Here's another chapter for you guys! The song in this one is called 'Broken Record' by Katy B, and, although the song isn't my favourite now, I used to absolutely love it and recently re-discovered it and thought: hey, wouldn't it be so cool if Marley did an acoustic piano version of this? And that's why it's in the chapter. Enjoy. Also, I don't own the song.
Also, if you haven't guessed already, this chapter is Marley-based. Sorry, Geek!Ryder fans. And, just a heads up, this chapter is pretty short – but there's a lot of drama!
Her hands were quivering and shaking under the desk during Geometry. Her eyes, frantic, flicked around the room. Her concentration in this lesson was… well… it was non-existent. All she could think about was everything that had gone on. Her dream about him, the stupid little feeling in her stomach that she got whenever she saw him now, the way she had to conceal it all and act nonchalant. It's not that Marley Rose was a bad actress when it came to concealing feelings like this – in fact, she was a professional. Years of being an emotionless Cheerio meant she depended on that acting ability, but now, she was not a Cheerio. Although she was working at becoming one again, not wearing that red uniform had meant that her guard was being ripped down before her very eyes, and this was not something she wanted to happen, since she had spent so long being ruthless – especially not now when, although she winced when saying it to herself, she liked a guy that she would most likely never get the chance to be with again.
So she would paint on that emotionless face whenever he was around, and when he wasn't, she would let her guard crumble to pieces to make up for the times she had rebuilt it. And, since Ryder wasn't in her Geometry class, now was one of those times.
Marley was sure she couldn't bottle up her feelings any longer. She would have to burst sometime soon; she dreaded the day it would come. But it was inevitable. The brunette had to channel her feelings through something somehow – the sooner the better – or otherwise, the consequences would surely be catastrophic and embarrassing. And, since Mr Schuester's dull and cliché speeches had been pounded into her brain several times over the past few weeks, her new Glee Club instincts knew exactly how to let off that steam: through song.
With a roll of her eyes at her own brainwashed-by-Glee-Club thoughts, she got up (upon hearing the bell for lunch) and went straight to the auditorium. The brunette wasn't hungry; she had lost her appetite soon after the realisation that she still had feelings for Ryder, most likely because her stomach had been filled to the brim with a queasy feeling instead. Rushing down the steps of the dark room, she found herself at the stage in seconds. As if someone had been expecting her actions, the grand black piano was positioned in the centre of the stage, beseeching to be played.
Slowly but surely, with the same quivering that possessed her hand in Geometry, she grazed her fingers over the piano's shiny keys. Yes, Marley could play the piano, and she was actually very good at it – well, good enough to perform a heartfelt, impromptu song, anyways. The girl had lessons from a young age, but stopped and did her own thing instead when she became a sophomore. With a weak sigh, she found her way onto the leather stool and tucked herself in, placing two pale hands onto the ivories. Composing herself with another trembling sigh, she thought of a song that would describe her situation perfectly, and instantly thought of a song she had not listened to in a while, but still knew off by heart from all those years ago. Skimming through the lyrics and chords, she decided to play, despite the obvious contradictions the song had to her current music taste. Her fingers pressed against the keys in a chord softly, so soft that hardly any sound came out. Marley pondered over that chord for a while, then played it again stronger, and continued with the song as she began to sing after an introduction.
I would toss and turn at night with your voice in my head
Like a broken record, all the words you said
But when I finally fall asleep, you find your way into my dreams
But I would never mind you see, 'cause I get to live my fantasy
Just as Marley was about to plunge into the chorus with a louder voice, unknown to her, someone came in. He was spending his free period tutoring someone and it had overrun into lunchtime; as he was legging it to the cafeteria, he heard someone singing in the auditorium, and halted his hurried steps. He cracked the door open and looked to see who the performer was – upon seeing her, he opened the door silently and crept in to watch her from afar in a seat, intending to stay until the end, then to congratulate her on what was sure to be an astounding performance. The chestnut-haired boy decided that gushing about her performance was sure to charm her, and that was one step closer to dating her again, as he hoped. Ryder reclined in his seat and watched Marley with a slight smile gracing his complexion. Since when could she play the piano? And… since when was she this good? As he reclined, Marley continued with the song and dived into the chorus.
And I know that we make our mistakes, but you're holding every breath I take
Feeling this is more than fate, so please don't let me go, my baby
And I know that we make our mistakes, but you're holding every breath I take
Feeling this is more than fate, so please don't let me go, my baby
A short filler instrumental was all it took before she was singing the second verse with even more passion and even louder playing, still unaware that the very person she was singing about was in her presence.
I try my best to get away from you so badly
Knowing I would give my heart to you so gladly
But then it came: reality, everywhere I went you came with me
And now I give myself to you, I'm so scared of what you're gonna do
And I know that we make our mistakes, but you're holding every breath I take
Feeling this is more than fate, so please don't let me go, my baby
And I know that we make our mistakes, but you're holding every breath I take
Feeling this is more than fate, so please don't let me go, my baby
Another short instrumental, and as she remembered the lyrics that followed, she began to grin to herself, imagining Ryder's arms around her. Playing softly again, she continued.
Keep your arms exactly where they are
I wanna be here, I wanna feel you
And I'll keep my thoughts exactly where you are
I wanna be here, I wanna feel you…
Marley began to play louder at the climax of the song, and as she sung, the boy sitting at the top of the auditorium pondered over her song selection.
Like a broken record, like a broken record
'This song is a ballad. Why would Marley sing a ballad? Maybe it's just a song that she likes…' Ryder thought, but soon began to panic. 'But what if it's a song that she's singing about someone? She has feelings for someone. No one sings that well unless they put emotion into it. She's singing it about someone, someone who she cares about and has a crush on. And it's not me, which means that's another barrier to stop me from getting my stupid feelings reciprocated.'
Like a broken record, like a broken record
Like a broken record, like a broken record
'What the hell am I going to do now? Marley's emotionally unavailable and I blew everything with Katie for nothing. I knew this was a mistake. Why can't I just move on from her? She's so obviously out of my league.'
Like a broken record, like a broken record
But then, Ryder saw a look buried deep within Marley's features. And, as he fixed his glasses on his nose more, he realised: no, it wasn't a look – it was the look. The look she had given him several times, like at prom, in the hallways… the look that was only reserved for himself. Himself. Suddenly everything halted in front of him as his brain caught up with everything it had just processed, and the results caused him to exhale deeply. Marley was singing about him. Marley still liked him. And, for some strange reason, this made him panic.
Like a broken record, like a broken record.
The brunette looked from the piano once the song had ended and instead looked to the hundreds of chairs pointed to the stage on which she was sitting. She grinned, finally somewhat comfortable after weeks of these feelings consuming her, but that moment ended shortly after the grin had spread across her features. The look she was previously wearing returned as her eyes scanned over the seats before her.
Unexpectedly, she caught sight of a silhouette up at the top row of the seats move from where it was sitting, and soon, the light of the hallway was being flooded into the auditorium as the figure opened the door. By just a silhouette, Marley jumped to the worst conclusion. In an instant, she was sprinting up the several steps to reach the door out of the dark room, and was pushing it open within a matter of seconds. She searched to find the silhouette again in the empty hallway, now in colour due to the light. Panicked eyes flicked around until they landed on the only person there; he was walking away so the girl could only see his back.
The flop of chestnut-brown hair and the figure's broad shoulders confirmed everything in an instant.
Marley just stared as her heartbeat pumped faster and faster, so she could feel it almost bursting through her chest and hear it thumping and accelerating in her ears. She was so caught up in the song that she didn't even notice the subject himself walk in, and now, judging from the way he had so promptly stormed out, he had figured out everything. The brunette squeezed her eyes shut and leaned her back and head against the lockers with a fragile exhale, feeling her body go numb in both defeat and fear.
She stayed like that, trying and failing to keep her emotions under control, as the silence of the corridor deafened her and numbed her senses. Finally, she opened her eyes again; after a few blinks, she found her cheeks wet. It was then that she discovered she was crying. It was then that she knew that, finally, her guard had been completely demolished.
Due to my planning, I've realised that, unless I have a new and drastically different plan, New Perspective is finished in around 4 chapters, maybe even 3. BUT DO NOT FRET, MY READERS. Thanks to a relaxing trip to Spain (yaaaayyy) and a lot of time to kill, New Perspective 2 (an official title yet to be thought of) is already (sort of) in the works ;-)
But, that's all for now! Hope you enjoyed this one. What do you think will happen next?
Until next time,
Beth :-)