Ruby Duvall has a lunch schedule. Not one the school assigned — one she built.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, she sits at the high tables by the library with one group of friends. Tuesdays and Thursdays, she's in the big commons area with another group. Then, toward the end of lunch, she moves again — over to the chairs by the main office to talk to a few more people before heading to class.

"I kind of talk with everyone," the Tri-Valley junior said. "Because I have a bunch of friends."

She's not wrong. Other students have told her she's one of the most popular kids in the school. Ruby reports this without embarrassment and without false modesty.

"A lot of the kids tell me I'm very popular," she said.

Her friendships cross grade levels. Her friend Everly rides her bus and shares her obsession with The Amazing Digital Circus — a show Ruby can break down in astonishing detail. She knows that the main character Pomni's real name is Martha, that the ringmaster Caine’s name stands for Creative Artificial Intelligence Networking Entity, that the letters in Pomni's first assigned name decode to "OUUTT" — which is what Pomni wants to do: leave the circus. When episode seven ended with a false exit, Ruby was watching during finals week.

"I was literally screaming with my mouth closed," she said.

She has two Billie Eilish CDs — When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Don't Smile at Me — and is working toward owning all four albums. Her favorite songs are "Bad Guy" and "Bury a Friend." She acknowledges that "Bury a Friend" is sad but maintains it's beautiful. The music video, however, crosses a line.

"She gets bombarded with syringes at one point. I'm like, no thank you. Too much."

Choir is Ruby's favorite class. She sings constantly — during class, during YouTube videos, during rehearsals. This spring, she performed in the school's production of The Little Mermaid as part of the ensemble, with a small comedic solo designed to sound intentionally terrible.

"I just had to do voice cracks and stuff," she said. "It was so easy."

During rehearsals, she wore a purple wig styled after Roomie from K-Pop to My Heart — "I just thought it would look cute." A friend offered her candy if she ripped the wig off mid-solo. She did. Her friend Kensley was laughing so hard she couldn't get her next line out. Ruby considered this a complete success. She got M&M's.

The show ran three nights: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Ruby was in every one.

Outside of choir and theater, Ruby participates in weekly community-based learning trips organized through the school. On Wednesdays, a group of students travels to local businesses and community locations to practice real-world skills — budgeting, communication, workplace expectations, and social interaction.

At Ross, Ruby learned how to navigate a clothing store. She got a Barbie crop top she's still excited about. At Walmart before Christmas, she shopped for her half-sister, who lives with her dad in Marion and whom Ruby hasn't seen in over a year. Some weeks, the group stays on campus — pulling weeds, working in the greenhouse. Before every trip, they go over expectations as a group.

"Voice level one or two," Ruby said. "Being nice to the cashier. Be respectful. Following directions."

She's usually the first one to raise her hand with that answer.

Ruby is thinking about what comes next. Mr. Brodbeck, who organizes the community trips, mentioned the possibility of an off-campus job during senior year. Her friend Tanner already works at the McDonald's in LeRoy. Ruby's considering starting there, too.

"I want to get a job," she said.

She's a little nervous about senior year — not because of the work, but because of the weight of it. "This is the only time I'm going to be a senior," she said. "I'm just like, oh my God."

Ruby is honest about the harder parts, too. School is hard for her — YouTube and study hall and friends are what get her through the door. She has moments where she doubts herself.

"Sometimes I'm just like, I can't do this," she said. "And then people tell me, no, you're really smart. And I know I'm smart. It's just sometimes."

She trails off there. But she keeps going. Ruby always keeps going.

She has opinions about what it takes to navigate the social world of high school. She arrived at this philosophy on her own.

"If you want to be cool, you gotta look cool," she said. "But don't act too cool."

Ruby Duvall doesn't act too cool. She wears purple wigs to rehearsal, rips them off for candy, maps her lunch period like a campaign route, sings along to every YouTube video, and breaks down the hidden lore of an animated circus to anyone who will listen. She is fully, unapologetically herself — and Tri-Valley is better for it.