Unrequited

The Role You Were Born To Play

So here's what you missed on Unrequited...
Finn has no idea what he wants to do with his life so he's back in Lima, which the reader is super excited about. And Jake has his eye on Marley, which Kitty is really not happy about. And neither is the reader because when Marley spent the weekend at the reader's house, she was giving her all kinds of confusing signals. The reader is also in kind of a difficult situation because her brother got broken up with and in an emotional fit, he accidentally hit her. And that's what you missed on Unrequited!

The day after the incident, my brother and I both called in sick to school. He did because he was too ashamed to look at anyone. I called in because my face was bruised and my lip was busted. I'm a terrible liar and wanted to give my face time to heal up. I iced my jaw regularly throughout the day and I thought it had gone down enough to be able to cover with makeup. I was going to start wearing dark-colored lipstick to hide the cut on my lip. Marley came over after school that day wanting to help me feel better and do our daily song. Painfully, I had to send her home. I lied through the door saying I was sick and it was contagious.

So, we returned to school the day after. His eyes sunken in from guilt and me covered in makeup that I haven't worn in a long while. Marley immediately notices. "Hey, y/n," she says approaching me at my locker, "your makeup looks good today." I smile at the compliment trying not to wince at the dull pain that was still there.

"Thanks," I say, clearing my throat.

"You haven't worn makeup since we met though," she points out. I look at her, waiting for a question. "I guess I was, uh," she asks bashfully, "just wondering why you started now?" She looks at me from beneath her eyelashes. She seems nervous for some reason.

I narrow my eyes briefly, trying to figure out what to say. "No reason in particular," I begin as casual as I can sound, "just felt like it." She stares at me for a second and I wonder if she can tell.

Thankfully, she can't. "Oh, well," she says, her voice slightly softer than before, "I just thought maybe you were wearing it for someone you liked or something." She shrugs.

I close my locker and begin walking to class and she joins me. "I don't wear makeup for other people," I say truthfully.

She goes to loop her arm through mine and I slightly flinch, surprised by the contact. She notices, but doesn't say anything. "That's good," she says cheerfully, "because I think you're beautiful either way."

I smile to myself, trying to control the blush on my neck. "That's nice to know," I say smirking at her confidently. My breath hitches momentarily as I feel guilty for lying to her about all this. But, I couldn't take the risk that she'd tell someone and get my brother in trouble.

Over the next week, I could wear less and less makeup as it disappeared. I wore lighter lipstick as the cut shrunk on my lip. Artie wheels up to me in the halls and I slow my pace slightly. "What's up, Artie?" I ask looking down at him.

He continues to wheel himself down the hall with me. "I need to ask you a favor," he says as if he's testing the waters. I glance in front of us to make sure we won't run into anyone.

"And that favor would be..." I drag out the last word, waiting for him to fill me in. He wheels ahead of me and stops, facing my direction. I'm forced to stop walking as I look at him with my eyebrows raised.

He takes a deep breath before letting it out quickly. "I need you to help me convince Finn to co-direct the play," he says seriously.

I let out a small laugh, amused that this is the big favor he needs from me. Upon seeing the look on his face, I stop laughing. "You're serious?" I ask and he nods. "What makes you think he'll listen to me and not you?" I question him.