Finding You (UNDER THE PROCESS OF EDITING)

Chapter 5 - Before

Cover made by scarletieyyyyy_01

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I hobbled up to Ruby's car as she came to pick me up.

"What am I going to do with you, Jelly?" She sighed as she saw my sprained ankle.

I gave her a hopeful expression. "Carry me around the house and put me to bed, please?" I pleaded.

"Oh, the things I do for you, Chloë... Fine, I'll help you."

"Thank you so much! You're the best, Roo!" I beamed.

She just shook her head in amusement and helped me get in the car.

She turned on the music and 'People Help the People' by Birdy came up. Birdy's songs always made sense in my life, and I could relate to the lyrics very well.

I sang even though I was tired. It somehow gave me a little more energy and made me happy, too. And that was the one thing I was better at than Ruby: singing. I was proud of it, even if it was just one measly thing.

"Can't you see, Ruby? Even Birdy is trying to tell you the same thing: people help the people. Get it?"

"Meh. Shut up." She laughed.

'God knows what is hiding in those weak and drunken hearts
Guess you kissed the girls and made them cry
Those hard-faced queens of misadventure

God knows what is hiding in those weak and sunken eyes
Fiery throngs of muted angels
Giving love but getting nothing back'

Her voice sounded broken at first, painful, filled with sadness as she described the weak people around her - the drunken hearts, the sunken eyes - those angels who did good for the society and helped people without expecting anything in return, yet needed some love sent back their way. They were all broken without some affection in their lives, without someone who cared for them.

'Oh, people help the people
And if you're homesick
Give me your hand and I'll hold it

People help the people
Nothing will drag you down
Oh and if I had a brain,
Oh and if I had a brain,
I'd be cold as a stone and rich as the fool
Who turned all those good hearts away.'

And yet, she sounded hopeful after, when she tried to lend a helping hand to the weak-hearted.

Also, the rich people who didn't think about helping those in need, the ones who turned them away, were cold-hearted fools.

And damn right, she was.

"Hey! Quit your song interpretation and look outside!" Ruby said as she turned off the music.

I pouted, but looked out the window. And what I saw was beautiful.

As night fell, the street lamps were turned on, their yellow light turning the leaves of the autumn trees on the sidewalk a translucent, mesmerizing shade of orange.

"It's so pretty. I wish I hadn't forgotten my Polaroid at home, " Ruby sighed.

"It's okay, Ruby. Some beautiful sights need not be captured by a camera. They stay ingrained in our minds. Just like the way you can't show someone the happiness on a child's face on Christmas day just by taking a picture. You need to feel the emotion, you see? You don't need your eyes to feel that kind of strong feeling."

She let out a breath of incredulous laughter. "You know, Jelly, sometimes I feel like you're the wiser one of us two. You should be the one studying at Harvard, I don't think I deserve it. I'm not even jealous, I respect you for this."