Not So Bad After All

# 3

(Picture is Anastasia)

"Bye Anastasia! See you tomorrow! And if you see Peyton, tell her to text me!" Ruby shouted as Anastasia walked off, waving her hand in acknowledgement. "You have some interesting friends." Leo said, grinning as Ruby held his hand. "So do you, but you don't hear me complaining." Ruby replied, sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes playfully, taking his hand from hers and wrapping his arm around her waist as she wrapped her arm around his. They walked back to her house, Leo stopping at the doorstep to say goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow, text me later if you get bored." He said, winking at her. Ruby only smiled and nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him down for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before they broke away and Leo winked once more before heading off. "Love you, sweetheart!" He said, waving goodbye. "Love you, too." Ruby said, waving back before entering. "Hi sweetie, how was school?" Her mom asked, wrapping her daughter up in a hug. "It was great, I have a lot to tell you, but I'm going to go grab a quick shower and change into comfortable clothes, okay?" She replied, hugging her mom back. Her mom nodded and Ruby went up the stairs. She glanced to the wall to see the pictures hanging. Her eyes lost a bit of their spark when she saw the one of herself, her mom, and her dad together. Her dad was killed in a car wreck and her mom was still taking it rather rough, but so was she. Ruby shook her head and focused her gaze in front of her, heading up the stairs.

After she and her mom talked, it was about time for dinner. Ruby insisted on making it tonight, since her mom had work early in the morning. Once dinner was done, Ruby sent her mom to bed and she started to clean the dishes. After everything was finished, Ruby went back up to her room, brushing her teeth. She grabbed her phone, texting Leo.

LovelyRuby149: Hey babe, just wanted to tell you goodnight and I love you :)

Within a minute, her phone buzzed, indicating she had gotten a response.

LeoTheLion01: Sleep well, sweetheart, I love you, too <3

Ruby smiled softly as she placed her phone back on charger and curled up in bed. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Beep.

Beep.

Bee-

And so began her morning routine. Ruby rolled out of bed, taking a quick shower and drying off with a nice towel. She quickly brushed her teeth before she got dressed in a red flannel shirt with blue jeans and ankle boots. She styled her hair nicely before applying light makeup. She grabbed her backpack and went out the door, not saying goodbye to her mom as she was already at work. She headed down to the bus stop, seeing Peyton already there. "Hey Peyton." Ruby said, smiling as she approached. "Do not talk to me." Peyton said, glaring at Ruby from the corner of her eye. "Wait, what? What did I do?" Ruby asked, frowning a bit. "You laughed at me when I ruined my $539 outfit." She grumbled, crossing her arms. Ruby bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It was a very rude and inconsiderate thing to do." Ruby replied. Peyton glanced at Ruby before sighing. "You're forgiven." She said, opening her arms in an invitation to a hug. Ruby accepted and hugged her friend back. "I want a hug, too!" Anastasia said from behind them, running up to them and hugging the two. The three laughed together, smiling as their bus pulled up. Nothing could ever come between the trio.

Or so they thought.