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Long after Florence had left, Ruby laid on her bed staring at the ceiling above her in deep thought. She had imagined a hundred different ways the previous night had probably ended. There were some that were less embarrassing—but all of them were embarrassing nonetheless. Someone had spiked her drink at the party, and she had ended up being completely out of her senses so much that she couldn’t recall anything. It was so hard to believe that her mind didn’t even register Luke showing up to the party. Caden deciding to bring her into his house was something she just couldn't understand. It was him being too nice. And that was something she couldn’t wrap her mind around. The thought of likely having done something similar to Florence made her nearly want to bury herself deep inside the ground. Had she fessed up something that was best kept hidden?Caden’s teasing behavior was unusual. And the fact that he introduced her as his girlfriend to his grandma? Couldn’t he come up with a bet
The next morning Luke showed up at Ruby’s door. The moment their eyes met, Ruby knew he had been worried sick about her. How had she forgotten to respond to his texts? She expected him to be mad at her. She expected him to scold her. She expected him to be furious about her not responding to his numerous texts. But all he really did, before saying anything, was embrace her into a tight and protective hug. “Burn down your phone,” he whispered into her ears, breathless as if he’d been running for a long time. From the way he was sweating, she was sure he had run up to her front door. “You’re being very cheesy, Luke. Hugging me like this, being all worried,” she replied, but hugged him back. They didn’t hug often, but everytime Luke had hugged her, she’d felt safe and protected. “Well, aren’t you gonna come in?” Riley called out from the kitchen, her head peeking out from the doorframe, staring at them. Luke let her go almost too quickly, as if he was embarrassed by the fact th
Florence tapped her feet impatiently against the gravel road. It had been a while since she was waiting outside her favorite waffle shop. Waiting for Daniel to show up. She pulled out her cell phone and refreshed their chat screen. There were no new messages from him, and the last one still said, ‘I’ll be there.’ She had asked him to meet her there at four o’clock. But now it was twenty minutes past four and he was nowhere in sight. Maybe he wasn’t going to come. Why would he, after all, when she had avoided him for two days, not picking up even one of his 56 calls and responding only after he sent 426 messages? In her defense, she had needed the time to come to terms with what happened, and what it meant, and how it could go from there. She had learnt that being by herself was no help—her brain was constantly thinking of Daniel—and she had to meet him to sort this out. She licked her lips, thinking hard on how she would greet him. How would she even begin addressing the topic? Sh
Luke had never felt worse. He tossed and turned on his dorm bed, the numbness of his chest only increasing in intensity. He wasn’t sure if he was breathing properly. He wasn’t sure if he was breathing at all. Everything was strange—the way the air felt in the room, the way it touched his skin, the way his feet tingled, and the way the pit of his stomach rumbled—but not in hunger. Ruby didn’t remember anything he had said. Of course, she wouldn’t. He had expected that—that being partly the reason he decided to confess in the first place. But it still hurt him, knowing she’d never know his feelings. Because he would never ever gather the courage to speak his heart out again. He could try, perhaps, but what was the point? She liked Caden, and now, after talking to her, he was sure it was more than just a mere crush. She had said so herself. He was to her as he always had been. Her best friend. Luke could be nothing more. He had known it for a long time, and yet every time he reminded
Ruby smeared the tinted lip balm over her lips as she stared at her reflection in the oval mirror. Her sister, Riley, had managed to draw the perfect eyeliner above her eyes. All of this with the silver drop earrings and a maroon ribbed crop top made sure she looked beautiful. She examined herself carefully, wondering if she had overdone that. She had never put much effort before in making herself look pretty; she had believed she looked good without anything on her face and that was enough for her. But now she felt the need to do a little extra. It made her happy, she realized, in surprise. And as much as she tried to not admit the reason behind it, she knew very well why. Caden Miller had her doing things she never imagined she’d do. What was the purpose though?Was she trying to actively get him to be hers? No, that was silly. All she needed was a glance, a smile perhaps. That’d be enough. She slapped her forehead. What was wrong with her? Her cheeks flushed red as she recalled
Ruby realized with clammy fingers that tomorrow was the day as the tip of the red pen smoothly completed the cross mark in the tiny square of the calendar. She had run out of time to prepare, feeling the weight of anticipation settling upon her.The impending arrival of tomorrow consumed Ruby's thoughts, causing her heart to race and her stomach to churn with anxiety. Despite having carefully considered this day throughout the past week, her nerves threatened to drive her to madness as it drew near. The absence of her friends, who had chosen to continue their education at her former boarding school, only worsened her unease. Even Luke, her close companion, would not be there.Glancing at the untouched glass of warm milk her mother had placed on the bedside table hours ago, Ruby noted its transformation into a cold liquid mirroring the raindrops against her window. The thought of its taste made her cringe, and she abandoned the book in her hands, too weary to continue reading. Trying t
An hour later, Ruby found herself standing in front of the massive mirror in the girls' bathroom, groaning in frustration and occasionally stomping her feet as she tried to remove the remnants of milkshake from her hair. Thankfully, her jacket had protected her t-shirt from being spoiled. She carefully wiped away the few drops that had dripped onto her jeans, and the previously empty dustbin beside her was now filled with discarded tissues.It was impossible for Ruby to go back home, change, and return to school in time. Taking the city bus would consume two hours, and with only four lectures scheduled for the day, she would miss all of them.Feeling frustrated and wanting to appear presentable in class, Ruby checked her watch and realized there were only ten minutes left in the first lecture. Physics was her favorite subject, and she had prepared diligently for this lesson. However, all her efforts had been in vain because of that infuriating guy, Caden.Determined not to let this in
Mrs. Cooper tapped her knuckles on the polished surface of her table, trying to gain Caden's attention. Since they had entered her office, his gaze had been filled with animosity towards Ruby, while Ruby herself maintained a composed demeanor, looking straight ahead at her teacher.Clearing her throat, Mrs. Cooper addressed Caden directly, holding Ruby's cellphone in her hand. The screen displayed a picture of Ruby with her chocolate and milk-drenched hair, taken before she had cleaned up. It served as evidence of the prank he had played on her.Slowly and menacingly, Caden turned his head towards Ruby and replied, "Yes," with a hint of pride in his voice.Mrs. Cooper pressed further, "Was anyone else involved?""No one. It was only me," he claimed, shouldering the blame entirely. Ruby couldn't help but wonder why he would lie and take all the responsibility upon himself.But there was someone else involved—the person who had recorded the video.Sighing, Mrs. Cooper rubbed her temples