“Dammit, Ruby, I wish I could take away every bad moment you’ve ever had.”
“And there’s the cheap pick-up lines again,” she said. “Now what else do I need to know about the coveted Bay Falls High drama?”
“Kait was Tinsley’s sister.”
“What?” Ruby yelled. “That bitch had a sister and never told me?”
“Calm down,” I said. “It’s not like that. She didn’t know. Remember when I told you I already did the comparison thing?”
“Yeah…”
“It was with Tinsley.”
“What?”
“When Tinsley moved here, the three of us… me, Pres, and Barr… we all had our feelings for her. And it was up to Tinsley to figure out what she wanted. And there was something about her that just hit me hard. Tinsley’s father had a daughter with someone else. That was Kait. Honestly, girl, the entire thing is a mess. You can ask Tinsley for all the details. But I compared Kait and Tinsley and it didn’t end well. But with you… you’re just fucking Ruby.”
“Just Fucking Ruby,” Ruby said. “Can I get that as a name tag?”
“Yeah, sure, girl.”
“Kip… I don’t know what to do with everything you just told me. I mean, I understand you more. Which is good. I probably should have figured out who you are before falling in love with you. But everything I do is messed up anyway.”
“Look, we have all the time in the world to share stories,” I said. “And there’s nothing that’s going to change how I feel. I shouldn’t have left Gram’s like I did. It all just came down at once on me.”
“And you ran back here to ignore me and fight someone.”
“Comfort,” I said.
“Well, no more comfort then,” Ruby said. “I want to make you uncomfortable.”
I laughed and picked her up. I spun around a few times to make her scream.
She didn’t scream.
I stopped and she stared at me with a pissed off look.
“What?” I asked.
“Did you really just pick me up and spin me around like we’re in a movie?”
“Kind of.”
“I’m not that girl, Kip. I’m not going to giggle over something stupid.”
“Wow… you really have no idea how much I love you, Ruby.”
“I have an idea,” she said. “Now let’s get out of here. I’m supposed to be sleeping at Tinsley’s place tonight.”
“Oh. Right. I better get you there. Would hate to see you get into any trouble. Especially over me.”
I put Ruby down and she put a hand to my chest.
“Sorry, Kip,” she said.
“For what?”
Ruby threw a right punch that I never saw coming.
She hit harder than Chester did back in the ditch.
“Fuck, girl,” I growled.
“I told you I was going to hit you,” Ruby said. “I might be messed up… and I grew up poor… and maybe I am still poor… whatever… but never fuck with my heart again. Don’t ignore my calls or texts. Don’t fucking play that kind of game with me. Ever. Got it?”
Ruby jumped to her toes and grabbed my face to kiss me.
Then she walked away.
Down the beach.
Alone.
Into the night.
I licked my lips to taste her.
I touched my cheek where she punched me.
Fucking. Hell.
I smiled.
“Yeah, girl, I got it…”
Chapter 18
I parked right next to Gram’s car. There was obviously no more need to hide anything. Which was a good feeling. Ruby sat with a wrapped present clutched to her chest.
“She’s going to love it,” I said. “You know that, right?”
Ruby nodded and smiled. “Yeah. I feel like I have some family now. I mean, at least her.”
I reached to the backseat and grabbed a bag that read HAPPY BIRTHDAY on it.
“What is that?” Ruby asked.
“Something I got for Gram.”
“It’s not her birthday.”
“That’s the first bag I saw,” I said with a wink.
“You’re such an asshole,” Ruby said.
“Every time you say that all I hear is I love you, Kip…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ruby said.
We held hands as we entered the house.
The smell of tomatoes and garlic hit my nose and my mouth was ready to start watering.
In the kitchen, Gram stood at the counter holding a bottle of beer.
When she saw Ruby, she gasped. “Shoot.”
She rushed to the sink and poured the bottle down the drain.
“Gram, don’t,” Ruby said.
“No. I shouldn’t be… not around you.”
“Gram…”
“I’m sorry, Ruby,” Gram said. She looked at me. “Kipton.”
I laughed. “Ma’am.”
When she found out my real name, I was done for. But I told her - lovingly - that if she was going to call me Kipton I was going to call her ma’am.
So it was a little inside joke.
And it worked.
“I got you something,” Ruby said.
“What is this?” Gram asked as she took the present.
“Just something,” Ruby said. “I never really said thanks for what you’ve done here.”
“No need to thank me,” Gram said. “I just want you… alive and well.”
Ruby nodded. She didn’t smile though.
Was she really this nervous over giving a gift?
Gram tore into the wrapping paper like a little kid. Which made me smile.
When she saw the picture and frame, she let out a gasp and covered her mouth.
“It was Kip’s idea,” Ruby said.
“She took the picture,” I said. “Don’t drag me into this.”
“I saw you standing there,” Ruby said. “After the story you told us…”
“It’s beautiful,” Gram said. She put her hand over the picture. “You have a gift, Ruby. You’re going to make me cry.”
“Don’t cry or I will,” Ruby said.
“Me too,” I said. They both looked at me. “What? I’m a sucker for family love.”
“No you’re not,” Ruby said.
“Here,” I said to Gram. “This is from me.”
“Happy Birthday?” Gram asked.
“Kip is a moron, Gram,” Ruby said.
“Why did you get me something?” Gram asked.
“Kind of owe it to you,” I said. “You’ll see.”
Gram put the bag on the counter and reached inside.
She started to laugh before taking what I had gotten her out of the bag.
“How many did you get?” she asked.
“What is it?” Ruby asked.
Gram put two wooden spoons on the counter. Then she reached back into the bag for the rest.
There was a total of ten.
“Not sure what qualifies as a good sauce spoon,” I said. “I hope at least one makes the cut for you. And the other nine you can use to beat people up with.”
Ruby laugh-snorted.
Gram lifted one of the spoons and pointed it at me. “Come here, Kip. Let’s see how sturdy they are.”
“He’s rich,” Ruby said. “So it’s probably made out of some fancy wood that’s unbreakable.”
“Wow, thanks,” I said to Ruby. I got close to Gram. I turned my shoulder a little. “Okay… have at it. Think about all the things I’ve done to your granddaughter.”
“Kip!” Ruby yelled.
“Well, I wasn’t going to hit you,” Gram said. “But now…”
She smacked my shoulder with the spoon.
I jumped.
Gram then opened her arms and I hugged her.
Ruby’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped.
I took that as a sign that hugs from Gram weren’t readily given out.
Gram choose a different spoon and washed it and stirred the sauce on the stove with it.
“Dare I ask if you’re staying for dinner?” Gram asked.
“I would,” I said. “But Ruby insists on doing something.”
“Shut up,” Ruby said, punching me in the gut. “We’re all hanging out tonight. Down at the beach.”
“I’ll be surfing and telling bad jokes,” Kip said. “The usual.”
“And you’ll be sleeping at Tinsley’s?” Gram asked.
Ruby smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
I loved it.
All of it.
Gram knew we were old enough to do whatever we wanted to do. There was no real stopping us from anything. But the fact that Ruby respected her grandmother enough to play along hit my heart.
I slipped my hand into Ruby’s.
We said our goodbyes to Gram.
Maybe the drive all the way back up there was a little bit of a waste, but not for the smile on Gram’s face or the tears in her eyes. The picture and the wooden spoons. And for me - being greedy for a second - I couldn’t remember the last time I got someone a present and actually cared. All the cliché holidays were over bloated thanks to the bank accounts at home. The same old bullshit of a new car in the driveway or some exotic vacation. The same old diamond jewelry and fake smiles and forced tears for a good picture.
Yet a single picture in a frame meant more than the six figure car in the driveway.
We left Gram’s and on the drive back to BFH, I psst’ed at Ruby.
“What?” she asked.
“Told you you were great at taking pictures,” I said. “Now it’s time to do something with it.”
“Oh yeah?”
“You should take classes,” I said. “Or just start your own business. I’ll market you.”
“You’ll market me?” Ruby asked.
“I’m a great talker. I get what I want.”
“You realize people will probably hire me just to shut you up?”
“Exactly,” I said. “Everyone wins.”
“Kip…”
“I’m just saying, girl. Hey, maybe we can talk to Pres and that family friend who has the baby tigers… maybe you can take pictures up there. That would be really cool.”
“I thought you were against that?”
“I never said that.”
“You made fun of Pres and Tinsley.”
“I made fun of them for wanting a baby tiger,” I said. “Plus, I was just trying to impress the hot poor girl. You know, go down to her level.”
“My level? You asshole.”
Ruby punched my arm.
I laughed.
“You should learn how to use the camera,” Ruby said. “And take a picture of my ass as I walk away.”
“I’m in,” I said. “I’d take that picture and get it blown up and then I’d-”
“Please, don’t say anything else,” Ruby said.
“See? I can talk to anyone about anything and get what I want.”
“Just drive, Kip,” Ruby said.
“Anything for you, girl,” I said.
I drove in silence.
But I kept my eyes moving back and forth from the road to Ruby then back to the road.
She kept grinning.
And biting her bottom lip.
That meant she was thinking.
About our future.
* * *
The party turned out to be much bigger than I thought.
Not that we could control who came to the beach or not.
But it was obvious mouths were running.
There were three different fires going. Everyone spilt into their normal groups. Almost like the same old, same old stuff going on. Guys strumming guitars. Jocks throwing a football. A few of us surfing until the sun went down.
And when that happened, the vibe changed.
The drinks became something else.
The air had a different smell to it.
I ditched my surfboard and kept an arm around Ruby’s waist.
“Let’s get out of here,” I whispered to her.
“What? Why?”
“Fuck this,” I said. “It’s lame.”
Ruby stared at me.
“I’m with Kip,” Tinsley said. “Let’s go back to the guesthouse.”
“Why?” Ruby asked.
From the corner of my eye I saw some guy standing on a log next to one of the fires. He lifted his arm into the air, cup in hand, and he howled like a wolf. Then he jumped over the fire, crashing to the sand.
Everyone started to laugh.
“You really want to hang around for that, love?” Barr asked.
“Sure,” Ruby said. “Maybe I’ll jump next.”
“We can take care of the drink and stuff,” Pres said. “We own this place.”
“No,” Ruby said. “Fuck you all. No. What is this? Treating me like a baby? Really?”
“Nobody is treating you like a baby, Ruby,” Tinsley said. “Maybe the party stuff wasn’t a good idea. I said it wasn’t a good idea.”
“Oh?” Ruby asked. “Think I can’t handle a drink or two?”
“Whoa, girl, wait a second,” I said.
Ruby elbowed me. “Stop it. All of you. I’m at the beach. At a party. People are drinking. Getting high. Who fucking cares? It’s fine.”
“Listen to her,” Barr said.
“Thanks, Barr,” Ruby said. “And if I decide to enjoy myself, so be it.”
“Not like this,” Pres said.
“Stick to controlling Tinsley,” Ruby said.
“He doesn’t control me,” Tinsley said.
“Girl, stop it,” I whispered to Ruby.
She turned and looked at me. “Guess what, Kip? You don’t control me.”
Ruby walked away.
I looked back at Barr. “Thanks for that. Why don’t you go fucking text Mel some more?”
“Fuck you,” Barr said.
“Mel?” Pres asked.
“Mel,” Tinsley said. “Is that the-”
“Kip, worry about yourself,” Barr said. “And your girl. Look at her…”
I turned and watched as Ruby walked up to some girl. Lisa? Liv? Laura?
I only knew her as Lucky because that’s what I called her the night we hung out.
Fuck.
Ruby grabbed the cup out of Lucky’s hand and put it to her lips.
She threw it back and drank the entire thing in one big gulp.
“That’s not good,” Tinsley said. “I have to get her out of here. Dammit, Kip, I knew this would happen.”
I put my arm out. “Don’t. Let her go. She needs to figure this out.”
“Not a good idea,” Pres said.
“Then it’s my problem to fix,” I said. “I brought her here.”
I walked toward Ruby.
When she saw me, she threw the cup at me and backed up, waving her middle fingers at me.
I sped up and caught up to her, grabbing her by the waist.
“What are you doing, girl?”
“Showing you I’m fine,” she said. “This entire thing is just fine.” Ruby looked around. She bit her bottom lip. “It’s just fine.”
She grabbed my wrists and pushed me away.
It wasn’t fine at all.
* * *
Ruby stood on a log and put her arms up.
Whatever was in her cup spilled all over her right arm.
I stood behind her and shook my head.
I stepped over the log and touched her leg.
“Girl…”
She threw her knee at me and hit my nose.
“Stop it,” she slurred. “I’m jumping over the fucking fire. Are you fuckers ready?”
She screamed the words but nobody cared.
Half the party was already gone.
The other half were doing their own thing.
But Ruby thought the world revolved around her.
She dropped her cup to the sand and leaned forward to jump.
She let out a wwwooo! sound, shut her eyes, and fell forward.
If I wasn’t there to catch her she would have gone face first into the fire.
I walked her away from the fire and put her on her feet. She instantly collapsed to the sand, giggling.
I dropped to one knee and touched her cheek. “Hey, girl. This isn’t you.”
“Of course not,” she said. “Just look at me. I’m the mess you want, right?”
Her eyes were all fucked up.
I shook my head. “Did you text him? Did he show up?”
“Who?” Ruby asked.
“Give me your phone right now.”
“Fuck you, dude,” Ruby snapped.
I reached for her pocket anyway.
She started to swing at me, slapping me, scratching me, punching me.
“I need to know if he’s here,” I growled at her.
“Go away,” Ruby yelled. “I can’t help it. You fucked it all up.”
I looked her in the eyes. “Yeah?”
“You should have left me alone. Boom, Kip. Boom to you. Take a painting… of that…”
Ruby fell back to her elbows and put her head back.
A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped.
“It’s me,” Barr said. “We have to talk.”
I stood up and had Barr, Pres, and Tinsley around me.
“I’ll sit with her,” Tinsley said. “Handle your business and then we have to get her some help. For real this time, Kip.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“You remember that guy they called Taco?” Pres asked.
“Timothy?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Barr said. “He’s here.”
“And let me guess…”
Pres nodded. “Yeah. He’s not charging though. Brando told us. I knew Ruby wasn’t just drinking.”
“I have no idea what she took from him,” Barr said.
“Let’s go find out then,” I said.
I pushed by Pres and Barr.
The night turned red through my eyes.
‘Give me his fucking name right now.’
‘No.’
‘I’ll find out who it is then. And everyone will be sorry then.’
‘Oh yeah? Tough guy, right?’
‘Tell me his name.’
‘No.’
‘This isn’t you, Kait. This isn’t the girl that showed up here.’
‘Actually, it is. Ever wonder why I just keep bouncing around from house to house? Are you that dumb, Kip? Your parents played the nice card, so I did too. We all know how to get what we want.’
‘I’m stopping this from happening. You’re going to get better, girl. You’re going to get cleaned up and feeling better. This will be a memory.’
KIP: a bay falls high novel Page 18