One and Only

Chapter Ten - Again

Thankfully, my next class was drama. Mrs Lascomb barely noticed me walk in. This was partly because all the lights were off (the class was watching a movie) and partly because she is the best, most relaxed teacher I ever had.

The class were all sitting on the floor, so I moved straight to the back and sat against the wall in the corner, out of sight and by myself. The movie was a live production of some unknown, quirky play. I was so grateful the lights were down. No one could stare, and no one could see my smudged, red, moist face.

I had been sitting down for only five minutes when I suddenly felt someone at my side. I turned. Their breath was on my face, and their eyes were bright.

Blake?

"Ruby," he whispered. I looked at him through the dark, expecting an apology, or an explanation, or maybe even for him to tell me why he had decided to ruin my life.

But he didn't.

When it was apparent he would not be apologizing any time soon, I began shuffling away from him. But something stopped me.

Blake leaned over and kissed my cheek.

I paused, turned, and stared. After everything I'd been through the past three days, after the phone call to Lottie, the words on my locker, Jenna and Chloe, the crying in the bathrooms - he wanted to put me through it all again? Or did he just not care?

He was single-handedly ruining me.

"How dare you," I whispered at him.

He looked shocked. He actually looked shocked! As though he expected me to let him wrap his arms around me and kiss me until Mrs Lascomb flicked on the lights. I wasn't that type of girl, no matter what my whole grade thought.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"What's wrong?! Why are you doing this? Why did you lie to everyone?"

Mrs Lascomb was sitting on a chair in the middle of the wall at the back. "Who's talking?"

Blake, like the idiot he was, spoke up. "Us."

This sparked a heated class discussion.

"Oh my gosh why are you two talking to each other?"

"Ruby, just leave him alone!"

"Didn't they kiss last week?"

"Are they seriously talking to each other?"

"What a skank!"

"Is that Blake and Ruby?"

Before I could do anything, the lights were on and Mrs Lascomb was on her feet, trying to get everyone to be quiet.

It was a roar of alarmed voices. People were moving around to get a good view of the school skank as I sat curled up in the corner like a frightened animal. Mrs Lascomb mercifully pulled Blake and I to our feet and out of the classroom. She shut the door behind her. Her face told us everything.

She had no idea what was going on.

"Miss, I can explain everything..." I began.

"Yes!" She laughed. "Please do!"

"You see, Blake has a girlfriend. You know Lottie? You teach her in art."

Mrs Lascomb's bleached blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail which ran smoothly down her back. She turned to Blake and smiled. "Ah, Lottie. Yes, I know. You two have been dating since you first came here."

Blake looked at the ground, but every time he looked up he did his puppy face and Mrs Lascomb would smile pitifully at him. Her thick dark eyelashes would flutter as she gazed down at him like he was a lost puppy.

This didn't make it any easier to explain it to her. "Well, on Friday, Blake kissed me and now the whole school knows because he blabbed, and..."

"What?" Mrs Lascomb shrieked. "Why?"

I started to scream: "Because he's a - "

"I couldn't just not tell anyone!" Blake suddenly reached out to pull me close to him.

I wrenched him away from me. "Of course you couldn't, because you don't know the meaning of discretion, or respect, or honesty!"

"But I was honest!"

"You LIED!" I hollered at him. "And now everyone looks at you like you're a poor little victim, and I'm a stupid scum-of-the-earth whore who has no friends!"

Blake and Mrs Lascomb were silenced. The tears flowed, but the anger was stronger. My ears burned and my fingers itched. Unable to control myself, I reached up and with every degree of strength my arm ever contained, I slapped Blake across the face. Hard.

And then I ran for it.

Mrs Lascomb followed me. "Ruby! Ruby, dear, do you want to talk about it? Ruby, you can go to the nurse if you like! Ruby, where are you going?"

I ran faster than I knew Mrs Lascomb could ever manage in her white heels. I ran to my locker and kicked it when I saw the horrible words. I slung my bag over my shoulder and ran out of the school.

It was truancy.

I didn't care.

My whole life had changed in one day and I needed to go home. I couldn't stay.

As I was leaving the car park I heard the PA system announce: "Ruby Graham to the office immediately, please. That's Ruby Graham, can you come to the front office immediately?"

I ran faster. At the end of the street I could faintly hear the PA system say, "Blake Wilson to the student office, please. That's Blake Wilson to the student office."

Sweet justice.

I ran all the way home.