Everything had been a complete blur from the moment Marley woke up. She hated that she had to wake up by herself and without Jake but she loved the reason why. Today was the day she was finally getting married. And not only was she getting married, but she was getting married to the love of her life. She was going to be a Puckerman, finally. The thought alone made her hands shake as she ran them along the lacy material of her dress. It wasn't too extravagant- it was a simple strapless dress with a little bit of flare, covered in lace. Marley loved it and she could only hope that Jake would love it too. Marley stared at her reflection in the mirror while she waited for everything and everyone to be in perfect position. All of her friends surrounded her, making sure that her make-up was perfect, spraying hairspray in her already curled hair to retain its shape, and just making sure that Marley was ready. But the truth was that she was completely ready and had been ready for months. Right now all she wanted was to see Jake and walk down the aisle to her new future with the man she loved.
Everything about these past few days seemed almost too good to be true from the candy to the friendship, he'd been almost thinking he was dreaming. Only, Barrel's dreams were never this good, they were normally just scary which wasn't a bad thing but meant that this for sure, was reality. As he thought about this, he sat in the small dingy bathroom of the tree house and tried to get his hair to cooperate with him. In a short amount of time, him and Kuzco would be hopping around from portal to portal to try and find the right one that led them to Peru successfully. Saying he wasn't excited would be a lie. Quickly, he tried to get his hair under control but that ended up taking longer than normal so instead of spending much time on what he was going to wear, he went with his usual jeans and a simple t-shirt. After all, Barrel had no clue how Peru was weather wise. Once he was dressed, he grabbed some candies from the bag they'd stole and shoved them into his back pockets and the pockets in his boots. Once he was done, he made his way to Jack's haunted house in his bathtub and once he arrived, sent it home, leaning against the wall as he waited patiently.
It was strange to think that Marley had been gone over a long weekend, a whole three days. It didn't seem like she was gone for very long, but at the same time if felt like she had been gone forever. She just wanted to go home and see her boyfriend. Marley knew that he wasn't fond of her leaving for so long and she learned that she wasn't so fond of leaving him alone either. Or more so, she didn't like leaving Jake alone with Puck. She knew how crazy the pair could get from all the stories she heard from before her and Jake were together. Marley didn't like being so nervous and self-conscious about it all but she just couldn't help herself. Sure, her and Jake had been together for a couple months now, but that still didn't mean that one day he could decide that she wasn't good enough for him. That was her biggest fear and she would do anything in her power to make sure that wouldn't happen.
When Quinn pulled up to the apartment complex, she leaned over and embraced her friend in a brief hug, thanking her for the weekend. As quickly as her body would allow, Marley climbed out of the car and grabbed her suitcases before darting up to her apartment and keying in. "Jake! Babe, I'm home!" Marley called out into the apartment, wondering where her boyfriend was especially since she didn't know how much longer she could go without seeing him.
As Marley stood in the bathroom, curling her hair and applying her make-up, she couldn't help but get a mixed feeling in her gut. She was excited for Tina's wedding, she was. Marley knew how excited Tina was for today and how hard she had worked to make her big day so wonderful. But there was another part of her that didn't want to go either. To Marley, it was also a reminder of everything that she would never get. Jake had made his thoughts on marriage and all of that pretty clear to her and that was that it was never going to happen. She didn't know how to feel about it since all Marley ever wanted growing up was a big fairy-tale wedding. If she stayed with Jake, it was obvious that she would never get that. But Marley had Jake, did she really need all the fancy stuff? She sighed as she put the finishing touches on her hair and make-up before slipping into her dress and heels. Marley wandered into the bedroom and noticed Jake's suit still laying out on the bed. "Jake, babe! You need to come get ready! We're leaving soon!" She called out into their apartment. As she waited for him she ran her fingers along the material of his suit, hoping and praying that maybe him attending this wedding with her just might change his mind on the matter.
Marley was absolutely drained. She didn't get much sleep the night before after her little argument with Jake and she'd be lying if she said that she hadn't been thinking about it today. Part of her had wished that Jake was there for lunch with her mom, but after everything that happened the previous night she knew that it would likely be better if he wasn't. Instead she simply told her mom that Jake had something work related and would have to miss their lunch but maybe next time. So Marley plastered on the widest grin as she caught up with her mom over lunch, filling her in on pretty much everything that she had missed since they had last seen one another; from work to friends to Jake. Once their meal was over, Marley dropped her mom back off to the airport. After saying their goodbyes she made her way to Jake's, and now her, apartment. She stood outside of the door for a brief moment, debating whether or not she should go in. Would he even be home? Was he upset? Would they fight again? With a hefty sigh, Marley opened the door and walked into the apartment. Immediately she kicked off her heels and headed to the direction of the bedroom, looking to change out of her dress and into something a little more comfortable.
Marley wasn't quite sure how she felt about seeing Jake. She didn't know where they stood or if he even wanted to see her to begin with after their argument. Their argument that was incredibly stupid. He wouldn't listen to her and she said a bunch of things that she didn't mean in the slightest and now they both hurt and upset and too stubborn to admit that they were wrong. Marley knew they were both at fault, but she couldn't help but feel like it was entirely on her. She shouldn't have said those things to him and she knew instantly by his reactions how much they hurt him. Marley just wanted to apologize and have them be happy again, if that was even possible at this point. Marley didn't know.
She felt even worse when she got the text from Puck. It seemed that Jake had decided to drink his problems away in typical Puckerman fashion. After hesitantly agreeing to check up on him, Marley grabbed her coat and headed out of her apartment in the direction of Jake's house. As she walked to his apartment, she tried not to think about their argument. She was just going to check on Jake, make sure he was okay, then leave. That's all that could do. Seeing Jake right now would be hard enough. When she got to his apartment, she knocked briefly on the door before walking in. "Jake! It's Marley. Puck is worried about you so I'm just checking in." She called out to the seemingly empty apartment. "Hello?"
Marley stood with her hands crossed over her chest as she stared at the open box on her bed that contained the dress Jake had picked out for her. She could have smacked him. It seemed like the red dress was staring her down. She was going to stick out like a sore thumb and that was never Marley’s thing. She was always content just blending into the background but there was no way that she could do that tonight. All eyes would likely be on her and that thought made her sick to her stomach. She was so close to calling Jake and making up some excuse but she promised him that she would do this and when it came to Jake she never broke a promise. With a shake of her head, she made her way to the bathroom to get ready.
After struggling with the curling iron for a good hour or so and numerous burns to her neck, Marley decided that her hair was curled enough for her liking and it actually didn't look that bad. She could hear the voices of Unique and Quinn as she applied her make-up the way she had seen them do to her millions of times, just hoping that it looked decent. Once she was done, she spritzed some perfume on her neck and wrists then wandered back into her room. Marley squirmed into the dress then stared at herself in the mirror. It didn't look as bad as she thought but she still didn't like it. It was made worse by the fact that the dress was so long that she was forced to wear heels. Jake probably did that on purpose, she thought. Marley grabbed her clutch and slowly made her way to the living room, sure that Jake would be there any minute to pick her up.
TAGGING → Marley Rose, Jake Puckerman, Kitty Wilde, Finn Hudson
TIME FRAME → Friday, May 31st, 2013
LOCATION → Gatsby's
WARNINGS → Mentions of abuse
NOTES → Marley, Kitty and Finn all go down to visit Jake's club, Gatsby's, reminiscing on their high school party days.
Jake found himself behind the bar for the first time in awhile, mixing drinks like he had when he started bartending years before. He'd added Kitty's, Marley's and Finn's names to the VIP list when he got in that night and now he was just waiting for them to make appearances.
Marley walked nervously into Gatsby's, giving the bouncer a half smile as he let her through. The place looked absolutely amazing, way cooler than what people made it sound like, but then again this was her first time in a club. Kitty had told her to go ahead, and now she was here alone, until she spotted Jake behind the bar, making her way over to him with a friendly smile.
Jake grinned widely. "Marley, hey! It's really good to see you. I'm glad that you decided to come out tonight." Jake liked Marley so far, she seemed sweet and there was an innocent vibe that he got from her that he was really into. "What can I get for you?" he asked her.
Marley took a seat at the bar by where Jake was mixing drinks, "Wouldn't miss it for the world, and it feels good to have a break from real life for a night." She said with a smile and a shrug. She had to admit, she did have her opinions about him, but Jake was way different that what she thought he was. "I'm not much of a drinker, so maybe you could choose for me?" She suggested.
Jake "Oh right, you're a nurse, aren't you?" he asked. "That must be an exhausting job. But totally worth it, I assume. Helping sick people and whatever." His club wasn't a typical nightclub with loud music and half naked people dancing around, but people seemed to like it and he certainly wasn't complaining. The club paid the bills and then some. "Oh, I'll just get you a glass of wine then. Ease you into the drinking thing."
Marley nodded, "It's completely exhausting, but it does have it's little perks." She said with a smile, appreciating how it wasn't incredibly busy or loud. It definitely wasn't what she expected, but it was a good change. She chuckled slightly, "I appreciate that, I was really hoping not to have a hangover for my gig here tomorrow." She said with a smile up to him, "I've probably said this a billion times, but thanks allowing me to sing here."
Kitty walked into the club with her arms crossed. She wasn't happy, for many reasons. She walked over the bar and sat down, ignoring everyone else in the room. "Something strong. Please." She hopes Finn would be there soon, it was her turn to vent.
Jake poured Marley a glass of white wine and a shot of tequila for Kitty, handing each of the women their drinks. He knew Kitty was hurting tonight and he didn't want to take advantage of that so he was trying to keep his distance for the moment. "Not a problem, Marley. I need all the talent I can get in here. Don't want to get lazy just because we're successful."
Finn after much debating, he decided he would go to Jake's club, at least for tonight. It didn't take too long to find it, which he figured he should be thankful for. He walked inside, looking around before heading towards the bar
Kitty grabbed drink and turned around, spotting Finn. "Finn!" She called out, happy to see him. "It's my turn to vent baby." She winked at him playfully, feeling bad for ignoring Jake, but she was angry.
Marley looked over at Kitty and Finn as they sat down, seeing that Kitty was in a bad mood off the bad, and didn't want to address it already. Instead, she simple waved at the two of them as they sat down, turning back to take as she took the glass, "I very much appreciate it, and I'm probably going to have to make it up to you." She said with a nod, taking a sip of the wine.
Jake shook his head. "Nah, you don't owe me anything. You're doing me a favor, really. Like I said, you have a good sound and I really want you to perform here." He kept his eye on Kitty, trying to ignore the pang of jealousy that came with seeing her all over Finn.
Finn turned and smiled at Kitty, smiling at the small blonde, putting his arm around her shoulders "Yeah, to make up for all the times I vented to you. What's up?"
Marley knew how big an opportunity like this was for her, even though she promised herself that she'd give up singing for something more practical, like nursing. "Thank you, anything specific you'd like to hear tomorrow night?" She asked curiously.
Kitty leaned her head into him and smiled. "Oh, just drinking fabulous drinks made by Jake." She looked over at the boy, smiling faintly as she as say down her empty glass. "Exactly. For all of those times I had to hear your drunken stories!"
Jake smiled. "Hmmm, do you know anything by the Lumineers? I love them. But I'm sure anything you choose will be great." He walked away for a minute to tend to another customer, silently punching the beer cooler underneath the bar.
Marley grinned, "I definitely know songs by the Lumineers, and I can pick out a few for tomorrow, easy." She said happily, already getting ideas in her head.
Jake "Awesome! I really look forward to it. Remind me to write you a check tomorrow night. I never let my performers leave without getting paid, but sometimes I'm trying to do fifty things at once. Ya know, I used to sing a little bit back when I was younger."
Kitty tapped her fingers against the wooden bar and looked at the drinks, deciding not to ignore Jake. "Hey bartender, got any specials?" She smiled at him, noticing the redness of his knuckles and frowning, but turning her head.
Finn laughed a little "Like I said, sorry, but you are just so good at listening" he laughed as he lowered his head slightly to hear he better "so what do you need to vent about, Kitty?"
Jake "Hey Whiskers," he smirked. "We have got five dollar margaritas tonight. And shots of Cuervo for six dollars."
Marley cocked her head a little bit, "Really? That's pretty neat, actually. Were you in a band or something like that?"
Kitty smiled at Finn, holding up her finger as she eyes Jake. "Not money specials, more like special mixes? You can't tell me you don't have a Di- Jake Puckerman special." She had almost called him a dick, but decided against it. She turned back to Finn and let out a deep breath. "I ended my engagement to start with."
Jake "Nah, I just played guitar and sang a little. I wasn't the best, wasn't the worst. No big deal." He turned back to Kitty, smirking. "I do make something special called the Panty Dropper. Never fails either."
Finn raised an eyebrow "wait, you did? What happened?" He turned to Jake, laughing a little at the name of the drink
Kitty raised her eyebrows, looking at Marley and Finn before glaring at him. "Good thing there are other ladies here yeah?" She turned to Finn and nodded. "He was a dick." She looked at Jake at her last word, shooting him a sarcastic smile.
Jake: me raised an eyebrow. "Didn't say I was gonna use it on you. Seems like you're occupied for the night," he said, jaw clenching just slightly at the comment.
Marley nodded and drank some more of her wine, thanking God that she didn't get the Panty Dropper, "Guitar too, that sounds pretty fun. I guess I just never imagined you as a musical person."
Kitty stood up, pointing her finger at te empty spot in the bar. "Be right back Finn." She got up, waiting for Jake to follow her over. She had no idea what was happening, but it was pissing her off.
Jake "Yeah well there's a lot people don't know about me," he shrugged, catching Kitty's eye. "I'll be right back, I'm sorry," he apologized to Marley, following Kitty. "Why don't we talk in my office for a minute?" he asked her.
Marley watched with raised eyebrows as Kitty and Jake went off separately, awkwardly taking a sip of her wine before turning to Finn, "Well, since it's just me and you, how has your day been, Mr. Hudson?" She said with a slight smile.
Kitty nodded, crossing her arms again. She followed Jake into his office, waiting until the door was closed to raise her voice. "Jake, what the hell is going on?" She reached for his hand, rolling her eyes. "And that, what the hell did you hit?"
Finn before he could ask anything else, Kitty was walking away. He just nodded at her in response and looked at Marley, smiling again "It was okay, had an interview for a job at Lowes. You, Ms. Rose?"
Jake crossed his arms. "I don't know what the Hell you're talking about," he shrugged. "You just gonna jump from Robert to Finn?" he asked her.
Marley beamed a little bit at the sound of a job interview, glad that he was trying to find a track here in New York. "Yeah? How did that go?" She asked, sincerely interested, "I've been good, a long shift at the hospital today, but I can sleep later." She said with a shrug.
Kitty laughed sarcastically. "Is that what this is about?" She ran her hands through her hair and reached for his hand again. "What happened to your hand?" Her voice was calmer this time.
Finn shrugged "I think it went pretty good. The person I talked to seemed to like me. I'll see." He said "Isn't it always a long day there? Anything exciting happen though?"
Jake shook his head. "Got annoyed, punched something. It's no big deal," he sighed. "What is this about, anyway? Shouldn't you be out fucking around with some rebound dude? I mean maybe you'd rather go somewhere where a guy will be feeling up on you all night."
Marley chuckled a little bit, "Well you're a pretty likable guy, and I wish you the best of luck." She said raising her glass a little bit, "It is, even though I wish it wasn't most of the time. Nothing too exciting, one kid came in with his arm broken in 3 places though, that's never fun." She said with a little shutter.
Kitty squeezed his hand before letting it go. "What about Marley? Do I have to sit around and watch you googly eye her all night?" She crossed her arms, his words hurting her. "I don't need a rebound guy. I'm just venting to Finn. You know, about my abusive ex fiancé." She walked closer, touching his cheek. "Stop being so mad over nothing. I get that you're already over whatever happened the other day, but it'- it bothers me."
Finn "Thanks" he said and frowned a bit "hope that kid is okay" he said, rubbing the back of his neck
Jake "Marley and I are friends. Like you and I are friends. I'm trying to help you with your breakup too, you know. I just don't want you to jump from one bad relationship to another. It's not good for you."
Marley nodded a little, "He's fine, we patched him up really well. I even gave him an ice cream for going through that."
Kitty let go of his face and shrugged. "I'm not jumping into anything. I just need someone to talk to. And Finn owes me." She crossed her arms. "Thanks though."
Jake "It's no problem. We're friends or something, right? Besides, it's my fault you broke up with him anyways."
Kitty rolled her eyes. "I held your hand and liked it. That's more than I ever felt for Robert. I left him for me."
Finn "Good. He deserved ice cream" he laughed
Jake "That's probably because I never hit you. And I never would. That's just messed up. You deserve better and I'm glad you're seeing that."
Kitty nodded, and smiled, deciding to take it easy on him. "So, is the panty dropped a real drink? Or is that something you use on all your VIP members?"
Marley chuckled and had some more wine, "You bet he did. He was a really sweet kid too, just didn't know that bikes and homemade ramps don't work well together."
Jake "It is a real drink," he nodded. "Though tonight's the first night I'm bartending in a long time so I haven't used it in quite awhile. Used to do the trick, though. Girls flocked to me to get me to make them that drink."
Kitty smiled in relief. "Then I want enough of those to get me a little bit smashed." She walked towards the door and turned around once more to face him. "Since we're friends, feel free to tell me when I'm stepping out of line."
Jake laughed, nodding. "If I don't, one of the bouncers will. We don't like people to get too unruly around here. But I will keep you nice and buzzed all night, if that's what you want."
Kitty walked closer to him and pouted. "You would actually let those bouncers touch me? Rude." She placed a kiss on his warm cheek and smied. "Thanks Jake."
Jake "If you were a drunken mess, yeah I would," he smiled. "You're welcome, Kitty. Anything for a friend, right?"
Kitty opened the door and paused. "If I start to feel too crazy, I'll just come up here until I'm sobered up." She walked out and peeked back into the room. "and please don't hit anything else." She walked back down to the bar and smiled at Finn as she sat down.
Jake sighed, locking up his office and heading back to the bar. It was busier than when he'd left so he dove right into making drinks and starting tabs. Most of his big name customers had accounts, but the less frequent visitors didn't.
Marley smiled as the two of them walked back to the bar, seemingly on good terms now. She waved at Kitty again, "Hey, Kitty!" She said with a friendly smile.
Kitty waved over to Marley. "Hey Marley. Sorry I had to steal him away for a bit." She smiled at Jake ans raised her eyebrows. "How about a panty dropper?"
Jake smirked. "Coming right up, Whiskers." He mixed the drink quickly, handing it to her. "Enjoy."
Kitty looked at the drink for a moment. "If this kills me, Marley as my witness, you killed me Puckerman." She turned up the glass, closing her eyes at the strength of the alcohol.
Marley shook her head and shrugged, "S'okay, Finn and I were just having some small talk." She said, taking another sip, and watching her take her drink, "Strong?" She guessed.
Kitty nodded, sitting the glass back onto the bar. "So strong, but so good." She nudged Finn and smiled. "It doesn"t have anything on my drinks, but I think you'd like it."
Finn smiled at both the girls
Marley chuckled at her, "If I had any alcohol tolerance whatsoever, I'd definitely try it."
Kitty looked over at her and smiled. "That's how I started out. You should have went to high school with me. I would have never touched alcohol."
Marley raised her eyebrows, "And now you're a bartender? Where touching alcohol is your job?" She joked with a grin.
Jake almost piped up about how true that statement was, but remembered that he wasn't supposed to have known Kitty back in high school. "I knew a bunch of girls like that at my high school," he said instead.
Kitty winked over at her. "I've changed a lot. You should meet one of my classmates, they could tell you how true it really is." She laughed, looking back at Jake. "I bet your high school was wild. Texas just seems wild."
Jake "It was! And the funny part was that everyone was super religious, but they still partied like it was the frickin apocalypse every weekend."
Marley laughed at how crazy that must've been. "I bet they would, mine would say that I haven't changed a bit just by looking at me." She said with a shrug and a little smile.
Kitty nodded, pointing to herself. "That's how my school was! It was so crazy. If I could go back, I would totally be a partier!" She looked over at Marley and smiled. "There's nothing wrong with not changing."
Jake smirked. "I was a partier. It was a Hell of a good time. And now I have a club so I can party forever. Though this is a lot more tame than any party I went to in high school."
Marley kept the smile on her face even though she knew that the entire reason she came to New York was to change. "You're probably right," She said to the blonde before smirking at Jake, "I could definitely see that."
Kitty remembered one of the parties she had went to. "Okay, story time fro, Wilde. I went to this one party because I was about to graduate, and these guys were so drunk that they all picked me up and carried me on their shoulders for at least an hour."
Marley felt her jaw drop a little bit at her story, a little laugh coming up from her chest, "Really? Just carried you around, not even taking you anywhere?" She said, trying to imagine it in her mind.
Jake laughed. "Lamest story I've ever heard," he said teasingly.
Kitty shook her head. "I was the school princess." Kitty glared at him sarcastically. "You got something better pretty boy?"
Jake "Alright, so graduation night I sneak into the principal's office with his daughter and we get drunk and have sex right on his desk. True story."
Marley rested her elbow on the bar, putting her chin in her hand as she raised her eyebrows. She didn't even expect that, and was a little embarrassed that she was never a party animal or had any party stories. "Did you get caught?" She asked him
Jake shook his head. "Nope. I'm pretty sure he never had a clue. But I left Ala-Uh Texas, not long after that."
Marley let out a little laugh, "Okay, I don't have any stories, but I say that Jake's wins. Sorry Kitty."
Kitty wish she hadn't of asked. She raised her eyebrows at him, noticing the slip. "Alabama?" She pushed the glass towards him and narrowed her eyes. "My sophomore year, I went to the dance with an older dude and slept with him in his car to piss off his younger brother."
Jake "Keepin' it classy, Wilde. Way to be."
Marley shook her head, "It's pretty even now, those are both some really... interesting stories." She said with a nod.
Kitty shrugged. "Coming from the boy who slept with the girl in her dads office." She wasn't going to let his slip up go. "What were you saying about Alabama?"
Jake "I also had a threesome in this girl's hot tub once," he shrugged. "I had a lot of sex in high school. And I didn't say anything about Alabama?"
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Really? Then what's ala? Can I have another Panty dropper, please? Your stories are giving me an alcohol need."
Marley silently drank the last of her wine, trying not to laugh as she hoped the two of them wouldn't start swapping sex stories.
Jake "Ala is a place in Texas where I used to party. It was on top of this hill and we all used to go get drunk and hook up and stuff." He poured her another drink, kicking himself for the slip. "Marley, you need more wine?" he asked.
Marley shook her head, "No, I'm not supposed to be having alcohol anyways. Do you have some water I could have, though?" She asked.
Kitty turned up the glass, more slowly this time. She eyed Jake a little while before turning to Marley. "So, I've been thinking about singing one night at work."
Marley turned to grin at Kitty, "You can sing?" She asked curiously, surprised that the blonde never got up on stage before.
Jake got Marley a bottled water, cocking his head at her. "Not gonna get sick, are you?"
Kitty nodded. "Sing and dance." She sat the glass down and rubbed the top of it. "I was in a singing club believe it or not."
Marley scrunched her nose and shook her head, "No, just a precautionary." She said vaguely, smiling at Kitty again, "No kidding, I was too!"
Kitty missed singing but she knew she would have better luck being a model; or had better luck before she dumped her photographer ex fiance. "I'm going to talk to the club owner. He has a soft spot for me, so I'm hoping he'll give me a shot."
Marley nodded slowly, "I think he'll let you, and I'd for sure come to see you."
Kitty felt happy that at least one person would watch her. "Thanks Marley. I would totally sing you a song." She laughed finishing off her alcohol and feeling beyond tipsy.
Marley raised her eyebrows a little bit, "You'd really sing /me/ a song?" She said with a little chuckle, watching her body sway a little bit, "You okay, Kitty? Feelin' a little tipsy?"
Jake scrunched up his face. "Do I need to get you ladies up on stage for a duet?" he asked with a small smirk.
Kitty nodded, her smile only brightening. "Please, the club couldn't handle us both together." She stood up, leaning against the bar as she stared at the stage. "But I would give them a show."
Jake "Let's save it for a night when you're sober. This isn't drunken karaoke night, aight?"
Marley nodded in agreement, "Totally, we'd bring the house down either way." She said with a bright smile to Kitty.
Kitty mocked him, but made sure to add in a smile. She wished it was a dance club; she could definitely dance right now. "I'm not smashed Puckerman. I could sing fine."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Maybe some other night. We'll get all three of us up there to sing."
Marley "I'm holding you to that, Jake." She said before drinking some water.
Jake "I am a man of my word," he promised. "I wish I wasn't working, I could use a couple shots."
Kitty shrugged. "As lovely as this night is, I think I should head back-" Kitty couldn't go back to her apartment, Robert could be there, but she wasn't going to tell either of them that. "I'm going to head out. Marley, don't let Jake tell you anymore ridiculous love stories of his." She turned to Jake and smiled. "And don't go doing anything I wouldn't do."
Jake "Wait," he said, brushing his hand over her arm. "Where are you staying tonight? I mean, you're not going back to Robert are you?"
Kitty looked down at his hand, frowning when he asked the question she had been avoiding. "I have to. I don't have anywhere else to go. He's probably still out anyway. I'll catch you tomorrow?"
Jake "Uh...sure. Call me if you need anything?" he asked, suddenly worried about the girl.
Marley furrowed her brows at the girl, "My door's always open, Kitty." She said simply, not wanting to pry.
Kitty nodded, smiling sadly. "Thanks Marley, but it's okay. I have to learn to fend for myself sometime right?" She waved to both of the before walking away, wishing for once she wasn't so stubborn. She wasn't going home, and she wasn't going to call Jake.
Jake watched her walk out, feeling somewhat helpless in this whole situation. He knew if she went home her ex would either hurt her or try to convince her to get back together, neither of which was a good optiion.
Marley turned to Jake after she walked off, a worried look on her face, "Should I be worried about her?"
Jake looked back at Marley. "I hope not. Her ex is a real douche from what she's told me though."
Marley looked down at her water, "Yeah, I heard that she and her fiance broke up, she sounded kind of happy to be with him when I first talked to her."
Jake "All I know is that last night she was almost defending him to me and today they're broken up. So who even knows?"
Marley shook her head and shrugged, looking at the time, "It's getting late, I should probably check in too." She said with a reluctant sigh, "If I hear anything about Kitty and her ex, I'll fill you in?" She suggested before getting up.
Jake nodded. "Sounds good. Have a good night Marley," he said, before starting to serve customers again.
Marley gave him a little wave and a smile, "See you later, Jake. Us three should do this again sometime." She said before beginning to walk out.
