Meet Mr. NICEGUY { Ruby da Cherry }

7

                                                                                    charlotte

I wake up, alone in the bed and I frown wondering where Ruby is. I roll out of bed and wander the big ass mansion. I walk down hallways that feel like they never end and I enter rooms bigger than my entire apartment - that I haven't even gone anywhere near since the night Tommy died. I shake away the thoughts, not interested in feeling upset right now. I keep walking until I find a door I haven't seen before. I swing the door open and find Ruby sitting in a chair in front of a computer, his back facing me. I smile and walk over to him, "What are you doing?" I ask him and he turns to face me, returning my smile. 

"I'm just workin on some new beats." he explains and I nod, "Oh.. I was just wondering where you were.. you weren't in the bed when I woke up." he grabs my waist and pulls me into his lap, "Yeah, I just woke up super early this morning and I didn't wanna wake you so I decided to come in here for a little bit." A comfortable silence washes over us for the next few minutes before I speak again, "What is this place?" 

"It's my office." 

"Oh."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just still kinda tired is all."

"Go back to sleep."

I nod and slip off of his lap, walking down the never-ending hallway and back into our bedroom. I collapse into the bed and a deep sleep overtakes me. 

My eyes fly open to the terrible sound of screaming and crying. Frantically, I run out of my childhood bedroom to find my mom and step-dad screaming at each other in the living room. He inches closer to her and a feeling washes over me that I know all too well. I run and stand in front of my mother, begging him to stop.. begging him to leave. 

Suddenly, everything turns dark and I blink a few times, I open my eyes and I'm on my knees in my childhood bathroom as my step-dad stands, peering over me. His eyes are red and his face is pale, the only color being a slight tint of blue on his lips. 

I notice the jug of bleach in his left hand and I squeeze my eyes shut, begging for help. I open my eyes after what feels like hours and my step-dad is now chugging the bleach. I try to stand up, I try to run, but I can't move. I'm reliving the worst parts of my life and there is nothing I can do about it. 

"Please, Anthony! Stop!" I beg him but he just keeps chugging until eventually his eyes roll back in his head and he falls to the floor. The room is dark again and I squeeze my eyes shut, not knowing what to expect and afraid of what will be in front of me once I open them back up. 

My eyes involuntarily fly open and the whole entire room is spinning. I sit up slightly and immediately recognize where I am. I'm in the first apartment I ever got after moving out of my mom's house. I remember her making me leave when I was just 16. She even paid my rent.. She blamed me for Anthony's death despite the countless times I protected her from him. 

My vision is blurry but I can see the many pill bottles surrounding me.. no.. make me be anywhere else.. anywhere but here.. this is just too much. I begin sobbing and violently puking as I pick up the empty bottle of sleeping pills I consumed. I was home alone and no one would be coming over anytime soon.. ever, really. I didn't have any friends and there's no way my mom would come and see me.

Why didn't it work? Why did I wake up? A million thoughts race through my mind and my whole body begins to shake. 

"Charlotte?"

Ruby!? What are you doing here? You can't be here.. You can't know.. No one can.. 

I feel myself being lifted but I keep my eyes tightly shut. 

"Charlotte, what's happening? Wake up!"

I open my eyes to see Ruby looking down at me, carrying me bridal style. I begin to sob and he holds me closer. "What happened?" He asks for the millionth time but I can't answer him. I don't know how to.. I don't even know what just happened. 

"Just had a nightmare..." I say burying my face in his shirt.

"Oh, are you all aright do you want to talk about it."

I shake my head. "No." I reply in a quite voice still buried in his embrace.

I look up at his concerned eyes. His eye's are so beautiful. He brings his face closer to mine and kisses my forehead. He carries me out to the balcony and sets me down. He tells me he'll be right back and walks back inside of the room I can see him walk over to the nightstand. I shut my eyes tightly...I know what he's doing. I don't want to watch him pop pills. He walks back to the 

balcony and sits down ne=]+

't to me on the cold tile. I lay me head in his lap as he lights a cigarette. He offers it to me and I take it from him.  Then he lights another one for him self. It's a while before either of us speak again. 

"I love you, Charlotte." he says looking up into the sky.

I hesitate to respond "I love you too Ruby." I nuzzle my face into his lap.

Then he says he wants to go for a drive. So I put on a pair of shorts and one of Ruby's hoodies, And we head to the garage, and get in a Hellcat. Ruby drives us around back roads for hours. I've never felt so safe with anyone in my entire life. Afterwards we head back into the city and get some food, I'm not very hungry though, I only eat some cheese sticks. It's very late before we get back to his house. I'm exhausted but my nightmare is still haunting me from earlier so I'm too afraid to fall asleep. Ruby stays up with me pretty much the whole night. Smoking weed and just talking, but I eventually fall asleep comfortably in his lap.

pls vote.

dope smoker gun-totin',

 I'm a killer's killer.