Guess who's back…back again...
I'M SO SORRY GUYS! Please accept my undying apologies for not mentioning my short hiatus at the end of the last chapter; unfortunately I didn't get my exam timetable until a couple of days after I last updated, and all my exams were clumped together so I had no choice but to delay this chapter and devote my time to revision…anyway, I'm back! And I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: Glee is not mine. *sob*
Marley glanced at the clock in the school kitchen, shuffling her feet nervously. It was the first day back at school after the Christmas and New Year break, and she was waiting for Ryder to come and escort her down the McKinley halls as his girlfriend for the very first time. She was expecting something of a storm- she didn't think she had ever gotten so many shocked notifications the day that they changed their relationship status on Facebook over the holidays- but now was a whole different ball game. She sighed deeply in anticipation and put her head in her hands, wondering where on Earth Ryder was.
"Hung-over again, Marley?" Her Mother joked with a chuckle, as she placed a box of potatoes on the table her daughter was sat at. Marley rolled her eyes and poked out her tongue- she knew exactly what she was referring to. It had happened again at New Year…her getting ridiculously drunk, that is. As an official 'jock girlfriend', (although she hated the anonymity that title gave her,) she had been invited to see in 2014 alongside Ryder at Kitty's small and intimate 'popular people party,' where she had discovered champagne. And liked it a bit too much. It had ended with a hint of déjà vu; whilst Kitty had allowed all the attendees to spend the night in her ginormous living room, Ryder had had to return his girlfriend to Lima Heights in something of a 'state' the next morning…
Marley was brought back to the present by a small knock on the door, followed by Ryder's head poking in from behind it. He flashed his girlfriend a sheepish grin, before holding out his arm.
"You ready?" He asked. Marley hopped off the kitchen stool she was perched on and nervously trotted over to him, before accepting it. "You'll be fine," he added, sensing her anxiety. She nodded quickly, and let him lead her down the vastly filling corridor, with the bell for homeroom having just rung.
Marley concentrated on her feet, feeling self-conscious as she felt the stares of hordes of people staring at her and whispering jealously. They arrived at Marley's locker, and she immediately busied herself with organising which textbooks she needed for the day, before turning to Ryder and whispering at him.
"This is crazy. I mean no offence but you're a popular kid in high school, not an A-list celebrity…" she muttered with a grimace. Ryder sniggered and nodded in agreement.
"Maybe they're just staring at how beautiful you are," he offered with an over the top grin and a wink.
"You are cheesier," Marley began, with a roll of her eyes, "…than a…cheese pizza." They both laughed, unaware of the way in which the crowd was parting to allow someone through.
"Great line Marls," Ryder joked in reply. "Bet you worked on that all night-"
"Well, well, well." The unmistakeable voice of Jake Puckerman called out. "What a beautiful couple," he sneered, every word dripping with sarcasm, clearly still bitter with how the events of the Sadie Hawkins dance had turned out. "But I should warn you Ryder…I mean, you're my best friend, so it's my duty to inform you that…they say you can tell what your girl's gonna look like in ten, twenty years by looking at her Mom…awkward…" he half sang, drinking in the 'oooohs' that echoed around the watching crowd.
"You'd better stop right there, 'buddy'," Ryder spat out threateningly, taking a step forward.
"Ryder stop-" Marley tried, before Jake continued.
"All I'm saying is when she gets even half the size of the hippo lunch-lady, you'd better watch out she doesn't suffocate you while you're doing it…oh wait, that's assuming that old maid ever swipes her v card-"
"Shut you fricking mouth, asshole!" Ryder yelled, clenching up his fist and lunging forward, only stopping abruptly when Marley leapt in between the feuding boys.
"Stop!" She shouted, before her Glee Club teacher Mr Schuester arrived on the scene.
"What's going on here?" he asked. All three concerned muttered 'nothing', before Jake skulked off and the crowd dispersed. Marley turned to her furious boyfriend and reached up to gently cup his face.
"Ry-Ry, you cannot rise to him! He's an idiot and he's doing it on purpose, don't you see? He wants you to punch him so you'll be out of the running for your football scholarship and he'll have a better chance. You cannot react to him, do you understand?"
"Ok," Ryder sighed. "But I can't just stand there and watch him talk shit about my girlfriend and do nothing!"
"Oh Ryder come on!" She reasoned. "How many times do you think I've had to put up with people saying things like that? Zillions! I'm used to it. Look, I appreciate your chivalry, and your will to stand up for me, but if you're going to do that, do it verbally, not violently, ok?"
Ryder nodded sincerely and lent down to peck her chastely on the lips, before being interrupted by Mr Schuester.
"Sorry to break up this lover's embrace," he said, somewhat creepily, "but Marley, I've been checking up on all the musical theatre blogs and apparently today some kids have got their letters about NYADA callbacks…or rejections…so expect something in your post tomorrow if you haven't got it today!" He informed her with an excited smile.
"Oh my God…" Marley started, already feeling the butterflies fill up her stomach.
"Hey, don't worry!" It was Ryder's turn to soothe. "I have every confidence you'll get an audition, and que sera, sera, okay? I'll be here to provide cuddles either way." Marley grinned at this news, and reached up to kiss him on the cheek.
"Get to homeroom, you're both late!" Came the yell of Coach Sylvester, who stood menacingly in front of them before marching off.
"Gees, how many times are we gonna be interrupted today?" Ryder sighed.
"She's right though," the ever fair Marley reasoned, looking at her watch. They took each other's hand once again, and strolled down the now pretty much empty corridor.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As Ryder made his way towards the school kitchens the next morning, (he and Marley had decided that this would now be part of their routine,) he hoped that today's walk to homeroom would be a lot less eventful. For this reason, he grimaced when he walked in to find a tearful Marley engulfed in a tight hug from her also crying Mother.
"Marls, what's wrong?" He asked, and they pulled apart to find him standing there, worry etched on his face.
"It's…no...happy tears," Marley spluttered, wiping her face with her hand. Ryder looked confused.
"I got my letter," she explained with a sniff. "Ryder I did it! I got an audition for NYADA!" she squealed, causing him to laugh with relief and throw open his arms for her to skip into a cuddle. He lifted her off the ground as she pressed her lips onto his, before they were interrupted by a loud fake cough.
"Ryder I'm delighted that you're as proud of my daughter as I am, but…please can you both keep the kissing to a minimum while I'm in the room?" she requested with a slight shudder.
"Sorry Mrs Rose," Ryder laughed, before placing Marley down and pressing his nose against hers. "I'm so proud of you baby," he whispered, and she merely grinned in reply.
And so it was that this walk to homeroom was no less eventful than yesterday…but it was a lot happier.
Hooray! I hope this was an acceptable return after such a long break! Please tell me what you thought!
I will try to update again before Christmas- maybe on Saturday evening British time- (because I will be back home by then, yay). After that I will have quite a busy Christmas/New Year period, but I have no uni until late February, so expect regular updates after that :)
Onto you lovely reviewers:
Ember411: Glad you loved the chapter, and now that I am free of exams I will make sure to catch up on Ryley Vignettes :D And thank you as always for staying awesome on tumblr :)
TeaAndGlee: I'm so excited for Christmas too! Sorry I took so long with this chapter!
Gleek555: Oh, I'm so honoured! Ryder was so adorable in Movin' Out- I understand Marley wanting to wait a while, but I hope she gives him a chance later on in the season!
LittleMusicalOwl: Aww! I hope your Christmas tests went ok! (My exams were shambolic) I'm so glad you loved it, your reviews are always so lovely :)
Savannaramirez35: Glad you enjoyed! So sorry I didn't update quickly!
Gleeatic713: Me too, and exactly one week til Matt regenerates, wahhhh :( Aww you're too kind! I'm glad you feel that way. I do like smut, but sometimes I feel like it's just there for the sake of it, ya know? Glad you're still saying cute and lovely :) Also I'm really sorry again about my enforced hiatus! It's really sweet that you told me to have fun on it, sadly I had to spend it slaving over European geography and French renaissance history! But hey, that horror is over now and I'm back :p
Iheartart13: Ahaha good, that makes me feel better! I'm from England :) Although I'm actually studying in France atm, but I'm flying home for Christmas on Saturday morning…so excited! Thanks lovely, hope you had a great thanksgiving, love to you too!
Guest: Glad you thought it was cute! Hmm…you may or may not be right about that ;)
Thanks also to those of you who have followed/faved this story, and to all of you for being so patient whilst I was away :)
Lauren xxx