Everybody hates Death *ON HOLD*

Chapter Four - A brief encounter with Ruby

I stared mindlessly at the window as the bus soared past my stop. Cursing under my breath, I pushed the button at the next stop and got off there, thanking the bus driver, who grunted in return and shut my sleeve in the bus doors. I tugged my arm away just as the doors re - opened, sending myself toppling over onto the pavement, spilling textbooks everywhere. 

"Perfect." I muttered under my breath, hearing the bus drive off as I threw the books back into the box one by one. My hand was barely on my chemistry book when a set of small slender fingers swiped it from the ground and placed it in the box in one swift motion. I followed the scrawny arm all the way to the smiling face of a girl who I didn't recognize. She was stick thin and her ears stuck out at a peculiar angle, framing her petite freckled face. 

"Thanks." I said, as she helped me to pick up the rest of my books. 

"Really, you don't have to." I blushed. 

" Nah, that's okay." She replied, placing the last book in the box. 

"I'm ruby." She held out a small hand which I shook cautiously. 

"I don't think I've ever seen you here before." She said, gesturing towards the large park around us. 

"Missed my stop." I said nervously, half walking away. I wasn't expecting Ruby to skip along behind me like she did. I had no idea what to do in this situation. Did I stop or keep walking? Should I tell her my name? That seemed like as good a line as any. 

"I'm Mortimer Filius." I said, balancing the cardboard box in one hand as I extended the other towards her. She shook it excitedly yet again and I felt my backpack begin to slip off my shoulder. 

"Man, that's a mouthful." She said, sliding my bag down my arm and pulling it over her own shoulder. Her nose wrinkled a lot when she laughed, making her freckles dance. I kind of liked it. I laughed as well for the first time in a long time as I sidestepped a crack in the pavement. 

"I guess you can call me Mort." Nobody called me Mort but I did like the idea of having a nickname. 

Ruby bobbed her head as she walked and said, "OK, Mort. Did you know that your bag seriously stinks of garlic?" She screwed up her dainty face as she switched the backpack over to her other shoulder. 

"Yeah kind of." Ruby chuckled at my straight answer and I saw her curiously look me up and down out of the corner of my eye. 

"You don't have to walk with me, you know." I said, slowing my pace and reaching for my backpack, which I expected her to dump in my hands with relief. Instead, Ruby just kept on walking,

"Its cool, I'm going this way too. Plus, I like you. You're weird." She laughed, scuffing the toes of her white tennis shoes along the pavement. 

"Thanks?" I replied. 

I walked the rest of the way in silence as Ruby talked. Man, she loved to talk. Her whole face lit up when she did. It turned out that she lived in the house next door to mine but she was rarely there since she preferred being outside. She was sixteen and she wanted to move to America and become an actress when she grew up. 

I was so engrossed in the way that her green eyes sparkled when she spoke that I didn't realize we were at my house until Ruby stopped in front of the metal gates. I nearly kept walking right past them. 

"This was fun. See you around Mort." She placed my backpack at my feet as she lightly punched me on the shoulder and then, just like that, she was gone. 

"See you around." I whispered; knowing she could not hear me. 

***OK so I know that nobody reads this story (If you have please leave me a comment so I know that Mort has at least one fan :D) but I apologize for writing such short chapters! I never realize how short they are until I upload them! If this book ever had fans I would so call them "Morticians" Get it? because Its like Mort but also like the people who arrange funerals? eh? Its OK....I'll just let myself out...xxx