SEVENTY- FOUR

Ruby crawled through the air vents and felt hot as the hot air blew over her.

She followed the breeze, it had to lead to one room or the other.

She got to a grating at long last and tried opening it but it was locked.

She groaned and continued moving. She tried grating after grating for thirty minutes till she got to an opened one.

She was overjoyed and opened it then climbed down into the gymnasium. But the doors were locked.

She couldn't climb back to the air vents since they were too high.

She banged the door, shouting for help when someone came and said,"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there."

She didn't see the person but recognized his voice...it was Xander.

He got a janitor to open the door and she came out, she was finally free.

She passed by him and wanted to get away from that womanising jerk but he held her hand and said,"Not even a thank you?"

"Thank you."She said without meaning it.

She tried to go away but he pulled her back, uncomfortably close to his face and he said,"My lips want to hear that thank you too."

She frowned and kneed him between his legs then ran away.

She had to report what had happened to the Principal but the Principal didn't believe her.

She didn't have her phone during all that time and she couldn't have even recorded them when she didn't see them herself.

She stormed off to her next class.

The guards followed them to a pub and we followed them in. The three pairs split up and paid for three rooms.

The guard watching Sandy's room with me turned my face away when they started removing their clothes and took a video.

We drove back to the school and by then the students were rushing out.

I ran to the Principal to show her the videos we had gotten and she was shocked. The six of their parents were called to the school and the boys were expelled, while the girls were given an indefinite suspension.

The students rejoiced the next day when they found out there were going to be no bullies for at least a week.

I found Ruby and she was able to retake the test. She got an A+ and everyone forgot that she had dyslexia because she read perfectly.

Ruby and I were opening our lockers when I heard someone say,"We're back."

Oh no.

Ruby looked at the Andettes.

They had only been suspended for a week!

And they made our lives miserable after that.

They were also greater bullies to all the other students.

But they crossed the line one day.

They saw Ruby was walking to the elevators on their floor to meet the Principal then pasted an ' Out of order ' sign in each of the elevators.

Ruby saw that the elevators were not supposed to be used so she used the stairs.

She was walking when someone pushed her. She held the railing and tried to look back but three heels kicked her in the back and she fell.

She was motionless on the floor and they giggled and walked away.

After they were gone she stood up and frowned.

Those girls will stop at nothing to get back at me...

Now Ruby was in a higher class, she'd get a different locker, be on a different floor and have a different lunchtime.

We'd see less of each other but I needed to be near her to protect her from bullies and boys, so from that day, I made it my aim to jump classes.

I was always reading, I even had her lecture me and teach me how she understood so many things so fast.

When I was sure I was ready, I asked Mark to make me write a promotional exam.

"Are you sure? Those things are really difficult."

"I'm very sure."

"Why?"

"... because I want to finish school and still be young."

"... okay?"

I wrote the exam. The score you got determined the class you'd go to, but if you failed, you wouldn't be held back, you would be demoted.

I also heard from Ruby that the questions were tougher than those of a normal test and I gulped when I heard that from her.

The examiner was intently watching me and the five other students who were taking the exam.

Sweat dripped down my face as I shaded an A.

I went to the second section and began writing. I finished first and submitted my paper.

When I went home, I was anxiously looking at my phone, waiting for a notification to pop up.

Mark was on the rings then dropped down and said,"It will be okay Tommy, you're a smart kid."

"But what if I'm not smart enough? What if I don't get promoted but held back?! Or even worse!"

He gave me a paper bag for me to hyperventilate into and said,"Calm down."

Just then my phone made a notification bell. I rushed for it but Mark took it before I could touch it and lifted it above his head. I jumped for it but that made him also jump.

"I'm not giving it to you until you chill down."

"Fine..."I took a deep breath,"Now can I have it?"

He stretched his arm to me and I snatched it from his hand. I checked it and was disappointed by the results.

Mark looked at it and said,"What's wrong? You jumped two grades."

"Yes but I wanted to go up four grades."

"Why do you want to go there so badly?"He said, arching a brow.

"...like I said earlier, I want to finish school and still be young."

He asked me no more but I could tell he didn't believe me.

I told Lucille the news and she said,"That's great news!"

"Not great enough, I wanted to be in Ruby's floor."

"But how was she able to lecture you? You guys can still keep in touch."

"But what if she gets into trouble?"

"She'll be fine, the Andettes are no longer on the teachers' nice list."

She had a point, but I felt like I could do more.