-𝑓𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 - 𝑚𝑖𝑑90𝑠 -

SEVEN

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salem's pov

"hey guys, i'm gonna have to leave early today. don't want my mom worrying or anything," i said, picking up my skateboard.
"hey, let me come with you, it's too late for you to be out there alone," said ruben as he got up from the couch. i smiled at him as he walked toward me, we said our goodbyes as we headed out.

"so, how's life been for good ol' salem," ruben asked as we walked side by side through the busy streets of LA with our boards under our arms.
"life's been treating me alright, man. it's nice to have people to share it with, ya know?" he smiled at my comment.
"yeah, i'm glad you get along with the guys so well. they really like you, you know," he said as he slightly nudged me. i grinned.
"you think so?"
"oh, i know so," he answered, "you're the coolest girl we've ever known, yo."
i smiled even more, if it was possible.
"thanks, ruby."

"hey, you wanna go do something else? i don't really feel like going home," i said, seriously dreading having to go home and be alone with my thoughts.
"sure, watcha wanna do," he asked, i thought for a second.
"streets look pretty empty, let's skate!" i said, quite excited as i hopped onto my board and started pushing through the smooth pavement of the empty streets.
"ay! let me catch up at least!" he yelled after me, a millisecond later i could hear his board behind me.

i laughed out loud as i put my arms out and felt the warm wind hit against me, the presence of the boy i liked making the night feel like something out of a romance movie.

ruben's pov

her laugh was like music to my ears, her smile made my heart skip a million beats. why does she make me feel like this? she makes me so incredibly happy, it's not fair. how can someone be so beautiful?

"careful, ruby!" she yelled from behind me as a car drove down the hill and towards us. we moved to the other side of the road, still going pretty fast. it was risky, but it was so much fun. the bright lights from the stores aligned along the road, the streetlights, the stoplights. it all feels like a movie.

once we got to the bottom of the hill, she made a right turn, leading us more downtown.
"where we goin, salem," i asked when i caught up to her, looking at her from my side.
"ice cream! i'm hungry as shit," she spoke, i grinned.
"race ya to the closest ice cream place," i yelled back as i began to speed up again.
"hey, you got an early start!"

eventually, i guess we took it overboard with the speeding down hills thing and we ended up crashing into each other, me getting the majority of the injuries since i focused more on saving her than myself.

"fuck, holy shit," i groaned as she still held onto my arm.
"oh my god, a-are you okay," she asked as she looked back at me, her backside was pressed against my chest.

"my leg, it- it hurts," i said, she got off of me and dusted herself off. she had a cut on her forearm and knee, thankfully it wasn't anything big or serious.
"roll up your jeans," she said after sitting me down on the side walk. i had to limp my way there. there were cuts all over my arms, blood dripped from my elbow, but nothing was compared to the pain i felt in my left leg. i carefully rolled my jeans up, blood had already been seeping through them in a long straight line, this is gonna be brutal.

"oh my fuck," she gasped quietly, seeing the massive gash going down my lower leg. i hissed as i took a look at it, only making it hurt more.
"stay right here, i'll buy some bandages from this store," she ran into the convenience store behind her. i waited for her in pain and agony, trying my hardest to control my breathing since i was still in that shocked state from the fall. the cut wasn't super wide, it must've been made by a small peddle or something. but it was really deep, it hurt like a fucking bitch.

"alright, bite down on my sleeve," she held her sweater towards me after having taken it off. i bit down hard, watching as she poured alcohol onto a cloth. even after all the falls i've taken, i still can't help but squirm like a little bitch over these things.

she was being gentle, but it still burned really bad. every time i would wince or flinch, she would apologize. i thought it was cute how she didn't want to hurt me, if it was fuckshit or ray they wouldn't give two fucks. she wrapped a long bandage around my leg, squeezing it tight. the pain lessened, it became a little more bearable.

"do u feel pain anywhere else," she asked as she observed my entire body, making sure every one of my bones were still in shape.
"just my elbow, it's bleeding a lot. but- you did a good job, thanks salem," i said, sending her a smile through the pain. she smiled back, placing her hand on my arm to get a better view of the elbow cut.

we still went and got ice cream, she said it would make me feel better. and she was right, it did make me feel better!
"i had fun today," i told her, making her giggle.
"even after that gnarly little fall of ours?"
"of course! you made it more enjoyable than it should've been," i said, earning a shy smile from her.
"i'm glad i lighten your life up so much," she said joyfully, laughing right after. i laughed with her, admiring the way her eyes squint, that beautiful smile of hers was always breathtaking to me.
"you really do, salem. seriously." she laid her head on my shoulder, her body scooching closer to mine as we enjoyed each other's presence.

eventually, we had to go home. it was saddening, but the hug she gave me before going into her apartment made up for all of it.
"i love you, ruben. you're the best person in the world," she said into my shoulder, i felt my stomach burst into a mess of butterflies. my heart wouldn't slow down no matter what i did.
"i-i love you too, s-salem," i said, grinning like an idiot. she giggled, taking her head off my shoulder and looking at my face for a few seconds. making such intimate eye contact with her felt so good, i didn't want to let go of her waist. she gave me one last smile, before we said goodnight and went out separate ways.

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