diet coke » sex education

17

Not long after Eric had returned to the school grounds, he was unaware that the group he had just taunted and followed closely behind him. Ruby was fed up with his constant bullshit and how he had hurt those closest to him. 

"Hey, jerk!" Ruby calls out to Eric while he was still sipping on his ice coffee while he was conversing with Maeve. 

Eric looks over to the girl, seeing that Otis was standing beside her, their hands held in a tight embrace. Both Aimee and Adam stood on either side of the couple. "Come back for more Ruby?" Eric asks.

"I'm done with this constant bullshit. I get you were never the most liked guy in school, but you changing your image into a bully is not on." Ruby begins.

Eric looks over to his best friend, why was he letting this girl talk trash to him? 

"I guess someone had to take your place on the throne," Anwar informs his former friend. "Sorry princess, you're not relevant anymore."

Aimee laughs, making attention come on her. "Bucktooth has something to say?" Oliva asks, making Aimee cover her mouth with her hand.

"I guess this just proves how fake people must get to make it in this world," Otis recalls. "I'd prefer my friends to be decent rather than a bully." 

"Don't worry Otis, I still have a place for you on my team. You just need to drop these freaks-"

Adam cuts off Eric. "You're the freak!"

Eric scoffs. "I'm done." He calls, looking judgementally at Adam.

"So are we." Ruby comments, while Eric was distracted she grabs the cup that was in his hands and takes the top off the plastic cup. Eric calls her an insult for taking his drink but Ruby just smirks.

She pours the liquid on his head, all Eric had was his verbal insults at what Ruby had done. "You look so much better." She comments, making her friends laugh. "I really hope that coffee gave you a wake-up call."

"You're a bitch!" Maeve yells at the girl getting in her face, as Eric was trying to wipe the coffee off his white shirt. "Are you that jealous you're not queen-bee anymore that you have to make everyone's lives worse?"

"No Maeve, I'm just sick of fake people." Ruby reminds the girl. "I'm glad you found your people, but really you should just run back to America."

"Maybe I'd rather stay since you have something that belongs to me." She glares at the girl.

"I'm not an object!" Otis defends himself. "I told you I'm not interested in any of your games anymore, you had your chance ages ago. So move on, because I sure as hell did."

There is hurt in Maeve's eyes.

Anger cover's Maeve's anger before she slaps Ruby right across the face. 

That's when Adam steps in and pushes Maeve slightly back. "You wanna hurt someone, you have to go through me!" He warns, just the size of Adam was enough to make Maeve back off. "Fuck you all!"

"It's hot when you're angry," Eric calls out, giving up on trying to clean the spilled coffee off his shirt.

"You're a pig!" Aimee defends Adam. "But even pigs would have more standards than you."

"It's not worth it guys." Otis reminds the group, as he held his arm around Ruby's shoulder as she holds her cheek. Still sore from the slap. "Bullys never learn."

"Otis is right, I'm done staring at clowns." Aimee agrees with the teenage boy. The trio decides to walk away from the situation but Adam remains behind.

"You hurt anyone else, and I'm not afraid to do time behind bars." The teenager warns before following his friends. They all decide to skip the rest of the afternoon and spend time hanging out in the local diner.

Otis purchases a soda for Ruby, which she gladly accepts giving the boy a kiss on the cheek. "I can't wait to get out of this town." She declares. "I really want to go abroad."

"Where would you go?" Aimee asks, she was still unsure of what her plans after high school were. She did discover a love for baking and would like to open her own bakery one day.

"As far away as I can travel away from Moordale." Ruby answers. "I always wanted to travel the world and get out of our country."

"Would be good to go somewhere tropical, maybe then I can tan." Otis comments.

"You sure you won't turn into a tomato?" Adam asks entering the diner and taking a seat next to Aimee.

"Ha-ha!" Otis replies sarcastically. 

"You can borrow my fake tan if you want," Ruby says winking at the boy. "Maybe we should all travel together, we are obviously lost souls who aren't sure what the fuck we're going to do with our lives." She suggests to the small group.

"I'm totally down!" Aimee calls. "Just funding might be an issue."

"So then we get jobs!" Otis suggests.

"We have to graduate first," Adam says sadly, he was still worried about even passing his final year of high school.

"We can help each other out with assignments and studies to pass our final exams," Aimee says. "Are you alright?" She asks the girl who still had a bright red mark on her cheek.

"Despite being slapped in the face, I'm feeling pretty positive. Honestly, the idea of traveling with new people sounds fucken fantastic." She admits. "I know the circumstances of us becoming friends was strange and we're hardly close. But I feel at complete ease with this new friendship."

"I agree, we aren't all total freaks," Adam says. "Sex Kid is a bit questionable if he does turn into a tomato."

Otis rolls his eyes before throwing his straw at the other teenager. "So it's decided, we get some cash and we leave this town!" Aimee yells excitedly. "After we pass exams and enjoy prom!"

The group agree and cling their glasses, cheering the sound of a new chapter in their young adult lives.