Chapter 16
Ruby Hebert examines herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom and smiles with satisfaction.
She's wearing straight-cut navy linen pants, medium-height block heel boots, and a white blouse that's fitted at the bottom and looser on top with a discreet yet sexy neckline.
It's not that she's particularly thrilled about attending her class reunion, but she admits it will do her good to see other faces and experience a change of scenery.
The week has been a painful litany that only slightly shifted when her mother gave her the idea to revisit that trip she's wanted to take for so long.
When Ruby first thought of making that getaway, she researched the best way to do it, and for her, it was in an RV.
She started saving because she wanted to have her own, decorate it to her taste, and not have to depend on hotels or be forced to stay in big cities.
She would stop wherever she wanted and sleep there after watching one of those sunsets the route promised.
Then came the idea for the bar; she and Ellie had dreamed about it for years, and the planets aligned to make it happen.
At first, everything was chaotic, and Ruby couldn't imagine taking a trip; then everything calmed down, they grew as businesswomen, and tranquility arrived.
Ruby thought it was time to revisit the idea of buying the vehicle, and Ellie asked if she could join her.
"Please, please, please, Rub," she repeated, just like when she was nine years old and asking her best friend for something. "Imagine the two of us alone on the road, good music, and discovering all the places we want to see."
Ruby melted—as always—and accepted that her trip would be much better in the company of her best friend, but again things happened.
A renovation happened, Marcel happened, and Amelia happened too.
The road trip went back into the drawer of pending matters, and she hadn't thought about it until now.
She'll try to find a solution to the bar location problem as quickly as possible so she can leave for a few months and return completely detoxed from Ellie Trahan.
She fluffs her hair a bit and arranges it to one side.
That look, accompanied by makeup in the best Catwoman style, gives her a daring and irresistible air.
She leaves her house when the taxi honks twice.
She's arranged to meet her friends at the door of their old high school; coordinating to arrive together was becoming a nightmare.
"Holy shit," Jerome whistles when Ruby finishes paying the driver and turns to walk toward them. "If I liked what you have between your legs," the man makes an exaggerated gesture of repulsion, "I'd ask you on a date."
Ruby laughs because her friend always has something wonderful to say to her—except encouraging her to pursue Ellie so she ends up crashing like a bird into an airplane windshield—and it fills her heart.
"You look very handsome too," Ruby says, and Jerome spins around to show off his outfit. "You both look great," she corrects herself.
Ellie looks heart-stopping. She's wearing a tight black dress that contrasts with her milky skin, absurdly high stilettos of the same color, and a silver chain that hides a small cross between her two breasts. A true sin.
Ellie approaches and hugs her. Damn Ellie's hugs, so close, so uniquely hers. She leaves a kiss on Ruby's cheek, and Ruby feels as if her friend stays there longer than necessary while breathing deeply.
"Shall we go in?" Ruby sets a boundary in a subtle way—or not so subtle because she's jumped backward as if she received an electric shock. "I'm sure they've already started."
The three friends walk, and hundreds of images cross their minds from their student years. They turn right, toward the gymnasium where all the events were held and where their school won the trophy for the best basketball team that final year.
The organizers of the reunion opted for simplicity and hired a catering service with different dishes to snack on, a sushi table, and another for desserts. They made sure there were drinks of all kinds, and they would provide the music themselves through a speaker. Simple and practical.
"So you two ended up together after all. Damn, I love happy endings, especially with two beautiful ladies," says a classmate as soon as he lays eyes on them.
Rob Flanders, the class clown. The one with stupid jokes and surprise pranks at all hours.
Equally hated and loved because, in the end, Rob never hurt anyone.
He just wanted to make everyone laugh. He's just said what many thought back then but never dared to say because Ruby and Ellie could be truly frightening when angry.
"You're wrong this time," Ruby corrects him with a quickness that doesn't sit entirely well with Ellie. "Ellie and I are still the same as always, good friends and now business partners."
Rob makes an exaggerated pout but immediately recovers when he sees Jerome.
"I can guess you've broken too many hearts, my friend," Rob says and shakes Jerome's hand, making a greeting that's too masculine for the stylist's taste. "You look sensational."
Jerome smiles because Rob, besides never mocking his obviously feminine walk, also defended him on several occasions.
The four walk to the center of the gymnasium where the rest of their former classmates are.
Everyone greets each other with excitement, not because they were the most united group in high school, but because it's been a long time since any of them have seen each other.
Kisses here and hugs there. Compliments and disguised comments, some with hints of hidden lust. The boys, apparently, never grow up.
"Hello, Ruby," comes the same soft voice she remembers from Theresa Reis. "You look great."
Ruby flashes a smile and approaches to greet who was her first attempt at a girlfriend in high school.
Those times were more difficult, and you couldn't be with a girl being another girl just because, so despite Theresa having a boyfriend, she never missed an opportunity to kiss Ruby's full lips for a long, long time in the third-floor bathroom.
"You look great too," she answers, looking her up and down. "Are you still living in Denver?"
Theresa nods.
"My hospital is there, so as long as I want to keep my position, I have to stay."
"Do you like Denver?" Ruby asks out of mere curiosity.
Theresa—Dr. Reis—tilts her head a bit and makes a pout with her lips.
"Now I do, but when they first gave me the position there, I hated it quite a bit," she confesses. "Though I must say I've had a lot of fun. Let's just say the girls in Denver are wonderful."
Theresa winks at her, and Ruby laughs at her comment. It seems things have changed.
Ellie observes Theresa from her position, that girl she disliked so much.
Half the school was crazy about her, and the girl isn't even all that.
Besides, she was playing with Ruby, and of course, Ellie is her best friend and never liked anyone hurting her.
She clicks her tongue and takes her eyes off the pair to focus on someone else.
"Have you seen Harper?" Jerome whispers and pops a salmon roll into his mouth.
Ellie nods slowly with her eyes wide open.
"Nothing remains of that cheerleader."
"Don't be vipers," Ruby scolds them as she approaches at that moment. "We came to have fun, not to criticize. Stop being disrespectful."
Jerome accepts his friend's scolding and follows her with his gaze as she goes to another table to get a mini burger.
"Stuart, without a doubt, is the one who looks worst," says Ellie without any remorse, and Jerome is quick to agree with her.
It's not that Ellie and Jerome are harpies, but some of those present used to strut around flaunting their beauty to those who were late bloomers, those with acne-covered faces, or those who still had squeaky voices, not knowing that the future would return their tyrannies in an... interesting way.
The night progresses with conversations, laughter, and the occasional silly joke from Rob. Everyone seems to be enjoying the company and food. The reunion won't end late; they had agreed to start early because some have obligations the next day, especially those with children.
"Hey, oldies!" Rob shouts, clapping his hands forcefully several times. "It's time to have fun."
Rob approaches the speaker, turns up the volume a bit, and takes several disastrous, rhythmless steps, demonstrating his non-existent dance skills. He grabs a couple of bottles from one of the tables and a package of small plastic cups, the kind used to serve shots.
"Let's remember old times," Rob clears his throat and does a cheap imitation of a TV host. "Ladies and gentlemen, time to enter the wonderful world of the bottle game."
Some groan, others applaud so excitedly that they even jump a little.
They serve several rounds of a dubious liquor and, after toasting, hurry to sit in a circle with overflowing eagerness to relive those moments when they would sneak away to play spin the bottle.
How many first kisses were given thanks to that pastime.
Ruby rolls her eyes, but she doesn't want to be a party pooper either, so she follows the group and takes a seat. Rob, of course, places the bottle in the middle of the circle ceremoniously and, with a 360-degree turn, starts the game.
"Come on, come on," everyone applauds when Jess spins the bottle and it stops in front of Clark Stevenson. Both approach and give each other a chaste kiss before laughing like teenagers.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are we, twelve years old? Let's spice things up."
This time, to everyone's amazement, it's Maddie James who speaks. The introverted girl obsessed with science who seemed to never do anything wrong.
"The scientist has spoken!" says Rob and points with both hands at the couple who just kissed.
After three more turns—and several extra shots—Theresa, who had sat diagonally from Ruby, spins the bottle with skill and smiles victoriously when she achieves her goal: to taste Ruby Hebert's lips again.
Theresa isn't shy, and when she has her former classmate in front of her, she takes her by the neck and gives her a hot kiss.
She plunges her tongue into her mouth and, after a few seconds, pulls away biting her lip.
Everyone applauds euphorically; the alcohol is already noticeable, and if anyone might have been tense, they've long since loosened up.
Ellie notices the same flip in her stomach that she felt that day when Ruby was flirting with some girls through the app, with the difference that this time she feels an additional pain.
Someone is stabbing her in the chest and twisting without compassion.
She doesn't understand it, she doesn't understand anything.
"Damn, she nearly left her without oxygen," says Ellie with a slightly furrowed brow, and Jerome just glances at her sideways without saying a word.
Almost twenty minutes later, with alcohol in full effect, the eternal connection between Ruby and Ellie takes the form of a bottle pointing at both of them.
Ruby's heart speeds up, and she knows that if she touches her best friend's lips, she'll sink deeper than she already is.
She needs to escape this trap of destiny, and her head tries to find the best possible excuse.
"That doesn't count," Ruby says laughing, though trembling inside. "We're best friends, it would be weird."
Ellie looks at her and feels a pang. No, absolutely not. She kissed Theresa, why not her?
"Don't be a prude, Ruby," says Ellie and extends her hand for her to stand up. "It's a game."
Ruby doesn't move and observes Ellie's stylized hand waiting for her.
She looks to both sides, and everyone is expectant with rosy cheeks.
She stands up and evokes the damn guru she can't get out of her head.
She breathes once, twice, and three times before looking at Ellie.
She tells herself it will be a quick kiss, without consequences.
A few seconds and it's over. Ellie is the one who takes control, holds her by the cheeks, and joins their lips.
The Fourth of July is one of the most important days in the United States; thousands upon thousands of fireworks illuminate the sky across the country, but not even that light show compares to the light that's warming Ruby's heart.
Ellie's lips are soft, made of cotton. They taste like vodka and orange, and Ruby is sure that drink is going to become her favorite.
She has to stop, for her own good, she has to do it.
So Ruby begins to pull away from Ellie's mouth, but her best friend has another idea because she presses closer to her, lowers a hand to her hip, and slides her tongue into Ruby's mouth.
Everything spirals out of control because what was supposed to be a simple kiss turns into a hurricane of teeth and saliva.
Ellie caresses her with her hands, plays with her tongue, and even allows a moan to escape freely from her lips.
While everyone applauds and whistles with amusement, Jerome observes the scene with caution.
His heart aches for Ruby, but even more for Ellie, who doesn't realize she's completely fallen for her best friend.
Jerome has walked between doubt and certainty all his life because Ellie has always been very difficult to read, although that sixth sense of a rainbow boy has often told him that Ellie is as in love with Ruby as she is blind.
He doesn't plan to say anything; he can't keep getting involved in this, especially because after his advice, Ruby got hurt.
"Get a room, girls!" is the phrase that pulls both women out of their idyll.
When they separate, their eyes search for each other; they're both disconcerted and don't know what to say. They remain silent; it's for the best, and Ruby feigns a smile that looks more like a grimace when everyone shouts that they did very well.
The night continues, and before midnight, everyone starts to leave. They say goodbye with hugs and promises to meet again. Theresa hands Ruby a card with her number, promising that if she calls, she could visit her and show her more than just the streets of Denver.
"Drop me off first," Ruby requests when the three are in a taxi they've decided to share. "My house is closer."
It's a lie; Jerome's is closer, but the guy prefers to drop each of them off at their homes and then head to his own more peacefully.
The three remain silent; the moment has disrupted them, each in their own way.
How could they have imagined that a reunion with old friends would open a door that, in the end, was never completely closed.