One Man Band System

After stepping out of the police station with Mike after giving his statement, Eric was still in a daze. Mike placed a hand on his back but kept quiet. Eric was still reflecting on why he had rushed in to save Ruby. He realized that the moment he saw those three drunk guys stripping her clothes off without a care in the world, he had suddenly seen red and charged forward to beat them all to a pulp without saying a word.

He knew he had acted completely out of character, even though when he glanced to the side, he noticed the holographic screen displaying his urgent quest had been open next to his face the entire time.

[Quest completed.]

[Reward: Gift package containing two items received.]

[Would you like to open the gift package now? [Yes] [No].]

Eric tapped yes, and the screen instantly showed the ribbon untying and the gift box sliding open. Two golden stars floated out from inside.

[Reward: Emotion comprehension skill... installed.]

[Reward: Danger Detection Ring x10 inside an ancient jewelry box stored in the system inventory.]

As soon as he received the rewards, a wave of enlightenment washed over Eric. He finally realized that he hadn’t actually been empty inside all this time; he was full of emotions that he simply refused to acknowledge because he had forced himself to believe he didn’t need them. And now he understood what he had just done. In the deepest corner of his heart, he still viewed Ruby as his precious little sister, and without even realizing it, he had already forgiven her the moment she spoke to him in his apartment lobby.

Eric smiled, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. Standing next to him, Mike noticed the shift in his behavior.

"How you holding up? You good?" Mike asked.

"I’m fine. Thanks, Mike," Eric answered.

Eric turned to look at Mike, suddenly understanding exactly why Mike was able to take Jade back even after she had hurt him so deeply, and even after he had seen Jade kissing another guy on Instagram. He understood that Mike didn’t actually blame Jade; he knew she had just lost her way because of her overwhelming guilt and a laundry list of other issues. Eric reached out and placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder, leaving Mike looking completely confused.

"Sorry, Mike, and thanks for taking Jade back," Eric said with a smile.

"Hmm? Where is this suddenly coming from... you’re freaking me out, bro," Mike replied, bewildered.

"Haha... sorry. Let’s head to the hospital. Jade mentioned she was going there with Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura, right? Oh, but if it’s cool with you, can we swing by my apartment for a minute first?" Eric asked.

"Sure, bro. I don’t have anything else going on today anyway," Mike said.

"Awesome. Thanks, man," Eric replied with a smile.

They walked over to Mike’s car parked in the police station lot, and then they drove off to Eric’s apartment for a quick stop.

***

Meanwhile, over at the hospital, Avery pulled back the curtain to the emergency room booth. Inside, Jade stood by the bedside, gently stroking the forehead of an unconscious Ruby, who was resting on the gurney. Behind the bed, Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura stood watching Ruby sleep.

Noticing Avery walk in while clutching her stomach, Jade turned to face her, with the six girls following her lead.

"She’s fine... but someone slipped a date rape drug into her drink. Luckily, she got help just in time. Otherwise, it would have been incredibly dangerous. When she wakes up, someone needs to talk her through exactly what happened so she can process the trauma," Avery explained.

"Oh... I see," Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura muttered in unison. They were stunned to learn that Chad had almost died in the whole mess today, their eyes drifting toward the next booth behind the closed curtain.

"Hmm... I figured it was something like that. When they loaded him into the ambulance, I noticed he looked a bit different compared to Ruby," Jade said.

"Yeah... it’s highly likely he was a victim too. What exactly happened back there anyway?" Avery asked, curious.

"Oh right, you don’t know the full story yet. Alright, let me fill you in," Jade replied.

Jade and the six girls immediately recounted everything that had gone down. On top of that, the six girls explained who Chad really was and why Ruby had been getting close to him at school over the past week. They also admitted that they had hated Ruby at first, but after hearing the recording of her phone call with her mom and running into her in the restroom today, their opinion of her had completely changed. After listening to the story from the girls and Jade, Avery was left wide-eyed.

"Oh my god... that is terrifying... so Ruby really was seconds away from being assaulted," Avery said, completely shocked as she covered her mouth.

Suddenly, the curtain snapped open. Avery turned to see Caleb, who looked like he had rushed over straight from the office, stepping into the booth. He took a quick glance at the unconscious Ruby lying on the bed, scanned Jade and the six girls, and then locked eyes back on Avery.

"So what exactly happened here?" Caleb asked calmly.

"Don’t worry about it right now... I’ll tell you out in the hall. You’re a little late to the party anyway," Avery answered, grabbing Caleb’s arm. She then turned back to Jade and the six girls. "Let’s head outside, guys. We shouldn’t hang around in here for too long."

They all left the emergency room booth and walked toward the exit. Once they reached the hallway, they took a seat on the benches lined up along the wall for families of patients. Avery sat down with them, assisted by Caleb, and then she explained everything to him. Naturally, Caleb was shocked to hear the news and found it a bit hard to believe that his younger cousin had almost met with such a tragic fate.

Jade and the girls also shared that the one who saved Ruby was Eric, and that he was currently with Mike at the police station. Hearing that Eric had rescued Ruby, Caleb’s face showed total disbelief. He glanced toward the ER doors before looking back at Jade, Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura.

"Are you serious? Eric was the one who took down five drunk guys and saved Ruby?" Caleb asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, absolutely. He carried Ruby out himself. If Mike hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve rushed her to the hospital on his own in a total panic, right?" Monica asked, turning to the others.

"Definitely. It was a shocker, sure, but that’s exactly what happened," Priya added.

"Jade and the six of us are eyewitnesses. Even the landlord and the security guard saw it," Heidi added.

"We even came here in Eric’s car, right Jade?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, that’s right. Here are his keys," Jade answered, showing the key fob to Caleb.

"Hmm... I see," Caleb muttered, looking deep in thought.

"What is with you? Shouldn’t you be happy that Eric was willing to save his sister? Hopefully, this clears up the misunderstanding between them. Why are you looking so confused instead?" Avery said, nudging Caleb.

"Oh... you have a point. Sorry," Caleb replied.

"Now that we know who Ruby really is... we don’t hate her anymore, ever since we heard that voice note Jade sent Eric... but it’s hard to find the right words to tell him," Emma said.

"True. We’re just worried Eric might get mad at us if we’re too blunt about it," Laura added.

"I get it... Eric was still hurting back then... but whatever, let’s not dwell on that anymore. The main thing is that everyone is safe now. By the way, did they arrest the guys who drugged her?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah... all five of them were arrested, but they had to be taken in ambulances because they were completely wasted and half-conscious from the beating Eric gave them. That’s why Mike drove Eric to the police station to give his statement. Don’t worry... Mike is with him. He definitely won’t let anyone pin anything on Eric," Jade answered.

"Oh, he’s with Mike. We’re good then," Caleb replied.

Jade noticed the hesitant, worried looks on the six girls’ faces. She smiled, leaned forward, and looked over at them.

"You guys don’t have to worry. Mike is a future lawyer, and he just got an internship at the Stone and Friends law firm," Jade said to reassure them.

But contrary to Jade’s expectations, the expressions of Emma, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura shifted instantly. Only Chloe remained relaxed, though her face quickly turned cold.

"Wait, Mike is working at that firm?" Emma asked, curious.

"Yeah... why?" Jade asked, puzzled, looking over at Caleb and Avery, who both just shrugged.

Immediately, the six girls huddled up and began whispering among themselves. Then, they all turned back to face Jade at the same time.

"In that case, give Mike a message from us. Tell him to tell that vixen over there to keep her distance from Eric, and to please keep Eric away from her by any means necessary," Emma said, speaking for Priya, Monica, Heidi and Laura who nodded in firm agreement.

"Um... her name is Katie... not Vixen, but I totally agree with you guys," Chloe corrected.

"Oh... I see," Jade said, a bit flustered, though she understood perfectly well why the six girls called Katie a vixen. Meanwhile, Caleb and Avery tried their best not to get dragged into it, keeping busy with each other and looking away.