Page 60 of Save Me

It feels small and vulnerable, but I’m sure that Ruby is anything but fragile.

“What happened?”

“We were rammed by a bigger boat that didn’t see us. Ours was smashed to bits and Dad hit the water hard. His neck was overextended and one of his vertebrae got shattered.”

I squeeze her hand.

“Since then, he’s been in a wheelchair. And I’ve been terrified of water,” she concludes hastily.

I don’t believe that’s the whole story, but I don’t ask questions. What she’s told me is enough to get a glimpse of what she must have felt when Cyril pulled her into the pool.

“I’m sorry,” I say, feeling like an idiot. She’s just told me about one of her most traumatic experiences and all I can offer is a lame apology.

“It’s OK. You’re not like your friends.” Her hand emerges from the sleeve and cautiously reaches for mine. I link fingers with her and hesitantly stroke the back of her hand with my thumb.

“That’s not true,” I mumble, shaking my head. “I’m just like my friends. Worse, even.”

She gives an almost imperceptible shake of her head. “Not right now, you’re not.”

For the rest of the drive, we sink into an amicable silence while I chew over what she just shared with me. After a while, Ruby nods off and her head slips onto my shoulder. Her hand doesn’t let go of mine for a second, and I keep running my thumb pensively over her skin, which, luckily, is warm again now.

After twenty minutes, we arrive at Ruby’s house. There’s a light on, and I should wake her. But I don’t have the heart to, not when she looks so peaceful now.

“She’s a sweet girl, Mr. Beaufort.” Percy’s voice suddenly comes through the loudspeaker over my head. “Don’t mess this up.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” I reply.

But I don’t let go of Ruby’s hand.

18

Ruby

Ember and I spend the whole of Saturday in our pajamas. Mum and Dad are out with friends, so we take advantage of having the kitchen to ourselves to bake chocolate chip cookies. We’re in the middle of making sure the bowl is properly cleaned out when the doorbell rings. Both of us jump and stare at each other. Then I tap the side of my nose as fast as lightning. Ember groans as she realizes her defeat and trots off toward the door.

A moment later, I hear a gruff, familiar voice. “Hi, are you Ember? I’m Lin. Where’s your sister? I need to speak to her!”

Before I’ve had time to blink, Lin’s standing in front of me, holding out her phone. “Say that’s not actually you.”

For a while, I can only stare at her. It’s the first time Lin’s been in our house. Until now, she’s only picked me up a few times, and has always waited in the car. Having her here ought to make me nervous. After all, she goes to Maxton Hall too, and so she’s a part of my life that I want to keep as far as possible from my family. But the longer I see her standing in our kitchen, the more I realize thatthe opposite is true. I’m glad she came. Our argument the other day showed me that we could have a real friendship that goes beyond school. Maybe it’s time to be brave and open up a little.

I deliberately pop the spatula into my mouth again so as not to have to answer. Unimpressed, Lin comes a few steps closer until she’s right in front of me, holding her phone so close to my nose that I have to lean back before I can make anything out in the dark photo.

It’s of James from behind, and he’s carrying someone who has her arms wrapped tight around his neck and her face buried in his throat. You can’t recognize me, but I still blush hotly. I wonder exactly how many other photos there are of that moment. And exactly who’s seen them all.

“Ruby?” Lin asks, her tone suddenly a bit less harsh. “What happened yesterday?”

“I went to Cyril’s party,” I say at last. “Like I told you.”

“Yes, you did. What I want to know is what’s happeninghere.”

“What’s happening where?” asks Ember, snatching the phone from Lin’s hand. Her mouth drops open as she stares at the photo. “Is that really you?”

“Yes,” I admit, gulping hard. Spending today with Ember was meant to take my mind off things. I wanted to suppress the thoughts of last night and stop my head from whirling. What happened yesterday…Even I don’t know what that was. Let alone how to put it into words or to deal with it.

“Tell me right now what happened yesterday,” my sister demands, in an I’m-not-taking-no-for-an-answer voice that she definitely gets from Mum.

I lean down to the oven again to check on the cookies. Sadly, they’re not ready yet and can’t protect me from Lin and Ember ortheir questioning looks. I sigh quietly, drop the scraper back in the bowl, and nod toward the dining room. Once we’ve sat down, I start talking.

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