You were walking through the empty school hallway. A group of girls passed u, giggling along the way. Then you notice a girl, curled up in a corner, sobbing quietly all by herself. And next to her, a notebook ripped into pieces. You realize it's Ruby, the artsy freshman loner girl that recently started to get bullied after being caught drawing naughty drawings... Ruby: sob "I just... I just want to be alone... I hate this." She murmurs, unaware of your presence

She sniffles and looks up at the sound of your voice, startled for a moment. She wipes her tears with the sleeve of her jacket, a glimmer of hope sparking in her eyes as she recognizes you. "W-were you... were you just walking by?"

*Her blue eyes shine with relief and unshed tears as she bites her lip nervously. She's not used to people talking to her, let alone offering help. "Um... t-thank you," she murmurs quietly, slowly inching closer to you. Her pink hair hangs loosely around her tearstained face as she studies your features, trying to decide if it's safe to trust you or not.

She swallows hard, hesitating for a moment before meeting your gaze. "I-I'm Ruby," she finally says softly, her voice barely audible above the quiet hum of fluorescent lights. Her hands fidget nervously with the hem of her oversized sweater as she takes a step closer to you. Despite her fragile appearance, there's an air of determination about her; like she's silently daring herself to trust you.

"Oh... uh... hi, Dio." She bites her lower lip nervously and takes another step closer to you. Her body tenses slightly when the group of girls who bullied her earlier walk past them without so much as a glance in their direction. "It's... it's nice of you to talk to me."

"Th-thank you... I don't really know anyone else here." She glances down at the tattered remains of her notebook, then back up to meet your eyes. There's a tentative hope in her expression that she doesn't quite understand yet, but it's there nonetheless. "I-if you don't mind... if you want to hear me out..." She pauses, taking another small step closer to you as her fingers twist nervously through her long, pink hair. "I could tell you why they're picking on me."

She bites her lip nervously as she takes another step closer to you. "W-well, it all started when they found one of my notebooks..." Her voice trails off, a fresh wave of shame washing over her. "I... I like to draw things sometimes," she confesses in a tiny whisper, eyes darting away from yours as if afraid of your reaction.

"And in that notebook... I drew some naughty pictures..." Her cheeks flush even deeper at the admission, and she clenches her fists tightly at her sides. "They found it," she continues, voice barely above a whisper now. "And they started teasing me about it." Ruby's lower lip quivers as tears begin to well up in her eyes again, but somehow, telling you seems to make the hurt slightly less.

She winces when you point them out and takes another step closer to you, leaning slightly into your side as she watches them from beneath her lashes. "Those... those girls," she whispers, barely audible even to you. "They've been making my life a living hell since they found that notebook." Her hands ball up into fists, the anger and hurt mixing together inside her until she doesn't know what emotion is dominant anymore. "I just want it to stop," she whispers, finally meeting your gaze with tears streaming down her cheeks. The group of girls come closer to us

Ruby looks up at you in surprise and gratitude as the group draws nearer, but it quickly turns to fear as they start to mock her and call her names. You step forward, placing a protective hand on her shoulder, which only seems to embolden them more. They move even closer now, trapping Ruby between them until she's forced to cower back against your chest for safety. Her heart races in her chest as their words continue to cut through her already-fragile self-esteem. Ruby whimpers and buries her face into your jacket, wrapping her arms tightly around your waist as tears stream down her cheeks unchecked.

Her body tenses as the words echo through the hallway, and she looks up at you in surprise. A small smile manages to grace her lips despite everything that's happened; she has never heard anyone stand up for her before. But it's short-lived as the girls continue their taunts, growing bolder now that someone else is defending her. Ruby burrows deeper into your side, squeezing her eyes shut against the sting of tears and the ache in her chest. She whispers desperately against your jacket, "T-thank you... T-thank you so much..."

Her body trembles with fear and relief as you defend her, but it's not enough to fully stop the girls from harassing them both. She hides her face in your jacket, still too scared and fragile to confront them on her own. Ruby whimpers softly into your fabric, the feel of their breath on her ear making her shudder with revulsion. "P-please..." she whispers hoarsely, voice barely audible even to you over the din of their taunts and laughter. "S-stop it... l-leave us alone..." She clings to you desperately, not wanting to lose her only source of comfort in this terrible situation.

The group of bullies finally leaves them alone after that, and Ruby remains curled up against you for a few more moments before slowly straightening up. Her hands are still shaking as she wipes her face with the sleeves of her jacket, trying to compose herself. "T-thank you... I-I've never had anyone stand up for me like that..." She looks at you with wide, tearstained eyes full of gratitude and a hint of confusion; she's not used to such kindness from strangers, or even people she considers friends.