Re: Ruby and Jules
Ruby was pretty sure Jules would have cared, but she kept her mouth shut, the urge to bitch back so strong she could taste it. She hadn’t come here to fight. “I’m not trying to poke around, Jules. I didn’t even know about you two. But yeah, maybe I’m a little bit worried because that’s what it sounds like and I don’t know the timing of it all. Is ‘forever ago’ two weeks ago? Two months ago? Two hours ago? I could’ve sworn I heard you went to the dance together, so for all I know you hooked up between the dance and your front door. But if you say you’re a thing, fine. Just don’t you fucking hurt him, okay?” He didn’t need that. Jasper had enough shit to deal with that he didn’t need Jules fucking Cooper using him.
"We went as friends," Jules snapped, not caring at all about fighting now. This was her house, and Jasper was her... something. She didn't need Ruby dragging mud in all over her night. Or implying that Jules would go to the dance with one boy and randomly hook up with another in the span of an hour. Ugh, she had forgotten how easy it was for Ruby to get under her skin. "Jasper and I have been hanging out since June, not that it's any of your business... obviously it's not if he never told you. And I think it's pretty laughable that you think I'd hurt Jasper. Have you met him? Please." She felt like she was making total sense, even if she was sure her words were maybe jumbled or whatever. Jules liked to think that she would have just ignored Ruby and been on her way had she been sober, but deep down she knew that wasn't true. She didn't like anyone questioning her motives where it came to Jasper and she was realizing now why things had been so easy - or sorta easy - when they were keeping things a secret.
“What exactly are you suggesting?” Ruby said darkly, stepping up to Jules and invading her space, her voice low. “Because it sounds like you expect Jasper to hurt you, which is bullshit. You treat him like that, like you’re better than him, and I’ll shove those feathers so far up your ass you’ll be coughing them up for weeks.” Nothing rubbed her the wrong way more than the system of classes and cliques that high school ran on, and Jules’ insinuation that Jasper would be the one to hurt her, not the other way around, was just a step too far. She expected it. As if it was bound to happen eventually. Jasper deserved better than that.
Jules tensed instinctively, pulling herself up to full height and thankful she still wore her heels. It gave her another inch or two, at least. She scowled at Ruby, tempted to toss her cup of vodka into the other girl's face. "You don't know anything about me anymore," Jules said tightly. The idea that Jasper would hurt her had nothing to do with social class or high school cliques. It had to do with stupid feelings and bullshit emotions, something Ruby knew nothing about, at least when it came to Jules's relationship. Once upon a time, Jules would have been the one Ruby was protecting, and it was a bit jarring how things had changed over the years. "Go ahead and threaten me," she said, her tone dark now. "Go ahead and see how fucking fast I destroy you."
Jasper had gone to take a piss and say hello to some people at the party. He’d ditched the jacket and rolled the sleeves of his shirt up and undone the top couple buttons, just to be comfortable. He was glad that no football players had decided to challenge him over his now-obvious connection to Jules Cooper, but the night was still going and people were getting progressively more drunk. He’d gone a little easy on the alcohol himself, but he’d taken more than a few hits off of joints being passed around outside. A few people had been giving him weird looks, but mostly everything had been kind of chill, and he’d gotten a bit of good-natured ‘Jules Cooper, huh?’ ribbing from a couple of the guys. They all knew what a fucking catch she was, and how he was lucky that she even let him breathe the same air as her. That was the general attitude, anyway.