A Good Friend

Chapter 4 - The Fight

The rest of the day went surprisingly OK. Ruby kept quiet as she promised and I didn’t see her as I concentrated on my lessons. We chatted casually about each lesson while in the corridors in-between rooms and chatted even more walking to the cafeteria. I made sure to actually buy my food this time but I was curious as to how Ruby seemed to be just standing next to me and not attempting to buy food herself.

Then I remembered. She said she wasn’t a student but then what was she going to eat I wondered. Ruby did indeed look very hungry as she eyed up the chicken drumsticks on offer but one look at me and she turned away and tried not to look interested. I wasn’t sure why. Why would I judge her for something like that. Of course she was hungry, it’s only natural. Perhaps she felt like I would feel obliged to help her if she looked to sorry for herself. Either way I didn’t care.

“Don’t you want something?” I asked as she kept looking away from me and the food

“I can lend you some money if you want. I have enough so you can buy some to”

“No no, I’m fine” she insisted but I didn’t believe her.

I continued to grab some chicken drumsticks for my plate and offered them to her after I found an uncrowded place to sit. She seemed surprised at first that I would even care but she didn’t take much reassuring before she gobbled it all down like a ravenous wolf. After that she relaxed and slunk into the chair as if she had just reached melting point. Then before I knew it, she had fallen asleep.

I couldn’t help but smile. It was adorable. Now it felt like she was more of a pet than a person but no matter. I was happy to spend some time in peace as her energetic personality could be a bit overbearing at times. I shook her gently awake when it was time to go and she drowsily followed me to class for another set of average lessons before it was time to go home. Ruby seemed like she still hadn’t quite woken up from her dinner time nap as she was still yawning on the way home.

“You look exhausted. You should probably go to bed when we get home” I told her on the way to the bus-stop before it then occurred to me how strange that still sounded.

‘when WE get HOME?’ Was I considering her family now? Was my home her home now? This was all very strange but somehow it felt even stranger to question it at this point and I couldn’t be bothered at this point to be honest. Then I remembered mum. Oh dear.

“What do you think mum will do to us when we get home?” I asked Ruby worriedly

“Ahhh, don’t worry about it” She replied in her usual laid back and uncaring manner “I’m sure it will be fine. The headmaster didn’t really punish us after all, did he?”

“yes but...”

“Stop being such a worry wort! What exactly is she gonna do? You’re only home for half the day anyway”

I hate to admit it but again she had a point but thinking about how she could punish me made me feel even worse. I kept quiet and tried not to talk to Ruby anymore as she was still trying to sleep on the bus and I didn’t want to disturb her anymore. When we got home we both cautiously walked in.

“How was school?” Mum called to me without coming to see me. I could hear her washing the pots in the kitchen. 
“It was OK... I guess” I replied, not knowing what else to say.

“Did you talk to the headmaster?” I could hear a sternness in her voice which told me she was still irritated with me so I decided it was best to keep my distance.

“Yes” I probably should have said more than that but I didn’t want to sound pleading so I waited for her response.

“Well, go to your room then. I’m sure you already know enough not to do all that again” I hummed in a ‘yes’ type fashion before going to my room.

In doing so, I realised with the last thing she said that she must have been told by the headmaster that he would talk to me and she also thought I had had a proper grilling. Me and Ruby both silently agreed it was best not to let mum know the truth of the matter. Turned out I was only interested in going to my room anyway so me and Ruby chilled up there for a while.

I tried to read and Ruby fell asleep next to me. Seeing her so sleepy made me feel tired to though so I decided to join her in an afternoon nap.

Another day, another few lessons. The week went on about the same way so there isn’t much point in documenting all the details. Me and Ruby became more friendly over time and I learned to feel a little more comfortable about her presence in my life. I stopped questioning her existence at least for the most part. Sometimes I would stay awake at night and wonder who she was and why she was here but then the more I thought about it the more I realised it didn’t matter to me and there was no point in worrying as the answers were not likely to be easy to find.

However, as the week went on, I started to feel a bit more wary of another problem. It seemed ever since Ruby has appeared people started to give me a bit of a wider birth. At first I thought it was just my imagination or I tried to ignore it but over time it became increasingly clear people felt uncomfortable around me and the less careful I was about talking back to Ruby the more obvious it seemed.

“Don’t fucking worry about it. Who cares what they think?!” Is what Ruby kept trying to tell me but I couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling everyone disliked me.

Well not in a hating kind of way, more in a scared kind of way. It wasn’t just my fellow students either. I found the teachers, as they passed me in corridors and such, most seemed to have a look of worry in their eyes. Like they felt sorry for me. I didn’t understand what was going on and it made me feel very uncomfortable and anxious. I could tell Ruby didn’t like this as she kept desperately trying to talk to me about unrelated things and drag me into strange conversations which she clearly pulled out of the depths of her brain to distract me with.

I appreciated the effort so I tried to humour her but it was no use. There was no way to get this off my conscience. Something didn’t feel right. I also found that mums frustration and confusion about me talking to someone started to turn more and more into concern and worry. Mum tried talking to me several times about strange things she never mentioned before like stress and bullies at school. I didn’t want to bother her so I avoided telling her anything and hoped this would all pass over at some point.

That was when the incident happened. Me and Ruby were walking around minding our own business when some young girls came over in a group to talk to us, except it was more like an interrogation than a nice chat. She kept bringing up strange questions and I didn’t much like her tone. Seemed like another bully wanted a piece of me and this one was seemingly interred by the rumours going round about me. Oh boy.

Knowing what happened last time I knew this spelt trouble and I immediately turned my attention to Ruby who was already getting ready to strike at a moments notice.

“I know what you’re thinking Ruby but trust me, it isn’t worth it” I tried to tell her

“You wanna bet?” She said still in rage. She wasn’t quite there yet but she wasn’t going to listen to me so easily so I turned my attention then to the bullies.

“This has been all well and good but please can you leave us alone? We were just sitting here enjoying the sun and cool breeze” I realise this was a stupid thing to say and not at all helpful now yes I know but it was all I could think of at the time. What can I say? I am not known as a great negotiator.

“With who? All I see is a girl who is so fat and ugly the only friend she can get is in her head!” the girls then started to laugh together. It was a rather stupid insult but it hurt none the less. It touched all the wrong parts of my heart. I felt my eyes starting to water and that was when Ruby lost it.

“Alright THAT does it! You want some? Come and give me more fuel I fucking DARE you! Let’s see how well those precious words protect you from my fucking fist!” Ruby screamed in their face.

Unfortunately, the girls were unafraid and stood their ground looking very confident in themselves.

I pleaded with Ruby “Please Ruby! You are better than this!” but Ruby kept staring right into the head girls eyes as she stared right back.

The bully leaned forward and said “bring it on, bitch” and that was it

Ruby threw her whole body into a punch but they dodged it quickly and started stepping back as Ruby swung at them. I soon realised something was up but before I could warn Ruby it was too late. A bunch of boys came out from the shadows and dark corners of the school playground and flooded Ruby. She was defenceless in their attack. It was shameful. What’s worse is I wasn’t too far behind so I was also caught in the rush so we both ended up badly wounded.

After a few minutes of senseless beating, we both lay exhausted on the gravel ground as the last boys kicked our sores bodies and spit in our wounds before leaving us to bleed on the floor. Well I say it like that but it was mostly bruises and small cuts but it felt like a lot. Just the idea of being so defenceless and being attacked in such a way like it was some sort of war effort still felt surreal to me but it happened.

I tried to get up but my body didn’t want me to and it made it difficult. It felt like it took almost all my energy just to stand upright again. Every part of me ached from my head to my toes. I looked at Ruby and she was the same. I gave her a hand and helped her up and both almost fell over again doing so. Then I saw something I thought I would never see. I saw Ruby cry. She just put her hands to her face and starting bawling in front of me. I didn’t know what else to do so I put my arms around her and held her tight. 

Unfortunately, that was when the P.E. teacher found us. She looked very angry with us.

I couldn’t imagine what we could have done wrong until she said “Some students told me you started a fight in the playground today. Is that true?” while she stood stiff with her arms crossed.

What could I say? I couldn’t exactly say no. It was technically Ruby who started the fight. Without thinking I tried to tell the truth and explain the situation in hopes my honestly would work but before I could barely say a word she cut me off.

“Here you are with this stupid rubbish again! What are you going to tell me? That your imaginary friend did it? You are going to the headmaster’s office right now!” I could tell she was absolutely livid. Not only that but she ranted for a good while while dragging us towards the headmaster’s office.

It seemed she had been thinking about this for quite some time and just now was letting off her steam about the matter. It made me wonder if some of the other teachers felt the same way. I felt powerless and scared as I was dragged to my fate. I had no idea what would happen now. Would I be expelled? It was a very big fight. I wouldn’t be surprised. Oh god, what will mum think?! Well there was no point in worrying about it now. There was no choice in the matter.