Ruby

Chapter Two

Because he's the best bro any girl could ever ask for ------------------x

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The ride home was like a school year. When your in it, it feels like it goes forever, but when you reach your desintation, you realize just how short it was.

Kind of like my life.

When we got home, my little brother Liam ran up and gave me a hug. I put on a smile for him. I put on the show i was expected to perform.

"Rue-Rue!" he cried as he pressed into my hipbone. he squeezed my legs tight.

"Hey Lee! How you doing?" i asked him in a fake cheery voice.

He leaned in close to me, as if he was about to let me in on a big secret.

"The baby sitter was kissing Mr Jeremey!" Liam told me with a big cheeky grin on his face. Jeremey was one of my best friends. He must have stopped by to see how i was....

"And Ruby, guess what it was like!? he asked me, screwing up his nose.

"What?" i asked, sighing. Trust Jerry to make out with the sixteen year old babysitter.

"It was like a wishy-washy machine!" he burst out laughing. I tried to laugh - i really did - but my laughter turned into crying. All the moments i was never going to have again with little Liam. All the little jokes he made, the steps he took to become the man i would never meet.

Concern washed over his face in an instant. He was one of those boys who was very trusting and protective - even though he was only three - and he was very tuned into emotions.

"Rue-Rue, are you okay?" Liam asked me. He crawled into my lap as i sat on the couch. I wiped away my tears.

"Yeah, Liam, i'm fine," I told him.

Mum and dad came into the room. The were very pale. Both of their eyes were blotchy. Liam tensed, and hugged me tighter. He could tell something was wrong.

"Liam honey, we have to tell you something," my mother said. Her tone was so depressing, but Liam didn't catch up on it. He must of thought she was angry because he said,

"Was i naughty?" he spoke in a small voice. My mother let out a quick laugh.

"No, Liam, you aren't in trouble," she was still sober.

"Well you see, Lee, Ruby is going somewhere soon," my dad said. I could see the concentration in his face to pick the right words. He only had one shot at this.

"Going where?" Liam asked curiously.

"Well honey, Ruby is going to heaven beacuse they need her to be an angel," my mum told him. Oh my God, i was going to cry. His face was so sad. He understood because they said the same thing when our dog Doeby had died. And suddenly, i realized that i had the easier end of the deal. Once i'm dead - no more worries. But what about Liam? Mum? Dad? My friends? How will everyone cope when i vanish off the face of the earth?

"Is she going to visit Doeby?" Liam asked, referring to our old dog who had died about two months ago.

"Yes, sweetie, yes - she's going to visit Doeby," mum smiled weakly.

"So when she's done, she's coming home," Liam stated. Dad sighed.

"No Liam, Ruby isn't coming home. When Ruby leaves, you can't see her again," dad was close to tears. It was all so fresh. Maybe we should have waited a while - like mum suggested on the way home - but i just wanted everyone to know, so that there were no secrets.

"Can i go with her?" Liam asked.

"No, Lee, Ruby has to go by herself," Mum said, in a way which made me grimace. That sentence made me feel so alone.

"But mummy, i want to visit Doeby too, and i want Rue-Rue to stay here." Okay, this was actually heart-wrenching.

"Rue-Rue, will you stay with me?" Liam looked up at me. That mop of blonde hair - so white from the sun - flopped back from his face. And his big blue eyes that were like the color of the sea on a clear, clear day. A day where the sky was cloudless and the wind was absent. I had always loved those big blue eyes of his.

"No, Lee, no," i said quietly. Tears streamed down my face. This boy was something the world couldn't take away from me. That was too cruel. That was just too cruelt.

"I have to go...um..." i didn't even bother to finish the sentence. I just ran up the stairs to my little room, flopped on the bed and cried.