It was a Monday, the day Weiss had been anticipating all weekend, but also dreading all weekend.
She had finally gotten something worthwhile on Ruby's club, something that would for sure get it disbanded once and for all.
But frankly as she walked onto the campus that morning, she felt as if she was going to throw up.
The good part of her screamed to do it, screamed for her to get it over with and go back to the life she had had months ago.
But she kept asking herself if she really wanted to go back to the life she had had before the bubbly red student.
But her bad side told her not to do it, to keep it to herself and keep letting the club stain the school name.
She wished that there was another way.
You have to do this, you have to do this, she kept chanting to herself.
She walked into the newsroom of the high school, where they would do morning announcements and the occasional gossip piece. She had made sure to get there especially early so they would be able to put it on that day.
Even if she might have had to use a little force.
She caught the attention of everyone in the room, more or less striking fear into their hearts.
She walked up to the writer, Lie Ren, and pulled him aside.
Seeing that everybody had stopped what they were doing to watch them, she yelled, "Get back to work!"
Immediately she was obeyed.
"Look," she said, lowering her voice and pulling up the recording, "I have spent months trying to get this, and I finally have it. I don't care what you have to do, this needs to be published today."
She let him listen to the recording.
She was smart, and had deleted all of the parts she had talked in.
She wasn't going to let some lie ruin her name, right?
"Wow," he said after he had listened to it. "This is so much better than all of the other pieces we have been putting out lately."
He smiled at Weiss and took the phone from her.
"Consider it done," he said, and hooked the phone up to his laptop, where she watched him convert it into his files so he could play it on the speakers in the school.
"I knew I could count on you," she told him with a smile.
Yet as she walked out, she almost wanted to cry.
Almost.
…
Weiss paced around the girl's bathroom, hyperventilating and in a sweat. She was seriously second guessing herself.
Had that really been the right decision? Of course it had. But was it really?
She was battling herself, unsure of what to do or what to think.
She really didn't want to hurt Ruby, but there was no going back now; the morning announcements would be starting in just a few seconds
She cringed as she heard the crackle of the loudspeaker coming to life, and gathered up all of the courage to walk out into the hallway where the news began to play on a screen.
Many other students were crowded around it.
Weiss was so nervous. She went so far to bite her perfectly manicured nails, a habit she had broken as a small child.
Then, she saw her.
Ruby, standing on the opposite side of the crowd and talking and smiling with some of her other friends.
What she had said at the restaurant the other day echoed through Weiss's head.
Am I really your best friend?
The news team started to talk, the random crap barely registering through Weiss's brain.
And then it started.
Maybe she would have time to run back to the club, to tell them not to play the tape after all.
Nope, no time.
Weiss slowly turned her head to the screen, in fear of what was about to happen.
She didn't dare to look over at Ruby as the tape started to play, all of the miserable words, all of the shocked gasps from students around her.
And then, only then, did she look over at Ruby, seeing the hollow of the younger girl's eyes, tears starting to fill up the silver orbs.
Weiss could practically see the process of her heart being crushed.
Weiss couldn't tear her eyes away from the spot Ruby had been standing in even as she ran away from the crowd, her sobs echoing through the hallway and getting fainter by the second.
Without even realizing it, tears had started to fill up Weiss's eyes also.
For at least a minute, Weiss was immobile, Ruby's sobs echoing through her head, and the picture of her teary eyes seared into Weiss's memory.
She let a tear slip down her cheek.
The worst part was that right before Ruby had ran away, she had looked at Weiss for a half a second, hate and disappointment and rage and sadness evident all in her expression.
How could you do this?
Weiss was unmoving, too many thoughts racing through her head for body to register the messages her brain was sending it.
Move.
Run!
Run, you idiot!
She wanted to run.
She wanted to tear after Ruby, and tell the younger girl that she loved her, and kiss her for the first time, and cry, and apologize, and take everything back.
She wanted to start over.
She looked to the people around her, screaming at her body to go sprint after Ruby.
And she did.