Riley's Box

Part 30

The next time my eyes opened, they brought with them the sight of a bright, yet cloudy, Tuesday morning. 

I knew that I had no choice but to take another day off school if I was going to help the Sins, but could I really do that after my conversation with my mother? 

No. The answer to that question was no. 

Fortunately, it only took me eating a couple of waffles at breakfast time to come up with the best plan B! 

I was going to have to take the Sins to school with me. 

It was fine. After all, the only ones that could see them were my family and I. 

If I could sneak them out of the house with me, then it would be smooth sailing from that point onwards. 

Firstly, I returned to my room and promptly opened the box so my that the Sins could sneak out the window again. 

All the while this was occurring, I made sure to distract my parents with some rather impromptu, rather bad, singing. 

They stared at me with eyebrows that had shot up and eyes sparkling with curiosity. 

It was a curiosity that I wouldn't be able to provide them answers to, of course, but a curiosity all the same. 

I really needed to talk to my grandmother. Soon. 

I shook the thought out of my mind. It was time for me to make my way out of the house to school and I had no intention of being late, even if it was only to prove to one Eric Reos that I was very much capable of getting to school on time. 

"Okay, some ground rules," I whispered to the Sins, when we had got to the bus stop. 

"I hate ground rules!" Ira said with an expression that matched the anger of thunderstorms.

I elected to ignore him. 

"Listen up, Ira," Prida said, as she eyed him with some amusement. 

The Sins all turned to me then to listen intently. 

"You have got to be quiet at school. I know that I'm the only one that can hear you, but if anyone hears me talking to you then they're going to think I'm crazy!" I said. 

"I don't think you'll need to talk to yourself for them to think that," Invidia said. 

Again, I elected to ignore her. 

"The bus is here. Get on. Sit down, if there's a free space. Shut up," Avidicci said. 

I turned to him, a little surprised. However, I managed an appreciative smile in his direction. 

He nodded. 

The eight of us wandered onto the bus and most of us managed to sit down. 

Well, most of us apart from Ira, who looked as though he was about to inflict his anger upon the old ladies who sat at the front of the bus. 

In fairness, I could understand his anger. 

This would have been a perfectly serviceable school bus, if it wasn't for passengers who most definitely were not students.  

Either way, I put my headphones into my ears for the bus ride, to tune out the sounds of the Sins squabbling. 

At last, we got to school and I quickly thanked the bus driver for all of his help. 

Then, it was time to walk into the school building. 

I turned to a few people with a friendly smile on my face, really hoping that the Sins were right and that nobody would be able to see them. 

Thankfully, nobody did manage to see them. 

It was an absolute relief, but not a win just yet. 

I couldn't consider any of this to be a 'win' until the shadow spirits were gone and the Sins were able to return home!

I approached my locker only to find that Eric Reos was stood nearby it- the perfect image of power. 

He was tall, dark-haired and reasonably good looking for a seventeen year old boy. 

He was also, I might add, incredibly vexing at times. 

"Good morning, Miss Ruby," he said. 

"Good morning, Mr. Reos. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked him. 

We got some weird looks from people that passed by us. 

The Sins stood nearby and stared hard at him. 

"Can I eat him?" Guttur asked. "I can eat him, right?" 

Invidia elbowed him in the ribs, again. I was really starting to like her. 

"I'm setting up a talent contest for the art club," he said. "You don't have to take part in it, but given that you are a member of the student council, I thought that it would be good for you to know." 

I felt a smile come to my lips, then. I was pleasantly surprised. 

"I didn't know art interested you," I said. 

"I can be creative, when I want to be," he replied. 

"And when's that? Any time you're not antagonising students?" I asked him. 

What was even more surprising was when Eric's mouth twitched slightly. 

I had made him smile! Alright, I had almost made him smile. That was still better than nothing. 

"Absolutely," Eric said. 

"Dreamy," Adina said. 

This time around, Invidia elbowed her. 

"Something catch your eye?" Eric asked me. 

"Oh, no. I just...was thinking. Yes, of course I'll help you out with the art contest," I said. 

"When you're not helping us get rid of the shadow spirits," Avidicci whispered in my ear. 

Instinctively, I nodded. 

Eric regarded me with narrowed eyes, then. 

"What are you nodding for?" he asked me. 

"Oh uh...neck cramp," I said, raising a hand to my neck and placing it there. 

"Unfortunate," Eric said, with a bemused expression. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Ruby." 

"Later, Reos," I said and then watched him, as he turned and walked on down the hall. 

How did he manage to make even that look attractive? 

Wait a minute. 

What on Earth was I thinking? 

This was Eric Reos. 

Eric Reos. Lifelong school enemy. I was not about to be having these thoughts. 

I blamed Adina for it. She was standing right beside me, after all, with this odd smile on her face.