Hey guys! So I know I said I'd update quickly last week, or was it two weeks ago...but then a trauma occurred: spilt milk all over my laptop... Thank you for bearing with me during this delay! Okeydoke, time to ramp up the drama...
TW: Use of transphobic language which neither I nor Marley and Ryder agree with.
General warning: Angst. So much angst.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
Ryder became vaguely aware that something was wrong when he walked into school the next Monday morning, and noticed that the usual stares which followed him on his way to pick up Marley were less lustful and more scornful and mocking. He shrugged it off until he got to the kitchens, and saw his girlfriend and her Mother looking at him with worried, even pitiful expressions.
"Have you seen it?" Marley asked, by way of greeting.
"Seen what?" He returned, confused.
"Jacob Ben-Israel's web show from yesterday," she replied. Ryder snorted.
"Why would I watch that?" he scoffed. Marley closed her eyes and groaned, and that was when Ryder really knew something was amiss. "Marls, what's wrong?" He asked. She didn't reply, but instead simply took him by the hand and led him out of the kitchens. "Where are we going?" He asked again, wishing she would just tell him what was wrong.
"The library," she replied. "Quickly, before homeroom." They quickly reached their destination, and a group of freshmen boys sniggered loudly as they made their way to the computers. Marley sat down with purpose, clicking away until she had brought up the video of last night's broadcast. She turned to Ryder, gulping.
"Babe...you know when you told me about Katie?" She started, and Ryder nodded warily. "And you remember how I said that...she might not be who she said she was..."
"Dammit Marley, what am I about to watch?" He interrupted with a snap, a nauseous sensation rising up through his body. Marley simply looked back at him sadly, kissed him firmly on the cheek, and stood up, allowing him to take her seat in front of the computer, before draping her arms round his shoulders, staying with him. Ryder sighed heavily, half angry at Marley's erratic behaviour, half consumed with dread at what lay in wait. Deciding not to put it off any longer, he pressed play.
"Tonight's top exclusive: thought you knew everything about Ryder Lynn? You thought wrong!" JBI's harsh voice boomed through the speakers. Ryder waited impatiently for the jingles to finish and for the real content to begin. JBI began to talk again.
"It's no secret that, before his sickening relationship with the dullest jock girlfriend in American history, Marley Rose, Ryder Lynn had been carrying out a passionate online love affair with Katie, a girl he has still never met- or has he?" Jacob commentated dramatically; "in an exclusive, I can now reveal, that 'Katie' is actually a pseudonym for none other than McKinley's own Wade 'Unique' Adams!"
Ryder sat back in his chair, his eyes widening and his stomach feeling sick. Marley had been right. Ryder had been tricked by someone else. He couldn't really focus on the rest of JBI's exclusive. He could vaguely see through the tears and hear through the disorienting panicked whirring in his ears that Unique had been brought on for an interview and was describing in detail the way Ryder had expressed his love for her, until Marley, who was being portrayed as some evil demonic temptress, came and 'cruelly' stole him away from her.
"I'm so sorry Ry," Marley whispered in his ear. Ryder didn't reply; he felt as though he might violently throw up in shock if he dared to open his mouth. The bell for homeroom rang, and he shakily allowed Marley to help him out of his chair and lead him out of the library...but unwittingly, into the baying crowds.
"Hey tranny-banger!" Rick-the-stick, a disgustingly ignorant boy on the hockey team shouted out, earning loud laughs from his group of equally uneducated friends. Marley snapped her head towards him, a look of absolute fury plastered across her fave.
"Bigoted jerk." She spat out, earning a chorus of 'oohs' from the crowded corridor.
"Whoa!" He sniggered. "She can speak!" Marley continued to glare at them before protectively pulling Ryder through and away from the crowded area to take refuge, concealed under a stairwell.
"I've gotta get outta here," Ryder exclaimed frantically. "I'm going home right now."
"I'm coming with you," she insisted. He nodded and allowed Marley to wipe away the tears from his cheeks with her hands. They stood there in silence in their hiding place, until a few minutes into the time they would usually be spending in homeroom. When they were sure that corridors would be deserted, they made their way, hands entangled, out of the school's front entrance and over to Ryder's car. Marley was strictly morally opposed to skipping school, but today was no normal day. Ryder allowed a couple of minutes to compose himself, before starting the ignition and driving them to his house. When they arrived they ignored Ryder's mother who understandably wanted to know why they weren't in school, and went straight up to his room.
Ryder sat on his bed and stared numbly into space, helpless, as Marley dumped her backpack and went immediately back downstairs and into the kitchen, fixing her boyfriend a hot chocolate whilst briefly explaining what had happened to Mrs Lynn, who clamped her hands to her mouth in dismay before reluctantly allowing Marley to comfort him alone for a short while before giving him some Mother's TLC.
When Marley emerged, she found Ryder now lying on his bed, arms stretched limply either side, staring at the ceiling. She sighed sadly and went to sit by him.
"Drink this," she instructed. "It'll make you feel better."
"Thanks Marl, but I don't think it will," he protested glumly. She frowned at him and, even in the current situation he couldn't say no to those puppy dog eyes, so he obligingly took a couple of sips to please her. After a couple of minutes, Marley broke the silence.
"What hurts most?" She asked. "The fact that it happened or the fact that it was her?"
"That it happened," he replied quietly. "I spent a year thinking I could love Katie. And she was all an illusion. Although now you say it, the fact that I've gone from McKinley hero to zero overnight does rub salt into the wound." Under normal circumstances, Marley would have probably reminded him that popularity wasn't everything, but he didn't need to hear that right now, especially as he was trembling, and she knew that that was one of the signs that his temper could be about to snap, so she simply rested her head on his shoulder.
"She's your best friend Marls!" He exclaimed in disbelief, his voice rising.
"Was, Ryder," she corrected him. "Not is, was. I'm never speaking to her again, except maybe to tell her to stay away from you." This wasn't doing much to appease Ryder, who stood up and threw the football which lay on a shelf violently against the wall.
"Ryder stop, calm down," she tried, before being interrupted.
"Did you know?" He asked quietly, his voice bitter and low.
"What? No!" She exclaimed angrily. "You honestly think I would do that to you?"
"To be honest Marley I don't know what to believe anymore, I don't know who to trust!' He retorted, his voice now at a shout. "You hung out with her constantly since September and you picked up nothing from that?"
"No I really didn't!" She yelled, her voice cracking as she, like him, began to cry. "I can't believe you don't trust me! God Ry...this is the thanks I get for trying to help you?"
"I don't want your help, I don't want ANYONE'S help! Just go!" He screamed.
"Good, cos I don't wanna be here either, not when you're like this!" she shrieked as she marched down the stairs. "You scare me when you get this angry," she finished, before walking out the house. After taking a few deep breaths, Ryder realised he might have gone a bit too far...he hadn't meant to take it out on Marley and deep down he knew she had been as clueless about the whole situation as he was, but he was just so stressed. He scrambled to open his bedroom window, which looked out onto the street below.
"Marley," he called out. "You can't walk across town by yourself."
"I can and I will," she replied angrily, not bothering to either stop walking or turn around. Ryder slammed his window shut.
"Fine!" he yelled, kicking the football as hard as he could, causing it to crash into his shelves.
"Honey?" came the soft voice of his Mother. He looked at her, sat down on his bed, and burst into tears, his head in his hands. "Oh sweetheart," she said sympathetically, going to sit beside him and cradling his head against her shoulder.
"Everything's gone wrong Mom," he wept. "Everything's gone wrong..."
So umm...just gonna leave this chapter right here...the dramas being ramped up with just a handful of chapters left...
Emotional blackmail time: since I slaved to write this on a mobile phone and then negotiated a French library computer and weird strange keyboard to publish this chapter for you, it would be totally cool if you could review it for me, even if it's only one word :p
To my beautiful reviewers from last time:
Rocio-Melinatic-Ryley15: glad you liked it! All I'll say is Unique's personal meddling is over- but there may be college drama...
Ember411: congrats on your correct answer! Me too, they should bring it back for the 100th!
Guest: so glad you're enjoying the story!
Savannaramirez35: cliffhanger after cliffhanger I'm afraid! Sorry about the delay!
TeaAndGlee: so glad you liked the chapter and well done for guessing Unique :pp
LittleMusicalOwl: you sussed her out! Im glad you like plot twists- big one in next couple of chapters...
EXtraOrdinarygirl04: I agree, Unique got nowhere near enough of a calling out for what she did to Ryder on the show. Hope you continue to enjoy!
Guest: she did take it way too far! Glad you like tge story- hope it stays that way!
Until next time (possibly the 28th?)
Lauren xxx