Part
I
Chapter
1
Ready for this week’s
classes to end, Ruby Hood let the list on her latest mix tape play through her
head aimlessly. Doodling in her notebook, she thought about the dance tomorrow
night. The perfect black dress hung in her closet, waiting to be worn. And her
Grandmother had lent her beautiful diamond teardrop earrings... Lost in thought,
she didn’t hear her name, the first time or the second, but she did feel the
pencil tip in her back, “What the…” She whispered, craning her neck to look at
her best friend, Lily Fair.
“Pssst
… Rue … question time.” Lily whispered. “You’re up.”
“Ruby,
as I just asked, twice, what’s your take on the motivations of the main character
Scarlett?” The literature teacher, asked through clenched teeth.
“Well, Mrs. Armstrong, I think she’s motivated
by anger and resentment at being left alone to fend for herself, but it has
made her a stronger and better person, even if she has yet to realize it,” Ruby
rattled off, sitting a taller and giving her teacher an award-winning smile
which reached all the way up to her dark almond shaped eyes. Ruby had a slight
obsession, some called it an unnatural love of books, but she loved finding
solace in other fictional worlds. Worlds where she often felt more comfortable
than in her own. Even in the honors class, kids were struggling with the
assigned pages every night, but not Ruby. She read for fun, often time for many
hours night. As a result, she knew the answers to every possible Gone with the
Wind question before they were asked.
“That’s
a great analysis, Ruby.” Mrs. Armstrong said before she turned to write all of
Ruby’s points on the board.
“Book
nerd,” Lily added in a low whisper that only Ruby could hear.
“And who would you cheat off if I weren’t?”
Ruby twisted around and gave her friend a wink.
“Too
true,” Lily said, sticking out her tongue at her friend and stifling her giggles.
The
bell rang, before Mrs. Armstrong could finish the notes on the board. Neither
the bell or the weekend’s Homecoming festivities deterred her from trying to
power through her lecture. She shouted over the frenzied hustle and bustle of restless
honors students, gathering their things and headed toward the door. Finally,
she gave up, as Ruby walked passed, “Miss Hood, a moment, please?”
“Of
course,” Ruby said, stepping out of the way as she pushed back a stray blonde
hair, escaped from her ponytail, behind her ear. “Meet you at the car,” She
said to Lily as she passed, then turned back to her teacher, “Yes, ma’am?”
“That
was an impressive insight into the main character that you just gave,
especially only 600 pages in. How do you like Gone with the Wind so far?”
“Well,
I’ve actually read it three times. The first time I was intrigued. I definitely
enjoyed it more the second time, but it wasn’t until the third time, I actually
picked up some subtle foreshadowing. It’s well-written. A classic. I love it,
especially the overall plot and character development. Plus, the author wrapped
it up nicely at the end.” Ruby said, her dark eyes met Mrs. Armstrong’s gaze.
“You’ve
read Gone with the Wind three times?”
Mrs. Armstrong asked, flabbergasted. You’ve read a 960-page book three times already? The rest of the
class is on page 600 but you’ve read it three
times?”
“Yes,”
Ruby said, nodding, then shrugged. “I liked it, so I kept reading and
rereading. The third time, I was mostly bored…and needed something to read.”
“Well,
I’m sorry you’re bored.” Mrs. Armstrong’s shoulders slumped in defeat, pushing
a stray lock of her mousey brown hair out of her eyes. “I’ll make sure you always
have something else to read and maybe some enrichment assignments for you. Now,
enjoy Homecoming and have a nice weekend, Miss Hood,” Mrs. Armstrong replied,
turning her attention back to the paperwork on her desk.
“Perfect,
thanks. Have a nice weekend, Mrs. Armstrong,” Ruby said, giving her teacher a
quick wave over her shoulder as she left the room. She wove her way through the
seas of students in the halls and finally out the doors of the Main building
and into the pit.
Woodsville Senior High lay sprawled out below her. The
Main building, the first building, was built before central air was thing. The
sweltering hotbox housed the English, PE, band, science departments, as well as
a few electives. As Woodsville grew in the 70s, the Annex building, was added
to house the history, math and foreign language departments. The in the early
80s, a need arose for trade and art classes, so a local wealthy donor built the
Olin Building. In between all the buildings sat the parking lot, or The Pit, as
it was referred to by every student, teacher and resident of Woodville.
Keyed up about the weekend Homecoming festivities, restlessness
had plagued the 3,500 students and all of the faculty on the campus of
Woodville High all week. Tonight’s big game pitted the Woodsville High Cougars against
its No. 1 rival, Hickory Grove Beavers. Personally, Ruby just wanted to watch
the game, but Lily had conned her into going stag to the dance the following
night and she had to admit, she was a tiny bit excited about getting dressed up.
A sudden breeze picked up, Ruby’s eyes were drawn to the
Wood off on the distance on the other side of the school. Goose flesh erupted
over her bare arms, but she sighed and shook it off. Cool breezes were in the
air, fall was coming.
Shielding
her eyes with her hand, she scanned The Pit for Lily. At WHS, books were kept
in the trunks of cars once you could drive. It was way better than a locker.
Much more centrally located, plus you got to see your friends and cute boys
between classes. Ruby nodded and waved to a few folks as she made her way to
Lily’s drove a small beat up red thing that back fired every time she came to a
stop. It really was a riot. Plus, it got them from point A to point B, most of
the time. And it was better than sharing your mother’s station wagon with fake
wood paneling.
“How’d it go, Rue?” Lily’s brown eyes danced
as she watched her friend approach.
“Promised
me a revised reading list and an accelerated list of assignments,” Ruby said
softly, shrugging.
“Oh
Rue, you are my favorite dorky, book girl,” Lily laughed as she pulled out a
small mirror to check her reflection. Today her red hair was tucked in a messy
bun on top of her head to hide her unruly curls. Always worrying about her
appearance, Lily brushed some powder on her face in an attempt to hide her
freckles, then dabbed some concealer on a barely noticeable pimple on her chin.
Finally, she glanced down and straightened her white T-shirt and gray flannel,
which happened to match her gray Vans. “I’m just glad someone’s here to keep
the teachers in check,”
“I
just want my ed…gi…mi…cation, man,” Ruby said, with a laugh, “these teachers
owe me that. And you look gorgeous darling,” shaking her head at Lilly’s
beautification.
“Wouldn’t
want you to be without a book. Sheesh!” Lilly huffed dramatically, glancing
once more in the mirror.
“I
know, right? Now you see my point,” Ruby said, checking her ponytail over
Lily’s shoulder, and tucking loose hairs behind her ears. She glanced down, bent
over to retie her black Converse sneakers, then smoothed her t-shirt as she
stood.
“Hey,
did you hear about that homeless man they found near the train tracks on the
edge of the Wood? I heard he was all mangled. They think he might have been
attacked by a bear,” Lily said, raising her eyebrows. “A bear, Rue…a bear…in
the Wood. I know you and Grams are nature lovers but promise me you’ll be
careful. I couldn’t handle it if my bestie got mangled by a bear.”
“Now,
just stop that. You know there haven’t been any bears anywhere near Woodville
or the Wood in over a hundred years. Plus, you know the Hood family cabin is
out there. Grams keeps an eye on everything that happens and believe me she’d
notice if a bear was hanging around. Besides, she’s such a busy body, everyone
would know if bears were running amuck. Any sort of woodland creature could
have mangled his body after he died of perfectly natural causes, like a raccoon
or a vulture…some sort of scavenger.” Ruby’s argument seemed logical. “The Wood
is perfectly safe. I’m sure of it.”
“You’re
going this weekend, aren’t you? Even with the dead man?”
“It’s
the Fall Equinox on Sunday. Grams and I are hiking every year…it’s a thing.”
Ruby said with a shrug, “It’ll…we’ll be fine.”
“Promise
me you’ll be careful,” Lilly insisted.
“Always,
plus I’ll be with Grams,” Ruby said.
“If
you say so,” Lilly said, softening slightly before she slammed the trunk closed
and linked her arm through Ruby’s. “Now, come on, let’s get this last class
over with.”
“For
real. History class, then onto Homecoming shenanigans,” Ruby agreed as the pair
made their way up the steps into the air-conditioned Annex building. Weaving and
winding, the they made their way down the crowded corridor.
HEEEEEYYYYY,
COUGARS! ARE YOU READY FOR A FIGHT TONIGHT?” A cheerleader’s voice echoed
through the halls.
Locker
pounding, and whistles filled the hallways in response, followed by shouts and
cheers of excitement. Lilly and Ruby glanced at each other. Sometimes friends
only needed a look. They knew who the screeched belonged to, and if they faked
left now, they might get out unscathed…
“GIRLS!”
The cheerleader shouted as they turned away. The pair stopped in their tracks,
plastered fake smiles on their faces and turned around.
“Hi,
Kayla,” Ruby said to the “it” girl of Woodsville High. Most girls went through
an awkward stage in high school, but not Kayla Wolf. She exuded the confidence
of a woman, not a gawky teenager. Most girls looked up to her and wanted to
just be noticed by her; while most of the boys just wanted her. As if that
wasn’t enough, her family was the wealthiest in town and her father was the
mayor. “Girls,” Kayla purred, leaning in to give them super fake air kisses
with her perfect pouty lips. Her cheerleading uniform hugged her body better
than it should have. “Are you excited about this weekend?”
“Of
course,” Ruby said, “who isn’t?”
“True
and good,” Kayla said. With a saccharine smirk firmly in place, she smoothed
her perfectly layered long black hair. “I assume you’re still planning to stay
after school and help with the signs for the game tonight?”
“Yep,”
Ruby answered. “Mrs. White’s room after school, right?”
“Yes.
And then you’ll also be responsible for bringing the signs to the stadium
tonight by 6:00 p.m., okay?”
“Yep,”
Ruby said as the girls nodded in unison.
“You
guys are the best,” Kayla said, patting them both on the head like obedient
puppies before she headed off to shout at some other poor unlucky souls at the
end of the hallway. “Heeeeeeey Cougars!”
“UGH!
She makes my head hurt,” Lily said as they trudged off in the direction of
their last class.
“For
real, but that smug ego is new…a pat of the freakin’ head, is she for real?”
Ruby said, cringing.
“So
demeaning…and she doesn’t discriminate.” Lily added as they continued toward
history class. “Dad is mayor. Mom is a well-known interior designer. Twin
brother is incredibly handsome. Anything and everything you could possibly
dream of at your fingertips. Must be nice to be a Wolf.”
“I guess, although, I’ll be honest, I’m glad
I’m in no way related to Kellan. I have way too many inappropriate thoughts
about him.” Ruby said, with a mischievous smile.
“Aaahhh…Kellan,”
Lily sighed, and they walked in silence the rest of the way, lost in their own
fantasies.
Kellan
Wolf made friends easily. The few that had an ill word were fueled by petty
inferiority complexes. As the star quarterback, he’d lead the football team to
a state championship last year, and everyone hoped he could pull it off again,
starting with a win tonight against the first ranked Hickory Grove Beavers. But
it wasn’t just his football skills, that had everyone swoon in his company, it
was the way he treated people. He made time to skate with the younger kids. He
donated his time and money to community projects. He was the type to help a little
old lady across the street. He was an all-around congenial guy. Plus, it didn’t
hurt he was uber handsome with a killer smile. The girls stopped short,
arriving at class. With a sobering look, Ruby waved one of her folders in front
of her flushed face to help calm herself down as they both cracked up.
“Come
on, let’s get this over with,” Lily said, grabbing Ruby’s elbow and leading her
into the classroom. All lecture halls at WHS were large rooms with tiled floors
and fluorescent lights. The standard chair and desk combos filled the room for
the students. The teacher, Mr. Brown, sat at the rickety desk in the front of
the room.
“Afternoon,
ladies,” Kellan said with a genuine smile that touched the corners of his steel
blue eyes, as the girls walked passed him. All of the football players dressed
up on game day to show unity as a team and pride for their school, but Kellan
looked especially sexy in his dark blazer and indigo silk tie.
“Hey
Kel,” Ruby said nonchalantly, pushing away her pounding heart and some slightly
romantic thoughts about him. She slid into the seat behind him with Lily taking
the seat next to her. Ruby leaned in and whispered, ignoring her friend’s mortified,
beet-red face. “Ready for tonight?”
“You
bet,” Kellan responded, turning in his seat. His intense gaze found her eyes
and the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, a wicked smile
underneath. “Hey, Rue, I need a favor…”
The
intensity of his gaze, and the use of her nickname, sent chills all the way
down her spine to the tips of her toes, but Ruby spoke steadily. “What’s that?”
“My
ah…lit grade…and maybe my history grade… is dangerously close to getting me
benched. I’m fine for tonight, but well there’s a big test next week. If you
have time and could squeeze me in.”
“Sure,”
Ruby said with an easy smile. She’d been tutoring Kellan off and on since
freshman year. They certainly didn’t run in the same circles, but they viewed
each other as friends, even flirted every now and again. Ruby was always happy
to help him out. The last time she’d helped him, he’s gone to her Grams and
chopped up all her wood. He was that kind of guy. “I’m free Monday or
Wednesday,”
“I’d
hoped you’d say that. A true life-savior, you are,” He said, never taking his eyes
off her, “Monday night? My place?”
“Monday’s
great, but not at the mansion. Let’s make it the library.” Ruby offered. Through
the years, she’d never had a problem with Kellan, it was his family. Both his overbearing
mom and super smug father gave her the creeps. Her Grams had told her stories
of back when her father had been alive, before she was born, her parents had
been friends with the Wolfs. Grams had never elaborated why they weren’t
anymore, so Ruby didn’t know all the details and she really didn’t want to. It
didn’t matter if they were old friends of the family, Mayor and Mrs. Wolf
weren’t very nice and she didn’t like them.
“The
library it is, away from the distractions of my family,”
Ruby
felt herself blush, “It’s not that…it’s…”
“It’s
okay, I try to get away from them as often as I can, too.”
“Sure
you do,” Ruby said, taking in the Kellan Wolf seated before her. She had to
admit, while he was the same, but yet different somehow. Older. Stronger.
Hairier. He made her heart skip a beat now, more than before. “You ready for
tonight?”
“Yep,”
he leaned toward her, letting his eyes linger near a second too long. “And I
intend to win.”
“That’s
what I was hoping you’d say,” Ruby said, holding his gaze, totally composed on
the outside.
“You’ll
be there, I assume?”
“I
never miss the opportunity to see you play,” Ruby teased. She folded her hands
under her chin with her elbows planted firmly on the desk, batting her
eyelashes.
“That’s
what I thought,” Kellan chuckled, obviously enjoying flirting with Ruby. “I’ll
give you a good show,”
“I
would expect nothing less.”
“I
do hate to disappoint,” Kellan said. “How about the dance. You going?”
“Yeah
and don’t be jealous but I have the best date,” Ruby said as she gestured to
her friend.
“What
she’s not telling you is she has a super-hot dress,” Lily added.
“Oh yeah?” He smiled at Ruby, but there was a
something else in his eyes. “Save me a dance in your super-hot dress?”
“I
could arrange that…” She teased, folding her hands under her chin with her
elbows planted firmly on the desk, batting her eyelashes. “…if you win.”
“Heartbreaker,”
Kellan joked and reached his hand to his heart, “Guess I’ll have to work extra
hard tonight, now.”
“Alright,
I’ll dance with you anyway,” she said.
“I
would hope so, but I’ll still win…for you…” He smiled one last time before
turning to face the teacher attention back to Mr. Brown, the history
teacher.
“I said, ‘MORE spirit!’”
Kayla’s voice reverberated from the back of the room as she ridiculed some poor
sophomore.
Lily
and Ruby communicated their distaste silently through eye rolls as the spirit
dictator moved from group to group critiquing the student-made Homecoming
signs. The she stopped right next to Ruby and Lily.
“Well
now, that’s more like it.” said Kayla as her lined dark lips curled into a
satisfied smile. Bending down, she ripped Lily’s sign right out from under here
and stood back up. “ATTENTION PEOPLE, OVER HERE! This is what a sign should
look like! Lily will be around to help you in minute. Make yours like hers.”
Ruby’s
brow furrowed as she sat back on her legs, her eyes wide in astonishment.
Kayla
bent back down, with a look to Lily, “Go. Go now. I need to talk to your
friend.”
“You
sure, Rue?” Lily threw Ruby a sideways look.
“Sure,”
Ruby nodded agreement, glaring at Kayla, who smiled sweetly at Lily then shooed
her away. Lily got up and walked across to the group of freshmen with raised
hands.
“Excuse
me, but who in the…”
“I
heard that you were talking to my brother in history class earlier.” Kayla
interrupted.
“Wait.
What? I talk to him every day in class,” Ruby said. Confusion clouded her mind
as she shifted herself out of the space Kayla had so rudely invaded.
“Stay
away from him.” Kayla’s steely gaze only added to Ruby’s confusion.
“Whoa…look
here…I don’t know what you’re talking about. We sit next to each other in class.
I tutor him…we make casual conversation … it’s not like we go on dates,” Ruby
said, cocking her head as she raised an eyebrow. “And if that were the case, it wouldn’t be
any business of yours.”
“I
said NO and that’s all you need to know,” Kayla said, getting up. She smoothed
her cheerleading uniform skirt, wearing her best phony smile.
“Now
just you wait a minute there, sister!” Ruby said. She stood up to her full
height of five feet, six inches, squared her shoulders, looking up into Kayla’s
mean eyes. Her voice steady when she spoke, “I have no idea what you’re talking
about. Again, we’re friendly. We sit next to each other. I tutor him. I say
hello and I’m not going to stop, so get over it.”
“Look,
little Hood, things change. People change and believe me when I tell you it’s
no longer in his best interest to hang out with you. And he’s way too kind to
say anything, so I will. That’s what sisters do.”
“Take
your self-important inflated ego and shove it. Some of these kids may be afraid
of you, but I’m not. I have no idea where this little snit is coming from, but I
can be the bigger person and chalk it up to senior Homecoming jitters. Maybe
you’re nervous about Kellan playing tonight, but that’s no reason to treat
others like crap, and I’m not even talking about me. I’m talking about all
these people here making signs. Jeez, how about a freakin’ ‘thank you’ or ‘nice
job’, but no, you have to ridicule them! They’re here on their own time to help
you out. As for me and Kellan, like I said, we’re friends … sort of. We chatted
and joked for three and half minutes today, not that it’s any of your business!
Nor would it be your business if I was putting the moves on him. He’s a big boy
and can handle himself!” Ruby fumed, causing people to look up from their signs
with curiosity. For a moment, the girls just glared at each other.
Kayla’s
shoulders subtly relaxed and she smiled a stiff smile, like it was painful. “Oh
my gosh, Ruby. I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what came over me. You’re right, I
must be overly anxious about tonight. I just want everything to be perfect for
my school and my brother,” Kayla said, attempting to place a comforting hand on
Ruby’s shoulder.
“Whatever.”
Ruby said, folding her arms across her chest, and taking a step back. “And don’t
touch me.”
“Awww…can’t
we be friends?” Kayla asked, somewhat insincerely, extending her hand in a
peaceful gesture.
“Hardly.
We’re nowhere near friendship, but I will be ‘friendly’ to you for the time
being. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a sign to finish.” Ruby’s almond eyes
narrowed as she took a seat back on the floor and finished her sign without
looking up.
Kayla
stalked off to the middle of room. “Okay everyone! It’s almost 4:00 o’clock. We
need to wrap this up, so the signs can dry. Now get home to get ready to root
our team on to VICTORY!” Kayla finished with her best cheerleader holler, and
he room erupted in cheers. Everyone finished quickly, placed their signs on the
desks, grabbed their belongings and hurried out the door, excitedly discussing
the upcoming evening.
“What
was that all about, Rue?” Lilly whispered. They were the last two left besides
Kayla and a small group of cheerleaders. “I’ll explain later,” Ruby whispered.
“Let’s get out of here,”
“Be
back in an hour for the signs, Ruby,”
Kayla said with a phony smile.
“Aye
Aye, Captain,” Ruby called with a salute and stalked out of the room.
