All But One

Chapter 30

I reach over the table and squeeze Hakeem's hand in anticipation.

"Our first winner, in third place, is... Hailey Jackson!"  The host announces. I cheer loudly because that means there's a chance Ruby will be first or second place. The tall redhead girl walks onto the stage and claims her prize. They hand her a bronze plaque that shows her ranking.

After posing for a few quick photos, she walks off the stage. The host returns to his spot at the mic.

"Our next winner, for second place is... Ruby Jackson!" He exclaims.

"GO BEST FRIEND! GO BEST FRIEND!" I yell out, cheering loudly for her.

Hakeem raises an eyebrow at me, joining the many audience members who are looking at me. I ignore their stares and continue my cheering. I snap pictures of her as she accepts her award. Our arguments never last long, so I don't let that hinder my excitement.

"And what we've all been waiting for..." The host draws out, causing the crowd to stomp their feet in excitement.

"In first place..." He teases. "Kiara Moore!"

The crowd erupts in applause as the girl with the emotional poem walks up to the stage. I join the rest of the crowd as we give her a standing ovation. As Ruby's best friend, I would've wanted her to get first place, but this girl definitely deserved it, as well.

The first place prize is given to her and the event is wrapped up.

"Are you going to go catch her before she leaves?" Hakeem asks, referring to Ruby, who is now taking pictures with her mom near the stage.

"Yeah, I'm going to try one more time." I say, getting up. We weave our way through the exiting crowd until we reach the opening where Ruby and Zaria are.

"Roxanne, sweetheart!" Ruby's mother greets, taking notice of me emerging from the crowd.

"Hey mama Ro." I smile as she pulls me into an embrace. Her name is Rochelle, but she asked me to call her mama Ro.

"You're coming to eat with us after this right?" She asks, looking down at me expectantly.

I glance at Ruby and Zaria, who are standing a few feet away from us.

"Roxanne is busy." Zaria interjects, just as I respond, "Of course!"

Mama Ro shoots Zaria a confused look, but quickly turns back to me. "Perfect, we're going to the diner you and Ruby love. You can meet us there. It's like a ten minute drive from here."

"Great, I'll meet you guys there." I agree, turning back to Hakeem, who's scrolling through his phone a couple feet away.

I let them finish up their pictures and begin leading Hakeem back out to the car.

"So, you're going out with them?" He asks, following me down the stairs to the first floor of the store.

"Yup. I refuse to let that prissy princess steal my best friend!" I scoff. I step out into the cold winter air and subconsciously pull my jacket on tighter.

"She won't." He says, wrapping his arm around me. He pulls me into his warmth and the bitter feelings I have for Zaria seem to melt away.

I can't find the words to explain how he's making me feel, so I just wrap an arm around his waist. We walk in a comfortable silence out to my car. I pull out my key and unlock it. Hakeem continues his sweet streak by opening the door for me.

He walks around and gets in the passenger's seat as I input the address of the diner into my GPS. It's in the direction of my house, so I decide to drop him off before I go.

"Where should I drop you off?" I ask, merging onto the highway.

"It doesn't matter. I can take the bus from the place you're meeting them." He says casually.

"Seriously? I don't want to just leave you in the street." I say, feeling bad that he came out to see me and I've been focused on only Ruby.

"I'll be fine. I need to make a stop before I go home, anyway." He says, not meeting my eyes on the last sentence.

I'm not completely convinced, but I choose to let it slide. "We can hang out tomorrow..." I suggest, my nerves racing faster than the cars passing me on the highway.

"I can't tomorrow, but I'll see you Monday for our tutoring session." He says, looking out the window.

"Oh. Okay." I respond, trying to mask my disappointment.

A few minutes later, I pull into the parking lot of the restaurant. It's the cute little diner that I always visit with Ruby when we hang out with our parents. We come here during the spring and summer often for their ice cream sundaes. I haven't been in a few months, due to the cold weather.

"See you Monday, Roxie." Hakeem says, pulling me into a warm hug.

"See you."

He pulls away and I watch as he walks towards the bus stop, taking his warmth with him.

"You finally let that loser go home?" A voice says from behind me. I turn to find Zaria smirking at me, Ruby and her mother following behind.

"Nice to see you, too!"

"Let's go in, girls." Mama Ro says, leading us into the diner.

"This place looks... cheap." Zaria sneers, looking around in disgust. "If you needed recommendations, I could've helped."

I restrain myself from rolling my eyes. She managed to ruin a happy and sentimental moment in less than five minutes. I look over at Ruby, but she refuses to meet my eyes. I know that Zaria's comment had to have affected her the same way it affected me.

"If you'd rather eat elsewhere, please be my guest." Mama Ro says.

Perfect. If Zaria gets on Mama Ro's bad side, it would be like her digging her own grave.

The friendly waitress, Debbie, seats us at a booth. "Hey girls, should I put in an order for your usual?" She asks, her signature smile resting on her creased face. Coming here is like going to your grandma's house.

Mama Ro, Ruby, and I all agree that she can. We turn to Zaria expectantly.

"Do yo have anything without so many calories or carbs?" She asks.

I mentally groan. This is going to be a long dinner.

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Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait. I went away for three weeks and I just didn't have the time or the ability to update during it. I'm going to post super fast to make up for it. So, comment and vote!

xoxo

-Gaëlle