𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐲 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 ✩ 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐝𝗼𝐧

🆃🆆🅴🅻🆅🅴

𝐬𝗼𝐧𝐠: 𝐠𝗼𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐫𝗼𝐰𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬

✩✩✩

Ruby was not expecting to see Tate.

But there he was.

"What- what are you doing here?" She asked, her eyebrow arching quizzically.

Tate was sat on the bleachers as if waiting for something. He was the only other one in the gym hall.

He looked over at her, a smile creeping across his face. "I got detention."

He stood up and made his way down the stairs to her as Ruby slung her backpack off her shoulder and dumped it on one of the seats.

"I wanted to talk to you about earlier," he continued.

"So you got detention deliberately? Tate, what the hell?" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hey, hey- I wanted to check you were alright, I hear what shit they said about you," Tate protested.

"Why?" She asked, pushing her hair out of her face.

Tate stopped for a moment, putting his hand in his pockets and shrugging. "Well, I, care- Ruby."

She felt something stirring inside her heart. It didn't feel right.

The ghosts stood around Tate, cursing and yelling at him.

She turned away. Tate took a step toward her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Stop, Tate, this is too fast. You don't care about me." Ruby whispered, stepping away from his grip.

"I do, I think," Tate replied quietly. "I've never felt this way before- about anyone..."

"It's been a day," she said, misdirected anger in her tone.

"Okay, I'm sorry, you want some space... but what about the ghosts? We've got to try summon them again, Ruby?" Tate persisted.

"I'm not ready, those things, they're not like the other ghosts," she replied, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of their ghastly faces.

"Then you don't have to do that, you could try materialising the ghosts that are here usually. Baby steps- right?"

Ruby sighed, looking at her feet. He had a point. She should try control what she could.

"Okay, but it'll have to wait- I'm grounded for a month and I don't want to provoke my dad any more,"

"Until then, you'll hang out with me?" Tate asked, reaching his hand out to her.

Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, before taking his hand. "You like Nirvana?"

✩✩✩

"Wow! Murder House is creepy as fuck!" Ruby laughed.

Her and Tate had skipped class to go to his for an 'extended lunch', and were sat in his room whilst Ruby wired up her Walkman to his stereo.

"It's not that bad, once you get to know it..." Tate said. "Why do you have that crappy old Walkman, anyway? They're so old,"

Ruby paused for a moment, a wire in hand. "It was my mum's. I know it's old but I don't want to get rid of it,"

Tate nodded slowly. "You're sentimental?"

"Only a bit; it's really the only material thing I care about," Ruby shrugged. "It's the only thing I'd want on a desert island,"

He laughed quietly.

It had been three weeks since the bleachers. Ruby's hand were almost healed into dark scars.

Kaleb was merciless, doing all he could to make her life hell- all out of jealousy.

She'd become more and more of an outcast.

And people were noticing her weird behaviour, properly now.

The teachers remarked at how Ruby stared at something rather than paying attention.

They said she wouldn't be staring out into space- as such- but rather as if looking at someone.

Which was true, she was looking at the ghosts, and trying to make out anything they were saying.

Once students caught on to what they were saying, they began to join in.

They claimed she was a witch talking with the devil himself.

It was slowly eating away at Ruby, though she refused to admit it, even to herself.

Thankfully, she found refuge in Tate's company.

They were a strange duo, but a dynamic one.

"Only a week until you're not grounded anymore, your dad has surely forgotten about it by now?" Tate said wrapping his arms round her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Yeah... I think he might have..." Ruby replied, clicking play on his stereo.

Lithium began to play, and they both smiled.

I'm so happy, cause today I found my friends- they're in my head.
I'm so ugly, but that's okay, cause so are you.

The two danced about Tate's room, singing badly along with the lyrics.

As the song drew to a close and began playing a quieter, slow one, Tate flopped onto his bed, arms spread out.

Ruby lay down next to him. "Your families out tonight- could I stay over?"

Tate grinned, kissing all over her neck. "Duh,"

✩✩✩