The Raven Cycle Boarding School

Chapter Eight

Thunk thunk thunk creeeek. Nervous, Blue looks up from her book. She has been waiting since breakfast to have this class with Ronan, since he brought up some details about herself that he really shouldn't know. He knows my last name, I should have seen this coming, Blue thinks over and over again.

In his own seat next to her's, Ronan doesn't say a word. In fact he doesn't even do so much as look at her. His face is set in a cold stone that makes Blue wonder exactly how much Ronan knows about her. About her family. About why she's here.

"Ronan," Blue says shakily while twirling a piece of her raven hair. Ronan does not move. Irritated, Blue says stronger, "Ronan, will you please look at me?" Carefully, he turns his head to meet her gaze. It's not as cold as Blue had imagined, but it still sends shivers down her spine. "What did you mean back at breakfast? About me being a hypocrite?"

Ronan had anticipated this question from Blue just moments after he told her off, but he's still in a predicament. Gansey has told him not to tell her what they all know about her sneaking out, but at the same time Ronan Lynch can say nothing but the truth here. Ronan Lynch does not lie, he has not since he was a child and he is determined to never lie again.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom. You should join me soon," Ronan says gruffly before getting up and walking past the teacher and out the hall. Bewildered the teacher looks out the door enraged.

"Umm Professor?" Blue calls quietly from the back of the room. "May I use the restroom? It's an emergency." The teacher, completely distracted by another student quickly nods her head and waves Blue off.

Quickly, she makes her way out of the room and looks around for Ronan. Tilting her head she observes the sign above a closed door. Boys latrine. She hesitates for a moment and looks around the hall. Empty save for herself. Breathing out she pushes the door open and walks into the yellow tiled room. The walls are a faded white, the floors a sickly yellow, and the room is the uncomfortable temperature where it is to warm for a jacket but cold enough for goosebumps to appear on a students arm. In the corner of this restroom Ronan stands with his back against the wall and his arms crossed. Slowly he raises his shaved head and squints his eyes at Blue. Blue squints back.

"Well Blue? What is it you want?" Ronan demands.

"It's my own fault, I shouldn't be upset with you," Blue sighs. Ronan's tough persona shifts for a brief second into one of confusion, and then straight back. Blue goes on with out noticing. "I didn't think when I told you my last name. It was a stupid accident. I didn't think to much about it afterwards because I didn't think it would reveal anything. Obviously I was wrong," Blue says, looking at Ronan sharply.

Not moving his position, Ronan is completely clueless about anything Blue is saying, so he says calmly, "So?"

"So, how much do you know already?" Blue asks, impatiently tapping her shoe on the cold tile beneath them.

Floundering, Ronan attempts to keep up his facade. "Enough...." Well I hope that was right, Ronan thinks, perspiration beginning to drip down his brow.

"Right," Blue says quietly, a shiver going down her spine. She can't decide if him knowing makes her relieved or scared. "So how do you feel about this?" Blue asks shakily.

Ronan thinks hard about what to say. Blue, his friend, clearly looks distressed about what he is going to say. She cares what I think about this. She cares about me. And I care about her, no matter what it is that she is hiding, Ronan thinks.

"Blue you're my fucking friend, no matter how much I may and will deny that fact if anybody else asks. But still, you are my friend no matter what, and this little incident isn't going to change that. You've got baggage, but so do I. So stop trying to fucking hide things from me and just tell me this story from your own point of view," Ronan declares. As he says this he pushes off from the wall and towards the small figure of Blue. He places comforting hands on her shoulders and leans his head down to look into her eyes. He holds her at arms length and holds her swaying body steady.