RUBY.
“Yasmin. Yasmin Blake.” She had responded in a very quiet tone.
I extended my right hand to her for a handshake, “I’m Ruby Coker, welcome to Daniel’s Private School.” I said as she took my hands in hers with the biggest smile on her face.
"Thank you." She said.
"Let's go clean you up, I'm used to needing to clean up in school. You can even call me an expert." I laughed.
We went to the lady's room and I helped her clean up. From that day onwards Yasmin and I were friends until Toby took a shine on her. He started to give her attention and it started to get to her head as she started to see me in a different light too.
"Yasmin," I shouted excitedly sporting her down the hall. She stopped but didn't turn toward me. I ran up to where she was standing, breathing heavily.
"What?" She asked when I finally reached where she was standing.
"I just wanted to say hi, it's been a while since we talked and I missed my friend," I said feeling disappointed at how she treated me these days. Since Toby started showing her attention, all the popular girls like Flora welcomed her to their fold and she seemed to have forgotten about me, she was almost getting to be the queen of the school even.
"Being seen with a lowlife like you hurts my reputation so take the hint and stop following me like a lost puppy." My face fell at her words and I put my head down to hide my tears. I was losing my only friend after just a few weeks of having one and I thought it was all because of Toby.
"Don't cry." She said moving closer to me and lifting my head by my chin. " Don't take any of this personal, it's just the real world. You eat or be eaten, my mother always says. Look, I appreciate all you've done for me these few weeks but If I don't cut all ties with you then I'd be caught up in your drama and have to go through the shit you go through every day. I'm just choosing me, I have to play my cards right for them to let me in."
"Ruby." The sound of my name from behind me snapped me out of my thoughts of the past as I entered our building. I turned back to see Aiden walking toward me.
"I've been yelling your name, where has your mind gone?"
"To the past," I answered touching my now slightly damp hair.
"A penny for your thought, your clothes are wet." He said his hand touching my upper arm.
"It's just merely damp," I answered. "I haven't gotten a chance to see your new apartment yet, why don't we head up?"
"Don't you think you should get changed first?" He asked concerned.
"I'm fine, it's just merely a little wet," I said. I was in dire need of distraction and the last thing I needed was to go back to my apartment and my complicated life. I needed the escape.
"Okay then."
Aiden and I rode up to his apartment in silence, a few people getting in and coming out on different floors before we finally reached.
"Nice place," I commented as the elevator opened up to a spacious open-plan living room and kitchen. It was really small compared to Toby and I's apartment but we were living in the penthouse anyway so that was expected.
"Thank you, make yourself at home." He said as he headed for a small bar at the side. He fetched two glasses and a bottle of wine.
"For the lady," he said, as he poured me a glass of wine with a flourish.
"Thank you."
"What would you like to eat?" He asked.
"Whatever you have for me," I answered.
"That's not an answer," he said already headed toward the kitchen, "but I do have some leftover pasta from the new Italian place."
"I love Italian," I said as I watched him set the microwave.
"What were you musing about earlier?" He asked as I dug into my pasta some minutes later.
"Would believe me if I told you Yasmin and I used to be good friends?"
"If I didn't know it, I probably wouldn't."
"How did you know? It was just for a few weeks and not many people know."
"You do know we went to the same school right? You probably never noticed me but I remember you."
"Are you serious?" I asked feeling astonished.
"Yeah," he said nodding his head.
"How come I never noticed you?"
"I was really quiet." He shrugged.
"It was legendary how Yasmin switched from being my timid friend to being the leader of the mean girls," I said, making air quotes with my hands when I said, mean girls.
"Very interesting to watch...who am I kidding? It was painful to watch the way Toby and the others treated you. It was straight-up bullying and I am sorry I didn't do anything about it. I'm sorry you're stuck in this stupid marriage with Toby." He said sweetly, holding my hands in his.
"There isn't much you could have done, you don't have to apologise."
"But I could have done something, I feel so guilty like a participant of their evil. What makes me any different from them when I didn't do anything to help you?"
"Are you kidding me right now? I'm sure you were just trying to save your ass from getting turned on too, you are nothing like them."
"Thank you, Ruby, maybe someday I won't feel so bad about it."
"There is nothing to feel bad about, please. It was not your fault, I should have stood up for myself all those years instead of taking it all in like a dummy."
"Hey, it's not your fault either. You shouldn't berate yourself like this." He said, he pushed back a loose strand of hair, and his fingers brushed my face and caused my breath to hitch.
"Is it just me or is it hot in here?" I said, fanning myself and undoing the first few buttons on my blouse.
"It's okay." He said scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"I'm sorry," I said when I noticed he was avoiding looking at me, my cleavage was visible and I rushed to correct it.
"No, it's fine, I'm not affected like that."
"It's normal, men don't find me attractive like that at least not while they're sober," I said feeling downcast at his words and embarrassed at what I had inferred.
"Don't feel bad, you're a very attractive woman but it's me."
"Do you mean what I think you mean?" I asked and he nodded. "You're gay?"