BRUISES

| Ten |

        Vivi blows the smoke out from her vape and when I inhale the smell, it brings me back to parties, driving at midnight and running through the aisles of 7-eleven. She clears her throat before putting the device back between her parted lips.

"I heard you once sir, I am going to move now." Vivi says suddenly and I pause from getting any closer. She slowly turns when no one responds to her and looks up when she notices me. Her grin vanishes and the corner of her lips pull downward into a frown.

"Did my heels really sound like a man?" I joke and Vivi shrugs, turning her back to me.

"Look who has risen from the dead." I raise a brow and grin.

"I don't know if I should take that as an insult or..."

"You got lucky and ran. Wish I was able to do that." My grin eases and my shoulders drop. Vivi adds, "A few minutes ago, the director came to me and told me I had to smoke where those men are. I wanted to say, what if I don't want to be the only woman smoking with the men? They look like creeps anyways... but I should move because don't want to hear him again." I turn to see if anybody is watching us, but no one is cowering. Just unfamiliar faces.

"Are you going to come inside? The wake should be ending soon." I point at the doors and she nods.

"Yeah, just had the jitters at first. Needed to sit down for a second." Eventually, I sit beside her, expending my legs out and ignoring the fact that I'm scraping my heels along the concrete ground.

"Same with Jules, I spot her in the restroom slugging down some gin."

Vivi snorts and smiles, "She didn't notice me, but I saw her stumbling inside like a wreck."

"Poor Jules."

"Poor Jules." Vivi repeats, the smile still lingering on her soft lips. "Actually, poor Ruby."

"Rubies," I correct.

"Right, Rubies. She took her own life and now her family and others she has impacted are suffering. We have to pause this part of our life to come say goodbye and forever wonder why she did it."

To stop herself from crying, she takes a few puffs from her vape. Her shaking hand gripping the stick. I stare ahead of the parking lot, hearing the oncoming traffic off route 347.

"Many people have their reasons and it's difficult but—"

"It's selfish, Theo." She cocks her head to me, her dark eyes bright in the sun. Her caramel complexion glowing with Spanish heritage. "Life sucks and we all struggle. She could've reached out to us, or a therapist, just fuck man." She blows out smoke. "Am I the only one who thinks this is messed up?"

"No, I think suicide is not the right thing, but I don't want to sound like a jerk, but we all lost contact and Rubies tried her very best to get us back together when she was losing her battle. No one ever reached out to her."

Vivi rakes her fingers through her long hair. "So, why are you here?"

"Huh?" My heart dips when she asks.

"If we failed Rubies, why are we all here? We don't deserve to say goodbye. We should be asking for forgiveness. Rubies didn't deserve any of us."

I sigh, "Because in the end, we will always linger. Just like bruises, we come and go." I pause for a moment when Vivi locks eye contact and stares at me for a few seconds. I add, "Call me crazy but I think Rubies masterminded all of this."