Life of Ruby

Chapter 3: Day at the park

Chapter 3: Day at the park

All of us played on the fort and flying and made competition with it but we got bored after a while so we played on the swings for a while. We started doing all sorts of tricks to get off them and tricks while on them. We made a competition out of it with the highest score being 10. I’m not very coordinated, so I’ve been doing tricks on the swings not off of them. The guys convince me to do a trick off the swings. I try to do a backflip and the important word here is ‘try’ because as I flipped I ended up landing on my ankle first then my body being sprawled out face down on the wood chips.

“Oww” I say as I pull my face out of the wood chips and brush them off my face.

I flip over slowly while all my muscles protest at the sudden movement.

“Are you ok?” Hayden and Brent ask.

“No I’m not, everything hurts especially my ankle” I say in pain.

“Do you want to go back to my house and rest?” Hayden asks me looking concerned.

“No, I will be ok I’ll just rest on the bench, you guys keep doing tricks and I will be the judge”

“Are you sure?” They both ask me, still looking concerned.

“I’ll be fine” I say as I hobble over the bench.

They start doing tricks on the swing again with me wishing I wasn’t so un-coordinated. A little while later it’s lunch time and the boys are thinking that we should go back to Hayden’s house so I can rest. I come up with a great idea.

“How about we go to your house and pack a picnic lunch and bring it back here to have on a picnic blanket?” I ask both of them.

“Sounds good” The both reply.

When we were younger we used to always do this when we had a day at the park. I get on Brent’s back for the trip back to Hayden’s since my ankle is still a bit sore and I don’t feel like walking. Brent doesn’t know about the last reason.

“Giddy up horsey” I tell Brent while tapping his shoulder.

“What, are you six or sixteen?” Brent asks jokingly.

“That’s mean” I say in a little kid’s voice.

Meanwhile Hayden is laughing at our antics. This is why I love my friends, I can be my normal crazy self and they don’t mind because they’re exactly the same around me.

“Mum, we’re back to get some picnic supplies” Hayden calls out as he opens the front door.

Brent and I walk to the kitchen as Hayden walks over to the linen cupboard. I get off Brent’s back to get the bread for the sandwiches and I get out the zip lock bags while Brent gets out everything else. We’ve done this so many times before that we have an assembly line. I get the slices of bread and butter them and then I put them on the big breadboard. Brent puts some spreads on them and then puts them in the zip lock bags. In the middle of making the sandwiches, Hayden comes back with the picnic basket and blanket. In no time at all Brent and I have finished making the sandwiches and have put them in the basket. We also get snacks to put in the basket like fruits, sweet things and we put in plastic plates and cups with an already made up bottle of red cordial. When we’re packed up we head out the door and back to the park, with me on Brent’s back again. We set the picnic up under the biggest tree in the park. Brent starts unpacking the sandwiches and there’s; Peanut Butter and Jam, Nutella, plain Peanut Butter, plain Jam. I just realise that we have had the same sandwich combinations every time we have had a picnic. Hayden passes around the sandwiches and we each take one and a cup. Hayden pours the red cordial in each of our cups. I know what you’re thinking, why isn’t there any soft drink. Well, I don’t like soft drink but both boys do, so every time we have a picnic they bring cordial and have a few cups worth so I don’t feel left out, then they drink their soft drinks.

“Cheers to doing this again after such a long time” I say.

“Cheers” the boys say.

We make clinking noises as we hit our cups together and start laughing because we are such big dorks. I don’t hear Hayden get up while Brent and I are still laughing and are at the stage were we’re rolling on the ground but I hear him say;

“This is definitely going on Facebook” Hayden says.

“NOO!” Brent and I both reply, now that we’ve stopped laughing.

“Oops, I just did” He says.

My phone buzzes and so does Brent’s, telling us that Hayden did put it on Facebook and tagged us in the status. It said; “My two best friends are crazy but I love them” with the video underneath. I commented saying; “Love you too H, but you were on the ground with us before you started filming”, then Brent commented saying; “love you both too”.

After we ate all the lunch we could, we decided to climb the Jacaranda tree we were sitting under since my ankle was feeling a lot better. As we’re climbing the tree we have a competition to see who can climb the highest. I don’t win because I’m too scared from the incident with the swings to climb more than a few branches. On my way down I get my clothes stuck on the bottom branch when I am about to get my other foot off and lose my grip. I land on my left ankle, the same ankle I landed on when I fell off the swing and I hear a crack this time. I scream out in pain and both boys scramble out of the tree really fast. I tell them I think my ankle is broken. Hayden rings an ambulance and while he’s doing that Brent packs away our picnic. After he packs up he rings his mum and Hayden’s so they don’t worry about where we are.

“I just called your mum too and your mum and James are headed to the hospital now. The ambulance will be here soon.” Hayden says.

A few minutes later the ambulance arrives, they put me on a stretcher trying to be careful that they don’t jostle my leg to much but I still cry silently.

“Only one in the ambulance with her” the paramedic says.

“We both have to come though, we’re her best friends” they say together.

“Okay but on will have to ride in the front. So who will it be?” The same paramedic asks.

“I’ll ride in the front and Hayden can ride with Ruby” Brent says.

They all get in and as soon as the Ambulance starts moving, Hayden starts rubbing circles into my hand to comfort me. I get tired of that and I just hold his hand, he looks surprised for a second then he just looks comfortable. I wonder what’s up with him.