Good Girl Gone

Chapter 1

At the end of the school day, I saw Ruben at her locker, and after I had all my things, I speed walked over to her. She looked up when she saw me, and gave me a less eager smile. "Are you having one of those days?" I asked her. "Yup. But, hey, when am I not?" She replied. "One of those days" meant Ruben's anxiety was worse than usual. I couldn't even tap her, or her reflex would be to flinch, of slap me. I had to pick my words carefully, or she would have an anxiety attack. Ruben had a life different than mine; she didn't grow up with the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, or home cooked meal. Instead, she grew up in a home where you got beat up for forgetting to clean a dish, or had food shoved down her throat if she didn't finish it all, or didn't want it. But I didn't see Ruben as many other people did; a freak, or a loser. I saw her as my best friend. I'd know Ruben ever since she was adopted in the 5th grade. She was my closest friend, and she was kind, and understanding. But when she was taken into a new home, and she brought her things in, she brought some disorders with her. When ever we had a sleepover, she had to drink a glass of hot tea with ginger before bed, or she'd have a panic attack. My mom, dad, and Grandmother made sure to keep several boxes in the cabinets for her, because she came over my house all the time. Ruben was beautiful, and slender. Her long, deep, thick brown hair was always tossed over, because her tossing it over was a way to relieve stress. Her eyes were big and blue, and she was short, like me. Ruben always wore her black Chucks I got her for her 13th birthday. She always wore jeans with rips designed in them, and long sweaters to hide the wounds that stayed on her arms. People saw her as sad, but I knew who she was. Kind, amazing, funny, and one of the many blessings in my life. I knew Ruben Saige Parker. She closed her locker, and swung her bag over her shoulders. After school, she liked to watch me swim at practice, and then her Mom, Mrs. Parker, picked us up, and we would go to her house for a couple hours. As we walked down the pool hallway, I could already smell the chlorine of the pool. Ruben opened the door to the poolside, and sat in the bleachers. I walked along the pool deck and went into the Girls' Locker room. It was noisy, and filled with other girls, changing into red and gold suits, our team color. I was welcomed by the other girls on the team, and I smiled and waved. "Ally! Get over here" I heard someone say. I recognized the voice, and followed it. Giovanna LaPierre, my best friend on the team, smiled at me. "You're late" She said slyly. "I had to wait for Ruben. Besides, you're late everyday" I say and laugh. "Not today, I'm not. You really should let go of Ruben. She's holding you back, Al" Giovanna said, fixing her suit. I went into a stall, and closed the curtain. "I love her, Gi. She's my best friend, and you know that" I told her, suddenly uncomfortable. Giovanna could be extremely outspoken sometimes. "Maybe it's time for change. Besides, I'm also your best friend. And I have to tell you what I think is best for you. And I'm telling you, she's only going to let you down" Giovanna said. I said nothing, as I adjusted my suit, slipped on my cap and goggles, and opened the curtain. "We, uh, better get out there" I said, purpously dodging her last statement. She followed me onto the pool deck, and we signed in. If our names weren't on the sign in chart, Coach Halley and Coach Mark would be furious, so we always made sure to check in. After we signed in, I hopped into my lane, the first one, and looked at the warm up sheet. Giovanna was in the lane next to me, because though she was in my grade, she had started swimming a year after I did. I kicked off the wall, and sped off. Arm in front, one arm in back, petaling like a bicycle. I kicked my legs smoothly and fast, and flip turned as I reached the deep end wall. I thought of Ruben as I swam, and what Giovanna had said. "She's only going let you down" She had said. The words rung in my ears, and I tried to ignore them. For some reason, all of my friends were against Ruben because she didn't grow up like the rest of us. The hard knock life didn't come easy to them, and it was hard for reason them to accept Ruben. As I thought of this, I hit my head on the wall.