When Boys Mean She's Protected

She was beautiful even at her worst, like tonight. Her hair looked like a fiery mess, her make-up was smudged and her words were slurred.

She was still beautiful.

Noah leaned back against the kitchen counter in the house of some guy he didn't even know and sipped on the beer that was held lazily in his hand. Ruby was across the room flirting shamelessly with some guy from their school, Scarlet-view high and Noah stared with a grimace. He would have to intervene soon.

Ruby leaned forward towards the guy and whispered something in his ear with a devious smile and gripped his hand tightly. Noah tipped back his half filled beer and chugged it quickly before rushing over to the pair before they got to far away.

"Ah sorry to interrupt but Ruby it's time to go," Noah mumbled just loud enough that he was heard over the music that vibrated the floor.

Ruby's mouth spread into a grin as she flung herself unceremoniously into my arms with a squeal.

"NOAH!"

Noah looked over her shoulder at the guy he had just interrupted and noticed the glare he was being shot smugly. This was his Ruby and no scummy teenage boy was going to get his paws all over her.

Noah was startled out of his haughty thoughts by Ruby's legs tightening around his waist and her head being nuzzled into his neck.

"I missed you tonight, where were you?" she hiccuped in his ear sweetly.

He had to suppress the stupid grin that was itching to spread across his face at her words and carried her towards the front door easily.

"I've been around, keeping an eye on you like I always do," He mumbled into her hair.

"Really Noah you don't have to, I'm a big girl now I can take care of myself." you could almost hear her eyes rolling as she spoke.

"But who else is going to save you when the big scary guys get too close for comfort?" He asked her in a mock macho voice as they slid into his moms SUV.

By the time they reached Noah's house Ruby was passed out and drooling in the passengers seat. He smiled gently at her as he slid her out of the car. Noah glanced at the house next to his quickly and sighed, it seems as if Ruby will be staying at his house tonight.

The lights in the Stone household were off and that meant the front door was most definitely locked, as always. It seemed as if they didn't even care about their own daughter as long as she wasn't in trouble with the cops or getting high daily. Noah thought it was a shame that Mr. and Mrs. Stone could overlook their only daughter like that

Their beautiful, smart, funny, amazing daughter...

While Noah had been thinking he had some how drifted into his own house and up to his room where he place Ruby on his bed. He quietly walked into his bathroom and filled up the glass he always kept around with water and grabbed two aspirin.

Before Noah walked out of the bathroom he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His hair was a pile of golden curls on his head with a few rebellious strands hanging down in his face, his skin pale, and his eyes bloodshot. To put it bluntly he looked like a wreck.

"It's the beer, gotta stop with the beer," He murmured to himself walking out of the bathroom. Noah placed the pills and water down on the night stand next to his bed and slid under the covers with Ruby. She shifted and groaned lightly before draping her arm over Noah's chest and snuggling in, making a small grin tug at the corners of his mouth.

Who would save her if he wasn't there?

-X-

When Noah woke up in the morning it was not because of the sun streaming through his curtains and it wasn't because of the loud banging coming from the kitchen, it was the sound of throwing up that was coming from his bathroom.He scrambled out of his bed quickly with a quiet curse, she had woken up before him! He checked the night stand to see both the water and aspirin still sitting there and sighed.

Hungover Ruby wasn't the smartest person.

Noah rushed into the bathroom and pulled Ruby's mane of red curls back away from her face as she puked, it was the only comfort he could really give her. As Ruby's throwing up subsided tears began to stream down her face and sobs raked her body. It was quite a sad sight, Ruby sitting on the bathroom floor a complete mess crying her eyes out.

Noah slid to the ground next to her and leaned against the now closed bathroom door lightly. He heaved Ruby into his lap and tied her hair back in a bun whispering sweet reassuring things into her ear.After the tears subsided to sniffles and the sobs ceased the just sat there, Noah stroking her hair gently. After what felt like a lifetime Ruby shifted slightly and sat up straight, detaching herself from Noah.

"Thanks best friend," She grinned up at him crookedly.

"Any time Red, who else is gonna save the beautiful damsel from the big bad world?" He chuckled lightly.

Once ruby stood up from the bathroom floor she gripped her head with a groan

"My head! got any aspirin?"

With her signature crooked grin she looked at Noah expectantly. He nodded silently and went into his bedroom for the two white pills and cup of water to give to Ruby.

After downing the water and pills Ruby looked at Noah warily.

"What did I do last night?" Noah noted that she sounded as if she really didn't want to know.

"You flirted and made out with quite a few people, most of them from different schools." He informed her scanning her face for any changes.

"That's all?" she questioned in surprise.

"Yup," Noah refrained from adding in that it was a good night boy wise, usually Ruby's parties were way worse.

Ruby hadn't always been like this, partying every weekend, never going home, drinking like a fish, and flirting up a storm. There had been a time back in sophomore year when Ruby was the innocent one, well not innocent per-say, she had always been a wild child.Ironically this was also the night Noah met Ruby.

-x-

Noah had been forced into coming to this party.

This stupid fucking party.

He chugged the rest of his beer quickly and tried to locate one of his so-called friends in the crowd of teenagers packed into this small living room. He scanned the crowed quickly and that's when he noticed her; a crown of red hair sat upon her head and a smile that could power a whole city adorned her lips. She was gorgeous.Obviously Noah wasn't the only one that thought so because there were a crowed of guys surrounding her, all of them pawning over her and throwing compliments. She seemed to be sucking up the attention like a sponge, as if she didn't get enough attention from the ones that matter.

The girl was beautiful, no doubt about it.

She seemed to be taken by this one boy hanging off her arm, Roy was his name and he had a reputation as a whore around school. After a few moments of quiet flirting Roy and the beautiful girl twined hands and made there way up the stairs and turned right into a room.

Noah soon forgot about the beautiful girl and was once again taken in by the party. It was a few more hours before he took his post by the door looking around again. If he hadn't he would never have noticed the crying red head from before run down the stairs and push through the uncaring mob laughing and dancing in her way.The beautiful girl looked distraught as she brushed past Noah, and for just one moment it felt as if something other than the music was pulsing through the air.

Noah couldn't resist following her out the front door and into the cold night air. He followed her silently as she ran around the corner of the house and slid down the wall in a mess of limbs and sobs.

"Hey are you okay?" He asked cautiously stepping closer to her.

She squeaked loudly and looked at Noah with disdain as she wiped her eyes hastily.

"Jesus! Way to sneak up on me asshole." Noah slid down next to her and muttered out an apology looking at her curiously.

"So what happened?" He asked boldly.

She hissed lightly and glared at him shifting away before she spoke.

"Why do you care?"

"Because you look upset and you don't seem like someone that gets upset easily."

She looked at him strangely then, tilting her head to the side lightly

"What's your name?" she asked her mood lightening greatly.

"Noah."

-X-

He never got to know what happened with Roy that night, but the next Monday the whole school knew.

Ruby Stone had slept with Roy Mac.

Though what Ruby had told him was much different than what Roy told everyone else, He had not only pressured her but after she refused he forced her. You know what they say, the story least heard is the true one.

"Hey, NOAH!!" Ruby yelled softly into his ear, snapping him out of his stupor. He made a little noise of annoyance and turned in her direction

"What love?" She shrugged

"Idonno, what are you thinking about?"

He grinned up at her and yanked a piece of her firetruck red hair

"Nothing, just the night I saved you from a path leading to destruction and mayhem."

"You mean the night I saved you from a life of nothingness"

She quirked her eyebrow with a smirk.

"Same difference," Noah murmured quietly.

things were quiet then, and not one of those awkward quiets. It was a content silence.

"Why did you come help me that night?" Ruby finally asked sitting back on Noah's bed and looking up at him expectantly.

"At that moment in time you looked like the type of girl that needed to be saved, the girl that needed to be told how beautiful she was."

Ruby grinned up at Noah and it made his heart swell, oh how he loved it when she smiled at him like that.

"You know when I was little I used to dream about days when having a guy around meant that you were protected," she mused lightly wrapping him into a tight bear hug

"Thanks for being my dream," She whispered in Noah's ear sweetly.

Her stomach rumbled then and she looked up at Noah with an impish grin

"Food?"

Noah ruffled her hair lightly and walked down the stairs into the kitchen where his mom was trying to cook breakfast. The key word here is trying. Flour was strewn across the kitchen and there was pancake mix coating her apron, shirt, hair and little splatters of it littered her face.

"What are you trying to do Mrs. Clove?" Ruby asked covering her mouth with her hand to keep the giggles in.

"Cooking." She said, a sheepish grin forming.

"So how was your night?" Noah's mom asked lightly looking at the pair.

"It was fine Mrs.Clove, we had a lot of fun." Ruby grinned at his mother sweetly.

"Did they lock you out again?" Noah's mom asked frowning in concern.

"I guess," Ruby grumbled pushing the cereal around in her bowl.

"The porch lights were out, they probably forgot again." Noah mumbled through his mouth of cereal. His mothers frown deepened at this.

"I just don't understand how they could forget about someone so beautiful." She smiled at Ruby gently who seemed slightly cheered by the compliment.

There day went on just like any other day, and the whole time Noah was thinking. This is how it was supposed to be, Ruby needed him to tell her she was beautiful and to keep her from hooking up with guys, and to protect her, and to take her home at night, Ruby needed him to love her.

Noah needed Ruby to save him just as much as she needed him to save her.

She just didn't know it