The Notorious R(uth) B(arakat) G(rimaldi)

Chapter 16: Knowing

Suddenly, things seemed to happen very quickly. As Ruthie was sitting, leaning her head on Elliott's shoulder, wondering if she was going to throw up, blue and red lights reflected off the ag and science buildings as police cars approached, silently but rapidly. Ruthie realized that Gordon must have gone out to the street to show them where to turn in, and she was again grateful to her friends. There were people who would've seen what was going on and turned away, she knew, because they wouldn't have wanted to get involved with Brett and his horrible friends.

As soon as she saw the lights, Linda left her place on Ruthie's other side and ran to get Dr. Perez, the principal, who was presumably still chaperoning the dance.

"I am so, so, sorry," Ruthie said in the brief silence while they were alone. "I'm really--"

"Whoa, whoa," Elliott said, putting a hand on either side of her head and looking at her in the blue and red lights, which were getting brighter. "Don't you dare fucking apologize to me, Ruthie. None of this was your fault. You should know that," he finished in a slightly accusatory tone.

"I'm not apologizing for what happened, exactly," Ruthie continued, grasping his wrists. "I'm apologizing for dragging you into this because of my very questionable taste in guys, present company excepted, of course."

"Seriously, RBG, what the fuck did you ever see in that animal?" Elliott asked, shaking his head with a little smile.

Ruthie smiled as two police cruisers pulled into the parking lot. Gordon was riding in one of them. "Honestly? He was really popular, and much older, and he liked me. It was kind of like being chosen by a celebrity."

As the officers got out of the car, they heard the sound of running footsteps, and Linda reappeared, followed by Dr. Perez and Ms. Piper. It was strange to see them running, Ruthie thought.

"Hi, Ray, hi, Kathie," Ruthie greeted the police officers, and she knew without looking that Elliott was smiling at her familiarity with the officers' names and who they were.

"Dear god, Ruthie, Elliott, are you okay?" Dr. Perez asked.

"I'm fine, but Elliott needs an X-ray," Ruthie answered immediately. "Brett Carmichael punched him in the stomach, hard enough to knock him to the ground."

"Looks like he got him in the face pretty good, too," Officer Kathie Consuelos said, putting her fingers under Elliott's chin in the dim light of the parking lot.

"I'm fine, honestly," Elliott said, irritated. "And while you're at it, Ruthie was hit, quite hard, in my opinion, by that lout Leroy Hunt--"

"What?" Ms. Piper interjected.

"Yeah, the inbred moron in our drama class," Elliott clarified.

"Elliott, shh," Ruthie begged, pulling on his hand.

But Officer Consuelos was already calling an ambulance.

"So tell me what happened?" Officer Ray Cornell asked.

Ruthie gave a concise, almost perfect retelling of what happened in the parking lot, with nearly photographic recall. Under different circumstances, Elliott would've been proud of her.

As soon as she was finished, Officer Cornell called in the names and descriptions of the five boys.

"And I suppose it silly to ask that my grandparents not be called?" Elliott spoke up next.

"Yes, very," Dr. Perez responded. "In fact, give me their number, please."

Elliott sighed and did as he was told, after which Ruthie did the same.