Chapter Nine

Luke

As I turned into Meagan’s apartment complex, I shot Ruby a quick look. Her eyes were set in a steady stare, straight ahead. My stomach turned over. I knew that look. She was pissed, and I was pretty sure it was at me.

“Listen, Ruby, I’m sorry I didn’t warn you about taking you home. But, really, it worked out, right? So no harm, no foul.

Her steady stare turned on me and I had to swallow hard. Yep, it was me she was mad at.

“You listen, Luke Sinclair. I don’t need your help. Do you understand? I’m not some charity case in need of the famous Luke Sinclair touch. I’m not some helpless damsel in distress. Some meek Miss who can’t cross the street without help. I don’t do meek. Do you get it?”

I slowly nodded my head as I pulled into a parking spot close to Meagan’s apartment.

“Sure,” I said as I felt the anger begin to build inside of me. “Hey, I was just trying to help out a friend. But next time I see you needing a hand. I’ll walk the other way. No problem.”

Her face flushed as she said, “We’re not friends. We’ve never been friends. You haven’t said twenty words to me in eight years. And I don’t need you rescuing me all the time.”

With an angry shove, she opened her door and jumped out. Opening the back, she scrunched all her stuff into her arms and used her hips to slam the doors closed.

I could only sit there and try and figure out what I’d done to make her so mad. But nothing really made sense. I mean come on. Girls were hard enough to figure out. But Ruby was a special case. Nothing with this girl ever made sense.

Instead, I watched her stomp into her new apartment, her hips swinging side to side like a mesmerizing metronome. What gives? I wondered. I give her a place to stay and she takes off without telling me she was leaving. I get her a job, and she ignores me. I help her pick up her things, and she’s mad at me.

Yeah, like I was ever going to figure her out. Nope, not going to happen.

Gritting my teeth, I threw the car into gear and tore out of there. Hey, she didn’t ask for my help, I reminded myself. It wasn’t like she owed me anything. Although a kind smile occasionally would have been nice.

After that interesting episode, things sort of changed between us. I didn’t know why, but it seemed like she couldn’t stand to be around me.

First, she insisted on taking the bus home after school instead of letting me give her a ride. She’d hurry home and then go into work with Meagan. Probably that whole not wanting to be helped thing again.

Next, she stopped eating lunch in the cafeteria. Like I was some kind of plague she was avoiding.

If we passed each other in the hall, she’d give me a small smile, a quick nod of the head, then hurry on. At work, she was so busy with Meagan, we almost never had a chance to talk.

I’d catch quick glimpses of her bent over a table, washing it down and my heart would hitch a little. Or I’d get a quick whiff of her lavender perfume and have to catch my breath.

But hey, it wasn’t like I was constantly aware of her or anything.

Finally, a quiet moment in our lives happened to coincide.

“You doing okay?” I asked her as I poured myself a cup of coffee after a long night.

“Sure,” she answered without looking at me. Concentrating on refilling the sugar shakers.

Nothing more. No invitation to converse like two normal people. It was like a wall had been put up between us. A wall that was adorned with stickers saying co-workers only.

It was driving me crazy. I needed to know that she was okay. I needed to make sure that she didn’t need anything. I know it wasn’t my place. But, that didn’t eliminate the feelings I had inside of me. Eating my guts every time I saw her.

Sighing, I took a sip of coffee and tried to think of something else.

Meagan wrung up one of the last customers, then turned to the two of us, slowly shaking her head.

“You two should just get a room and get it over with,” she said with a smile. “I swear, the sexual tension around here is giving me ideas about Jimmy.”

“What was that about me?” Jimmy called from the kitchen.

Ruby’s face went as white as a napkin and her eyes shot daggers at Meagan.

“Nothing,” Meagan called back to Jimmy, then gave Ruby and me a long look before she shook her head and wandered off, muttering something about ‘hopeless’, and ‘kids these days,’ under her breath.

Ruby shot me a quick look, “Ignore her, she’s upset because I ate the last of the raisin bran this morning.”

I laughed, glad to pretend it was all a joke. Although, deep down, I couldn’t get the picture of me and Ruby out of my brain.

Once again, that tension slammed down between us. Why did it always seem like I’d forgotten how to just be me whenever I was around this girl.

Ruby didn’t really give me a chance to explore the issue. She hurried over to check on some customers and Jimmy yelled that he needed another flat of eggs and a bag of potatoes from the walk-in.

Taking my coffee with me, I stepped through the bat-wing doors and away from the tension, but my mind wouldn’t leave it alone.

The next morning, I was still thinking about it when Jason and Amber cornered me by my locker.

“Hey bud,” Jason said as he slapped me on the back. “You’re coming to Julie Brinson’s party tonight.”

“I’ve got to work,” I replied automatically.

“That wasn’t a request,” he said with a smile. “Besides, it’s a party, it won’t even really get going until late. And, you need to have some fun occasionally. This is your senior year. It’s a rule or something.”

“No thanks,” I said as I pulled my calculus book out of my locker.

“Ruby will be there,” Amber said with a secret smile.

I hesitated for a moment and I swear I saw Amber’s eyes light up when she realized she’d hit a mark.

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “So, I see enough of her every night at Sam’s. Besides, how do you know she’ll be there. It’s her night off. Since when did you and Ruby Miller become such close friends.”

Amber laughed as she smiled up at Jason with pure adoration. “Hey,” she said, “If it wasn’t for Ruby, Mr. Stud here wouldn’t have ever gotten to be my boyfriend.”

I laughed, “I don’t know guys?”

“Listen,” Jason said with a suddenly serious face, “It’s like the world is coming apart. I’ve been feeling it since the summer. But, now, this stuff is getting real. We are only going to have a few more of these before the Lakeland boys scatter to the four winds. Come on.”

I could see how important this was to Jason. For some reason, he always worried that I was letting life slip by.

“Okay,” I said, “I’ll come, I probably won't stay late, I’ve got a double tomorrow but I’ll stop by.”

“Great,” he said as he pulled Amber towards their next class.

I watched them blend into the crowd and a small part of me turned envious. They were made for each other. They had been in love since the moment they laid eyes on each other.

But then, that was Jason, the boy just naturally fell into happiness.

Slamming my locker shut, I thought about the party. For some reason, the thought of Ruby and me being alone together, away from work, sent a chill down my spine. Not a good chill, more the scary, ruined life kind of chill.

Later that night, I rushed home to take a quick shower. No way I was walking into Julie’s party smelling like cheeseburgers and dish soap.

The party was in full blast mode, Music pounding out of a dozen speakers, kids wrapped up in each other like snakes on a plane. It looked like everyone was well lubricated and enjoying themselves.

Once I was inside, I spotted Amber and Jason along with Nick and Jenny Parsons across the room. I was still trying to get my mind around that new situation. Nick, I could understand. But Jenny, I had always thought she was smarter than that.

Shaking my head, I grabbed a beer and started to mingle. I didn’t want to spend time with my friends. There was nothing worse than being a fifth wheel, and besides, they were just too darn happy for my tastes.

I was making my rounds when I saw her. Ruby, sitting half way up the stairs, all alone, staring into her red cup. Like a girl who’d just lost her new kitten.

She’d changed her hair color. Copper red, not the fire engine red she’d been threatening Jimmy with. It looked good on her. Almost natural, but still different enough to remind you that it was Ruby. The three hoop earrings and gold nose ring were still there of course.

I watched her for a long moment. Staring at her, unobserved. The girl was beautiful, of that there had never been any doubt. But there was something more. Something that let a person know that she was deeper than the piercings and the tough attitude.

Fighting my way through the crowd, I stopped at the bottom of the steps and asked, “Hey, is that step reserved for a friend or can a mere acquaintance and or co-worker grab a seat.”

She looked up and for a quick second, I saw something behind her eyes. Something that spoke of worry and disappointment. Then, just as quickly, it was gone and the solid exterior returned.

“Sure,” she said as she scooted over, “mere acquaintances aren’t allowed. But co-workers are welcome.”

I plopped down next to her, biting my tongue to stop me from asking if she was okay and if she needed any help. Nope, not me, I wasn’t going to be that dumb again.

“Was it busy tonight?” she asked, obviously referring to the diner.

I shrugged, “average,”

She nodded, “good.”

That was it, in three seconds we had exhausted our common interests. The silent tension fell around us like a wet blanket.

I gritted my teeth and glanced at her from the corner of my eye.

She was looking into her cup with a concentrated stare.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as if she were giving away her deep, darkest, secret.

My brow narrowed into a frown, “for what?”

She looked up from her cup and shook her head. “You’re going to make me drag this out, aren’t you. It’s not bad enough that I have to apologize, you need the long version.”

Now I was really confused.

“Ruby,” I said as I studied her. “I really have no idea what you are talking about.”

She slowly shook her head and then quickly stared down at the contents of her cup again as if she didn’t want to look at me while she talked.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “for yelling at you when all you were doing was trying to help me. For not saying thank you for getting me the job.”

I could tell it was like pulling teeth. This girl did not have a lot of experience apologizing.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said as I bumped her shoulder with mine.

She bumped me back, gave me a quick smile, and I knew it was behind us.

But as we sat there without talking. Once again, that awkward silence descended between us. But somehow, it was different. A few simple words had blown away a great part of the wall.

Ruby looked at me and smiled.

“Why are you still sitting here?” she asked. “You do know that there are a dozen girls who want to rip my eyes out right now for monopolizing Luke Sinclair.”

I laughed, “yeah, right.”

She stared at me for a long moment then slowly shook her head. “You don’t see it, do you?”

“See what?” I asked, now very curious.

She snorted. “I’m not going to tell you, your head is already too big. Perfectness will do that to a person. But just so you know, I am taking my life in my hands just sitting here next to you.”

I laughed, “What, the famous Ruby Miller worried about what some girls think. Since when did you become so soft?”

“Since … I don’t know.” She quipped and instantly refocused on her drink and I stared at mine. What a fine pair we made. Neither of us knew how to hold a regular conversation.

“See,” she hissed as she subtly nodded toward Carolyn Neams. “She’s looking at you like you’re a chocolate Sunday and she just came off a week long juice cleanse.

I started to look out over the party, when Ruby suddenly pulled my face to hers and kissed me like she would die if she didn’t.

My heart jumped into overdrive as my mind frantically tried to figure out what was going on. Then, without warning, my world sank into hers.

All I could know was her lips. The soft, deliciousness that was Ruby. I leaned into her, ready to become lost, when she quickly pulled away.

I hung there in mid-air, my lips lost, my world empty.

Slowly I pulled myself back to reality and studied the girl next to me. Her face was beet red, almost as red as her hair. Her eyes shifted to stare at her cup then at me, then back down at her cup.

“Okay,” I said with a frown, “What was that all about?”

She glanced at me and smirked. “Don’t you know. You should never ask a girl why she kissed a guy. It’s bad manners. I expected more out of you. Besides, I only did it to piss off Carolyn.”

I glanced out into the living room, yep, Ruby was right, Carolyn looked like she’d just swallowed a bug.

“Yes, well, in that case, Come here,” I said as I put my hand on her cheek and turned her to face me so that I could lower my lips to hers.

She tasted of nirvana. As if I had found a home after a long absence.

Moaning in the back of her throat she returned my kiss as our arms wrapped themselves around each other, pulling us closer as our lips caressed and explored this new wonder.

“There you are,” Smeone said from the bottom of the stairs.

I forced myself to break away from my new favorite thing and looked down at Jason with a cold stare.

“Go away,” I grumbled as I turned back to Ruby.

Jason laughed and shook his head, “Okay, we’re taking off, Jenny has a curfew and I’ve got to get Amber home or her …”

“Sure, whatever,” I said with a quick wave of my hand while I continued to stare into Ruby’s eyes. They were a blueish green, I’d never really noticed before. A strange aqua color, unique and different.

Ruby stared back at me and asked, “What was that all about,”

I frowned, “Jason? He was …”

“Not Jason, you idiot. The kiss. Why did you kiss me?”

I laughed. “Unlike you, I don’t mind admitting my weakness. You’re Ruby Miller, the most beautiful, most interesting girl I know. And you sort of gave me permission with your kiss. So I figured, I was going to do what I’ve wanted to do for years.”

She stared back into my eyes, trying to read me. Trying to tell if I was lying or not.

“I haven’t lied to you yet,” I said. Surprising her with my ability to know what she was thinking.

“But,” I continued, “That doesn’t mean I’m not trying to get into your pants.”

She laughed and slapped me on my shoulder.

We stared at each other for a moment then she sort of melted in next to me, resting her head in the crook of my shoulder, as my arm automatically just wrapped itself around her and pulled her in close.

I sighed internally as the noise and music disappeared. I could get used to this. Used to having Ruby Miller in my arms.