Falling for the Bad Boy

Chapter 6 The Tutor

Ruby bolted toward the hospital room, only to be stopped by a nurse.

"They're in the middle of an emergency procedure—you can't go in!"

Inside, she heard the doctor's firm commands.

"Keep the patient conscious! Don't let her fall asleep."

"Raise her arm—get the hemostats, tourniquet, gauze, and bandages."

"She's losing too much blood. Prep for a transfusion."

Each word stabbed at Ruby's heart like a blade. She felt like she was boiling alive in an ocean of helplessness.

She couldn't even imagine a world without Laura.

If it weren't for Laura, she would've died long ago.

She still remembered the accident from when she was five or six. She had no father, and her mother had died giving birth to her. The townspeople whispered that she was cursed, that she would bring misfortune to those around her. No one played with her.

Then one gloomy, misty rainy day, a boy named Simon invited her on an adventure.

Overjoyed, she donned a brand-new raincoat and eagerly followed the group into the woods, dreaming of making her first real friends.

But they abandoned her.

Lost in the rain-soaked forest, she called their names, desperate for an answer. None came.

Cold and hungry, she wandered through the mist until she spotted a figure. Her heart leaped. She ran toward the silhouette, calling out, "Simon, is that you?"

No response. As she got closer, she realized—it wasn't Simon. "Who are you?"

The boy sat slumped against a tree, silent.

Ruby's imagination ran wild. "Are you an angel?"

He was too beautiful not to be. Maybe he had come to rescue her.

But the boy remained silent. It was then that Ruby noticed—he was trembling. His soaked clothes clung to his pale skin. 'He's not an angel,' she thought. Angels wouldn't shiver from the cold.

Ruby unfastened her raincoat and wrapped it around him. "Did your friends leave you behind too? It's okay. We can be friends!"

She chattered away, telling him everything about herself, hoping to keep them both awake. When exhaustion finally overtook her, she whispered, "Don't worry. If we go to heaven together, I'll introduce you to my mom..."

For the first time, the boy moved—his cold fingers grasping hers. Between their palms lay a pendant.

She barely remembered what happened after that. When she woke up, she was back in her bed, clutching a small pegasus pendant.

Mary had told her that Laura had searched the woods in the storm, finding both her and the boy just before nightfall. She had carried them both home.

The boy had left with his family before Ruby awoke.

Afterward, Laura had gone door to door, forcing every child who had abandoned Ruby to apologize.

Laura had always been her shield, her strength.

"The patient is stable now, but she'll need constant monitoring. Don't leave her alone for the time being." The doctor's words yanked Ruby back to reality.

She nodded frantically, tears slipping down her face as she choked out her thanks.

On the hospital bed, Laura looked fragile and pale, her lips trembling with unspoken words. "I'm sorry..."

She hadn't wanted Ruby to drop out of school for her. She had felt powerless to stop her—so she had chosen the most desperate solution.

She thought that if she were gone, Ruby could continue her education without guilt.

But now, seeing the raw grief on Ruby's face, she regretted everything.

Tears streamed silently down Ruby's face. She grasped Laura's frail hands, unable to form words through her sobs.

Laura's rough, calloused palm held hers tightly. Tears traced the deep lines of her aging face. They didn't speak, but the air between them was thick with unspoken emotion.

"Ruby, your phone's ringing," Bertha, the new caregiver, said gently. She flashed Laura a reassuring smile before turning back to her work.

Ruby wiped away both their tears and pressed a kiss to Laura's forehead. "Grandma, this is Bertha. She'll be taking care of you. Please rest now—I'll be right outside."

Bertha greeted Laura warmly and then set to work organizing the medical supplies.

Ruby took a deep breath, stepped outside, and answered her phone.

"Ruby! I found you a tutoring job. Two hundred dollars an hour!" Franklin's voice was practically buzzing with excitement. "The only catch is... your student..."