Glee ended. Still not happy.

74. Friend Feud, Family Feud.

Ryder didn't move from his chair. She's been in a coma for a full week now with little response. He heard doctors talking among themselves about speaking with Minnie and Marley's social worker about the situation. The only family member by blood Marley had was her father, James. They would have to inform him and get his permission to take Marley off life support if he thought it would be best for Marley. Ryder wasn't ready to lose her yet.

"Marley," He said to her body. "You need to wake up. Please. They're going to take you off life support if you don't give some progress of getting better."

She didn't move or open her eyes. Just laid there breathing thanks to that stupid oxygen tank they have her.

"Wake up Marley." Ryder rubbed his fingers across her hands. "Just open your eyes, that's all it takes."

Nothing.

There was a knock at the door. Finn walked in a second later. "Ryder?"

"Hey," He called back without taking eyes off of Marley.

"I'll watch her for a little bit. Go get dinner and then take a nap." Finn said walking in further. Ryder didn't move. "Ryder."

"What?" Ryder called out a little stressed.

"Ryder, go get some dinner then take a nap. I'll let you know if something happens." Finn said.

Ryder didn't move. He just continued to sit there in the chair looking at Marley hoping something would happen right now. He wanted to be the first person she saw when she woke up. If she woke up and saw Finn first than that was fine too, just anyone but a doctor or a nurse. But Ryder was really hoping it was him that she saw first.

Finn tried to calmly take control and took Ryder's hand to pull up, though Ryder pulled his hand out of Finn's hand and said, "I'm not going."

"Ryder you need to eat."

"No I don't I'm fine." Ryder said.

"I talked to your parents. You have to eat." Finn said.

"I don't care if you spoke to my parents. I'm staying here." Ryder said.

"Ryder—"

"Finn!" Ryder stood up from the chair quickly, knocking it behind him. Anger all over his face. "Stop trying to get me to eat the God damn food! My girlfriend is still in her coma after a full fucking week and you come in here every day telling me to leave for a while and get some damn food and take a nap! My girlfriend is on the edge of dying or waking up, the latter would be better, and you come in here trying to keep her away from me! If Rachel was in a fucking coma and you were in here everyday in this chair looking at Rachel in this bed—with all these fucking wires and tubes in her and on her— I wouldn't come in here every single day and harass you like you are constantly doing to me every single fucking day!"

"Ry—" Finn began to say.

Ryder slashed Finn across the face with his bare hand. A red mark left on Finn's cheek. Finn held his cheek as he turned back to Ryder. He wasn't mad, he got it. He would be annoyed if anyone harassed him while Rachel, or his mom or Burt or Kurt or even Puck were in a coma and this was him for a week. But he had to step in and help Ryder too. Starting with eating every day and taking naps.

Ryder realized what he did. He slapped Finn. Slapped. He slapped his friend, his teacher, his mentor almost. And why? Because Finn was being Finn. Helping out as much as possible and taking control before Ryder went nuts. Maybe he did need dinner...and a very long nap.

"Finn." Ryder said softly with a sad tone in his voice.

"Don't worry." Finn said.

"No, I'm—"

"I said don't worry." Finn said with a smile. "I'm okay."

Ryder responded with a slow nod. "I'm... I'm gonna get something down the street."

Finn smiled with a nod. "Alright. I'll call you as soon as anything happens."

"Thanks." Ryder said and shifted himself out of the room.

Finn took Ryder's chair and placed it back on four legs before sitting on it. He looked at Marley and watched her every move, grasping her hand in his own. "Open your eyes Marley."

Ryder walked down the street to some small pizza-deli shop and ordered himself a small plain cheese pizza. He walked back to the hospital and sat in the cafeteria staring at his food.

He was hungry.

But then he wasn't hungry.

Hungry.

Not hungry.

Hungry.

Not hungry.

Hungry.

Not hungry.

He pushed the food away from him and took his phone out to reply back to him Mom. She texted earlier asking how Marley was doing. Hey Mom, she's still in the coma so that's nothing new. I'll let you know ASAP if something changes. He turned his phone back on vibrate and placed it in his pocket.

Fucking Lark.

Oh, speak of the devil.

Lark came in after talking with an old friend of his. A very old friend of his from Lima. He was getting a couple of things organized for his return to Lima in a few weeks. He saw Ryder and walked over to him.

Ryder saw him coming and got up from his chair to walk away.

"Ryder!" Lark called out.

"Get away from me, Lark!" Ryder called out.

"Ryder!" Lark kept calling him. "Dude her over here now!"

Ryder kept moving away from Lark for as long as possible. Lark didn't give up the fight.

"Ryder Lynn!" Lark yelled.

Ryder stopped in his tracks. That damn bastard.

Lark walked up to Ryder to finally speak with him. "How's Marley?"

Ryder turned around and looked at this idiot. "Asshole."

"Dude—"

"No!" Ryder yelled. "Marley is in a coma because of you!"

Lark couldn't find a response. He knew he was part of the reason Marley was in the coma. "I know."

"This is just perfect!" Ryder yelled.

"Ryder."

"Marley had to meet you! Out of all my cousins it had to be you and you started it all! You gave her the cigarettes! You gave her the drugs! You started to get her drinking! You started all the damn problems! I have you!"

"Whoa, Ryder, listen—" Lark started to say.

"No, fuck off."

Lark watched Ryder turn away. Now he was pissed off. Ryder needed to get the story straight. Lark marched over to Ryder and grabbed him by the shoulders, pinning him against the wall.

"Listen here," Lark said bitterly. "I don't care if you want to blame the coma for me because I encouraged her to party more, but don't you dare say I started all of it! I only encouraged her. She wanted the cigarette so I let her try one! Just one! and she liked it and wanted another so I let her have another and then she just kept wanting them. I don't ever recall forcing her to drink. The first time we drank together she had it on her own, implying that she's had it before at some point or another by her own choice. It's always been her choice. She could of done this stuff for a month and then stop and I would encourage it!"

That was when Lark pinned Ryder a bit harder. "But don't you dare blame me for her smoking week. That was one of those stoner kids. Not me. Do not ever try to blame me for starting it. I wouldn't encourage her to even try it and if I did I was joking and she would of laughed because I laughed. The first time she smoked a weed joint she had mentioned she tried some already earlier, so I let her do it again. At her choice. All the partying she's done here in New York, her choice. It's all her choice."

"She's still in a damn coma."

"And you think I don't feel guilty about that?" Lark almost laughed. "You don't think I feel guilty about her being in that coma? I feel guilty for fucking Zandra's death! I wasn't even fully apart of that since Zandra's been doing all this shit since fifth grade, long before I met her, and I feel guilty for her death! How in the hell do you think I feel knowing that Marley Rose is in a coma, on the edge of death, and knowing that I contributed to her death!? Huh!? Huh cousin Ryder!? How in the fuck do you think I feel?"

Ryder looked at his older cousin. He could still see deep intense pain and guilt in his eyes, his face. He could sense from the bottom of his heart that Lark, from the bottom of his heart, felt guilty for all of this happening.

Lark couldn't stand here now looking at Ryder. Not just because Ryder blamed him for Marley's situation, but Lark couldn't stand being here knowing he was responsible for Marley's death if she died. He had to get out of the hospital and go back to the motel to sleep there for a while.

Lark released Ryder and said, "Bye Ryder."

Ryder watched his cousin leave quickly. Ryder shook his head before walking back to the room.

Ryder got back to the room and looked inside. Nothing changed.

"Finn?" Ryder called.

"Hey dude," Finn said. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah." Ryder lied. "Anything changed?"

"No." Finn sighed. "I called Minnie and asked her if she knows anything, but she's in her own shit."

"How?"

"I guess her girlfriend, Gina, well her ex-girlfriend now, ratted on her about having coke in the house. But I guess she wasn't too bitchy since she lied and said that Minnie began taking the coke for the past few months. But that Marley had nothing to do with it."

"But what will happen to Marley?"

"Probably just make up the excuse that she's been smoking things since she came here to New York." Finn said. "I don't want her to lie, but I want her to avoid big trouble."

Ryder nodded. He sat on a second chair next to Finn and looked at Marley. God, he wishes he could go back in time and make things better.

"Wake up Marley."