7th March 2037.
University of Birmingham. 5:12PM
'You went out Tuesday.' A voice on the end of the phone laughs. 'How many night out's do you need?' The girl on the other end of the phone smirks, staring into the mirror. 'And you went out Saturday.'
'Yeah but they were socials. They weren't proper nights out with my friends.'
'Is that what you call them now?'
'Socials are important dad, it inhibits the team feel.' The man starts laughing. 'Anyway, you know I am responsible. I am there too look after my friends.' He makes a noise in agreement, when she went out, back in Bath, she was the one making sure her friends were able to go home. Dianne and Joe had seen her, they weren't worried.
'Where are you going?'
'Propaganda.'
'Where is that?'
'TickX.' She replies, not that her dad would have any idea what that was. 'I was at Pryzm the other two nights.' She grabs her hairbrush off the bathroom shelf, brushing her wet hair, grabbing the towel she left on her bed, and putting it over her shoulder, gently rubbing the hair. She doesn't really want to blow-dry her hair, it's an effort that she doesn't have. 'Any way how is everyone at home?'
'Yeah they are good, Maddie has a chest infection.' Ruby smiles, she can hear the frustration in her dad's voice. 'How are you? Are you eating properly?' Ruby can't help but let out a little laugh, if her family knew what she really was like, they would be appalled. That would be the least of their problems.
'Yes.'
'What are you having for dinner.'
'Pasta, I need the carbs to line my stomach.' She lies, well it's not a complete lie, more a stretch of the truth. Pot noodles are pasta, right? A knock at the door alerts her to the fact she has stuff to-do, she can't talk to her dad all day. 'I should go. I haven't chosen my outfit yet, it's not that she doesn't want to speak to her dad, it's just she has other things to-do.' She unlocks the door, turning away before she can see the face. She knows who it is, in fact she's surprised she even got a knock.
'Okay love you. Mum will ring you tomorrow.'
'Love you too dad, can you ask her to-do it after about 2, I won't be up before then.'
'Okay darling.' Her friend is standing in front of her now, grinning. 'Have a good night.'
Emma rolls her eyes, 'Was that your dad again?' Ruby nods, running her hand through her hair, forgetting that it wasn't quite dry. She turns, grinning evilly, and wipes it on the taller girl. 'What was that for, you bitch.'
'Fancied it. Anyway, what are you wearing tonight?'
'My skater skirt and that white t-shirt.'
'You'll look sexy.' Ruby grins, that's what best friends are for. They are there to make sure that you look good, and to supply you with endless compliments.
'Not as sexy as you, with that outfit. You are going to look F-I-T.' Her friend blushes, grabbing her dressing gown, knowing that she should go and start to make dinner, if they were preeing at 7, they only had an hour and a half, maximum. 'Are you on the pull tonight.' The girl studies the smaller girl. 'Scratch that, when aren't you on the pull.'
'It's not a night unless Ruby pulls.' Dan says, appearing out of nowhere. 'What's your kiss count?' She bites her lip, they have a chunder chart, underneath said chart, they have a pull chart. Dan goes over to the chart, touching each star. Ruby cringes, this is so embarrassing. 'Miss Ruby Amelia Sugg.' He turns to face her. 'You have 10 since the term started.'
'Not too bad.'
'You had eleven last term too.' Her friend pauses. 'I don't even know how you get that many, not cause you aren't hot. Did we even have eleven nights out?'
'She had three that one night.' Emma reminds him, watching her friend squirm.
'That makes me sound like a slag, I've only slept with like five of them.'
'That is true, and you get tested after each one. You are a safe slag.'
Before long, they are dressed and preeing. 'Never have I ever.' Jade starts, looking around the room. 'Lied to my parents about who I am sleeping with.' She looks directly at Ruby, all of them knowing Ruby regularly lies to her parents.
'Not my fault you are a virgin.' Ruby hits back.
'Emma, you need to drink too.'
'And you need to fuck right off.' She takes a swig of the brown liquid. 'Jeez Roo, how much did you put in there?' She shrugs, she's drunk enough to not really know what is in the cup. 'Never have I ever told my parents I was ill when I was hungover.' She watches most of the people in the room take a sip, 'Ruby?'
'I'm never hungover.' She defends herself, the teenager didn't get hangovers and her friends were very envious. 'I am always drunk.' They snigger, it's true. She can do a very convincing sober impression. 'And they've never twigged. I am the angel child, compared to the she devil that is Madison.'
'Could you imagine if they found out?' Dan joins in, hugging his best friend, as she gets hit with the smell. 'You went on that trip because you fancied Louis Horman. Your parents shelled out seven hundred quid for you to shag him. And why was it you joined the hockey team again?'
'Oh, because she likes the socials.'
'I am just a very sporty person, thank you very much. I just so happened to be good at sport.'
'You are good at something.'
'Never have I ever been caught by my parents.' Ruby puts out, deflecting the conversation of her sexual exploits. 'In the middle of a shag.' No one drinks, there had been some close calls for the friendship group. None of them had actually been caught though.
'Never have I ever had sex in a bush.'
'I feel personally victimised by this.'
'Shut it Ruby and drink.'
'Could you imagine though.' Jade starts, 'If they found out about everything you've done.' Ruby shudders at that thought, that is an awful thought. 'Oh Jesus, it would be terrible. I don't know how I haven't drunk dialled them or something.'
'You did that one time.'
'Yeah but that was easily brushed over, I told them I was getting my bus ticket up.' She turns up the speaker, 'I love this song.'
'Your parents are so naïve.' Emma states, Ruby starts to feel uncomfortable. She wishes she could tell her mum, it's just she wouldn't understand. Dianne had been with her dad since forever. She wouldn't have one-night stands, she wouldn't get so drunk she passed out on the stairs and had to be dragged into a lift. She didn't have to go to hospital because they thought she had alcohol poisoning. What was the point in worrying her when she wouldn't understand? Maddie knew some of it, not all of it. She thought it was funny, Emma had added her on Snapchat and regularly send's her video. She was lucky that her best friend only send her sister videos of her pulling, never anything else. She could maintain the façade she spent so many months building.
'Hey, get off the case of my parents.' Emma shrugs back, looking at the clock.
'Time to party.' She announces. 'Let's go people.'
A/N Thoughts? Also I'm not entirely sure that TickX is a club (I've never actually been to Birmingham, so I just googled a night out and then if they had it in Birmhingham, apparently they do...)
