The Notorious R(uth) B(arakat) G(rimaldi)

Chapter 5: Cornered by a Crepe Myrtle

Drama was the last class of the day, and Ruthie remembered exclaiming happily over this fact with Amelia last year when they'd been planning their schedules, because they lived more or less in the same direction, and they could walk home from school together, or detour over to Elm Street and stop in at Starbucks or the ice cream place if they wanted.

Therefore it should've come as no surprise when Ruthie felt Amelia's hand on her shoulder as she angled across the parking lot under the hot sun and headed for home.

"Ruthie, wait up," Amelia asked, her voice blending into the relaxed mix of sounds that descended on a school after the last bell. 

Ruthie shook Amelia's hand off her shoulder and kept walking.

"Ruthie, please! We've been good friends for a long time."

Ruthie heard the words and turned around.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, two spots of red appearing on her normally very pale face. "You're trying to get me to talk to you by bringing up our friendship?"

Amelia looked around to make sure no one was watching them, and smoothed her blonde hair back over her shoulder.

"See, that's your problem, right there," Ruthie continued. "Even now, when you're supposedly wanting to discuss our deep and lifelong friendship with me, you're worried about people watching us, and how you look to them."

Ruthie stepped closer to her friend. 

"I don't give a shit how I look to anyone," she declared, her voice loud and piercing.

Amelia flinched, and once again, looked around to see who was watching or listening.

"You know why?" Ruthie continued. "Because I haven't done anything to feel guilty about!" she practically shouted.

She whirled and continued walking home, her backpack with the Hamilton logo on it banging against her back with every step she took.

"Ruthie!" Amelia hurried after her friend. "Please, Ruthie. I'm sorry, I can't help but worry a little about how I look. I wasn't born with a gorgeous face and body like you, you know? I don't have perfect bone structure and hair that always looks like I just came from a salon, either."

Ruthie took a deep breath and stopped, turning to face Amelia. She looked into her blue eyes for a beat before asking, "Okay, fine. What do you want, then? What?"

"Well," Amelia stammered, "I don't know, I guess I was just hoping we could talk, you know? Today was awful, Ruthie! Linda, Pepsi, none of them would say word one to me. When they saw me, they just looked right through me, it was like I wasn't even there!"

"Boo-fucking-hoo, Amelia," Ruthie retorted. "You have all those other guys, Brett's gang, Lauren, Paige, Brenna, Shane, Leroy?  As far as Pepsi and them, what did you expect? They're my friends, and you stole my boyfriend!"

"I did not!" Amelia responded, eyes flashing. "You guys broke up! That's what he said, that's what you said, too! Were you lying?"

"No," Ruth responded. She motioned with her head that they should at least move to the shade of some of the trees that were in the parking lot, which was already nearly empty. They could hear the whine and whiz of the cars that were using nearby highway 99. "But it hadn't even been a day, my god!"

"But, Ruthie, you know how popular Brett is, he has girls lined up around the block wanting to date him," Amelia objected. "Come on! He's hot, he has his own truck, he plays football, he's eighteen already, he's really popular and he's friends with all the best people--" Amelia shrugged. "I'm not like you," she said again, by way of explanation. "People don't just automatically like me and want to be with me. I'm not just smart and beautiful and popular like you--"