A/N: sorry for the long overdue update. There's just not enough time in the day anymore. Anyways, hope you enjoy and let me know what you think by leaving a review!


Jake spent most of the night tossing and turning but all he could think about was Marley and what had happened earlier. The more he tried to figure out the exact moment when he fell for Marley Rose, the angrier he became with himself, not just for taking the stupid bet, but for letting another girl get close to him.

By the time he got to work the next morning, the anger had subsided and he was beginning to think a little more clearly. Marley was kind and sweet. She was fun and easy to talk to. She was beautiful and innocent.

Innocent.

Marley was innocent.

He wasn't.

Jake sighed with frustration and tossed a greasy rag onto the workbench.

"Quitting time already?" Burt Hummel asked.

Jake started working at Hummel's Auto Body during the summer. It was his backup plan to help pay for college in case he didn't get a football scholarship. He started out detailing and cleaning cars, but Burt noticed Jake's curious knowledge for cars and started to teach him everything he knew.

"Uh, no. Sorry, Burt. I didn't mean to."

"Jake, relax. I've thrown my fair share of rags around here. Mind handing me that screwdriver over there?" Burt asked Jake.

"Uh, yeah." Jake walked over the toolbox and fumbled through the top drawer of but couldn't find the driver. He moved on to the second drawer when Burt tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yesterday's loss still bothering you?" Burt held up the screwdriver that they left out on the workbench by the car. He motioned Jake with his head to follow him back to the car.

"Something like that."

Burt took a look at Jake and smirked before turning his attention back to the carburetor, "I take it that we're not just talking about the football game."

Jake hesitated before answering. Although Jake looked up to Burt, he wasn't sure if talking about his girl problem was appropriate with his boss.

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." Burt said while he detached the carburetor. "But just so you know, I give pretty good advice. So if you ever want to talk, just forget that I'm your boss and we'll talk."

Perhaps getting some advice wouldn't be such a bad idea, Jake thought. "Ok, so guy to guy..."

"Guy to guy." Burt agreed.

"So there's this girl at school who I really like, but I didn't know it at first and by the time I realized I had feelings for her, I already did something stupid that she doesn't know about. So now I would be a world class jerk if I do anything but stay away from her."

Burt scratched his head. Jake's problem seemed more complicated than he thought it would be. "Explain to me why you'd be world class jerk."

"Because..." Jake carefully thought out his answer, "I kinda have this reputation at school with girls."

"I see." Burt, still working on the screws of the carburetor, tried to remain nonjudgmental.

"I'm not really proud of it. It's just that I've been hurt before so I don't really do relationships."

"But this girl changed your mind about it?"

"I don't know," shrugged Jake, "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Burt wanted a yes or no answer.

"Ok, yes. But it can't happen."

"Jake, what are you really afraid of here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you more afraid of her hurting you or you hurting her?"

Without hesitating, Jake answered, "I don't want to hurt her. She deserves someone better."

"But why can't you be that better person for her." Burt unscrewed the last screw and handed Jake the dirty, grease filled carburetor. He tipped his hat up a bit to look Jake in the eyes "Look, you putting her before yourself, means something. Jake, I don't know what you did and I don't know what else you did in the past. All I know is who you are now. Don't let your past define who you are now."

"You really think it could work? Marley and me?"

"Only one way to find out. If you really like this girl, then give her a reason to get to know they guy you want to be." Burt pulled out his rag from his back pocket and wiped the grease of his hands. "Think you can manage cleaning out the carburetor and putting it back in on your own?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Good. Finish it and then take the rest of the afternoon off and talk to her. Maybe even take her out." Before turning to leave, Burt patted Jake on the shoulder, "You're a good kid with a good heart. Don't mess it up… and I'm not just talking about your relationship."

Jake laughed. "Thanks, Burt."


It still didn't feel right. There was something he had to do before he could talk to Marley.

Jake took out his phone and pressed redial. He sighed when he heard the voice mail greeting. He had wanted to work things out with Sam first, but a message would have to do, for now.

"Hey you're reached Sam. You know the drill."

Beep!

"Sam, call me when you get this. I want to call off the bet." He looked out his car window and stared at Marley's house. "I like her and it's not fair to her. I'll do whatever I have to, but I can't do it anymore."

After hanging up, Jake tossed the phone into the console. Taking one last deep breath, he got out of his car and made his way up the porch steps to the Rose's front door.

The door opened a few inches, enough for him to see that it was Marley behind the door. Almost immediately he smiled. The smile grew bigger when she opened it the rest of the way and didn't slam it in his face.

"Hi," Jake simply greeted.

Marley wrapped her brown cardigan around her petite frame, trying to keep the cool fall breeze at bay. "Jake. What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry for showing up here again unannounced, but I just want to talk to you. Just give me five minutes and I'll leave."

She hesitated momentarily before stepping aside and letting him. It was a good sign for Jake and was even better when she told him that her mother wasn't home. Though they didn't move from the front hallway, she still trusted him enough to be alone with him.

"I, um…" Jake stuttered, "I just wanted to make sure that things between us are ok."

"Uh, yeah. About that. I'm sorry. I just…yesterday..."

Jake shook his head "You don't have to apologize. I talked to Brittany and she told me what happened at the emergency glee rehearsal."

Marley groaned inwardly and felt guilty that he knew. "They're worried because I tend to assume the best in people. And since the breakup with Ryder just happened, they think that I'm not thinking clearly and …and that you're just taking advantage…"

"…and hoped that I'd be your rebound?"

The stories and rumours her friends told her the night before flooded her mind again.

Tina's voice filled her head, "Jake was a 'bad seed', 'a pickup artist'.

"Jocks like him don't just hang out with glee club girls for no reason." Pointed out Blaine.

"Jake Puckerman is and always will be a womanizer." Unique warned.

"The thing is, Marley, your friends are right. I am a pig and I let my reputation define me. But somehow you changed that. I don't want to be that guy anymore. I want to be that guy I am when I'm with you." Jake nervously dug his sweaty palms into his jeans pockets. "So I was hoping that you'd still want to keep getting to know who I really am."

Biting her lower lip, Marley thought for a moment. Her mind was telling her to listen to her friends, but her gut, maybe even heart, was telling her otherwise.

"You know, after you left last night, I tried to think of my own reasons why I shouldn't hang out with you."

Jake waited on bated breath for the rest of her answer.

"But I couldn't. Instead, I realized that I like..." she stopped herself and changed her thought completely, "I think that they're wrong about you."

Jake finally exhaled in relief. He could feel his nervous energy dissipate as his confidence grew. "I know I may be pushing it here, but do you trust me?"

It was an odd question, but Marley strangely found herself nodding her head.

"Come with me."