1 Ruby
Yes, R is back from boarding school. Her hair is longer, paler. Her blue eyes have the depth and
mystery of a closet so full of skeletons the door won't close. She is wearing the same old fabulous
clothes. This morning R's creepily jubilant laughter echoed off the steps of the Met, where we will no longer be able to enjoy a quick smoke and a cappuccino without seeing her waving to us with one of her victims' severed hands from the window of her parents' penthouse apartment across the street. She has picked up the habit of biting her fingernails bloody, which makes us wonder about her even more, and while we are all dying to ask her why she got kicked out of boarding school, we won't, because we'd really rather she stayed away. But R is definitely here to haunt us.
Ruby had been looking forward to this visit for days, eager to spend time with her best friend and chat about all the exciting things that had happened since they last saw each other. But as she walked up the steps to the front door, something felt off.
When Ruby entered the living room, she found Lucy sitting on the couch with a pensive expression on her face. The room seemed unusually tense, and Ruby couldn't help but notice that Lucy's usually bright smile was missing.
"Ruby! So good to see you," Lucy said, forcing a smile as she stood up. "Come, we're about to have dinner."
Confusion filled Ruby's mind as she observed her friend's unusual behaviour. Something was definitely wrong. Ignoring her own hunger pangs, Ruby followed Lucy into the dining room where Eleanor, Lucy's mom, was busy setting the table.
"I'll set a place for you at the table next to Lucy," Eleanor said warmly, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.
Ruby hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Yeah, actually, um, there's somewhere I have to go." The words spilt out of her mouth before she could think twice about them.
Lucy turned towards Ruby with a mix of surprise and disappointment in her eyes. "You're leaving?"
Ruby felt guilty for letting down her best friend and Eleanor who had always treated her like family. She desperately wanted answers but didn't want to burden them further with whatever issues were causing this tension.
"Yeah, I don't feel well. I just wanted to come by and say hi. I'll see you at school tomorrow." she leaves
Lucy sighed and sat back down on the couch, her disappointment palpable. "School. So I guess she's back for good."
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Ruby walked up to the grand front entrance of the magnificent Palace, admiring its majestic architecture and intricate details. The sun casts a golden glow on the stone facade, adding to its ethereal beauty. As she approached, she noticed Noah standing there, waiting for her with a smile.
Oh be careful L, R might steal N
"Noah?" Ruby called out, her voice filled with surprise and excitement.
"Oh, hey!" Noah greeted her warmly. "Uhm, your mom told me you guys are staying here at The Palace."
R nodded a hint of laughter in her voice. "Yeah, we're renovating... again. You know my mom: If it's not broken, break it."She chuckled softly before continuing. "So what are you doing here?"
N shrugged casually. "Oh, I just wanted to see how you were. You seemed kind of upset last night."
R grinned appreciatively. "I got to get going and change for school. I'm gonna be late."
N glanced at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Ruby..."
R said, "No, no."
"But you're back now."
"I didn't come back for you. Look, Lucy's my best friend and you're her boyfriend and she loves you. That's the way things are supposed to be." Mila rolled her eyes
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Ben groaned in frustration as he sprinted across the street, his backpack bouncing on his shoulders. He had overslept that morning and now he was desperately trying to catch his bus to school. With each stride, he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, urging him to reach the bus stop before it was too late.
As he approached the sidewalk, a honking sound pierced through the air. B glanced to his left and saw a taxi driver leaning out of his window. "Hey, watch where you're going!" the driver shouted impatiently. Ben quickly apologized, giving the driver an apologetic wave before continuing his mad dash.
Finally, as if answering his desperate prayers, B saw the familiar yellow bus pulling up at the stop just a few meters ahead. He pushed himself even harder, mustering every ounce of energy he had left.
Breathless and sweating, B made it to the bus just in time. He stepped onto it with relief flooding through him, feeling a mix of triumph and embarrassment as he greeted the curious stares from fellow students who had witnessed his mad sprint.
Aiden and Noah are sitting next to each other
As they settled into their seats, Aiden's mischievous grin returned as he leaned closer to Noah and whispered just loud enough for him to hear. "Hey man, did you see Ruby last night? She looked effing hot. There's something wrong with that level of perfection...it needs to be violated"
Noah rolled his eyes, knowing exactly where Aiden was going with this. "You are deeply disturbing." he groaned.
Aiden leaned back in his seat "And yet you know I'm right. You're telling me if you had the chance..."
Noah laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "I have a girlfriend."
"You guys have been dating since kindergarden and you haven't sealed the deal." Aiden sighed dramatically, crossing his arms over his chest.
N: "Who says 'seal the deal'?"
A: "Come on." Aiden signals Noah that they have arrived at school
They get up, Ben is standing behind them, Aiden turns to Ben
A: "You following us or something?"
B: "No, I... I go to your school. Identical uniforms, that's kind of a tip-off?"
N:"That's funny."
Aiden and Noah left the bus, Ben talked to himself "So you guys wanna sit together at lunch?" Ben got rejected. "Oh well, what a nice day"
- TIME SKIP -
Excitement filled the air as Ruby walked towards the familiar spot where her friends usually gathered - the grand staircase of their favourite hangout spot. Lucy, Isabella, and a few others were sitting on the stairs, chatting and laughing. She brought her Yogurt because she didn't get breakfast
Ruby approached them with a big smile on her face, eager to catch up on all the gossip and adventures she had missed out on. She plopped down beside Lucy, feeling a mix of anticipation and curiosity.
Jenny was busy distributing letters to everyone around her, a mischievous grin playing on her face. Ruby couldn't help but feel left out for missing whatever was going on. Her eyes darted from one person to another as she tried to piece together what was happening.
Ruby notices Jenny and shakes her hand
"Oh, hi, I'm Ruby"
"I know, uhm, I mean, hi, I'm Jenny."
"What's all this about?" Ruby asked, pointing towards the letters in Jenny's hands.
Jenny looked up from her task and smirked at Ruby. "Oh, It's a party," she replied cryptically.
Curiosity piqued, Ruby leaned closer to Lucy and whispered, "What's going on?"
Lucy sighed before answering, "Well, it seems like we're all invited to a party this Saturday."
Ruby's eyes lit up with excitement. "So when's the party?" she asked eagerly.
Lucy hesitated for a moment before breaking the disappointing news. "Saturday. And you're kinda not invited. Since until twelve hours ago, everyone thought you were at boarding school. And now we're full. Jenny used up all the invites." she said bluntly.
Jenny said, "Um, actually..." because she still had some invites left.
"You can go now. {Jenny leaves} Sorry." Lucy shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had imagined herself walking back into her friends' lives seamlessly, but it seemed like things had changed in her absence. She felt a pang of sadness and exclusion.
"No, that's okay. I've got a lot of stuff to do anyway" Ruby responded
"Well, we should get going then. Unless you want us to wait for you. Looks like you got a lot of yogurt left."
"No, go ahead."
Lucy and her friends walked away, Ruby turned around, and she began curiously "Lucy, think we can meet tonight?"
L: "I'd love to but I'm doing something with Noah tonight."
R: "The Palace, 8 o'clock. Noah will wait."
At the steps of the Met, an R and L power struggle.
L: "I can probably do a half hour."
Did R think she could waltz home and things would be just like they were?
R: "Thanks for taking the time."
L: "You're my best friend."
Did L think R would go down without a fight? Or can these two hotties work it out? There's nothing people like more than a good catfight. And this could be a classic.
