A Dirty Game - Chapter Seventeen

Hey guys! If I'm being honest, after changing everything around in this story, on my USB this chapter is actually Chapter Twelve =]
You may have noticed the chapters are now longer, twice, even THREE times the length of the previous ones. So I may get confused when posting and submit the same one or one that's a few chapters ahead. I apologize for that, i just managed to catch myself on it the other day. I was glaring at the screen and going "Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!" for a long time. Imagine if you'd seen it! The whole thing would be spoiled.
You guys came through with the comments though;
Rach
JenniferAnn
Sasquach
Paige
Justine. A
and Laura - thank you so much! It's not much but you all really made my (ten) day(s)! Laura, I appreciate your criticism greatly, and I understand what you mean because sometimes I do veer off the track and I'm trying my hardest to change that xD

Anyway, enjoy!
~*~*~*
Ruby found Lauryn leaning against a table in the canteen, laughing with her boyfriend, Gray. As soon as Lauryn saw Ruby approaching her, the laughter died in her throat. She straightened up and exchanged a look with Gray. Ruby didn't exactly know what Lauryn had told Gray, but he flanked his girlfriend with a protective stance. He wasn't what Ruby had imagined as a chess club member; he was quite well built and his eyes were a testimony to his name. She felt sorry for judging Lauryn and Gray so quickly. She found herself with a sudden dry mouth, and she stopped in front of Lauryn.

"Hey" she smiled.

Lauryn gritted her teeth and raised an eyebrow. She obviously wasn't going to make this easy. And difficult it definitely was. Ruby hadn't apologized to anyone for two years and possibly longer; she'd never felt the need to. Now she was going to have to push her pride aside and say sorry to the only girl who was willing to pretend Ruby wasn't a first-class bitch. Braiden sure had a lot to answer for. He'd brought back her weakness for others, the thing that had got her in this mess in the first place.

"Lauryn, I...you might hate me right now -"

"I don't hate you" Lauryn interrupted. Ruby relaxed slightly.
"Ok, well that's a start. I'm sorry" she said, feeling ridiculous, even though she was standing straight, head held high. Lauryn opened her eyes wide and struggled for words.

"Are you...apologizing to me?"

"Yes, who else?!" Ruby snapped, all her patience burnt up by her embarrassment. She pursed her lips, worried that her little outburst might have jeopardized her whole 'mission'. Lauryn just smiled.

"Of course. Apology accepted."

Ruby sighed, glad that it'd gone smoother than she thought it would. She guessed she'd had Lauryn pegged completely wrong.
"It's just that I kind of need a friend right now, and you're the kind of girl that fits the bill" she grinned, sitting down next to Lauryn. Gray seemed to trust Ruby now and told Lauryn he was going to play football and leave them to their 'girl talk'. The two girls laughed as he ran off and the atmosphere was considerably less tense.

Ruby wasn't sure when she'd decided to apologize to Lauryn, OR when she'd realized she needed a friend. They were two decisions she hadn't made in a long, long time. She did know that it was under the influence of Braiden, damn his perfect, guitar- playing soul. He just radiated emotions, and they seemed to be sinking into Ruby's skin every time they touched. She was like a painting that had faded over the years, but was slowly being restored to its natural state. Lauryn turned so that she straddled the bench seat and faced Ruby.

"Tell me everything" she ordered kindly. Ruby paused for a second, not used to revealing anything to anyone and finding it quite weird. But looking at the innocence and genuine kindness in Lauryn's eyes, she let it all out. Everything. From Brody (though she hadn't meant to), to how she felt, to the previous day at her house with Taylor and Braiden. It didn't take long to pour her heart out to Lauryn, because when she was done, lunch was still only halfway through. She guessed her life, as dramatic as it was, could be packed up into twenty, pathetic, minutes. When she finally closed her mouth she was surprised when Lauryn flung her arms around her neck.

"Oh Ruby, I understand you now."

Ruby froze, and then slowly put her arms around Lauryn's back. It felt nice to be hugged after that cold dunk into the past. It was actually...a relief. When she pulled back, Lauryn was smiling.

"Why have you got that frightful grimace on your face?" Ruby asked, amused.

"Because you, are not a bitch! And I can like you now" she exclaimed, causing Ruby to laugh.
She looked over Lauryn's shoulder and saw Braiden sitting at a table with Romeo, Justin, Amy and some other guys. There were girls scattered amongst the group, and Ruby narrowed her eyes at the girl who sat by Braiden, laughing at everything he said. She felt a sudden urge to go over and peel the girl's face off, but didn't. She knew what she was feeling was just jealousy, but she didn't know whether or not she had the right to be jealous. Braiden hadn't yet made it clear, verbally, as to where they stood. She wanted to know, yes, but she didn't want to ask him and appear weak. She still had her dignity and her pride to consider. The girl flung her head back and giggled loudly (and over-dramatically) as she clutched onto Braiden's arm. He watched her with some concern, and mostly amusement whilst trying to get his arm back.
Lauryn, noticing that Ruby was distracted, followed her line of sight and saw what had caught her attention.

"Ruby, just go and ask" she said, laughing as Ruby jumped slightly.

"I will not. Besides, he's busy with that...wench" she replied, using the only word she could currently think of that wasn't a swear word.

Lauryn rolled her eyes and stood up, stretching. She wanted to find Gray, but she couldn't until she'd seen Ruby talk to Braiden.

"That wench, is in my English lit. class. She has a boyfriend."

Ruby looked up, watching Lauryn warily before she also got up.
She supposed she was more than entitled to ask Braiden about where they were going, relationship wise. She adjusted her skirt before sauntering towards the back table. The chatter died down when she reached, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She needed people to like her, not hate her even more.

Whoa, where did that come from? She thought to herself.

"Don't mind me, carry on talking" she smiled at the table, catching Romeo's eye and purposely glancing away. She had zero interest in him now, he was so pathetically in love with that wretched Kim. Almost warily, the level of talking began to rise again as everyone relaxed, and Ruby turned to Braiden. He grinned at her and patted the space beside him, on the opposite side to the over doting girl. Ruby folded her long legs into the space and turned to face him.

"Hey," he said and then leaned in to kiss her. It was only a peck on the lips but it brought a curve to her mouth. Everyone stared at them, shocked and confused. One girl, Hope, even had the audacity to look from Braiden, to Romeo, to Ruby, again and again, like a little girl stuck for choice. Ruby rolled her eyes while Braiden just grinned. They ignored the stares, and soon everyone slowly began to look away.

"Awkward" Braiden laughed.

"Not at all, I'm used to the stares, remember?"

"All too well. What's up?"

This was where Ruby felt she was about to make a mistake. She hated being portrayed as weak, and that was how her question was going to sound. At least, to her ears it would. She leaned closer to him, not wanting anyone to overhear.

"I was just wondering, where exactly, this is going?" She stated into his ear, coolly and quietly. He pulled back, raising an eyebrow.

"You mean us?"

She'd never before had to ask any boy this. She had always been the dominant partner in whatever kind of relationship it had been. She made a noise in the back of her throat, meant to convey that, yes, that was what she'd meant. He threaded his fingers through hers and shifted close to whisper in her ear.

"I was under the illusion that you were my girlfriend..." he shrugged.

Ruby felt more relieved than she should have. She let out that breath that she's been holding.

"Why would that be an illusion? I am your girlfriend" she smiled, all traces of her panic gone. He chuckled and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.

"And a damn fine one too."

Ruby rolled her eyes but she was having a hard time ignoring the tingles running up her spine. What on earth was happening to her hormones?!

"Hey Braiden!" someone called and they both looked up, only to be blinded by the flash of a camera. An asian-American guy stood at the end of the table, camera raised to his eye, grin plastered on his face.

"That'll be good for the yearbook" he called, as he sat down, nodding at Ruby. Braiden leaned across and fist bumped him, obviously not minding one bit. Ruby didn't either, and if felt nice to be acknowledged, for once, as a normal girl. As if Kyro (which was the guy's name) had been a signal, the table launched into a heated conversation about yearbook photos. A girl called Joey leaned towards Ruby and verbally dragged her into it, and for the rest of lunch she enjoyed arguing with people in a way that wouldn't end with hatred and violence. Only a few people agreed with her that they were the best, and the rest of the table were against them. She laughed at the way Romeo was on the opposite side; he had no reason to hate on yearbook photos because he was drop dead gorgeous, yet he argued like his life depended on it. She figured out that Braiden was the joker of the group when he had them all bent over, in stitches at his jokes about people's facial expressions. Somehow, that made her proud inside. When the bell for sixth period went, she realized she hadn't eaten, to her, it was a good thing. She didn't expect Braiden to pull her away from the crowd she now felt she belonged to. She spun around, laughing and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"What's up?" she quoted him from earlier.

"Your weight isn't what's up" he frowned, no longer in a class clown mood. Ruby blinked, confused.

"I didn't see you eat anything today" he stated.

"I ate with Lauryn" she lied smoothly.

"No you didn't. I was watching you two, a whole lot of talking went on, but no eating."

Ruby felt pleased that he'd been looking at her but annoyed that it had been more of a check up on her. "I wasn't hungry" she shrugged.

"You have got to start eating. You have such a beautiful body, you don't need to starve it. If you become a stick, what am I gonna hug and hold on to?" he chuckled. She hid a grin at his compliment about her body. He'd said beautiful instead of sexy, and little things like that really got to her. He put his arm around her shoulder and they walked behind the crowd to class.

"I'm not going to be like your other boyfriends. I actually pay attention to you" he seemed to promise as they made their way to their seats.
~*~*
When Ruby opened the door the next morning, Braiden was holding his arms behind his back and a broad, sly grin graced his lips. She watched him suspiciously.

"Behold...the marvels of Costa!" he called out in a dramatic voice. He whipped his arms out and in one hand were two cups in a foam holder, and in the other was a bag. Ruby, needless to say, was confused. She closed the door behind her, and fell into step beside him as they started walking. He handed her a cup and she sniffed it.

"Hmm. Vanilla latte" she grinned, taking a sip.

"Yes siree! And for m'lady, we've also got some buttered croissants, fresh from the oven," he handed her one from the bag. She bit into it and nearly dies at the soft, yummy softness of it. He laughed at her expression, taking a bite of his own.

"These are so good. What's the occasion?" she asked as they reached the end of her driveway. He turned and faced her, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh no reason, just you know...got my car!" he shouted excitedly. She choked on the food in her mouth, and had a coughing fit before she could properly react.

"Oh my god! Yay!" she cried, tears streaming out of her stinging eyes. He found this hilarious and was literally on the floor laughing. When she'd wiped her eyes and stopped coughing, she stood there and glared at him until he stopped laughing.

"Sorry" he grinned, and towed her to a...

"Bike! You said car!" she cried, frozen. It was parked just before the driveway started, in all its glory. He shrugged and had a sheepish look on his face.

"You say potato, I say DUCATI!" he shouted, unable to control his happiness. It was a beautiful bike, yellow and trim, made for speed. She admired it, listening to Braiden list all its details as she drank her latte. When she'd drained the cup, he still hadn't finished. She laughed as she threw the empty cup away, and covered his mouth with hers.

"Ssshh" she told him when she pulled away.

"You taste like coffee and butter" was all he replied, slightly dazed. Amused, she shook her head.

"Do you know how to drive this thing, or are you planning on walking to school?" she raised an eyebrow.

The challenge brought a smirk to Braiden's golden face and he pulled the keys from his pocket.

"Oh I know how to drive it alright" he said with a devilish glint in his eyes.
~*~*
In a daze, Ruby slid off the bike, her descent strangely elegant for someone who'd never been on a motorbike before. Braiden cut the engine and bounced off, adrenaline fizzing through his blood. He watched her struggle with the helmet and helped her take it off. He only had one for the moment so he'd given it to her to wear. She was more important to him. Her eyes were wide when he pulled the helmet off her head and he resisted the urge to smother her with kisses.

"That. Was. Awesome" she whispered. He chuckled and noticed that a crowd was beginning to gather around them. Most of them were guys admiring the bike, but there were a few girls too, admiring him. He rolled his eyes and took Ruby's hand and pulled her through the crowd, feeling her slowly come back to life. He led her to their empty form class and sat down at the back.

"I've been waiting for that bike since I was born" he grinned, biting into his croissant.

"I can see why, especially when it makes a roar like that" she said, still shocked by how fantastic the ride had been. She watched him take another bite and a thought hit her. "Hey, how did you get those lattes on the bike?" she asked.

"I parked in your driveway and then walked to Costa. After our talk yesterday, I figured it's up to me to get you to eat" he shrugged.

Ruby instantly got it. The sneaky little monkey had managed to get her to eat that calorie-laden croissant without even thinking about it. She supposed she should've felt angry or upset, but she couldn't bring herself to. It showed that he cared, and he'd gone out of his way to do it. Costa was a good ten minutes away from her house. Braiden finished his croissant and saw that Ruby was smiling at him, and he felt her hand clutching his.

"Thank you" she told him quietly.