“Ruby? Do you have the answer? Ruby?” Mrs. Marigold snapped her attention back.
“Huh? What?” Ruby asked, shaking her head quickly. Darcy began to snicker, and Ruby’s face was redder than a tomato.
“Next time, learn to pay attention Ruby. People like you shouldn’t be in school, “Darcy muttered under her breath, but the students all heard.
“Why are you laughing?” Meg demanded boldly. She suddenly stood up and faced Darcy. “In my old school, if anyone laughed at someone’s mistake, they would get beaten. I think that rule should apply to some people here.”
“If they did have that rule, you would be the first one beaten, “Darcy replied calmly, studying her nails. “For talking out of turn.”
“How rude! It seems like that’s what you are, rude,” Meg told her.
Darcy’s face turned red with fury. As she opened her mouth to say something, Mrs. Marigold interrupted them. “Cut it out girls. If not, I will have to keep both you girls after class for a while. Darcy, you should know better. As for you, Meg, I will let it slide as you are new here, but please try to make a good first impression on both me and your classmates. Now Ruby, please stay after class for a minute before you go to lunch.”
Ruby nodded, and Mrs. Marigold continued the class, oblivious to the comment Darcy muttered. “You are right. I should know better than to argue with a pig.”
Meg was smart to not reply, but her face held remains of their argument for the rest of the class.
Once the bell rang, Ruby waited for the class to file out before she moved up to Mrs. Marigold’s desk. “Ruby, what has gotten into you? Lately, you have been absent a lot and your grades are going down.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Ruby mumbled, keeping her hand hidden.
“You have to promise me that you will work hard to keep your grades up, otherwise you will have to repeat the year.”
Ruby nodded and walked to wards the door, but Mrs. Marigold called her back. “Wait! Ruby, I want you to do me a favor and try to befriend Meg. It must be hard to move, especially during the year, and after what happened in class today, I’m afraid the other students won’t be as nice to her. Can you please try?”
Ruby promised, and then she was allowed to leave. As she walked towards the willow tree, she stopped and pulled an apple off a tree for lunch. Then, she found Charlie sitting at his usual spot. “So, what was that all about?”
YOU ARE READING
Untying the Knot
FantasyRuby Henderson has lived her whole life working as a slave, but no one knew this. not even her best friend Charlie Baker. When things started to go bad, Ruby decided she had to put a stop to this. After revealing her secret to Charlie, Charlie joins...
