“Yeah, but nobody uses the name and that includes you.”
“Your parents had some weird ideas then.”
She scoffs. “My mum. Ironic thing—I was born on a Thursday.”
I laugh and hear her chuckle too. “Sit with me?”
She drops the cigarette butt and hesitates. “I should go inside.”
“Why? Because of Dan?”
In response, Ruby drags a chair and sits opposite me, crossing her skinny legs. The light from the house casts across her face, her red-painted mouth, and the eyes that are the window to a place of hurt we share. She chews one of her short, black-painted nails and meets my scrutiny.
“You’re not what I expected,” she says. “Or you weren’t until you fucked Sara.”
“I didn’t, remember?”
“Only because Bryn interrupted.”
“What did you expect me to be, Ruby?”
“A condescending dick who’d have his hand up my skirt at the first opportunity.”
I shake my head and laugh. “I like the band. If I piss you off, I have to start looking all over again.”
“So this isn’t your natural respect for me?”
“Nope. I’m a condescending dick who preys on women.”
“You’re not.”
“Recently.” The turn of the conversation disturbs me and I shift in my chair. Two can play at this. “You’re not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“A strong girl who wouldn’t let a dickhead screw her around.”
Ruby jumps to her feet and the light plastic chair falls over. “Fuck you!” she snaps.
“Wow. Okay. Sorry.”That escalated fucking quickly.
“You don’t know a thing about me,” she continues. “Don’t judge.”
And she’s back, the girl from the shadows gone. I stand too, blown away by the split-second shift in mood. “Sure, whatever. But you can’t hide from what’s happening. Not forever.”
Ruby steps closer me, her height in the thick-soled boots placing her close to my eye level. “Keep out of my personal life, Jem Jones.”
I want to grab Ruby’s shoulders and shake common sense in, pull her off the destructive path she’s on. Ruby’s glare softens to confusion and she briefly glances at my mouth before stepping back.
“Leave me alone,” she says quietly, and then heads back to the house.
As she opens the door and the light shines on her, Ruby’s frailty hits me. In her Ruby persona, the weakness is masked behind the attitude. I heave in a breath. I walked a destructive path and I know nobody can pull you off the road you’re destined to take—only she can make the decision to change direction. I wish I knew who put Ruby on the path she’s following.
“Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday,” I sing softly to myself and laugh.