy, man. Marley and Unique are here too. They're roommates."
Ryder groaned. He wasn't angry at Unique anymore—he'd put the whole Katie situation behind him. But he didn't want to see his old friends again. He was supposed to graduate and get good grades. He had extra tutoring because of his dyslexia. He didn't want to have to worry about seeing Marley—who rejected him—or Unique—who catfished him—or Jake—who stole Marley from him.
"How do you know Marley's here?" Ryder asked. "I thought you'd be the last person she'd tell."
"Glee club group chat," Jake answered. Ryder vaguely remembered turning down an invite to the chat. Glee club was his past. NYADA—acting—Broadway—was his future. He imagined his name in lights. Walking onstage at the Tony Awards. He was shaken out of his fantasy when Jake said, "Dude, are you okay?"
"Yeah. Sorry." Ryder nodded. "I'll talk to you later."
Ryder whipped out his phone as Jake returned to his book. He quickly texted Unique—whose number he still had—about, well, his situation. But before he could, his phone buzzed with a text from the very same.
Heard you're at NYADA too. Hope we can still be friends.
Ryder snorted. Nobody ever became friends with the words hope we can still be friends. And he'd been in love with Katie—who was just Unique in a different skin. Was it so impossible to love Unique?
But Ryder couldn't stop himself imagining him and Unique kissing. He wasn't gay, he couldn't kiss a boy. Maybe I'm bi, he thought before he could stop himself. No, if you were bi, weren't you into guys? Ryder knew for sure he liked girls, not guys. And even though Unique was sort of a girl, she was male.
Maybe I can just keep hanging out with her, Ryder told himself. That sounded like a good idea. Then he didn't have to worry about Unique's previous crush on him, having to rethink his sexuality, or thinking even possibly, he might be into her—
No. He wasn't going down that rabbit hole. He wasn't into Unique, he wasn't gay or bi or whatever. He was a straight, normal guy who had crushes on normal girls. Like Marley. But he was over Marley now. He was. Right?
Before he could rethink this, he texted back.
I'd like that. For us to be friends again.
Little dots appeared on his phone screen, indicating that Unique was writing her reply.
Great!
After a moment, Unique wrote again.
Who's your roommate? Marley's mine.
Jake Puckerman, Ryder responded.
OMG! Unique texted him. It's like glee club all over again.
Ryder smiled. But without all of the crazy shit.
There'll be plenty of crazy shit at NYADA, Ryder Lynn. Just wait and see.
.
.
.
"Are you auditioning for the musical?" Jake asked Ryder as they were doing the homework for their second day at NYADA.
"Don't college musicals usually start in the spring?" Ryder asked, confused.
"Maybe. I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't give a shit. But NYADA does one musical a semester. It's really, really competitive. They're doing Next to Normal this year."
"I mean, I might audition," Ryder said as he filled out his homework for history of theater. Of course he'd audition. He loved Next to Normal.
"You should! You're really, really talented, Ryder. You'd get in." Jake flopped himself down on his bed. "I'm going to. I want to be Gabe."
"That's my dream role," Ryder snapped. "You can be Henry."
"Man, I don't want to be Henry," Jake complained. "Henry's a pothead."
"The role you were born to play," Ryder teased
Jake hit him with a pillow. Ryder grabbed his own pillow and swatted back at Jake. Within a few seconds it was all out war.
Unique and Marley walked into the boys' room with them both standing on their beds, pillows raised, Jake saying, "You'll never take me alive!" and jumping down, doing a dive roll, and landing under Ryder's bed. Ryder was the first to see the girls.
Ryder put down his pillow. "Sorry…"
Marley burst out laughing. "You boys haven't changed a bit."
Ryder stared at Unique. She was much more…feminine than when he last saw her. He suspected she'd gone on hormone therapy or something like that. Her hair was in a stylish pixie cut.
"Hi, Unique," Ryder said. It felt like the words were coming out of someone else's mouth. He was very far away.
"Ryder!" Unique hugged him fiercely. Ryder vaguely remembered at some point telling her he'd never speak to her again, but that was a long time ago. Ryder eventually turned to look at Marley.
"Hi, Marley," he said. "Congrats on getting into NYADA."
"You all did too," Marley laughed. "Why is it insane that I did?"
"No, it's just—you're really talented. I always knew you'd end up here." Unique frowned. Ryder noticed, and continued. "You too, Unique. Ever since you first came to the New Directions. And didn't you get the key to the city at some point? You're amazing." Unique smiled with satisfaction, but still didn't look happy. Ryder suddenly realized: she thought he was flirting with Marley. Unique still liked him.
He knew the solution wasn't likely, but he suddenly felt dizzy and sat on his bed. All of this was moving too fast for him. His old friends were at NYADA too. Jake was his roommate. Unique might still like him. He might even like her back—
Shit. He was not supposed to think that.
Ryder. You don't like Unique. She is a boy, for God's sake. You like girls. Girls like Marley. Kitty. Marissa, the girl whose picture was used for Katie. Katie. The girl who created her—
No. Shit. No. Shit. He didn't like Unique, he had liked Marley, and Kitty, and girls. He wasn't gay, he wasn't bi.
This inner conversation was beginning to get repetitive.
But as his old friends were chatting in his and Jake's room, as he was nodding, smiling, and laughing, he knew that he wasn't going to get out of this that easy.