The Australian quarterback

Just the beginning

After the Glee club rehearsal, Santana and Brittany interlocked their fingers, sharing a secret smile as they walked out together.

Meanwhile, Marley stood nervously, watching as everyone left the choir room. She knew she had a difficult conversation ahead with Mrs. Right. As the room cleared, she took a deep breath and approached Mrs. Riley, who was tidying up some sheet music.

"Mrs. Riley," Marley began, her voice trembling with concern.

Mrs. Riley turned to Marley with a warm smile, her eyes curious. "What did you need to talk about?"

Marley hesitated for a moment, then finally found the courage to speak. "I think Brittany and Mercedes might have eating disorders."

Mrs. Riley's eyes widened in surprise and concern. "Eating disorders?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "How?"

Marley bit her lip, searching for the right words. "Well, Mercedes isn't eating anymore, and Brittany has stopped too. But it's not just that. Brittany's constantly working out, and I overheard Santana saying that Brittany never shows her body anymore."

Mrs. Riley's expression shifted from surprise to deep concern. "Wow," she whispered, her mind racing. "This is serious, Marley."

Marley nodded. "I tried talking to Brittany about it, but she just refuses to acknowledge the possibility. I don't know what to do."

Mrs. Riley reached out and gently placed a hand on Marley's shoulder. "It's not easy for anyone to accept that they might have an eating disorder," she said softly. "But we need to help them."

Marley agreed, her voice quivering. "I know. I had a hard time realizing it too, until Mr. Monteith helped me."

Mrs Riley smiled warmly at Marley, grateful for her courage in coming forward. "Thank you for telling me, Marley."

Brittany stood in front of the gym's full-length mirror, her hoodie partially lifted, her slender fingers tracing over her stomach. Despite being thinner than before, she couldn't help but frown. She had been spending more and more time in the gym, obsessively checking her appearance.

Just as she was about to let go of her hoodie, the sound of the gym door opening made her jump. Brittany quickly dropped it and smoothed out her hoodie, turning to see who had entered. To her surprise, it was Mrs. Riley.

"Hi," Brittany stammered out, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Mrs. Riley greeted her with a warm smile and gestured for Brittany to sit next to her on a nearby bench. Brittany hesitated for a moment but then reluctantly complied.

"How are you, Brittany?" Mrs Riley asked gently.

Brittany shrugged, her gaze downcast. "Same as always, I guess."

Mrs. Riley hummed softly and fixed her eyes on Brittany. "You know, I can tell when you're lying, right?"

Brittany scoffed, her defensive walls going up. "Not even Santana can tell when I'm lying."

Mrs. Riley smiled knowingly. "Well, teachers have a few tricks up their sleeves. I've also heard about you spending a lot of time in the gym recently."

Brittany nodded, trying to play it off casually. "Yeah, I've just been feeling inspired to work out, you know?"

Mrs Riley nodded, her expression understanding. "So, guys calling you pregnant made you come to the gym."

Brittany's eyebrows shot up to her hairline, and she looked utterly shocked as she stammered out, "What?"

Mrs. Riley turned to Brittany with a compassionate look. "You didn't think I would find out, did you?"

Brittany felt tears welling up in her eyes, but before Mrs Riley could continue, she couldn't bear to hear more. She quickly stormed out of the gym, her heart pounding, and headed toward the showers.