All But One

Chapter 41

At the end of the day, I make my usual trip to my locker. After spending the day alone, I am surprised to see Ruby standing in front of it. Zaria's absence only adds to my shock. 

Ruby looks up as I approach, making eye contact with me for the first time, today. 

"Hi, Ruby." I say, cautiously. 

"Hi." She says, turning her body to face me. 

We both stand in a tense silence, trying to assess each other's next move. 

"I miss you." I say, not wanting to miss my chance to fix things. 

Ruby looks down at her feet and fiddles with her hands. My words hang in the air between us as I wait for a response. 

"I miss you, too." She says, finally. 

A sense of relief washes over me. "I'm so sorry about everything. I don't want you to feel like I'm choosing Hakeem over you, it wa-" 

She cuts me off by pulling me in for a hug. I wrap my arms around her, and for a moment, I forget all the things that have been bothering me. 

"It's okay. I know Zaria isn't the easiest person to be around, sometimes. I don't want her to get in the way of our friendship, again." Ruby says, pulling away to look at me. 

Hearing her name brings me back to reality. I only have a little over an hour to get home, change, and go to the law firm. 

I let out a groan of frustration. "I have to get home. Mr. Johnson wants me to work today, for whatever reason." 

"Oh, okay. Zaria left a little earlier because of that, too. She said there's a huge case that needs immediate attention." Ruby mentions. 

"That makes sense as to why you're even here." I say, quickly grabbing what I need from the locker. 

Ruby doesn't respond, but her silence says all I need to know. 

I close the locker and begin walking out to the parking lot. Ruby follows me, asking me how I've been. 

I tell her about everything that happened since the last time we spoke, while still trying to let Hakeem retain some of his privacy.  "I feel so helpless. I wish I could do more to help him." 

"Wow. I'm sorry I didn't see it before. Hakeem is really good at keeping to himself." She says when I finish. 

"Yeah, I wish I had known earlier." I say, getting into the car. 

"We could have been there for him." Ruby says, settling into the passenger's seat. "But, he did choose to be mean to you." She adds. 

"Yeah, but I can't really blame him." 

We continue to discuss the situation, and I make sure to ask Ruby how she's been. 

We arrive at her door and hug once more before she exits the car. 

"Tomorrow morning?" She asks.  

"As usual." I grin. 

She smiles back and walks up to her house. 

I realize that I have less than an hour left, and immediately drive off. 

Shortly after, I'm parked in front of my own home and walking in. I jog up to my room and quickly pull together an outfit to change into. 

In a record time of fifteen minutes, I dress and do my makeup. I pack everything I need into my purse and rush downstairs to grab a snack. 

In the kitchen, I pick up a banana, but the grumbling in my stomach urges me to check the fridge.