Mr. Brightside's Daughter- Ruby Flowers

Chapter 4- The Ruby I Know

"Just sit down please Ruby." Dad tells me with a concerned look on his face.
"Great!" I say as perky as I can, trying to look like everything is fine, when the whole house knew that it wasn't.
"Why are you doing this right now? My friends are still here and this is really embarrassing that I'm having an intervention or whatever the heck this is."
"Yelling really isn't  helping your case honey." He says, and then continues, "but we're going to finish this when they get picked up and before everyone gets here. I need to get through to you."
"Okay, if that makes you feel better." I say and get up, storming back into the studio.
"So what happened?" Rose asked. "Did daddy give you a time-out?"
I exploded. Just who did she think she was?
"You're such a horrible person. Get out of my house right now and don't even think about coming back."
She acted like she was offended, and then said. "You're such an ungrateful brat. Always complaining about people talking about your dad. You don't deserve to be his daughter. You have no talent at all. And your mother left you? I wonder why."
Parker tried to intervene, but it was too late. All the pent up rage and frustrations were released as my fist hit her square in the face, and she cried out in pain. Blood ran down her face as grabbed my hair and pulled me by it, shoving me into the wall.
Ellie was screaming at us to stop and Parker and Ethan were pulling Rose off of me.
As they were holding her back, I looked her straight in the face and said, "You don't know anything about my family."
I then began to sob as I collapsed to the floor as my entire family ran in.
Dad was fuming. "Get out. If you don't live here get out of my house."
"I have enough problems to deal with already." He then looked at me with a mix of pity and disappoint and everyone filed out. Ellie was crying, clearly traumatized. No one had the guts to say anything, and there were no arguments. Tana took the boys to another room, and I was grateful for that. I didn't want them to be involved in this. Once I heard the door shut, I ran to my room and slammed the door as loud as I could, and then sat against it.
I heard banging. He was pissed.
"Ruby Jean Flowers. Open this door right now."
"Please just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you. Or anyone."
"Well I'm sure you will once people start coming over. This can't go on any longer. What happened to the girl who was always smiling? I miss her."
That girl is gone. Silence. Maybe if I ignored him enough, he would eventually leave.
"I really don't want to get angry with you. I haven't seen you in weeks."
Really? Cause you seem pretty angry right now. I got up and swung the door open. I probably looked like I just got dragged out of bed. Mascara running, blonde hair disheveled. Puffy red cheeks. I don't even need to look in the mirror.
Without a second thought, I went in for a hug. And he held me tight as I cried into his chest.
"Shhh shh baby girl. It'll be okay. Let's just talk about it. I hate seeing you like this. The Ruby I know shouldn't be this sad."
I pulled away a little and he brushed his fingers over my cheek, where a bruise was starting to form.
"Ouch,"
"I'm sorry baby girl. She got you good."
"Well, I gave her a bloody nose. Not too bad for my first fight."
He smiled but then put on a stern expression. "That's not okay. You shouldn't be fighting, Ruby."
"If you knew what she said to me, you would understand."
He looked at me like he was asking for an explanations, so I began. "She said that I don't deserve to be your daughter and that I don't have any talent. And she brought my mom leaving me. So I hit her in the face."
"They could get the police involved for this sort of thing, you know." He tried to explain this to me.
"So? Just pay for a good lawyer."
"That's beside the point. You have to be more careful of what you do. You're on a lot of people's radar whether you know it or not."
"She's awful Dad. I can't stand her. I shouldn't have been friends with her for as long as I have."
"You have Ellie don't you? I think you just have to stick with your true friends." He began, and then paused. "You just reminded me of the cussing thing. You're a huge influence on your brothers. Henry talks about you all the time and how he wants to be like you when he grows up. I don't want them to start cussing because of this. And I don't want you to earn a bad reputation either."
"I was angry okay? You're gone all the time so I don't think what I say affects you at all."
We both fell silent, and I could tell that my words hurt.
"You know that I talk to our agents so that I can get as many visits home as I can. I'm really not in any control of it."
I sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it sweetheart. I just want you understand that you are your brothers are my first priority, and it kills me that I'm away for so long. Why were you angry before your little confrontation?"
"Do you really want to know?" I ask him, hoping to avoid the subject, as I felt that I was being ridiculous before.
"Yes, Ruby. I want to know."
My voice dropped a bit. "I wanted it to be just my friends and I tonight because I knew that if you came home, they wouldn't care about hanging out with me. And I just feel like people only talk to me because of you. Just forget about it; it's stupid."
"No matter what you think, or how you feel, you are your own person, with your own talents. I like to think that you've inherited some good qualities from me... But most of you is... you. Eventually you'll find a way to make a statement, and show the world what your made of. Until then, remember the people that do love you for you."
"Thanks dad. I love you." I smile at him, about to cry.
"I love you too, my firstborn."
I of course ruin the moment by asking, "Aren't you going to take my phone or something?"
"I guess I'll let it slide this once."
I sighed in relief. "Ammon isn't going to like that."
"He'll just have to deal with it then." Dad replied jokingly.
He then began to sing, "I don't mind if you don't mind..."
I then took over, "Cause I don't shine if you don't shine."
Whenever my dad and would have a heart to heart or something along those lines, we'd always sing these lyrics. And I didn't mind.