Ruby Sparks (Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2012)

4

CHAPTER 4

I tiptoed my way down towards the stairs and picked up my keys beside the table by the door.

“Where are you going?” My head snapped in the direction of the voice upstairs. It’s Ruby again! She was definitely real. Earlier, she was wearing only my blue long sleeve polo and now she changed into a blue dress with purple tights.

“Out.” I replied.

“Where?”

“To the store.”

“What for?”

“To get some stuff.” She was slowly making her way downstairs while I slowly neared my door, never leaving my gaze on her.

“Can I come?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Why can’t I make a good reason? She pleaded when I declined.

In no time, I was driving my car and she’s riding shotgun. We were quiet for the whole ride although it still didn’t help me in trying to come up with a logical explanation for this.

After we parked, she was blabbering about some event but I cannot focus on a single word she said. We were walking together by the path walk and I made an indifferent face. Can they see and hear Ruby or was I the only one?

“Okay.” I replied, not meeting her gaze. I wanted her to shut up. If I kept speaking to her, people might think I had an imaginary friend, taking her out for a walk or something! Like why was he talking with the air? “Bye.”

“Bye? Where are you going?”

“It won’t take long.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Stay here. Enjoy the shops. I’ll be back soon.”

Now I am at a coffee shop with Mabel. She was a fan that I met on the book signing with Langdon Tharp. She was very persistent to start and continuously have a conversation with me that she even gave me her number.

“When I didn’t hear from you right away, I figured you lost my number or something. At least that’s what my roommate said. It must have happened.”

“I didn’t lose your number. Actually, the night I met you, I started writing.”

“Really? Am I in it?”

“I can’t really talk about it.”

“Right, right. But if I am?”

“I will let you know.” She was kinda creeping me out, honestly. She urged me to answer things about my manuscript and if she was in it. Of course, she wasn’t.

“Okay.” She chuckled, seemed like she’s satisfied with my answer. “Awesome!”

“Uhm, do you do this a lot?” she continued.

“Do what?”

“Uhm," she leaned closer and asked, "meet up in the middle of the day for sex?”

I almost spat the coffee I was drinking! “No! No. I just wanted someone to talk to.” She argued in a flirty way that “men don’t just want to ‘talk’”’, blah blah blah. I tried to shut her down but my eyes widened when I saw Ruby walking towards our table.

“Hi.” Ruby spoke but I just ignored her. I sat leaned closer against Mabel and turned our backs on Ruby.

“Hi?” she repeated and I still ignored her. She’s imaginary. No one can’t hear her. No one but me. “I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” she sounded pissed but I continued to converse with Mabel.