Beta: DragonManMax

AN: Another chapter finally. Been busy almost all month, so writing has been slow. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 4: The Ex.

Classes at Beacon had gone better than he had expected. Granted, today was only his first real day of class, but half of his classes were asshole free. There was one exception and that was in math class. It seemed fitting his worst class had something else to make it even worse.

Weiss was in his class. He supposed he had gotten lucky for the most part, since at least it wasn't Blake or Pyrrha. Not to mention it was only one class out of the two he had that day. With all the classes and students Beacon housed he supposed it was a stroke of misfortune, he had anyone he knew from high school in any of his classes at all.

He could only hope his next batch of classes that he will start tomorrow wouldn't have anyone he hated.

Weiss hadn't bothered him at all thankfully. She glanced at him a few times as if she was surprised he was there but that was it. He could handle glancing.

He made his way through Beacon's beautiful halls to the dorms. This school really was beautiful and he wasn't above standing around for a minute just to appreciate it. Whoever designed it did a very good job.

The halls were painted various bright colors, but at the same time it wasn't done in an overly suffocating way. The floor tiles were a pristine white and it all really tied together well.

Making his way back to his room he opened his door and threw his bag on his bed. He knew he still wanted to apologize to Ruby so he made the short trip across the hall and knocked on her door. He half expected her to be gone or at a class so he was a bit surprised when she actually answered.

"Oh, hello Jaune." She smiled at the door, but seemed surprised to see him. "How are things going for you?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Today is fine. I just wanted to say sorry about the other day. I was having a bad day and you didn't deserve me slamming the door on you like that. I get you were just trying to be friendly." He apologized.

She smiled. "Oh, it's fine. I mean it wasn't a big deal, but hope you're feeling better. I appreciate you coming to apologize."

He nodded. "It's fine. I'm not a dick all the time." He joked. "Anyway, have a good day." He turned to leave.

"Wait." She called out.

"What's up?" He asked, turning around.

"I know you weren't at Yang's party but did you have a good weekend?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I did actually. I made a few friends and we played some games together."

Her expression brightened. "That's great Jaune!"

"Yep." He muttered. "So how was your weekend? Have fun at the party?"

She smiled and blushed a bit. "Yeah, it was fun. I might have drunk a bit too much and made out with this guy named Oscar. I cut him off however when he started to touch my ass." She giggled.

Well, that was a bit more information than he really needed but it was his fault for asking he supposed.

He nodded. "Right…"

She continued. "Yeah, I only made out with him because I was drunk, but I don't just let anyone in you know? I'm waiting for that perfect guy. My knight in shining armor."

He nodded again. "Yep. I'm sure you will find him someday."

Her expression fell a bit and she mumbled something, but he couldn't make it out.

He was about to leave when she stopped him once more.

"Hey, do you want to hang out some night? I mean we are neighbors after all."

He had never actually hung out with Ruby before back in high school. But she really wasn't that bad of a girl and now that they were literally across the hall from one another he had even less excuse to say no.

Her expression lit up again. "Great! Um, just knock on my door whenever you want. Also…" She fumbled through a bag she had with her for a piece of paper and quickly wrote something down. "Here is my number so call me whenever." She smiled.

"Sure." He replied.

"Also, Pyrrha asked about you at the party and wondered if any of us had seen you?" She added.

His heart sank.

"What did you tell her?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"I told her I saw you around, but didn't say more than that." Her expression hardened a bit. "I know you two have a shaky past, so I figure if you wanted to reconnect with her you would on your terms. It wasn't my place to say anything else." She explained.

He sighed in relief. At least Pyrrha didn't know his room number then. He was grateful Ruby was that considerate.

"I see. Thanks Ruby. I appreciate you being discreet." He smiled.

She nodded. "What ever happened between you two anyway?" She asked.

He looked away. "I don't want to talk about it." He muttered.

She frowned, but nodded in understanding. "Alright. If you ever want to talk I'm just across the hall." She stated.

He nodded. "Thanks. I have to go Ruby. I have to be to work soon."

'So much for relaxing beforehand.'

He was hoping to take it easy before work, but now he was stuck having a moment with Ruby. He just wanted to apologize for being an ass, but now he has bonded with her? What the Hell?

Perhaps having friends now was changing him. He wanted to have more and since Ruby was his neighbor and never really did anything horrible he might as well give her a chance.

She nodded. "Alright. See you later Jaune." She waved goodbye and disappeared back into her room.

He sighed a bit as he watched her go. Still ready for a late night's work. Money wasn't free after all.


Ruby smiled as she closed the door. She felt so happy.

Normally Jaune and her didn't have the chance to talk this much. This was the longest they talked in a very long time and now he had her number. Being neighbors made things so easy.

Okay, so perhaps she had the slightest crush on him since the start of high school. Was that so wrong? Isn't it normal to fall for such a kind and handsome guy? He was the nicest guy she had ever met. He was always so willing to help Blake with her homework and put up with Yang's practical jokes.

Although some of them seemed a bit too mean, but she was sure Yang didn't mean any harm in it. Still, she had seen Jaune pretty upset at some of them and she tried talking to Yang and asking her to tone it down a bit. Yang just brushed her off and said it was all in good fun.

She also felt a bit embarrassed telling him about Oscar, but she supposed she should have thought about that before giving him such information. Hopefully he knew she didn't like that guy at all and just was a bit drunk.

Yeah, she had made that clear. Everything was fine.

Her mind started to race with all the possible things they could do the next time he came over. They could play some video games or compare manga or even exchange comics? Yang never did that stuff with her because she thought it was too nerdy with the exception of the video game part.

'Does Jaune still have his trading cards and comics?'

She would have to ask him that next time.

She nearly jumped in surprise when she heard a someone knock loudly on her door.

'Was Jaune back already?'

She opened was surprised when Oscar was at the door. Her heart sank a bit. This was not the person she wanted to be here right now. Or ever… Something about him was off-putting, especially now that she was sober and she didn't like it one bit.

Oscar was rubbing his hand slightly from knocking on her hard wood door. "Hey Ruby." He smiled.

"Hey Oscar." She said politely with a bit of nervousness.

She did, but not with him. She was hoping not to ever see him again to be honest.

"So, do you have plans tonight?" Oscar asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I do. I'm hanging out with my sister later." She lied.

He nodded. "Alright. Catch you later." He smirked. He leaned into her surprise and kissed her.

She blushed heavily and pulled back.

"Later, babe." He called back.

She closed the door.

'Does he think we are dating now or something!?'

She supposed it was her fault for not making it clear to him she had no real interest in him. It was a one time thing while under the influence.

She would make it clear next time she saw him.


Jaune finished washing the last of the dishes for the night. Working at a restaurant at night was normally pretty hectic, but tonight was lighter load than normal. He was thankful and put everything away before hanging up his apron for the night.

He walked out of the kitchen and waved goodbye to his boss. His boss was actually a pretty nice guy compared to some people's bosses' and waved back.

"Have a good night Jaune."

"You too sir!" He smiled as he exited the restaurant.

His smile soon vanished when he noticed someone who appeared to be standing outside waiting for him. Her white hair wasn't in a ponytail this time, but instead was let loose across her back.

Her blue eyes met his when she noticed him. She walked over to him softly. She had been waiting just around the corner of the building. It seemed a little odd to be honest.

"Hey Jaune…" She said softly. She looked down as she said his name.

The air almost seemed to turn colder. The night sky was cloudy and rain could start falling at any given moment.

"Need something?" He asked, not bothering to hide the disdain in his voice.

"Well, I just wanted to say hi. One of your coworkers told me when your shift ended so I waited for a few minutes for you to finish. He must have thought I was your girlfriend." She chuckled softly.

He clenched his fists. So, she still remembered where he worked it seemed. That was one mistake of never changing jobs.

He turned to walk away right then and there. The way she sounded so casual about something light that after breaking his heart. It was nauseating.

"Please wait!" She called grabbing his arm lightly.

"What? I don't need you of all people coming to say hi." He seethed.

She backed away a bit. "I'm sorry. It's just after seeing you in class today... I wanted to find you when you might be alone." She admitted.

"Why?" He asked starting to get impatient. He was tired and not in the mood to deal with his bitch of an ex-girlfriend.

"To say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the shit I did to you. It was horrible! I know you might not believe me, but I changed over the summer." She stated.

He was a bit shocked, but then laughed out loud at her. "What are things going badly between you and your shining prince Neptune?" He sneered.

She seemed a bit shocked at that. "Well, I mean… That's not the point. Not all of it anyway… The point is I'm a more mature person now. I just wanted to say sorry." She mumbled.

He just shook his head. "Oh yeah? You're sorry?" He teased. "What are you the most sorry for? I get breaking up with me Weiss. Break ups are understandable, but what you did after that is what you should be sorry for."

His anger started to build as all the memories came back to them.

"Are you sorry for all the times you laughed when Neptune would trip me in the hallway? Or are you sorry for blaming me for the incident in Mr. Oz's class?" Her eyes widened as he continued. "Or are you sorry for stealing my scroll and flushing it down the toilet in the girl's bathroom?"

She looked down with guilt. "I'm sorry for all that! I really am! I don't know what got into me once high school started. I suppose it was the hormones and my desire to want to be popular. You seemed like such a loser at the time, then I knew I couldn't be stuck with you, but now I see how wrong I was. I'm really sorry Jaune!"

He just looked away with disgust.

"Weiss did you know I was late for my sister's funeral?"

Her eyes winded. "What do you mean?" She asked surprised.

"The day you and Yang though it would be funny to shove me in my locker after school. After most people were gone. The janitor didn't find me until an hour later! That was the day my sister was being laid to rest and I was fucking late! All because of you guys!"

He lost it.

"For whatever reason, you decide to make my life a living hell and shove me in a locker I was late to my dead sister's funeral! My family was pissed to top it off!" He turned away to fight the temptation to hit her.

He gasped and covered her mouth with her hand before responding. "Jaune…I'm so sorry. We didn't know! I-" She started before he cut her off.

"I don't give a fuck Weiss! You thank being sorry means anything to me at this point? If you do, you're delusional as fuck! If you're really sorry then just leave me alone!" He shouted.

She cowered back a bit. "Jaune I'm so sorry." Tears started to run down her eyes mixed with the now pouring rain.

"I don't care. Just fuck off!" He said, turning away and heading home to get out of the rain and away from her.

She didn't call out to him. He didn't even look back. He just hurried back to Beacon's dorms as quickly as he could. Lucky his workplace wasn't far from the school so he could walk there.

He just walked and walked. What more could he do?


She watched him go. She didn't bother to call out or try to waist any more of his time. Weiss knew she didn't have that right. She couldn't tell if it was her tears or the rain that made her face so wet. It didn't matter. She just felt so cold now. Her clothes and light jacket were already soaked and the rain showed no signs of letting up.

Despite this she just stood there watching him walk away. She wasn't sure how long she stood there. A few minutes? A half hour? Who knew? She felt soaked to the bone at this point and decided to hurry back to the dorms herself. She also didn't want him to think she was following her.

It didn't take all that long to make it back to her room where she closed the door and the locked it. Soft sobs still escaped her lips. She never knew how much it all had affected his life.

'Late to his dead sister's funeral…'

She felt sick just thinking about. How much of a monster was she? How horrible were they? She remembered how she took such enjoyment in all the things they did to him. All the things she did to him. Why? Why did she become such a horrendous person? When did it all start?

Shortly after she started dating Neptune. She saw how he treated Jaune and wanted to join in on it. She wanted to feel cool and accepted by her new boyfriend and his friends.

She had become so sadistic and now she just felt dirty on the inside. Like she wanted to take a long shower.

Instead, she laid in bed and cried. How foolish of her to think she could just casually go up to him an apologize after all she did. He wanted nothing to do with her now and she didn't blame him.

Now she would do the best thing she could do. She wouldn't bother him again.


Jaune finished changing into his sleepwear and climbed into bed. He was far too tired to think about what had just happened despite how mad he had been. Part of him wondered if the rain had helped with that.

Unlike with Ruby he didn't feel even a bit guilty with how he reacted to Weiss. The bitch deserved every bit of it as far as he was concerned. If Neptune showed up later to try and beat his ass, he wouldn't think twice about dropping him!

He wasn't normally a big fan of violence under any circumstances, but tonight had taken a sour turn and he wasn't above going back on his morals.

He felt his scroll vibrate and sighed softly in annoyance. After pulling it out, however his frown soon turned into a smile.

It was a text from Militia.

"Hey, I know it's like super late, but I figured you're up gaming or something anyway. You should be studying you big nerd! Jk. Anyway, I'm bored and my sister is asleep. Can we talk?" - Miltia.

He smiled and typed a response. "Yeah, I'm still up. Just got back from work actually. Don't you two work late at that club?"- Jaune.

It took less than a minute to get a reply from her.

"We just got done too. However, my sister drank too much and kind of passed out on me. Lol." - Miltia.

He did laugh a bit and wasn't really all that surprised. He started to type back.

"Well, I'm going to bed too. Sorry, but I just had a run in with my ex and I don't really feel like talking anyway."- Jaune.

"Aww! I'm sorry. Well, I'll let you sleep then. But call me if you need me to beat that bitch's ass. I'll do it too!"- Miltia.

He smiled. That meant a lot actually.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm hoping she will just leave me alone. Have a good night Miltia." - Jaune.

His scroll vibrated one last time that night.

"Good night Jaune. Hope things go better for you tomorrow. Sweet dreams ;)" - Miltia.

He smiled and put his scroll away for the night and crawled into bed. It felt nice having someone who seemed to care so much. He was going to have to visit the twins during their shift some night. Perhaps they would even get him free drinks?


Adam settled into bed after some late-night gaming. Classes had gone well, even if kind of boring. But that was school life for you. Useful but not the most glamorous.

It sucked not having any of his friends in his classes. Not even his new buddy Jaune. However, he did make a new friend in science class. She was a total babe and a faunus like him. Her cat ears were pretty cute and she went by the name Blake.

They had even exchanged numbers already. Perhaps he would invite her over next time they hung out and played games. She was a pretty quiet girl for the most part, but when she became lab partners with him it gave him the perfect excuse to talk with her.

He heard a buzzing sound on his desk.

'Shit. Just after I had gotten comfortable.'

He cursed himself again for making the mistake of leaving his scroll on his desk. Or not silencing it.

Picking up, he noticed a message from Cinder.

"Tomorrow morning, go grab Jaune. We are going to get breakfast together and I was thinking of taking him to that new place where Mercury and Emerald work. Meet at like 10:00 okay? Thanks bud! :)" - Cinder.

Adam sighed, wondering why she couldn't just do it?

'Oh, right. Cinder is the evil genius and I'm one of the henchmen.'

Or so she always says.

It made him shiver to think if in some parallel universe that was actually the case and he was helping her take over the world or something like that.

After sending her a quick text stating he would do it, he crawled back into bed and this time silenced his scroll with the exception of his alarm.

It had been a week's since he last had time to see Emerald and Mercury so it will be nice to see how they were doing. Last, he heard they were doing pretty well together so that was good.

He soon drifted asleep thinking about food and friends.

AN: Thanks for reading!