The Meaning of Love

Chapter 1

Ruby Rose

Note: Here's a new story for you guys to start out the new school year. I'm going to sidetrack for a bit. I feel really bad about something. All of this time, I've never actually given you guys a good White Rose story. All of my dedication goes into my Bumblebee stories. Yes, Bumblebee is my favorite ship, but I can't be discriminatory against another really good ship. I've been working on this one for a while so I hope you all enjoy. I hope to not let you guys down with this story. This goes out to all of you White Rose fans, please keep your faith in me.

My name is Ruby Rose and I am now a second year in high school. Before I started high school, I wanted to have friends who I could trust and hang out with whenever I was bored. Unfortunately, I quickly found out the truth of human nature. I kept an open mind on things, but it just wasn't good enough. Whoever I talked to think, they only seemed that way up front, but when it came down to it, they were horrible people. They only cared about themselves and only thought about themselves. When this happened, I thought that I just had to find the right people to hang out with. However, that plan didn't work either. No one wanted anything to do with me no matter what I did. I couldn't believe what was happening. I started to realize that people were fake. Even when people had their clicks, they were still fake towards each other. With me being neglected and put on the sidelines, I got the chance to really examine the way people act in public and there's really only one way to describe it: Fake.

Now, as another school year comes around, I've changed myself in order to avoid any more unnecessary suffering. I don't talk to anyone which means no one will talk to me. I don't do anything to attract attention to myself which leaves me invulnerable to gossip behind my back. I'm involved in no clubs which allows me to not have to worry about connections with others. I know now that doing all of this will make my life a lot easier. My first year of high school was something that I could never forget. It's just too difficult to really talk about, but I do have to say that there wasn't a day where I came home with a smile on my face.

My name is Ruby Rose and I have given up on humanity's ability to change.

…

The day started out just like any other day and Ruby headed off to school in silence. She wasn't too thrilled about the new school starting since it would take every inch in her body to muscle through it all. Her classroom was 2-1. She didn't know who was going to be in her class, but also, she didn't really care. As long as she didn't cause a ruckus, she wouldn't be in any situation she couldn't handle.

When she got to school, she quickly headed to her classroom and waited for it to fill up. The first day of school was crucial for her because she sat somewhere where other people wanted to sit, it would immediately cause problems. This, she learned immediately on her first day of high school ever. Once the class started to fill, she saw that there was a vacant seat in the back of the room. She silently walked to it and unloaded her things. As she did, she couldn't help but hear some of the conversations that entered the room.

"So how was your summer?"

"Oh man, it was awesome. I got to head to the beach."

"Really? That's pretty awesome. I got to leave the country so I'm pretty proud of that." Ruby obviously didn't let it show on her face, but she couldn't stand the way those people were talking. That conversation was purely about bragging to the other person to see who had the better time off. That was another thing she learned in her first year. People don't like losing to the other. People constantly try to outshine others no matter if they're friend or foe. Ruby knew this and figured that the only way to avoid this was to be alone.

When class finally started, the whole room was finally filled. She looked around and saw that she didn't recognize anyone she encountered last year. This made her job easier. Since she didn't have any preexisting relationships with anybody, there was no worry. She silently and calmly made it through the morning classes without having to worry about someone talking crap about her.

After morning classes, Ruby took her lunch and went behind the academic building to eat lunch. This was a pretty recent find for her. At the end of her first year, she found out that all of the popular kids had lunch in the classrooms or in front of the school. The place where she went didn't have that problem. She was left alone to enjoy her food and take in the lovely air. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly true. There was one window in the back of the building that was open. She managed to overhear a conversation that really disgusted her.

"Hey Weiss, you look really good today."

"If you're using that as a pickup line, it's definitely not working."

"Aw, come on. We've known each other forever. Just go on one date with me."

"Why would I do that? Then I'd lose you as a friend. That wouldn't benefit me at all."

"Yeah, come on. We all know that Weiss already has her eyes on someone else. And not to be mean, but there's no way it could be you."

"Oh dang, I could feel that burn from here." Ruby kept quiet as they passed by the window. There was nothing about that conversation that made her happy. They were talking about relationships and relationships in high school were outright pointless. The odds of marrying your high school boyfriend of girlfriend was very slim. However, there was something that bothered her. That girl mentioned how she would lose him as a friend. That was something completely new to her. She never heard someone wanting a friend instead of a boyfriend or girlfriend so it kind of sparked her interest.

However, there wasn't anything else she could do. If she wanted to find out more about this interesting topic, she would be forced to get involved with people who definitely weren't people she'd want to be affiliated with. She simply opened up her lunch box and dug into her lunch with that comment stuck in her head for the rest of the day.

For the rest of the afternoon classes, Ruby couldn't really concentrate. She couldn't stop thinking about that comment.

Then I'd lose you as a friend.

This caused her a lot more internal conflict than she first thought. Thankfully, there was nothing too important going on in the beginning of the year. She managed to get through the first day without any major difficulties. Once school was done, she packed up her things and headed to her shoe locker to go home. When she cleared the room, she picked up another conversation that really disgusted her.

"Damn dude, that girl's got some nice legs."

"Legs? It's all about that ass."

"You should go talk to her."

"Alright." That random guy ran up to Ruby and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hey baby, I couldn't help but notice you walking through the hall and… Oh... Never mind. It's just you." He let go of her shoulder and walked back to his friend. At that moment, Weiss walked around the corner and met up with those guys.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"Haha, he totally thought that that girl was hot. It turns out that the girl was Ruby." Weiss was confused.

"Ruby? Who's that?" They turned their bodies and pointed at Ruby who was still standing at the end of the hallway. As Weiss looked up, she saw that Ruby was slouching and looking at the floor. "What did you guys say to her?"

"Nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." She forced them to turn and look at her. They saw the same thing that Weiss saw. She was slouching and looking at the floor. However, that sight didn't last long. She slowly turned around and continued to make her way towards the exit.

"Why are you making a big deal about this?"

"What? You need to be aware of what you're saying. Girls aren't as durable as guys, you idiot." At that moment, she held onto her bag and ran over to Ruby. On the other hand, Ruby kept on walking to try and distance herself from that horrible experience. Once she got close to Ruby, she stuck out her hand to try and stop her by the shoulder. At that moment, Ruby quickly turned around and slapped her across the face. The ones who were watching were completely in shock. Weiss was caught off guard and fell onto the floor with her hand on her slapped cheek. She looked up to see the girl with eyes as sharp as could be.

"Just leave me alone. You don't know me at all so don't talk about me." As she continued to look at Ruby, she saw a tear fall from her eyes as she turned around and stormed off. Weiss slowly rose back onto her feet and dusted herself off.

Weiss, are you okay?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Um, because she slapped you and knocked you on your ass." Weiss turned her head and looked at the exit once more. She wasn't mad or anything. She was simply surprised by this random act by a strange, unknown girl.

End of Chapter 1