"Don't be such a bitch all the time."

The words rang in her head like a broken record.

Weiss's heels clicked on the white tile floor as she strode through the hallways. Only someone who knew her very well would notice how unsteady she was, how she paused every few seconds as if she was out of breath. Nobody would have noticed how her eyes were ever so slightly red, and ever so slightly wet, a corner of her tight white blouse just a little damp.

Nobody would ever think that she was fighting back tears. After all, Weiss Schnee did not cry.

"Don't be such a bitch all the time."

Weiss pushed through a big glass door, hurried along the smooth concrete sidewalk, and made her way to the crowded parking lot. She fumbled in her pocket, pulled out her keys, and jammed the unlock button, following the sharp beeps to a silvery-white sports car she had gotten for her sixteenth birthday. Weiss climbed in, turned on the engine, and stomped on the gas, speeding away from the college as fast as five hundred and sixty horsepower could take her, a shower of gravel flying behind her.

"Don't be such a bitch all the time."

A single teardrop slid down her cheek, leaving a wet, sparkling trail. Angrily, she brushed it off, her hands tightening on the steering wheel.

Weiss Schnee never cried.

Why would anyone? After all, it hurt so much.

She swerved onto a side street, away from the college grounds and the frat houses and sorority houses and dorms and away from her...

Ruby...

"Can't you do anything right?" Weiss demanded, glaring at Ruby over a club sandwich. They were in a little sandwich shop on campus, supposedly enjoying their reunion. They hadn't seen eachother in ages, and it had been pleasant, up until now anyway. Weiss, who had been studying abroad, had missed the past year of school, and had come back to Vale for college.

But come the first day of school, the bickering started again.

Ruby glared right back. "Princess, if you don't like my work, don't work with me! Besides, we got an A anyway! What more do you want, huh?" She threw her Italian sub onto the cold metal table and clenched her fists.

If Weiss had been paying a little more attention, she would have noticed something was different. She didn't need to scream her head off for an hour before Ruby started fighting back. She argued right from the start.

"It wasn't as good as we could have done! You need to try harder!" Why didn't Ruby get it? The world wasn't a nice place. Ruby couldn't just coast by with the bare minimum she needed to get a good grade, she needed to excel. Why didn't she understand?

"Geez Weiss. Don't be such a bitch all the time."

Weiss parked the car and slumped in her seat, numb except for an ache in her chest and a burning heat in her eyes. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't care. Somewhere, birds were chirping, and a mother was fussing at a small child playing in a sandbox. She was at a park, Vermillion park, she realized.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this..." She murmured. "Why do I always... push everyone away..."

There was no reply.

Suddenly, the first tinkling notes of a piano concerto rang in the car. Her cell phone. Weiss dug the sleek white object out of her pocket, looked at the caller ID, and bit her lip. It was Ruby. Of course it was. It couldn't have been Yang, ready with a furious rant. It couldn't have been Pyrrha, or Blake, who would radiate gentle disapproval and get her to apologize.

It had to be her.

Weiss cleared her throat, and on the last notes of the last ring, answered. "Hello, Weiss Schnee speaking." The words tumbled from her lips automatically. Of course Ruby knew who it was.

"Weiss, where are you?" Ruby demanded.

"I-"

"You're upset, aren't you." The words were gentle, but firm. For a moment, Weiss was stunned into silence. Ruby never used to be so bold, unless she was furious. Weiss looked out the window, and saw a happy couple maybe two years younger than her laughing on a bench. She quickly averted her gaze, turning her eyes to glare down at the steering wheel. The scenery wasn't exactly the best here, at a beautiful park on a sunny August day.

"No, why would I be." She replied. Of course I am.

"Umm, well, the part where you walked off without another word looking like you were about to be seeing your last meal again was a clue."

"I had somewhere to be. A previous engagement." I was so upset...

"Weiss, it's okay to admit you're mad."

Again Weiss was speechless. Is it really?

Ruby continued. "Look. Just... tell me where you are, okay? I didn't think you would take this so hard. I'm not taking it back, but I don't want you to be this upset either."

"Vermillion park." Weiss said, defeated.

"Ten minutes."

Weiss hung up.

"Always have to have the last word, don't you?" Came a peppy voice from the window. There was Ruby, leaning in, arms crossed and leaning in her car where the window was rolled down, dressed in a simple black tank top emblazoned with a red rose, and a pair of dark, dark jeans that hugged her legs in all the right places. Weiss glanced at the tank top and noticed just how much Ruby had changed in the last year. She was definitely Yang's sister...

"Hey. Weiss. My eyes are up here."

"I cannot believe you!" Weiss snapped, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Ruby grinned, and blew at a loose strand of dark hair that had fallen over her face. Weiss watched her lips move. It was like she was in a trance. "Feeling better?" Ruby asked, and Weiss scolded herself. She shouldn't just zone out like that.

"Never better. In fact, I wasn't upset at all, and I don't understand why-"

A pair of strong, yet thin arms wrapped around her through the window. Weiss enjoyed it for all of two seconds, before shrugging her shoulders.

"Personal space, Ruby."

The other girl rolled her eyes, but had long since accepted a bit of hostility as a fact of life. She moved around to climb in the passenger seat, opening the door and settling in.

"Man, I forgot how cool your car was. Even the seats are magic." Ruby smiled slightly. "Well, we haven't seen eachother in a year. Whaddya wanna do."

"...Go home and study." Weiss muttered, her resolve weakening. "I have a test."

"Weiss. None of that." Ruby said, cheerful but firm.

How much things have changed...

"Fine. You suggest something."

"Mmm... I know! Let's go see a movie!" Ruby chirped. "There's some good ones out."

They pulled up five minutes later.

"For the record, this was your idea." Weiss grumbled, as they waited in line for the ticket window.

"Oh hush." Ruby got a sly smile. "Hey Weiss."

"Hmm?"

"If you stand so close, people will think this is a date."

"You are insufferable!" Weiss practically shrieked, darting a few feet away like she'd been stung. Ruby just laughed, and Weiss blushed scarlet at the number of knowing smiles the other moviegoers were shooting them.

Ruby paid as an apology. Not that it mattered to Weiss... but the sentiment was nice. Ruby quickly dragged Weiss through the entry lobby, only stopping to grab a bag of popcorn from a young cashier with a too-large uniform. Weiss glared suspiciously at the greasy yellow kernels.

"How can you eat that trash?" She whispered to Ruby as they found their room, creeping up the stairs to the back corner. Somewhere, a child started complaining about when the movie would start. Weiss ground her teeth. She hated the movies for exactly this reason. Someone was always talking.

"It's salty and fatty, and I haven't had any dessert today. Sure you don't want any?" Ruby waved the bag under Weiss's nose. "Mmm... popcorn..."

"Ugh. Keep it away."

Weiss managed to be silent for all of five seconds.

"What did you drag me to see anyway?"

"Eh? Oh, it's called Frozen." Ruby said.

"And why are we watching it?"

"Reminded me of someone I know." Ruby replied cheekily.

Weiss sniffed. "I'll choose to ignore that."

They sat in silence for all of ten minutes before Weiss broke the silence again.

"Please tell me you didn't drag me to see a children's movie." She grumbled, gesturing in annoyance to the cartoony, animated characters.

Ruby looked sheepish. "Umm..."

"Ruby!"

"Oh, hush. Think of it as a public service, since you didn't have a childhood."

Someone in front of them turned around and glared at them, and Weiss felt incredibly embarrassed. They might have been a bit louder than they should have...

Abruptly, the Ruby yawned, stretching her arms above her head. One came down to rest lightly on Weiss's shoulders, and she froze.

"You're going to get that fake butter on my cashmere sweater." She said at last, teeth clenched.

"Shh. Enjoy the movie." Ruby whispered. Weiss was too distracted to notice the slight quaver in her voice. She thought about whether to tell Ruby off or not, and found that it didn't matter what she thought she wanted, she wasn't going to do it. What's the old saying? The heart wants...

Weiss sat back in her chair, pressing up against Ruby's arm. It had been so long...

She thought back, to just before she had left. She and Ruby had been... as good friends as Weiss ever was with anyone...

"W-Weiss I..."

The dark haired girl clutched a single white rose, a small trail of blood running down her hand from where the thorns dug into her hand. Her hands were shaking, quivering like she was caught in the cold, though it was a balmy eighty degrees out.

"Ruby..." Weiss started to say, something catching in her throat.

The other girl offered a weak smile. "No Weiss. I understand. I'm too young, too silly, too me." Her whole body shook once, and two tears fell. "And you're too perfect to ever love someone like me."

Then she turned and trudged away.

"Enjoy your trip, Weiss. I'll see you in a year."

They had never spoken about that night, even though Weiss made sure to call every month.

And now...

Now what was happening?

Sometime while Weiss had been thinking, the armrest in between them had been flipped up, and Ruby was closer still.

"Hey, Weiss..." She whispered.

Weiss jolted, looking at the other girl. Into those huge silvery eyes. "Yes?"

"Are you even watching the movie at all?"

Weiss was abruptly thankful for the dark theater as her cheeks burned. "Yes I am."

"Oh really." Ruby's hot breath brushed against her face. "What's happened then."

"..." Weiss hesitated, looking back at the screen.

"That's what I thought." Ruby said, her voice more than slightly amused as she whispered into Weiss's ear.

Weiss wondered why saying 'th' required so much breathing.

"Shut up! I didn't even want to see a movie!" She hissed, fed up.

"Then what did you want to see?" Ruby teased.

Weiss didn't say anything after that.

And to Ruby's immense satisfaction, she didn't move either.

Weiss exited the movie theater brooding, Ruby hanging close by her side as they pushed through the crowds. Weiss was silently fuming, turning her thoughts over and over, trying to make sense of one simple little trip to the movies.

Why did everything have to be so complicated when this one little girl was around...

"Well, it was fun and all, but I gotta run." Ruby said cheerfully.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yup! Have a good night, Weiss."

Weiss watched as the other girl weaved her way through the crowd, texting someone on her cell phone. Weiss was half tempted to offer her a ride, but after... whatever that had been, she definitely needed time to think.

Maybe Ruby wasn't so little any more...

A half smile twitched at her lips.

Though really, even she knew that the fake yawn was the oldest trick in the book.