Chapter 3
It had been a week since Nicole and Ruby’s study session, and Nicole was dreading going over there again.
Not because Ruby and her family were bad—no, in fact, they were too nice.
But because she couldn’t get Ruby out of her head.
Not thinking about that stupid smirk.
Not thinking about how her voice changed when she spoke Spanish.
And definitely not thinking about how she’d called Nicole “distracting.”
Nope. Not at all.
At least she had Bridgette to keep her mind busy.
Currently, Bridgette was pacing in circles around Nicole’s room, clutching one of her stuffed animals to her chest like a lifeline.
“Nicole, you don’t understand.”
Nicole, sprawled on her bed, barely glanced up from her phone. “No, I do understand. You’ve been talking about Trick for the last twenty minutes.”
Bridgette groaned, collapsing onto the bed beside her. “He’s just so—ugh—infuriating. But also so hot.”
Nicole smirked. “You two need to get a room.”
Bridgette huffed and adjusted her glasses. “I don’t like him like that. I just think he’s hot.”
Nicole gave her a look.
Bridgette sighed. “Okay, fine, maybe I like him a little bit.”
Nicole grinned, ruffling Bridgette’s hair. “Just flirt with him, Bridgey. He probably likes you too.”
Bridgette sat up, looking genuinely distressed. “I can’t flirt.”
Nicole snorted. “Oh, please. It’s not that hard.”
Bridgette narrowed her eyes. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
Nicole smirked, setting her phone aside. “Alright. Picture this—you and Trick are alone at lunch. He’s sitting across from you, looking very smug for no reason.”
Bridgette groaned. “That’s accurate.”
Nicole ignored her. “You want his attention. So, what do you do?”
Bridgette adjusted her glasses. “Uh… talk about the quadratic formula?”
Nicole stared at her. “Jesus Christ.”
Bridgette covered her face. “I told you I’m bad at this.”
Nicole sighed dramatically. “Okay, watch and learn.”
She straightened up and tilted her head, pretending Trick was in front of her. “Step one: eye contact.” She held an intense stare on Bridgette.
Bridgette blinked. “That’s terrifying.”
Nicole ignored her. “Step two: teasing. If he calls you ‘nerd,’ roll with it. Be like, ‘Oh, so you do think I’m smart. Good to know.’”
Bridgette’s face turned red. “I can’t say that.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “Yes, you can. And step three? The classic—touch.” She lightly tapped Bridgette’s arm. “A casual brush, a playful shove. Drives guys insane.”
Bridgette looked skeptical. “That actually works?”
Nicole smirked. “Trust me.”
Bridgette groaned. “Ugh, I’ll try. But if I embarrass myself, I’m blaming you.”
Nicole laughed. “Fair.”
Eventually, the conversation drifted, and Bridgette dozed off, snoring softly beside Nicole.
Nicole, still wide awake, picked up her phone—and nearly dropped it when she saw a text.
Ruby:u up?
Nicole frowned.
Nicole:It’s past midnight. What do you want?
Ruby:damn. hostile.
Nicole sighed.
Nicole:I’m tired. If this is stupid, I’m blocking you.
Ruby:lmao chill
A pause.
Ruby:what r u doin
Nicole glanced at Bridgette.
Nicole:Listening to Bridgette snore in my ear. She fell asleep in the middle of a conversation about Trick.
Ruby:lmao tragic
Nicole:It’s impressive, really.
Ruby:she’s obsessed w that dude huh
Nicole smirked.
Nicole:More like hopeless. I had to teach her how to flirt.
Ruby:oh?
Nicole hesitated.
Nicole:Yeah?
Ruby:so ur like. an expert huh
Nicole rolled her eyes.
Nicole:Compared to Bridgette? Yes.
Ruby:hmm. idk. i might need a demonstration
Nicole’s stomach flipped.
Nicole:Oh, shut up.
Ruby:lmfao ur cute when ur flustered
Nicole’s brain short-circuited.
Nicole:I’m not flustered.
Ruby:u totally are
Nicole exhaled sharply, not flustered at all.
Nicole:Goodnight, Ruby.
Ruby:night, princesa ;)
Nicole turned her phone face down and refused to acknowledge the way her heart sped up.
~
The next few days were filled with Nicole being Bridgette’s wingwoman, and to say it was exhausting was an understatement.
And no, Nicole wasn’t still thinking about the nickname Ruby had called her when they texted. Not at all.
At least she had the full-on rom-com that was Bridgette and Trick to distract her.
Bridgette had actually taken Nicole’s flirting lessons seriously:
Eye contact? Check.
Casual touching? Check.
Teasing? Double check.
Nicole watched from her locker as Trick leaned in close, that usual lazy smirk on his face. "Y’know, for a nerd, you’re kinda fun," he murmured, brushing a stray curl out of Bridgette’s face.
It should’ve made Nicole smile—her best friend was finally making progress—but it didn’t.
Because now Trick was sitting with them at lunch.
And they were being disgusting.
Bridgette was supposed to be tutoring him in English, but all they were actually doing was making heart eyes at each other. Trick would nudge her playfully, call her “nerd” in that low, teasing voice, and Bridgette would turn red but try to act like she wasn’t completely melting.
Nicole stabbed into her salad with unnecessary force. She needed an escape.
Her gaze flicked around the cafeteria, scanning for options. The cheerleading table? Maybe, but she wasn’t that desperate yet. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her teammates—she did—but if she had to listen to one more dramatic retelling of who was dating who, she might actually die.
The nerd table? No, she didn’t want to do homework while she ate.
The delinquents? Absolutely not.
The freshmen? Not unless she was ready to commit social suicide.
Her eyes finally landed on Ruby, sitting at her usual table by herself.
Nicole had never really seen Ruby talk to anyone at school. She always just kind of existed on the outskirts, like she wasn’t even trying to fit in. It made something twist uncomfortably in Nicole’s stomach.
Ruby was hunched over some papers, her jaw clenched, knee bouncing under the table at an erratic pace.
That was her excuse. It wasn’t that she wanted to talk to Ruby. It was just the best option. That’s all.
"You look like you’re about to fight someone," Nicole said, sliding into the seat across from her.
Ruby looked up, startled, and Nicole immediately noticed her eyes were red.
That sinking feeling hit her hard.
"Hey," Nicole said, softer this time. "What’s wrong?"
Ruby exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Nothing."
Nicole gave her a look.
Ruby groaned, running a hand down her face. "It’s this stupid math test. It’s in two days, and I don’t get any of this shit."
Nicole blinked. "Why didn’t you ask me for help? You know I’m your tutor, right?"
Ruby clenched her jaw. "I don’t like asking for help."
Nicole sighed, grabbing Ruby’s paper and scanning over it. It wasn’t that she was completely lost—she was making the right steps—but there were mistakes that made everything spiral into a mess.
"You’re overthinking this part," Nicole said, pointing at a problem. "You don’t have to do all this extra work. Just factor it out first."
Ruby watched as Nicole scribbled out an example, her lips pressing into a thin line.
After a moment, she copied it onto her own paper.
Nicole tapped the table. "See? Easy."
Ruby exhaled, dragging a hand through her hair. "I hate that you make it look easy."
Nicole smirked. "Well, what can I say? I have a beautiful mind."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Shut up." But there wasn’t any real bite to it.
Nicole grinned, satisfied. "We’re studying after school. No arguments. Me, You Library."
Ruby hesitated, shifting in her seat like she was about to say something but wasn’t sure if she should.
Nicole raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Ruby cleared her throat, suddenly very focused on the paper in front of her. "I, uh—" She paused, tapping her pen against the table. "Could we… maybe do it at my place?"
Nicole blinked.
Ruby was still looking at her paper, tapping her pen faster now. "Just—it's loud at my house, but I work better there, I think. And I—I don’t know. Never mind, it’s dumb."
Nicole almost laughed. Almost.
Ruby Moreno, all sharp edges and attitude, was getting shy over asking her to come over. It was kind of cute.
"Yeah, sure," Nicole said casually, like she wasn’t secretly enjoying this. "I don’t mind."
Ruby finally glanced up at her, and for a split second, she almost looked relieved.
"Cool," she muttered, before returning her focus to her paper like the conversation never happened.
Nicole shook her head, amused.
And no, it wasn’t because she thought Ruby was cute when she got flustered. Definitely not.
~
After cheer practice that day, Nicole went home to shower and change. She wanted to look sort of nice but not too nice. She definitely didn’t want Ruby thinking she had put in effort just for her.
She landed on a fitted top that showed just enough collarbone to still be considered respectful and a skirt that was short, but not too short. Casual. Cute. Completely normal.
As she drove to Ruby’s house, she tried to ignore the way her stomach felt weirdly tight with anticipation. She was just tutoring Ruby. That was it.
When she parked and knocked on the door, she expected Ruby or maybe her mother to answer. Instead, the door swung open to reveal a guy—tall, in his twenties, with messy black hair falling into his eyes. His posture was loose, lazy, and the slightly glazed look in his dark eyes told Nicole everything she needed to know. He was definitely stoned.
“Well, hello,” he drawled, giving her an appreciative once-over.
Nicole let out an awkward laugh. “Uh, hi. Is Ruby here?”
The guy grinned, leaning against the doorframe like he had all the time in the world. “Yeah, hold on. I’ll get her.” He rolled his eyes like it was the biggest inconvenience in the world before turning his head and yelling, “RUBY! There’s a very cute girl at the door for you!”
Nicole’s face burned.
She barely had time to process before heavy footsteps came stomping toward them. Ruby appeared in the doorway, her expression immediately darkening when she saw her brother’s smirk.
“Brandon, cállate la boca, imbécil.”
Brandon just grinned wider. “What? I’m just saying, if you didn’t want me flirting with her, maybe you should’ve called dibs.”
Ruby immediately bristled, her expression darkening.
"Eres un idiota, Brandon," she snapped, crossing her arms. "Cállate la boca y deja de ser un imbécil por cinco minutos, ¿es mucho pedir?"
Brandon just chuckled, clearly enjoying riling her up. "Relájate, hermanita, solo estoy diciendo lo obvio. Si no quieres que la mire, tal vez deberías admitir que te gusta."
Ruby’s face turned red—whether from anger or embarrassment, Nicole couldn’t tell.
"No me gusta así, solo es una amiga," she said her face still red.
Brandon just laughed crossing his arms, “Lo que digas, hermana, pero solo digo que si no lo haces, lo haré”
Ruby groaned shooting him a glare, “Can you just leave us alone?” She asked
Brandon held his hands up in surrender, “Alright alright, no need to get possessive” he said and walked to the kitchen.
Nicole blinked. Possessive?
Before she could even think of a response, Ruby grabbed her wrist and yanked her inside, slamming the door behind them.
“Don’t listen to him,” she grumbled, leading Nicole toward the kitchen.
Nicole raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I wasn’t going to, but now I’m curious.”
Ruby shot her a glare but didn’t respond.
Before Nicole could push further, Elena appeared, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. Her face lit up the moment she saw Nicole.
“Nikki, mi amor,” she greeted warmly, pulling Nicole into a gentle hug. “So good to see you again! Have you eaten yet?”
Nicole smiled, already feeling the warmth of Ruby’s mother wash over her. “Not yet, but I—”
“Perfecto,” Elena cut her off, already moving toward the stove. “You’ll eat with us, no arguments.”
Nicole let out a small laugh. “I wasn’t going to argue.”
Ruby, still looking a little irritated from the exchange with Brandon, just shook her head and muttered, “Welcome to my life.”
~
Ruby’s room looked the same as before—except a little messier. Clothes were scattered on the floor, an empty soda can sat on her desk, and her blankets were bunched up on her bed like she had been wrestling with them before Nicole arrived.
“Sorry I was late, I forgot about cheer practice,” Nicole said as she moved the soda can aside and took her usual seat at Ruby’s desk. She started pulling out her notebooks and pencil, ready to work.
Ruby groaned dramatically and flopped onto her bed, face-first into her comforter. “It’s okay,” she mumbled, her voice muffled.
Nicole smiled a little before focusing on her notes. “Okay, we are going to have you pass this test. I promise.” She shifted from the chair to the edge of Ruby’s bed, flipping through her notes.
Ruby turned her head slightly to look at Nicole. “I wouldn’t be so confident yet,” she muttered.
Nicole hesitated, fighting the urge to reach out and place a reassuring hand on Ruby’s back. Instead, she kept her hands to herself, because she had a reputation to uphold, and she didn’t even like girls, so why did she feel like this?
To say teaching Ruby was tough would be an understatement. Nicole spent two hours trying to explain formulas and equations, only for Ruby to groan, grumble, and complain—slipping in and out of Spanish whenever she got frustrated.
That wasn’t the issue, though. No, the issue was that Nicole’s ribcage seemed to tighten every time Ruby leaned in closer to look at the notes, every time she muttered curses in Spanish under her breath, and especially every time she called Nicole princesa in that teasing voice of hers.
Nicole wasn’t even sure she would survive dinner with the Morenos if Ruby kept this up.
~
The dinner table was full of food when Nicole and Ruby came downstairs. Carlos was already eating, which earned him a firm smack on the arm from Elena.
“Carlos, por favor,” she scolded, shaking her head. “At least wait for everyone to sit down.”
Carlos just gave her a sheepish smile and put his fork down. “Lo siento, mi amor. You make the best food—I got impatient.”
Nicole grinned as she and Ruby took their usual seats. A couple of minutes later, Brandon sauntered in, reeking of weed. Nicole’s nose wrinkled slightly, and she shot him an unimpressed look.
Ruby, who had been focused on spooning rice onto her plate, glanced up, instantly scowling. “Jesus, dude, at least spray some cologne.”
Brandon shot her a glare but didn’t say anything, flopping into his chair across from Nicole.
Elena pressed her lips together and exhaled through her nose, but she didn’t call him out directly. Instead, she turned to Nicole with a warm smile. “So, mija, how was cheer practice?”
Nicole perked up a little at the question. “Oh, it was good! We’re working on a new routine, and my coach has been pushing us to perfect our timing. It’s tough, but I love it.”
“You must be very dedicated,” Elena said approvingly. “I remember when Ruby was little, she used to love watching the cheerleaders at football games. She’d always say she wanted to try it.”
Ruby made a choking sound and immediately reached for her glass of water. “Mamá!”
Nicole raised an eyebrow, smirking at Ruby. “You, a cheerleader? No way.”
Brandon snorted. “Oh, I can totally picture it. Pigtails, sparkly uniform, shouting ‘Go team!’” He grinned and mimicked holding pom-poms. “Adorable.”
“Shut up,” Ruby grumbled, jabbing her fork into her food.
Elena smiled knowingly before shifting the conversation. “And how is she doing in math?”
Nicole gave Ruby a teasing glance. “Well, let’s just say it’s a work in progress.”
Ruby groaned, resting her chin in her hand. “I still don’t get why numbers have to be so extra. Like, why does ‘x’ have to equal anything? Can’t it just mind its business?”
Carlos chuckled. “Mija, math is important. You should listen to your tutor.”
“I am listening,” Ruby muttered.
Brandon leaned forward, smirking. “Wow, so you’re letting a cheerleader tutor you? That’s gotta be a hit to your reputation.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “You say that like I’m dumb.”
“I mean…” Brandon trailed off, clearly messing with her.
Nicole shot him a look. “I have a 4.0 GPA, thank you very much.”
Elena beamed. “That’s wonderful, mija!”
Brandon smirked. “Alright, alright, respect. Still weird, though. You, tutoring her.”
Ruby kicked him under the table. “Eat your food and shut up.”
Brandon yelped but backed off, grumbling into his plate.
Nicole glanced between the siblings, then leaned toward Ruby slightly. “You don’t smoke?” she asked quietly, still surprised that Brandon was the one reeking of weed while Ruby looked completely unimpressed by it.
Ruby wrinkled her nose. “Hell no. I’ve seen what it does to him.” She tilted her head toward Brandon. “He’s been like that since high school. It’s not my thing.”
Nicole hummed, intrigued.
Elena gave Brandon another long, knowing glance, but still, she didn’t say anything.
The rest of dinner was filled with small talk and teasing, and soon, Nicole and Ruby were heading back up to Ruby’s room.
Once inside, Nicole flopped onto the bed, stretching out. “I gotta say, your family dinners are way more interesting than mine.”
Ruby sat at her desk, flipping open her math notebook with a sigh. “That’s one way to put it.”
Nicole hesitated for a moment before glancing at Ruby. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
Ruby glanced up. “Depends. Am I gonna regret letting you into my house again?”
Nicole smirked but then grew serious. “I heard you got kicked out of your old school.”
Ruby stiffened slightly, her fingers gripping the edge of the notebook. “Oh.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Nicole added quickly, watching Ruby’s reaction. “I was just… curious.”
There was a long silence. Then, Ruby sighed, leaning back in her chair.
“It was over some dumb fight,” she muttered, but there was something heavy in her voice. “There was this girl—Natalie. She was my best friend. Or at least, I thought she was.”
Nicole sat up, listening closely.
Ruby swallowed. “Long story short, she started talking shit behind my back. Saying I was some ‘angry dyke’—like I was some freak because I wasn’t throwing myself at guys the way she did.” She exhaled sharply, her hands balling into fists. “One day, she said something real bad. I lost it. We fought in the middle of the cafeteria.”
Nicole’s stomach twisted. “And they kicked you out for that?”
Ruby let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, they didn’t just kick me out. They made it a whole thing. Like I was some kind of violent delinquent. Never mind the fact that she started it.” She rubbed her temples. “My parents tried to fight it, but the school wouldn’t budge. So… new school, new start. Or whatever.”
Nicole didn’t know what to say at first. It was hard to imagine Ruby—loud, confident, always teasing—being hurt like that.
But one word kept ringing in her head.
Dyke.
She shifted slightly on the bed, suddenly uncomfortable. “So, what—you’re, like, actually gay?”
Ruby blinked at her, brow furrowing. “Uh, yeah? You seriously didn’t know that?”
Nicole let out a forced laugh, shaking her head. “I mean, I don’t know, I just… I guess I didn’t think about it.”
She wasn’t sure why she felt weird about it. It wasn’t like she cared—right? It just wasn’t what she was expecting.
Ruby leaned back in her chair, watching her. “Is that a problem?”
Nicole scoffed, folding her arms. “No. Why would it be?”
Ruby shrugged. “You tell me.”
Nicole rolled her eyes, trying to push away the uncomfortable twist in her stomach. “Forget it. Let’s just focus on your test.”
Ruby watched her for a second longer, then finally let it go. “Yeah, whatever you say, cheerleader.”
Nicole turned her attention to her notes, pretending she wasn’t still thinking about it.
~
The next day was Ruby’s math test, and Nicole was anxious the entire first half of the day. She had sent Ruby a text that morning, just a simple:
"Good luck! <3"
Then, almost immediately, she regretted it.
Should she have put the heart? Was that too much? No, it was fine. They were friends. Friends sent hearts sometimes, right?
Thankfully, she had Bridgette to distract her. Apparently, Trick had kissed her yesterday during their study session, and she was currently talking Nicole’s ear off about it in the middle of class.
“I mean, it wasn’t, like, a full kiss,” Bridgette was saying, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “But it was right there, y’know? Like, he hesitated for a second, but if I had leaned in even a little—boom. Full kiss. You think I should’ve just gone for it?”
Nicole hummed noncommittally, only half-listening. She was more focused on trying not to check her phone every two seconds. Ruby had to be taking her test right now. Was she remembering everything? Was she struggling? Did she need more time to study?
It was normal to know Ruby’s schedule, right?
Eventually, the bell rang, and Nicole went to her locker to switch out her books. She was mid-thought, still debating whether she should text Ruby again, when she spotted her walking toward her.
Ruby was smiling.
Nicole’s stomach flipped.
Oh god.
She had the cutest dimples.
Nicole straightened up, shoving her books into her locker a little too aggressively. “So? How’d it go?”
Ruby practically bounced on her heels. “Well… I passed!”
She held up the test, showing off the B+ written in red ink at the top.
Nicole didn’t even think—she just reacted, throwing her arms around Ruby and pulling her into a hug.
“Ruby! I’m so proud of you!” she gushed. “I knew you could do it!”
She felt Ruby’s arms slide around her waist, hugging her back.
And then it hit her.
She was hugging Ruby.
And not just a casual, one-second, good job kind of hug. No, this was a real hug. Her arms were around Ruby’s shoulders, Ruby’s arms were snug around her waist, and Nicole could feel the warmth of her body pressing against hers.
Oh god.
Her pulse stuttered, and suddenly, she was very aware of everything. The way Ruby smelled—like something faintly citrusy, maybe her shampoo. The way her hands rested lightly against Nicole’s lower back. The fact that she fit there, like it was natural.
Nope.
Nope, nope, nope.
Nicole pulled back so fast it was almost too abrupt, her hands dropping from Ruby’s shoulders like she’d been burned.
“I—uh—” she stammered, avoiding eye contact. “That’s, um. That’s great! Seriously. I—I knew you could do it.”
Ruby blinked, clearly noticing the shift, but she didn’t say anything about it. “Yeah,” she said slowly. “Thanks, cheerleader.”
Nicole forced a laugh, running a hand through her hair. “Yeah. No problem.”
Ruby watched her for a second longer before shrugging and slipping the test back into her bag. “Alright, well. See you at lunch?”
Nicole nodded, maybe a little too quickly. “Yeah! Totally.”
Ruby gave her a final smirk before heading down the hall, leaving Nicole standing there, heart pounding.
She was fine.
It was fine.
She wasn’t freaking out.
Except she totally was.
~
That night, Nicole lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts a tangled mess.
She wasn’t thinking about the hug.
She wasn’t thinking about the way Ruby had held onto her.
She wasn’t thinking about the way Ruby’s smile had made her chest feel tight.
She rolled onto her side, groaning into her pillow.
Oh my god, what is wrong with me?
It wasn’t like she liked Ruby. That wasn’t—no. She liked guys. She had dated guys.
She wasn’t—
Nicole squeezed her eyes shut.
The thought crept in, slow, insidious.
What if I do like girls?
Her stomach twisted. She shoved the thought away, rolling onto her back again.
No.
She was overthinking. That’s all this was.
It would go away.
It had to.