High School AU (PG-13 Mari & Jake)

"I just... haven't gotten around to telling them... It's complicated."

Marilyn's jaw dropped at his reply- she had honestly expected a different answer, instead she pulled away from his kiss and out of his embrace, clutching the sheet tighter around herself as she sat up, away from him, confusion and hurt riddling herfFeatures.

"Are you serious? Oh my God, fucking hell." She stared at him in disbelief, "Separate? What did you think, that we'd just keep dating like this and never have your family know? We've been together for a bit over half a year, what- were you just going to reach the one year mark, two years, three, and keep me separate from your life? What- am I not important enough?" the last question left her lips with a slight sting to her feelings that Marilyn desparately tried to ignore, but the betrayal was plain on her face.

Marilyn listened to his explanation and nodded when he told her that he had a little sister who was in a wheelchair. In a way, she understood that he wanted to keep her safe, but to this extent...to a point that no longer made sense...

"That is just...Jake..." Marilyn buried her face in her Hands, trying to collect her thought before looking up, pushing her hair back from anxiety, "Jake that makes no sense. Why on earth would you be nervous about me Meeting Victoria? It's not like I don't understand secrets- it's not like I tell everyone at school about my home, that we've nearly been evicted more times than I can count or that I get my clothes from the squad. You should know me well enough to know that I would never judge her for that. Nor would I ever hurt her, knowing how important she is to you." A serious frown creasing her expression.

"There is absolutely no sense in forever keeping me from your sister, because just by how extreme you've acted, I'm sure she must know how much you love her and that being with me would in no way affect your stand to her."

The girl leaned against her wall and looked anywhere but her boyfriend and with a shaking voice managed, "I think- you should go home. And think about your logic. Because you're not protecting her, you're lying. You lied to your friends and you lied to me. So please just...go. Call me when you come to your senses."

Out of instinct she held his hands tighter but shook her head, eyes hard and fixed on him.

"What do you tell your parents when you go out to see me? When you spend the night?" She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together to keep composure, every single inhibition she'd had at the beginning ringing through her head to build a massive stab of 'I told you so'.

"Lying by omission is lying. You told me- right at the beginning, you told me that you were many things, but not a liar but that wasn't true. Did you lie about anything else? Your intentions, how you feel about me?" The Cheerleader pulled her hands away and looked down.

"Go home. This- This isn't a breakup I just- I want you to go home. Now." she wrapped her arms around herself and refused to look at him.

Marilyn didn't cry when he left. She took a shower, got dressed and did her homework. Then she studied, worked on the lab assignments and sat quietly through dinner. She didn't cry when Helen gave her a hug and they sat in silence together, the other girl just being there for her until she had to go home. Marilyn didn't cry when her parents asked her what was wrong, or when she just shook her head and went to her room.

Only when the lights were out and she'd gotten into bed and the pillow still smelled like him did she hear the faint crack of her heart and cried, because she'd been stupid enough to think he wouldn't betray her or lie to her. And she'd gone and given him the power to hurt her and he had. Just like she'd been afraid of.

Marilyn had ignored her phone until the next morning when her parents were heading out to visit friends (that was what they said, anyway, but Mari knew that they were going out to do odd jobs in the nicer neighborhoods for families that didn't want to do their own chores) and she was greeted by a message that didn't surprise her.




And she ignored it, pulling on an old pair of jeans and a tshirt from her dad and going to the garage where she spent the morning wielding together bits of different metals to test how the chemical she'd developed affected them. She'd just finished putting them in a chemical bath and would have to wait 24 hours to check up again, setting up a camera from the lab to film the process whilst she wasn't in the garage, when she recieved another text.




She stared at the address with a mixture of emotions, but her mind was already mapping out where he lived and how to get there by bike.
But Mari wasn't one for rash decisions so first off she took  shower and pulled on a Sweater over clean jeans and grabbed her phone to call him.

It picked up before the second ring and without saying hello the Cheerleader asked,
"Are you sure this is okay then?"

 "Do you want me to ask mom to make you some dinner?"
The relief was clear in his voice and it brought a small smile to the girls face as she answered,
"No, no it's fine, I can be there in twenty minutes, if that's alright?"

"Jake- it's going to be okay." She reassured gently, not sure if she was comforting him or herself as well. Of course she was nervous, now about Victoria more than anything; simply because she now knew how much Victoria meant to Jake and if she didn't like Marilyn

After the conversation ended Marilyn got on her bike and within twenty minutes was approaching his neighborhood which provided a bit of a contrast to hers. The houses were nice, not overly so like Rose Avenue, but still quite safe. Nobody yelling that was a nice change. When she pulled up to the drive she locked her bike and took a deep breath before ringing the door bell, quickly smoothing her hair back before it opened.


Outfit

Marilyn, despite the fact that she'd resisted the day before, relaxed in his embrace, leaning up to give him a sweet kiss on the lips.
 "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

"You're forgiven." she whispered, enjoying being held for a moment before he took her hand and led her to the room where his sister was in.

The cheerful young girl before her's smile was contagiousand Marilyn smiled back. "Thank you and I'm not actually sure, probably J.Crew" The girl answered, looking down at herself and then back up at Victoria, pleased that the first impression seemed to be working well.

"Victoria, this is Marilyn, Mari my sister, Victoria. And my mom, Alexis."

"Pleased to meet you, both of you. And no, it's fine, my family and I always eat together on sunday for dinner, so I can't stay, but perhaps another time?" Mari smiled, squeezing Jakes hand softly.

"Do you want to play in the garden? It's nice outside!"

"Sure," Mari smiled, then looking up at Jake, "Come on, I know you're pale but the sun won't kill you." she teased, giving him a kiss on the cheek, relaxing at how at ease Victoria seemed.

"Are you growing the sunflower for school?" She asked the young girl in front of her as the three moved outside, Jake pushing Victoria along. Marilyn admired the garden; full of flowers and different kinds of plants, but neat and tidy, it was gorgeous and reminded Marilyn of her fathers own love of gardening; he insisted that he could spite Minnesota weather and grow their own Chilis. So far he'd not been very successful.

"What do you do, Mari? Outside of school, I mean? I'm looking forward to getting to high school. Jake doesn't tell me about anything other than his homework!"

Marilyn looked at Jake briefly, remembering that he hadn't just kept her away from his family, but his family away from everything at school. It was sad, to her, because though she may keep their home situation a secret, at least her parents could come to her games to cheer her on.

Listening to Victoria explain her competition regarding the sunflowers the girl nodded and smiled in understanding, still slightly blown away by the abount of metaphorical sunshine that exuded from Jake's sister.

"Well, I'm a Cheerleader at school and after school I work four days a week in a chemistry lab as an assistent scientist." Mari explained as they reached the sunflowers that were absolutely huge.
"They're beautiful," she commented, in her minds eye she could just see Raphael gushing over the healthy way the flowers had grown.

"Sure I can." Marilyn grinned, glad that the girl was taking a liking to her, or at least was doing a very convincing job of play acting so. Somehow Victoria didn't seem the type to pretend though.

"What are you working on? If you're an assistant, that must mean you're great at science? Do you plan to study that at college?"

Jesus, she asked a lot of questions, Mari thought to herself, but it kept the conversation flowing well.
"My current project is in biochemistry, developing a new method for measuring toxicity of chemicals replacing the LD50 test , I sure hope I'm great at science, I do love it and I want to study molecular biochemistry at Yale." She answered in order before asking in return, "Do you like science?"

At the mention of how quiet Jake was being Marilyn glanced up at him, so her face was hidden from Victoria and gave Jake a pleading look, trying to convey, 'Please don't make this difficult, everything is fine'

Raising an eyebrow slightly at the biology comment Mari was not prepared to hear that Victoria was helping Jake in a few subjects and couldn't help the small snort of laughter that escaped her as her gaze went back to Jake, a playful grin gracing her lips.

She was impressed though, as well as amused, Victoria had a brilliant mind and it always made her more comfortable to find others who enjoyed science as much as she did.

"I think she likes you."

Marilyn smiled, nerves somewhat appeased, holding one of his hands in hers and kissing the knuckles while Victoria was busy, but still listening to the younger girl talking as she whispered,
"I like her, too." Then she cheekily added, "And you're not too bad either. Except at physics apparently."

The girl smiled in his embrace, kissing him back just as passionately, sighing as he whispered his gratitude against her lips, kissing him herself, fingers lost in his hair, before murmuring "Thank you for letting me..."


After that there was a shift in their dynamic, a huge leap in trust in each other as they grew together in the months that came as Mari became a not uncommon sight at the Newbury home.

And soon they were nearing their one year mark; crazy, when Marilyn thought about it, how much could change in a year. For her, the most stressful Moment of the year had arrived. In two weeks, a month before the mark and their graduation, she and her Team from the lab would be at a Gala hosted by the USA Scientific Community, presenting their research and results.

"It's quite a formal affair, shirt and tie, dresses..." she explained as he read through the emblemed invitation she'd recieved, his head on her lap as they sat in the empty bleachers during a free period.

"Basically there's a formal part which is dinner and mingling and such, dancing if one wants- not that you'd have to and then we present our results. My parents are going and I was wondering if you'd come with me. At the end of they give the winning team an award, for me it's a full ride to Yale, like when Scouts come to watch you play...and I'm rambling." She blushed, looking down at him, fingertips trailing over his thigh absently.

"I'm just nervous."

"Of course I'll come to support you! I wouldn't miss my girlfriend winning the award for anything!"

His reply brought a relieved smile to her face, glad to have his support on that evening; though honestly she knew she had his support every evening- every day. The thought made a not unfamiliar warmth in her chest spread and her cheeks flush slightly as she kissed him back.

"Sweet-talker" she teased fondly before adding, "Saturday in two weeks and my dress is  light pink." Leaning down to press a happy kiss a his forehead.

The two were quiet for a few moments, the carresses along his thighs moving up to his abs and chest as Marilyn sank into thought, her forehead creasing slightly.

"Do you really think we'll win?" This was what she'd been working so hard to achieve, it was make or break it now and the prospect of standing on that stage and hearing the jury made Mari feel a bit sick.