Broken Arrow

“Wake up, Ruby.” Brian cooed, waking me from my peaceful slumber.
“Ergh, what?” I groaned, rubbing sleep out of my eyes.
“Look out your window.” He smiled.

I pushed myself upright in the car seat, after leaning back for so long, just as my eyes registered the tangerine glow flooding the cabin of Brian’s car. Miles from us, across a vast stretch of orange roofed houses, was a sea of the clearest blue, sparkling in the early morning sun. A huge smile spread across my face.

“Welcome to Orange County.” Brian smiled.
"It's just as beautiful as I remember." I breathed.
"Why did you leave, Ruby?" He asked. "You were happy here."
"Jack wanted out, I moved for him."
"You just packed up and left without a word." Brian scowled, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.
"I'm sorry, Bri." I muttered.

He sighed and didn't speak for the rest of the drive...

***

"RUBY!" Jimmy shrieked as soon as I walked through the back door of Brian's place, he threw his arms around me and lifted me up off the ground, spinning around and bouncing on the spot with me in his arms. "Where. The. Fuck. Have. You. Been. These. Last. Two. Years?!" He panted with each jump.
"Jimmy, stop dry humping me, put me down!" I giggled.
"I missed you!!!" He cried, setting me back down on the ground. "You want a Beer?" He asked, still hyperactive, scooting towards the cooler on the glass table by the pool.
"No thanks, Jimmy, you should know I don't like Beer." I smirked, poking my tongue out at him.

"No, that's right, short shit likes her Lolly Water doesn't she?" A very familiar voice sounded from nearby.
"Matty!" I cried, rushing towards him and throwing my arms around him.
"How's it going, short shit?" He chuckled, letting his arms wrap around me, cocooning me in a big brotherly hug.
"Great now I'm back here with you guys." I felt a few tears escape from my eyes, soaking into his Megadeth tank.

Matt was like my big brother back in the day, and it wasn't until now, receiving one of his warm, brotherly hugs that I realized how badly I had missed him.

"Don't cry, Rubez." He laughed, stroking my red wine hair. "You're home."

"Is she really crying?" Another familiar voice.

I pulled away from Matt and swiveled around, my eyes widened and I charged towards him, letting him catch me in a hug as I jumped into his arms.

"ZACKY!!!" I squealed.
"Missed you, Ruby." He smiled as he set me back down on the ground.
"I missed you too, Zacky." I sighed, a tender smile forming on my face.

He and I made up two quarters of a crazy trio, and the third person in that trio just so happened to creep up behind me at that very moment.

"I see you... ignoring me and shit." I heard an evil growl in my ear.
I spun on the spot again, just in time for him to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder, and begin running around the yard.
"Johnny!" I screamed, beating his back with my fists. "Johnny, put me down."
"Okay." He replied simply, setting me back down on my feet.
"Thank you." I smiled.
He smirked deviously.
"What?" My expression dropped.

Before I had a chance to think, Johnny's arms wrapped around my waist and he pushed forward. I felt myself fall back, and plunge into lukewarm, chlorinated water. I broke away from Johnny and kicked at the tiled floor, launching myself back up. I broke the surface, tossing my hair from side to side, and treading water, I scowled at Johnny. But the scowl was quickly replaced by a smirk.

"You fucking asshole." I chuckled.
"Missed you too, Ruby." He grinned, before paddling away.

I swam to the side of the pool and lifted myself out, dripping wet, and felt all the guys eyes on me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, cursing myself for not having known better than to have worn blue denim short shorts and a WHITE tank for the drive down here.

White Ruby, really? WHITE?

I walked over and grabbed a towel from the back of one of the chairs and wrapped it around myself, hiding my very visible black, pink polka-dotted bra from the boys' vision. Only two of them seemed to have kept their eyes averted; Brian, laying back on one of the lounge chairs with his eyes closed and sunnies on, soaking up the warm, California sun, and Jimmy...

Where the fuck was he anyway?

"AHOY THERE!" I heard his manic scream from overhead, and snapped my head up towards the roof of the back verandah.
“Careful Jimmy!” I laughed, just a tiny bit worried.
“Just watch!” He bounced back forth on either foot, swaying his arms, preparing to jump. “Here I go!” he called out, he backed up a few paces, sprinted forward, and jumped.

He brought his legs to his stomach in midair, and plunged into the water with a huge splash, sending water flying all over us. Brian flinched and flailed as the water broke him out of his peaceful doze on the lounge chair. He took off his grey baseball cap and shook it, sending flecks of water in random directions, before deciding there was no way he could shake it dry. He got up from the chair and walked inside.

“WHA-HEY-HEY!” James cried in joy as he broke through the surface of the water, shaking water out of his eyes and flicking his hair around.
“You’re fucking crazy!” Matt laughed, shaking his head and taking another sip from his Beer can.
"NEVER!!!" He shrieked, splashing and sending a huge spray of water Matt's way.
Matt spat out the remainder of Beer in his mouth as he bounded backwards away from the water, before walking forward again and sticking the tip of his shoe into the pool to kick water back Jimmy's way. "Fuck you, you crazy bastard." He smirked.

I had the biggest shit-eating grin on my face watching them manically play and laugh and be fucking idiots together. Nothing had changed, literally nothing. All that had changed was I hadn't been around for awhile.

At that thought, my smile faded and was replaced by a frown, and I decided to retreat inside before any of them noticed. I tightened my towel around me as I walked inside, closing the windowed doors behind me.

Brian walked out of the hallway, in a fresh pair of smoky black jeans and a towel hanging over his shoulders. He smiled when he saw me, and approached me. There was a stray, wet strand of hair sticking to the side of my face, and he gently picked it from my cheek and pushed it back into the rest of my hair. I smiled in thanks, and his own smile grew.

In all honesty, my knees weakened. His teeth were so straight and white and the way his cheeks creased up as he smiled just made my breath catch in my throat. He'd grown and matured quite nicely in the two years we'd been apart, and I'd be lying if I said he hadn't become quite the handsome young man.

Okay, so technically, I was younger than him. He was, if I was doing the Math right, at least Twenty One now, and had been my age when I'd last seen him. My smile faded once more when I remembered it had been two full years since I'd last seen him, and I looked away, unable to hold his gaze when I felt so disappointed in myself.

"What's wrong?" He frowned, nudging my shoulder.
"Everything, Bri." I rolled my eyes. "Jack's gone, I haven't been home in two fucking years, I didn't speak to nor see any of you guys during that time." I let out an annoyed huff. "Some friend I am."
"Ruby..." He breathed, pulling the towel from around his shoulders and placing it over my head, pulling the bottoms together and drawing me closer. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for." He gently rubbed the towel against my hair, drying it for me. "I know I was harsh on you in the car, and I'm sorry." He smiled apologetically. "You've been through enough, you don't need my shit too."
"Brian." I sighed, reaching out and placing a hand upon his bare chest. "It's okay." The corners of my mouth twitched upwards for a moment, and then the warmth of his skin began to sink into my hand, and my eyes lazily dropped downwards.

I had to restrain the gasp that threatened to escape my mouth when I noticed his chest. Last time I'd seen Brian shirtless, he wasn't so... defined, and he had the cutest little pot-belly. But now... His pecks were solid, and shaped lusciously, and his stomach was tight and flat. My eyes darted over his shoulders, suddenly registering just how broad they were now, and his arms...

"Come on." He spoke suddenly, breaking me out of admiring his body. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes." He smirked, putting an arm around my shoulders and leading me into one of the rooms down the hallway...

Notes