Overcast | ✓

Eighth Grade Comradery

I had almost completely forgotten that Ruby Thompson and I planned to hang out after school today. Between Faye's overwhelming excitement about the investigation and Jack's newfound input, there was hardly any time to think about how I would be spending my time once the school day ended. But, once free-period arrives, Ruby approaches me with even more timidity than before, if that is even possible.

"Hi," she mumbles, sinking into the chair beside me. Her hair cascades down, almost reaching her waist and gulps her up like she is being whisked away by a river. It sort of reminds me of Violet Parr from those Incredibles movies.

"Oh, hi," I reply, glancing up from my phone. It hits me then that today is when we scheduled to hang out, and this fact makes me suddenly feel very nervous. "Um, what's up?"

"Nothing," Ruby says, tucking her hair behind an ear. "Your uniform is still a bit red."

I look down at myself and grin. "It wouldn't come out in the wash. I'll probably get another one this weekend."

"No, it's cool. You look a little like a Power Puff Girl."

"Blossom," I say after a beat and she nods.

"Yeah."

I take a breath and fiddle with my hands under the table. The only thing I hate more than having a conversation with someone I don't particularly care about is having an awkward one. Ruby Thompson, in one word, is awkward, so I am doomed to a very painful rendezvous once the final bell rings. "What are we doing after school?"

"Oh, um," Ruby says. It's very obvious that she has thought a great deal about this but is pretending that it is just now occurring to her. I smile a bit to myself. "Well, we could get coffee or ice cream or something."

"I hate coffee," I spit out, not realizing how rude I sound. "I mean... I can always get hot chocolate."

"No, that's fine," she says slowly. "Ice cream it is."

And so, Violet Parr and Blossom Utonium ventured into a nearby icecream shop. Ruby pays for my icecream, which I find sort of charming. Nobody really does that type of thing for their friends anymore. Once we are seated at a table outside, she flashes me a smile but immediately returns to her usual nervously wide eyed stare. Ruby Thompson always looks sort of like a child who has lost their parent in a shopping mall. Her eyes are an even deeper brown than Elio's which stand out like dots of ink when surrounded by her light complexion and pale hair. She is the kind of beautiful you see at libraries and tucked onto shelves. She is round and soft and the skin on her shoulders is coated in peach fuzz. I lean against my palm.

"So," I say after a beat. "What are you up to these days? Besides photography."

"Um, not too much. I'm usually just studying, to be honest."

"Oh? Preparing for university?"

"Something like that," she says. "I'm hoping to go to Brown. What about you?"

We are nothing alike, and I don't know how to say that outloud without sounding like my life has no meaning. But, honestly, it doesn't. "I'm not sure. Maybe Northwestern. That's where my dad teaches, so..."

"Astronomy, right?"

"Yeah," I reply. Ruby has strawberry ice cream and I sort of regret getting mint chocolate chip.

"Remember when he let us look through that huge telescope?"

I grin and sit up. "Yep. Are you still scared of space?"

"I got over that," she replies with a chuckle. "I'm actually quite into science now."

"Oh yeah? What kind?"