Second chapter is up… thanks to the review and follow!
Why do you think Ryder frowned at Gina during the first day of Glee club?
CHAPTER TWO
The next day, the Glee clubbers are still discussing their newest member. Jake is still pretty much unhappy with her, swearing at her and giving her dirty looks whenever they pass in the hallway. Only Marley's soothing touches are able to calm him down.
It's sixth period, and Marley and Ryder are walking together to class. Jake is going to play hookie today, and Marley is complaining to Ryder about her boyfriend's bad habit when they spot Gina Halim standing by her locker.
She is staring at the pictures on her locker, and there is a sad, lonely look on her face. Marley is about to go up and talk to her when two girls from the Cheerios suddenly come up and splash two glasses of red slushies at her face.
The girls crack up and high-five each other as they run away. "Bet you didn't have slushies in Indonesia, you Asian midget freak!" One of them cries as they continue laughing.
"Oh my goodness," Marley says, rushing to Gina's aid. "Gina, are you okay?"
But Gina isn't listening. She is wiping slushies away from her eyes, then her face seems to glow red with anger. She cries out furiously and is about to charge the two Cheerios when Ryder grabs hold of her waist. She struggles and tries to kick him away, but the muscular, bigger guy has had a firm grip on her. With difficulty and sticky slushies spraying everywhere, Ryder drags the complaining Gina to the nearest girls' bathroom.
Once the three of them are inside, Ryder lets Gina go and hurriedly blocks the door.
"You're not going anywhere," he warns, crossing his big, long arms over the door.
"Get me out of here, right now," Gina snarls, looking even more dangerous with red slushies dripping off her face. "I need to teach those two a lesson. Didn't you hear what I say in Glee club? No one messes with me, and this is the time when I personally chop – them – down!"
"That's not how it works around here," Ryder says. "You won't get anything by beating them up. You'll only get detention, and how's that going to work out for your first week of school?"
"At least let's get you cleaned up first," Marley says, grabbing tissues to wipe Gina's face.
"I don't need your help," Gina protests, but then some of the slushies fall into her eyes and she winces in pain.
"I've been slushied before too, and I know how much it stings," Marley says, gently leading Gina to the sink. She runs the tap and helps Gina wash off the red liquid off her face. "It'll wear off after ten minutes or so, but until then it's going to be really, really cold."
"Stupid slushies," Gina murmurs under her breath. "I didn't come here for this."
"Nobody does," Marley says soothingly. "But I guess you can't always get what you want, right?" She smiles as she wipes the rest of the slushie off of Gina's eyes. "There, you'll be fine now. Do you have any spare clothes? Jackets or hoodies you can change to?"
When Gina shakes her head, Marley says, "I have an extra shirt in my locker. You can borrow it for today. I think we have the same size."
Gina is about to refuse when Marley convinces her how uncomfortable it would be to spend the rest of the day with a slushie-stained shirt. "Been there before," she reminds her. In the end, Gina relents.
Ryder finally steps aside from the bathroom door and lets them pass. He gives Gina a weird look, one she returns with a glare. Marley doesn't notice the not-so-friendly exchange between the two, and happily leads Gina to her locker.
Five minutes later, Gina is already stuffing her slushie-stained shirt into her bag, promising herself that she would pay Marley back in some kind of way.
Looks like Gina and Marley are off to a good start! Do you think they can be friends?