A/N: Well this chapter focuses a lot on Marley's relationship with her mum, and how they act with and around each other. I hope you like how I've characterised Marley's mum, she isn't on the show in detail so I've tried to keep the basis and sort of built it around her. I'm so glad at the reaction you guys have had to this fic, I love writing it too! My review replies -
FFObsessed: I'm glad you like their relationship! It's shown more in this chapter, and I hope you continue to like it!
ItsSunnyYo: I live for cheese! xD
JulyberryLover: I hope you think this chapter is just as great!
ClosingTheGoddamnDoor: Glad you like the idea!
DrWhoFan71: thank you! it means a lot! often I find the characterisation really hard so thank you:)
ItsSnixBenoist: Romance is my thing;)
Anonymous guest;): Thank you for your idea! The plan for this chapter was based around that, so i hope you enjoy it!
So that's all my review replies... enjoy!:)
I gazed around the dining room, something was off but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The walls were still the usual lilac, covered with nicotine stains; the table still old scratched and stained, and the wall was still littered with family photographs. All my school photos in a line - each year mom ordered it, no matter how much I protested, and placed it on the wall. It was sort of weird, seeing how I grew from a toothless grinning tomboy into a toothy still grinning and still tomboy. My hair used to be plaited by my mom into two braids every morning, she always insisted she do it and no matter how much I complained and wanted it all chopped off, she never relented. Now I'm older I understand why, my hair is the only beautiful thing about me to be honest. And even that has its bad days. I sighed and continued to let my gaze wander across the wall, before it settled upon an empty space on the wall: Daddy.
"Mom!" I yelled frantically, running into the kitchen where she was serving the dinner up. When I shouted she almost dropped the gravy, so scolded me for causing her to jump.
"Whatever is wrong?" she asked with concern, pulling me in for a hug.
"Dad's picture! It's gone!" I sobbed into her shoulder, only drawing back when she didn't reply.
"Mom?"
She had her guilty face on. The face she used when I asked if she'd lied to me about Santa bringing me that karaoke set for Christmas when I was three. The face she'd used when I asked where my laptop was and it had turned out she'd confiscated it due to my declining grades. It was the 'I wish I didn't do it' type of guilt face.
"Mom? What happened?"
She sighed, "Sweetie, you know your Daddy loved you very much before his accident right?"
I nodded, what did this have to do with the picture?
"And you know that wherever he is, he still loves you?"
Again, I nodded.
"That picture... it just... it's too much sometimes Marls. I just..." she couldn't even finish her sentence; she broke down crying into my arms. Sniffing, she apologised, "I shouldn't be like this with you, I'm sorry. I'm the mom."
My heart almost snapped in two, "No mom, you don't have to be sorry for anything."
My Dad had died in a car accident just over two years ago, and that's when my mom started putting weight on. At first she ate nothing, but I made her eat and eat just to make sure she didn't waste away. But it had too good an effect; she began eating more and more. It spiralled out of control - soon enough she was over 200 pounds and getting letters from her doctors suggesting nutrition plans. She ignored them all. Food was her escapism; it was comfort eating to the extreme. Sometimes when I was having bad days I blamed her current weight problems on myself, if I hadn't encouraged her to eat so profusely after he had died, the kids at school wouldn't be taking the mickey out of her and calling her a whale. Of course, logically I know it wasn't entirely my fault, I was only trying to do the right thing but it still haunts me. She still suffers awfully with depression due to his death, I know she does. She tries to hide it, only cries at night and she hides the kebab boxes the morning after. My mom's so strong, but even she can't deal with this alone.
She grabbed a hanky from her pocket and mopped up the tears that still insisted on streaming down her face, "Thank you poppet."
I smiled gently and decided to drop the conversation, at least until later when she was feeling better. "Do you want some help with tea?"I laid the table whilst mom served up the minced meat and gravy with potatoes and green beans, taking utmost pride in her food, much to my approval.
"This is gorgeous!" I exclaimed after my first mouthful - minced meat and gravy was my favourite.
She smiled widely in reply before taking a taste herself, "My compliments to the chef," she said with a wink, setting us both off giggling. "So how was school honey?" mom asked once we'd recovered.
The incident at lunchtime flashed through my mind and I looked down guiltily, not wanting to share that with my mom in fear of hurting her feelings. When I returned my eyes to my mom, she was looking at me with suspicion and expectancy.
"Marley? What happened?"
God damn it, she knew me too well. I sighed and explained the incident, just saying they insulted her was explanation enough rather than rubbing salt into the wound and telling her the mean things they actually said. It still hurt her, I could tell by the look on her face.
"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have stuck up for me," she said sadly, her eyes cast down at the floor.
"Mom! No! I don't care if they bully me, I just hate them bullying you," I cried a little bit into my gravy and mom leaned across the table to pat my cheeks clear of tears with the tablecloth.
She smiled gently at me before stroking my shoulder, "Marley Rose, did I raise you to give up?"
I sniffled and shook my head.
"Did I raise you to be a fighter?"
Wiping my nose with my sleeve, I nodded and continued to eat my minced beef and gravy.
I noticed my mom's smile out of the corner or my eye, showing she was satisfied about my welfare, "So did anything else interesting happen at school today?"
I shrugged, "I spent most of lunch break in the toilets, just thinking." Mom looked at me comfortingly, "But then Kitty Wilde came in and started shouting abuse at me so that's when I came home."
She looked shocked, "What did she say?" I shook my head in reply, I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She frowned but understood and dropped the matter. "Did you meet anyone nice at all?" she asked jokingly.
I fought back a beaming smile as I remembered the conversation with Jake that occurred outside my locker - and the rose he had so gentlemanly placed into my locker. "Well..." I blushed and averted my eyes.
"Marley! Who is he?" she squealed with glee.
My blushed turned from a rosy pink to dark crimson, reaching the tips of my ears, "He's no one mom, he does this with all the girls," I sighed, knowing what I was saying was true.
My mother saw my genuine sadness and smiled gently, "Don't worry baby, you'll find your man," but then she blushed and added, "Or woman!"
My mouth dropped open, "Woman? What?"
She bit her lip and shook her head, "Ignore me petal."
My eyes were still bulging a little from the accusation. Me? Attracted to women? That gravy must have gone to her brain.
"But promise me something," she looked into my eyes sternly.
Again, my eyes widened a little - my mom's stern look was not to be messed with, "Okay...?"
"You'll remember to always do what you like - and not be pressured by anyone out of it. You're a fighter Marley-Rose."
I nodded, "I promise mom."
"And that begins by going to Glee tomorrow."
Well here goes nothing, I thought as I walked through the choir room door, avoiding the anxious and guilty glances of the other members before seating myself at the back, in the corner. I glued my eyes to the seemingly uninteresting floor of the room and kept them there, at least until a pair of familiar white trainers and a red bag scuffled across them: Kitty.
My head shot up, what the hell was she doing here? She was the biggest and baddest bitch in school - at least that's what everyone else thought. For some reason, the fact that I knew a tiny part about her that no one else knew made me smile. I felt sort of special I guess. But I didn't know why. But still the question remained, why the hell was she here?
"Mr Schu, what is she doing here?" I exclaimed and several members stared at me with apologetic puppy dog eyes, but I wasn't even going to give them the time of day right now. There were more pressing matters at hand.
"Look!" Mr Schu called order once the whole club erupted in uproar over Kitty's joining of the New Directions, "We have always had the rule that anyone who auditions gets in, and she blew us away with her audition, also featuring Jake Puckerman who is joining us too."
Now it made sense, she was joining to follow him. Or he was joining to follow her, but then the question that came to mind was if not to follow one of the hottest guys in school, then why? I remember watching their audition, they were extraordinary. I was mainly focused on Kitty during it though - I didn't really know who Jake was and to be honest Kitty surprised me hugely; she has a wonderful voice. It's just a shame she'll probably never use it, like so many other people who are born with insane talent but leave it neglected until it's too late to resurect it. But that's what high school did I guess, it destroyed dreams. The pang in my chest when I initially observed their performance was, I admit, one of jealousy. I guess I liked Jake from the minute I saw him, and as soon as she started dancing around him with that beautiful body of hers I became as green as the hulk.
I sighed and crossed my legs, just waiting for Glee to end so I could escape back to the quiet solitude of my room, with a sad romantic book and cry my eyes out - I was in that sort of mood. I think it was just all the exhaustion of the long day, people from Glee constantly coming up to me and apologising. Of course I forgave them instantly, but it takes a little more than that to make up for what they said about my mom.
Time dragged by slowly, as if it was laughing in my face and doing so just to rile me. Artie sang a solo with half the girls grinding into his unfeeling legs - that guy was such a pimp. Then came Sugar with yet another diabolical plan to bribe the judges with a little bit of her 'Special Sugar', which was of course money.
Finally Mr Schu stood at the front and cleared his throat, signalling for all other forms of conversation occuring in the room to cease, "Right guys, your assignment for the week is to find a message in a song that you would really like to give to someone in here, for example I'll Stand By You is a good one for a friend going through a rough patch, or Bruno Mars, Count On Me would be perfect for anyone - be it friend, boyfriend, girlfriend or even teacher!" He applauded Artie's performance before then asking Jake to stay behind as he skipped out on Spanish class - this caused a dramatic "ooh, someone's in trouuuble," from all of us as we fought to get out of the door and into freedom.
"Marley!" came a voice from the right of me and suddenly I was grabbed by the arm and pulled to the side, out of view of the others.
"Kitty?" I was shocked, after yesterday I didn't think she'd ever speak to me again. The astoundingly beautiful blonde looked nervous, a look uncommonly portrayed by Kitty.
She took a deep breath before what she was about to say, "Marley, I'm s-"
"Marley!" She was rudely interrupted by Jake sauntering across to us, if looks could kill then Jake would be spasming uncontrollably on the floor. God her eyes though, pools of hazel to which there is no bottom. As they turned to me, I blushed for being caught staring. Surprisingly, her eyes softened and she smirked a little. Oh god, I thought, not that smirk. It always means she's about to insult me. Sighing, I braced myself for what was about to come but to my utmost surprise it didn't.
"What are you doing here?" asked Kitty, spite and malice dripping from her words like honey off a spoon.
The boy's eyes widened, "I've come to talk to Marley actually, so it's none of your buisness."
Hurt flashed in her hazel eyes, only for a second, and then it was gone. The stoney look she so often wore was back, and she turned on her heel and walked away, glaring threateningly over her shoulder at Jake. All I could imagine were daggers shooting out of her eyes - and that's probably what she intended.
Jake just ignored her, "Sorry about her, she gets a little jealous," he shrugged and I furrowed my brow in confusion.
"Why jealous?"
He sighed frustratedly, "I don't know, I guess she likes me."
That hit me, hard. Of course she'd like him, he's the most popular guy in school and the hottest. My own jealousy flared, but it clouded my thoughts and I couldn't think properly. Jake must have seen this because he rubbed my shoulder comfortingly."Hey, it's okay," he smiled gently, "I actually came over to ask you if you're busy on Friday."
My heart pounded, Jake Puckerman was asking me on a date. I felt dizzy with what I thought was excitement, play it cool Marley, I thought to myself. Smirking, I replied in a voice that was too high and squeaky to sound cool, "Yeah, I think so."
He smiled, but sort of like he was laughing at me, "Okay, I'll text you about it later!"
He was already walking off so I shouted after him, reminding him I don't have his number.
"It's okay! I got yours from Wade earlier!" he yelled over his shoulder.
I hugged my books close to me: I had a date with Jake Puckerman. Little did I know there was a blonde crying silently in the corner of the choir room, after hearing everything.
It was the next day and I was walking down the corridor confindantly, a huge smile still plastered across my face after yesterday. I was going on my first date! I felt like I could take whatever the world threw at me that day, and it turned out that the world wanted to throw a slushie in my face. Or rather, Kitty Wilde did.
The ice cold slush stung my eyes and caused my face to go completely numb. Now that was a cold slushie. The weird thing was, through my stinging eyes and lumps of drink stuck to my eyelashes, Kitty's hazel orbs almost seemed remorseful. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, thinking I imagined it and I think I must have because by the time my eyes were clear, the frozen mask was covering her eyes again, her expression colder than the slushie.
"Better get used to it whale spawn," the blonde stated, before storming off down the corridor, her ponytail swishing and pleats of her Cheerio skirt bounced against her upper thighs.
I ran to my locker, wringing my hair dry, to grab my extra clothes. It was surprising really, how even the slushie hadn't affected my good mood extensively. I punched in my locker code, pulled it open and then stopped: another rose. I gasped and held the fragile flower delicately in my hands. There was a note attached - I pulled it off and studied it carefully, taking care not to drip grape flavoured slushie on it.
*Sorry, xox*
I held the flower to my lips. Why was Jake sorry? Kitty probably slushied me because of him, but surely he couldn't have written it and placed the rose in there in the time it took for me to get slushied by Kitty. How could he know she would slushie me? Unless she told him. Or maybe he can't make it on Friday. Sighing, I placed the rose with the first one, inside a jam jar at the back of my locker. It really was a mystery.
A/N: Thanks for reading, reviews are always helpful especially for when I have writer's block! More reviews = Quicker updates