Who: Ruby, Jasper & Amelia (NPC) When: Wednesday, Oct 18, late afternoon after school Where: Jasper and Gavin’s house Status: Complete
Inviting Amelia over to spend the night had been impulsive, but Jasper knew she was fine with that. She’d sounded excited on the phone that morning, anyway. He didn’t even ask Gavin if it was okay, Jasper didn’t think he would care. Amelia was over at his place plenty, and it wasn’t like she was very high maintenance. She’d been mostly taking care of herself for quite a while, and Jasper was going to be supervising and everything. Supervising meaning bugging her and letting her stay up too late to watch TV, but whatever.
He’d caught Ruby in the hallway to let her know Amelia was going to be over at the house and that she should come by to see her and the dogs. After school, Jasper had to swing by his mom’s to pick her up, but that hadn’t taken too long, especially since Amelia knew to be ready and just come out to the car. Jasper didn’t want to talk to Olivia in the slightest, and thankfully he didn’t have to. He didn’t need her additional bullshit on top of what he’d already endured that day.
Once she was in the car, he told Amelia that Ruby was going to come hang out with them and the dogs for a while. She hadn’t really seen Amelia for a couple of years, and Jasper thought she was going to be pretty amazed at how grown up she’d gotten. He drove them back to the house with the music up, grooving with his little sister and the windows down and settling into a better mood.
When Ruby didn’t have work after school, the last thing she wanted to do was sit at home and do nothing, so she jumped at the chance to hang out with Jasper. It felt like months since they’d spent some real time together, even if she knew that wasn’t true, though it had definitely been years since she’d hung out with Amelia. It didn’t feel like school passed all that quickly, but then when she saw Jasper’s sister, it felt like the time that had passed was very short. She’d just been starting kindergarten when they’d been starting high school. Ruby could remember when she’d been in diapers, so it all felt too fast.
She went by the garage and let her dad know where she’d be, then headed on over to Jasper’s waiting out front for him to get back to the house. It was a little weird to be at his dad’s house, but she thought it was probably a good thing. Anything was better than his mother’s house at that point. It was too bad Amelia couldn’t come and live with them as well.
Amelia remembered Ruby just fine and she was pretty excited to meet her again, babbling at Jasper about school and her friends as they drove home. She spotted Ruby out front as soon as they reached the house and smiled brightly. It had been a while since Jasper let her hang out with a friend of his and it made her feel a little grown up and cool in a way she only really cared about with her big brother. "She's here," she said happily to Jasper as she waved at Ruby - as if he couldn't see her standing there.
“Yup, she is,” Jasper agreed with a grin. He pulled into the driveway and parked, feeling pretty smug that he’d had this idea today. He needed something simple and easy, especially considering how his afternoon had gone, and making his sister happy by letting her hang out with them was simple and easy. He reached into the back seat to grab the little overnight bag Amelia had packed, then got out and aimed a smile at Ruby. “Hey,” he greeted, moving in to give her a quick hug. “Told you it wouldn’t take long.”
Ruby grinned as Jasper pulled up, waving to the both of them as she leaned against her bike. She pushed off as they got out of the car, hugging Jasper first. “Perfect timing. I stopped by the garage first, so I just got here,” she smiled, then turned towards Amelia. “Look at you. At the rate you’re growing, you’re gonna pass me up soon.” Not that that would be a hard feat, Ruby knew how tiny she was, but it was still shocking to see how fast she was growing up. “You staying the night? Gonna go cuddle with those dogs?” She thought that was the plan, especially since Jasper was carrying her bag, but she thought Amelia might want to tell her anyways.
Amelia got up on tip-toe but she still had a bit to go before she'd reach Ruby, let alone pass her. Not a lot though so it made her laugh and she hugged the other girl around the waist. "Yeah, I'm staying the night," she said as she let go again. "We're watching movies and eating super unhealthy snacks and cuddling dogs for sure! Can you stay a while?" It was a school night so it was pretty special to be able to do this but her mom hadn't bitched about it and Amelia wasn't about to pass up a chance to hang out with her brother.
While they greeted each other, Jasper pulled his keys out of his pocket, glancing between them with a little grin. He didn’t have a lot of friends that he wanted to expose Amelia to, but Ruby was a good one. Jasper also wanted to introduce Jules to her, since they were getting to be a more solid Thing now. Plus, Jules had now met their dad, so she might as well meet Jasper’s favorite member of his family too. He let Ruby answer that for herself, and turned to lead the way up the porch to the front door to let them all in, hearing Max and Rude already scrabbling excitedly around on the other side of it.
‘Oh my god!’ Ruby mouthed to Jasper as Amelia hugged her. It really wouldn’t be long till she passed her up! “So long as you share some of those super unhealthy snacks,” Ruby told Amelia, following Jasper up towards the house. “Tell me there’s something with peanut butter in there and I’m sold.” Even if there wasn’t, she’d planned on staying a while. At some point she’d have to go home and do homework, but an hour or two wouldn’t hurt. “What movies? Something scary? Or funny?” She didn’t know what Jasper let Amelia watch, and had a hard time remembering what it was like to be that age, and what appealed to her back then. “Got dinner plans?” she asked Jasper.
"The Nice Guys!" Amelia said cheerfully and it was definitely not a movie her dad would be happy with her watching but it looked really funny and Jasper wanted to see it too. "We're ordering pizza, right?" she added with a pointed look at her brother. It was treat-night after all, that meant they could have pizza that wasn't the frozen kind. Ruby probably didn't eat that much unhealthy stuff since she was thin and pretty but Amelia was sure she could make an exception this once and Amelia would watch herself... later.
Jasper glanced between them and laughed a bit. “I guess we’re ordering pizza,” he said to Ruby with a grin. Which sounded just fine to him. He knew the movie Amelia was dying to watch probably wasn’t age appropriate ... but he didn’t care. She’d seen all kinds of things she wasn’t supposed to see, and Amelia was just fine. Jasper opened the door, and for a couple of minutes it was chaos while the excited dogs bounced around and greeted the two girls. They saw Jasper all the time, so he just got a quick sniff, but Max and Rude both seemed thrilled that Amelia and Ruby were there too.
“Sounds like fun,” Ruby laughed, shaking her head a little. There was no way Amelia should be watching that movie, but she wasn’t going to play the mean adult if Jasper was going to be the cool older brother. And a piece of pizza sounded fantastic. As they walked in the house, Ruby dropped to her knees to give the dogs some loving, laughing at they licked her face, both desperate for attention as they bounced between her and Amelia. “Such good dogs, yes you are, aren’t you sweet boy,” she said, rubbing Max’s belly. “I really need to get myself a dog,” she said, looking up at them both.
The dogs' enthusiasm was rivalled only by Amelia's enthusiasm because she clearly loved those dogs and she had boundless energy as a nine year old girl. "I know!" she squealed at Ruby. "Everyone should have a dog! I wish mom would let me have a dog at home, I want a puppy. Or like ten puppies!" She laughed in a delighted way as she snuggled Rude, wrinkling her nose as he kept licking her face.
Watching the dogs so many people thought were scary looking happily lose their shit over pets and scratches never failed to be hilarious, and Jasper grinned through watching everybody greet each other. He kicked his shoes off and moved into the living room proper to set Amelia’s bag down. He was of the opinion that she should just come live with them to get her dog-fix, but Jasper knew how unlikely that was. Olivia needed her to use as a pawn against Gavin, she wasn’t going to let her go. “You wanna take them out back for a minute while I order pizza, ‘Melia? What kind do you want?” It was still pretty early, but he knew from experience it was best to have food ready and waiting when females got hungry.
“Ten might be a bit much,” Ruby snickered, rising to her feet after giving both dogs some love. They really did make her want one, but she always worried she wasn’t home enough. Maybe if it could hang out at the garage while she was at school… “They probably need a quick run in the yard,” she agreed with Jasper, then turned towards him. “I’m good with whatever. I’ll only have a bite.” Well, a piece, but not much. Definitely not as much as Jasper or Amelia.
"When I'm older I want to work someplace like that old dog sanctuary," Amelia announced because ten puppies really wasn't too much if you had the house or money for it. "And you can eat more than a bite, you're so thin." Go figure she only ate a little, Amelia was pretty sure she herself was fat because she loved to eat and it sucked. Her dad called it puppy fat but she had a lot of friends who were the same age and were just as thin and pretty as Ruby so that wasn't fair at all. She ushered the dogs along with her as she headed to the back, more than happy to play with the dogs for a bit until their pizza arrived.
Jasper pulled his phone out as Amelia shepherded the dogs outside, shooting Ruby an affectionate smirk as he set his phone to dial the pizza place. He ordered a pretty simple one -- pepperoni and sausage -- and some extras, then hung up with them. He was sure it wouldn’t take too long to arrive, since it was Wednesday afternoon and all. Jasper shuffled over to the fridge and opened it, looking over at Ruby and cocking an eyebrow. “Thirsty? You want a beer or something?” Gavin kept plenty of them on hand, and if he noticed when a few of them disappeared at a time, he never said anything.
It suddenly occurred to Ruby how saying she’d only have ‘a bite’ might impact a nine year old girl and Ruby quickly changed her story. “I meant, I’ll have a piece or two, but don’t base your topping decisions on me,” she clarified, hoping that sounded better. “I could eat a whole pizza myself when I’m really hungry.” She shouldn’t, and tonight she wouldn’t, but she had before. And then definitely regretted it. A whole pizza was too much pizza. Once Amelia was out the door, she turned to Jasper, grinning. “Uh, yes please! If you’re drinking too, I mean. And your dad won’t miss ‘em.” Hers usually didn’t, but she had to watch herself with beer. It would add to her hips at twice the rate of pizza.
“Nah, he doesn’t care,” Jasper assured her. Maybe he would care since Jasper was giving alcohol to an underage friend in Gavin’s house, but oh well. Just a beer or two wouldn’t hurt. He pulled two bottles out of the door of the fridge and then nudged it closed, moving over to the bottle opener mounted against the side of the counter to pop them open. He offered one over to Ruby, glanced out the back window at Amelia playing in the yard, then gestured for Ruby to join him as he went to sit at the kitchen table. He liked being where he could hear his sister if he needed to. “So how’s it goin’?” he asked Ruby, giving her a little smile.
“Thanks,” Ruby said, knocking her bottle against his and taking a sip before grabbing a seat at the table. “It’s goin’ okay. School’s school and work’s work. Nothing new and exciting. But I did see your uncle the other day and heard the good news,” she smiled. “He came by the garage, lookin’ for some extra work. I think my dad gave him the job.” She was looking forward to seeing a little more of Aaron, and then thrilled about the baby, even if it would barely be there before she left for college. It was weird to think that every time she’d come home, it would be almost twice as big.
Jasper was nodding his understanding about school being school and work being work, then he stopped and looked vaguely confused. If Ruby was talking about an uncle, she had to mean Aaron, because he was pretty sure Caden had nothing to do with the Foxes, not really. “What good news?” he asked. Aaron having to get his old job back at the shop didn’t sound like good news, but he hadn’t heard anything about Aaron leaving the bar or anything. Not that he expected the adults in his life to tell him jack shit, but why did Ruby know some news about his family before he did?
Ruby kind of froze, the realization that she had put her foot in her mouth leaving her feeling a bit sick. She’d always thought of Aaron as a big brother sort, but was sure he would’ve told his actual family before he told her. Now she’d given away news that she was pretty sure wasn’t hers to tell. “Um… I probably shouldn’t have said anything,” Ruby said, cringing dramatically to emphasize how big the screw up was. “But he said his girl ’s pregnant. He was trying to pick up some extra hours to prepare for the baby.” Damn, that didn’t feel like good news when delivered from her. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Jasper hadn’t even known Aaron was seeing anyone new, but trying to keep up with Aaron’s love life was a job all on its own. He didn’t look too shocked or dismayed by the news, just making an ‘ohhh’ sort of sound and nodding. Then Jasper chuckled and shook his head. “Sounds about right,” he murmured, lifting his beer to his lips. It was only a matter of time before Aaron knocked someone up, he supposed. He shrugged to let Ruby know that he didn’t care all that much that she was the one delivering the news. If his dad knew, he hadn’t said anything to Jasper, but Aaron was such an airhead sometimes, it was like him to just go blurting it out to random people and not think about telling people in any kind of order. As it sank in a bit, Jasper grinned. “That’ll be my first cousin, cool.”
Ruby relaxed a little when Jasper didn’t seem terribly shocked. It had seemed like good news to her, especially with how happy Aaron had been, but it occurred to her that if he wasn’t telling people, then that might not be the case. Jasper would have found out eventually though. It wasn’t exactly something you could hide forever. “Right? I promised him I’d babysit, so long as I’m here,” she smiled, taking a sip of her beer. “Kinda wild that it’s just your first, with your family being so big. I’ve got a few. Actually, my cousin Alice just moved back home, so she’s around, which is cool. But no tiny babies.”
Jasper had known a lot of people who had tons of cousins running around, and with his dad having so many siblings it was kind of weird that he didn’t have any, but he and Amelia had always been the only kids. Jasper had wondered before if their shitty childhoods had anything to do with that. Aaron would be a good-natured dad, at least, and that counted for a lot to Jasper. “Oh yeah?” he said as he slouched a bit more and took another swig from his beer. He could hear Amelia outside, calling to the dogs and giggling, and it was a sound he really enjoyed. “How’s she doin’?”
“Pretty good,” Ruby nodded. “It’s really nice to have her home. I’m not sure how long she intends to stay, but it’s at least long enough to get an apartment of her own, even if it’s empty.” Even though she was a few years older than Ruby, it sometimes didn’t feel like it when they hung out. It was nice, since she didn’t really have a best friend when it came to girls. Lots of good friends, but she’d learned a long time ago that girls could be more difficult than guys. “How’re things with you and Jules?” she dared to ask, taking another sip of her beer.
Alice was around his uncles’ ages, so Jasper didn’t know her very well, but he knew she and Ruby were close, so that was pretty good news, he supposed. Having close relatives around was nice. He nodded a bit, then grinned slightly at Ruby’s question, a little proud of her for how casual it sounded. “They’re pretty good,” Jasper answered honestly. He didn’t think Ruby wanted them to fail as a couple or anything, but it felt kinda good to be able to give an honest positive answer. “She met my dad the other night, he came home early and interrupted us hanging out.” Jasper chuckled. “So that was awkward, but it wasn’t too bad.”
Ruby wanted it to sound casual. She didn’t want to sound like a jealous bitch because she wasn’t. Jealous or a bitch. But it still worried her because she didn’t understand it. She’d seen Jules use boys, and yet she couldn’t figure out how she was using Jasper. And if she really did like him, Ruby wasn’t sure what that meant. It wasn’t the Jules she remembered, which she supposed was good, but… She just didn’t want to see Jasper get hurt. He deserved some good in his life. “Interrupted you hanging out?” she asked with a little laugh. “Yeah, I can only imagine. What’d he think? Or her? I mean,” she bit her lip. “She’s not like the others.”
Jasper had to assume that Ruby meant his other girlfriends, and he supposed that was true. Jules wasn’t like them, and so far that was working to his benefit. She wasn’t an idiot, she wasn’t trashy, but she was still dirty as fuck, and challenging, and keeping him interested and on his toes. Jasper couldn’t get enough of her. But he knew Ruby probably didn’t want to hear any of that. “I dunno what he thought, honestly,” Jasper answered with a chuckle and a shrug. “He doesn’t really talk to me like that about anything. She just thought he was quiet. He actually spoke more than two words to her, I was shocked.” Rolling his eyes, Jasper took another swig of beer. “They didn’t immediately hate each other though, so that was something. My mom would’ve been a total cunt to her, I’m sure.” Which Jules wouldn’t have reacted well to, so it was just best to put that meeting off for as long as possible.
“Hey, two words is a big deal with your dad,” Ruby grinned. She’d known the Lucas’ forever, but she was pretty sure Gavin hadn’t said more than page worth of words to her over the years. Aaron tended to be her go-to Lucas after Jasper. Gavin was just Jasper’s dad, and he’d barely ever been around. “Quiet acceptance is acceptance. I’d avoid your mom like the plague. If she’s bitchy to Jules, I think Jules will be bitchy right back. Which, I mean, I would be too. I wouldn’t blame her.” There were just some situations where it was called for. Ruby accepted the fact that sometimes she just had to let her bitch flag fly. “Oh, I met your new neighbor yesterday. El-uh-dee? El-oh-dee? I’d say weird name, but I’m one to talk.”
“Yeeeah,” Jasper agreed with a chuckle about his mom and Jules. “They’re not gonna like each other, probably.” Which was okay, they didn’t have to. It wasn’t like he and Jules were getting married or anything, and he’d barely spoken to Olivia since he’d moved out, so ... whatever. He could date who he wanted, what his parents thought didn’t mean much. Jasper quirked a brow and smirked a little at the mention of Elodie. “Yeah? I met her the other day, gave her a ride in to school her first day. She’s, uh ... interesting. What’d you think? ... and shut up, I like your name.”
“Probably not, but that’s okay,” Ruby smiled. High school relationships weren’t forever, no matter what people thought while they were in them. She seriously doubted it would be a problem long term. “She’s alright. Kinda hard to read. I think she’s either a lot of fun or a lot of trouble,” she snickered. “She already had a run in with Victoria Chapman, who apparently dis-invited her from all parties, like she’s queen of the world.” Unless the party was at Victoria’s house, she really didn’t have a say. “And thanks. I like Ruby better than the alternative.”
Jasper nodded, because that had been about the same impression he’d gotten from Elodie. A lot of fun or a lot of trouble. Sometimes those two things went hand in hand, sometimes not. He had to laugh at the bit about Victoria Chapman, because that definitely sounded right. He’d hated that bitch since grade school, and as far as he knew the feeling was mutual. “Now I really want to take her to crash one of Victoria’s parties,” he said, amused. Jasper leaned back a bit to fish his cigarette pack out of his front pocket, then shook one loose to tuck it between his lips. He offered the pack to Ruby with a cocked eyebrow. “What, Morgan?” he asked, his tone teasing. He was well aware how much she hated her first name. “Don’t blame you.”
“See, that sounds like a blast,” Ruby grinned. “Just showing up to piss her off, break all her party rules. Whatever those are.” She and Victoria had never gotten along, not even as kids. She’d always been a privileged little bitch that bullied her way around with money and threats. Someday it would come back to bite her and it was a shame it hadn’t yet. She reached out, taking one of his cigarettes, and scrunched up her face in distaste. “Ugh, yes, don’t remind me.” It was an okay name, but it wasn’t her. It had never been her. She’d been Ruby as long as she could remember. The only time she was Morgan was when she was in trouble, and then it was the full name, Morgan Ruby Fox.
Jasper chuckled. “Yeah, fuck her and her rules,” he said, though he sounded pretty good natured about it at the moment. Victoria hadn’t fucked with him lately or anything, though he was sure she’d been delighted on some level that Jules was currently dating some white trash like him. Not that he cared what that stuck up bitch thought of him. Or Jules, for that matter. Just as he lit his cigarette up and slid the lighter over to Ruby, there was a knock at the door. “Sounds like pizza,” Jasper said, pleased that it had gotten there so quickly. He stood up and nodded toward the back door. “Will you call for Amelia?”
“Fantastic,” Ruby smiled, taking the cigarette out from between her lips and setting it back on the table with Jasper’s lighter. She could light up later. Food was more important and the pizza would be better if she wasn’t filling her lungs with smoke. As Jasper went for the front door, she went for the back, calling out from the back porch. “‘Melia! Pizza’s here!” As if they’d been expecting her, the dogs came running, almost knocking her down as they rushed through the door.
"Silly dogs! You're not getting pizza!" Amelia yelled after them because they were acting more excited than she was about it! She kicked off her boots in the dirt room and made a beeline for the bathroom to wash up. Being dirty was okay when she was outside but they were about to eat and her hands were really filthy from playing with the dogs. "Be right there!" She yelled at Ruby as she ran past her, singing softly to herself as she started rubbing at her hands with the bar of soap in there.
Jasper handled the pizza guy at the door, giving him a pretty generous tip -- he knew how it was to work for tips -- and chatting for a moment. He knew the dude, he sometimes bought weed from him, and it never hurt to exchange pleasantries. Once that was done, he brought the food back to the kitchen, giving a firm word to the dogs to stop jumping. Max and Rude obeyed, but they still stuck close to his legs as he got some plates down, hoping that he would share a morsel or two. Jasper knew they could demolish an entire pizza by themselves, but they were good about not stealing food now. “Help yourself,” he said to Ruby with a grin, loading his own plate up with three slices to start with.
Ruby knew she wasn’t exactly helping the situation with the dogs, but it was fun to be around such enthusiasm, both from the pups and Amelia. “Down. Dooooown,” she laughed, flashing Jasper a smile as he got them to do as he asked far more effectively. “Thank you. I’m starving.” Ruby grabbed herself a piece, then returned to her seat at the table, tucking the cigarette behind one ear for later. These were the kind of friends she needed in her life, people who let her be herself without judgement. Jasper and Amelia made things easy, and she tried to do the same for them.
Amelia could talk their ears off if they let her and she wasn't shy to do so with her mouth full either, sneaking the dogs pieces of pepperoni under the table as she rambled on about school and her friends, asking Ruby personal questions here and there. She didn't get to hang out with a lot of teenage girls, she told her as much. Her best friend's sister was okay but she never really wanted to talk to her sister or Amelia, not like Ruby and Jasper were doing. It was great, they were great and Amelia made sure to tell them. "You guys should be dating," she told them, reaching that conclusion after. "You look cool together." She gave Ruby an impish grin and kicked Jasper lightly under the table. They were just friends but in Amelia's world people who got along this well and were both pretty and looked cute together should totally be couples.
Jasper had thought maybe Amelia would want to watch a movie or something while they ate, but she seemed keen on all of them sitting together and chatting, so he was fine with that. He knew she didn’t get exposed to a lot of positive female role models since their mom was a heinous bitch, so it was probably good for her to hang out with a cool older girl. And Ruby was pretty cool. Amelia’s declaration that they should be dating made him huff around the bite of pizza he was working on, and he covered his mouth while he shot Ruby an amused look. It was just so blunt and like his little sister to boss them around that way. He was tempted to just let Ruby field that one to see what she would say, but that wasn’t really fair. “I’ve got a girlfriend right now, ‘Melia,” he told her with a little grin once he’d swallowed.
Ruby took a large sip of her beer as her eyes widened, not expecting that to come out of Amelia’s mouth. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of it before, but it just hadn’t happened. One of them was usually dating someone, or at least had something going on, and Ruby had always been a little worried that it would ruin their friendship. When it came down to it, she’d rather have Jasper as a friend than an ex. “He does,” Ruby chimed in. “A pretty blonde one.” Which was the best reason, even if it wasn’t the only reason. “And they look cool together too.” Since that was apparently what mattered when you were nine years old.
"You have a girlfriend?" Amelia said very loudly, her eyes going wide as she watched her brother like he was the worst traitor ever. He hadn't told her! "What's her name? What's she like? Can I meet her?" And most importantly, "Why didn't you tell me?" She might have tried to kick him under the table for emphasis but the dogs were in her way and she didn't want to risk them thinking she was mad at them for something. It took forever to apologize to dogs and they looked sorry while you tried and it was awful.
Jasper should have known his baby sister would be mortally offended that he hadn’t told her about Jules, but, well ... there hadn’t been much that was at all appropriate to tell her until very recently. Amelia was a pretty mature nine year old, but she definitely didn’t need to know about his sex life. “Uh, it’s a pretty recent thing,” he told her, amused and with enough sense to look a little ashamed of himself. “Her name’s Jules, she’s nice, and maybe soon, okay?” He glanced at Ruby, not sure if she would agree with the ‘nice’ part in there, but he couldn’t exactly say that Jules could be a heinous bitch but he liked that. Their relationship wasn’t very explainable to a kid. “She’s a cheerleader,” he added.
“And Homecoming Queen,” Ruby chimed in. Sure, she had her issues with Jules, but she wasn’t going to bitch about her to Jasper’s nine year old sister. If she was in his shoes, she’d want Amelia to like her girlfriend. Boyfriend. Whomever she was dating. Even if it wasn’t a forever type thing, life was just easier when your family liked your significant other. “You’ll like her, Amelia,” she smiled, pretty sure that would be the case. They did look good together, and she doubted Jules would be pissy with Jasper’s sister like she was with her.
Amelia had gone wide-eyed because a cheerleader and a homecoming queen sounded so perfect. "Were you homecoming king?" she asked excitedly and she could easily picture that, Jasper in a suit with some pretty girl on his arm. It made her feel a little jealous, knowing there was some girl he might like as much - or more??? - than her, like he'd spend less time with her now or something, but it was still exciting and very cool.
Jules was the first girlfriend Jasper had ever had who he cared about his family liking. He’d never brought very many of them around Amelia period, because none of them had lasted very long. He wasn’t sure that he and Jules would be any different, but he hoped so. At least for the months between now and graduation. He laughed loudly at her question and shook his head. “Nah, somebody else was,” he told her, grinning between her and Ruby. “That’s okay though, not really my thing.” He was more than happy to let Sebastian McCarthy claim all those crowns. “Maybe if you and her hit it off, she’ll let you wear her crown though,” he added, giving his little sister a wink.
Ruby laughed when Amelia asked if Jasper had been Homecoming King, unable to help herself. Jasper was, essentially, the exact opposite of Sebastian McCarthy in so many ways. More than he could possibly realize. It was a little wild to think Sebastian was Jules ex-boyfriend at this point. “Do you know Bastian?” she asked Jasper, mildly curious. Her eyes widened a little at the offer to let Amelia wear the crown, not sure that the Jules she remembered would let anyone touch her crown. Maybe she’d changed. Or maybe she was sweet enough on Jasper to want to make his little sister happy. Ruby didn’t know and couldn’t really ask, not without alerting Amelia to the fact that she and Jules weren’t on good terms.
Amelia was pretty sure she'd never be homecoming queen, ever. Her best friend might become one because she was beautiful and popular but not Amelia who felt a little awkward at best. She laughed at the thought of trying the crown though and maybe if Jasper was dating a pretty homecoming queen she'd give Amelia advice and a make-over and help her become cooler when she got older. "Who's Bastian?" she asked before shoving more pizza in her mouth as she looked between Ruby and Jasper curiously.
In Jasper’s humble not-at-all-biased opinion, Amelia could be whatever the hell she wanted when she grew up. She was going to be beautiful, he could see it in her face already, and if there was one thing they had good genes for, it was attractiveness. He wasn’t sure he wanted her to become one of the Popular Girls, but if that made her happy? Jasper would support her. For right now he just wanted his girlfriend and his little sister to like each other. “I mean, I don’t know him real well,” he told Ruby, shrugging a shoulder. “But we’ve met. He’s ‘aight.” It was hard not to know Sebastian McCarthy at least from around school, but he’d been cool to Jasper at Homecoming, so Jasper didn’t hate him. “He was the Homecoming King,” he explained to Amelia. “Football player, rich, really popular. Him and Jules used to go out.”
How well did they really know some of their classmates? Or even each other? It was something Ruby had started to wonder about lately, with Jasper suddenly dating Jules, and Sebastian being gay, and even Greg randomly trusting her with that knowledge. Ruby had always hated that people made assumptions about her without thinking about how she did the same to them. “Just wondering,” Ruby said, then added for Amelia’s sake. “He’s a super nice guy. One of those people that gets along with just about everyone.” Which was what mattered when it came to things like Homecoming King and Queen. She didn’t want Amelia to think it was unattainable for people like them.
Amelia listened, chewing on her pizza and feeling awesomely included. They were telling her teenage stuff, stuff Jasper had never told her and it made her feel pretty cool. "Do you have a crush on him?" she asked Ruby with a little grin since she couldn't think of why else she'd have brought him up. If Jasper was dating the homecoming queen, maybe Ruby had snagged the homecoming king, it made perfect sense to her, especially if Ruby thought he was 'super nice'. Ruby definitely deserved a super nice, rich football player.
“Who? Sebastian?” Ruby asked, not seeing that coming at all. She laughed and shook her head, properly embarrassed since it was her own fault for setting that up. “No, he’s sweet, but he’s not really my type. And I’m pretty sure I’m not his either.” Knowing what she knew, she was certain of it, but she wasn’t going to give Sebastian’s secret away. She’d promised him and Greg to keep her mouth shut, especially since this was more than just a little juicy gossip. “I was just wondering because I knew Bastian took Jules to the dance, but Jasper took her home.” Or something like that. Ruby wasn’t going to elaborate on the complexities of where they went and what they did there.
Jasper didn’t even know any secrets about Sebastian McCarthy, but he agreed that he and Ruby weren’t each other’s types. Appearance wasn’t everything, of course, but he couldn’t see her ending up with a guy like that. Sebastian was almost too nice, Ruby needed a man with a bit more spine, in his humble opinion. Besides that, he was amused by the whole exchange, and lifted his foot to nudge Amelia’s leg. “You’re really trying to play little miss matchmaker, huh?” he teased her. He shot a grin at Ruby. “I think you’ve got a future wingwoman here.”
"She should have a boyfriend!" Amelia told him firmly and it might have sounded defensive if not for the laughing. "Or a girlfriend," she added then, her chin held high in something akin to defiance. Her family was weird about those things but Amelia firmly believed people just needed to be with people they liked (and looked pretty with) no matter who or what they were.
Ruby laughed, caught off guard enough that it made her blush. She wasn’t sure where Amelia was getting that from, she’d only ever dated guys, but it was something that had crossed her mind a time or two. But there was no way Amelia was that perceptive. “I will find whomever I’m meant to find whenever I’m meant to find them,” she grinned. “I’m not going to settle for someone just because I’m bored.” It would not be hard to find a boyfriend if she really wanted one, but Ruby tended to want someone who was going to work for it. The guys she knew thought they were such hot stuff that she’d just crawl up in their lap. Not gonna happen.
Jasper knew that Amelia’s inclusive language was more from their family’s attitude around gayness than any direct suspicions about Ruby. Jasper had just gazed calmly back to that defiant look, a big-brother-y part of him swelling with pride that she was so solid in her own opinions. That was his girl. He nodded sagely to what Ruby said, because it was a good example to set. “Be choosy, like that,” he instructed Amelia, nodding at Ruby. Then he grinned a little. “In another fifteen years, anyway, when you're actually allowed to date.”
"I'm not allowed to date until I'm twenty-" Amelia said with shock, pausing as she counted in her head and then all but yelling out: "-Four?" She was almost ten which would have made the math quicker but she wasn't there yet. "You're only eighteen and you've got a girlfriend," she added stubbornly though she wasn't oblivious to the fact Jasper was teasing her. There wasn't anyone she had a crush on anyway, except for boys on TV. "I didn't even wanna date someone but now I'm gonna get a boyfriend just to annoy you." She crossed her arms and smirked at her brother.
“That’ll show you,” Ruby teased Jasper. Clearly twenty-four was too old, but nine was way too young. Was there even a point at dating at that age? She remembered being a little boy crazy starting in fourth or fifth grade, but dating didn’t come until later, middle school at the very earliest. “You gotta still be picky though, even if it’s just to piss of your brother. First boyfriend’s a big deal. Or girlfriend,” she tacked on, giving Amelia a little wink.
Jasper grinned, obviously pleased to irritate his little sister. It was part of his job description, after all. “Oh yeah?” he challenged her back. “That’s a good way to get a boy you like beat up.” He quickly leaned forward and reached for Amelia to start tickling her sides and stomach, his tongue caught in his teeth. He of course wouldn’t ever beat up a nine year old, but Jasper already knew he was going to be protective of her once she did start dating. She was the only pure soul in the family, really, and Jasper wanted to shield her from so much. But for the moment he just wanted to make her squirm and squeal.
Amelia shrieked when he tickled her and she should have seen it coming because he always got this kind of devlish look on his face when he was going to tease her in some way. "Don't! Beat up! My boyfriends!" She yelled between gushes of laughter, kicking and flailing without any regard for whether there was stuff around her or not. The dogs were more than happy to take care of the slice that went off table - the plate was a different matter. "Look what you made me do!" Amelia yelled but she didn't sound terribly upset about it, batting at Jasper's arms to get him to stop.
It was really kind of adorable to watch them, so Ruby just did her best to stay out of the way as she laughed. She saw a different side of Jasper when he was with Amelia, the protective big brother, but also a little bit of a big kid himself. She knew how much of a privilege it was to be invited in like this, not quite family, but close enough to get a glimpse of it. It was nice to see them both so happy, for things to feel so normal. She just hoped it would last.