A/N: I've been working on this chapter for about a week now. I just get stuck even though I know my end game of this, my apologies. I will update the next chapter hopefully much faster than this one!
Jake Puckerman was one of the football players that had already sucked up to Ryder. A blind follower, it seemed right that he would heartlessly slushie Marley without a second thought; he didn't really seem the thinking type.
A few years ago Ryder would have done anything to be like Jake. All a little kid thinks about is being cool and fitting in. Being on the inside the kids learn that it's fucked up.
Mentioning fucked up, that was what Ryder was about to do to Jake. Ryder hadn't even given Puckerman the chance to plead innocent. With a slushie in hand Ryder had done to Jake what he had done to Marley. "Shit, it burns."
Seeing Jake covered in slushie was not as satisfying as Ryder had hoped. "If you even look at Marley I swear I'll kill you." Threatening Jake hadn't exactly taken the anger away either.
It would have to do; Ryder had turned away from Jake in the most victorious stride he could compose. "Remember that's a promise, not a threat." Ryder uttered without daring to take a glimpse at Jake as he marched forward hopefully towards Marley.
X
X
Marley was in the cafeteria recounting the events to her mother the lunch lady. "My poor baby and nobody stood up for you?" Marley hesitated. "One boy…" her mother's eyes lit with eagerness to hear just who had stood up for her little girl.
"Who sweetie? Don't make me wait with all this anticipation building up!" Marley giggled at her mother's reaction. "His name is Ryder."
"Ryder Lynn?" Marley's mother Millie had always taken a favoring to Ryder. She had always secretly given him extra meatballs on spaghetti day. "Oh, I always knew Ryder was a good boy. So when is the wedding?"
Millie was a tad overdramatic towards, well everything. Having a sweet as pie mother like Millie would make you assume Marley was happy with her life. Sure she might not have had the name brand clothing but she had a mother who loved her which seemed rare in these times.
Every time Marley had looked at her mother she didn't initially see love, she saw gluttony. Marley was so paranoid that she would gain weight that she could hardly keep any food down.
The relentless teasing from her peers didn't help. Kitty was one of those girls who had planted the thought of bulimia into Marley's head. It wasn't that hard to purge for Marley she had already hated herself so much that it had come up easily.
Between the distractions from being attacked and Ryder defending her Marley had forgotten what she was on her way to do. By now the calories had been absorbed, and puking would be worthless to helping keep her body image.
Whenever someone like her mother told her she was fine it made it worse. In her mind she didn't look fine, just the opposite.
Marley snaps back into reality to hear that her mother is still rambling on about Ryder Lynn and how sweet he is. It was one of his teammates after all that had thrown a slushie on Marley in the first place. Joining glee had always been a dream to Marley, but it was a big joke to people outside of it.
Even on the inside Marley had felt like an outsider. There was talk of acceptance but, there was also Kitty lingering around some of the upperclassmen in the club.
Kitty, the girl who made Marley and possibly girls just like her miserable, ever since the big new directions win they were praised. Marley guesses none of the other members had heard the line 'remember where you come from'
Saved by the fifth period bell, Marley didn't have to wallow in her thoughts while her mother chirped about what students would be good with Marley and how cute Ryder Lynn was.
x
X
Ryder had heard gossip that the cheerios coach enlisted the help from two students to spy on the glee club. After prying a little in the locker room after practice Ryder learned that it was Jake and Kitty. Kitty and Jake had been exchanging flirtatious looks at each other since the semester has started but, they denied rumors of dating.
The fact that Sue Sylvester was trying to bring the glee club down wouldn't have bothered Ryder much but, Marley had just joined the glee club. It made it much more personal, especially that Jake was joining.
When he was younger Ryder loved to sing. Joining the glee club wouldn't have been that painful for Ryder. He had already joined the football team so it wasn't much pain to join another school club. It would also keep him away from his father as well.
After football practice when everyone else left, Ryder had practiced singing in the shower. When he was done he had been confronted by a graduate who seems to still linger around the school, Finn. Finn had been in the glee club. It was better than trying to join, he was being told to join.
It was a more legitimate excuse to join because he was told to rather than just joining because Jake was joining and he wanted to keep an eye on Marley. Ryder played it cool and told Finn he didn't want to join. He didn't want to sound too eager.
x
X
Marley was preforming a song, blame it on the rain. The whole time her sparkly eyes were directed towards Jake. After being attacked by the jerk in the halls she had gone and sung a song obviously directed towards him, probably about the cheerleader Kitty who had been sitting very snug with Jake.
Ryder's stomach dropped. How could a girl like Marley like a boy like Jake? That was what Ryder wondered. It had made it a bigger mission to save Marley.
X
X
It wasn't the first sad love song that Marley had directed towards Jake either. At home there were so many more unrequited love songs.
The way that Kitty had Jake wrapped around her fingers. Marley had desired the power that Kitty had possessed over Jake. At some point later in the day Jake found Marley and pulled her aside to apologize. He went off talking about how Kitty had made him to it.
His voice gave Marley no upper hand; she was a fool for him and his five cent charm. It took approximately ten seconds for the poor girl to forgive Jake.
X
X
When Ryder had gotten home he went straight to his computer. Ryder was not familiar with the song that Marley was singing to Jake, but he wanted to learn about it and the artist. After listening to many of the bands songs he had chosen another song they had to sing to Marley.
There was a song that had stuck out to Ryder. 'Too beautiful' it was perfect to sing to Marley. Ryder spent hours practicing to perform the song to her the next time they had a glee club meet-up. It would have to be perfect for Marley.
Another A/N: are the x's annoying? I wanted to differentiate from when I was following Ryder and when I was following Marley.