AN: So this is an actually up-to-date BCHS! Not my old-as-dirt ones haha

Ruby glanced at the girl sitting across from her. The teacher had paired them up for a simple classwork project, nothing even take-home or anything. Ruby had never really hung out with anyone like this girl- Sapphire, right? She was so… so… aristocratic-y, and Ruby was so not rich. She and her two sisters were very much not rich. Meanwhile, this only-child, probably spoiled rotten rich girl is the one conveniently sitting in front of her today and thus paired with her for the project.

"So…" Ruby mumbled, not really overly thrilled with this new girl, but not that upset either.

"So." She echoed, sitting still across from Ruby.

Ruby didn't say anything else, just wrote in her notebook, occasionally glancing up to Sapphire. Her right eye was covered with her hair, which was thick enough to cover it completely. She sat still and dignified, like any rich girl should.

But unlike some of the other 'snotty rich girls' Ruby encountered before. This one… She seemed different. Yes, she was prim and proper and all that, but she didn't seem to really look down on Ruby like the others did. Ruby herself wasn't much of anything special. She wasn't 'one in a million', she was one of the million. And most of the fancy, proper people found themselves better than Ruby and her sisters. Thankfully, either this one was just being polite out of decency, or she was actually nicer.

"I'm finished with my half." Sapphire quietly announced to Ruby, showing Ruby her already completed paper.

Ruby blinked, and glanced down at her own work. She hadn't even gotten half of her own work done. She wasn't really known for her scholastic skills…

"If you'd like, I could help you." Sapphire offered, her voice still calm and still.

On one hand, getting help would get the work done. On the other hand, Ruby was way too prideful to accept help that quickly.

"No, I'm good, I got it." Ruby huffed, staring down at her paper with a glare.

"If I helped, it will go much faster." Sapphire added quietly.

"Yeah, but I don't need help." Ruby replied with an edge to her voice.

Sapphire nodded, going back to staring at her already completed paper. Ruby was surprised that Sapphire let it go so quickly, not putting up a fight. Ruby was more used to her sisters, who shared her whole 'punch back' way of life.

After Ruby got through another problem or two on her own, she started to realize that pride alone can't finish schoolwork in time. But at the same time, Ruby had a huge problem knowing how to ask for help.

And yet somehow, Sapphire was practically able to read her mind.

"If you'd like, I can just work on some of the problems you haven't done yet." She offered, pointing to the blank sections of Ruby's paper.

"… Yeah. Sure." Ruby nodded, handing the blank papers to Sapphire, who was clearly a young genius or something.

Working together, even if just by completing the papers silently, helped speed it up twice as fast. They were done with plenty of time left in the class, which the teacher allowed for quiet, non-distracting chitchat. Ruby glanced up at Sapphire, who sat with her hands in her lap, and now with her bangs covering both eyes.

"So… What kind of stuff do you like to do?" Ruby asked, trying to have somewhat of a conversation.

"I play piano and violin. I like to read, too." Sapphire answered, her voice quiet as always, but for the first time it seemed a little bit higher, like she was interested.

"What kind of books?" Ruby questioned, looking up again. She wasn't exactly an avid reader, but she did enjoy some good action books once in a while.

"Most kinds. I like mysteries a lot, but sometimes I get too into them and I figure it out before the culprit is revealed.." She admitted, speaking more than Ruby had ever heard her do before, even in class. It was like the idea of someone asking about her interests was completely new to her.

"Ah, yeah that probably would suck. I never figure them out ahead of time." Which roughly translates to: I never read mystery books anyway.

"What do you like?" Sapphire asked, and some of her hair moved to the side, her left eye peeking out slightly.

"I like sports," Ruby shrugged, thinking about her time on the school's intermural wrestling team, "I'm pretty busy with my sisters, most of the time…"

"What are your sisters like?" Sapphire hummed, her voice growing slightly more interested by the word.

"Like me," Ruby laughed, "I'm the youngest. They're all pains."

"You said they were like you," Sapphire began, tilting her head, "Well what are you like?"

Ruby blinked.

She had never been straight up asked 'what are you like' before. She always just assumed it was one of those things you just figured out over time, not asked. So she didn't have a quick answer for that question.

"Uh… I'm loud, I guess. I like watching action movies." She shrugged again, trailing off.

Sapphire nodded, but not in the awkward way Ruby expected her to. She actually seemed interested in what Ruby was saying.

"Do you watch movies with your sisters?" Sapphire questioned, leaning in a little, actively listening.

"All the time, except it usually only ends with one of us storming off or throwing punches at each other." Ruby chuckled, reminiscing over the constant fights on their couch.

And once again, Sapphire acted different than expected. Whenever a rich-girl heard about throwing punches or anything so 'barbaric', they'd recoil or smirk or grimace in disgust. Something in the whole 'I'm better than you' genre.

But Sapphire didn't act like she was on some higher plane. She gave a tiny smile, and a breathy almost-laugh, which cause some more of her hair moved out of the way, and almost her entire left eye shined out.

"That sounds nice." Sapphire whispered, her voice with the slightest tinge of longing.

Something in Ruby was moved by that. Was it sympathy? Did she feel bad for this lonely rich girl? Was that it? Either way, she- like always- spoke without thinking.

"Do you watch movies alone?"

"Yes." Sapphire answered seriously, nodding slightly.

"Oh… Well, if you don't mind obnoxious sisters, you can watch one with me sometime."

Wait, what?

Just ten minutes ago, Ruby was mentally badmouthing this girl for being rich and uppity, and now she's asking her to watch a movie with her? All she knew about this girl is that she's never seen both of her eyes and that she plays piano, violin, and likes mysteries. That's it. The entire story.

It took Sapphire a moment to reply, and she was clearly thinking.

"Would you want to watch one with me?" She asked, so quiet it was almost inaudible.

"Uh… sure?" Ruby shrugged. It's not like having a friend over was that foreign to her, but it was a little odd since girl wasn't really her friend or anything.

Sapphire nodded silently. She seemed almost baffled at the idea, but also excited.

"So… yeah. I hope you like action movies."