Ruby Fox (love_ruby) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2019-12-11 15:58:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | #january 2018, jules, jules x ruby, ruby |
Who: Ruby and Jules
Where: The high school
When: Monday
Status: Complete
It was beyond bizarre to be back at school after the way the holidays had gone, but Ruby was trying her best to act like everything was normal. It didn’t feel that way, not even a little bit, but she liked to think it didn’t show too much. Work had been surprisingly hard--she’d never realized how often the cops ate there until she panicked every time they walked through the door. School felt much safer on that front, but there were a lot more people who knew her who might call her out for acting strange. Normal was a lot harder to achieve when she didn’t feel normal herself.
Clint had been the hardest person to lie to, even over her father, probably because she wanted to tell him what happened, but at the same time didn’t. She couldn’t, and wouldn’t, but it would have been nice if she could. It made her aware of how temporary things were, how she couldn’t entrust her secret to a high school boyfriend who might get bored with her next week. If he’d noticed that she was acting weird, he hadn’t said so, and hopefully attributed it to the fog and nothing more sinister. But that did mean she needed to get over it, since everyone else had. The fog was old news at that point and no longer worth discussing.
Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as the final bell rang and gathered up her books to head towards her locker. She’d made it through one day and would make it through another tomorrow. She almost wanted something else to happen at that point, just to give her something better to worry about. If the cops were going to come for her, they would’ve done it by now, so it was time to move on.
For almost a full day Jules didn't think about her stepdad. She knew that probably said something about her, but she had been too distracted by trying to act normal in school while her hands tingled and ached. A couple of times she had been afraid something horrible would happen in class, but thankfully the day had gone on like normal, leaving her full of anxiety and apprehension.
When she saw Ruby at her locker she was quickly reminded of the fog, and what had happened inside of her house. They had spoken briefly at New Year's, but then with winter break, and all that crap, Jules hadn't really had the time to reach out. Ruby either, apparently, and that was fine. Jules felt like maybe they needed some distance from each other, and what happened, before talking again.
So she approached Ruby, aware that Jasper would be waiting for her outside. Probably best not to make this super long or anything, but Jules still wanted to check in with her. "Hey," she said, offering Ruby a small smile. "How have things been?"
“Hey,” Ruby said, giving Jules a small smile in return. She kept meaning to talk to her, to at least check in, but every time they’d run into each other it felt wrong and she hadn’t gotten around to calling her or dropping by. Ruby told herself that Jasper would let her know if something happened, but she’d still meant to touch base with Jules herself. “They’ve been okay. Discovered I’m pretty damn paranoid, but… It’s getting better.” Every day was progress and she told herself that she’d eventually stop thinking about what they’d been through on a daily basis. “You?”
Jules could understand the paranoia. Every time her mom talked to the police on the phone Jules was afraid something would happen, or they would somehow know what she and Ruby had done. But her stepdad had yet to be found, so... that should have made Jules feel better, but the not knowing was somehow worse. "About the same," Jules admitted. "But there's been... no news, or anything like that. I just wanted to like, keep you in the loop about stuff so you don't worry. Which is kind of silly because I guess you'll worry no matter what, because I am too. But, so far nothing's come up."
“I know what you mean,” Ruby said with a little smile. “No news is good news, but it’s still… It’s still so weird. Not that there’s no news, just… The whole thing.” She would never say it, but not having a body somehow made it worse. She kept expecting to stumble upon it somewhere, dragged off by those creatures for them to discover at a later time. If the police had a body, they’d have more of an investigation, so not having one meant there was always the possibility of one later. “Are you okay? Like… Everything okay at home?”
"Yeah, I guess so. Mom isn't doing great, but I didn't really expect her to just shrug it off," Jules admitted. "She keeps asking me questions over and over... like, the same questions. The police did it too." She took a breath and glanced around, only to make sure no one was actually listening to them. The last thing either of them needed was for some loser to overhear them and start gossiping. "But I think so far they just think he was... lost in the fog. They didn't find anything at home when they searched." Jules exhaled again and then realized she ought to go find Jasper since he was giving her a ride home. "I really just wanted to find you and see how you were. And you know, say thank you again for what you did. Things have been so... weird lately. And if you need anything from me, you know, just ask."
It was the questions that had worried Ruby, knowing that Jules would have to repeat the same answers over and over again without too much variation. At least with just one person it wouldn’t sound so rehearsed. All Jules had to say was that he’d gone outside and, due to the circumstances, it was completely believable that he wouldn’t come back. “It’ll get better. It just takes time. It was hard on all of us when my mom disappeared, but…your mom ‘ll get past it.” And so would they. She had to keep telling herself that. “You too. I know you’ve got Jasper, but...if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me,” she said with a little smile.
Jules wasn't sure if her mom would get passed this until Edward's body was found, if ever. She had the feeling if her mom met a new guy... well, that was probably mean of Jules, but it was true. All Jules could do was keep her mouth shut and hope this all faded into the past. Jules shifted her backpack and returned Ruby's small smile with one of her own. "Yeah, thanks. He's been really great about things so far... I know it's a lot for him to carry on his shoulders too, but he has you... and Logan, I guess." Jules chuckled softly, though without much humor. "But I think we'll all be okay."
“Yeah, but is Logan really there for the heavy stuff?” Ruby said with a small smile, half teasing, half not. “He always seemed kinda flakey to me. Like, he’s a lot of fun, but prone to bail when things get hard.” Unless he can punch it, she thought but didn’t say. She liked partying with Logan, but she was never all that sure how reliable he was for anything other than a good time. “He doesn’t know, does he?” She asked, suddenly concerned. While she didn’t think he would tell anyone, she didn’t like the idea of one more person knowing something that could get her thrown in jail.
Jules shrugged. "I mean, they've been friends forever, so maybe Logan is different around Jasper than other people." She knew some of her dislike of Logan just stemmed from worry that whatever she planned for the future would be derailed as soon as Logan and Jasper were living together. It wasn't fair of her, and she knew that. She trusted Jasper, so that was all that really mattered. Jules quickly shook her head at Ruby's question. "No, Jasper promised he wouldn't tell anyone. I don't think he'd tell Logan anything. I mean, the more people who know, the harder it is to keep it a secret, you know? I can check with Jasper later though, just to make sure."
Ruby nodded, hoping that Jules was right, that Logan might be loyal to Jasper even if he wasn’t so to anyone else. Jasper had helped Jules clean up, so he had his own skin in the game and Logan wouldn’t want to see him locked up for it. They all seemed to understand that they needed to keep a tight rein on who knew, so she probably had nothing to worry about. Ruby shut her locker and slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to head for the door. “I’m probably just being paranoid again,” she said, rolling her eyes at herself. “You heading home? I’ll walk out with you.”
"Oh man, who isn't paranoid these days?" Jules asked, turning to fall into step beside Ruby. "It's so weird having to come back to school and like, be normal again. Or pretend to be. But yeah, I'm heading home. Jasper's going to drive me." She didn't really want to get into why her car was in the shop because that was a brand new can of worms and Ruby didn't need all that on her shoulders too.
“It’s weird, but it’s good. I think the routine helps,” Ruby said. She usually enjoyed having time off, but this time she’d ended up spending the later half thinking the cops were going to show up at any second. She could still think that at school, but there was more to distract her. “Good boyfriend,” she smiled, not realizing there was anything off about Jasper taking Jules home. She assumed it allowed them to spend more time together. “I think you might be good for him,” she teased lightly.
Jules snorted softly at Ruby's comment, well aware that the other girl was teasing her. "I don't know about that." Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn't. She supposed it all depended on who one would ask. Not that Jules really cared. No one knew a thing about their relationship but for her and Jasper. But it was kind of nice to be past the wary, suspicious thing with Ruby, on both sides. She wasn't jealous of Ruby now, and Jules didn't think Ruby was worried she would hurt Jasper anymore either. Hopefully. "How're things with Clint?" she asked, just for something to say as they headed outside. "You guys hung out on New Year's which seems... big. I hope you didn't get stuck too long with his friends though. They can be obnoxious."
At this point Ruby figured that Jules and Jasper would either be together forever, which seemed unlikely, or one of them would break the other’s heart. That was pretty much the story of all high school relationships. What had changed as that she knew for certain that they cared about each other now; Jules wasn’t stringing Jasper along and Jasper would pretty much do anything for Jules, including hide a murder, if it could be called that. It made her rivalry with Jules seem petty, if it was ever a rivalry at all. “Things’re good,” Ruby smiled. “He’s a lot of fun, even if his friends are dorks. We kinda did the date thing for New Year’s so… I dunno. It’s nothing serious, but I like him.”
Jules was determined not to think about the breaking of any hearts. She figured if she clung to the optimistic hope that Jasper would leave with her when college came around, it would have to happen. Never mind what her brain kept telling her during dark moments when she was alone. Jules knew everyone thought she would be the one to get bored of Jasper and dump him eventually, but she knew deep down it would likely be the other way around. Someday. Ugh, her stupid brain. Jules looked over at Ruby and smiled faintly. "Yeah, well, Jasper and me weren't anything serious at first either. I guess that's the nice thing about seeing where things end up. But Clint's a nice guy, so I hope you guys are at least having fun together."
“We’re definitely having fun,” Ruby smiled. “I just don’t want things to get complicated.” If things got serious, then she’d have to deal with how bad a match they probably were. As it was, she doubted his parents even knew they were together. They didn’t talk about the future or worry about when they might not be together, though it hurt to think of it ending even now. She knew she was getting attached, but she felt that way about her friends too. That was going to be the hardest part about graduation, leaving behind the people she cared about. That didn’t mean she needed to cut everyone off now. “We’ll see though. It’s January. I don’t know what’s going to happen next week, let alone a few months from now.”
Jules hadn't wanted things to get complicated either, and she hadn't even been worried about that happening with someone like Jasper Lucas, but then... oops. But Jules kept that to herself. Not everyone was like she and Jasper. Their relationship had lasted far longer than most of her friends with their boyfriends, so it was what it was. Thinking about him made her smile a bit though, because even now there was no one else she wanted. When she got into his car she was going to give him a really big freaking kiss. "Yeah, my brain keeps wanting to jump ahead to everything, but we still have time figure things out. And so much stuff has happened that it just seems silly to think we can choose a future and have it all work out." Jules sighed and then tugged on her gloves as they headed through the doors. "Maybe uh, we can hang out soon though, if you want. We don't have to do it at my house or anything, but... you know."
“I used to think it would be that easy,” Ruby said with a little laugh. “Silly me, thinking I had control over my life.” She knew she did over most things, but there was so much unpredictableness going on in the world that she never knew when life was going to throw her a curve ball and derail all her plans. Ruby zipped up her jacket and began to pull her gloves on as well, never ready to face the cold. She couldn’t wait until it was spring again, when she didn’t have to bundle up so tight and could get her bike out of the garage. “I’d like that,” she said with a little smile. “We can always hang at my house. Or, like, out somewhere. I dunno. I’d say we should bring the boys, but I can’t picture Jasper and Clint having a conversation.” But look at them, being all grown up and getting along. If they could do it, then maybe Jasper and Clint weren’t a completely lost cause, though it still made her laugh.
Jules had discovered very quickly in the past few months that control was an illusion. Life didn't care, it was going to do whatever it wanted to do. They were all just like... puppets and stuff. And it sucked. But Jules snorted softly, trying to imagine the four of them hanging out alone. "I can confidently say Jasper and Clint probably have nothing in common, except for like... us. But I don't know, sometimes its nice to just hang out with friends, you know? Without boyfriends around." She knew she hadn't been doing a lot of that since hooking up with Jasper, but now that Logan was back in town and he and Jasper were hanging out, Jules figured she should probably try to find some time to spend with her girlfriends. "If you and Clint decide to go to winter formal together, maybe we can go dress shopping in Bangor or something."
“Oh god, is that coming up?” Ruby said. The dance had been the last thing on her mind, the last one being such a spectacular flop and she hadn’t even bothered with Homecoming. But now that she was with Clint, she thought it would be fun to get all dressed up and do the dance thing. “He hasn’t asked me yet, but I think he will and then we should totally go dress shopping. It’d be nice to get out of town for the day and just do girl things.” It seemed a little weird to her that Jules would ask her instead of Victoria, but she wasn’t going to say no. She didn’t have any super close girl friends herself and wasn’t going to drag one of the guys to go dress shopping with her. “You think you’ll get the crown this time?” she grinned, raising a brow.
Jules knew she should go with Victoria, or Sera, but sometimes it felt like she had to be someone different with them than when she was around Ruby, or Jasper. It was more exhausting now than it used to be. She figured Clint would ask Ruby to go, as long as their thing, whatever it was, didn't blow up before then. Who knew. Relationships were fickle things. Jules glanced at Ruby with a light roll of her eyes. "Oh god, who knows. Maybe. Vic will give me a run for it, anyway." Which was fine. If there was anyone in school who sparked Jules's competitive streak, it was Victoria. "I mean, the dances are always fun. And it's fun to dress up and do all that stuff. But it also seems kind of silly now, you know?"
“It’s always been silly,” Ruby told her with a conspiratorial little smirk. “But I’d rather you than her. The last thing that bitch needs is a crown to make her think she’s better than the rest of us. It’ll go to her head.” She realized as soon as she said it that she should probably watch herself, that just because Jules was being friendly with her didn’t mean she wasn’t friends with Victoria, but she’d never been great at that kind of filtering. It was part of why she’d never fit in with them. She couldn’t be fake. “Sorry, just the thought of her and Todd up on that stage makes me want to vomit.”
It probably had always been silly, but it just made Jules wish for the days where it felt so serious and important to her. She wanted silly, over all of this. Her hands seemed to tingle and throb in response and she shoved them into her coat pockets. "Well, Vic doesn't need a crown to think she's better than everyone. It's just a shiny bonus," Jules said with a faint smile. She didn't mind talking shit about Vic, even though they were friends. She was sure Vic said stuff about Jules too. It was just the nature of their relationship. "I'll do my best anyway. I can't promise it won't be Todd up there too, but I'll see what I can do." Jules couldn't help but find the whole thing kind of amusing. She spotted Jasper's car and she started toward it, but looked over at Ruby. "Let me know about dress shopping and all of that, okay?"
Todd winning was almost as bad as Victoria, though Ruby wasn’t all that sure who could beat him if Sebastian wasn’t in the running. Greg? Probably not. Was Clint that popular? She didn’t know. It wasn’t her circle; most of her friends didn’t even vote, though she’d prod them if she thought it would make a difference. “You got my vote, hot stuff,” Ruby teased, giving Jules a little nudge. “I’m in. Just let Clint ask me first.” She was almost sure he would, but it felt like a bad idea to get a dress before it was official. She’d things go sideways in enough relationships that she didn’t like to make assumptions. “Tell Jasper hi for me,” she said as Jules hurried off, throwing a wave in the direction of his car. Of all the things to come out of Christmas vacation, at least she could say that she and Jules were in a better place than she’d ever thought they’d be. What a weird silver lining to a horrible nightmare.