I wake up with a yawn, and think back to last night when Eli agreed that our first date will all be his work, and that it'll obviously be in the big room of his, since he can't go anywhere else besides that room and the small space outside.
And then I realize. The date was scheduled for tonight.
I get out of bed quickly and head downstairs for breakfast, a large smile spread across my face.
As I walk into the kitchen, my smile drops, and I ignore her sitting at the table in the center of the kitchen as I grab the orange juice out of the fridge along with a yogurt and walk to the counter. I feel her eyes on me as I pour myself a glass of the orange juice and get myself a spoon for my yogurt. As I'm leaving the kitchen with my breakfast, she calls my name.
"Ruby." She calls. I walk back through the doorway and glare at her. I know it's mean, but she deserves it. "Come sit." My mother invites me to the table, and I hesitantly walk to the table and pull out a chair after setting my food down. I sit down and look at her angrily over my yogurt and orange juice.
"You left me with her for fourteen years. She was awful to me and dad. Her harshness started on my fifth birthday, and she's been abusing me since. Physically and mentally. I don't know when she started it with dad, but it definitely could've been before she started with me. The broken record I fell asleep to was her and dad yelling at each other. How could you have left us with that woman?" I ask as calmly as I can. "How could you!" I speak louder, my anger taking over. "How could you..." I mumble to myself as I start getting extremely tired. I slump off of my chair and the only thing I feel is the pain running down my head and shoulder as I hear my mother rush over to me and yell for help as my consciousness is slowly taken from me.
"Stay awake. You're strong, Ruby, you can stay awake for me can't you." I hear my mother's panic as she struggles to press the numbers, '9-1-1' into the house phone. My eyelids are barely open as my world spins around me, and I have a feeling that our first date will be later than we thought.
🌼🌼🌼
After my mom called 9-1-1, my dad came inside and saw me laying on the floor. It was all a rush and I don't remember much, but I remember being put onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital.
I wake up in a hospital bed hours later, the heart monitor beeping at a quick rate.
My eyes open quickly, but it makes my head hurt so I clamp them shut again. "Dad?" I ask, my eyes still shut as I feel a presence in the room.
"I'm pretty sure we're not your father." A female voice answers.
I open my eyes again, slower this time, to meet a group of people. In the chair beside my bed is my mother, who seems to be smiling, like she actually cares about me.
Standing throughout the room is Victoria, Novalie, and Parker. I notice that Max didn't show. I'm glad he isn't here, I can't trust him.
"I told them not to tell him." Parker speaks up, noticing my moment of relief.
"Thanks." I mumble, making sure they can hear.
After a few minutes of me catching up with Victoria, Novalie, and Parker and my mother telling them what happened since I don't remember much, a rhythm of knocks sounds on the door and a doctor walks in.
"Hello." They greet. "I'm afraid I'll have to have all of you leave for a few minutes." They say after turning to my mom and my friends. My friends wave to me and parade out of the door, and I can't help but wonder where my dad is.
The doctor walks over to me to check my vitals (doctor stuff like heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and when he's done he turns to me.
"It seems that you passed out because you didn't have many fluids in your system. Have you been eating and drinking much lately?" The doctor asks.
I look at him in confusion. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I have. There's been a lot going on, I'd think that I would notice. I remember eating every now and then and getting enough water in my system." I answer, not hesitating.
The doctor nods. "Well, we're going to send you home because this is a first time thing and you don't seem guilty of anything. We will inform your parents what happened and we will discharge you." They finish.
"Thank you." I answer kindly, wearing a fake smile. I must not have noticed that I haven't been eating much lately. I literally passed out after setting down my yogurt and orange juice. How could that have seemed so casual if I haven't eaten much lately?
The doctor walks out of the room with a small, kind smile, and a minute later, my friends nearly trample each other trying to get into the room. My mother doesn't follow. Neither does my dad. "Geez, guys, I'm not that important." I joke, just to get my sad thoughts out of my head. They all give me a look saying 'don't even go there.' I raise my hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. Fine, whatever gets you all to sleep at night." I say, and they keep their looks but drop them after a second.
"When are you getting discharged?" Victoria asks excitedly.
"After the doctor talks to my parents." I answer. My eyes widen as I realize my date with Eli is supposed to be tonight. "What time is it?" I wonder quickly.
Parker checks his watch. "3:14 in the afternoon."
"I need to go. Now." I say, worried that I won't have time to get ready for the date if I leave too late.
I start sitting up quickly and my hand finds the side of my head as pain sears through it. I notice that there isn't an IV in my arm either, the doctor probably took it out when I wasn't looking.
I find a small stack of clothing on the small table next to the bed and my friends walk out as I start undressing from my hospital gown.
I get dressed quickly, and leave the gown on the bed. I walk out of the room and find the waiting room quickly. My friends are just standing against a wall on the side. "Are my parents still here?" I ask them, unsure how I'm going to get home.
"No." Parker answers. "They told us they were leaving and asked for one of us to drive you home, so I offered."
"Alright. Let's go then. I have to get home." I say, and start getting my friends to the elevator to get out of here.
"What's the big rush?" Novalie asks as I continue getting them out of the hospital doors after we get out of the elevator.
"I have plans." I say quickly, and no one questions me.
I guess I must be so mysterious that nobody questions me anymore.
We disperse to the different cars and I walk with Parker since he's taking me home. We get into his car and leave. I give Parker directions to my house and he follows them.
We get to my house in 20 minutes and I stop when I get out.
"Thanks for bringing me home." I say to Parker and give him a small smile.
"You're welcome, Ruby." Parker replies. I shut the door of his car and he drives off.
I immediately find myself looking at the cars sitting in the driveway and sigh. Both of my parents are home.
I can't help but wonder why my dad never came to see me when I was awake.
I walk up to the front door and unlock it before walking in.
Within my first steps into the house, I already hear the TV playing and find my eyes looking at my parents casually sitting together on the couch. Rather close.
"Hey." I say, catching my mom's attention. My dad ignores me.
"Hey." My mom answers. "How are you doing, sweetheart?" She asks, checking in on me.
"I'm feeling better. Thanks for being there when I passed out." I say, a small smile on my face.
"You're welcome, sweetheart." My mom answers, a smile on her face too.
"I'm heading upstairs." I say, finally noticing the sky darkening. I really need to get ready.
Once I get upstairs, I decide to take a tuxedo from my dad's closet for Eli -since I didn't get a chance to shop for one- and then get ready.
It was easy enough to find an old tuxedo from my dad's closet and soon enough I'm in my room dressed up in a navy blue and white halter neck dress, my feet are in a pair of black and white flats, and I am doing my hair and makeup. I sit on my bed next to my side table as I use my phone camera to see myself because Eli can see me getting ready if I use a mirror.
I put two small sections of my hair into braids -leaving the rest down- and tie the braids together.
After my hair is done, I decide to just put a small amount of mascara on and leave it at that.
Then I turn my phone off, put it in my small side-bag, and head to the mirror to give Eli his tuxedo for the date.
"Eli?" I ask the mirror as I stand beside it so I can't see in and ruin what he has set up. "I'm not looking, I promise. I just wanted to give you your tux so you can change before I come in." I say and I wait a few seconds before I hear his voice.
"You better not be looking. Okay. You can just put your hand through and hand me it." He says and I do as he says. "This is nice." He comments. "I will be back in a moment." He says and I sit on the edge of my bed with my palms over my eyes as I wait.
"You're good now. Keep your hands over your eyes -you look beautiful by the way- and stand and walk forward. Follow my voice." Eli says a few minutes later.
"Okay." I respond, my cheeks burning hot, my mind in so many places, and hope I don't run into anything on my way.