Max and I ended up talking for hours, and with our family issues, we decided to just fall asleep a little farther away from the ledge. It was nice because it was almost silent and for some reason I just knew we were safe.
I feel Max and I got a lot closer that night. I completely forgot about the problems I'd have to face when I'd get home. Max walked me home, and I said bye at five in the morning. It was still utterly dark, but I was hoping I could climb the tree in the dark and get back in my room safely. Hopefully nobody noticed I was gone.
Unluckily, that wasn't the case.
"Where were you Ruby? You weren't in your room since last night, Ruby. I was worried." Eli says, standing behind directly through the mirror, arms crossed with a stern look on his face. He's acting like the brother I've never had.
"I was out." I sigh, hoping he leaves it there. "I have to get ready for school." I lie, it's still five in the morning. It feels like hiding something from your parents.
He sighs, giving up, and I immediately feel bad. "Alright then Ruby, have a good day at school." He says, staring at the floor.
"I'll tell you when I get home, okay?" I tell him.
His face lights up. "Mhm." He hums, and lets me get ready for school.
After getting ready, I run quietly down the stairs to grab an apple and get out of the house before my 'mom' wakes up. Unluckily, she's already at the kitchen table.
I walk in quietly, noticing her back is facing me. I hope she doesn't hear me. I start picking an apple out of the fruit bowl when my mom speaks up. "Ruby." She says painfully, not daring to turn and face me. "Let me explain, I couldn-" she continues but I cut her off, and slam my hand down on the counter, and hear an echoing slap emit throughout the room.
"I gave you fourteen years to explain. Apparently, that wasn't long enough." I say angrily and storm out of the room, grabbing my backpack and walking out the front door, slamming it on the way out.
I run down the driveway and onto the sidewalk, keeping a steady job before my anger gets the best of me and I end up sprinting to school.
🌼🌼🌼
In school, I run quickly though the halls to get to my locker. I open it and grab all my books and stuff them in my bag before heading to the courtyard to be by myself for a while.
In the courtyard, I sit against the trunk of a large tree, pull out my book, and start reading.
Minutes later, a group of boys emerge from the corner of my eye and stand directly in front of me, a giving me a glare.
"Get out." The leader looking one says, taking a step forward.
I shut my book and put it in my bag. "What? No. I was here first. Get your own spot." I say, my voice confident and unwavering. I'm even surprised at my own tone.
"I guess if you're not moving, then we're gonna have to make you." The leader says. I wonder if they're just gonna beat me up and leave me here to go to their classes.
One of the others takes steps towards me, the others following. It's a group of five.
Then, all at once, they starting pounding their feet and fists into my sides and anywhere else they can get. I wince every now and then, but my face remains neutral, since I'm used to the pain. Until of of them pulls out a pocketknife. I still stay where I am.
I slowly get up on my feet, and glare into the leaders eyes, hoping my look would eventually kill him, but my expectations were too high.
Swiftly, I bunch my hand into a fist, and throw my clenched hand at the leader's face, hitting his jaw and sending him to the ground, where his hand is cradling his face. Wimp.
In another swift move, three of the others pin me against the tree and the other one holds the pocketknife against my throat.
What they don't know is that I'm prepared. I kick him in the shins and send my elbows into the faces of two of the ones that were pinning me against the tree, leaving four of them on the ground, one being the leader staring at me in astonishment, still clutching his jaw where I hit him.
The one remaining grabs me from behind and wraps his arms around my throat, and I gasp for air. That is until I feel him ripped off of me and I fall to the ground, clutching my chest and trying to get air into my lungs.
I turn my head and look at who saved me, to see Max kneeing the guy in the stomach and ramming his elbow into the guy's back, which sends him to the ground.
I gasp. Had he seen the entire thing? Oh gosh please no.
"Hey, Ruby," Max says casually.
"Hi, Max," I say awkwardly. "We should get to class. We have ten minutes." I say, trying to get out of here as quick as possible.
"Yeah, let's go," Max says, motioning for me to follow him. I do.
"What do you have?" I ask him.
He smiles. "English." He says.
"Great. I have math. They're right across from each other." I say happily.
"Your, uh, boyfriend. He was Eli Moore, right?" Max asks and I smile at the thought of hanging out with Eli after school.
"Yeah, he was. Why?" I ask with curiosity.
"I just thought it was a shame. He was a great kid. He was just so lost in his sorrow that he couldn't take it anymore." Max says casually as if saying that about a normal dead person is ok.
"He's still a great kid," I whisper quietly to myself.
"What?" Max asks, confusion written all over his face.
"Nothing. I think there's someone you should meet though. They can tell you more about it." I say, thinking about it more. "It might be a tough subject though."