by Sara Hantz
“I don’t want to know.” Blake tossed an angry glance in her direction. “He’s bad news. Keep away from him.”
If only it was that easy.
Ruby couldn’t explain it, but despite the thousands of reasons why she should do exactly as her brother said, something about Drew pulled her toward him. She didn’t know whether it was because she felt sorry for him on so many levels, or what. Not that she’d tell Blake that.
“But—” Ruby’s words stuck in her throat as she was thrown back in her seat when Blake suddenly swung the car to the side and pulled up to the curb, bringing them to a screeching halt. Her heart pounded in her rib cage.
“There is no ‘but’, Ruby.” Blake leaned across and locked eyes with her.
Ruby hated to see him this way. The day Reese died had changed him so much. Yet, Ruby knew that Blake and Reese weren’t even meant to be together. Their relationship had been constantly on-again, off-again, and they were always arguing. Blake had broken up with her many, many times, saying he’d found her too manipulative. In fact, he’d broken up with her again the day before the fire, so strictly speaking they weren’t together. But after she’d died—after sleeping with his best friend, mind you—it was like Blake had put her on a pedestal and had totally forgotten their split and all those things about her that he hadn’t liked.
Ruby had often wondered whether Blake would have reacted so badly if it had been another guy with Reese and not Drew. Maybe he was really grieving the loss of his friendship. Not that she’d have any way of finding out, because he refused to confide in her.
“I’ll try,” Ruby said, not wanting to upset him any more than he already was. She wasn’t prepared to commit to anything other than trying to keep away from Drew, because something inside of her wanted to help him if she could. There was a definite similarity between Drew and her father, who, after his accident, had grown self-obsessed to the detriment of everything else in his life. At the moment, Drew seemed headed down the same path. She couldn’t help but want to keep Drew from ending up like her dad.
She also wanted to make her brother happy, but Blake wasn’t exactly making that easy. Yes, he’d lost his on-again-off-again girlfriend, which was horrible. And yes, his best friend had betrayed him. But Blake still had his life ahead of him, with no disfigurement to deal with and no one’s accidental death sitting on his conscience.
She sighed, wishing that everything wasn’t so confusing.
“Good.” Blake broke into her thoughts, voicing his approval over her promise to try to stay away from Drew Scott.
The rest of the journey seemed to last forever. Tension hung ominously in the air like a thick cloud threatening to choke them both. Ruby deliberately kept her eyes focused on the houses they passed. Eventually, Blake pulled up outside the front of their house, and before Ruby had even undone her seat belt, he’d jumped out of the car and was walking down the path and through their front door. When Ruby finally got inside, she heard the door to his bedroom slam.
She walked into the kitchen where her mom was standing at the counter and her dad was sitting reading the newspaper.
“Hey,” Ruby said, the bright tone in her voice forced, as she didn’t want to alert her mom there was anything wrong.
“Hello, love. How was work?” her mom asked, looking up from rolling out some pastry. Ruby’s mom baked every day. She said it was her therapy. Ruby didn’t mind. She’d kill for one of her mom’s chocolate and banana muffins any day of the week.
“Okay. I didn’t make as many mistakes as on my first shift. And—” Ruby stopped herself just as she was about to mention what had happened with the drunk guy, thinking that it was best left unsaid. Otherwise, she’d have to mention Drew being there, and she wasn’t sure how her mom would react once she found out that he had returned to school.
“And?” her mom asked.
“Um. Nothing. Hey Dad.” Ruby glanced at her father, who seemed oblivious to her presence. He didn’t seem to be reading, either, just staring into space. “Dad?” she repeated.
He glanced up and grunted a greeting. Then he resumed staring at the paper. She guessed this was one of his bad days and knew better than to push things.
“So what will you do?” Tiffany’s eyes were wide as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her legs.
Ruby had met Tiffany before school started that morning, and they were sitting on a bench outside. She’d told her all about the drunk guy and Drew’s involvement and then about Blake turning up, hoping to get some perspective. Not that perpetually happy Tiffany would know how to handle the complex situation, but it made Ruby feel better to talk about it with someone she trusted. “Good question.” She shook her head and chewed on the inside of her cheek, wondering why she never managed to have a simple life like Tiffany’s.
“Do you still like Drew. As in like him?” Tiffany asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
“No. Yes. No. I don’t know,” Ruby replied, waving her arm in frustration.
“That’s covered all of your bases.” Tiffany laughed but not in an unkind way. Tiffany was the only person who’d known about Ruby’s secret crush on Drew last year. And the year before that. And probably the year before that. When he used to hang out with Blake at home, Ruby would invent all sorts of excuses to be with them. She was surprised they hadn’t ever guessed. And she was pretty sure they hadn’t, because Blake would have definitely teased her about it had he even the slightest inkling.
She remembered one Halloween the three of them had dressed up as pirates and went out trick or treating. Drew shared all the candy he had with Ruby, and at the end of the night, he’d given her his eye patch. She still had it in her memory box.
But that all seemed like a lifetime ago. And indeed it was. Were Blake and Drew ever going to even speak again, let alone actually hang out together?
“The thing is, I think I do still like him,” she said. “But he’s so different now. I don’t mean his scars. He’s a different person. You can’t blame him, though, after such a tragedy. Not that he wants anything to do with me. Which doesn’t matter, because Blake will never speak to me again if I have any contact with Drew.” Ruby jumped up, unable to sit still any longer. She kicked the gravel path, and clouds of dust flew into the air. “Come on, let’s go to class. Just talking about it is driving me crazy.”
They made their way toward the lockers, and on the way passed the science noticeboard.
“Stop a minute. I want to check which group I’ve been put in for the project,” Tiffany said. Instead of a midterm exam, the junior chemistry classes had to do group projects that counted for a full third of the grade. Ruby had forgotten that the group assignments were being posted today.
Tiffany scanned the board while Ruby peered over her shoulder, looking for her own name.
She’d always heard the expression “her jaw dropped,” but she’d never actually had that happen—until now.
Ruby Davis, Richard Kent, Jessica Peters, Bradley Rydell.
And Drew Scott.
“Crap. I’m in Drew’s group,” she whispered loudly. Tiffany turned and gave her a slightly pained but sympathetic look and then went back to looking for her group. “That sure as hell complicates things. I just can’t catch a break,” she continued.
Or can I?
As quickly as her panic had hit her, it subsided. Maybe being in his group wouldn’t be such a bad thing. It meant she’d be able to legitimately talk with him without worrying about what Blake might think. After all, her brother couldn’t blame her for being put in the same group by a teacher. It wasn’t like she’d engineered it somehow.
“Do you want to ask if you can swap with me? I don’t mind being in his group,” Tiffany asked as she stepped back from the board.
“No, it’s okay. I don’t want to cause trouble.” Ruby gave a nonchalant shrug. At least she hoped it came across like that.
Excitement bubbled in the pit of her stomach as she realized that in less than two hours’ time,
she’d be working with Drew. And three others, of course, but she could take or leave their presence.
“Have I missed something?” Tiffany asked, tilting her head quizzically like a confused puppy. Her eyes widened as she got it. “Ohhhh. Now you want to be with him. Why didn’t you say?”
Ruby laughed. Tiffany knew her too well, like she had a hotline to Ruby’s thoughts. But she had to be careful—if Blake caught on that she was happy being in a group with Drew, it could damage their relationship for a long time.
Drew crushed the empty soda can in his hand and threw it into the trash can a few feet away. Two points. At least he hadn’t lost his throwing arm. Probably the only thing that hadn’t changed.
He’d just left the cafeteria after lunch, where he had sat alone again. But he’d actually enjoyed it. The other students still gave him a wide berth, but they were growing used to him being around, so the whispers and stares had finally died down.
And he’d never minded being alone—it gave him time to be calm and think. Even being a loner at school certainly beat the constant attention he’d gotten from his parents over the last twelve months. On the odd occasion when they were sober, they hovered like two helicopters, wanting to know everything he’d done and would be doing and was even thinking of doing. His mom would even text him from the kitchen when he was in his bedroom. It drove him bat-shit crazy.
When they were drunk, which they were most often, they were the total opposite. Then he was only good for target practice, as they hurled a constant barrage of verbal abuse at him. They’d even told him that he had better get used to looking out for himself because no one else would, not looking like he did. Cutting, yes. But true. He couldn’t argue with what they’d said.
In his peripheral vision, he spotted Ruby, wearing a short green dress and heading in the direction of the science labs. He could hear her unique laugh as she walked with her friend—if sound could sparkle, her laugh would. He’d always thought she was cute, but in a brotherly sort of way. Since he was an only child, she was the closest thing he’d ever had to a sister. And she always made him laugh with her ridiculous, quirky take on things.
Seeing her on his first day back at school had shocked him. She had changed a lot over the last year. She’d gone from cute to hot. He loved the way her chestnut-colored hair framed her face and brought out her enormous, expressive brown eyes, made even more enormous by the fact that over the summer, she’d obviously learned how to put on eyeliner. And since when had she developed such long legs?
Crazy talk.
Blake would hate him even more if he knew what Drew was thinking. Plus, this was Ruby. She was kind, she was funny, and now, she was suddenly gorgeous. She deserved better than the likes of him—his parents were right to use the word “grotesque” on him. And even if there was the remotest chance that she felt something for him, no way would he ever make a move on her. He was never going to make a move on anyone ever again. He knew he had to pay for Reese for the rest of his life, and even that wasn’t long enough.
He forced the thoughts of Ruby to the back of his mind and kept on walking toward class, stopping to check the chemistry noticeboard to see which group he’d be in for the project. He’d gotten so used to wandering around campus like a ghost, refusing to interact with anyone, that he had no clue what it would be like to be forced to talk with four other people. Four people who probably wanted nothing to do with him. He’d even asked Mrs. Weatherall if he could do the project alone, but she’d just given him that pity-filled stare he was really starting to hate and told him no.
He scanned the list and found his name. Not the only name to stick out in his group.
Ruby Davis.
He’d been assigned to the group that Ruby was in.
Maybe he should ask to be reassigned.
Except he didn’t know if he wanted to be reassigned.
Chapter Four
“I still say let’s look at whether EMF affects plants and bugs,” Brad, one of the guys in Ruby’s science project group, insisted.
The science teacher had made them sit in their groups in the lab and start to brainstorm ideas. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done as Ruby’s group couldn’t agree. Everyone had different ideas. Well, everyone apart from Drew, who slouched behind his desk in stony silence, content to watch them all with those unfathomable green eyes. The rest of the group had tried half-heartedly to include him, but when he’d made it clear he wasn’t going to say anything beyond negative and affirmative grunting, they’d let him be.
Brad continued to argue passionately for his experiment, causing Jess to counter loudly that it would expose them all to microwave radiation, which would give them all cancer, and then Brad would have to pay their medical expenses. Ruby tuned out the drama, mainly because she didn’t need any more in her life. She glanced over at Drew as he pulled the hood of his black sweatshirt over his rumpled dark hair, his lean legs sprawled in front of him. What was it about guys acting like hoodies were some kind of protective armor?
Although for Drew, they probably were, since the hood hid the scars on the left side of his face and neck.
Ruby looked away, checking out the other groups, who all seemed to be getting down to business, judging by the air of quiet concentration that had come over all of them but her group. Then again, they didn’t have Brad, the walking, talking textbook in their group. Despite the fact that Jess was neck and neck with him for valedictorian, Brad still gave off the vibe that he thought he was smarter than them all. He probably was, except for Jess, but that didn’t mean he had to ram it down their throats. Ruby hoped that wherever he went to college, they’d make him take a course in interpersonal skills before he graduated and inflicted himself on the real world. She couldn’t wait for the end of class so she could go to Starbucks.
Starbucks.
She sat upright as an idea popped into her head. “I’ve got it,” she said, a broad smile on her lips. “Caffeine. Let’s look at whether caffeine enhances performance. In sport. In class. Wherever.”
And she was more than happy to be one of the volunteers. Right now.
“No,” Brad said, waving his hand dismissively. “We’re juniors, not in eighth grade.”
Ruby ground her teeth. She might not have his IQ, but there was no need to belittle her ideas. “I hardly think eighth-grade students would do anything with caffeine, since no parent wants to make their middle schooler even more hyper,” Ruby retorted. Normally, she wouldn’t care what they chose for a project, but Brad’s smugness brought out the competitor in her.
“I need a good grade for this project,” Brad said. “Which means doing something with gravitas.” He folded his arms across his chest and had a self-satisfied expression on his face.
“What?” Ruby spluttered. She’d always known Brad was full of himself, but really? “Gravitas. Who talks like that?”
“You know what I mean. We have to do something worthwhile. And there’s nothing worthwhile about testing caffeine.” Brad sneered, his top lip curling up.
Ruby could feel her stupid, sensitive face going up in flames, but she wasn’t going to be walked over. “I don’t agree. Testing the effects of caffeine is useful and worthwhile, considering a sizable portion of the US is probably addicted to it.” She resisted the urge to slam her palm on the desktop for emphasis. This was chemistry, not Law and Order.
“I agree. Let’s do it.”
Drew. That was Drew’s voice. Coming from inside Drew’s hoodie.
All four of them turned and stared at him in stunned silence. Jess’s heart-shaped mouth actually dropped open from the shock.
Ruby was the first to recover. “Thanks.” She grinned at Drew, but her sense of the two of them as co-conspirators disappeared as he quickly averted his eyes. Not stopping to think about why that hurt her feelings a little, she turned to the rest of the group. “Anyone else like the idea?”
“I’m with Drew. Let’s go with Ruby’s idea,” Jess interjected. Even though Ru
by knew she probably just wanted to jab at Brad, she couldn’t help but feel grateful that Jess had actually acknowledged Drew’s presence by saying his name. It was more than most of their classmates had done.
Ricky quickly nodded in agreement, and Brad glared at Ruby.
“Majority rules. Sorry, Brad,” Ruby said, trying desperately to hide the smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“It better work,” Brad said, just as the bell for the end of school rang. “We’ll meet tomorrow in the study section of the library thirty minutes after school ends and work out what needs to be done.”
Ruby was so high on her triumph over Brad’s ego, she didn’t even care about him trying to save face by ordering them to meet after school instead of asking if everyone could make it. And okay, a little bit of it had to do with the fact that she’d also managed to pull Drew Scott into the light, even if only for a few seconds.
Drew pushed open the door to the library, glad to have an excuse not to go home right away. The previous night, his mom had been really bad, even by her standards. He’d found her fast asleep on the bathroom floor, having fallen off the toilet. She had stunk so bad of vomit that he’d had to hold his breath for the entire time from when he had picked her up off the floor until he reached her bedroom, where he left her lying on her bed. On her side so she wouldn’t choke if she threw up again.
His father was nowhere to be seen, as usual, until he’d staggered in just after ten. Drew guessed that he’d spent the previous few hours in his favorite downtown bar, after getting off of work. If it wasn’t for the fact that his dad worked for himself, he’d have lost his job a long time ago. He owned a well-established and successful insurance brokerage, and Drew suspected that his employees covered for him much of the time so they could keep getting their paychecks.
Drew headed toward the tables in the back, planning to do some of his homework before the others arrived. Just as he turned into the study area, he came to an abrupt halt. He wasn’t the first to arrive. Ruby sat at one of the tables.