Thirty Two

Ruby

"What the hell, Ruby? What the hell was that?"

I crossed my arms when our hurried steps came to a stop. Jake turned to face me, various questions on his face but that didn't bother me.

I could still feel his lips on mine. My chest was still thudding at the thought that he kissed me and my head was still screaming that Mr. Klaus is my teacher, who I shouldn't be kissing.

"Ruby, I am talking to you," Jake sternly said.

Our eyes finally met but as I said, I was not yet with him, my mind was still with the man back there who just made me feel something totally... new.

Almost unconsciously, I brought my fingers to my lips and that caused Jake's eyebrows to twitch a bit.

"Ruby, do you have any idea what you are doing? That was Mr. Klaus you were just kissing. Our English teacher."

" Substitute," I corrected, and he scoffed. " Substitute English teacher."

"He is still our teacher and he shouldn't be seen frolicking with..." His eyes roamed my body and he let out a sigh that completed his unfinished statement.

" Frolicking?" I shook my head almost dejectedly. "You make it sound as if I am being used. Is that how you see this situation?"

"No, I-"

I snorted. "That's what you think, isn't it? How nice."

"Ruby..." He approached me, grabbing my shoulders after. " I didn't mean it that way. That man is not all that he seems."

I tilted my head to look up at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Mr. Klaus is no ordinary man, Ruby. He is a gangster."

A deep frown found its way to my forehead. " How do you know that?"

"You know about that?" I nodded to his question. "How come you are still with him? You could be playing with danger here."

" How do you know about that, Jake?" I insisted on getting a response to that question. But instead of giving me a reply, his eyes darted toward the ground which was mostly mowed grass. "You are hiding something."

"No, I am not." He was still not looking at me.

" Look at me." I watched with growing concern as his jaws tightened. Reaching out to cup the sides of his face, I coaxed him further, saying, "Jake, look at me."

"What?" he murmured.

"You are hiding something from me."

He was quick to shake his head, refuting my statement yet proving my point.

"No, I am not."

I nodded. "Yes, you are. What are you hiding, Jake?"

It began to make sense. His weird behaviour in school the previous week surely has a story backing it and I have a feeling it is some nasty story.

"I am not hiding anything, Ruby. And don't try to change the topic. I just caught you kissing that... that dangerous person."

" Tell me!" I watched as his pupils dilated in reaction to my demanding voice. " Tell me what you are hiding. I need to know," I requested with a softer tone.

A second passed and it was filled with intense stares and heavy breaths but Jake soon got rid of the hold I had against his face and he made his back face me for some seconds as he seemed to be contemplating.

"I can't begin to guess how you know about Mr. Klaus being a member of a gang, so I need you to tell me what exactly is going on with you," I said.

A gentle breeze passed through us and his hair reacted to the swift motion.

"Ruby..." I adjusted my stance as I gathered that he was about to give me the reply I wanted. Hopefully, he hasn't gotten himself into some stupid trouble.

Slight crunching noises followed as he turned in his heel to face me again.

With a certain gloom befalling his face, he said, "I can't believe you would want to be with someone like him."

With the urge to keep my approaching anger at bay, I locked eyes with him and firmly said, "There is nothing wrong with him as far as I know."

The bump in Jake's throat did a little motion as he assumed an akimbo posture.

"It will be wrong to be with him. One, he is your teacher. If you guys are discovered, you know what will happen. Two, he is a gangster, and you like it or not, he is going to invite trouble into your life and even worse, the lives of everyone around you. Three, have you ever thought about what your parents would think about this attachment with your teacher?"

" I-"

" You should think deeply about this issue before you lose everyone around you. Don't be fooled by his words or the lies he could be feeding you.

I was determined to make a foul out of Jake's words, well, most of his words.

So, I confronted him, saying, " What if he isn't fooling me? Fine, he is my teacher. Okay, he is a gangster." I shrugged at intervals. "But what if he is being genuine with me? What if-"

" Don't be stupid, Ruby. You don't know a thing about things like this."

" Things like what?" I retorted.

" Being with a man, being in love. You are hardly experienced. You'll just get your heart broken." He took a step closer and searched my eyes. "I don't want you to go through that, Ruby."

"How else will I get experienced if I don't grab an opportunity to become an experienced girl?" Gosh, that was such a stupid thing to say.

" You will get hurt."

" Yes, I might." I let out a shaky breath. " But that is my problem. Thank you for your concern Jake, but you should mind your business."

Jake was shocked.

" If you won't be telling me about the craziness you are experiencing in your life, I am not entitled to share anything with you."

" Ruby-"

I brought a hand up and that shut him up.

"I should leave now, I am keeping someone waiting. I would have loved to ask why you weren't in school today or picking up my calls but I think you'd be secretive about it, so I won't bother."

I eyed him.

"See you tomorrow, Jake.

"Wait-"

I was already walking away from him, so what he had to say didn't get a chance to be uttered.

Thankfully, I was able to make my way back to where Mr. Klaus was without any issues. The man who was still digging into his bowl of ice cream seemed oblivious to my entry, so I didn't say a word and gently sat beside him.

Looking down at my fingers which were now playing with each other, I pondered on what Jake said... about my parents finding out.

My wild imagination painted a picture of their reaction and I can't lie, it scared me a bit. But instantly, a new feeling countered that fear. The feeling came when a familiar electrifying touch landed on my hand and grabbed it gently.

I looked up at the man beside me and with a serious look, he asked, "You are trying to change your mind, aren't you?"

" I-"

My words were pushed back when he leaned forward and planted his lips on mine again. I was more shocked this time, I found it hard to do anything.

But with my lower lip strongly held by his melting lips, Mr. Klaus made sure to maintain the kiss.

My fingers twitched as I persuaded myself to react in a way that wouldn't appear insensitive to his gesture...  His heart-flipping gesture.

My eyes were already fluttering shut when he withdrew and our eyes locked again.

A single blink and he said in a low voice, "I won't advise you to change your mind."

" I-"

" We should get you home." He got up and his motion pulled me along. "I am certain you have other things to do."

Yes. I have to think about where my life is headed.

Without a word more, I complied with his lead, and soon, with a nearly dissolved ice cream in my hold, we began to walk down the street in silence, each of us in our thoughts.

~

"Ruby, I am concerned. You haven't uttered a word about what your Dad and I told you yesterday," Mom said as she packed her car in the school car park.

" We want to know what you think."

I sighed. "As long as I will be fine Mom, I have no questions."

" But-"

" Is there something you are both hiding from me?" I asked the very question that kept bothering me alongside the thoughts about a certain Adonis Klaus.

"What? No. Why would we be hiding something from you?"

I watched her carefully and I could tell she was lying. Her hands went to her belly, and her eyes traveled somewhere else, it was clear something was amiss but I decided not to push it further.

"I am fine, Mom. As I said, I have no issues as long as the treatments and all will do a great job."

She smiled gently. " You should go in. See you later."

" Bye, Mom," I cheerfully said before getting off the vehicle.

Once inside the bustling school building, I caught sight of Abby who was by her locker and struggling with tucking her hair into a suitable style.

I rushed towards her.

"Hey."

"Oh, Ruby. Hi. You look quite delighted today. Why?"

" My Dad's friend found the culprit."

" The one that uploaded those pictures?" I nodded and her face wore some delight. "Who is it?" she asked as she grabbed my hands. "Please tell me it is Bryan."

"I hope so. My Dad said we will find out today and I can't wait to know who it is."

Looking ahead, she said, " I don't think we have to wait so long. The cops are here."

The entire corridor became still as three uniformed men walked charismatically into the school. Behind them was my chemistry teacher, Mrs. Cook who kept glaring at everyone as if we stole something from her.

But I swiftly shifted my attention to the cops who approached a girl to ask her a question. The girl pointed her finger in a direction and I wore a deep frown because Bryan was not there.

If they weren't there for Bryan, who were they there for?

"I have a terrible feeling about this, Ruby," Abby whispered into my ear as we watched the men walk past us, our eyes not failing to trail them.

"Me too," I replied.

A few more steps and the men finally stopped walking. Murmurs erupted from the students that could see what was going on and that roused my curiosity.

A few words were uttered by one of the men and before I knew it, the culprit was already in their grasp.

"Oh my God," Abby said in disbelief.

And my eyes bulged with the same emotion. I could not believe what I was seeing.  The person in their hold was ...

Clara.