🖤The Last Flame Of Ruby

🖤Where She Could Breathe

By the time the final bell rang, the school seemed to empty faster than usual, as though everyone had already gotten what they came for—the gossip, the reactions, the satisfaction of watching something unfold.

Ruby didn’t rush.

She never did.

She packed her things slowly, deliberately, as if the day hadn’t affected her at all, as if the words written across her locker had meant nothing more than ink on metal.

But Jake noticed the difference.

He noticed the silence.

The kind that wasn’t calm—

but heavy.

“I’ll walk you out,” he said casually, leaning against the desk as though it wasn’t a question.

Ruby glanced at him briefly before nodding once.

“Okay.”

They walked through the now quieter hallways, their footsteps echoing softly in the near-empty space, the absence of noise somehow making everything feel more exposed.

No whispers.

No laughter.

Just… space.

Outside, the air felt lighter.

Less suffocating.

Ruby reached her car, pulling the door open before pausing slightly, her hand resting on the edge.

Then—

“Get in.”

Jake raised an eyebrow, a faint smile forming.

“Are you k********g me or…?”

“Do you want to walk?” she replied calmly.

He laughed softly.

“Fair enough.”

A few minutes later, the city noise had faded behind them, replaced by something quieter, something slower, as the car moved toward a part of town that felt almost untouched by everything else.

When Ruby finally stopped, it was at the top of a quiet hill, the view stretching out below them, the fading sunlight casting soft gold across everything it touched.

No people.

No noise.

No expectations.

Just peace.

Jake stepped out first, looking around as Ruby joined him, closing the door gently behind her before pulling her phone out.

“I won’t be home early tonight,” she said into the call, her voice calm and composed. “Yes… I’m fine… I’ll text when I’m on my way back.”

A pause.

Then she hung up.

Jake watched her for a second.

“Strict parents?”

“Careful parents,” Ruby corrected, slipping her phone back into her bag.

There was a brief silence as they both leaned lightly against the car, the cool breeze brushing past them, carrying away the tension that had followed her all day.

Then Jake spoke again.

“So,” he said, glancing at her, “who do you think did it?”

Ruby let out a small breath, her shoulders relaxing just slightly.

“I have ideas,” she admitted.

Jake smirked faintly.

“Same.”

She turned to him, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

“Go on, then.”

He tilted his head, pretending to think harder than he needed to.

“I think Chloe did it,” he said finally, his tone thoughtful—but with a hint of amusement underneath. “She has that… tough, intimidating thing going on, but honestly? She’s the type to act strong and then panic when things get real.”

Ruby blinked.

Then—

a soft laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

“That’s actually true,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “She looks like she could fight someone, but probably cries over small things.”

Jake laughed quietly, the sound easy, natural.

“Exactly.”

There was a pause.

Then—

“And Monica?” he added, his voice lowering slightly as if sharing a secret. “Monica is not even hiding it. That one… she enjoys chaos.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow, already smiling.

“Monica?”

“Just imagine her face when she’s gossiping,” Jake continued, trying—and failing—to keep a straight expression. “The way she leans in like she’s delivering breaking news…”

Ruby let out a real laugh this time, the sound lighter than anything she had allowed herself at school, her head tilting back slightly as she shook it.

“Stop,” she said, trying to regain composure. “You’re actually terrible.”

“I’m just observant,” he replied, clearly enjoying the reaction.

“Observant,” she repeated, laughing softly again.

And just like that—

something shifted.

The tension from earlier didn’t disappear completely.

But it loosened.

It softened.

Ruby wasn’t thinking about the locker anymore.

She wasn’t thinking about the whispers.

She wasn’t thinking about the way people looked at her.

She was just—

here.

With him.

“You know,” she said after a moment, her voice quieter now, more thoughtful, “this is the first time today I haven’t felt… watched.”

Jake glanced at her.

“That bad?”

Ruby hesitated.

Then nodded.

“I know it sounds small,” she continued, her fingers lightly tracing the edge of the car as her gaze dropped, “but it’s not easy walking into a place where people already don’t like you… and you don’t even know why.”

Her voice didn’t break.

But it softened.

Jake didn’t joke this time.

Didn’t interrupt.

“You don’t deserve that,” he said.

Ruby let out a quiet breath, her shoulders dropping just a little more.

“I just wish I didn’t care,” she admitted.

Jake turned slightly toward her.

“But you do.”

She nodded again.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn’t empty.

It was full of something unspoken.

Then—

almost without thinking—

Ruby leaned slightly closer, her shoulder brushing his as she rested against him, not fully, not heavily, but enough to close the space between them.

This time—

she didn’t pull away.

Jake didn’t move either.

And as the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in soft gold and fading light, Ruby allowed herself to stay there,

in that quiet,

in that softness,

in that version of herself no one else ever saw.

Because with Jake—

she didn’t have to be perfect.

And that—

more than anything else—

was what made him dangerous.