Kellan Wolf glanced back as
Ruby crossed the threshold of room 219. The minute his crystal blue eyes found her;
his mouth curved. He gave her a gentle nod of his head in greeting.
It
was like one of those surreal moments in a movie when time slowed down, and
everything else faded out, except the girl and the romantic longing gaze of the
handsome heartthrob.
Ruby’s
pulse quickened, and her cheeks warmed, probably turning red and giving her
away, but she met his gaze and returned his nod. Ruby had known Kellan since
they were kids. They’d gone through elementary together. And once upon a time,
she’d even been friends with his sister, so she and Kellan had always had a
friendly acquaintance sort of relationship. Lately though, their paths had been
crossing more and more, and each time it was a little more unnerving for her.
She had a crush on him. The realization struck her like a punch to the gut. Good
thing her feet keep moving one foot in front of the other, passed Mr. Brown’s
desk and down the third row to her seat. Right behind him.
Kellan
sat comfortably at his desk, looking dashing in his gray three-piece suit,
minus the tie. The football team dressed to impress on game days, and Homecoming
was the biggest. Today, the team captain didn’t disappoint.
Lily
whistled, taking a seat at her desk next to Ruby’s.
“Hey
gals, thanks. How are you two?” Kellan’s genuine smile crept up to the corners
of his eyes, which he focused solely on Ruby.
“Hey Kel. Looking very handsome today. Where’s
your tie?” Ruby teased as she sat in her seat.
“You
know me and ties, Rue, just not my thing,” Kellan said, then changed the
subject, “I hate to ask, but I need a favor…”
Chills
shot all the way down Ruby’s spine to the tips of her toes, but her voice
remained steady. “What do you need?”
“My…ah…lit
grade…and my history grade… are dangerously close to getting me benched.” He
held up his hands in surrender at Ruby’s horrified look, “I’m fine for tonight,
but well, there’s a big test next week. If you have time, could you squeeze me in?
I’d be grateful for some help.”
She’d
been tutoring Kellan, among others, since freshman year. Most of them barely
said thank you, but the last time she’d helped him pass a test, he’d chopped and
stored Grams’ wood for winter. He was that kind of guy.
“Sure,”
Ruby’s shoulders relaxed. Even though her insides pulsed with energy, she rested
her elbows on her desk, like she had everything under control. “I’m free Monday
or Wednesday.”
“I’d
hoped you’d say that. A true life-savior, you are,” He said, never taking his
eyes off her, “Monday night? My place?”
“Monday’s
great, but not at the mansion. How’s the library?”
Ruby
had fondness for Kellan, but his family was another story. His mother was an overbearing
self-absorbed interior designer, who usually traveled to the bigger cities to
consult. His father was a super smug lawyer-business-man type, who also
happened to be the Mayor of Woodsville. The two were quite a pair. Then there
was his sister, Kayla. His twin. Ruby had stopped hanging out with her in high
school. She’d become a little too uppity for Ruby’s taste, but still a normal
teenage girl. Lately however, she’d become a nasty, naggy, mean piece of work,
lashing out at people all over school.
“The
library it is, away from the distractions of my family,” said Kellan.
“It’s not that…it’s…” Ruby smiled, embarrassed.
“It’s
okay, I try to get away from them as often as I can, too.”
“Sure
you do,” Ruby said, studying the boy, almost man before her. She couldn’t quite
put her finger on is. He was the same, but also different somehow, and he certainly
made her heart skip a beat, much more than before. “So we can count on a win
tonight?”
“If
I have anything to do about it,” Kellan said. He wasn’t cocky, just
matter-of-fact about it, “You’ll be there?”
“Miss
a homecoming game? Never!” Not at all sure what she was doing, she reached out
and rested her hand on his arm, “Of course, I’ll be there, along with the rest
of the town, to cheer you on.”
“Well,
I’m glad. I’ll do better, knowing you’re in the stands.” Kellan’s eyes lingered
on hers. “The dance? You going tomorrow?”
Ruby’s
cheeks warmed again, “Yeah, Lily talked me into it. We’re stagging it with a
group.”
“Cool.
Me, too.” He said, but there was something else in his eyes. “Save me a dance?”
“Definitely…”
She twirled one of her braids and teased, “…if you win. No pressure.”
“Heartbreaker,”
Kellan joked and clutched his hand to his heart. Flashing his pearly whites, he
leaned closer, “So now, I’ll work extra hard, and win just for you. And we’ll
dance. Fair enough?”
“Yes,”
was all Ruby could manage. She wanted to explode. “Tomorrow, then.’
“Tomorrow.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Eager
to join the conversation, Lily brought up the latest gossip again. “Hey,
Kellan, what do you think of the man they found? You know the mauled guy? On
the other side of the river?”
His
jaw clenched, giving his angular face even sharper edges. His body went rigid
while a sudden storm raged in his eyes. His voice was hard and clipped, when he
spoke. “I think it’s an unfortunate accident, Lily. And I hope they catch the who…whatever
has done this.”
Ruby
sucked in her breath, and the words fell out before she could stop them, “You
think it was an animal, too?”
“Probably,
Ruby. What else could it be?” He said, moving his lips into a smile that was
too quick to be real. His shoulders relaxed and his normal congeniality
returned. “I’m sure they’ll catch the beast. But it’s really not something either
of you should be worrying about, especially on Homecoming weekend. My dad
assures me the authorities have it all under control and Woodsville is in good
hands.” With that, he turned his attention to Mr. Brown, the history
teacher.
Ruby
and Lily exchanged wide-eyes shrugs, then turned their attention to class. Ruby
didn’t hear word her teacher said. She spent her time repaying her exchange
with Kellan, down to every detail, like why did he just get so upset? Did the
Mayor know more than he was sharing with the citizens of Woodville?
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