RUBY'S POV
At last, the two hour chemistry lesson was just over. I'd been paired up by Max for an experiment and that had me thinking if this teacher had an agenda. Because why mix hot oil and water? The only thing I'd gotten our of those two hours is frustration and a full bladder. Nate and his partner, Serena, equally nerdy and knowledgeable had managed to paint us dumb after finishing their part in the first thirty minutes.
Luckily, there weren't those long queues in the washrooms when I got there so I was able to very easily relieve myself. Coming out to wash my hands and freshen up I noticed some her on the sink. Her precise frame was bent over and some anger was beginning to take on her pale yet very perfectly honed features. Her long fingers slapped the tap thrice when nothing came out, she glided them through her hair.
" They're actually hand sensors. " I informed her, trying to hide my surprise. Her eyes squinted briefly, and her jaw clenched sharply. So I walked closer to the tap as her steel ice followed me, and put my palm right below the tap and water came gushing out and splashing onto my hand.
Huffing, she did the same thing and we were suddenly bonding over washing hands. I'd probably been the only person that had managed to have an interaction with Alvah and I an oversized grin bloomed in my face.After that I noticed her wiping her hands on the front part of her dark black, oversized, cotton sweatshirt. I could have easily pointed out the hand wipes for her but I got a feeling too much had been scratched off her ego. I'll admit it was puzzling how she didn't genuine know about such obviously things.
" I like your eyeliner." I complemented her, deciding that trying to make friends would not kill anyone. I'd seen her alone. I zipped my bag open to fix my make up. my lashes looked like spider feet and I just wasn't having that.
" Am not wearing any make up. "she responded immediately, causing my mascara wand to freeze an tiny distance away from my lashes. I could see her reflection on the mirror, now just gripping both ends of the sink, not even fixing herself. I mean, what would she need to fix anyway? My subconscious contrast to her was what had me caking my face with more make up, just to try to catch up.
" Well you're really pretty Alvah. " The adoration in my voice had me feeling pathetic. And I had just decided if Alvah was the bar of natural beauty then I needed to up my make up game if I was going to be in the same space as get and come of there with issues. From my dark purple leather sling bag I pulled out a wet wipe, ripped it open and was wiping make up off my face, more aggressively than I needed to. Running the wet wipe in circular motions and making sure catch everything.
I didn't know what I was doing, but at the time I needed to do something. I never really had self esteem issues, and a large part of that was because I never had had to compare myself to a goddess she literally looked mythical. I noticed her eyes widening, I couldn't tell what it was from but it did look like she was seeing alot of things for the first time. Maybe she was.
" Where are you from,?" I didn't mean for it to come out judgemental, but how could I not.
" A different era?" She chuckled. That must have been a joke, I didn't find it funny at but something told me we were onto something here so I hurt my sore from scrubbing face, going at a humorless laugh.
' I know, it's crazy. Alvah Ashmore." she extended hand towards my direction. It took a moment from me to hold up my hair away from my face before my oily hand clasped hers. I had done what could ever have, numbing my hand from how cold hers was.
" Ruby Williams. I see you alone alot, you should join us someone Alvah." My tongue felt weird just bearing the weight of her name but at the same time I felt so cool. " You'd like them alot."
Her eyes turned up in their sockets, consulting with herself whether or not to take the opportunity that was now just staring at her In the face. But I was staring at her in the face too. So I get that the pressure. But you can't really blame me, one look at her makes everything else seem so sub standard .
" I don't know, I might." she answered. " Nice meeting you Ruby."
Her boots were already pounding against the tile floors by the time it was occuring to me that I should respond.
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"Absolutely not! Alvah cannot join us, We talked about this. "Max refused stabbing the food in his plate with a fork. I'd burst off the washrooms feeling on top of the world about the friendship blooming between she and I and since Nate wasn't there,Max was going to be my audience.
" What do you have against girls?" I had to make this about gender because that's what it seemed to be. In my very presence and on multiple occasions he had mentioned how much harder his life had turned out to be since he knew me. I did not believe the to be true. Am delightful, he's just grumpy.
"And now she's about to go all feminist on me."His short stabby fingers gently massaged the side of his head, he kept his gaze on his food.
" Seriously, it sounds to me like you just don't like girls. What's up with that?"I went on, aware of how hard I was pushing him. It was my favorite game to play with him after all. Pulling him back on an elastic band and releasing him before he charged off into the sunset. He had his own thing with me too. Where he set up his walls, and I couldn't get through to him.
He'd gotten smarter, my wry smile had given me away, it was pretty transparent what I was trying to do. In Nate's absence you have to understand, this scenario wasn't the most ideal. Any slightest bit of silence made something else more conspicuous. I don't know if it was on Max's end. I mean, how could I will his walls built like Babel? I think a sense of tolerance had bloomed since Nate had started skipping school.
"You just want to argue, and I just want to be done and get out of here. " Was his muffled response.
That shot me straight in that heart. I froze for a moment shocked at the unfamiliarity of the sensation. My eyes zeroed in on him, unbothered by what he'd said, his hands blurring ove the keyboard. Then I remembered I had done this to myself, I had started a conversation with him all on my own. But that's only because the silence was wearing me off. I was starting to have thoughts, about his looks, his height, his voice; all the things I wouldn't have otherwise noticed had Nate been here.
"Actually, Max, am just trying to get your perspective on things to better understand you." I corrected him. Giving up on this conversation, deciding that untangling my earphones would be a more embarrassing adventure. The chances of me being talked back at or offended by Taylor Swift's vocals were literally non-existent.
" since when has that been a thing?"
" Since I decided that you and I don't have to treat each other this way anymore. Nate's going to miss school more often and this doesn't have to suck."
That's the version of the story I had decided I could put out there, but the truth is I had had this dream about Max a week ago. Details were fuzzy but it ended with me having a heated moment with Max on their couch. I don't know what spiked it, but he and I had kissed, bodies burning with nothing but immense desire for each other. It was the hottest yet the most confusing thing. And I couldn't look him in the eye. This experience, however had me questioning the potential of our friendship, if I could call it that.
" You don't have to force yourself to care about me. No one is asking you to do that."
"You don't have to be so rude and cold especially when all I do is try to be your friend. "My voice held so much emotion compared to his which sounded pretty much like Siri.
"If it upsets you so much then why can't you just leave me alone."
My tongue weighed tonnes. Each time I wanted to speak all I could feel is the warmth of his lips in my mouth. Heat blazed beneath my cheeks and I quickly slid my arm away from the middle of the table when he rested his left hand on the table. His brow arched in confusion at at my reaction but I continued living life as if that had not happened. The other day when there had been deaths at school. He'd been a complete sweetheart to me. Mostly it was so I'd be too busy to tell my dad that Nate was missing. I knew it was kind of a bribe, but I enjoyed it.
He'd let me sit on the back of his bicycle and rode me all the way home.My hands were wrapped around his torso the whole ride and I remember how my eyes popped wide making contact for the first time with his ripped tummy. The smell of his cologne got stuck to my sweater and I had slept in it. If I were to pick the exact time when it all started to happen to me it would be then. Then the next day, he had come to school, cold, annoying and jerky as always. Nate had described a similar thing ever happening between him and Lisa, it drove him insane for weeks and now I knew where he was coming from.
"You know what, you're right." I zipped my bag with a sharp rip sound and before gathering myself and picking whatever was left of my dignity from the floor. Max hadn't hurt me, I had, with my expectations and dreams and hopes. " And Max, in the future, don't be nice to someone one minute and then treat them like garbage the next. It's torture. "