🖤The Last Flame Of Ruby

🖤What They Saw

The next morning didn’t feel like a new day.

It felt like a continuation.

Like the night before hadn’t ended… it had only paused.

Ruby knew it the moment she stepped out of the car.

There was something in the air.

Not obvious.

Not loud.

But present.

The stares came quicker this time.

Less curious.

More… knowing.

“She was there last night.”

“With Jake.”

“I saw them leave together…”

“Of course she did.”

Ruby kept walking, her steps steady, her expression calm, her posture as flawless as ever—but somewhere beneath all of that control, something tightened slightly in her chest.

Not fear.

Not yet.

Just awareness.

Because now, they weren’t just guessing about her anymore.

They had something to talk about.

She reached the hallway leading to her locker, adjusting her bag slightly on her shoulder as her eyes moved forward—

and then she saw it.

A small crowd.

Again.

But this time—

there was no mistaking it.

It was her.

Ruby slowed down, not stopping completely, not giving them the satisfaction of seeing hesitation, but just enough to take everything in before she got closer.

The laughter wasn’t hidden this time.

Neither were the whispers.

“Oh, she’s here…”

“Let her see it.”

“This is what happens when you think you’re better than everyone.”

Ruby’s gaze lifted.

And landed on her locker.

The words were worse than before.

Not just careless.

Not just mean.

Intentional.

“Stay away from him.”

“You’re not special.”

“Attention seeker.”

And right across the center—

bolder, darker, harder to ignore—

“You think you’re the only one he talks to?”

Something in her chest dropped.

Not visibly.

Not enough for anyone else to notice.

But enough for her to feel it.

For a moment, everything around her seemed quieter, even though the noise hadn’t changed.

Because that one line—

that one sentence—

had done something the others hadn’t.

It made it personal.

Ruby stepped closer.

Slowly.

Her fingers brushing lightly against the surface, the ink already slightly dried, impossible to wipe away as easily as the day before.

“She looks shocked…”

“As if she didn’t expect it…”

“Please, she knew what she was doing.”

Her jaw tightened slightly.

Just slightly.

“Move.”

The voice cut through the noise.

Firm.

Uninterested in anyone else’s opinion.

Jake.

The crowd shifted almost immediately, parting just enough for him to step forward, his eyes moving from the locker to Ruby’s face, then back again.

“Real mature,” he muttered, his tone low, controlled—but carrying enough edge to silence the nearby laughter.

Ruby didn’t look at him immediately.

Her eyes were still on the words.

Still reading them.

Still processing them.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

That made her turn.

And for a split second—

just one—

the girl from last night almost showed.

But then—

it disappeared.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice calm, steady, distant.

Jake didn’t believe it.

It was written all over his face.

“That doesn’t look fine,” he replied.

Ruby gave a small, almost dismissive shrug, stepping back slightly.

“It’s just writing.”

But it wasn’t.

They both knew it wasn’t.

Because it wasn’t about the locker.

It wasn’t about the words.

It was about what they meant.

Jake stepped closer, his voice dropping slightly.

“I can handle this.”

That made her look at him again—properly this time.

“And do what?” she asked quietly. “Make it worse?”

A pause.

“They’re already talking,” she continued, her tone still calm, but heavier now. “If you react, it just gives them more.”

Jake held her gaze, something unreadable passing through his expression.

“You didn’t deserve that,” he said.

Ruby’s lips pressed together slightly.

“Deserve has nothing to do with it.”

Silence settled between them again, thicker this time, filled with things neither of them said out loud.

Behind them, the whispers had started again.

Quieter now.

But still there.

Ruby reached into her bag, pulling out a tissue again, pressing it lightly against the ink—not because she expected it to come off, but because doing nothing felt worse.

Jake watched her for a second.

Then—

“Stop.”

She paused.

“It’s not coming off like that,” he said.

“I know,” she replied.

“Then why are you trying?”

Ruby didn’t answer immediately.

Because the truth was—

she didn’t have one.

Finally, she lowered her hand slightly.

“Because I don’t want to just stand here and do nothing,” she said quietly.

Jake didn’t respond right away.

But something in his expression shifted.

Not amusement.

Not curiosity.

Something else.

Something closer to understanding.

And just like that—

the hallway noise returned.

Not completely.

Because even as she walked away from the locker, her posture perfect, her expression untouched, her presence as composed as ever—

those words stayed with her to normal.

Classes resumed.

People moved on.

But Ruby didn’t.

Not on the surface.

But underneath.

And for the first time—

the attention didn’t feel like curiosity anymore.

It felt like pressure.