Ruby

Abby's cry pierced my ears while I glared down at the man who seemed familiar. Her tears made me turn to her instantly, and after adjusting her dishevelled clothes and covering up her nakedness, I helped her to her feet.

She was weak, I could tell by the way her hands shook like a leaf following a dangerous wind. So, I slowly helped her onto a nearby chair and took out my phone to dial the emergency line.

A strong grip held my hand. Confused, I looked down at Abby whose eyes were still heavy with tears.

"What is wrong, Abby?"

"Don't." She shook her head, confusing me the more.

"I shouldn't call an ambulance?" Her head danced from left to right and I instantly changed my position. Squatting beside her, my hand holding hers dearly, I looked into her eyes with so many questions in mine and asked, "Why?"

I watched as she swallowed hard. Abby's head ducked, and she said in a low voice, "Just don't."

"Abby, we need to get you to the hospital," I firmly said, my insides already in chaos as I could not think of one reason why she wouldn't want to do the needful.

"I don't want to go!" she exclaimed suddenly, startling me to some extent.

Now greatly bothered, my eyes left hers to wander the room for some seconds. At the same time, Adonis hastened his steps towards the fallen man. Our eyes locked for a moment before he bent to check on the man.

"Wait a minute," Adonis's thick voice killed the heavy silence in the room that was adorned with artworks of many kinds, paintings that could murder, carvings that could bless a soul, and drawings that showed how artistic people can be. "You are the art teacher. Mr. Grassi, is it?"

As the man mumbled some words, I felt Abby grip my hand.

"Abby?" At that point, I was both concerned and curious. "What is wrong?"

"W-we need to leave this place."

"We need to get you to the hospital," I insisted.

"I'll let the cops know about this," Adonis said and Abby jolted out of her seat, her mouth crying out a solid no.

"Abby," I called with caution as I got up.

With frightful eyes, she looked in my direction. "Don't call anyone, please. I beg you." Abby looked in Adonis's direction. "Please, just take me home."

"We need to get you to the hospital, the cops have to look into this issue. We-"

"I am not going anywhere, let's not extend this issue any further," Abby cut Adonis short.

"We need to make sure you are fine, Abby, and that man needs to pay for what he did to you. Abby..." I sighed. "What he was doing to you wasn't okay and you need to-"

"I know quite well what he was doing to me, Ruby. I am the reason he was doing that to me."

I frowned and I lost part of my senses. "What? How? Wh-what are you talking about?"

"It was-" Abby looked down at her palms as the art teacher finally got on his feet. I could read the intimidation the man gave off, so I signalled to Adonis to do something.

"Mr. Grassi, we need to go outside, come with me." As Adonis pulled the man along, I did not miss the glare the art teacher sent my way. It was as though he was reprimanding me for taking something he was entitled to. That made me turn to Abby immediately.

"What is going on, Abby? Tell me everything."

"Let's go to your house, we'll talk there," she calmly said.

"If we'll be going anywhere, it will be the hospital because you need to be checked. Do you wish for this situation to lead to something else?"

"No!" she sent a frown my way. "I don't want it to lead to something else, that's why no other person must know about this."

I was about to ask her why when it occurred to me that we were just exploring circles upon circles with the repetitive question and answer. After taking two steps towards her, I was able to grab her hands again.

"Okay. Fine. You don't want anyone to find out. I respect your thoughts, but I am concerned. Abby, I need to make sure that man's semen is not in your system for whatever reason."

"That man..." I watched the side of Abby's face clench as she reacted to my statement. "He has always had his seed inside me, so what is there to check?"

"What?"

Her brows twitched occasionally. "I told you, Ruby, let us go home and I will tell you everything." I could hear the anger in her voice. "Stop mentioning the hospital or the cops. If you do, I will tell everyone about you and your boyfriend."

I won't lie, I was scared. Not because of her words, but because she was about to lose her ability to stay calm.

"You don't mean that, Abby," I quietly said.

"I don't. But, if you try me, I will open my mouth and tell everyone what I freaking know!"

"Mr. Grassi has left, can we go now?" Adonis asked as he strutted into the room.

He must have read some emotions in my eyes because he looked worried instantly. And, I planted a smile on my lips despite the fact that I was greatly saddened and disturbed by the turnout of that moment.

"Let us take Abby to my house, Adonis."

"What about the hospital?" he asked.

I had Abby lean against the side of my body as my arm went around her waist. "Let's just get her home," I replied to Adonis before taking small steps towards him with a single prayer on my mind.

I prayed that things won't get worse from thereon.

~

"Are you sure you can walk on your own?" I asked Abby after we took a few steps towards my house.

"Yes," I could almost hear her grit her teeth.

No word from me, I looked behind me to see if Adonis had left.

He was still there, watching the both of us as if he were a mother trailing her child's first step into kindergarten.

"Do you have something you want to eat when we get inside?" I asked her because I knew it was going to be a long day, especially for her.

Abby looked towards me and smiled- her first smile since the incident. She then said, "I would love some pizza and ice cream. Can we order some?"

"That is not going to be an issue." My hand reached out for hers again and we hastened our pace towards the entrance some more.

Once in front of the familiar door, someone was waiting for us.

"Jake," I called.

"Where have you been all day?" The boy wore worry all over his body as he moved closer to us. "I didn't see you guys in school today at all. Is something wrong?"

I fished for the house key in my school bag that was stylishly hung over my shoulders because Abby's bag took up more space on my back.

Once the metallic object was in my hand, I did the needful.

We all went in, I locked the door and directed the both of them to my room.

After I ordered Abby's pizza and ice cream, I texted my parents that I was at home with my friends and then, I settled on the rug with Abby and Jake.

"Can someone please explain the awkwardness in the air? It feels like something terrible happened," Jake voiced his concern again and then he finally saw the marks on Abby's body. His eyes widened but words didn't leave his mouth.

"Ruby..." Abby faced me. "I need to take a quick bath."

"Definitely." I hurriedly got up and helped her to her feet. "I will get a change of clothes for you."

Jake became temporarily invisible as Abby walked into the bathroom and I, towards the wardrobe.

"Seriously, guys, what is the meaning of this? Abby has bruises all over her, what is going on?" the boy asked again.

I grabbed the first pair of pyjamas I saw and joined Abby in the bathroom. Once inside, Abby held onto my arm with a tight grip.

"I don't want to tell him, Ruby," she whispered.

"Abby, I don't even know what this is about. But I get why you wouldn't want Jake to know about what I saw today."

"I won't be able to face him at all. I just-"

The door flung open and Abby held onto me as though something worse than death was about to take her away.

"What happened today?" Jake asked, his eyes asking more questions.

"Jake..."

"I know this is about something very serious, I can tell that much. So please, tell me what's going on," he cut me short before I could say anything.

"What good will knowing about it do?" Abby suddenly asked. "Do you really think you want to know about what happened? I don't want to tell you guys but you keep pushing me to. Will you be able to handle it? Huh?"

Jake and I shared a look. After a sad exhale left my lips, I said, "We might not be able to handle it, but we are willing to help you in whatever way we can. Please, Abby, please, tell us what is going on."

"But..." her voice quivered and tears began to form in her eyes. "But, you guys won't see me the same way."

"Abby," Jake took a step forward, " just tell us about it."

"I... Okay." A gasp escaped me when Abby suddenly sat on the floor. Abby looked up at Jake and me and said, "Well, have your freaking seats."

I hid my smile at her ability to be comical despite the situation. As soon as Jake and I were seated opposite her, she cleared her throat, wiped the tears clouding her eyes, and resumed her talk.

"As you both know, I entered my recent artwork for the scholarship program for the Art School. Well, that program is the reason I am at this point in my life." Abby scoffed instantly.

"Actually, I am the reason I am here. I let the sense of insecurity and lack of confidence get the best of me. After the applicants got shortlisted, I saw the work other people submitted. I saw works better than mine. Then, I felt timid, and I began to doubt my ability. When the theme for our second submission was announced, I went to meet Mr. Grassi for any help he could render. I was willing to do anything as long as I got the scholarship. As long as getting out of that goddamn house was certain, I was going to do it."

My hands drew into a tight fist. I already knew in what form that help came but I knew there was something more to it.

"Mr. Grassi said he had friends from the school. Friends that could help me get the position as long as I did one simple thing." I noticed her eyes falling to the ground, and her hands suffered more pressing as each finger toyed with the other. "During breaks, I had to visit him and-" She swallowed hard. "I had to visit him and offer myself to satisfy his sexual needs."

I closed my eyes as the tear-jerking scene from earlier came into my mind. My fists tightened so much, I began to feel dizzy. When my eyes opened, I saw that Jake had his eyes shut as well, his jaws were clenched as hard as they could be.

"I only found out recently that he didn't really have friends in the school as he claimed. According to him, I was just a thing he was having fun with. . I confronted him and he beat me up so bad, I couldn't move till the morning. He dropped me off at school and I went to the nurse's office, got treated, and here we are."

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I thought of the pain she must have been in. More tears fell when it occurred to me that she was trying to be so strong, that she was willing to keep all of that to herself.

She was doing it at that very moment. She was trying not to cry and I hated that.

Something terrible had happened to her. She deserved to let her pain show, she had every right to wail till she woke up the freaking neighbours.

"Ruby, this is all my fault, isn't it?" Abby asked.

I shifted towards her swiftly. "How dare you say that? It is not your fault at all. Abby, please, stop hurting yourself."

"But-" Her arms went around my neck as I pulled her into a hug. "Ruby..." I could hear the incoming tears in her voice.

"Let it all out, Abby, let it all out," I cooed as my hands patted her.

A few seconds later, her head was buried in my shoulder and all she did was cry. She cried so hard, I began to cry too. I could feel her pain, I could decipher her anguish. And I began to wish that I was there for her when all of that was going on. I might have not known the full situation but if only I was there for her more often to give her hugs or just make her a little bit happy, maybe the story will be different.

"I'll be right back," Jake said gruffly as he got up suddenly.

"Where are you going, Jake?" I asked him.

"To teach that man a lesson."

"Wait, what? What do you plan to do? Jake!" He was already gone and my worries went with him. A part of me actually didn't want to care about Jake's plan but there was a chance he could make things worse.

And with everything going on these days... Things can indeed get way worse.