Page 18 of No One's Like You
"What plan?" a voice suddenly asks, and both of them jump. They hadn't noticed Ellie returning to the table.
"Shit, Ellie," Jerome answers, making a play on words to cover. "Next week is the class reunion."
Ruby bites her lips trying to contain her laughter.
"We're going, right?" Ellie asks, sitting down.
Jerome shakes his head and crosses one leg over the other.
"I don't feel particularly tempted to see those troglodytes who made my life impossible again."
Jerome isn't exaggerating when he calls some of his high school classmates troglodytes. When the boy joined Ruby and Ellie's duo, the harassment and constant attacks against him decreased until one day, no one messed with him anymore. They were difficult years; few escaped becoming victims of the bullies of the student era. He must admit that only a few bothered him; most laughed at his jokes and he was generally well-liked. From a very young age, he always knew that hairdressing and styling were his thing, so he was always surrounded by girls fascinated by his art.
"That idiot Louis Hank won't be there," this was the one who chose Jerome for his particular crusade, "he's been living in Guatemala or somewhere for years," explains Ruby who, although she doesn't care about many of those people, keeps some friends from that time and learns about these things. "Greg is in prison, Terrie dead from an overdose, and Tom completed his transition last year, so his official name is now Christie."
Jerome blinks. He also knows about the lives of some of his former classmates, but they're always futile facts to which he gives minimal importance.
"You sure are informed," comments Ellie who, like Jerome, knows little about them. Ruby always had more people around her.
"You know I still talk to Caroline and Lucas once in a while, and those people find out everything."
These two belonged to different groups in high school, completely adverse in every way, but somehow, they ended up together. They got married several years ago and have two children. Ruby keeps in touch with them; in fact, they've seen each other several times over the years. Ellie only talks to a couple of old friends who now live abroad, and Jerome keeps several of his former classmates as clients, but none of them seem to want to talk about when they were students. Everyone focuses on the now, and that's appreciated.
"We should go. I think the people who will attend, for the most part, we liked, and besides, we're all adults now," says Ellie, who actually wants to see firsthand how her classmates have turned out.
"Let's go for a while, and if we get bored, we'll leave," Ruby proposes.
Jerome isn't very convinced, but he's also not the scared kid he once was. Now he's a successful man with his business and with men. He's attractive, tall, and very athletic. He dresses with taste and has the best friends in the world, those he made during that difficult time for him. Actually, he's not afraid to go; he's even curious—just like Ellie—to know what has become of all of them.
"If we don't like it, we leave," the man concludes.
The three friends smile and raise their glasses to toast. In three weeks, they'll embark on an interesting journey to the past.
Chapter 11
It's been just over a week since Ruby and Amelia ended their relationship. The first few days were tough, with sleepless nights and puffy-eyed mornings, but little by little Ruby regains some normalcy in her life. The pain lingers, not because she misses Amelia—though she does—but because of the guilt that haunts her for maintaining a relationship when she knew perfectly well that her heart belonged to someone else.
This morning she wakes up more spirited and feels today's the day to make a move with Ellie. She won't declare her love, of course, but she's ready to test the waters, to do or say something subtle that might expose Ellie somehow, something that might give her a signal, though she still doesn't know what.
Ruby arrives at Early Bayou very determined, but when she enters and sees Ellie, her breath catches and all her determination vanishes instantly, replaced by a bundle of nerves worthy of a teenager. Ellie wears a blue dress that hugs her figure, more makeup than usual, and heels thatcould cause a heart attack. It's not the type of outfit Ellie typically wears to work on an ordinary day, Ruby knows this, but she's so hypnotized, in love—and blinded—that the only thing crossing her mind is that maybe Ellie has lunch plans with her mother at some fancy restaurant, something Ellie's mother does frequently.
"You're early today," Ellie says, approaching to give her a kiss on the cheek and an effusive hug, because Ellie loves hugging, and Ruby freezes, feeling tingles throughout her body.
"Yeah, I didn't have anything to do and didn't feel like staying home," Ruby responds.
It's not what she wanted to say when she walked in. She should tell her how beautiful she looks, or rather how radiant she is in that dress that Ruby would like to remove before sitting her on a table and doing things she shouldn't even think about, but Ruby stays silent.
"Well, I'm thrilled you're here," Ellie says. "Coffee?"
Ruby nods and follows her, eyes fixed on what she considers a perfect ass.
The morning passes while Ruby formulates phrases in her head. Things she could say to Ellie that go a bit beyond letting her know she looks stunning. She needs to plant a seed in her friend, make her wonder, drop some subtle bomb that makes Ellie question if she's serious or joking, and later drop another. Keep going until her friend has no choice but to ask if there's something she needs to tell her. The plan sounds perfect in her head, but it sucks if she doesn't dare say anything, and she's cursing herself when aguy walks in who stands out from the bar's usual clientele at this hour.
He's dressed in a suit, shiny shoes, and a watch that probably costs more than all the bar's furniture combined. In Ruby's opinion, he's too dressed up for midday, but he's probably not from the area and just passing through.
"What can I get you?" Ruby asks from her side of the bar.
The guy looks at her as if he hadn't seen her when he entered and gives her an arrogant smile full of teeth too white that Ruby thinks must be fake.
