Who: Ruby and Clint (and Ruby's dad) When: afternoon/evening, Sunday, Dec 31st Where: Ruby's, then the marina Status: complete
It was New Years Eve, his last one of high school, and ordinarily that would’ve made Clint want to really throw down and party. But after the past few days, with all the nightmarish bullshit that had happened, Clint wasn’t feeling in a partying mood. Too many people he knew had been hurt or killed or disappeared during the fog, it was a complete downer. He was just relieved that his closest folks were fine. He was pretty sure someone in Overlook was having a get-together at least, but he hadn’t decided on what his plans were yet at all.
Since he wanted to see her again, Clint decided to confer with Ruby before he made any plans. After he’d gotten up and fed and dressed for the day, he stretched out on the floor of his bedroom and tapped his phone screen to call her. They were pretty much going out now, he was pretty sure, even if it hadn’t been explicitly said, and being with one’s significant other on a holiday like this was ideal. He just hoped she felt up to it.
Ruby was at home, laying on her bed, her thoughts unknowingly echoing Clint’s. Normally New Year’s Eve would be a reason to completely let loose, but since the fog--since the death of Jules’s step-father--Ruby hadn’t wanted to do much more than hold up in her room. She’d gone to work when she’d been scheduled for a shift, but had asked off for New Year’s weeks ago, when she thought she’d be partying with friends. A part of her hoped that Clint would call and they could go do something fun, something that might distract her from herself, but she was also worried he might pick up that something was wrong. She couldn’t hide forever though, so when she saw his number pop up on her phone she answered. “Hey you,” she said, her smile genuine. “I was just thinking about you. What’s up?”
She at least sounded like she was smiling, which made Clint smile in turn. “Hey,” he greeted. She might have just been saying it, but the idea that she was thinking about him made him feel warm in the chest. “Guess I’m psychic then. Not much though, just kinda chilling right now. How ‘bout you? How are you doing?” Clint figured he would make sure Ruby was feeling okay today before he launched into trying to invite her out to stuff for the holiday. Maybe they could just ring in the new year at one of their houses, lowkey style. Seeing the fireworks would be pretty cool though, and Clint was already daydreaming about having a spiked hot cocoa or something too.
“I’m okay,” Ruby said. “Been super lazy today. But the past few days were really rough, so I feel like I deserve it a little.” The only downside was that sitting there, doing nothing, gave her way too much time to think. She needed to get out, to distract herself, even if she didn’t feel entirely up to it. Eventually this feeling would fade, it had to, but she didn’t want to run everyone off in the meantime, especially Clint. “It’d be good to get out of the house though. Maybe ring in the new year together?” He hadn’t asked yet, but she figured that was why he was calling. At least, she really hoped so or this New Year’s Eve was going to suck.
The past few days had been rough, and Clint knew he hadn’t gotten the worst of it by far. Though being cooped up with Victoria Chapman didn’t seem like any kind of treat, she’d been tolerable and they’d stayed warm and occupied most of the time, at least. They hadn’t gotten hurt. Completely clueless as to what Ruby had been through, Clint huffed a little chuckle and murmured, “Yeah, I think we all do. But uh, yeah! That’s what I was calling about, actually. I wanted to see what you’re doin’, what you might wanna do.” It sounded like she didn’t have any plans yet, and that was a good sign. Clint stretched his legs out, bracing his feet on the bed. “We could go down to the marina and watch the show, or like, hang out here if you don’t feel like getting out ...”
Ruby smiled, liking that idea far more than a house party, of which she knew there was at least one in Overlook. It felt a lot more intimate, even if they’d still be surrounded by people, probably because it would be the whole town instead of just the people she went to school with. She was sure they’d see friends here and there, but they could also have some public alone time without having to hunt down a quiet corridor or room. “I’d be down with going to the marina,” she smiled. “Maybe bring something to spike hot chocolate, watch the show, and if we get too cold we can always go back to your place. Do you ice skate?”
Clint happened to really like fireworks, so that choice made him smile. He had some home-sized ones in the garage to set off from the backyard sometime, but there was nothing like the huge fuck-off booms and colors of a professional show, and the marina always put on a good one. Being there with his arm around his pretty girl with a hot spiked drink in his hand sounded pretty heavenly at the moment. Having lived in Maine all his life, the cold wasn’t even a deterrent. He sat up from the floor, feeling kind of jazzed about the night now. At least part of it would be fun, and God knew they needed fun. “Hell yeah I can skate,” Clint declared with a bright grin. “Is the rink still open? We could kill some time before tonight. If, y’know, you wanna get together early.”
Ruby had always loved ice skating, but it was one of those things that she just didn’t do as often as she got older. It was hard to find the time for it and she didn’t have many friends who were into it, so hearing that Clint was down for it made her grin. “Yeah, I think so, so long as it didn’t get destroyed in the fog. Not sure how you could destroy ice, but you never know. All they’d have to do is pour more water on it and smooth it out again. But yeah, I just need, like, half an hour to get ready. Or, make than an hour. I don’t want you to get stuck waiting for me.” She liked to think she could manage her time well, but she was probably underestimating how long it would take her to get ready on that first guess. “Or is that too early?”
Clint more hockey skated than figure skated, but he could do around in a circle with his girl and hold hands or whatever other sappy shit they wanted to do. He wasn’t Wayne Gretzky by any means, but he could stay upright and go fast and that was all Clint needed. “Not too early at all!” he told Ruby with enthusiasm, glancing toward his bedside clock. He needed a bit of time to pretty up himself, but Ruby didn’t need to know that. His hair was a wreck. “Sounds good, I’ll like, text you when I’m on the way?” Clint got his feet under him to stand up.
“Sounds good,” Ruby smiled, glad to feel those little butterflies in her stomach that came with the promise of spending time with Clint. She’d been worried that she’d be a total drag, unable to pull herself out of the funk that came with the events of the fog, but hopefully that wasn’t the case. “I’ll see you soon.” Ruby hung up, then pulled herself out of bed, kicking it into high gear in order to be ready by the time Clint arrived. She could already tell this was a good idea, that she needed to get out of the house, and Clint generally had a positive effect on her mood. They’d have fun, she told herself. And if she was having trouble getting there on her own, she could always have a few drinks to help her along. She doubted Clint would mind.
Clint killed some time to give Ruby all she needed to get ready, primping himself and finding good clothes and filling up a few hip flasks with booze from his parents’ cabinet. The good thing about winter was all the bulky coats with deep pockets for stuff like that. There would probably be cops milling around the festivities, but as long as they were careful about it, he doubted they would get caught. The cops had more important shit to worry about than some underage drinking anyway. He drove over to Ruby’s in his black SUV, a bit of nerves running through his stomach as he realized he might officially meet her father when he picked her up. Clint knew the guy’s face just from living in this small-ass town and his parents used Mr. Fox as a mechanic sometimes, but that was different than ‘hey I just started dating your only daughter and I’ll probably try to cop a feel on her today while we party and make out.’ He ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times once he’d parked in the driveway and practiced his smile in the rearview mirror, then got out and walked up to the front door to knock.
While Ruby tried her best to be ready by the time Clint arrived, she still didn't manage to beat her father to the door. Daniel Fox had never been strict about his daughter’s comings and goings, so long as she came home at the end of the night. She was a senior in high school and he still remembered what it was like to be that age, so close to freedom, but she was still his little girl and he’d sleep better at night knowing she would be there in the morning. He wasn’t always fond of the guys she went out with, some of them reminding him too much of himself at that age, but he tended to keep his mouth shut. He did, however, raise a brow when he opened the door to Clint. “Evening,” he said, sure he’d seen the kid before, but not as sure of his name. “Daniel Fox,” he said, offering his hand. “You here for Ruby?”
Clint only had to see a fraction of the door opening to know it wasn’t Ruby doing it, and his heart leapt with nerves. He managed to smile as Mr. Fox came into view though, and he didn’t hesitate to shake the man’s hand. Clint’s father had trained his eye-rolling ten year old self to have a good firm handshake -- this will be a skill you’ll need through your whole life, son -- and it had naturally only improved as he’d grown up. “Hello sir, nice to meet you, I’m Clint Nolan,” he said. “And yes sir, she’s expecting me.” It always felt a bit nerve-wracking to meet dads. Clint felt like he was better with moms, since dads tended to be more ‘I was a horny teenage boy once too’ about their daughters’ boyfriends. But he could make eye contact and talk football and he came from a good family, so he’d never had too much trouble.
Daniel knew the kid was just being polite because he was taking out his daughter, but he got points for putting forth the effort. He had a good handshake and even threw in a couple of “sirs”, which Daniel appreciated even if it made him feel old. He supposed he was old, compared to Clint. “I’m sure she’ll be right down,” he said, stepping back to let Clint come inside. “Come on in.” Almost as soon as he said it he could hear Ruby rushing around, then her boots on the stairs right before she appeared. He doubted they’d stay, but it was still rude to make anyone wait outside in the cold.
“Hey!” Ruby called out to Clint just as soon as he came into view. Knowing they were going to be outside, and ice skating, she’d gone with something comfortable and warm--jeans and a sweater with tall boots and her leather jacket. And a scarf. And her gloves. The last two she grabbed along with her purse, then gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek. Before moving to Clint’s side and tugging him towards the door. “I’ll be late tonight. Gonna ring in the New Year. Don’t wait up.”
Daniel didn’t argue. How could he enforce a curfew on New Year’s Eve? He’d just be asking her to break it. He smiled at his daughter and her guy and gave them a wave. “Have fun,” he said. “Don’t party too hard.”
Clint beamed when he saw Ruby coming down, not minding that they were going right back out into the cold. He was a little impressed that her dad didn’t lay down a 2am curfew or something for her, or tell him to behave himself or anything like that. Maybe Mr. Fox knew already that Ruby could take care of herself. Or she was too independent. Whatever, it was nice. “Hey babe,” he said to Ruby once they were out of the house and headed back to his car. He paused at the passenger side door to give her a kiss before he opened it for her. She looked gorgeous as always, and he was excited to hang out with her for hours.
“You weren’t here too long, were you? He didn’t grill you or anything, right?” Ruby asked, dropping her hand to find his as they headed towards the car. She didn’t like leaving her boyfriends alone with her father, not sure what he might ask or say. He wasn’t strict as far as fathers went, but he could be protective and Ruby didn’t really blame him. He gave her her freedom mostly because when he’d tried to enforce rules, Ruby just ended up breaking them. They were both more prone to act like adults when they were both treated that way.
“Nah, just like, a couple minutes, only enough time to say hello,” Clint assured her. He gave her a dimpled grin. “He didn’t immediately kick me out though, so ... good first impression?” He wanted to ask if her dad was the type to grill him about stuff, but he really didn’t have anything to hide, so he didn’t want to sound like a baby about it. How quickly he and Ruby had had sex was totally their business and not any parent’s. Clint was pretty squeaky clean on the rest of it. Once Ruby had gotten in the car, he shut the door and trotted back around to the driver’s side to climb in too.
“I think so,” Ruby smiled over at him. “You look nice, he wasn’t scowling at you when I got there, and he didn’t try to demand a curfew, so I’d say yes.” Her dad was only a hardass when he didn’t like someone, at least that was her impression. He’d been difficult when she’d first started dating, wanting to know where she was going, with who, when she’d be back, and what they’d be doing. Now he just wanted her to stay out of trouble. She probably couldn’t stay out all night though, not when he’d seen her walk out with a boy. It was none of his business what they got up to, but she didn’t really want her dad knowing they were sleeping together yet.
Clint bit lightly into his bottom lip and gave a fist pump at that, then flashed a bright grin over at Ruby for a second. “Maybe he won’t kill me when I bring you home real late and real happy, then,” he said. Tittering a bit, Clint put the car into reverse and backed out of Ruby’s driveway. He planned on getting at least drunk enough to have a ton of fun, and maybe fool around with his new girl a bit for the new year. If that meant getting a ride home with somebody sober, he would do that, Clint knew enough people to know that someone would come pick them up if he needed it. So he was pretty sure this was going to be a damn good night.
Ruby grinned over at Clint and laughed softly. “As long as you bring me home,” she smiled, giving him a little nudge. “It’s none of his business what we get up to until then.” Ruby was hoping they found a way to have some real alone time before the end of the night, even if it ended up in the back seat of his car. Someday they might manage to end up in his bed again, maybe even when she could stay over, but she couldn’t swing it tonight without him being a complete grump all New Year’s Day. But if that was his one and only rule, that she be home before dawn, then Ruby felt like they had plenty of room to play around. It was a good escape from the days past and Ruby hoped she could get absorbed in it and enjoy her time with Clint without worrying about everything behind her.
“That just opens the door to us gettin’ into all kindsa stuff,” he said with a snicker. Ruby wasn’t the only one thinking about his bed back home, but Clint tried to stop. They were on a date, they’d barely gotten started ... there was just so much time between midnight festivities and dawn. He was pretty sure his parents wouldn’t stay up long past the ball dropping, and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d snuck someone into and then out of the house. It was easy when it was so big, and his parents let him come and go without much questioning. But they had to get there first, so he tried to concentrate on the present moment. He drove them down toward the marina and parked, noting that the lot was already getting crowded. Clint pulled his ice skates out of the trunk of his car and slung them over his shoulder before offering his arm to Ruby so they could walk down to the rink, flashing her a grin. “So you’re gonna show me how to do all the turns and jumps and flips and shit, right?” he teased.
“Hell yeah,” Ruby laughed, taking his arm as they headed down towards the rink. “It’ll be nice to have someone to practice lifts with. Think you can get me up over your head?” She could skate, but he was crazy if he thought she was serious. She’d learned when she was little to do some of the turns, but was pretty sure that if she attempted any kind of a jump she’d land on her ass. Most of the fun was just getting out there with someone, doing the coupley thing by holding hands as they circled the ring, maybe pulling him into a spin and hope they didn’t kill themselves. It felt a little like something out of a movie, but weren’t those rom-coms supposed to be based on real life? Ruby felt like they deserved to give it a go.
“Uh hell no, you’re gonna be lifting me,” Clint teased, flashing her a grin. He knew he could pick her up, and he could probably lift her over his head if he really tried, but doing that on ice skates was just asking to get hurt. That was way more than Ruby could do to him, he was also sure, but that was what made it funny. He spread his arms and veered a couple of paces to one side so he could do a twirl with flare, humming a bit, then laughed. “Let’s try to keep all our bones intact tonight, deal?” Clint was looking forward to some sappy romantic bullshit too, it had been a while since he’d liked a girl enough to really put a bunch of effort into that kind of thing. It would be fun, because Ruby was fun.
“I can handle it,” Ruby grinned with a bit of swagger. “I’ll be like that guy in that dancing movie from the 80s. But on skates.” She laughed at the ridiculousness of it, knowing full well she couldn’t lift Clint. Not like that, at least. Sure, maybe she could wrap her arms around his waist and pick him up, but there would be nothing graceful about that. It was fun to visualize and joke about though. “No lifts, no throws, and no broken bones,” she agreed without any hesitation. “I want to ring in the new year in one piece.” Being with Clint was just what she needed to help her forget about the past few days. He was fun, more fun than she’d expected the first time they hooked up, and she thought maybe he could chase away the ghosts for a little bit.