THE ROSE AND THE THORN

Chapter 51

"Guys, I have to go to Kelsey's!" I exclaimed, dropping everything I was holding and rushing to grab my car keys.

Kelsey sounded terrified, as if Ruby was going to do something stupid. I knew Ruby could be rash, sometimes acting out of impulse rather than thinking rationally, but I hoped to God she wouldn't do anything to harm herself.

"Go," Connor said, "We'll stay here to clean up!"

I nodded, hoping that the simple gesture spoke my thanks. I took the keys off the hook and quickly ran to my car, jumping inside and speeding out of the driveway. Since buying this car I had driven so carefully, not wanting a single scratch or dent on the beautiful exterior, but I drove to Kelsey's house in such a rush I was surprised I hadn't been pulled over by police. I was surely exceeding the speed limit excessively, but I didn't care. The only thing I cared about was Ruby.

I skidded to a halt outside Kelsey's apartment complex and jumped out of my car, not even bothering to lock it behind me. I checked the address on my phone as I ran up the countless flights of stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator. I reached the fifth floor feeling out of breath and slightly light headed.

'Don't faint, India!' I begged myself, placing my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I turned the corner and ran into the last person I expected to see — Cara Matthews.

"What the fuck?" I gasped, still trying to catch my breath. "What are you doing here?"

Before she could answer, the door she was standing in front of opened and Kelsey appeared. I watched from afar as Kelsey slipped two fifty dollar notes into Cara's hands, and then Cara turned on her heel and sauntered away, brushing past me as she went.

I stood there, confused as anything, as Kelsey ushered me towards her. As I reached her door she stepped aside, and I was greeted with something else I didn't expect.

Rose petals littered the floor and candles were placed on every surface. And there, in the centre of it all, stood Ruby. Her hair was slicked back off her face and she was wearing a black blazer and dress pants. She had her hands behind her back and she rocked back and forth on her feet, a cheeky smirk on her lips as she did so.

"I — what?" I stammered, my head turning between Kelsey and Ruby. Kelsey winked before closing the door, leaving just Ruby and me alone in the apartment.

"Ruby...what is going on?"

To say I was confused would be an understatement. The drastic contrast between my house and here was too much to wrap my head around. Was the argument between Cara and Ruby fake? Was Cara going to get Ruby and me into trouble? I had so many questions running through my head, but all I could say was "what the fuck" over and over again.

"I'll explain in a minute," Ruby said. "But first, let me just say this."

She stepped forward and took my hand in hers, pulling me closer to her.

"Indi, I am so in love with you, I can't even put it into words. I've been waiting for this day for so long — the day you are no longer my student, the day you can officially be mine, and I can be yours. I want to be with you forever, and I hope you'll let me."

Her eyes never left mine as she spoke, and I was so enamoured by her gaze that I didn't notice her pulling a small box out of her back pocket.

"I want to give you this," she said softly, opening up the box to reveal a gold band. "It's a promise ring. This is me promising you that I'll love you forever, promising you that I'm yours until the day I die."

I stood there in shock, unable to wrap my head around what was happening. My hands shook as I took the box and pulled out the ring, slipping it onto my ring finger carefully.

"Ruby, I —"

Ruby's laughter interrupted my stuttering, and she grasped my hand tightly.

"You must be so confused right now," she chuckled.

"Ruby...what is even happening right now. What happened with Cara? She knows about us, Ruby!" I exclaimed worriedly.

"I know she does. She figured it out a long time ago," Ruby responded casually.

"How are you so relaxed about this? What if she goes to the police!" I raised my voice. "Hang on, why did Kelsey give her money?"

"Baby, relax! She won't go to the police!" Ruby chuckled softly, reaching forward to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"How do you know? If you haven't realised, she's a bloody psycho!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in frustration. Ruby wasn't getting it — if Cara told the police, Ruby would be arrested for sure.

"Because I caught her fucking Bart in the gym store room," Ruby said simply, a smirk appearing on her face once again.

"Bar — you mean Mr Cleary? Cara is fucking Mr Cleary? No fucking way!"

"Yes way, and I told her I would keep my mouth shut if she did the same," Ruby responded.

"But why did Kelsey give her money? And why did you yell at her?"

I was shooting off questions at a rapid fire pace, my brain struggling to keep up with all of the information Ruby was giving me. Cara knowing about us, Cara helping us, Cara fucking Mr Cleary! It was all too much to handle.

"Kelsey gave her money because she went along with my plan tonight, and the yelling was just to throw you off. I wanted this to be a surprise, and I guess it worked," she shrugged, as if she was telling me the simplest of situations — but this was the furthest thing from simple.

"Fuck, Ruby! This could've gone south really quickly, what if Cara doesn't keep her word?" I raised my voice slightly, anxiety flooding my veins.

"Then she loses her scholarship and Mr Cleary goes to prison. I have actual proof of their affair, she doesn't have proof of us."

"Wait..." I said slowly. "How did she tell you she knew about us?"

"It was just after I caught her and Bart. He bolted, but she stuck around to put her clothes back on. She claimed she knew about us and wouldn't tell anyone if I did the same, and I agreed," she explained to me.

"Oh my god. I need a minute," I said, walking over to the couch and sitting down, holding my head in my hands. "This is...a lot of information."

"I know, and I'm sorry for springing this on you," she said, before pausing quickly. "Actually, I'm not. You are so hard to surprise."

"So...what now?" I asked. "We can be together officially? No sneaking around?"

"I mean, I don't think it's wise to go walking through the school gates hand in hand, but yes."

"Holy fuck, we did it. We fucking did it," my voice shook with relief, and I threw my arms around Ruby's neck and pulled her into a tight hug.

"We sure did."

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THE END
ALTERNATE ENDING COMING SOON(ISH)

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AUTHORS NOTE
This sucks I'm so sorry you had to wait so long for such a shitty ending. I'm blaming my poor health and writers block. Might come back and edit it eventually but as for now, this is it. Love you all.