Ruby froze, jaw dropping in disbelief at the sight directly in front of her. Not even ten seconds ago she was waving to her brother as he headed towards the school building, she didn't see the car, nor did she hear it swerve until last minute. Ruby had shielded her eyes in response to the close proximity, falling back. It was only when her gaze fixated back on the car in front of her that the chilling reality came crashing down all at once. Craig hadn't finished crossing the street. Even though the car had swerved, it still hit Craig head on at an angle. By now, bystanders had started to call 911 and she was just standing there, staring in horror at the sight. No, no… Craig is a strong guy, he'll be fine, he is fine.
Ruby dropped her bag and sprinted towards the scene, her brother lying on the cold pavement. He didn't look fine at all, he had sustained serious damage to his chest, it's a wonder if his lungs weren't punctured by cracked ribs during the impact. Ruby clenched her fists, tears welling up as she knelt down beside her brother, taking his hand in hers. "Craig…" She could barely speak, his name coming out as more of a whimper. He doesn't respond, presumably knocked out as soon as he hit the ground. She checked his pulse, he was still alive, still breathing. He was going to be just fine, he had to be. Out of nowhere she's tugged up, an officer ordering her to stand back as they take care of the scene. She refuses to move aside, desperately clinging to her fallen brother, sobbing. "He can't die! Craig please be okay! He's my brother, I have to stay with him, please!" The officer manages to pry her away as Craig's limp body is loaded into an ambulance, the whole time she punches blindly at the officer holding her back.
The rest of the day was mostly a blur, she didn't remember a lot of what happened in between, she just remembers the incident, and being near his bedside at the hospital. Her entire family was told Craig didn't make it. He had suffered from major internal bleeding, a severe concussion, shattered ribs, and damage to his internal organs. He died within minutes of arriving to the hospital. She waited anyway, expecting him to open his eyes at any moment and greet her with one of the usual insults, to which she would insult him back in return. She refused to believe he was dead, she refused to leave his side. Her parents had to pry her away from the hospital bed to get her to go home. She screamed and fought and cried the whole time, but it was no use, they wouldn't let her stay, she had to face the facts, her only brother, her everything, was gone.
The ride home was long, full of tears, and silence, and sorrow. Ruby's Mother wouldn't stop crying, she couldn't believe her oldest son had died, her Father was trying hard to keep his composure, it was obvious they were all distraught. Ruby rushed to Craig's room as soon as she got home, she locked herself away inside. Nothing would be removed from this room, not on her watch. She was going to keep everything, his favorite blue jacket that was hung up in the closet, the teddy bear she had given him on his tenth birthday, his favorite guitar, absolutely everything special to him, she wouldn't let it go.
Ruby climbed into his bed, wearing his blue jacket as she curled up under the covers. Everything smelt like him, that all too familiar scent of Axe body spray and cigarette smoke. She shut her eyes, trembling as the tears welled up again. She knew she had to be strong, that's what Craig would want. She was always his strong little sister, always proving she could take care of herself. Ruby missed him terribly, and it hadn't even been a day yet. She just couldn't imagine living without her brother by her side, she'd never wake up to him tugging off her covers, he'd never flip her off again, or insult her. She didn't have anyone to prove herself to, no one to encourage her to be strong or keep going.
All of it…was over.