Not So Bad After All

# 15

(Here it is, the long awaited chapter 15! I wanted to leave a quick message to my lovely followers and readers. With hurricane Matthew making his way alongside the coast, I wanted to tell you all to be safe and I wish you the best during this time. I'm not too far from where hurricane Matthew will merely brush over, but if the hurricane switches course again, I'll be forced to leave with my family and go to a relative's house. So if you don't happen to hear from me for a bit, that is probably what happened. Anyways, thank you all for reading this short and boring note. Stay safe, minna (everyone)! Let's get on with the story. By the way, the picture is Angelica, who will be making some appearances later on in the story.)

Monday rolled back around and it was the start of another treacherous week in school. Ruby sighed, her wounds still fresh from Ryder's words. He said it was for the best, but was it really? Ruby shook her head, raising her head and walking with a confident stride. She would figure out the real reason behind this through any means possible.

Physical education was by far the worst class for Ruby. Could it even be considered a class? "Hey darling! Good to see that you aren't looking as glum as you were the past couple of days." Anastasia said, grinning as she jogged over to her friend. Ruby rolled her eyes before smiling softly. "Oh, did you hear we've got an exchange student? Teacher says she'll be here for about a week." Anastasia said, walking beside Ruby. "You already met her?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow. Anastasia nodded. "Yeah, she looks pretty cool. Said her name was Angelica." Anastasia replied. "Get running, girls!" The coach yelled at them, making the two groan before starting to run.

How Ryder managed to appear and disappear throughout the school, Ruby will never know. She only caught a glimpse of him and that was in between classes. She groaned, glancing around, catching a glimpse of familiar dark hair. "Finally!" She breathed, beginning to jog over, but slowed to a stop as he began laughing with another girl. Ruby frowned a bit, hiding behind some lockers and watching the two. She couldn't hear very good as they were still a bit off, but she could see them. The girl said something, causing Ryder to chuckle and ruffle her hair, causing the girl to puff out her cheeks. She was beautiful, dark hair and pure blue eyes. 'That was why Ryder did what he did, he wasn't doing it for me, he was just doing it because he found somebody else...' Ruby thought, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes and her heart constricting painfully as she watched Ryder kiss the girl on the forehead before she waved and ran off. She turned away, leaning against the lockers as she felt tears cascading down her cheeks. "Princess? What are you-" A voice started, but stopped when they saw her face. Ryder looked at her in shock as he seen the tears and her puffy, red face. "Hey, are you alright?" Ryder asked, approaching her before she took a step back. "You lied." Ruby murmured, her voice strained. Ryder raised an eyebrow. "About what?" He responded, watching as she furiously wiped at her eyes to get rid of the tears. "You weren't doing that for me at the arcade, you were doing it because you already loved someone else. You could have told me and I would have accepted it, but you played with my feelings, Ryder!" She shouted, sniffling. A chuckle. Then turning into full blown laughter. Ruby lifted her head, glaring at him. If looks could kill, he'd be more than six feet under. He saw the glare, forcing himself to stop laughing but a smirk still gracing his features. "Was that because of the little exchange with the exchange student?" A nod. "Ruby, that exchange student, Angelica, is my younger sister." Ruby tensed, looking Ryder in the eyes. He still had a smirk, but he was serious. "So, she is-" "Yep, Angelica King. Don't believe me? Go ask her yourself or better yet, the principal." Ryder said, chuckling. A feeble "oh" was all that was heard. "Were you jealous of my sister?" He asked, playfully but serious as well. Ruby's cheeks burned in embarrassment, looking away from him. He raised his hand, gently cupping her face to make her look at him. The smirk was gone and was replaced by a look of seriousness. "I didn't lie that day. You deserve better, Ruby, a lot better than me." He said, his dark brown eyes boring into her blue ones. "You say that... but Ryder, I want you." He looked at her in shock, his eyes going wide. "You were there for me when my mom went into the hospital, you were there for me when Leo cheated on me with Peyton, you supported me through a lot, so you can't say that I deserve better when you're the best that I could ever have!" She said before looking down. "Ryder, when I first met you, I thought you were the worst of the worst, that because of your title, you were no good. But when I got to know you, I found out that you are the exact opposite. So don't say you're doing this for me because you are all that I want. I..." She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath before finishing and looking up at him. "I love you!" She said, watching as Ryder's eyes widened before slowly softening. "You're an idiot." He said softly, running his fingers through her hair and wrapping his other arm around her waist to pull her closer. He leaned in slowly, her doing the same. Their lips connected in a kiss, short but passionate, sealing their love and starting their relationship. "And I love you, too."

(A/N: Aw, how cute. Heh, anyways, that is chapter fifteen for all my lovely readers, I hope you enjoyed. I will probably update a new chapter of something else later tonight, but I have some other things that must be attended to prior to that. Anyways, if you didn't happen to read my note at the top, I hope you will all stay safe as hurricane Matthew passes through. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening! Sayonara!)