High School AU (PG-13 Mari & Jake)

Marilyn hadn't originally wanted to be a Cheerleader. Hell, she didn't want to be one now. And she certainly didn't look like one. True, she was fit, but she wasn't perky or cheery or particularily nice and she had four straight scars across her left cheek from her temple down from a dog attack when she was lttle.

It was kind of a funny story. Marilyn Montez actually wanted to study chemistry preferably at an Ivy League school and her grades were definitly good enough. But come her Junior year she'd been called into counselling with a 'grave concern' that she was lacking the 'social skills' that an Ivy League school would be looking for. The girl had barely resisted rolling her eyes at the adults before her and suggested Debate Club, if she really had to, heaven knows arguing was not a problem for her. However they suggested she take something that would make her stand out as an applicant.

Her elder sisters who had graduated the year before had been Co-Captains of the Cheerleading squad.  So they had suggested it to her and Marilyn had burst out laughing, saying they couldn't possibly be serious, but oh contraire. They were. The Counsellor and Principal agreed that a Cheerleader who was a Chemistry Major would be such a shocking constellation of interests she'd be bound to stick out.

So naturally, Marilyn being Marilyn, she was highly offended on behalf of all the Cheerleaders of the world and their unjust Reputation of being idiots with pom poms, took up cheerleading, to prove the two were not mutually exclusive.

She wasn't happy about it though, it took up time she'd rather spend not being ogled by a Team of sweaty teenage Boys. But oh well, Mari didn't back up from a challenge. And the Cheerleaders were mostly really nice, the Captain was a bit nuts, but oh well. And they let her study on the pitch when it was nice out and she tutored some of them. All in all it wasn't horrible.

But the Football Team...Well. Marilyn wasn't a fan, to put it bluntly.

So when she arrived for practice and the Captain strolled up with a comment she rolled her eyes.
 "Have you ladies come to practice?"

"No, we came to be mindlessly ogled by an idiot who's been hit by another sweaty man too many times." She muttered under her  breath, hoping he'd let them be quickly. But no, if there was a God he was not so merciful.

"Ready for the next game?"

"Oh not at all" she drawled, "I think my poor heart won't be able to take another round of sweaty men slapping each others rears." Mari deadpanned, then looking at the bottle and taking it, not missing a beat before pouring it over his head, "Looked like you needed to cool off. Come on girls, I have a test tomorrow, let's get this show on the road."

The girls managed to get themselves collected to go practice and Mari all but forgot about the cptain's aproach until she was alone in the stands, collecting her chemistry notes she'd wanted to copy to give to some of the girls who were struggling.

Just as Mari had gathered everything and was turning to go Change she was confronted by a soaking, dirty wall of apparent idiocy.
And then the wall spoke. Perfect, just what Marilyn needed, something to sink her IQ just by osmosis.
Now the Cheerleader was certain, there was no merciful God.

"So, since you've now soaked me, and made me look like a jerk in front of not only the football team, but the whole cheer team too, what do you say to coming to the party on Saturday night with me to make up for it?"

The girl stared at him, baffled by how on earth he'd managed to take anything from their Prior confrontation to mean she'd ever agree to spend time with him.

"First off, I didn't make you look like a jerk, you are a jerk. Second, that is never going to happen. and third;" she clutched her notes with her pompoms and did a mini cheer that ended with both middle fingers up at the man in front of her. "You're not clever." With that she turned and left him Standing there, jogging to the changing rooms with a scowl on her face.

Marilyn knew she wasn't exactly deformed, she was still, as others said, very pretty. But her scars made her an easy target for idiots who thought pretending to want her and then ditching her because of them was hilarious. It didn't hurt the young woman anymore, but it was pretty annoying and rude anyhow.

Marilyn had already had a stressful day, she'd just gotten out of a test in chemistry for advanced Placement and while it hadn't been very difficult she was stressing herself out. She needed a spot in that class so she'd be able to get a spot in an Ivy League School for chemistry and get the scholorships needed. The Young woman already worked in a lab four days a week after school as an assistent, so she knew logically she was good enough, but it still worried her.

This in mind it was understandable that her generally disgruntled Disposition wasn't exactly lightened by a not unfamiliar voice's appearance beside her.

"So, are we feeling better today, or should I hand you my water bottle again?"

The girl put her notes back into her locker stoically ignoring him, pulling her hair back into a ponytail for her next class, which was in the schools labs. If she ignored him, Mari figured, he'd perhaps go away. But perhaps playing dead only worked in the animal kingdom.

"Come to the party on Saturday with me."

Mari took out her book and slammed her locker shut, glaring at him, "What part of 'no' do you not understand?"

Marilyn tilted her head, disbelief riddling her features. Now certainly he was joking, he couldn't possibly be so dim as to think that that was going to be the approach that worked.
Not that any approach would work. But some would perhaps aspire a kinder failure.

"I'm going to speak very slowly so you understand, alright?" Mari scowled, "I. Do not. Want. To. Go. Out. With. You. So that's still a 'No'. Get used to it." The aspiring chemist couldn't believe her bad luck, why of all people did he feel the need to harass her? All she wanted was to graduate valedictorian, get her scholorships and win the Nobel Prize. That was really not much to ask for.

"You don't even know my name." she added as she turned away to go to her next class, hoping he'd be confused enough to not follow her as she walked away. The labs were in the east wing so it was a five minute walk. On that mental note the witch walked a little faster.

Infuriating. That was the most fitting word for the football captain now. Infuriating.

Mari glanced up at him scowling, "Great, now you're stalking me, how romantic. And it's just Marilyn."

Bugger. She'd utterly forgotten he was in her chem lab, mainly because she tended to Partner with her best friend Helen, who was basically Marilyns polar opposite. The girl drank like a fish and smoked like a chimney and for the life of her couldn't fathom why Marilyn was so hardcore about school. But they understood each other perfectly and balanced each other out.

Also, Helen tended to let Marilyn do the intense chemistry 'shit' as she put it while she told Mari about a new club or drug she'd discoveredthat Marilyn 'had to try' (she did not.)


"Let's say you be my partner today for the experiment, and if you still can't stand me after the hour, I'll stop asking you to come to the party with me on Saturday."

"You can ask me all you want I'll still say no." She shot back instantly.
"And anyway, you couldn't keep up with me in chemistry, not a chance," Marilyn added, unsure why she was even entertaining the notion. Unless...

"But." She stopped outside the lab, "Let's say I let you be my lab partner, which means you'll be quiet, take notes and not touch anything, then you have to stop asking me out, period. Not just to the party on saturday." Smirking the chemistry ace was sure she'd be rid of him soon.

"I don't look at those behind me because I don't care" Mari shrugged, she couldn't afford to care, if she stressed herself out with comparisons she'd lose her focus. Marilyn definitely couldn't lose her focus. That discipline was what made her confident that she'd soon be rid of the jock now sitting in the seat beside hers.

"You won't know I'm there."

"Like usual then." Mari shot back as she sat down.
When the bell rang and the teacher gave them instructions Marilyn went into full chemistry mode, not even purposefully ignoring the man beside her anymore, just intently concentrated on the experiment, only dictating notes for him to take as if he were anyone else, never looking at him.

When Marilyn was in her focus mode there was next to nothing that could phase her, least of all some football player with something to prove.

the hour went by quickly and soon there were only ten minutes left, which meant time to clean up, review the notes (correct the notes) and hand them in. So Marilyn brought the equipment away, then taking off her safety glasses, holding out a hand for the protocol she'd dictated to him, her eyes at her bag beside her to grab a pen.

Reading through the notes her Expression remained blank but inside she was scowling. Okay, so he wasn't completely stupid, he was still a jerk of the first degree. And to her relief there were some bits that weren't quite wrong but also not completely right. So she corrected or added and then turned to hand them in as she heard him say he'd see her tomorrow.

"No you won't." she called out over her shoulder.  


Goddamn jocks. What an entitled brat, she thought to herself as she gathered her things for the next class. Shaking her head she rolled her eyes cursing under her breath and then taking a subtle deep breath and leaving, relieved that her next classes of the day were completely Football-Captain free. "Jackass." she muttered passing Mike without looking at him.  
....

Helen met the cheerleader at the bike racks with a smirk, ready to grill her about the football player, but one glance at Marilyn expression shut that right up.


It was only a fifteen minute bike ride home for Marilyn (and Helen, who usually came along), but she enjoyed it because it took her through the nicest street in town. Rose Avenue always looked like a scene from Pleasantville and yes, that was slightly creepy, but still beautiful, which was a pretty perfect combo to the 18-year old.  


But today she was a bit too shaken up to enjoy the view as she simply tried to concentrate on getting home. She was nervous; mentally redoing every question in the test she'd taken that morning, making sure there were no mistakes- at least none she could find. But it still had her biting her lip. And all that additional crap with that Neanderthal. Ugh. Why her? Why today? (Why ever, honestly?) Why was he so intent on annoying her?


The girl frowned as she turned into the path to her house, locking her bike and walking through the side door into the living room, "Soy hogar!" she called out, heading towards the kitchen where her father was cooking dinner. "Hola, mija. ¿Cómo estuvo la escuela, la prueba? And you, Helen?"


"I think it went well, I haven't found any mistakes, yet, anyway. ¿Puede Helen quedarse a cenar otra vez?" Mari asked, knowing the answer as well as Helen did who had put her bag next to Marilyn's on the hook on the wall."School was school." Helen repilied, "Didn't get in trouble today." Marilyn repressed a snort and disguised it as a cough.


"I'm glad," Raphael laughed, "Venga, Helen, Maritza, wash your hands, grab an apron and cut the tomatoes, por favor." The two girls obeyed and set to it, Helen washing and Marilyn cutting, knowing that neither of them was any good at cooking and being glad her dad never made them do anything complicated.  


It was a pretty normal day from then on, Marilyn's uneasiness settled and they went about their daily life. When dinner was almost ready Alma came home and gave each of them a hug before changing out of her work clothes and coming back in a comfortable linen dress similar to the shirt her husband wore.  


Alma and Raphael Montez were very simple people, but one of their most pronounced characteristics was their compassion. They'd been pretty bohemian in the nineties when Mari and the twins had been born, and it still showed today. By no means were they wealthy, or even well off. But they got by. It had been harder when the twins had still lived there, the house had been quite crowded with five people at the table, but they got by.

Now the twins, Nora and Zooey had moved out (Nora to Seattle with her boyfriend and Zo to Boston with her girlfriend, both working full-time so they didn't get to visit much) it was a bit easier. The family also had a dog named Jagger, who was a stray they'd found wounded and nursed back to health.


They had a small, two bedroom house (Mari had once shared with her sisters until they'd moved out and she'd gotten the room with the biggest relief) in a bit of a dodgy neighborhood, but they had enough for food and clothes and the couple worked very hard to give their daughters a good life, impressing solid values into them such as gratitude, compassion and a good work ethic.  


They were a large part of the reason Marilyn wanted so badly to make it into a great college on scholarships. And why she would get so uptight about her goal. To her it would be the greatest way to repay her parents for their love and support and she couldn't allow herself to get sidetracked.  


Sure she was a teenager and she'd been to parties, she'd stayed out late sometimes and she'd slept with a few people, but Marilyn all in all was pretty calm and unattached. And above all, focused.  


The family ate dinner, talked and laughed. Mari didn't mention her unpleasant encounters despite Helen's mischievous smirks. Only when they were in Marilyn's room laid out on the sofa-bed with their homework (Marilyn forced Helen to do the bare minimum well enough to graduate) did Helen open her mouth about the boy.


"I say bone him and move on."

Mari grimaced and rolled onto her stomach, "I don't want to bone him, he's a jerk, an entitled, self-absorbed jerk."

"You're not fucking his personality, Mari. Have you seen his body? Or Mike, how about Mike? He's hot and not entirely stupid."

"Wow, Hel, you really know how to sell a guy."

"I'm serious, just fuck him and move on."

"Ew."



"I know you think he's hot..." Helen teased, prodding her with her pen, "Admit it..."

Marilyn laughed and pressed her face into a pillow, "Do you think I can suffocate myself with this?" she wondered aloud, voice slightly muffled.

"Maybe. But you could suffocate him by sitting on his-" Marilyn threw a pillow at her friend before she could finish her sentence and collapsed in a heap of laughter as Helen retaliated.


It ended with both girls red in the face and exhausted on the floor, trying to catch their breath.

"You're still going to the party tomorrow."

"Why do I let you take me to parties?"

"So that you don't become too smart for me, I have to prune your braincells, Mari or your head will swell like Jimmy Neutrons."

Marilyn groaned but gave in, thinking that perhaps by tomorrow he'd have found another conquest.

…


But the day came and with it the night that left the two girls standing in the middle of a houseparty, by the drinks (of course). Marilyn was just about to decline when she saw a familiar face and changed her mind, accepting and downing the drink. It burned in her throat but Helen was right, it did calm her down.

(Marilyn's Party Outfit that Helen probably forced her into)

"There he is."
"I'm not looking."
"But he's checking you out."
"No he isnt."
"How do you know if you're not looking?"
Marilyn groaned and downed her refill of...something or other. Helen had mixed it. It tasted good but packed one hell of a punch. The chemist part of Marilyn's personality wondered if it was so strong you could weaponize it. Probably.

"This could be a weapon of mass destruction." she remarked with a raised eyebrow at her best friend who just waved it off with a wry smile and a "You're too kind."
Suddenly her redheaded friend smirked, having spotted another person of interest, "Mhm, Mike's here, too. Mari let's go say hello."
"I don't want to say hello."
"Neither do I but I was trying to put 'Help me bag that hot ass' nicely."

Groaning Marilyn shook her head, simply drinking another one of Helens concoctions, still in a way of looking forward to seeing Helen in action. She always got what she wanted, Mari had to give her that. Her best friend winked at her as she went over to Mike to work her Magic.

Honestly Marilyn didn't really feel like partying at all. Her father had lost his Job only last week and hadn't found anything so far and it was worrying her. No matter how many times her parents told her that it wasn't her Job to worry she did. Mari felt like she shouldn't be at a Party, she should be working or helping or at least studying. Perhaps she could find someone to tutor here...she wondered as she wandered through the masses to find the rest of her squad.

Unfortunately, that led to an alcohol fueled game of truth or dare that she somehow ended up a part of. Normally not too bad a fate. But that was when Helen, Mike in tow, grabbed a couple of Football Players into the game and Mari found herself sitting across from Him.
Fuck... the girl thought as she took another sip of her new drink, feeling a slight buzz.

The game was going alright, at least for Helen and Mike who were attached at the lips early on in it. Mari thankfully had been spared thus far, sipping more of her drink as time passed.
But then it landed on him and words reached her ears that didn't compute for a second

 Marilyn was going to kill Mike. Maim him. And she was going to take away Helens weed for a week. Or two weeks.


And he. He just looked completely calm, like he didn't even care or like he hadn't been bugging her so much to go out, such an infuriating, entitled...

But Marilyn could play that game, too. So the girl moved to lay on her back, knees angled and pulled her cropped top up a bit further, exposing her smoothly toned abs and the glint of red and silver. Her expression calm and neutral as if it had been anybody else.


"Careful with my piercing, Newbury." she muttered as she rested her head back on the carpet, waiting for him to get on with it.

Nothing in her past eighteen years on this obviously godforsaken planet could have prepared her for this Moment. Ignoring the wolfwhistles was easy because as soon as his mouth touched her skin she could feel herself grow warmer, luckily not blushing though.
She did however bite her lip and look over at Helen (from whom a wolfwhistle had come) and mouth "I'm taking your stash."

 And she did feel satisfied with the glare she recieved in return. Unfortunately that left her not ready for the tongue now rolling over her muscles and she tensed up as he took his time, cursing him, Helen and the whole wide world for this moment.

When he reached the second area she felt teeth and it took an admirable amount of Focus to not gasp or arch her back. But she managed. True, her expression looked strained, but that was it. Years of self control were paying off when it counted and Mari couldn't have been more grateful.

Despite the teet grazing, he was being shockingly gentle in his ways and his lips were soft and warm. Pleasant, even.
If it had been anyone but him, of course.
However Helens advice was paying her strained mind a visit and it was difficult to bat away...

Marilyn was ripped from her thoughts when she realized that he was pushing the liquid further down and her stomach muscles tenses a bit more as he finally stopped right at her waistband. Oh, that sneaky son of a- Marilyn's eyes widened as he sucked hard enough to leave a mark, clenching her left hand to a fist as he stopped as quickly as he'd left it.

Before anyone could see the mark she pulled her shirt back down and sat up, lips pursed as he spun the bottle...and it landed on her.

Making sure her voice matched the subtle glare in her eyes she Held his gaze and said, "Dare." before he could even ask. She didn't do truth. Marilyn found that letting People Close meant showing weakness. And weakness could bring you to your knees.

Marilyn's expression didn't change and she could practically hear what everyone was thinking. That she was going to slap him or drench him or kill him. But the Cheerleader simply locked eyes with Helen and the other girl grinned at her, giving her a sly thumbs up.

So Marilyn simply got up and started walking very calmly to the closet, pausing halfway to look over her shoulder, "You coming or not?" and then keep walking until she heard steps follow her into the thankfully spacious closet.

When he was actually in front of her Marilyn just closed the door and looked up at him briefly in the dim lighting from the single lightbulb hanging in the closet. Then she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down to kiss him hard, no affection or tenderness, just her lips hot against his as she closed her eyes, arms sliding up around his neck as she waited for him to just take over.

When the kiss broke she was pressed against the wall panting slightly with red lips.

"That all you got, Newbury?" she whispered, a challenge more than anything else. Marilyn was going to settle this- whatever it was.

"It'd take me more than seven minutes to show you what I've got."
Marilyn parted her lips to let his tongue in, her fingers twisting in his hair as she felt his hands pull her up by her thighs and wrapped her legs around his hips, pushing against him and sliding her tongue into his mouth with a soft moan.

"Then I guess you're gonna have to try harder." she whispered, breaking away from his lips and the taste that would probably haunt her dreams that night, but she wasn't thinking about that, and moving to nibble his earlobe and down his neck.

As his hands wandered over her Body she rotated her hips slightly against his, they were making out heavily now. It was almost like fight, not for dominance, that wasn't Marilyns Cup of tea, but for something...she wasn't sure of. But it didn't matter to her then. Mari was focused on making this enjoyable and good.

And then it would be done. And he'd leave her alone and she'd get a good lay out of it.