The Ineffable Ruth Rhodes

20 ask me

vincent

Vincent didn't see Ruth at school for the next few days.

It wasn't because she was ignoring or avoiding him since Saturday— if she was, he wouldn't exactly blame her, however she simply did not show up at all.

He was confused, partly because he knew she was well aware of the workload they had and how much she'd have missed, and partly because maybe, a small part of him was starting to get used to her.

He knew where she lived, he thought to himself, so perhaps he'd visit her after school since he just finished practice himself. He'd rang her a couple times, but there was no response, so that was as good as a lost cause. He clicked his lock shut and made his way to his car. He'd just visit her.

"Vincent!" a voice called after him. He turned lazily. Vincent didn't recognize the person, maybe because he never really paid attention to people he wasn't close with like that. He'd gotten used to ignoring people. 

The boy was quite short, 5'3 tops, with unruly black curls that shaped a circle around his head, and bright green eyes with pale skin. Kinda like a lizard with a clown wig, Vincent thought.

"Hey," Vincent said and smiled as he usually did. The guy had approached him like they were best friends or something, that alone setting a rocker off in his head.

"Finally got you alone, huh?" The boy grinned with baby teeth. "How are things with Rhodes?"

Vincent lifted a shoulder and dropped it, smile growing as if it was rehearsed. "Not bad."

"You can be honest," The guy laughed like Vincent made a joke, and Vincent watched him, expression falling slack. "What'd she give you for you to go out with her?"

"What?"

"No way you went out with her for free." His grin only widened, and Vincent's shrunk with every word that came out of his thin lips. "How much do we have to pay to get a 'lil bit of it?"

Vincent leaned against his locker, bag slung over his arm. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," the boy let out a laugh, "People need to pay to see gorillas in the zoo, you know? So how much do my friends and I have to pay to get a visit?"

Vincent's eyes fluttered shut. He counted to three. Opened his eyes. "Ask me that again."

He'd give him another chance to shut up.

He'd give him another chance and—

"I mean I'm just saying," he held his hands up in defense, "When there's a gori—"

Vincent's fist flew on its own accord.

It was almost in slow motion, the way he drew his hand back just as the boy hit the ground.

His first thought after his fist collided with the miniature clown's face was, Frick. That hurt. The next one was shoot, because he'd never once punched anyone in the face over anything. The third bounced around in his head, as a nearby teacher rushed to the scene.

"Vincent Alderage and—" she turned to the gremlin, "Nathan Bluckshire? Can one of you explain this to me?"

He turned to the teacher, almost in a haze. "I'm— I'm sorry. He used a racially derogatory term on a black student."

The teacher swiveled to the boy on the ground. Maybe he'd need a nose job.

"Is this true?"

The boy, eyes wide and almost as hazed as Vincent's, opened and closed his mouth several times, hand covering the side of his head. Then he closed it for the last. "Yes. I'm sorry." He turned to Vincent. "I'm sorry, man. I was out of line."

No, you were racist. 

He didn't feel the least bit sorry for the bloody mess on the ground. He was sorry he'd caused a scene— Plus, Vincent was sure Nathan had only apologized for the sole reason of his parents not finding out, or the teachers not making such a big deal of it. But Vincent had punched him as well, so he wasn't really in the position to oppose the idea of forgetting about it.

He veered to the teacher. "I'm sorry. I really need to be somewhere, so since this is settled, can I go?"

Mouth opening and closing like a fish, eyes darting between the boys, she managed a, "Y-yes...?"

Then, there was his third thought.

He needed to see Ruth.

—-

there are two things i want to make glaringly clear with this chapter.

1. yes, 'gorilla' is a historically racially offensive and derogatory term towards black people.

2. this is not meant to be a 'white' savior' trope/chapter etc. the characters don't treat it that way, i didn't intend for vincent to want it to be seen that way, and i hope it doesn't come across that way either.

thank you for your understanding~