The Professor

XII

*Flashback*

Today will make two weeks I've been here

I hate it here

I sit at the lunch table alone

Stirring the same old gruel around in my plate

I bring a spoonful of it to my nose and gag

It smells like curdled milk and cow butt

I push the tray away and grab my cookie

It's the only thing I can bear to eat in this place

I unwrap the cookie and bring it to my mouth

But before I eat it I whisper to myself

"Happy birthday Ruby"

A small smile comes on my face as I think of them

I take a small bite as a tear falls down my eye

Today's my 10th birthday. My first birthday without my parents

They would always wake me up with lot's of kisses on my special day

And drown me in hugs

I loved them more than anything

But now they're gone..

A car crash took them from me

I look down at the dry sugar cookie and wander off in thought

But my piece is interrupted by the sound of the familiar squeaky voice

I roll my eyes as she makes her way over to me with her little clique

"Well, well, well, if it isn't rotten Ruby. Still crying over your dead parents?" Avery asks in a mocking tone

I look up at her with a death glare

Now is not the time to bring them up

I want to shove this cookie down her throat

I close my eyes and try to breath before acting on my violent thoughts

"All of our parents are dead. Get over it" She says in a matter of fact tone

I look at her silently for a second before I stand up

We're the same height so I stand face to face to her

I look her dead in the eye

"I should get over my parents like you should get over peeing the bed?"

I ask in a monotone

She looks at me shocked

One of the girls behind her start snickering

Avery turns around and stomps off in embarrassment, her friends in tow

I sit back down

Winning that little dispute with Avery didn't make me feel better

I still lost everything

Why couldn't I have just died with them?...

"Um, hello?" I hear another girl speak to me

I look over to her and she's a small blonde girl

"My name's Lily. What's your name?" she asks me

I respond with Ruby

She sits next to me and we talk

We talk in the cafeteria

In the bathroom

On the playground

We talk about random things, and it feels good

I haven't had a friend in a long time

It was when we were laying down on the grass looking at the clouds that I asked her

"So..how did your parents die?"

She looks at me perplexed for a second before she slightly chuckled

"My parents aren't dead. I just live here because my dad runs the place" she replies

"Oh." was all I said before we sat back in comfortable quiet

I close my eyes with a smile on my face

It feels good to make a friend

........................

*Present Day*

I sit in a booth at the coffee shop

I ordered us some coffee

He's a bit late.

The coffee arrives and I put sugar and milk in it

As I stir, old memories flood into my head

Memories of when I lived in the orphanage

Memories of when I first met Lily

I let out a sigh and hear a *ding* go off at the door

Signaling someone just walked through

I look up and there he was

Luca..

I took his number from Matteos phone and set this meeting up

He gruffly plopped in the seat in front of me

"What is this for" he asks in a raspy voice

Like he just woke up

"I'm just going to get straight to the point"

I take a deep breath and hope I don't get in trouble for what Im about to ask

"I want you to teach me to defend myself. Like how to fight and stuff"

I say a bit hesitantly

He looks at me for a minutte and dryly chuckles

"No" was all he said

But I jumped up to persuade him

"Wait! Don't you want me to be able to fight for myself? Or do you want a repeat of last time?"

A serious look began to crawl on his face as he considers my point

"Ok, thats true. But why not ask my brother? Why reach out to me?"

I sit back and think before I speak

Don't want to say the wrong thing and get shot

"Because I heard you were the leader of a...dangerous business, and I need that kind of training. Not learning how to kick. The real stuff

He slowly nods his head in understanding

"Ok"

A smile breaks my face as I tell him thank you

A small smile sneaks it's way on his face as well

But it quickly disappears

"But Matteo can't know" he adds

I nod my head confidently

....Matteo can't know

............................

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