Ruby is definitely not a morning person and today was no different. As she stared at the ceiling, a loud constant beeping filled her ears. The bane of every teenager's existence. The 6.00 A.M. alarm. Ruby's body apparently decided to wake her up a whole hour early before the alarm and refused to let her go back to sleep. After listening to the alarm for a good twenty seconds, Ruby turned the alarm off. With a loud groan, she slowly sat up in her bed, looking around the room for any sign of her wheelchair. As she scanned the room, she was reminded of how much she missed her old bedroom on the second floor; her dad and uncle had converted the garage into a new bedroom in which she now resided in. despite formerly being a garage though, her bedroom was actually very clean and looked like any other bedroom, even the garage door was removed and replaced with an actual wall. Ruby assumed the conversion had cost a fortune of course and that only made her feel worse. On the bright side, she got her own bathroom specially designed for her needs, no more sharing a bathroom with her sister who tended to hog the bathroom upstairs to groom her golden hair.
Finally, Ruby spotted her wheelchair, sitting exactly where it always is every morning on the right side of her bed. Ruby stubbornly refused to use a motorized wheelchair whenever her father or a doctor told her about better options for her. She would always respond by claiming that she needed to spend all her pent up energy somehow now that she couldn't run around and play like she used to.
Ruby pulled away the covers, revealing her pale legs. Ruby grimaced at the sight 'well, glad to see that you're still as useless as ever...' Ruby cursed herself for willingly staring at her scars first thing in the morning. Letting out a groan, Ruby reluctantly started her morning ritual of literally dragging her sorry butt out of bed and into her wheelchair. As soon as she sat down in the chair, a soft knock on her door filled the room. Ruby rolled over to the door and unlocked it, letting her sister inside her room.
"Hey Rubes, time to get up and go to school, dad is mak-" her sister was a bit startled by Ruby's state of dress. "W-Why aren't you wearing your favorite pajama bottoms?" The blonde hesitantly asked, raising one of her eyebrows. "And since when did you start sleeping in your underwear?"
"Since it became a pain in the butt to put pants on, Yang." Ruby grumbled, not wasting any time on her sister and was already in her private bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.
Yang walked up to the bathroom door. "Right... Well, dad is already making breakfast. You better hurry before I steal one of your favorite pancakes~". Yang sang as she left the bedroom, Ruby was already turning the water on in the bath by the time Yang left. The bath part of her morning ritual was the only part that put her mind at ease, she simply refused to let anything ruin a good bubble bath. As the water filled the tub, she looked herself over in the mirror. Her long jet-black hair was an absolute mess as loose strands defied gravity. '"Should I let it grow a little more, maybe let it go down to my waist?" Ruby pondered to herself while messing with bits of her hair, it was already reaching the bottom of her shoulder blades in the back with her bangs framing her face in such a way that she could easily hide behind her hair if she ever needed to. "Maybe I could dye the ends red like Crescent..." Ruby decided to think on it later and turned her focus on the bubble bath that she desperately needed.
After a quick bath, Ruby changed into her favorite red hoodie and black sweatpants that hid her surprisingly toned body. In fact, she looked a bit bigger than she really was in the outfit. The hoodie always made Ruby feel protected and loved how her fingers poked out of the long sleeves. As Ruby finished getting dressed, she noticed her favorite red, sleeveless sundress hanging in the closet. Ruby hasn't worn the dress for the past two years. "Maybe someday I'll have an excuse to wear you again...that is if you still fit, pretty sure I grew in more ways than one since I was twelve."
Just as she picked up her backpack and rolled up to her bedroom door, she stared at the lock for a moment. She didn't want to lock her sister out of her room, but she had no choice. During the first month of losing the use of her legs, it took Ruby a couple of weeks and a few awkward moments of her sister and dad walking in on her struggling to change clothes in somewhat compromising positions just to finally convince her family that they had to knock and wait for her to open the door. While her dad quickly fell into the new habit of knocking first, Yang simply refused to adhere to Ruby's desire for privacy. Somehow Ruby managed to convince her dad to put a lock on her bedroom door after Yang walked in on Ruby when she was in the middle of a certain...personal activity. Ruby's face turned crimson at the memory, thank god she was under her blankets or else she would have probably died from embarrassment and shame. Her dad only agreed to the lock on the condition that it remained unlocked at night when she was sleeping. Ruby quickly realized she was probably staring at the lock a bit too long and decided to finally leave her room, breakfast was waiting for her and it certainly wasn't going to eat itself.
"Hey! good morning sweetie, I made your favorite breakfast." Tai was as happy ever, Ruby is always glad he treated her like nothing happened, even if he did seem a bit too protective.
"mmm, chocolate chip pancakes and strawberries." Ruby could smell the heavenly breakfast as she approached the dining room table.
"Don't forget, you have that tutoring session after school, Yang will pick you up when you're done and not a second sooner." As taiyang set Ruby's breakfast on the dining room table, he ruffled up her hair like he always does.
"Yeah, Yeah...it's not like I have a choice in the matter." Ruby muttered as she parked her wheelchair at the table where a certain wooden chair is forever missing.
"Alright, I'll be out working on the flower garden if you girls need me." Tai stated as he walked out the front door.
Yang sat across from Ruby with a plate full of sausage and eggs. She was wearing a brown leather jacket with a yellow tank-top underneath. Blue skinny jeans hugged her toned legs. "So, Rubes, you gonna finally show off your brains to the older kids?" Yang said, trying to tease her sister.
"I'm not gonna be showing off, Yang. Besides, It's not like I'm a genius." Ruby grumbled as she stuffed her mouth full of chocolate pancake goodness. she stopped enjoying the praise and attention she got just because of her intelligence, it only brought attention and too much attention had a habit of bringing her anxiety. "also, they aren't that much older, my birthday is in like four weeks."
Yang perked up at the mention of her baby sister's birthday "Oh! that reminds me, is there anything you want for your birthday? I'll get you anything you want, no questions asked" Yang's smile was so bright that it could rival the sun.
Ruby swallowed her food before responding, her face as apathetic as always. "not really, a chocolate cake with strawberries is enough." Ruby stated nonchalantly, restuffing her mouth full of pancakes. Yang felt a bit defeated hearing her baby sister's answer. It's the same answer she got for Ruby's last two birthdays. "Oh...well, if you think of anything, tell me." Ruby simply hummed in response.
After the sisters finished breakfast, Ruby was just about to make her way towards the front door, but Yang placed her hands on the handles that protruded from the back of Ruby's Wheelchair. Grimacing, Ruby immediately felt Yang's presence behind her. "Yang... I can get to the truck myself." Ruby grumbled, trying not to sound too angry with her sister's actions.
"Oh, sorry…just acting on my sister instincts, ya know?" Yang stammered and quickly let go of Ruby's chair. Ruby sighed as she immediately rolled through the doorway and made her way down the ramp that branched off their patio and led to the driveway where Yang's Yellow pickup truck was sitting. Rolling up to the passenger side door, she stopped and waited for Yang. However, Yang decided to stop by the flower garden to talk to her father before leaving. "Hey Dad, is it ok if Blake comes over after school? We haven't been able to see each other all summer." Yang pleaded.
Tai was in the middle of watering his sunflowers, staying silent while thinking on whether or not to accept his daughter's request. Yang watched with pleading eyes. "alright, alright. Just make sure you two aren't smooching on the couch when I return from work tonight. I don't want to ruin your fun again." Teasing his daughter, Tai got up and made his way over to the roses that sat next to the sunflowers, giving the roses just as much care as he did with the sunflowers.
"Dad!" Yang whined, crossing her arms. "I thought we agreed to never mention that ever again."
Tai laughed at Yang's embarrassment. He pointed over towards Ruby. "alright, Now go on, I think you've kept your sister waiting long enough."
Yang said her goodbye and ran over to the truck. As soon as Yang started running for the truck, Ruby opened the door and pulled herself into the passenger seat with incredible ease. Once Ruby was secure in the passenger seat, Yang quickly folded the wheelchair and put it in the back of the truck. Yang hopped into the driver's seat and wasted no time as she shoved the key into the ignition and stepped on the gas, it was only a split second before they were already leaving their little home.
Ruby always thought yang seemed at her happiest when she was driving, always going a couple of miles over the speed limit too. Ruby felt kind of guilty that Yang didn't get the motorcycle she always dreamed of having, her father getting her a truck on the idea that Yang needed to be able to take Ruby places whenever their father couldn't. The sisters didn't live too far from the school so before Ruby knew it they had arrived at Vale Academy. Yang found a parking spot close to the entrance that had just enough room for Ruby to get out with her wheelchair. Yang was first to leave the truck. She walked around the back, grabbing and unfolding Ruby's wheelchair. Ruby watched in the side view mirror, once she saw Yang waiting with the chair ready, Ruby got out and made her way down to the chair just as easily as she had gotten out of it. Just as she got out of the truck, Ruby quickly noticed a few students passing by who were looking at her and her sister. 'Stop staring damn it…I've been doing this routine for a month now, you'd think they would get bored of staring by now...'
Yang was just about to try another attempt to push Ruby's wheelchair. However, Ruby didn't waste any time and as soon she was seated, she was propelling herself at top speed towards the entrance. "Sorry Yang, I want to get to class early, love you!" Ruby yelled as she rolled off. Yang watched her sister, only able to see the back of Ruby's head.
"Well, at least she won't be locked away in her room anymore, now that she has tutoring to do..." Yang deadpanned while waiting until Ruby disappeared into the entrance before entering the school herself.
As Ruby rolled down the hall, she tried to ignore the occasional stares she got from the students. Ignoring the stares as best she could, she finally made it to her first class of the day, English. As she rolled into the classroom, she immediately went to her desk and just before class was about to start, the one student Ruby hoped wouldn't come to school finally showed up. The overly friendly redhead with a heart of gold.
"Hey, Ruby." Pyrrha greeted Ruby with her angelic voice as she placed her bag on the back of her chair and sat next to Ruby.
'And here I was thinking she wouldn't be here today...looks like it's gonna be another uncomfortable hour of trying to hide myself...wait, isn't that what I do every hour I'm at school anyway?' Just as Ruby was about to start a debate with herself, Pyrrha began speaking to Flynt and Neon.
'God, of all the people in the world to be my classmate, it just has to be my guildmaster, Pyrrha...last thing I wanted was for any of my friends to see me like this…what the hell are the odds of her being in the same city, let alone the same school?!.' Ruby rested her chin in her palm as she took out her notebook and began to draw, ignoring everything around her for the next hour. Ruby didn't really pay much attention to what she drew most of the time, she merely did it to pass time and be alone in her thoughts. She was completely oblivious to Pyrrha's occasional curious glance at her drawing.
Long after the class had started, Ruby suddenly realized what she was drawing. Apparently, she drew a messy sketch of Little Red Riding Hood carrying a sword that was a tad too big and was facing away from the viewer, staring up at a large wolf. This was the 10th time this month she had drawn the sketch that was inspired by Crescent. Ruby groaned quietly to herself as she was about to rip it out of the notebook. That is, until Pyrrha spoke up. "That's a great drawing, you really shouldn't throw it away."
Ruby froze on the spot just seconds before ripping the page from her notebook, she even nearly forgot to breath. 'Crap, please don't think it looks like Crescent.' After a few seconds of Ruby internally panicking, Pyrrha continued. "It kind of reminds me of a friend of mine."
Ruby began fidgeting with her pencil in a nervous fit. Of course it reminded Pyrrha of a certain friend, because it was for crying out loud. "A f-friend?" she meekly choked out the words as her thoughts were engulfed by fear.
"Yep, I've always seen her with a red hood and cloak just like the girl in your drawing." Pyrrha chirped as she smiled at Ruby. Ruby's heart pounded against her chest and her hands became clammy. 'It's ok, there's no way she'll figure it out...I'm nothing like Crescent...except for maybe my voice ...oh yeah, and the body proportions are the same in game as they are in real life...Oh my god she is so gonna figure it out for sure!' Luckily for Ruby, Pyrrha quickly brought her out of her panic attack before it could even start.
"By the way, would you like to eat lunch with me and my friend? I think she'd love to meet you, I assure you she's really nice." That is if you could get past her cold walls first...Pyrrha really hoped Weiss made progress on her socializing skills from playing with her new online friends.
Ruby really didn't want to speak, she didn't want to risk revealing herself. But she couldn't ignore her, not the super friendly Pyrrha that had a pure heart of gold. " um…I...I, um…" Suddenly, the bell rang and Ruby immediately shoved her notebook and pencil into her bag in a flash and bolted for the door as fast as she could. Sadly However, she wasn't as fast as she wanted to be as her anxiety finally caught up to her. 'Why are you leaving? She's already your friend, just accept the offer for fuck's sake… God, you look like a scared puppy running away like that…Crescent would have jumped for joy upon meeting a new friend, especially one of Pyrrha's friends… but no. you rather roll away with your tail between your useless legs...' Ruby suddenly halted just before reaching the door, her arms shook as her hands held onto the wheels with an iron grip, fighting against the urge to run away. Her heart pounded in her chest a million times a minute and felt nauseous. Maybe, just maybe she could be friends with Pyrrha and not let her know her secret? That could work right? She would be taking such a big risk, though...
Slowly, Ruby turned her head to peek at Pyrrha over her shoulder and saw that Pyrrha looked defeated with her head hung low as she collected her school supplies. 'God I'm such an ass…' Ruby took a deep breath, but that sadly didn't stop her arms from shaking. 'Come on, you're gonna look like an jerk if you leave like this…you're lucky you and Pyrrha are all alone now since all the other students were faster than you, because, well...you know, they actually have useful legs.' Ruby shook her head to fight off the horrible thoughts that plagued her and took another deep breath. Hesitantly, Ruby ever so slowly turned her chair around and just as slowly, she rolled up to Pyrrha who quickly noticed Ruby's return, a glimmer of hope was written all over the redhead's face.
Once ruby stopped in front of Pyrrha, she slowly fidgeted with her long hair as she tried to find the strength to speak. Ruby really hoped Pyrrha couldn't see how red her cheeks were and how sweaty her palms had gotten. Pyrrha simply watched the flustered girl with patient eyes and a soft smile, an expression all too familiar to Ruby. After a few seconds, Ruby finally spoke, her voice sounded terribly meek to Pyrrha
"I...I'd like to...um, to join you for lunch..w-with your friend." Ruby barely got the words out as she tried her best to hide her face with her hair. Pyrrha giggled before standing up and gave the younger girl a big smile, even if Ruby couldn't see it through her long black hair that she was using to hide herself. Pyrrha would have considered it adorable if she hadn't noticed how much of a struggle it took for Ruby to talk to her. Pyrrha wasn't oblivious of course, unlike a certain blonde she knew.
"Thats grand! I look forward to seeing you at lunch, I promise we'll have lots of fun." Pyrrha assured Ruby with her ever so sweet voice. Ruby simply nodded in such a way that made Pyrrha instantly think of a cute puppy. As Ruby let her hair fall from her face, she turned around and roll out of the classroom as fast as her strong but trembling arms could allow her. Leaving the classroom in a matter of seconds. "Okgottagobye!" and with that, Ruby was out of sight from Pyrrha.
Ruby's quick and rapid goodbye was eerily familiar to Pyrrha but she couldn't quite figure out why. 'Now that I think about it, her voice did sound a bit familiar...but yet it feels like it's missing something…a certain emotion? Energy? maybe a certain personality trait?' Unable to find the answer, Pyrrha decided to put that thought on hold and focus on going to class. "Well, that went surprisingly better than I thought it would. Now I just hope Weiss and Ruby get along." Pyrrha said as she slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to her next class.
After English, Ruby had history with Dr. Oobleck for second period. After that, third Period was math which was just as uneventful and insufferable as World History. Finally, Ruby could go to lunch. The Cafeteria was rather large compared to Ruby's previous schools, filled with many long wooden tables and an extremely high ceiling supported by marble pillars. Students were everywhere and the line was a tad long, testing the patience of Ruby's suffering stomach. She chose to grab two hamburgers, a rather large pile of mashed potatoes and five chocolate chip cookies, causing the lunch ladies to give weird looks at the large portions of her meal.
Carrying her tray on her lap, Ruby propelled herself between the crowded tables. Ruby already felt like she was suffocating in the sea of people. After a few minutes of searching for a place to eat, she spotted Yang sitting with her girlfriend Blake. Yang's warm lilac eyes met with Ruby's piercing silver and waved her baby sister over. However, Ruby rolled on by. She didn't want to be pandered by her sister. Besides, Yang had Blake to keep her company, Yang didn't need her being a third wheel.
Failing to find an empty and isolated table, Ruby begrudgingly pulls up to one of the wide walls of the cafeteria, making sure to be within line of sight with Yang to satisfy her older sister's motherly tendencies. 'this cafeteria is just too crowded…there isn't a single place to park myself at any stupid table without being in someone's way or blocking up a path between the tables…maybe I should eat outside like a usually do and forget about eating with Pyrrha…but then Pyrrha and her friend would probably be mad at me for ditching them...damn it, why did I agree to eat with her?! All I had to do was say no...but then I would have been an big, stupid jerk...' Ruby continued to rant to herself internally as she ate one of her two hamburgers in silence. However, Ruby's thoughts were quickly interrupted by Pyrrha who easily found Ruby, being the only girl in the crowded cafeteria in a wheelchair.
"There you are, Ruby." Pyrrha chirped, holding her tray of food to her chest. "ready to go?" Ruby gave the towering redhead a meek nod as she put the hamburger back on her tray and followed Pyrrha. Ruby of course, promptly returned to panicking… 'Oh god, what have I gotten myself into…'
Yang watched Ruby ignore her and isolate herself, feeling a sharp sting in her heart. "See, Blake? It's been like this all summer too, she practically locked herself in her room for the entire summer break and it has barely changed since school started" Yang groaned in distress as she slumped over her food.
Blake was appalled upon seeing the depressing sight that was Yang's sister. Blake rarely saw Ruby when she visited the Xiao Long/Rose household, so she barely knew what the younger girl was like. "Damn, I know she's a bit distant with you But I didn't think she would actively avoid you like that."
Stabbing her peas with her fork, yang confessed to Blake "I don't know what I'm going to do with her. Whenever I even attempt to help her, she pushes me away before I could even do anything. Hell, whenever me or dad try to get her out of her room, there's almost always silence from her. Almost like she isn't even there…dad is seriously considering removing the lock on Ruby's door because of her self isolation." Yang occasionally glanced towards Ruby as she ate with Blake. Seeing her baby sister alone was a painful sight. All she wanted was to see Ruby back to her energetic and happy self. "whenever she comes out, she always says she was sleeping or some other convenient excuse…I know she's lying, but dad always says to let Ruby have her space and that she'll open up when she's ready…but I don't want to wait, damn it!" Yang banged her fist on the table, causing Blake to jump a little at the sight of an angry Yang.
For the past year that she had been dating Yang, Blake saw Ruby only a handful of times and spoke to her about half as many times which only consisted of lazy greetings on Ruby's part. What she did know of Ruby though, was from the stories Yang told about her little sister when she was younger. Blake hated seeing Yang look so helpless. Blake placed her hand over Yang's "I'm sure Ruby still loves you Yang, even if she does avoid you. I'm sure Ruby has her reasons."
"maybe you're right... I should just be patient." Yang sighed in defeat. She was lucky to have Blake by her side. Suddenly, behind Blake, Yang saw a peculiar event unfold. "What is Pyrrha Nikos doing with my sister?" Yang asked in utter confusion as Blake turned her head around to see what her girlfriend was staring at.
'Where is Pyrrha, it's not like her to be late' Weiss thought to herself as she ate her mashed Potatoes. Feeling a strange sense of deja vu, Weiss decided to think about something else. Maybe Pyrrha succeeded in convincing Ruby to eat with them? As if on cue, the redhead in question was within view with a Ruby in tow. 'Wow, she actually convinced Ruby to eat with us, I wasn't expecting her to come here willingly.'
However, Ruby wasn't exactly happy to see Weiss, it was bad enough she was being being forced to see her everyday afterschool. 'Are you kidding me? She's the friend that Pyrrha talked about? I thought she said her friend was nice...'
"Hey Weiss, I brought us some company." Pyrrha chirped as she sat at the table, gesturing to Ruby to join her and Weiss. Ruby parked herself at the end of the table, with Pyrrha seated on her right and Weiss on her left.
"It's nice you see you again, Ruby." Weiss spoke eloquently, trying her best to not sound like the notorious Ice Queen that people have taken her for "how has your day been?" saly, she realized she was sounding a bit too uptight. 'Seriously, that's the best question you could ask her? You can do better, damn it.'
Ruby picked up her hamburger, wishing she had taken a bite before Weiss could ask her question. "F-Fine…" Ruby quickly took a bite so she didn't have to talk for the time being. 'Why is she being so friendly? She clearly wasn't that interested in me on friday, so why now?'
Weiss was just as confused on the inside as Ruby as she watched the black haired girl take a bite of her food, obviously trying to keep herself from talking. 'Weird, I thought she was grumpy and stubborn type...but now she's meek and reclusive just like that time she caught me staring at her ...maybe she was just in a bad mood back then?' Weiss shifted her attention to Pyrrha, who was apparently staring at Ruby as if there was a difficult riddle written on the younger girl's face. "Pyrrha, I don't think she appreciates you staring."
Pyrrha was quickly brought to her senses. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was deep in thought. I didn't mean to stare."
"I-It's fine, it's not your fault...I-I'm just not used to eating in the cafeteria, since I usually eat outside in the courtyard...alone..." Ruby was only telling half the truth, yes Pyrrha's staring bothered her, but not us much as the brief stares that Ruby got from the neighboring tables. The other students clearly weren't used to seeing Ruby in the cafeteria.
Pyrrha listened to what had to be the most words she ever heard come out of Ruby's mouth , which was surprising to Pyrrha to say the least. "Well, if you want we could go eat outside if it bothers you that much." Pyrrha pointed with her thumb over her shoulder at the door that led to the usually empty courtyard. "It's not a problem for me and Weiss."
"No, it's fine. Y-You don't have to do that for me, really." Ruby assured, hoping her annoyance went unnoticed. She really hated being coddled, she already got enough of that from her father and sister.
Pyrrha and Weiss shared a quick glance before Weiss spoke. "Ok...Well, What do you do for fun?"
Ruby reluctantly swallowed her food as she thought of an answer. However, the only thing that came to mind was her online life and god forbid she told them about that. So, Ruby did what she usually did in a situation like this. She decided to avoid the question by using sarcasm and being apathetic. "Oh, you know. Sit around all day, roll around all day… the usual mundane stuff." Ruby gestured to her chair as she spoke to emphasise her point.
Weiss of course, was hoping for an actual answer. After all, she wanted to get to know this girl more before tutoring her. "Right...but don't you do anything for fun? Like reading books? Maybe playing games?" She asked
The mention of games nearly caught Ruby off guard, but hid the fact well. Did Weiss place games? Regardless, Ruby didn't falter. "Nope" Ruby nonchalantly popped the 'P' out of habit "I just live a boring life."
"Oh please, I'm sure you have some sort of fun." Weiss gave Ruby her most genuine smile, trying to get Ruby to open up. "I mean, it's impossible not to have something you enjoy."
Pyrrha decided to chime in, giving Weiss a boost in confidence. "I agree, There must be something you enjoy doing."
Ruby wasn't expecting Weiss and Pyrrha to be so persistent. They had pushed her into a corner and Ruby did not like that one bit. "I...I don't see why you'd want to know, it's not like you have to befriend me or anything in order to tutor me." Ruby scoffed at Weiss, hoping the snow haired girl would stop asking questions.
Weiss shared a subtle but confused look with Pyrrha before speaking. "Well...I just thought that we could get to know each other better. We are going to be seeing each other quite often from today onwards after all."
Ruby narrowed her eyes at Weiss, this girl was annoyingly persistent yet somehow...Ruby couldn't help but feel like she met this girl before, now that she wasn't being so formal and uptight like she was back in Ozpin's office. Ruby suddenly had an idea. Maybe she could make a deal with her, Weiss seemed to be the businesswoman type. A smug grin grew on Ruby's face, causing Weiss to look a bit confused by the sudden confidence that Ruby showed. "You know what, how about this. You tell Mr. Ozpin that I don't need any tutoring or whatever and then I'll answer whatever question you like."
Weiss couldn't believe this, why was Ruby so adamant on being so stubborn? 'This has to be an act, right? Just five minutes ago this girl looked so shy and nervous, now she's just being a pest. what the hell is her deal?' Weiss thought as she began to glare at Ruby. her patience with the younger girl was wearing thin. How could this girl who is clearly smart enough to warrant skipping two whole grades not care about her education? "Listen here, you dunce. Whether you like it or not, I WILL tutor you." Weiss stood up from her seat, staring down at Ruby. "Seriously, why do you want to throw away your education so badly? Don't you have any dreams? Any goals you want to achieve in the future?
Ruby's hands gripped the armrests of her wheelchair tightly, feeling her heart rate rise. Of course she had dreams and goals...but those were pulled out from under her, as if fate decided to just say 'screw your dreams, you need to suffer instead'...Ruby promptly pushed her food away from her and gave Weiss such a menacing glare that it rivaled even her own. "I don't care if I fail, Princess. If you haven't noticed, I'm in a goddamn wheelchair. Kinda hard to follow my dreams in one, don't you think?!" Ruby had finally snapped. Her heart was pounding against her chest, she couldn't remember the last time she had yelled at someone let alone become so angry. Even her hands began to tremble as adrenaline started pumping through her veins as she was filled with anger.
Weiss simply stared at Ruby, her eyes wide as she realized that she had struck a nerve in Ruby. She didn't say anything, fearing she might only make the situation worse.
"M-Maybe we should just start over?" Pyrrha's voice was hesitant, she wasn't sure how to defuse the situation either. "I think we simply just...got off on the wrong foot.
Ruby noticed distant whispers. A quick glance around her surroundings made her realize that her outburst brought the attention of all the other students nearby. Students stared at Ruby, whispering what she could only suspect are potential rumors about her and her sudden outburst. Ruby felt a sudden but familiar pain in her chest, her breathing becoming heavy and her hands sweaty as she clung to the armrest. 'No, I didn't mean to yell at her...I was just...I just-' Ruby couldn't take it, she needed to get out of there and away from all the stairs an whispers. Wasting no time, Ruby turned her chair around and left the cafeteria as fast as she could.
Weiss reached her hand out in vain as she watched Ruby stroll away. "Ruby. Wait! I didn't mean it..." Weiss slumped back into her seat. "Great... my first chance to have a conversation with her and I blew it…"
"Hey, don't give up yet. I can try and talk to her tomorrow in class. I'll ask her to give you another chance, ok?" Pyrrha tried to sound as confident as ever.
"I appreciate that, Pyrrha." after taking a deep breath, Weiss stood up from her seat and picked up her tray. "I think I'm gonna head off to my next class early, I'll see you later in World History."
Just as Pyrrha saw Weiss leave the cafeteria, a certain boisterous Blonde and her girlfriend walked up to Pyrrha's table. "Hey Pyrrha, what's up?" Yang practically jump into the seat to Pyrrha's right while Blake sat on the other side of Yang.
"Oh not much, Weiss just tried to make a new friend but it seems we hid a bit of a road bump in the process." Pyrrha pointed her fork at the deserted food tray that Ruby had left behind.
Yang frowned at the sight of the half eaten food that sat on the tray Pyrrha pointed at. "Oh, you mean Ruby? Yeah, that ain't gonna be so easy. She can be kind of...difficult. Hell, Blake hasn't even had a conversation with her yet and Ruby met her last year."
Blake rested her chin in her palm as she recalled meeting the ever so distant Ruby. "Kind of hard when she seems to have no interest in talking to me past the casual greeting..."
Pyrrha perked her up one of her eyebrows at Yang and Blakes words. How did they know Ruby? Pyrrha could imagine Ruby and Blake somehow being friends, but Yang? She could only imagine the younger girl avoiding someone as loud and social as Yang like a plague. "Wait. You and Blake know Ruby?"
Yang looked at Pyrrha with a raised eyebrow. "Well, yeah. Why would I not know my own sister?"
Ruby always enjoyed her art class, the teacher, Miss Peach, was really cool and tended to let her student's do whatever they want as long as they got their projects done. Ruby of course had her canvas set up in the back of the classroom, enjoying the isolation she had. The project she was working on required the students to draw a scenic piece, prompting Ruby to attempt to draw her home which was surrounded by forest on three sides. However, for the life of her, Ruby couldn't concentrate. She couldn't stop thinking about her outburst in the cafeteria, thinking she may have overreacted. Ruby knew she needed to do better in school, but she just had no motivation, no end goal to drive her. Weiss was only trying to be nice, she made it very clear with the genuine tone of her voice. Ruby's thoughts suddenly shifted to the older girl's voice. She couldn't help but feel like the voice sounded familiar. "Maybe we met in middle school? No, I think I would have remembered meeting someone with snow white hair…"
Deciding she needed a break, she took her phone out of her pocket. Ruby needed advice, and there was only one person she knew that would be free at the moment and would be willing to help her with her guilt ridden state. Ruby quickly typed out her message, hesitating for a moment before sending the send button. "Maybe she isn't the best person to ask for advice about this...then again, it's either her...or Goodwitch" Ruby shuddered at the thought of asking the school counselor for help and promptly pushed the send button.
[Ruby]: Hey, are you free at the moment? I could really use some advice…
Ruby waited for a response. She usually never asked her old friend for help, the last time was nearly a year ago when she needed someone to talk to after having a certain nightmare that had woken her up with a panic attack. Ruby shook her head, ridding her mind of the horrible memories. Suddenly Her phone dinged, Ruby stared at the response with a small smile.
[Nora]: of course! I'm always free to help, Little Red!
[Nora]: So, what do you need help with?