December 19, 1983

"Happy birthday, Lionel!"

Ruth laughed, jumping on her best friend's bed at the stroke of midnight, trying to wake him up.

He groaned, shoving her off. "Thanks, Ruth. Couldn't you have waited 'til the morning?"

She made a face. "I've been doing this for years, you think that I'm gonna stop now just because we couldn't stay in the treehouse?"

He put on his glasses. "Considering it's pouring outside, I would've liked to assume 'yes'."

He held his arms out and she pulled him into a hug, pulling away after five counts instead of three; it was their little way of knowing that Ruth was being more clingy that day.

"I still have your cupcake," she proclaimed proudly.

He laughed. "Where is it, then? Soaking wet on the floor?"

She shoved him. "No, stupid, it's downstairs. Your mom let me hide it there. I said it was for tomorrow morning, but let's be real."

He snorted and flourished his hand. "Lead the way."

The two padded down the stairs, Ruth in Lionel's nightclothes, her soaked clothes on the bathroom floor.

She stood up on the counter, grabbing the cupcake from the top cupboard. She hopped down, wincing at the loud sound her feet made.

Lionel stifled a laugh sitting on the counter, waving his arms trying to get her to be quiet. The two had perfected the art of sneaking around their parents, knowing how to pretend to sleep, how to hide snacks, and how not to get caught in the kitchen in the middle of the night.

She grabbed a lighter, straining to get it to work. She silently screamed triumphantly, lighting the candle she had grabbed from the drawer.

"Make a wish, Lion," she whispered.

He smiled and blew it out, the smoke flying into her face. She swallowed her coughs, glaring at him.

He made a face at her, grinning. He unwrapped the cupcake, taking a bite.

Ruth stood up and grabbed a muffin and the milk jar, Lionel getting two mugs for them.

The two ate quietly, comfortable in the other's company.

The two put away their mugs and the milk, making their way up to his room.

"That was exhausting," Ruth sighed, closing the door.

Lionel laughed. "You waved your arms too much and your jaw opened bigger than your entire head."

She stuck her tongue out, jumping onto the bed. "Whatever. I'm tired, Lionel, sleep."

He pouted. "We're not playing the game?"

She scoffed. "It's the last day before break, I'm not about to fall asleep in class because I stayed up until five so I wouldn't get drawn on."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't draw on your face."

She rolled her eyes. "Sleep. We can play the game tonight. Not now tonight, later tonight."

He laid down next to her, sighing contently. He intertwined their legs, closing his eyes. "Okay."

Ruth yawned. "Happy birthday, Lionel."

º º º º º

"And you thought locking the front door would keep her out."

"You just keep your mouth shut, Corey."

Ruth pretended to sleep, holding onto Lionel's arm. This happened every year, though they were usually in the treehouse.

"Wakey, wakey, Ruth Dakin Bailey," Lionel's mother, Rose, sang, "We need your help." Rose was like a second mother to Ruth and seemed to treat Ruth as if she were her own child, not just her son's best friend.

Ruth yawned, rubbing her eyes. She sat up, noticing the faint blue peaking through the curtains; it couldn't have been more than six o' clock.

She smiled and stood on the bed, pinwheeling her arms as she lost her balance, waving off the concerned adults.

She started jumping on the bed, shouting, "Wake up, Lionel, we overslept! We missed first period!"

Lionel was out of bed like a rocket. He jumped off the bed, making a mad dash for his dresser, only to fall from disorientation and the clothes he left on the floor.

Ruth cackled, falling back onto the bed. "That was fun, I've gotta do that next year."

Lionel growled and tackled Ruth, pinning her on the bed and tickling her sides.

She shrieked with laughter, trying to shove him off. She finally succeeded, jumping to the ground so he couldn't get her.

"C'mon, kids, breakfast," Corey said, ushering them down the stairs and to the kitchen.

Ruth's parents stood in the kitchen, arranging the pancakes they made, smiling wide. They gave Ruth a look, but let it disappear in favor of greeting Lionel.

"We'll drive them today, Corey," Marcus, Ruth's father, said, patting his friend and neighbor on the back.

"I appreciate that, thank you," Corey replied.

"Thank you for the pancakes," Rose said to June, Ruth's mother. "Dig in, we made bacon.

Ruth and Lionel cheered, piling the food on their plates, sharing looks over the table as their parents talked about things that really didn't concern them all that much.

"Did you hear that the school's letting those mutants in now?" Ruth's father asked.

Ruth groaned, looking from Lionel over to her mother. "Dad, no...Mom, make him stop."

"Quiet, Ruth," her mother hissed.

Ruth made a face, looking at Lionel who rolled his eyes, reaching under the table to squeeze her hand. 

She never liked it when her dad ranted about mutants. He sounded just like the people who said the terrible things about Lionel's family and her own. It made no sense and it made him seem just like those white people he claimed to be disgusted by.

"They're dangerous,"  her dad ranted, "They should have their own school. Or go to that freak school in Westchester or wherever. I heard one of them from your school already went. Can you believe they let one in? That's idiotic, they could've murdered someone. They should do tests or something, make sure the students are normal."

"Shut up, Dad," Ruth whispered. Lionel squeezed her hand as a warning, shaking his head minutely.

Her dad frowned, whirling around to look at her. "I'm sorry, what? What, do you want to go to school with those sort of people. They're not even people, they're creatures. They're dangerous, Ruth, haven't you heard the news? Or, or what you're just a mutant-lover?"

"Shut up, Dad!" she shouted, jumping to her feet, "Are you listening to what you're saying, you sound disgusting!"

"It's the truth, Ruth, I am merely stating the truth." His tone was even, making him sound like the more reasonable person in the argument.

Lionel stood up, cutting off Ruth's response. "Babe Ruth, we should probably get ready for school. C'mon."

She nodded stiffly, walking with him up the stairs, anger surging in her chest. Lionel took her hand and squeezed it, leading her into his room.

She sat down on his bed, crossing her arms. "He sounds like a fucking asshole."

Lionel nodded, closing his eyes. "He really fucking did, but, Ruth, you know that if you speak out you get crucified."

She sighed. "Yeah, I know. Throw me some of my clothes, will ya."

He nodded and crouched down, opening the bottom drawer on his dresser, pulling out a sweater and jeans she had left the week before. 

She changed into the clothes, listening to Lionel talk about his own parents and their feelings on mutants. She liked Lionel's parents more than she liked her own; hers liked to point out her flaws, weren't as touchy-feely, and had a knack for saying rude things about everyone.

"Ready for the first break from hell?" Lionel asked, grabbing his backpack.

She sighed, nodding, staring at his closed bedroom door. "Don't say that until we've finished the car ride to hell."

º º º º º

The car ride was as difficult as Ruth felt it would be. 

She sat in the backseat with Lionel, leaning her head against his shoulder, her left leg wrapped around his right, their fingers intertwined. That sort of position was, as her father put it, reserved only for the people she and Lionel dated, but neither really gave two shits.

"Duck down," Lionel hissed, glancing out the window. 

Ruth instinctively brought her head to her knees, not bothering to ask why. She knew who was nearby, they always seemed to be nearby. It was as if they were born to torture them, even though they always claim they had better things to do than follow around some freaks of nature.

"Who are you two hiding from?" her dad sighed, glancing at them through the rearview mirror.

Ruth didn't answer, so Lionel covered for her. "The same people as usual, Mr. Dakin."

Her father huffed. "They can't bother you that much. I mean, you got jumped, what, one time? I know that was terrible, believe me I was furious, but they can't be that bad."

Ruth gritted her teeth. "They've jumped us loads of times you ignorant prick." She kept her voice low and hissy, so her father would just think she was breathing hard.

He fell for it. He grinned at his daughter through the rearview mirror. "Ruthie. Maybe you can call on your mutant friends and they can help you out."

Lionel dug his nails into Ruth's skin, shaking his head. She sighed, swallowing her reply. She couldn't afford to yell at him, not in the car. He would yell at her the minute she came home without Lionel.

Her dad pulled up in front of the school. "Have a good last day, kids. Well, the first of three last days, I guess since you still have spring break and summer. Either way, have a good day. Happy birthday, Lionel. See you two for the dinner party."

The two said their goodbyes, staring out the window at the school. They were early enough that no one would bother them right away, but that meant that if they didn't find a hiding place quickly, they would be tormented by their people who would start to come within a few minutes.

They ran out of the car, glancing behind them. They couldn't see anyone coming up behind them, but they knew they wouldn't be long.

"Where can we hide?" she hissed, running into the building.

"Let's go to Bryan's room, you know, the tech guy? I complimented his shirt yesterday, so I think we're in the clear."

º º º º º

"You should talk to Adrien today,"  Lionel said, popping another piece of his burger in his mouth.

The two had had a pretty eventful day. As it was the last day of school, people were antsy to talk about where they were going and were eagerly anticipating every ring of the bell. That meant people become bolder, more likely to throw things at Lionel's head while the teachers were looking.

As a result, Ruth had grown increasingly more angry as the day progressed, nearly starting a fight with a kid she had never seen in her entire life, but he had called Lionel the-word-that-must-never-be-used so he made her enemies list immediately.

She blinked, shaking her head at him. "No. He hasn't spoken to me all week. He didn't even want to work with me during Bio."

Lionel hummed. "Maybe he wants to ask you out."

She snorted. "Not likely."

A voice from a table over travelled towards them. "Did you hear that Victoria was a mutant? That's why she didn't come to school this year. And that private school everyone said she went to? It's that freak school, Xavier's or something."

Ruth clenched her fist. "God, I don't want to see dad later today. He's gonna rant at me again. Did the same thing when I stood up for gay people."

Lionel rubbed her back. "I'm sorry. You're doing the right thing, I back you on that. And your arguments make sense. It's just..."

"Adults kind of really suck," she finished, swiping one of his fries.

He nodded. "Yup." Popping another piece of his burger into his mouth, he said, "So I was thinking we could go explore the woods during break."

She raised an eyebrow. "The woods? We'd have to drive to get over there."

He shrugged. "I'm sixteen, so I can take the test soon. And, I mean, no one has to know that I'm driving you without an adult, it's not like we'd get in serious trouble."

She frowned. "Yeah, we would. Especially since you're, you know, not white. This isn't the 50's, but life still sucks."

He clicked his tongue. "True...eh, we could bring out parents along, say we're going camping, then look for dead bodies like we've always planned."

She raised her water bottle. "That disgustingly morbid and I will drink to that." 

He laughed and raised his own water bottle, hitting it against hers. "To our morbid fascination and friendship."

She rolled her eyes. "To your birthday."

"That works too."

"What's up, freaks?"

The two froze, turning to look at the group of boys they had been hiding from earlier that morning. Jake, Connor, Tanner, Wyatt, and Cody.

Lionel glanced at Ruth, giving her a look that clearly screamed 'do not fight them'. If it were any other day, Ruth wouldn't listen to him, but the entire morning had been awful and it was his birthday so, for once, she listened.

"I asked you a question, bitch," Jake said, shoving Ruth's food off the table. She clenched her fists under the table, trying to stay calm.

"You can have my food, if you want," Lionel offered, pushing his food towards them, "Or are you too good for something other than garbage?"

Ruth jumped as Jake growled, shoving Lionel's food on his face. She watched as he calmly plucked a napkin from the remainder of her lunch, wiping most of the food from his face. He was taking the attention from her. 

"Oh, smart guy, huh?" Jake growled, "What'd you think of that, Wy?"

Lionel snorted. "Wy? Seriously? Hey, Tan, how's your sister?"

"Don't you talk shit about my sister!" Tanner shouted, grabbing hold of Lionel's shirt, picking him up and throwing him onto the floor, his head hitting the tile.

Ruth stared at Lionel who shook his head at her. She felt herself getting angry. She had to calm down or else she was going to start a fight. She couldn't afford to get in trouble today.

"What can't talk? Can't speak English like your dumb bitch of a mom?" Connor taunted.

She jumped to her feet and tackled him to the ground. "You're dead!" 

She was able to get in two punches before she was pulled away by Cody and Tanner who pinned her to the ground. She screamed, thrashing and kicking, trying to get them off of her. She felt one of them grab her and she shrieked, trying to break free.

"Let her go!" 

She felt Tanner get tackled to the ground by Lionel. She shoved Cody off her, jumping up to punch Wyatt who was about to grab Lionel. She shrieked as she was grabbed by Conner who shoved her against the table. 

Lionel jumped up, shoving Conner, punching Jake who was about to hit him with the skateboard he always had with him. 

"Stop!"

The teens froze, turning to look at their principal who stood in the middle of the cafeteria. "Come with me. Now."

º º º º º

Ruth was beyond furious. She was livid. Murderous. 

"So we get suspended and they get a week's detention. Yeah, like that's fucking fair!" 

It was the end of the day and the two had just gotten out of their extensive argument with the principal. It involved many phone calls, certain people in certain rooms, written and verbal testimonies, and too much blaming. 

"'Don't lie to me, Ruth', well I wasn't fucking lying to you, you prick!" she shouted. 

Lionel grabbed her arm. "Ruth, we're still on campus."

"I don't give two fucks if we're on campus, we won't be allowed back on until two weeks after school starts! Seriously, what the fuck!" She turned around to face the school, not caring that people we staring. "Fuck you, Housinger! Go to hell!"

"Ruth, please, calm down," he said, grabbing her arm.

She pulled away and turned to run, only to run right into Adrien. She froze, her hand reaching up to rub her neck. "Hey, Adrien."

He gave her a strained smile. "Hello, Ruth."

She frowned. "What's wrong?"

He cleared his throat. "Nothing, I just need to go. Right now. Excuse me."

She grabbed his arm. "Hey, wait. Why've you been avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?"

He pulled his arm away with more force than needed. "Get your hands off me, you freak!"

Her heart dropped and she stared at him, eyes wide. "What?"

"You heard me," he spat, "You're a lovely girl, Ruth, but I know who your parents are. What your mother is. That's not natural, a man like that shouldn't be with a woman like that. It's disgusting."

She frowned. "My mother's Korean and that bothers you?"

He shook his head. "It wouldn't if your father too was Korean. A union like that isn't natural. You're not natural. You're a freak!"

She felt like her heart had just been crushed. She valued Adrien's opinion, she believed that he was one of the only people at the school who didn't care who her parents were or who she associated with. She thought he was different. She was devastated.

"You tell her, Ad," Jake called, laughing. "She's a freak."

That was the final straw. 

Ruth rounded on the group of boys. The group of boys that had tormented them for years. The group of boys that had gotten them suspended. The group of boys that he ruined her life.

"Shut! Up!"

Then everything was burning. Every angry thought, feeling, memory, dream came flooding out. She screamed, louder than she had ever screamed before. She felt angrier than she ever had. She had never wanted to murder someone more than she wanted to in that moment and no one was going to stop her.

She opened her eyes, not realizing they were closed, and saw fire. Fire all around her. She turned around, looking to where Adrien was, only to see him standing at the front of the horde of people, trying to get away.

Everything was on fire. The buildings, the trees around it. She had cornered everyone. She didn't care. She couldn't care less.

It was then that she started to hear the screaming. The begging, the screaming, the crying, the prayers. She was scaring them. 

Then there was a shriek. A begging scream. The scream of someone who was being burned. 

Ruth shook her head, then stopped, feeling something on her head. She raised her hand to her hair that was no long down along her back, but up above her head. It was hot, it was burning. Her hair was made of flames.

She knew she had to stop, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. She didn't want to. She was just so angry. She didn't want to hurt everyone, she just wanted to hurt them. She was just so angry.

"Ruth!"

She whirled around to see Lionel. No. No, no, no, no,no!

Lionel was trapped around a ring of fire. He couldn't get out. He was crying, his glasses thrown on the side. He was on his knees, screaming. He looked terrified. Of the fire, of Ruth, of everything. He was scared of her.

"Ruth! Please, calm down!" he screamed, "What's happening? Ruth, what's going on?"

Even as he was trapped, he was still afraid for her. Not of her. For her. 

At that moment, Ruth couldn't understand it. It couldn't calm her down. At that moment, nothing could. She was just so angry, she couldn't calm down, she was just so angry.

The flames rose and there were more screams. Screams from other people. Screams from the police sirens. Screams from the passersby. 

Screams from Lionel.

"Ruth!" he begged, "Calm down! Please! Calm down!"

She sobered instantly. Her hair was doused and it was as if she was never angry. But the damage was done. The world still burned around her. She had caused the entire thing. She wasn't angry anymore, but that didn't mean she never was.

She watched in horror as Lionel burned. As the flames licked at his clothes, as he screamed, begging for her to help him, but she just stood there, watching. There was the sound of firetrucks and people rushing to get away, of ambulances that came to help those who were hurt. But she didn't hear any of them.

All she heard, all she saw, was her best friend screaming. Crying. Burning. Dying. Because of her.

a/n so...you all met Lionel! yay! um...no...this chapter was um...I apologize. For you all having to read that, I just felt like it was necessary. The content and the detached tone of it  The more technical tone of it, at least towards the end. It made it seem more detached, as if Ruth couldn't believe it was happening. I just felt it needed to be told like this.

The next few chapters are going to be the ending of the story. I don't want to say this was the climax (or at least the last climax) though that's kind of the kind of vibe I'm getting. There are still a lot more things to be mentioned and more things needing to be resolved, but this is nearing the end. (Until, of course, the one-shot book and the other two books in the series, but you know).

So, anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and thanks for reading!