Chapter 6 Still His Little Ruby

ELOISE

I've never been overly excited to get to school, but today I was. I couldn't even fall asleep last night because I kept thinking about seeing Nonso.

I was all dressed up and ready to go, but Brian bailed on me. He was supposed to pick me up like he always did, but he said something about his car getting towed.

I tried asking Oliver for a ride, but he didn't open the door when I knocked, and he knew I hated taking the bus.

If Mom and Dad had listened to me and gotten me a car earlier, I wouldn't have had to deal with this.

I hissed in frustration as I knocked on Oliver's door for the hundredth time. “Oliver, I'm late for school. If you don't want to drop me off, then at least give me your car key.”

“So you can crash it?” he murmured, probably rolling around on the bed. “No, thanks.”

“Then how on earth am I supposed to get to school?” I yelled, banging harder. “Come on, for once in your life, act like my big brother.”

“Eloise,” he groaned. “Get away from my door. I'm trying to sleep.”

“You're such an asshole, you know that?”

“Yeah, I do.”

I kicked the door and screamed. It was all in vain. “Fuck you.”

I turned around, grabbed my bag, and headed back downstairs. I pulled out my phone and was about to call Lillian to ask if I could catch a ride with her and her dad when I heard the doorbell ring.

I prayed to God it was Brian and that he'd been lying about his car as I pulled the door open. “I'm so pissed—”

“Good morning, Ruby.”

My eyes widened and my words caught in my throat. I blinked a few times to make sure I was seeing right, and yes, I was.

Nonso raised a brow. “Are you okay?”

I nodded fast and stepped out of the way. “Come in.”

As he walked in, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my embarrassing nerves. I closed the door, and when I turned around, he was staring at me.

Jesus Christ, Ruby. Behave yourself.

I forced a smile and walked forward. “Good morning.”

“Is Oliver home?”

“Yes, he's upstairs. Are you going up, or do you need me to tell him you're here?”

His eyes dropped from my face to my ugly ass uniform and I tried to stay still. “Aren't you late for school?”

“Yeah, I am,” I replied awkwardly. “My friend got in an accident and Oliver refused to drop me off.”

He tilted his head, his eyes filling with concern. “Your friend got in an accident?”

Shit. Did I say that? Why the fuck did I lie?

“Yeah, the car is fine. I mean, he's fine. No injuries. Thank God.”

He nodded slowly, probably wondering what the fuck was wrong with me. “I got you something.”

My lips pursed and my eyes moved to his hand. He was holding a red square box, and I didn't know how I hadn't noticed it.

He stretched it out to me. “You mentioned your laptop was spoilt. So I got you a new one.”

“You actually did?”

“Open it.”

I took it from him and placed it on the table. Then I lifted the lid, and he wasn't joking. I was too stunned to speak, because I hadn't expected him to get me one after I'd lied about my old one.

“It has your name on it.”

My head snapped to him, eyes wide. “No way.”

The look on his face told me he wasn't kidding, so I quickly took it out and turned it around. My smile vanished.

“You don't like it?”

I lifted my head and the laptop too. “It says Ruby. My name is Eloise.”

He shrugged, like the two names were the same thing. “You used to like the name.”

“Used to,” I snapped. “I'm eighteen now.”

“And?”

I scoffed. “I don't like it anymore. I didn't like you calling me that in front of my classmates. It's embarrassing.”

He looked confused, but I was too angry to pretend I was anything but. Yes, I'd liked it when he called me Ruby as a kid. But how on earth was he ever going to see me as an adult if he kept using that name?

“Rub—Eloise,” he said with a sigh. “I'm sorry. You know I'd never do anything to embarrass you on purpose. Forgive me.”

No. Eloise, you have to show him that you're still angry. Don't let him use his charm on you.

“It's okay,” I found myself saying. “Just don't call me that again.”

He laughed, the sound scratching at a part of my brain. “Okay. So do you still want the laptop or—”

“No.” I shoved it behind me and he chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “I said I didn't like the name. Not the laptop.”

“It's all yours.”

“Thank you,” I said, and without thinking, I stepped closer and pressed a kiss to his right cheek. “I love it.”

He didn't move for a second and I bit my lip, stepping back. “I'm glad you do. I'll speak to Oliver and then you'll ride with me to school.”

I nodded, and once he went upstairs, I slammed my palm against my forehead, feeling like a fool. I shouldn't have kissed him. Nonso still saw me as Ruby, whether he called me Eloise or not. He was probably going to avoid me now. Fuck, Eloise. Why can't you just be normal.

He came back down after a while and I held on to my school bag, looking anywhere but his eyes. “Let's go.”

We got to his car and I expected him to be a gentleman and open the door for me, but he didn't. He got in, and I rolled my eyes and slid into the passenger seat.

“I'm sorry for the inconvenience. My parents refused to get me a car because they think I'll get run over by a drunk driver.”

Nonso didn't find my joke funny. “They're right to be worried. I don't mind dropping you off at school, so you don't need to apologize.”

Nonso could be so boring at times. Caring, too. I didn't mind, as long as it was clear he cared about me.

He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. I took out my phone and opened my calculator, trying to ignore the fact that the car smelled like him. The scent of his cologne was a different kind of high.

It made me wonder what he'd smell like after sex. Shut up, Eloise. What the hell.

“How many people signed up?”

“Huh.”

He glanced at me briefly. “For the boxing scholarship. How many of your classmates signed up?”

“Oh. I haven't gotten their names yet. But I'll do it today.”

“I'll be expecting it,” he said, taking a turn. “Bring it to me during your break. I'll be at the school gym.”

I nodded, holding all my excitement in. “Can I include my name?”

He grabbed my arm and lifted it, and I held my breath at the contact. “I don't know, Ruby. But maybe someday we'll see what these arms can do.”

I giggled, ignoring the fact that he'd slipped back into that nickname. “Can't wait.”