Page 9 of Fractured Mind
The door is flung open, and Ruby strides in with a big smile. I stand wide-eyed, wearing a bathrobe. Her eyes skim over me and she smirks. “Ashton will be fighting the guys off with a bat.”
An uneasy sensation settles in my stomach. I haven’t even met him yet. We may have been friends before, but that was a lifetime ago.
She steps around me and rakes her long French-tip nails through my hair. “I love the color, with the highlights at the front.”
I try to smile, but I’m still anxious about what to wear. “Are we going somewhere nice? Do I have to dress up, or should I wear something casual?” I don’t care about fashion, but for once it would be nice to fit in.
“Aim for darker clothes and no dresses.” She purses her lips for a second. “No open shoes either.”
My brows pull together. “Why dark clothes?”
“You’ll see...” she teases with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She’s wearing black leather pants, a casual black jacket, and high boots.
“Are we going on a motorcycle ride?”
She laughs and hands me distressed black jeans and a cropped, fitted biker jacket.
“So, I’m right?”
“I guess you’ll find out soon.”
While I’m getting dressed, she asks, “Can I do your makeup?” Her eyes flash with excitement, but I rarely wear makeup. She must see my apprehension. “I’ll do a great job, I promise.”
I gulp and nod.
She takes makeup out of her bag and glides different brushes over my face. Once she’s finished, she claps her hands. “The smokey eyeshadow brings out the green in your eyes.”
“I’m worried.” I wince when I realize I said it out loud.
She jokingly smacks my arm. “Go check out my handiwork.”
After getting up and looking in the mirror, my jaw hits the ground. The clothes and makeup differ from what I’m used to wearing, but I like the way they look on me.
Ruby stares at me, and as my lips curve up, she grins smugly. “I told you so.”
We talk about everything, and my doubts drift away. She’s easy to talk to, and there’s no judgment when I explain what I’ve gone through with my mother. When I check the time, hours have gone by.
“What time did you book dinner?” I ask, suddenly alarmed.
“Don’t worry. There’s somewhere else I wanted to take you.”
Once we get to the front door, Nana calls out, “Don’t forget you have school tomorrow!”
“We won’t be home late,” I reply.
“Okay, have fun, girls!”
Ruby giggles. “We will.”
As we walk out to her car, I stop and smirk. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”
She winks. “Better believe it. Now get in.”
Although I’m not much of a car person, I have to admit the muscle car is impressive. Once we’re settled in our seats, she turns on the car. It roars to life.
While driving, she side-eyes me. “How’s it been going since you arrived?”
“Okay. Nana’s been great, and I went for my first run yesterday.”