Ruby

"Get in," Jake said with seriousness all over his face.

"I can walk." I refused his offer to drive me home. I wished to be alone at that moment, I wished to take a long walk while enjoying the beautiful breeze that filled the day. At that point, that seemed to be the only way to kill the heavy feeling in my chest.

"I am not kidding Ruby," he sternly said before he held the passenger door firmly.

"Ruby, just get in." Out of nowhere, Abby strutted into the scene, opened the door, and made herself comfortable in the back seat.

A deep exhale escaped me as I locked eyes with Jake who intensified his humourless look.

"Okay, okay," I caved in, my surrendering arms mid-air. Once inside the car, Jake locked the door, his action gaining a sneer from me.

Jake settled in the driver's seat and soon, the car joined other vehicles on the busy road.

The first few minutes were raided with silence and I was thankful for that silence. But with time, I came to dread the quietness because it made me recall Bryan's repulsive touch. I recalled his nasty words as well and my system refused to take it well so much so that I began to feel disturbed.

"How dare that bastard?" Abby exclaimed from where she was, breaking the ice. "How dare he touch you?"

"We should report him to the cops," Jake added, his voice finally wearing the anger it managed to keep tucked away.

"Guys, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me."

"Don't lie to us, Ruby." Abby shifted in her seat and shifted closer to my seat. "I saw how disturbed you were back there. And even now..." she paused as her eyes darted to my hands. "... you can't stop pinching your hands and that's what you do when you are nervous."

"But-"

"Where did he touch you?" Jake suddenly asked, his eyes skillfully alternating between the road ahead and me. "I am pretty sure his stinky hands touched you, so where?"

As much as I appreciated their concerns, I wasn't ready to answer their questions. And no matter how dreadful the silence I keep yearning for might be, I need it.

"Guys..." My voice seemed to drag as I spoke. "I don't wish to talk about him right now. What have you guys been up to? Let's talk about that. Uh?" I put on a brighter smile and my urge to evade the Bryan topic grew.

"Uh... I think we should have a movie night soon," Abby said.

"Yes," I could read caution in Jake's voice. "It has been a while. We should all talk about what we have been up to during the movie night."

"Yes, yes," Abby agreed.

"Well, let's have it this weekend," I delightfully concluded and the duo nodded their heads in agreement but they had no idea I could read the awkwardness in the air.

Certainly, the love issue in our group is an existing problem. But I could tell that there was something else and I'll make sure they spit it out during the movie night.

Till then, I'll try to enjoy some quietness.

As I looked out the window to admire the sights we were dashing past, my mind instantly wondered what Adonis did to Bryan after he dragged him out of the corridor.

My head painted a lot of scenes where Adonis was mostly looking sexy and ruthless. And Bryan... well... he was looking really pitiful. But regardless of what I imagine or think, one thing is certain, Bryan deserves whatever happens to him.

~~~~

As I stepped into the bungalow, I headed straight for one of the couches and carelessly spread my body on it.

No thoughts racing through my head, I enjoyed the one-minute bliss while it lasted. Once my closed eyes became an invitation to recall the devastating situation I faced earlier, I jumped off the couch and planted my buttocks on the soft ground.

Staring ahead at the blank screen of the TV which had been sitting idle for a while, I began to reason the risk Adonis and I took.

At first, I imagined how brutal it would have been if someone apart from Bryan saw us. Then, I found myself concluding that Bryan was indeed a psycho.

The manner with which he talked earlier indicated that he watched Adonis and I get intimate and if that isn't sick, I don't know what else is.

A few seconds passed and my thoughts went silent. I gathered my knees to my chest and my stare at the TV screen intensified. After a moment, as if it were a movie, my head began to play the moment Adonis's manhood found the embrace of my mouth.

I could still recall how warm yet wondrous it felt to have him inside me in such a way.

It was indeed thrilling.

The fact that I loved the feeling, the fact that my blood tingled so hard because I had that kind of contact with him, was so thrilling.

The erotic feeling that came with that moment made me feel good about myself. Even while Adonis strived to relieve himself of the painful pleasure, his hold didn't hurt me. His words assured me, and his eyes communicated care.

And his words...

My heart softened instantly, I almost moaned as an effect.

Just like his touch, his soft yet intending voice made me melt every single time.

Gosh, how did I find myself so in love with this man?

Love?

My mind instantly queried the direction of my thoughts and I wore a frown.

I was about to dissect my thoughts some more when my phone tinged, indicating that I had a message.

With a small smile on my face and with thoughts about Bryan thankfully pushed aside, I reached for my bag and took out my phone.

It was a message from my Mom telling me that my Dad travelled and that she would be a little late. Towards the end of her chat, she indicated that she had something to ask me, but she was going to do that in person.

As I locked my phone, I wondered what she could want to discuss.

Recalling my Dad's request to not tell my mom about the whole Adonis issue made me wonder if she had caught on to the matter.

For some reason, she always knows when something is wrong. It makes me remember two years ago when I accidentally broke one of her favourite mugs. At that point, we were not on good terms, so Zion took the fall for me like the amazing kid that he is. But she knew regardless, that I was the culprit.

The funny thing is, she didn't mention that issue until weeks later. She just walked up to me on a certain Saturday morning while dearly hugging her teacup which had steam erupting from it, and said, 'I know you broke my mug, Ruby. I know.'

She walked away before I could say anything and nothing more was said after that.

As I smiled at that quick trip down memory lane, the doorbell rang and I became instantly alert. I was not expecting anyone, and neither did my Mom indicate that anyone was coming over. In fact, she mentioned that Zion was already with her.

So, I was left with the option of ignoring the person or grabbing a potential weapon before opening the door, to attack the person if he or she seems to be a threat.

I picked the second option.

The doorbell sound was getting frustrating and the individual didn't seem like he or she wished to give up soon.

A quick trip to the kitchen and a capable frying pan was in my grasp. While praying that the person on the other side wouldn't be the repercussion of being with Adonis, I took a look at the peephole.

I could not see anything but the noise was gradually becoming deafening, so I opened the door slowly, my other hand ready to swing into action.

"Oh thank God, you-"

"Caitlin?" I relaxed my raised arm and her eyes dramatically stared at the weapon in my hand. "How did you find me?"

"Everyone knows where Dominic Powers lives." Her arms folded, and she strutted into the living room, her jacket flying behind her. "Your Dad has found a way to prevent undue attention on this place, that's why you enjoy this peace and quiet."

I closed the door, my head wondering how close enough Caitlin and I were that she would consider coming down to my house.

As she sat down, she asked, "Can I get some water?"

Eyeing her carefully, I gave her a small nod and walked into the kitchen.

With a juice box and a bottle of water in my hold, I walked back into the living room.

"Here." She took the water from my hand. Silence followed as she uncapped the plastic bottle and I punched the drink hole of the juice box. "So, why are you here?" I asked after a long sip.

"Bryan." I frowned instantly. "Bryan is the reason I am here."

"I don't understand." On hearing his name, my head began to swirl. It then began to bother me how much Bryan affected me. At that point, it wasn't something I could ignore. I had to do something about it.

"He is planning something, Ruby. Something deadly." Caitlin's face wore a huge frown and she turned to face me. Reaching for my hands, she said, "Bryan doesn't just have connections with my father. He knows a lot of people and he uses it to his advantage. And he is trying to use that advantage to hurt you."

"What?"

"I..." She sighed deeply, her eyes sinking with fear. "I overheard him a few days ago while he was talking to someone influential about what he plans to do to you. He caught me eavesdropping and threatened to expose my Dad and me but I can't sit back and watch him hurt you. You have done nothing wrong, Ruby, you don't deserve whatever he has planned."

"What has he planned?"

"I didn't get much of his conversation but it seems he is willing to hand you over to the person he was talking to. And apparently..." Her eyes darted here and there and she seemed to fish out words from her head. "He is also doing this to spite Mr. Klaus."

"Of course." I closed my eyes and digested the information Caitlin just divulged. It seems there will be no rest in my life for a while. From this direction, Bryan was cooking things up, from the other direction, Adonis's gang. It was just crazy. "Of course, he is doing this because of Adonis," I completed my words. That was when I caught the movement of Caitlin's brows.

"I- I mean, Mr. Klaus," I instantly corrected myself.

She smiled. "I know, remember?"

"Oh, yes. That's true. I'm surprised you are not using that against me."

Caitlin chuckled. "Why would I? Just be careful. Not everyone will be cool about you dating your teacher."

"How come you are cool about it?" I asked curiously.

"I can tell you guys like each other. How can I ruin that?"

"You are so sweet," I commented as I smiled.

"Ruby..." She squeezed my hands as concern came back to her face. "I want you to be careful. Bryan is crazier than we think. I have no idea what goes on in his head, but he is really out of his mind."

I nodded understandably. "Thank you so much for helping me, Caitlin."

"Anytime, babe."

"I have a question though."

"About my Dad?" She knew what I was about to ask.

"Can I ask the question?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to feel worse than I feel."

"You are right, I should be less curious about it. It is your life and I'm sure you are dealing with your issues the best way you can. But Caitlin, if you need anyone to talk to, I am here."

"Thank you," she replied softly, our bodies meeting briefly as we shared a hug.

"But don't come to my house, without notice especially. We are not that close for that to happen."

"You can be rather cruel with your words at times," Caitlin commented with a smile as she got up. "Ruby," our eyes met, "I really hope Bryan's plans fail but please take care of yourself."

"And you too Caitlin."

I walked her out of the house, bade her goodbye, closed the door after she left, made sure to lock it, grabbed my bag, and made for my room.

I didn't wish to give much thought to Bryan's supposed plans at that moment, so all I did was leave Adonis a message that summarized all that Caitlin said, and the next minute, I was hugging my pillow, and I was falling into a deep slumber.

~

As the flapping noise of the curtain above me reached my ears, I felt strange. The atmosphere felt strange too.

It was hard to tell how many hours I had slept but one thing was certain, the air smelt different and that made me think I had overslept till the next day.

So, I instantly opened my eyes. But when it was evident that the night had just settled in, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had so much to do, I could not afford to oversleep.

With a refreshed soul, I decided to start working on my application to my college choice but my intention to get off bed was cut short when I felt something dirty over my mouth.

With confusion and fear settling in, my hands swung into action, ready to get rid of the disgusting feeling against my lips. But when my hands felt an extra weight, I realised that I was not alone.

As my eyes struggled to make sense of my darkened environment, I made contact with someone's eyes. With my heart pounding, I soon saw how bloodshot the eyes staring at me were thanks to the dim light from outside.

I could not make out the person's face, it seemed dirty like the person's hands. But as I murmured against the person's hold, I feared that it might be Bryan.

A pungent smell hit my nose and the proximity of the person's breath grew.

Then, a raspy voice filled my ears.

"Hello, Ruby." I felt the man's weight settle on my body, he crushed me so hard, I winced. "I am here for you. Your friend is here for you."

My eyes widened and my heart raced. The eyes staring into mine wore amusement despite its scary state.

It was Bryan!

And, it seems Caitlin was right. Bryan has a plan for me and it was looking ugly already.