There was a time when I had nothing to explain
Oh, this mess I have made.
But then things got complicated
My innocence has all but faded
Oh, this mess I have made.
A couple weeks later, during mid-terms, Ruby was up late studying in the dark bedroom
with just her desk light. All of a sudden her phone rang breaking the silence of the room
and startling her. Ruby reached over and took the cordless phone from the dresser.
“Hello?” She whispered.
There was a long pause followed by a deep sigh. “Ruby?” Zac weakly asked.
Natasha groaned and rolled over on her other side. Ruby got up and took the
phone out into the hall.
“Zac? What’s wrong?” She asked closing the door and sitting up against the wall.
“It’s like 3:30 in the morning.”
“I... I just..,” he trailed off holding his hand to his forehead.
“Where are you?”
“I just got home,” he told her quietly. “From a party. Me and Taylor and.. there
was this party,” he tried to explain to her but ended up speaking in fragmented sentences.
“Are you drunk?” She creased her eyebrows trying to make sense of what he was
telling her.
“I love you so much, Ruby,” he said, his voice cracked with the onset of tears
forming in his eyes.
“Zac,” she said worried. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“God, Ruby. I’m so fucked up. I don’t know what to do,” he told her as he
started crying.
“Okay, calm down,” she said soothingly. “Tell me what happened. Why are you
upset?”
He sniffed and tried to think straight. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I know you’re
mad at me.”
“Why should I be mad?” She asked having to talk in questions to figure out why
he was crying.
“Cause I went to this party and... and,” he said before he started crying harder.
“Did you drink too much?”
“Yeah,” he whispered.
“Sweetie, don’t cry. It’s okay.”
“But I have to tell you. Cause I was there, and... and there was this girl..” he tried
to explain.
Ruby’s heart sank with the fear of what happened.
“But I didn’t have sex with her. I just kissed her and I’m so sorry, Ruby,” he said.
“Zac,” she sighed. “Why’d you kiss her?”
“I don’t know,” he started crying again. “I didn’t mean to. And I’m so pissed off.
I love you so much. I really do.”
“I know you do. But you can’t do that. You can’t get all wasted and lose control
of yourself,” she told him.
“I’m sorry. I know you’re mad at me but I want you to know that I love you. I’ll
never kiss anyone else again,” he said.
“Okay.”
“You’re mad at me.”
She sighed. “Yes, I’m mad at you. But for now, why don’t you just go drink
some water and go to sleep,” she instructed. “We’ll talk tomorrow when you’re sober.”
“But... but I can’t sleep when I know you’re mad at me,” he said.
“Well it’s gonna be okay. We’ll talk about it tomorrow but you need to go to
sleep. I’ve got a mid-term tomorrow that I need to finish studying for.”
He took a deep breath and sniffed. “Okay. I love you.”
She paused while she rested her head in her hand. “I love you too, Zac.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know. Go to sleep, okay?” She said.
“Mm hmm.”
“Goodnight,” she whispered.
“Night.”
She hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh.
*************************************
“You can’t kiss other girls, okay? That’s how it works,” Ruby explained the next
night.
“I know. I’m so sorry and I’m just stupid,” Zac apoligized. “I was really messed
up but I can’t use drinking as an excuse.”
“I thought you were the one who wanted to be exclusive while I was away,” she
said.
“I know. God, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I can’t say it enough,” Zac angrily
ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll do anything you want.”
“It’s okay,” she sighed. “I mean, it’s not okay that you kissed someone else but I
forgive you. I had to yell at you a little.”
“So... you’re not mad at me?” He asked hopefully.
“I’m over it. Just don’t let it happen again.”
“I swear I won’t,” he promised.
“I know it’s hard, babe. But we’ll make it as long as you want us to,” she said.
“I do. I really do.”
“Okay. I trust you. Eventhough I probably shouldn’t,” she smiled.
“Hey, I deserve that,” he laughed.
“So what did she look like?” Ruby asked.
“Who?”
“The girl you kissed. Was she hot?” She teased.
Zac laughed. “You know what? I don’t remember. But I doubt it.”
“Mm hmm,” she nodded skeptically.
“Really. But what was weird was that I think she like, had on your perfume or
something, cause she kinda smelled like you. Maybe subconciously I thought she was
you,” he said.
She laughed. “Right. Nice try.”
chapter 14.
