Overcast | ✓

The Flood

I can practically feel Noah's eyes on me the entire duration of our free-period class. Maeve is out sick with a stomach bug, which leaves me, Ruby, and Noah to sit silently at our table. Typically, I am perfectly content with quiet. In fact, I favor it. But, this is the kind of stagnant air that only means something uncomfortable is hanging above our heads. It isn't until about half an hour into our class that Noah finally speaks.

"Sunny," he says, tapping the bottom of his pen on the desk. "Are you and Sam M going out?" Ruby raises her eyebrows at this and I let out a scoff.

"No. Why would you think that? We've barely even spoken to one another."

"Dunno. He told me ages ago that he was interested in you. Thought he might have asked you out or something."

"I'm not into Sam M," I answer flatly. "I don't know him at all."

"But, you're not a lesbian, right?"

"How is that at all relevent?"

"Cause that would be a good reason for you not to be interested in him."

"Well, no. I'm not a lesbian, but I still don't want to date him." Noah nods slowly as he stares at the pen in his hand.

"Your brother's gay, though?" I stare at him, waiting for something else to come out of his mouth, but nothing does.

"Yep. You do know that's not a hereditary trait, right?" Ruby lets out a small laugh at this and I lean back in my chair.

"No, I know. I just mean, like," he is sort of smiling now as I cross my arms. "He's the kid Marcos beat up. For being gay."

Ruby and I both tense up at this, her eyes shifting towards me and mine staying locked with Noah's. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Well, that's one hell of a motive, right? Do you think Elliot-"

"Elio," I interrupt flatly.

"Elio could be behind the pranks." I scoff and Ruby sucks in an uncomfortable breath.

"You're kidding. My brother is not doing this."

"But, didn't Marcos, like, ruin his life? Wouldn't he want revenge?"

No, I think to myself. All Elio wants is for things to be normal. It's assholes like you who are keeping that away from him.

"Noah, quit being a dick," Ruby mumbles. She is speaking so quietly that I'm not quite sure she has said anything at all, but Noah leans forward to look at her.

"Excuse me?"

"I said quit being a dick." My mouth falls open as Noah glares into her. "Mind your own business. Or should I let your girlfriend know that you're interrogating her best friend?"

Noah doesn't say anything after that. His eyes remain on me and mine remain on Ruby, because I am realizing that she hasn't changed all that much in the years we've been apart. In middle school, Ruby was always defending the people she cared about. She was quiet and shy and a bit of a crybaby, but she was protective. I admired her for that. Not everyone knows how to stand up for people. That's probably one of my only good traits.

Suddenly, a group of voices sounds from the hallway outside the library, distantly counting down from ten. Ruby looks at me with furrowed brows before we stand and move towards the hall with the majority of other students.

"7... 6," they shout as we open the door. Students from other classrooms have pooled into the hallway as well. Some are counting along while others, meaning Ruby and I, are searching for the source of yelling. I grab her hand and tug her away from the crowd, towards the stairwell where the counting is even louder.