Learning To Love - Ruby Rose -

**part one**

I sat down at my seat and profusely apologised to my teacher. I was late. Again.

I wasn't intending on being late, it's not like I can choose when my mum is going to be an ass.

"This is your last chance, Alison. If you're late again then you'll bag yourself a referral, do you understand me?" Miss Smith said aggressively before flashing her pearly whites in a threatening smile. Apparently, I can't choose when Miss Smith is going to be an ass either.

"Yes, sorry Miss." I answered quickly before sitting abruptly down on my assigned seat, silently thanking sweet baby Jesus that I nobody was assigned next to me. Sitting alone this year has been eventful.

"It was a rhetorical question." She muttered through gritted teeth. "And speaking of rhetorical questions, who can recite the dictionary definition of 'rhetorical' by heart?" She finished with a disturbing smile. She seems to think that knowing the dictionary definition of every word ever invented is somehow going to help in our futures.

I zoned out, unwilling to learn anything from this beast of a woman. I only had to withstand another eleven weeks in this hell-hole of a school before I can graduate. That's a lie, I probably won't even graduate since I've flunked each of the thirteen pop quizzes and "practice" tests thus far. As far as exams go, I got twelve per-cent on my prelims. The teachers are supposed personally tutor us on the questions we majorly fucked up on (Miss Smith's words, not mines) but instead all they do is keep us cooped up in a classroom and lecture us about paying attention to them. Well, I think that's what they're lecturing us on because I don't really pay attention.

As you can see, I'm an amazing student.

I was rudely interrupted by someone yelling my name from across the classroom. "Miss MacDonald! I am telling you now, if you continually choose to ignore me during class then I will give you a demerit or worse!" Miss Smith yelled at me before demonstrating her all too familiar un-nerving smile. "Is that alright?"

Demerits don't scare me; Miss Smith's freakishly white teeth do. I'm pretty sure that each time I look at her, I'm blinded slightly more.

I stared at her blankly waiting for her to continue with the lesson or at least elaborate a little on what 'worse' was, but all I got was her smile and her piercing green eyes boring holes into my face.

"Well then Alison, what's it to be?" She said, her face was reddening due to her frustration bubbling up.

I giggled before I fuelled the fire, "Oh, but Miss Smith, I thought it was a rhetorical question!" I placed my hand to my mouth and used air quotes to emphasise my sarcasm.

"You know what, Ruby, I've heard that you are an absolute darling, maybe you could sit next to Alison. You might be able to get her to shut the hell up!" She added.

I looked at my teacher confusedly. Who the fuck is Ruby? Have I been so zoned out all year that I just haven't noticed the existence of another classmate?

The teacher looked towards the door and I followed her line of view to see a girl with short brown hair wearing a plain white tank top staring at me. We made eye contact and I quickly looked down to her arms to see tattoos all over her body. I'd barely even looked at her and I already thought that she was trouble.

"Sure!" She said as she walked towards me and she smiled at me as I studied her every move deciding whether I was going to befriend this girl or not. "Hi" She whispered quietly so the teacher couldn't hear her. "I'm Rose, Ruby Rose." She added.

"Bond, James Bond." I held out my hand for her to shake and squinted my eyes as if I was trying to figure out if she were a threat to the government.

She reached for my hand and brought it to her lips. "A pleasure to meet you Mr Bond-James-Bond." She said in her best posh accent. She looked deep into my eyes and my heart melted at her touch. Wow, I'm impressively gay.

I pointed a finger gun at her head, "Aha!" I shouted before whispering, "I have found the suspect Mr Mayor!" into my imaginary walky-talky.

"Ah shit, you blew my cover!" She said whilst attempting to keep a straight face. I straightened out my own face before I burst out into a fit of giggles as Ruby did the same.

The teacher gave me a death stare as I wheezed attempting to breathe but failing miserably. Ruby patted and rubbed my back, making circles with her hand, trying to get me to take in all the oxygen my body needed so I wouldn't faint. Great, I've almost died already. I'm probably going to die young.

It wasn't long before the final bell rang and I practically trampled on everyone I saw to get out of class as fast as possible. Ruby managed to get out before me. I think she is not only a spy for the government, but also a superhero. Fantastic.

I walked out into the halls knowing of my inevitable doom of becoming Flat Stanley. Death by Hormonal Teenagers.

I heard people shouting profanities at me because, you see, I'm gay as fuck and people just won't leave me alone about it. There are some things that I don't think I'll ever understand.

I heard someone shout at me calling me a faggot, as usual, and without out any warning (unless you count the faggot part as a warning) the same person lifted up their leg in front of mine, causing me to stumble forward elegantly and knock someone over. I then fell gracefully on top of them with a loud thud, knocking all the wind out of my lungs.

I sat up on them and looked down to see who it was that I was straddling in the middle of the school hall. I braced myself for an angry, buff teenager who was out for my guts but instead I was greeted by a laughing Ruby Rose.

"Well this is cliché as fuck." She giggled, coughing a bit at the end of her sentence.

"Or maybe it was meant to be!" I replied sarcastically with a wink.

"It's totally meant to be." She added. We burst out laughing but I then realised we were blocking the corridor.

I stood up and gave my hand to her, politely offering to help her up. Once she stood up I loosened my grip on her hand expecting her to be repulsed by me but she continued to hold a firm grip on my hand.

"I can tell we're gonna get on well." She said and looked into my eyes. I giggled some more and nodded my head, maybe a little to excitedly.

I heard someone yell "Greasy lesbians!" from somewhere far behind me.

For some reason I found confidence in me that I never knew I had and actually replied to them, "Fuck yeah!" before kissing Ruby on the cheek to prove my point.

"What was that?!" She said quietly, a pink blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks.

"That was me pissing those fuckers off!" I replied, smirking,  "And I think it worked pretty well."

Ruby grinned at me from ear to ear and squeezed my hand slightly.