16 and Ready to Mingle || twaimz

Chapter 43 (Rose)

One week later...

I go to school. Go to classes. Eat lunch.
I'm in this weird daze that whenever I see couples together I get disgusted.
Ruby's still nowhere to be seen. I'm starting to get worried.
I haven't been talking to Lottie and Amber much this week, even when they tried to comfort me.
Finally one day during lunch I ask them.
"Where's Ruby?"
Lottie and Amber exchange worried looks. Very worried looks.
"Well, it's just that--" Amber starts and looks at Lottie for support.
"You say it," Lottie says.
"Um, I don't know how to tell you," Amber blurts out.
"Just tell me," I coo. "It shouldn't be that bad."
"Oh it's bad, all right," Lottie says.
Amber sniffles. "Well, this happened a couple of days ago, maybe a day after Lucas broke up with her or something."
"Please, just tell me," I plead her.
Amber starts crying. "Ruby's dead, Rose. She committed suicide."
Lottie hugs Amber tightly as she starts bawling.
I don't know how to react. Do I cry? Scream? Faint?
Instead, I get up, run to the nearest girls' bathroom, stagger into a stall, and puke my guts out.
Should I tell Issa? But we broke up. How can I miss Ruby's death like that? I'm such a horrible friend.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and start to sob.
I can't believe I didn't know this. I should've been with Ruby. She needed help, but I didn't go to her.
Suddenly rage hits me. Lucas did this to her. He broke up with Ruby, and Ruby must've fallen into a depressive state and killed herself.
I storm out of the bathroom and scour the cafeteria to Lucas. He's standing near his friends, chatting as if nothing happened. As if Ruby didn't die.
I dash over to him and stand in front of him.
"Hey, Rose. What's u--"
Lucas doesn't finish his statement because I slap him in the face. Hard.
He staggers back and brings his hands up to his face, shocked. The cafeteria has gotten silent. Some people are going, "ooh".
"You bastard!" I scream at him. "How could you just leave Ruby to kill herself?! What kind of sick person are you?!"
Lucas slowly gets up and looks me over.
"What kind of sick person are you," he says, "to not notice her best friend's death for a week?"