Ruby Red

Chapter 1

"How was your day today?" I look up to my mum, greeting me after a dreadfully long and agonising day at school.

Her shoulder length, bright red hair slightly sticking to her place cheeks.

Her eyes, grey with a look almost as if she was dead, empty, a pure shadow of the once sparkling hazel ones that no longer exist on her plump face.

Her mouth is forming a smile. One with the ability to make others feel as if she was truly happy, maybe, but after knowing her my whole life I knew it was strained and unnatural. One used around others to look strong.

This is one thing both my mother and I share, our stubbornness to show other our weaknesses and our talent for looking cheerful even during the worst times of our lives.

It's scary really, looking at someone and having no idea what they're actually feeling, thinking and going through away from the eyes of the public.

"Fine" I reply, pulling my mother into a long and tight hug. She seems startled at first but as of a matter of seconds she's melted into my arms.

***
I roll over for what feels like the thousandth time. 

A yawn escapes my lips as I slightly tilt my head to read the alarm clock, sitting on my bedside table. It flashed a red 2:50am in my face and my hand flies to my eyes to block them from the painfully bright light.

Everything else in the room is pitch black although as I lie there my eyes start to adjust and slowly the outlines of basic pieces of furniture scattered around the room become somewhat visible.

I reach over to my bedside table in search of my phone. Finally my fingers grasp the familiar, cold rectangle shape and I pull it closer to me, getting comfortable in an upright position.

As I press the home button and my phone lights up with the familiar picture of two girls, both now such strangers.

The first girl, 10 at the time the photo was taken. Her eyes a deep hazel much like her mothers, her long tight curls tied up in a high pony tail.

The second girl, hanging off her back, a younger version of one laughing at the front. Both share the same long ruby locks and grins each reaching their ears.

A cool, salty liquid runs down my cheek and into my mouth, followed by another and another. At this point I don't even try to stop the strong tide of the rivers as they fall from my eyes.

As I lie there, my cheek resting in the damp puddle on my pillow I can only hear the faintest of sounds.

It's not common for people to be awake and on the road at this time of the morning yet the occasional sound of a car can be heard, accompanied by the loud thundering sound of rain on the tin roof.

***
I look in the mirror to see my reflection before leaving for yet another day in hell.

My shoulder length, deep brown hair is straitened to perfection as it rests on the shoulders of my large cream hoodie.

My light blue skinny jeans are accompanied by a pair of black vans and a pair of simple studs resting in my ears to complete the look.

A thick coat of makeup is essential to hiding the dark bags I now carry along with my now naturally pale lips.

Finally, somewhat happy with my appearance I head to school.

***
Isn't it funny how you can be surrounded by people yet still feel totally alone.

This is how I feel. Out of habit my legs carry me over to the large table in the middle of the cafeteria.

As I sit down in my usual seat I hear my name being called out across the cafeteria, getting louder each time it's said.

I look behind me to see a girl I once knew better than myself. Her extraordinarily long blond hair bounding in loose curls as she prances threw the ocean of people.

She's wearing bleached blue denim shorts, a pale pink, long sleeve crop top and knee high suede black boots. As always she looks like a real life barbie doll.

"Guess what Rubes?" The girl squeals as she finally reaches me. Like usual I raise my eyebrow, signalling for her to continue.

"I'm throwing an epic party this Friday!" It was no question this party would be epic. She was known to throw the best parties in town and everyone would hope to be invited.

A few months ago I would have been standing up and jumping around with her at this news, ready to help her make this party impossible better than the previous one.

Although now the news no longer excited me. It was like my heart literally fell to the floor.

The idea of getting high of drugs or so drunk I wouldn't remember anything the next day, no longer excited me. It was like nothing could make me the person I used to be.

I now hated the idea of spending the night dancing and talking to fake people, watching everyone pretend to like each other and act like the best of friends and then go talk shit about them behind their back.

I wish I could go back to a few months ago, when everyone knew my name I was inseparable from the girl I called my best friend.

But things had changed. Actually that was a lie, everything had changed.

"You know partying is no longer my thing." I remind Savannah. "Seriously you need to try and move on, that was over 2 months ago! Get your life back, bring back the party girl you know still exists somewhere inside you!"

Although I knew Sav was only trying to make me feel better it did the exact opposite. Nobody got over what I had suffered from in such little time.

No longer able to spend even another second with these people I stand up and walk strait out of the cafeteria and to the only place in the school I could be alone.

***

My fingers rest on the keys of the grand piano located on the right hand side of the room, furthest away from the door. My body felt heavy and my limbs unable to move from where they lay.

The old music room was on the top floor of the school and had been nearly emptied, leaving only the grand piano, I had guessed it was too large to relocate to the new room on only the second floor.

Although the elevator only went up to the third floor of the school leaving two stair cases to climb before reaching the top it was by far my favourite place to go.

It was peaceful as nobody quiet had the energy to make their way up here and the large window in front of the piano showed the majority of the small beach town.

My fingers glided across the keys. I had always dreamt of being able to play a magical melody on this wonderful instrument although I had never learnt and was frankly to scared to try.

I'm not really sure how long I had been sitting here although outside the window it was dark with only a couple lights from nearby houses and street lights flickering in the distance.