Wednesday, Outside School, 3:24 PM...

Another school day had come and gone, and it was time for the kids to go do whatever it is they normally did after, whether it was taking part in an after school activity, going to a job, or just heading home. For Shane, it was the latter. Him and Alexa had just exited their last class of the day and gathered their belongings from their respective lockers. Now, they were outside and about to walk to the train station.

"Price, be honest with me."

"About what, babe?" Shane asked confused.

"You totally liked how Liv's ass felt didn't you." Little Miss Bliss teased.

"That is a trick question and I'm not even going to dignify it with an answer."

"No, no it's not I swear. I genuinely wanna know. I'm not gonna get mad at you. I just want an honest answer."

The Irish boy sighed.

"Fine. Yeah, it was pretty nice. Not as nice as yours, but nice nonetheless. Are you happy now?"

Alexa laughed and nodded.

"Yeah I'm happy. It's so easy to mess with you sometimes."

"Oh come here, ya little brat." He said while sweeping his girl off of her feet.

This sent her into a giggling fit.

"Put me down, you jerk!" She giggle yelled while playfully hitting him in the chest.

After swinging her around for a little bit, Price complied with her wishes and gently let her back down. Lexi then gave him a hug and buried her head into his coat covered chest, a smile glued to her features. Shane hugged her back and the two of them stayed like that for a little bit. As they separated, they heard someone talk to them.

"Hey guys, hey." They called out.

Price and Bliss turned around to see the resident punk rocker herself, Ruby Riott. The boy was actually really happy to see her.

"Ruby! What's up? It's kinda weird not having someone yell at me or jump on my back to get my attention, ya know." He joked.

Riott let out a small chuckle.

"I assure you. You won't have to worry about any of that when it comes to me. Hey, Alexa."

"Hi, Ruby." Lexi responded.

"Sorry, if I'm bothering you guys, but um. Shane, I wanted to ask you something actually."

"Shoot." Price said, willing to listen.

"Would you mind coming with me back to my house? You don't have to if you don't wanna. If you already have plans I understand."

"I don't have anything to do that I know of. Did you wanna do anything Alexa?"

In her mind, Alexa was screaming, "Well yeah! I kinda wanted to spend time with my boyfriend, but whatever I guess!" However, outwardly, she gave a nonchalant, "No, not really."

"Well in that case then, why not? Is this band related or something?"

"Not exactly. It's just... God this is stupid."

Shane could sense his bandmate's hesitation to explain and assumed it was due to some fear of embarrassing herself, so he tried to make her comfortable.

"Ruby, I'm pretty sure this week marked the millionth time I've had to bail Dean out of trouble. Liv's told you what happened on Monday by now I'm sure."

She nodded.

"Right, and let me tell you, Dean's done stuff dumber than that, and I'm willing to bet he's gonna do something even dumber somewhere down the line. So, I promise you, your reasoning can't be any more stupid than what I've had to put up with as far as Dean's concerned."

Alexa chuckled a little at his dig at his best friend.

Although she was still somewhat uneasy, Shane's words of encouragement managed to calm her nerves a bit.

"Okay... Well, it's basically because of my mom. I told her about the band thing a while ago, but I kinda didn't bring you up in particular."

"Why?"

"Because... remember I told you and Rhea that I never knew my dad?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's because he left my mom when I was only like 5 months old. Apparently, they had this huge argument that ended in my dad packing up his stuff and never looking back."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ruby." Price said, genuinely bummed out by the story.

"It's cool. Like I said, I never knew the guy, so I can't miss him. But, that kinda ties into why I avoided telling my mom about you. Because of what happened between them, she's not really... the biggest fan of men in general. For as long as I can remember, she's gotten all cranky at the thought of me even being around a boy. So when she found out about you, let's just say she wasn't too thrilled." She explained.

"Cause she's scared of one of us breaking your heart like she had hers broken?"

"That's what I'm leaning toward. I've always been kind of an introvert, so having a boyfriend or boys in general haven't really been a part of my life. You're actually the first guy that I've ever invited into my home. The reason why I pushed so hard to have the practice sessions happen when they happen, is because that's the time when she's usually out working or doing something else."

"So, how did she find out about me then?" Price asked.

"Liv let it slip yesterday when she was over at my house. She was talking about how much fun being in a band was, and how fun it was messing with you. As soon as the name Shane left her lips, my mom's whole demeanor changed. She was all like, "Shane? Who's Shane? You brought some boy into my house?"

"Ooof. Did you tell her that I have a girlfriend?"

"No. I didn't think of that at the time. I was busy trying to convince her that you're a good guy and you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. She kept saying, "That's what they all say." So, I told her that I would bring you over so she can meet you and you can prove to her that you're not... uh"

"A total douchebag?" Bliss finished for her.

"Yeah, that."

"Well, I'd be happy to meet Mama Riott. Would it be cool if I brought Alexa with me?"

"Hold on, no no. You go do this on your own. I told you that I was gonna give you space when it comes to your band, and I meant it. You don't have to bring me along just because you feel guilty about leaving me alone. I can go find Sasha and Emma or something."

"Uh... okay then. You sure?"

The petite princes got on her tippy toes and kissed Shane on the cheek as a show of good faith.

"Babe, I'm positive. Now, I'm gonna go. Let me know how it goes, alright?"

"Okay, I will." Shane promised.

Little Miss Bliss then walked away in search of her friends, leaving Riott and Price alone together.

"Damn it." Price blurted out.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Ruby asked concerned.

"Nothing, it's just... my girlfriend's so fucking cool, man! Fuck!"

The punk girl couldn't help but laugh at Shane's rather aggressive way of expressing his love for his significant other.

"Well I'm glad you and her seem to get along so well. Are you ready to go now?" She asked smiling and still half giggling.

"Yeah... yeah. I'm cool, I'm cool. Let's go."

Ruby shook her head, before turning around and leading the boy in the direction of her home.


An Hour Later...

The two members of the Squad were now only a few steps away from reaching their destination, after a rather eventful train ride. One that Price had a hard time coming to terms with, due to said events being... odd, to say the least.

"Ya know, I've been here for a few months now and I still don't think I'm used to all the weird stuff that happens on the train. Seriously, what the hell was that?" Price asked, slightly spooked.

"Eh, it was whatever." Ruby replied, obviously not affected.

"It was whatever? Ruby, a homeless dude stood in the middle of the subway car, laid down on the floor, and then proceeded to sing the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody. And he was good too! That was whatever?"

"You gotta understand something about New York City, my dude. Once you've been here long enough, you start to build up a huge tolerance for weird shit. Don't worry, sooner or later you'll be desensitized like the rest of us." She explained.

"I'll take your word for it then, I guess. Looks like we've arrived."

"Unfortunately, yes."

Riott then stopped and turned to her guy friend, and it was obvious to him just by looking at her that her nerves had returned in full force.

"Shane... if this doesn't turn out well, I just wanna apologize in advance. You've been such a good friend to me and Liv, and I want you to know that regardless of how my mom might act toward you, it's not going to change how I feel about you. But.. I'm scared she might forbid me from bringing you back here again and being around you period. Meaning, the band would be over. And... and I don't want that to happen, Shane. I don't-"

The boy cut her off, sensing that the waterworks were about to start. That's something he definitely wanted to avoid, especially from someone like Ruby, who he normally saw as strong and thick skinned. The same way it killed him to see Bayley sad, it would kill him to see Ruby in the same state. He grabbed her hands and held them in his own.

"Ruby, look. Believe me, I don't blame you for your mom's vendetta against dudes. That's her thing, not yours. Hell, part of me can understand why she has it, although I obviously disagree with that mindset. I don't know what's about to happen, but what I do know is, you're Ruby Goddamn Riott. You're headstrong with everything you do, and this shouldn't be any different. Alright? Now, come here."

Shane pulled the punk girl in for a hug, which she gladly accepted.

"You ready?" He asked after he pulled away.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

They then walked to front door, and Ruby unlocked it. She made sure that she went in first, just in case her mom was standing in the middle of the living room with a hatchet or some shit. However, when they entered, the living room was in fact, empty.

"Uhh... Mom? Mom, I'm home." She called out.

No one answered, which gave Riott a brief feeling of relief.

"I guess she's not home yet. Looks like we'll have a little while before we have to-"

The girl's statement was cut short by the sound of a door opening near the back of the house. Ruby automatically recognized it as the door to her mother's room.

"I'm coming, hold on." The feminine voice responded.

"Damn, I guess she is here." Riott retracted.

After about 30 seconds, out walked the mother of Ruby Riott. She had long red hair, most likely dyed, and seemed to have an assortment of tattoos on her arms, which Shane found to be cool looking. She wore sweatpants and a sports bra, showing off her impressively toned stomach. Not insanely ripped, but you could tell that she hit the gym from time to time. Upon seeing Shane, her expression went from plain to one of disdain. (Dude, I've been on fire with these bars all fuckin story, I'm tellin you.)

"So this must be that boy you were so kind to NOT tell me about." She said, obviously not happy.

Ruby hung her head in shame.

"Sorry about that, mom."

"Well, are you gonna introduce yourself, or do you have a hard time comprehending what manners are?"

"Oh, uh.. yeah. I'm Shane Price. I uh.. yeah. Nice to meet you, Miss Prange." He nervously spat out, having been caught off guard from being called out.

"Okay, first off, don't you ever call me that again in your life. I'm Lita Dumas, not Prange. That's this one's sorry ass father's last name, and I'll be damned if I'm ever going to be associated with that bastard again." She lashed out at the boy.

"My-my apologies... Miss Dumas."

"Better. Second of all, that's it? Okay, you're Shane Price. Big fuckin whoop. You do anything?"

"Uh, I'm on the football team. I like playing video games, hanging out with friends, ya know, basic teenager stuff." He said.

"Yeah, hanging out. "Hanging out with da boooys", right? "Hey bro, you see that hot piece of ass crossin the street? I'd totally bang her into next week." And you're on the football team! Oh, you must think you're God's gift to women, huh? I bet you do." Dumas said, basically antagonizing poor Shane.

Ruby felt the need to step in.

"No, mom, he's not like that, I promise you."

"I'm really not. A good 40 to 50 percent of my friends at school are actually girls. I'm no pig, believe that."

"Oh, suuuure. I bet the only reason why you're quote unquote, friends with these girls is so you can eventually snake your way into their pants, including my daughter's!"

Riott's face turned blood red in embarrassment.

"What the- moooom! Don't talk like that!"

"I'm only trying to protect you, baby girl. That's what these men do. They gain your trust, make you think they only have good intentions, and as soon as they get what they want, BAM! They stab ya right in the back."

At this point, Shane couldn't help but get a little annoyed.

"Alright, Miss Dumas. With all due respect, that's stupid and you know it."

"Excuse me?!" Lita asked outraged, while Ruby stared at her bandmate with a look that said, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I said it's stupid. Look, whatever happened to you in the past as far as domestic disputes go, my heart goes out to you, it really does. But that's not my business, nor does it have anything to do with me as an individual. I'm not gonna sit here and act like I'm some innocent angel boy, cause I'm not. But, I'll tell you this. I consider your daughter one of my close friends, and there's no way I'd ever dream of doing anything to hurt her. Plus, really think about what you just said. I'm in a band with her and 2 other females. According to you, this is all apart of my master plan to get with all 3 of them. What kinda Casanova, Lothario motherfucker do you think I am?! Excuse my language, but come on. You know your daughter better than anyone else I'd assume. And based on what she's told me, you know Liv pretty well also. Meaning, you should know good and well that neither of them are the type to fall for some dumb trick like that. And to top it all off, I'm already in a relationship!"

That last part caught Ruby's mom by surprise.

"You have a... really? Ruby never told me that."

"I never got the chance to. But yeah, mom. He has a girlfriend, who happens to be one of Liv's closest friends. And like he said, you know Liv. If she felt like he was even thinking about being unfaithful, Shane would've been gone by now. These past few weeks with him and the girls have been awesome. The competition is literally this weekend. I know you just want to keep me safe, but please don't take this away from me, mom. This is the first time I've really felt... accepted."

Lita looked into her daughter's eyes and saw that she believed every word that just came out of her mouth.

"Miss Dumas, you can trust me. I promise you." Shane said, obviously telling the truth.

"Oh... fuck it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe you're not that bad after all. I'll allow you to continue to hang around Ruby. But, and there's no margin for error with this, the second I find out you did something to my little girl, or Liv for that matter, your ass is mine." She emphatically stated.

Ruby was suddenly overcome with joy at the sound of her mother's approval. She wrapped her arms around Shane and hugged him tightly, before running over and doing the same to Lita. The sudden show of affection caused the redhead mom to crack a bit of a smile.

"Wow, this boy must mean a lot to you. You never hug me like this." She joked.

"What can I say? He is my lead singer after all. Without him, the band ain't whole." Ruby said as she let go.

Lita raised an eyebrow at the blonde boy.

"So you're the frontman, huh?"

"Yup, that's my role. They insisted on it." He confirmed.

"He's got a really good voice, mom. We didn't want anyone else." Ruby told her mother.

"is that so? Ya know, I was in a band of my own back in my younger days. A good lead singer is real important. You could have the best backing band in the world, but if the vocals are shit, you might as well just give up."

"I can assure you that isn't the case with Shane at all. You should come to the contest this weekend, then you can see for yourself."

Shane's eyes bugged out at what his bandmate had said.

"Did you say this weekend?"

"Uh, yeah. It starts on Sunday at 3. You didn't know that?"

"Honestly? I completely lost track of time. It feel like we just started doing this like yesterday. Now all of a sudden we're like 4 days away from the damn Battle of the Bands... Jesus. I gotta tell my dad, shit!"

Ruby laughed.

"Yeah, it's coming soon. All of our hard work is about to come to fruition. So, are you gonna go, mom?"

Mama Riott crossed her arms.

"Sure, why not? It'll be cool to see my baby and her best friend on stage rockin' out. And I'll be able to see if this one over here is as talented as you say he is."

"Great, extra pressure. As if I wasn't nervous enough about it to begin with."

Lita looked at Price for a second and narrowed her eyes at him, noticing something that she felt was strange about the boy.

"I don't know why, but you look kinda familiar."

"Ma'am, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that before today, I had never seen you in my life. And I only just moved to the city a few months ago." He clarified.

After hearing that, she just shrugged.

"Must've been some other blonde kid then."

At that moment, the sound of someone knocking on the front door could be heard, which confused Shane and the girls.

"Who is it?" Ruby asked.

"Rue Rue! It's Liv, open up! Come oooooon, it's cold out here!"

Riott rolled her eyes.

"It wouldn't be Liv if she didn't show up unannounced."

She then went over to the door and let the cheerleader in.

"Hey, girl. I just thought I'd surpr-"

Morgan cut herself short when she spotted Price. She let an audible gasp.

"Shane, honey! What are you doing here?!" She happily exclaimed before doing the usual and hopping into his arms.

Luckily, this time he was prepared and caught her perfectly.

"Oh nothing. Me and Ruby just got done convincing her mom that I'm just a normal dude and not some sleaze bag trying to weasel my way into sleeping with you, her, and Rhea."

Still being held by Price, the mischievous one turned her attention to Mama Riott.

"Yeah, Miss Dumas! Shane is the biggest sweetheart ever, I swear! He agreed to be in the band to make me and Rue Rue happy. Also, he's dating my friend Lexi, and he treats her like a princess. Oh! Also, also, he made me and Rue Rue breakfast one time? It was soooooo good!"

Liv's enthusiasm when it came to describing how good of a guy Price was only further confirmed to Lita, that he truly had good intentions.

"Alright, alright. I get it, he's a good kid. I already said I'm okay with him being around."

"Awesome!"

"But, what's this about cooking? You didn't mention that when I asked you what you did."

Shane shrugged.

"I dabble in culinary activity from time to time."

"Well, if you really wanna get on my good side, how would you feel about showing off your talents? Ya know, since Liv says your that good and all."

Price took that as a challenge, and we all know how he feels about challenges.

"Whaddya got in your kitchen?" He asked.

"Last time I checked, we had chicken in the freezer, some ground beef, cheese, and some bread."

"Yeah... yeah I can work with that."

"Oooh, my mouth is watering already." Morgan said in anticipation.

"I'll get to work right away... or as soon as this one decides to let go of me." Price proclaimed.

"Liv, down. Now." Ruby commanded.

Morgan did as she was told, Shane cracked his knuckles, and then started toward the kitchen.

As he did so, Ruby couldn't help but thank her lucky stars that this whole thing turned out fine.

"The Squad is still in full force." She happily thought to herself.

AN: Yo I didn't even plan this, but I just so happened to finish this chapter on Ruby Riott's legit birthday. So... happy birthday to Rue Rue, I guess. Probably the most underrated female worker in the company. Anyway, see you guys in the next chapter. Peace.