DISCLAIMER;I do not own anything and I never will. The only thing I own is my imagination and that is all. Everything else belongs to its rightful owners. I am not getting any credit out of other people's creations.

WHO'S RUBY?;

Poppy Moore/Freddie Kingsley

A phone call from Ruby is easy to ignore, but the feelings of nostalgia that follow aren't quite so simple to deal with. Poppy has fallen in love with not only her new life, but a certain young man involved in it too, but...can he help her let go of her old life, memories and all?

This is a one shot idea that I got after watching the end of the film 'Wild Child'. I'm not sure why, but I just felt the sudden urge to write something quick along these lines. It set at the end of the film, when they're all in Malibu and sunbathing? Yeah, so it starts there. It was originally going to be one chapter, but I've decided to make it two for the mere fact that I really do love this pairing. I could never write a genuine story about them because I don't have the imagination. I suppose it's smut, but...there's a purpose behind it, emotions involved and all that crap, lol. I just want to give them a real happy ending after all the stress that occured in the film!

CHAPTER ONE; OLD AND NEW

Poppy so desperately wanted to ignore the ringing of her cell phone; wanted to just lose herself in the rays of the sunlight that were beaming down on her and her new friends; her new life, but unfortunately, it wasn't long before Freddie asked the dreaded question and passed the little device down to her, forcing her eyes to see who exactly it was calling, her heart dropping the picture of her old friend smiling up at her with twinkling eyes. Ruby had always been photogenic, despite the amount of make up constantly painted upon her facial features. It was something Poppy had always been jealous of.

"Who's Ruby?" The deep voice of her English boyfriend voiced out loud and she could feel the eyes of her female friends lingering upon her form.

Poppy didn't exactly feel like going into detail, though it was a good question. Who was Ruby? There had been a time when Poppy thought she knew. There had been a time when she had considered Ruby a close friend; a best friend. Before she had been sent to England, before she had learnt the true meaning behind trust and friendship, the only person she'd really had to turn to was Ruby. Poppy had thought they were friends, though she supposed she should have known better. Malibu wasn't exactly famous for it's kind hearts and trust-worthy people, especially not when it came to teenage girls born into lots of money. Now that she looked back on it, she could see Ruby had only been friends with Poppy for one reason and one reason only; reputation. Poppy was rich, she was pretty and she was rebellious. All of these three attributes had caused her to be incredibly popular and Ruby had wanted to suck all of that popularity up for herself. It had been difficult to see that in the past though. When Poppy's mother had passed away, who had held her close and comforted her? It wasn't Freddie, it wasn't Drippy, it wasn't any of the people she dedicated her life to now...it had been Ruby.

A phone call from an old friend was easy to ignore, there was no doubt about that and this was proven by the way Poppy's thumb pressed down on the reject button almost immediately, diverting the call to her answer phone. However, the photograph that had been flashing in front of her caused feelings of nostalgia that weren't as easy to ignore. Why did Ruby have to turn out to be such a fake? Sure, Poppy was happy with the life that she had now, but occasionally she wished she could blend the two; her new life and her old life. It wasn't going to happen though and as if it would be a good combination anyway. Ruby wasn't a part of her life anymore and she just needed to accept that. Their whole friendship had been poinltess and not to mention a lie. The friendships she had now were real; she needed to focus on that.

"Oh, just some grade one a-hole with a severe attitude no-problem that I used to know." She commented, finally answering their curiosity as she placed her phone back where it had been and closing her eyes behind her shades, shifting around on the lilo that her seventeen-year-young body was stretched so relaxingly out upon it. Her skin glistened under the heat and as she took in a deep breath through her nose, she felt all those memories of Ruby fade away again as if they had never been there. She thought about the happy things in her life instead – she remembered the past year, the dance, the outfits, the lessons that had been learnt, the first kiss – and suddenly her phone was ringing again.

"Well, whoever this 'grade one a-hole' is, she clearly wants to talk to you." Freddie commented with a grunt of dis-satisfaction at the fact he had to move for a second time, his arm reaching out to grab the phone and without thinking, he answered it for Poppy, assuming that it was the best option. Why let it just ring over and over? He could just tell this Ruby girl that Poppy wasn't available and they could all go back to be relaxing. "Hello?" He asked groggily, but before he even had a chance to hear the voice of Ruby, Poppy was moving in an instance.

"Freddie!" She half-shrieked in her accent voice, sitting up so fast that water spalshed around her. She rolled over onto her knees, pushing herself up into a sitting position, almost slipping off in the process before reaching forward and snatching the phone out of the hands of her boyfriend. "What the hell?! I ignored the call for a reason!" Her eyes were wide and her heart was pounding against her chest; the second she'd heard Freddie answer that phone, she had felt a horrible feeling of...fear build up within her. Ignoring Ruby was one thing, but confronting her? Poppy wasn't sure if she was ready to do that. It was so much easier to ignore a probelm rather than face up to it, unless of course, it was something as big as setting fire to the school – which technically, she hadn't done. Her thumb hurried to press the 'end now' button, hurried to hang up on the bitch on the other end but her fumbling hands proved to be clusmy and the device slipped from her grasp, landing in the pool with a splash. She heard Drippy and the others wince, while her eyes immediately narrowed on Freddie, who looked confused. "Now look what you made me do! Ugh, why couldn't you have just...minded your own business?!"

It didn't take her long to draw herself back up onto the side, off of the lilo and seconds later, she was storming away from the scene, ignoring the fact that everyone was watching at her, not understanding what had just happened or why Poppy had reacted like. It wasn't like her to snap at Freddie and she knew that. She left the poor boy lying there, feeling guilty but having no idea what he was actually guilty of. She hadn't meant to snap at him like that; she had been frustrated at herself for not being able to let go, for not being able to face up to something as small as a bitch like Ruby when she had been able to face up to much bigger things during the past year, such as Harriet. Unfortunately, she had taken that frustration out on him because it was a common fact Poppy did not channel her emotions well, always letting them get the better of her and acting out in ways a normal person wouldn't actually act out in. One of her hands came up to her face and she ran slightly shaking fingers through her brunette locks, shaking them away from her face as she entered her room. It had been so nice of her father to pay for them all to fly out to Malibu for a relaxing summer and here she was, getting stressed and actually wishing she was back in the rainy mess that was England. Her hand moved away from her hair, tugging her glasses off of her face and throwing them across the room with an annoyed grunt. She supposed she should go out there and apologise to Freddie for being rude to him when it was Ruby she really wanted to let loose at but she couldn't quite bring herself to go back out there just yet. She didn't want to face them all because they'd ask her questions and she'd have to answer. She'd have to give them a detailed response; explain to them all the ways that Ruby had screwed her over and she wasn't sure if she was ready to go there just yet.

A knock against the open door caused her to jump and she spun around, strands of dark hair falling over her cheeks as she did so. A shirt less Freddie, looking somewhat sweaty from being baked out in the sun for so long, let his arm drop away from the door and perked one eyebrow up as he observed her with a shy look upon his face. It was obvious he wanted to talk about what had just happened but was a bit concerned that she would snap at him for no reason if he tried. "Is everything...okay?" He asked lamely, taking a couple of steps into the room and taking a vague look around. He'd been in here only twice since they had arrived – not for any funny business or anything like that, just little walk ins to moan at her to hurry up because she always took so long getting ready or to bring her breakfast like he did this morning. He was actually staying in one of the many spare rooms that this ridiculously large house had; her father felt more comfortable that way and Freddie had done too if he was completely honest. He didn't want Poppy to feel pressured into anything so soon; he was an English gentlemen after all.

"Everything's fine!" Poppy's voice was louder than it meant to be and there she went, snapping at him again. She immediately regretted it afterwards, watching as he recoiled ever so slightly, paused in his steps and refused to come in anymore than he had, merely watching her with confusion in those eyes of his. Why was she being mean to the one person that was so good to her? This was all Ruby's fault; even now the bitch was screwing her over. With a soft sigh, Poppy looked away and turned her body, falling down slightly to perch on the end of her bed. Her arms rest upon her knees, her hands wringing together awkwardly as she glanced down at her feet which were slipped into heeled shoes, despite her lack of clothing. Real Malibu girls wore heels with everything, even bikinis and deep down, Poppy would always be a Malibu girl. "I'm sorry, Freddie." She muttered quietly, sounding somewhat fed up about something. "It's not you, it's just..." Her voice trailed off and she wasn't sure how to get the words out.

"Ruby?" Freddie suggested, biting down on his lower lip and canting his head to one side in that adorable fashion of his.

Poppy turned her head and finally looked at him, her eyes looking somewhat lost and distant as she met his gaze. Her lips twitched up into the faintest of smiles; a genuine one as well. Why is it he always got her? He always understood what was wrong or what was right...it was as if he was truly a part of her and Poppy loved that about him. She didn't care if they were young; she was certain she was falling hard for him. In fact, she already had. She loved him. "Yeah. Ruby." She finally answered in agreement, glancing back down at the floor.

Freddie was quiet for a few moments and she didn't even hear his footsteps as he moved closer. She only became aware that he was near her when he actually sat down next to her, one of his hands reaching out and delicately taking her own in his. He laced their fingers together and pulled her hand up to his face, kissing the back of it with his gentle lips before placing it down on his knee, resting it there. "I'm guessing she's not a friend of yours." He commented and while it sounded slightly questioning, he knew he was correct.

"She used to be." Poppy admitted in a quiet voice, leaning her head downwards to rest against his shoulder, her eyes falling shut as she felt the kiss to her hand and the warmth of his fingers holding hers lightly. "Before my dad sent me to England, before...everything, we were best friends. She was always...helping me chose what outfits to wear, giving me advice on boys and shoes, dragging me out shopping whenever I wanted to just stay in and grieve over my mother..." Once again, she trailed off and hesitated, licking her lower lip before shrugging her shoulders, trying to brush the subject off as if it was nothing when it was clearly something. "And then...I moved and everything changed. She changed."

"Suddenly she wasn't your friend anymore?" Freddie questioned, giving her hand a gentle squeeze to encourage her to continue and also reminding her he was here to comfort, not pry.

"Pretty much." Poppy responded in a hollow tone. "Suddenly...she was taking my life; everything I once had." She sighed lightly and lifted her head from his shoulder so she could look at him. "I don't mean...there is so much in my life now that I didn't have before and I wouldn't change that for the world, I really wouldn't, but...being back here, having to ignore phone calls from her...it reminds me of what I lost, you know? I gained so much from it, but...I still lost it. Does that even make sense?"

"I think so." Freddie told her with a small nod. He was beginning to get that right now, maybe he didn't need to understand; she didn't need him to actually get what she was saying, she just...needed him to listen and being a good boyfriend who was utterly in love with her, he would do exactly that. "You know, Poppy...people who are only your friends when it's convenient for them...they were never truly your friend in the first place. It's hard to accept, but...you have friends here for you now. You have me and you have the girls. We're not going anywhere anytime soon and...this Ruby girl is just a 'grade one a-hole' who...didn't realise what an amazing person you were until it was too late. She isn't worth your time." His hand let go of hers, but only so his arm could curve over her shoulders and pull her closer to him. "You shouldn't let her get to you. It only makes her the winner and the Poppy I know, does not lose very easily."

A laugh departed from Poppy's lips and the tears that had been threatening to fall from her eyes eased up slightly now that his arm was enveloping her and pulling her against his warmness. "Thanks, Freddie." She whispered quietly and as if to show her gratitude, she leaned into his side that little bit more, her face moving closer to his until their lips meshed together. The kiss started out innocent enough; her mouth merely pressed against his lightly, his own returning with the same lack of pressure but as the second passed, Poppy decided to deepen it a little bit more, her tongue trailing across his lower lip to quietly asking for a little more physical contact. Freddie was more than happy to oblige, his lips parting and his tongue moving into the invitation, pressing against hers in a caring manner, his arm tightening around her ever so slightly. Her hand came up and lightly pressed against his bare chest, able to feel his heart beat pattering against her fingertips, sounding slightly faster than a normal heart should beat. Oh; was that the effect her kisses had on him? That thought alone was enough to help her forget about Ruby. He was so perfect, so amazing and...he was so hers. She often wondered what she had done to deserve such an amazing person to be in her life. He was just...utter perfection and she was...spoilt or at least, she used to be. He belonged with someone who could match his perfectioness and sometimes, Poppy could be very insecure despite her confident attitude.

Soon, they parted from each other, both slightly breathless than normal and Poppy's leant forehead, resting her forehead on his chin, her eyes still closed. They slowly opened after a few moments and it was only then did she notice how close they had become during their conversation. Her hand was against his bare chest and she was pressed against his side so much she might as wel have been sat on his lap. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were more dressed but being in just their swim wear made it that little bit more intense. Swallowing hard, she drew her head back to make eye contact with him and she could tell by the way his were swirling that he had noticed the proximity too. Being an in-experienced seventeen year old, Poppy wasn't exactly sure what to make of the situation. Her and Freddie had made out sure and there had been some heavy petting, but they had both spoken about sex and both agreed that when the time was right, they would know. Was the time right?

Poppy felt like it was. Not just because he looked delicious in just his swim shorts, but because it was just then did she realise how much she loved him and how much he loved her in return. Perhaps they were young; perhaps it wouldn't always last, perhaps it would be a teenage romance, but...she didn't like to believe that. There was such a strong bond between them and the fact he had followed her straight after her bitch fit showed that he cared about her feelings more than he feared her wrath, which meant something. He had wanted to comfort her before he comforted himself. Rather than wallow in confusion, he'd attempted to settle the problem as quick as possible because he couldn't stand the thought of being angry at her. The way he looked at how showed her all of this. The way he held her now. The way he hesitated with all his touches because he never, ever wanted her to feel pressured. The way he had such a strong ability to be able to make her forget about Ruby, about the girls betrayal so quickly, so easily. He made her feel happy; he reminded her that she was a better person now and she knew he was half the reason that she was this better person. She felt the time was right, but...how did one go about it? Did you just ask? Did you just make a move? She had never done this before. She wasn't even sure if Freddie had. She knew he'd been caught playing that game of doctor's and nurse's but hadn't be been like...way young then?

Licking her lower lip, Poppy decided to go with her instincts and started off with another kiss, this one a little more forceful than her last. However, in her sudden nerves, she was pretty certain she might have just licked his chin. Freddie kindly acted as though it hadn't happened though and merely returned the kiss. His arm remained wrapped around her while his other lifted, his hand pressing lightly against her cheek. His thumb stroked up the bone structure in a smooth manner as his tongue worked against hers, though when Poppy's hand slipped a little lower on his chest towards his abs, trying to explore, he jerked in surprise ever so slightly and had to part form the kiss in order to laugh in slight embarassment at his reaction. "Sorry." He mumbled against her mouth. "Tickles." He explained.

"Sorry." Poppy apologised, drawing her hand away from his chest. Okay; she had no idea how to do this. She had always thought she would be amazing at this; when she used to force herself to lie to Ruby about who she had done it with, she had always thought sex was an easy thing to do because it was so easy to lie about. She always imagined that when she finally did get round to doing it, she would be in total control and know exactly what to do but right now, she felt a bit like a mess and while she wanted to do it, another part of her wanted to run away from the idea and just go back outside to the others.

"Maybe we should...go back outside?" Freddie suggested, though he still didn't pull away from her. He found himself drawn in by how close her scandily clad body was to him. He found himself drawn in by how...different her kiss had been just moments ago and he couldn't help but wonder exactly why her hand had been trying to move lower. He had come in just to comfort her over Ruby, but now he found himself posed in a rather awkward position, unsure of how to act, unsure of whether he was picking up on the right signals or if he was just being hopeful because of how great she looked in that bikini. Her body language was hinting to him that she had just made a move, but his mind was refusing to believe it. He was worried that she was just vulnerable right now after their conversation and he wasn't about to take advantage of that unless it was definitely something she wanted.

"We could." Poppy commented, though she didn't exactly sound to keen on the idea. "Or we could...I don't know...stay here?" She licked her lower lip nervously afterwards and sounded shy when she spoke. Her voice suggested so many different things, but she couldn't quite bring herself to suggest just the one.

Freddie bit his inner cheek in order to bit back a groan at the hope of what she was suggestion and in order to keep himself focused, he pulled back slightly, creating some distance between them but remained sat next to her. His arm unwrapped from around her shoulders and his hand finally dropped away from her cheek. "They'll probably be wondering where we are." He commented and on that note, he actually began to push himself up to his feet. It wasn't that he didn't want to do what it sounded like she was suggesting but...she wasn't the only nervous one. He had done it before yes, one time, but...that had been experimenting and it had only been once, he had no idea if he had actually been any good. He might have been really bad! It just didn't matter because it hadn't really been anything special. With Poppy, he wanted it to be special though because...well, because it was Poppy. He wanted to plan it perfect and to have music and rose petals and no tearful conversations beforehand.

Unfortunately, Poppy didn't understand this and the fact that he was ignoring her advances was somewhat insulting and upsetting. When he made the move to stand up, her arm stretched out automatically and she snatched hold of his hand. "Freddie, please – " She begun, before pausing. She kept a firm hold of him and Freddie looked down at her silently. She was quiet for a few moments before tugging him back down. He didn't put up much resistance, allowing her to bring him back onto the bed, his bum falling on the edge with a faint bounce. Poppy swallowed hard and realised perhaps she needed to be a little bolder. Biting down on her lower lip, she twisted herself around and rolled over him slightly though rather than standing or moving to the other side, she actually perched herself on his lap, her legs falling either side of him, straddling him while her arms came up to rest on both shoulders. Freddie looked shocked and unsure, sitting there like a rabbit caught in headlights, hands resting on the maitress either side of him, itching to reach out and taking hold of her, but managing to restrain this urge for now.

"Stay." She finally finished, her voice shaking slightly, nothing more than a whisper.

"Poppy, don't you think this a bit...sudden?" Freddie asked, trying desperately to the good man that he was, with his good heart and his polite ways. He might be a fierce flirt with a cheeky attitude, but he wasn't the kind of asshole that jumped in a girl's pants the second he got the chance. "You're upset, I don't...I don't want to take advantage or want you to feel obliged to do something like – "

"Freddie." Poppy's tone sounded slightly stern despite it's nervousness. One of her hands came to his face and she pressed a single finger against his lips. "Shut up." She commanded, before offering him a smile. "Will you stop being so nice all the time?" She teased leaning forward and pressing a kiss against his nose. "I'm not uipset anymore, I promise, I – "

"Poppy?!" The sound of Kate's voice calling her name made her jump slightly and Freddie's eyes widened at the way her hips pushed downwards against him in a grind she hadn't even meant to happen.

"Oh-kay, I think it would be safe for the pair of us if you...got off my lap now." Freddie commented with a nervous laugh, standing up just enough to pick her up and place her back on her position at the edge of the bed.

Poppy's lips pouted forward at the way he seemed so hesitant. The more he denied her, the more convinced she became that this was what she wanted and Poppy Moore always got what she wanted or at least, the old Poppy Moore did. Perhaps now was the time to start blending her old life with her new life, with or without Ruby there.

"Poppy?!" Kate called for a second time. Okay, perhaps not right now, but once she'd gotten rid of the others, it was time to start combining!

"I tell you what..." Freddie knelt down on the floor in front of her, his hands coming up to take hers. He looked up, making eye contact and flashing her that winning smile of his. "Let's eat together tonight; just me and you. We'll send the others out somewhere as long as it's a place they can't get lost or spend money they don't have." He offered jokingly. "Your dad is out of town for a couple of days on work so we'll have the place to ourselves which will give us time to...talk about this more over food. How does that sound?" He tilted his eyebrows up in a hopeful manner and even though Poppy wanted to stamp her feet and demand she get her way now, she couldnt' resist that puppy dog look in his eyes and it wasn't long before she was rolling her eyes and sighing in defeat.

"Fine! I'll send the girls to the movies or something. But don't think you're avoiding this! And I'm going to be angry with you for the rest of the day until we talk!" Poppy commented, attempting to somehow get a little bit of control over the situation.

Freddie laughed softly, leaning up to a press a light kiss that wasn't returned to her lips. "I can handle that." He teased with a wink, before standing up and taking her hand in his and pulling her to her own feet. She reluctantly allowed him to lead her back out to the swimming pool but made a silent promise that tonight, she would not let him out of her grasp so easily. She was determined now and a determined Poppy always wound up getting her way whether the people around her liked it or not.