Let Me Love You

•16•

Ruby looks hungry even as she eats. How can someone so skinny consume this much and still maintain her skinny stature.

"You and Kelly ever....dated?" She asks

"Not really," I reply trying to remember. "I don't think so"

She laughs a little and gulps down her water.

"So you've never had a boyfriend?" I ask her.

She sighs and rolls her eyes.
"It's kind of a story"

"I'm listening"

"So,in my previous school,I had a friend. He was a guy and he was so into me,. I mean,we had similar pasts,we shared the same genre of songs,we would prank every junior all day long," she says and stops to eat her pizza. "We got closer and closer until he asked me to be his girlfriend. It was all new to me,so I said yes. We would listen to rock songs all day in his room,eat about three to four boxes of pizza,sleep in,prank call restaurants and so much more"

"You guys had fun" I say and she nods.

"He was sad almost all the time because of what he was going through,I would try to talk him out of it,he was always depressed,and so was I. He didn't like his life,sometimes,he would wish to die and come back as a different person. Zach would play his guitar all day and I would listen intently to the lyrics he sang"

"Oh,so his name was Zach?" I ask and she nods.

"One day,I got a call," she says slowly as if remembering everything. "It was his aunt. She told me it was an emergency,told me Zach had been in his room since the previous night and wasn't opening the door. I immediately went to his house,. Zach would have opened the door upon hearing my voice. I even said numerous codes we had made up in case of emergencies,but he never opened up," the pizza in her hand drops. "We broke the door down and found him on the floor in his room,there was a bottle and some pills on the floor next to him,his mouth had some foam on it. I ran to him,only to find him lifeless"

"I'm so sorry, Ruby" I say as I hold her hand.

"It's fine," she smiles. "I miss him and the other people I've lost every damn day,but I know they're with me"

"What other people have you lost?" I ask her.

"I don't wanna talk about it" she says and I respect that.

She was even being kind enough to tell me about Zach. I wasn't gonna misuse that opportunity.

The funny thing here is; Ruby just told me one of the saddest stories of her life,and here she is, munching her pizza like she didn't just pour her heart out,and here I am, actually wanting to cry because of the story she just told me.

Maaaannn.

"So why did you say you've never had a boyfriend back in the car"

"Because I didn't feel like narrating the whole story to you"

"Is that why you're like.....sad almost all the time?" I ask

"No"

Oh,so there's more?.

"But it's part of the reasons?" I ask and she nods.

When I look at the pizza box, it's empty.

I ask Ruby if she wants some more and she says no.

She says she needs to get home.

I drive back to the club where her motorcycle is parked.

"Thank you for coming out tonight," I say and she smiles. "You really are a strong person"