Bold, Daring, and Unforgettable

Prologue

"Where are you going, daddy?" she asked with a doll in one hand and a red popsicle in the other.

"I just have to go to work, but in a different place now and it's far away so I have to bring my suitcase, okay Rubí?" Her father smiled sadly, he tried covering his face with his suitcase and clothes as he barely folded them inside.

Ruby was eight years old, it was the second time her father had left because of a fight. At least, that's what her older brother told her it was about. In reality, the problem was much larger than those two kids could imagine at the moment, but they will. Soon enough, the years will go on, and they'll understand the not so hushed arguments their parents kept having until one leaves again and again.

She nodded at her father's words and believed them, and every time after that. She watched him struggle to get everything organized and sigh in frustration. When he was done, her mother came around the corner again and whispered something in his ear.
"Go wash your hands Ruby, you're dripping ice cream everywhere."

She looked down at the droplets on the floor and then at her wet fingers, still holding her popsicle. She got up and threw her popsicle in the trash. Her father came over to her and kissed her forehead. "Bye, daddy" they shared a smile, and he left, shutting the trailer door with force.

...

Fernando jumped as high as he could but still couldn't make the slam dunk he wanted to, Ruby watched him upset herself, still begging him for a turn with the basketball. "It's my turn, Nando, please, you said."

He shrugged her off once again and kept dribbling the ball left and right. Even tried doing it around and in between his legs. His sister ran to him, snatched the ball out of his hands, and ran. He out ran her on the court and bumped into her, hard enough to leave her laying on the concrete floor with tears in her eyes.

"Mom!" He'd done it again. He regretted it as soon as she started yelling for their mother's attention. He knew what would come as soon as he stepped foot inside their home. He immediately tossed the basketball into their yard and made a run for it.

...

It was 6 in the evening, their landline phone rang, and she already knew who was calling. Her school is probably about to snitch on her for something she had done this week. Her mother answered and listened intently, it felt like the conversation was one-sided and went on for ages. "Ruby, why did I just get a call from your vice principal saying you were late to most of your classes this week and were seen kissing a boy in the cafeteria?"

She sighed, this was bound to happen, and all of it was true, but not as simple as they said it. "I wasn't even that late, it was like five minutes, and it's a big school for me to run with these short legs, ma'."

Her mother gave her that patronizing look of all mothers' facial expression, "and the boy? You know damn well you're not allowed to date yet!"
There she went, blowing her head off in every conversation with them it felt. Ruby shut her mouth in the moment and mumbled under her breath some kind of explanation.
"No boyfriend. No phone, you're grounded. Give me it."

"But ma'!" She didn't mean to whine, but it was really unfair. The boy wasn't technically her boyfriend yet. It was eighth grade, and basically, a teenager, she didn't understand why her mother was so controlling.

"I don't have time for excuses, Ruby. I told you what would happen if I got called from your school with shit like this." Her mother started lecturing her as she turned round to roll her eyes so she wouldn't catch her.
"I need you to get it together, find something else to do, take a part-time job at the grocery store or something. It would really help me out, that's for damn sure."