Hey There Marcia

*Ryder's POV*

She left right after I told her. I watched her go, my dog, Max, sat at my feet, panting, looking up at me. After a while, I got up and went back to my house.

All night, I listened to the song Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's. I was planning on singing it to Marcia the next day. I'd change the names, of course.

The next morning, I stood at my locker, looking at Marcia down the hall. She was talking to Blaine, her locker neighbor. She'd look at me, then back at Blaine, as of she was afraid to look at me.

"Ryder. You listening, dude?" Jake asked.

I turned to him.

"Yeah. Something about Social Studies?" I said.

"No. I was talking about the fact that you're staring at the new girl."

He nodded in Marcia's direction. I looked back at her. She was closing her locker and she and Blaine were walking to class.

"What's your point? I like her." I said.

"You should ask her out. I bet she digs you, too."

"She does. She told me."

"Then why don't you ask her out?"

"Jake!" I exclaimed. "I'm asking her to Breadstix today in Glee Club. Calm down."

The bell rang. I pulled my Health textbook out of my locker and made my way to the Health room.

•

*Marica's POV*

"Marcia?"

I looked at Blaine.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Are you okay? You've been acting a bit strange." he said.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Who are you looking at?"

"No one."

But, he didn't believe me. He turned around and followed my gaze to Ryder and Jake Puckermen. He looked back at me.

"I think I know now." he said.

"Screw off." I said, closing my locker door and headed towards the gym. Blaine followed. Oh right. He and I have P.E together.

"Tell me. Come on, Marcia. I'm your best friend." he said.

"What do you want me to tell you? That I like Ryder?" I asked.

"Well, that's a given. I just want to know that I'm right." he said.

"Just leave me alone, okay Blaine? You don't need to know everything."

"I tell you everything. I just want to know if you like Ryder and if you do, are you gonna ask him out."

I stopped and thought about this. Was I gonna ask Ryder out? I mean, I knew he liked me, but what if he didn't mean it? What if he was just saying that because I'm the new girl or because he was dared or something?

"I do like him, but I'm not asking him out." I said. "He could have any other girl. He wouldn't go for me."

Before Blaine could say anything else, I turned on my heel and walked to PE, not stopping to wait up for him.

•

I sat at the far side of the choir room while Ryder sat at the other side. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him sneak glances at me. One time, I couldn't help it and I looked back. We held the gaze and Ryder smirked. I turned away and looked at my feet.

"Ryder's staring at you." the girl next to me, Tina, said.

"Is he?" I asked, acting stupid. "I didn't know."

"Why is he staring? Is their something in your face?" the blond girl in front of us, Brittany, said, examining my face.

"No, Brit. I think someone has a crush on our new girl." Tina teased.

"Alright guys! Not only do we have Regionals coming up, we also have Christmas and I was thinking that we could do some caroling." Finn said, calling the attention of the Glee Club.

"Wait, Finn." Ryder said, standing up. "Before we go ahead with this stuff, I just wanted to do something first. Something I should've done a while ago."

"Oh. Alright. Go ahead, Ryder. The floor is yours." Finn said and went to sit on the piano bench.

"Well, I've been thinking and, I thought, if I don't do this now, I'll just chicken out again and it'll never be done." Ryder said. "So, I asked Sam for a favor and, well, here we go."

The blond boy sitting next to Brittany, Sam, stood up, guitar in hand. The two boys got a stool and sat down. Sam strung a couple cords and I knew what song they were singing.

"Hey there, Marcia, what's it like in New York City? I'm a thousand miles away, but tonight, you look so pretty, yes you do. Time Square can't shine as bright as you." Ryder began.

I felt my face heat up as everyone, even Finn, turned and looked at me in surprise.

"Hey there, Marcia, I know times are getting hard, but just believe me girl, some day I'll pay the bills with this guitar, we'll have it good. We'll have the life we knew we would. My word is good. Hey there Marcia, I got so much left to say. If every simple song I wrote to you would take your breath away, I'd write it all."

Sam came in, singing harmonies as well as some of the other boys.

"Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me, what you do to me."

At this point, I noticed that even Finn was singing!

Ryder looked at me. We locked eyes as he got up and walked over to me. He knelt I front of me, taking my hands in his, not breaking our eye contact.

"A thousand miles seems pretty far, but they have planes and trains and cars. I'd walk to you if I had no other way." he sang as my eyes watered. "Our friends would all make fun of us, but we'll just laugh along because we know that none of them have felt this way."

The girls sat, silently "Awe"ing and smiling to themselves as Ryder reached up and wiped away my tears.

"Marcia, I can promise you that by the time that we get through, the world will never ever be the same and you're to blame."

M heart was beating faster as I leaned in, just wanting to kiss him right then and there in front of everyone.

"Hey there Marcia, you be good and don't you miss me. In two more years, you'll be done with school and I'll be making history like I do. Hey there Marcia, here's to you. This ones for you."

It seemed as though the whole room was empty and it was just Ryder and I. At this moment, I knew it. Whatever we felt for each other, it was real and we really loved each other.

"Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me Oh, it's what you do to me. Oh, it's what you do to me, what you do to me."

Sam strung the final chords and everyone clapped. I smiled at Ryder, too numb to do anything else. I couldn't be any happier.

"Marcia Hales. I was wondering..." Ryder said, still down on his knees and looking at me.

"Yes, Ryder?" I said.

"Will you...be my girlfriend?"

I turned to look at everyone. All eyes were on us. Tina and Blaine were practically out of their seats, they were leaning that far to hear what I was gonna say.

"Well," I said, looking back into Ryder's hopeful eyes. "yes. Yes, I will."

Everyone cheered as I managed to fall into Ryder's arms for a hug.

*This chapter is dedicated to Cory Monteith*