Ruedelia's Repose

E I G H T

I'd stood in front of my class, staring in the direction Silas had gone, until Lucy had showed up and asked what the hell I was doing standing there like an idiot, to which I'd replied that I was thinking, to which she replied, "I didn't know you did that."

I sighed and turned to give her an unamused look. "Funny, Lucy.", I'd replied sarcastically, then gestured for her to walk ahead of me and into English.

The classroom was cozier than most, with tables instead of desks complete with cushioned chairs and a reading area in the back of the class set up with a fluffy gray rug and floor cushions.

Our teacher, Ms. Jana, was a fifty year old widowed woman with kind eyes and an even kinder voice, and you could tell that she truly enjoyed her job. She made learning an enjoyable experience, and I loved that her class was my last one of the day.

I sat down next to Lucy and pulled out my phone instead of a book since football Fridays were free days, and Lucy pulled her chair close to mine and did the same.

We sat in a companionable silence for a few minutes before she spoke up. "Am I picking you up for the game today?"

I thought for a moment, wondering if I'd rather ride with my brothers or with Lucy, but then I figured that it didn't matter since we were all going to the same place anyway.

"Sure.", I answered, and Lucy smiled and moved back over into her own space.

She had a knack for knowing exactly how to behave around me so as not to make me uncomfortable, and I appreciated her for that.

The rest of the class period went by slowly but comfortably, and by the time the release bell rang for everyone to start going home, I was more relaxed than I had been in a while.

"See you at 6:30!", Lucy called, and I nodded to let her know I'd heard her, then left the classroom.

I began walking in the direction of the football field where I knew the guys would be meeting up so we could go get something to eat before the game, and on my way there, something caught my attention.

There was a cheer bag sat outside of the boys' restroom and, as I got closer, I recognized who it belonged to.

The name Alana was written across the front of the blue, white, and gray bag and I rolled my eyes. She was probably in there with some guy too stupid to realize how stupid he was for getting with her.

I kept walking, prepared to ignore what I'd seen, when Alana came stumbling out of the bathroom—her pink lip gloss smeared over her lips and smudging the corners of her mouth—almost running into me.

I glared as she came to a stop, eyes wide, and she seemed shocked to see me, but then something strange happened.

She smirked, even though she looked like a moron doing it with the way her makeup looked, and bent over slowly to pick up her bag, making sure to flash whatever it was that she thought she was flashing. Her ass, maybe, but I wasn't so sure considering there wasn't much of that to begin with.

When she stood, she did so with a look that told me she thought she'd won, but what, I had no idea, and, as she walked away, I decided that I'd stay put for a bit, just until whoever she'd been with came out of the restroom.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long. Around a minute had passed when someone finally exited the bathroom, but to say I was shocked to see who it was was an understatement.

"Silas?", I said in disbelief, and he looked up, eyes widening, and walked toward me but I stepped back.

"Rue...", he stammered, but I didn't let him continue.

"Why was she in there with you?", I asked angrily.

Usually, I'd never ask something like that because it was none of my business, but Alana was bad news, and no friend of mine could be associated with her if they wanted to stay my friend.

When he didn't answer, I tried again. "Silas. Why were you with her?", I pushed, my voice just shy of yelling, and he sighed. Fucking sighed like I was the one being ridiculous when he was the guy too stupid to realize how stupid he was for getting with her. Freaking Alana!

"Nothing happened.", he answered, deadpan, and I took a deep breath and crossed my arms.

"Don't you lie to me Silas. This isn't some game, okay? Alana can not be trusted and she sure as hell can't be trusted with anyone I care about.", I argued, and Silas nodded.

"I know."

"Why was she in there then? Is there another guy in there that I don't know about?", I questioned, and I knew I was being a little ridiculous, but I needed to know that Silas hadn't done anything with that horrible girl.

Silas sighed and stepped closer to me, and I didn't stop him at first, but I nudged him back when I realized that there was pink lipgloss staining his chin and a bit of his jersey collar.

My nostrils flared and I grit my teeth at the sight, willing myself to stay calm as I pointed out what I was seeing.

"There's lipgloss all over you asshole. You sure you've got nothing to tell me?", I pressed, and continued when he said nothing. "I'd think very carefully about my next words if I were you Silas. Very carefully."

He squeezed his eyes shut and relaxed his tense shoulders, relenting to my demands, and replied, "She kissed me."

I breathed in deeply, then out evenly before asking another question; one that would determine whether or not I stopped speaking to Silas forever.

"Did you kiss her back?", I questioned, my voice coming out a lot softer than I'd intended it to, but I paid it no mind. I could ask myself why I felt so hurt when I wasn't in the middle of something so stress-inducing.

He swallowed, almost like he didn't know what to say. Or maybe he was stalling, reluctant to tell me exactly what had happened, but I wouldn't allow that.

I couldn't.

What kind of person would ignoring this make me? I wondered to myself, but then I excused the thought completely because here I was, forcing Silas to tell me just what had happened in that dingy boys' restroom with that disgusting girl, and I wasn't backing down.

"Silas, did you kiss h-"
"No!", he ground out, and the volume he said it at shocked me, but I ignored the quickening of my heart and the sudden urge I had to hide away from his angry stare.

I still needed and explanation.

"Why then? Why was she in there?"

Silas's jaw clenched and he ran a hand through his black hair while he sighed and then said, "She followed me in there, but I didn't realize she had until after I was done.", he spoke lowly, his voice deeper than I'd ever heard it, but I ignored how it seemed that I could feel it in my bones, and, instead, frowned at something he'd said.

"Done doing what?", I wondered out loud, and he took a minute to answer again, but I let him take his time. He seemed more than just angry, and I was beginning to realize that it wasn't at me.

He sniffed, using the action as a delay before he answered flatly with, "Pissing, Rue."

The words hung between us for a moment, almost long enough for them to dissipate into nothingness, but then they became frigid as I froze, not out of shock, but out of the pure, unadulterated rage that began to course through me, rendering the commands I was yelling at my body to move! and go! useless, and I suppose that was a good thing.

Silence bled between us, but I did nothing to cease the spreading quiet. Instead, I nodded, apologized for my behavior, and walked away—towards the football field where the cheerleaders were.