POV: RUBY ROSE.
"I doubt he'll care what I look like. And frankly I don't care." I say looking down at my pink heart p.j's and black shirt that has a flaming heart just over my breast. I look up giving Weiss my best dirty look. But my face changes as I realize I've said too much. The clear look of surprise on Weiss face tells me that she didn't think I was serious. She says something I don't hear so I just look up at her and rush by. "I just hope Ren is there."
It takes me about five minutes to reach the near endless library. "Ren?" I ask into the nothingness of the library.
"Ruby I'm in the back." Ren calls in his usual calm and very passive voice. As I approach the black haired boy who has a single pink strand in it. He is wearing his usual dark green, long-sleeved tailcoat that is red on the inside, with black and gold trimming. The trimming goes down the right side of his torso and forms a black collar. He also has his light tan pants. Typical Ren. "What is it that you needed Ruby?" He asks.
I sit across from him. "I need help with Weiss." I state simply. "I think she is mad at me and I don't know why. Just two days ago she, accidentally, gave me the hardest friendzoning ever by telling me that I'm her best friend. But then she starts to yell at me when I ask why she didn't wake me for he practice like she usually does. What did I do wrong?" I talk freely with Ren because I've always told him everything. He's my go to guy.
"Ruby I don't think it's as bad as you think it is." He lets out a sigh. "What did she say when you confronted her about it?" He asks me. He leans forward slightly to take in everything I'm about to say.
* *. *
"... And that's how it played out." I say after I finish re-telling all of earlier's run in with Weiss. "After that I came here. And here we are."
"So we are." He says with a chuckle. " Ruby, I think you have it all wrong." He says very non-chalantly. "And I can prove it."
"Really now?" I ask making the doubt in my voice very noticeable. "And how can you do that?"
He smiles and pulls out his scroll and begins to type something. When he looks up he starts to smile. "Well Ruby. We will know soon enough." He says. There's a loud bang at the front of the library and Nora rounds the corner. "Oh, hello Nora. Do you need something?"
"Yes I do!" She shouts. The anger shown clearly in her voice. Her angry turquoise eyes staring deeply and furiously into my silver ones. "I want Ren back!" She's wearing a white and pink V-neck T-shirt, which has a pink heart with a white thunderbolt on the chest, pink gym shorts with white stripes running down the sides, white knee high socks with pink stripes near the top, and a pair of pink converse-style shoes with white laces. Most of her usual outfit for the gym. She's just missing the pink wristbands and sweat-band. "Why do you keep taking him?! Do you love him or something? If you do I'm gonna kill you!" She reaches behind her where her war hammer, Magnhild.
"No Nora it's not like that at all. I needed someone I could tell things too and Ren offered so that's why I grab him every so often. Now if you don't mind he and I still need to talk. I don't want to sound rude but will you please go Nora?" I ask. That's when Ren's scroll decides to go off. "Please Nora?"
"Fine. But I don't want anything, and I mean anything, happening between you two. Got it!?" She looks at me with an anger you rarely see in Nora.
"Yes I promise." I look at her and smile. "Nothing will happen between Ren and I." With that she turns and glares at Ren until he promises two. With that said she leaves. But not without one final glare at me. "Got it. Ren is yours." "So why did you're scroll go of?" I ask Ren. My curiosity fully peaked.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. I have another agreement like ours but with Weiss. I simply asked her a question and she answered me. All I can tell you is that you are wrong in the worst way." He looks at me and sees the disappointment on my face. He sighs and looks at me. "Look, just don't miss the meet. It'll mean a lot too her. Oh, she also has something planned for the end of the meet." He looks apologetically at me. "Ruby. I'm sorry for this."
"For what Ren?" I ask. The only thing he could think to apologize for is if he yells at me. But he hasn't… Oh no.
"YOU CAN NOT MISS THE END OF THAT MEET! Again I'm sorry Ruby. I do not like to yell but Weiss asked me to if I was with you. So, sorry." He looks at my surprised expression and sighs. "Well we've been here an hour so, if you don't mind I must go." He stands. "It was nice to see you Ruby."
"You too Ren. Let me know if you need someone to talk too." I tell him before he goes. I'm not ready to go back yet. "I'm bored though. Maybe I should read, I am in a library." I start to laugh hysterically at the thought that I just had. I'm gonna go run. Weiss won't be there and it's something I enjoy to do. Normally I would have no problem with Weiss being there except that she would want me to burst. And I don't want to. Not right now. "I hope she wins."
* *. *
I arrive at the track within ten minutes. (Even I can walk slow sometimes. The walk is usually eight minutes.) I stand on the top of the bleachers looking at the track as a student I haven't met before runs his fourth lap since I've been here. But it could be more, he was running when I got here. "He should be done soon." I take this chance to look at my silenced scroll to see that I have a message from yang.
Yang: Sis, you should come back soon. Ice queen locked herself in the bathroom and won't come out. She probably thought that I was asleep cause she looked at all the beds first.
Me: no Yang. She can do watever. If she wants to disappear on us then fine. If you have to go, then go somewhere else. There's a girls room at the end of the hall, use that.
Yang: Ugh fine! But for the record, I blame you.
When I look back down for the student running the track I am surprised to find that he left. As I stand up and begin my walk I start to think about how this run is gonna go. "First I should begin by lightly jogging 4 or 5 laps. Then I'll run about 10 or 11 then I'll turn in. It's not as much as usual but hey, it's midnight." I line up at the start. Normally I would drop into a runner's pose but I'm only jogging. I pull out my scroll and am about to start some music but it's almost dead so instead I decide to do it silently.
I start my jog with slow, evenly spaced steps that slowly become faster till I'm in a full blown jog. I start to breathe deeper to prevent lack of air, and begin to count seconds in my head. (I guess I'm as accurate as a stop watch? That's what yang says anyway.) The first lap takes 2 solid minutes. Just what you would expect of someone jogging lightly. The second and third laps only take 1 minute each, and the fourth and final lap takes 45 sec's. "Good, now I can start my actual run. Maybe I'll break a sweat." As I cross the line and start my next lap I pick up the pace and begin to run.
That's when I can actually think.
"Ok you win let's go." Weiss says. Shrugging it off she starts to walk towards the track. I'm following close behind when she suddenly stops, turns abruptly around and throws her arms around me. "Thank you so much Ruby." She says still not letting go of me.
"For what Weiss?" I ask her hill I'm slowly starting to blush thanks to still continuing embrace. I grab at her shoulders and push her out and hold her at arm's length. "What reason could you possibly have to thank me for?"
She looks at me and starts to blush. "For being my number one best friend. I hope we can be friends for a long time. Even though you usually are an annoying, hyperactive, childish dolt that is also a kind, caring, and compassionate leader and friend. And I… Well… I'm glad that I met you Ruby 'crater face' rose."
That memory still stings. "No matter what I do I'll always be the best friend." I'm about one lap away from being don and. Only halfway there. "That's it . I'm gonna burst. Someone else can cleanup the rose petals." As I set my right foot down I push off of it extra and begin a series of super quick steps. Still maintaining a full stride. I come to a halt at the finish line.
That's when I look up and notice the boy from earlier. He's wearing a black pair of sweatpants and a black hoodie, he's holding a black coat over his shoulder. (Why a sweater and a jacket though?) That's the only color, black. "Nice running. I've never seen anyone go that fast. How do you do it?" He asks in a deep (yet surprisingly feminine) voice.
"It's my semblance. I call it bursting. I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name." I ask. He pulls his hood back and looks at me. His eyes are a dark blue, (like the color on those flat bottomed marbles) and he has black hair. "All that black and he's a white guy. It must upset him."
"No you didn't. I didn't give it. My name is not important." He turns to go. "Good run though." He says throwing one last glance over his shoulder. With that he jumps off of the bleachers and over the wall. "He was weird. I suppose I should go back to the dorm now." I'm tired.
