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

Chapter 6: Name-Calling

Elliott looked startled for a moment, and raised his eyes as he considered.

"Really?" he asked, looking at her. "You really want me to?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" she responded as she shouldered her back pack.

"Well, you did just call me both an asshole and a wanker a minute ago," he reminded her.

"But I apologized for that," Ruthie said.

"Did you?"

"If I didn't, I'm doing it now," she said quickly. "I'm sorry for calling you both an asshole and a wanker.

"And," she added as inspiration struck her, "the AC is on at my house." She looked over at Elliott.

"Oh, you wouldn't tease a fellow, would you?" Elliott asked, eyes wide.

Ruthie shook her head. She had a feeling the Nicholsons were stingy with their AC, like most senior citizens.

"Plus, my house is right there, and your house is two blocks farther," Ruthie said, though she could tell the words were unnecessary.

"Sold, sold," Elliott said, holding his hands up.

One minute later Ruthie was letting them into her house, and introducing him to Clarence Darrow.

He asked if anyone else was home, and she explained about her parents and their working situation, and how normally Dad would be there.

She wondered as she was getting him a cold bottle of water why in the world she'd invited him to her house? He was so prickly and hard to talk to.

She pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and gestured to it as she rifled through the cupboards and got some crackers out to go with the cheese she found in the fridge. She cut up a couple of apples, got some grapes, and quickly assembled everything and set it out, then sat across from him.

The two of them ate in silence for a couple minutes, then Elliott broke the silence, telling Ruthie, "I should probably tell you that I overheard both of the arguments you had on your way home from school."

He met her eyes, and Ruthie could see no embarrassment or guilt; he was simply imparting a fact. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything, honest. I mean, we leave in the exact same direction, you know? So I was walking home, just a couple minutes behind you, and you started to argue with the girl, Amelia, is it? Yeah, Amelia, in the parking lot."

He grabbed an apple slice, spread some cheese on it, and took a bite before continuing to talk. "I kind of hung back, thinking I'd just wait until you were finished talking to her. It didn't seem like the conversation was going to last very long, you know?"

He grinned at her, and Ruthie saw that, as good looking as he was in repose, he was even better looking when he smiled.

Wow.

"So, you finished talking to her, and continued on your way, and then boom, as soon as you were on the other side of the overpass, the knobhead in the truck appears and I had to wait again, this time in the blazing sun, until the two of you were finished." He took a drink of water. "I thought you were gone on your way, you know? I had no idea you were ensnared in the purple tree--"

"Crepe myrtle," Ruthie supplied as she ate a cracker with cheese on it.

"Right, crepe myrtle," Elliott agreed. "So imagine my surprise when I come round the corner and there you are, tangled to your eyeballs in the treacherous tree!" He stopped to laugh.

"Shut up," Ruthie said, throwing a cracker at him.

He expertly opened his mouth and caught it.

"That girl? Amelia? She's going to be in a world of hurt if she doesn't wake up and see what's happening to her," Elliott said, becoming serious. "Just because she doesn't think she's pretty or whatever, doesn't mean she should let herself be used as a doormat, you know? If you have any feelings of friendship left, you'd better take care of her. You need to tell her you understand that having good looks is just about good luck, and that you use them to get what you want as much as anyone, you know?"