Weiss

Have you ever tried to tear down a brick wall by scratching at it with your hands? If so, you'll understand just how… excruciating my evening has been.

Shortly after that blond bimbo left, Ruby tossed her Language Arts book to the side and declared that we were doing mathematics now, no arguments. I dearly wished to continue in my comfort zone, but then I saw the sparks gather in her eyes, threatening to spill out at the slightest touch.

I pulled out my calculator, and got to work.

I was amazed she was still willing to help me. Given how… poorly she had reacted before, I would assumed she'd refuse, or finally demand payment. Not that I minded.

That was an hour and a half ago.

"And so that's… a seven?" I say, scratching out the answer on the paper slate before me. I pass it over to the girl next to me. A breath in the shape of a knife falls from Ruby's lips, and she leans over the page.

"Yeah, seven's right. Don't forget to show your work."

"I have."

A thin, smooth finger traces down the lines of my writing, curving around each bend and twist. "How'd you get this one?"

"I added, of course."

"You need to show that."

A growl yaps in my throat, thrashing at the gate. My teeth clamp down, hard, squashing any attempt at escape. "What teacher would need to me to spell out addition?"

"The kind that write math tests. You have to show everything."

My lips fall downwards, and I leer down at the page. "I'm sure you're quiet familiar with that…" I mutter.

I can hear Ruby's scowl grow, but she offers no other acknowledgement of my words.

A few minutes later, I lean back from the page. "There, is this better?"

I'm expecting her to grab the page, or perhaps simply glare at it like she could light it on fire. Instead, she leans over, right over my lap, so that the edges of her hair brush against my chest, and I can smell her hair, rose mixing with vanilla.

Why is she so close? It's… It's terrible! I'm so distracted, I can't even verbalise a response, just staring at the back of her head until she pulls away.

"You're fine," she says, unaware of the anger leaking through my skin, turning into a perfect match of her name. "Just don't forget BEDMAS, and remember to write everything down."

Of course I know that. I've known that since I was a child. I open my mouth to say so, but nothing comes out. Ruby turns her head, eyes narrowing at my widened mouth.

"Uh… Weiss? You okay?"

Her words crash into me like ice on a summer day. My jaw muscles return to my control, and I slam my mouth shut. "Fine," I state, untrusting of my ability to speak cohesively. "I—I should be going."

I stand up, far too quickly, and send my chair crashing down to the floor. My muscles lock together; my mind running through every possible rebuke Ruby could level at me. "I'm sorry, I wasn't—"

Ruby does none of that, instead bending down, picking up the chair, and… letting out a soft giggle? "Don't worry about it, these things are about to fall apart." Her laughs stop. "Besides, it's not the worst you've done."

I feel as if I've been shot. My heart suddenly weighs as much as a bar of gold, and looking up to her rounded cheeks and gleaming pools of silver does nothing to help. The first words on my lips, a harsh rebuke that would certainly create hatred, and end whatever compassion lead Ruby to continue speaking with me.

An apology worms its way through my throat, squirming around a sudden lump. "I'm—I'm sorry—"

"Don't," Ruby growls, holding up a hand. "I don't want to hear it."

Irritation flushes through my system, clearing away the blockage like drain cleaner. "I'm trying to apologize, you dunce—"

"To me," she says, hands curling into fists. "To someone you need, and that you didn't actually do anything to." One of her hands flies to the door, restrained only by the arm it's connected to.

"It's—you're the one here, and—"

"She's in the next room. Just go knock on the door."

"I…" Her eyes won't leave mine, gray thunderclouds glittering with strikes of lightening. I want to run, to go home, but I'm frozen in place, rooted to the floor like an ice sculpture. "I—I really should be going."

Her head droops down, like a dying flower. "That's… That's what I thought." She walks through the door, and turns to me, her once fierce eyes dulled to old concrete. "I'll show you out."

Her head whips around, a long, dark breath tumbling from her lips, and she walks out.

Leaving me alone with no one but myself.

As always.

Stepping downstairs, I'm immediately treated to a horrific bang as the window flashes white. Ruby and her mother stand by it, staring out into the hailstorm.

As in, an actual hailstorm, for once.

A rather large specimen careens into the window, bouncing off with a… somewhat disturbing crack.

Summer turns her head, shooting me a small smile. (Clearly Ruby hasn't told her about what transpired upstairs. Another confusing element added to this wonderful equation) "I don't suppose you have an underground tunnel home, do you?"

It's a joke, but my mind's so far elsewhere that I take it seriously. "No."

A snort falls from her lips, and she turns back out to the storm. "Well, I guess you're staying here for a while then. Good thing I'm making pizza!"

Blue eyes and grey eyes meet, temporarily forged into allies by a common thought.

You have GOT to be kidding me.