She trudged up the walkway in her worn shoes. She gently pushed the cheap shades she wore back into place. With a shaky hand she knocked on the door, unsure of how she would be greeted. The door opened to the small red-headed woman that she resembled. Her mother looked worn out, like she had to bear a lot of weight on her shoulders over the years. The wrinkles on her face and grey streaks in her hair pushed a guilty weight onto the girl's chest. She knew she was the one to put those there. She gulped as her mother stared at her with sad eyes. She knew she wasn't welcome here anymore, that burdensome weight on her heart getting heavier.
"Ruby," her mother whispered and looked down at the porch she stood on.
"Mom," She whimpered in return. She fiddled with the button on her blouse. The blouse that was given to her by a nurse at the rehab center she had been at during the past six months.
"I just can't do this again sweetie. I can't take this… Here," she said handing her a good pair of sunglasses and a wad of money. Ruby wanted to push the money back at her, but she knew she needed it. She had to find somewhere to live while she looked for a job. She took the money and nodded.
"I understand," she whispered, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "I'll pay you back, I promise."
Turning around she traded the cheap sunglasses for her nice ones and strolled down the walkway. She walked down the block, and then the next. Her eyes filled with tears that spilled down her cheeks. She swiped away at the tears as she walked, watching the sidewalk beneath her feet. Her shoulder hit someone as she walked and she mumbled a sorry, but kept moving.
"Ruby?" said a familiar voice. She stopped and turned her head to see her old friend Draculaura. She smirked thinking she was still short as ever, even in her heels and Ruby in tennis shoes. Ruby was still taller.
"Oh, I cannot believe it! It is you!" she said cheerily, "I have not seen you in years! How are you?"
Ruby watched as her eyes went from happy, to filled with pity. Ruby suddenly found her grubby shoes very interesting.
"I'm okay, I guess. I mean… I will be okay. Don't worry about me. I'll get myself together somehow…," Ruby replied scratching the back of her head and kicking a small pebble.
"Oh, well that's good," Draculaura replied smiling again, "I hear Jace is in college to be a doctor."
"Is he? That's nice," Ruby replied, feeling herself start to get shaky. She didn't need it. She had to keep telling herself that. This pretty little vampire reminded her of why she started getting those hits in the first place. She put her hand in the pocket of her jeans as the idea of finding her brother and staying with him flew out the door. Her shoulders dropped and she let out a sigh. Draculaura looked her over.
"So, where are you staying? With your mother?" Her head tilted to the side with curiosity.
Ruby shook her head and said nothing, feeling her tears drip again. Why was she crying? It was her own fault, after all. With a deep breath she gave Draculaura a watery smile.
"Well, it was nice seeing you," Ruby said and gave her a wave as she turned and walked.
"Wait! You are not visiting your mother?" Draculaura ran up next to her, "Well, our house is full right now, but let me make a few calls. I think Manny has space! Jace always stays with one of us when he visits. Manny, or Jackson, or Clawd and I."
Ruby's eyes widened and she shook her head, but she could already hear Draculaura's phone ringing. As the other side picked up she heard a deep "Hello".
"Manny! How are you?" Draculaura said cheerfully, "Are you still living by yourself?"
Ruby could hear a deep breath and then something about Clawd's family tearing up his house.
"No, no, it's not for Clawd. It's for Jace. You remember him, right?" Draculaura said and gave Ruby a smile. She could hear a "Jace is back in town?" on the line. She watched as Draculaura shook her head.
"No, silly. He's in school. Ruby is back in town!" she said, "And you owe me a favor for introducing you to some family members."
She heard a groan on speaker and something about having already returned the favor.
"Please, Manny!" Draculaura pleaded, "Please, please, pleeeeeeeaaaaase."
"Alright! For how long?" a shout came from the speaker.
Draculaura shrugged, "Well, I don't know. Maybe she could rent a room from you?"
Draculaura looked at Ruby and smiled. Ruby nodded, hey, it was a place to stay. With a shrug she smiled at Draculaura who wrapped her arm through Ruby's, dragging her to a nice looking car. With that, Ruby was swept away to a nice looking two story house with stones decorating the bottom, wood paneling and a nice new blue truck in the driveway that said Taur Construction on the side. Ruby took a deep breath. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. She only really remembered Manny before she got into the drugs, maybe he's changed, right? She walked to the door behind Draculaura, feeling very inadequate compared to the fashionable vamp. The image of Manny in High School breaking her sunglasses on purpose filled her mind. The thought of him sneering at her and calling her a normie made her shudder. Draculaura lifted a manicured finger and pressed the doorbell. She let out a giggle and looked at Ruby.
"Manny has his own company now. He works in construction," she smiled even bigger so that her eyes closed. The door opened and a giant figure leaned against it. He was even bigger than he had been at Monster High. She looked at his big heavy looking boots and then up his jean-clad legs, to his tight shirt with a construction logo on it, and up to his blue eyes staring at her. She watched his jaw clench in irritation and his strong arms crossed in front of him.
"I won't tolerate any drugs in my house, Ruby," He growled, she saw his tail twitch behind him and nodded. She hesitantly lifted her arms to show the scarred skin that remained from her time of drug use.
"I understand. I don't do that anymore," she took a deep breath and nodded as though to reassure herself, "I am better than that. I deserve a life."
Manny nodded and turned to the side letting them in. Ruby glanced at Draculaura and smiled. The house was really nice, but hey anything was nice compared to what she had been used to. The living room was big and open. The ceiling went all the way to the roof of the second floor so it felt huge. There was a giant screen tv, had to be at least seventy inch. The wrap around couch looked comfy enough to sink into and there were tons of windows for natural light. Paintings of scenery adorned the walls. She looked up at the balcony for the second story and could tell there were a few rooms up there as well as below, and to her right she saw a nice kitchen with wood floors and granite counters. The place looked new, it reminded her of those display houses, like it wasn't even lived in. She was used to houses with some dust and clothes strewn about, hell even a dish in the sink. She glanced at Manny and wondered if he was the one to build it.
His blue eyes were still staring at her as though he were deep in thought. Blonde hair was slightly longer but it was his arms that worried her. They were still crossed over his chest. She looked down at the wood floor. He wasn't going to let her stay, she could tell. She couldn't remember what happened after she started using, but she knew it was bad. Even her brother tried to get her out of the drug cycle, but she just went right back in. This time she was out for good. It was difficult when you wake up next to a dead body, a body that had been dead for quite a while. She shuddered at the image of his bluish purple lips, flies moving in and out of his mouth. She looked back up at Manny. He moved his hands to his hips and Ruby felt her shoulders relax a little. It was funny how body language could show what a person is thinking.
Manny sighed and nodded, "Alright, I owe Jace big time, and let's face it Ruby. I help you out and that turns the table. Jace would do anything for you. He did do everything he could. You messed him up good when you took off."
Ruby nodded, she knew that her brother would be extremely grateful to anyone who helped her out. They called him Jace, his middle name, but Ruby knew him as Sapphire. Ruby and Jace were twins, half gorgon and half human. Sapphire had blue snakes for hair, and blue eyes that didn't turn people to stone. Ruby, however, was the cursed one with red and gold eyes that would turn a person to stone in the blink of an eye. Her hair was red like her mothers. She never knew what her father looked like. They were the product of a one night stand and so they would probably never know.
"How did Sapph- uh… Jace help you? Why do you owe him?" Ruby asked looking around the room. Her eyes stopped on a blown up to poster sized picture of them when they were on the Scream Team. Manny had an arm over her shoulder and her brothers. Deuce stood next to her looking cool as ever. She remembered him saying that the stone-cold stunners had to stand next to each other. The memory brought a smile to her face. Deuce was so handsome and she had the biggest crush on him back then. She found herself wanting to touch the picture, but held herself back. She couldn't change the past. That's what her counselor had told her; he told her she needed to move on and make a fresh start.
"He helped me out when I was having a hard time," Manny said from directly behind her, his breath on top of her head. He was looking at the picture as well. She jumped a bit, wondering when he moved behind her. Then she pointed to the picture.
"We were great that year," she said smiling, "I miss playing Skulltimate Rollermaze. We were good at it."
He chuckled from behind her, still not moving.
"We did the best that year, but then you quit the team," he said in his deep voice. She turned and looked at him, her head tilted to the side.
"Did you miss me?" she asked with a smile. He snorted and shook his head.
"Hell no, I didn't miss you playing on the team," he said crossing his arms, "You're a girl!"
Draculaura shook her head, crossing her arms, "Don't start that again, Manny! We girls are pretty tough! Ruby and Jace were awesome when they worked together!"
Manny held his hands up and laughed, "Okay, they were great, but she's so scrawny now. There's no way she could beat me anymore."
Ruby watched as he flexed his arm muscles and shook her head. She looked down at her thin arms and frowned. She hadn't realized how thin she had become, but looking at the picture from when she was younger compared to now, made her frown. She really had become so thin she was practically a skeleton. Rubbing her thin arms she looked over at Manny as he continued to show off his massive muscle mass.
"Well, I will let you two discuss the arrangements of your deal. I have to get to my appointment," Draculaura said giving Ruby a hug, "It is good to have you back. I will see you soon."
Ruby smiled and gave her a brief hug in return, "Thank you, for everything."
Draculaura beamed, "No prob. I am here if you need me."
Ruby pushed her hands into her pockets and watched as Draculaura left. She looked around the large house, taking everything in. Manny cleared his throat behind her, making her jump. She turned and looked at him. Most people were taken back by her reflective sunglasses, but Manny looked like he could see through them and straight into her eyes.
"So, I guess I'm renting you a room for now. Do you even have money, or a job?" he asked leaning back onto a side table and crossing his ankles.
"Uhm… n-no, I don't have much money. I'll look for a job," she pulled her red hair behind her ear, nervously and looked down at Manny's boots.
"Well I guess we'll figure out how much you're going to pay in rent after you find a job," he said scratching the back of his head and then giving her a big smile as a thought crossed his mind, "I'll tell you what. You make the food and I'll buy it."
Ruby eyed him, one eyebrow going up. She crossed her arms over her chest.
Manny raised his hands up, "That's the deal. You're the one looking for somewhere to stay."
"Damn, you're still a sexist pig, aren't you," she said blowing her red bangs to the side, "Fine, I'll cook, but you have to clean the dishes!"
Manny smirked as though he won the battle, "Alright, you cook, and I clean."
He moved around her, his eyebrow raised and asked, "Where's your stuff?"
Her head tilted as it moved to follow him, "What stuff?"
"You're clothes and shampoo and stuff," he replied. She looked down at the used clothes she wore and suddenly felt very small. His stance suddenly changed from hard to soft.
"You don't have anything else, do you?" he asked, his head tilting. She squeezed her hands together, staring at her fingers and shook her head. He stood a little straighter and gave her a look like he felt sorry for her. She saw that look and stood straighter, putting her hands at her sides.
"Don't you dare look at me like that. I made my own choices. I am stronger now and I'm going to pull myself through this or die trying," she said, her lips pursing in anger. He raised his eyebrows and held his hands up.
"I don't know who would hire someone dressed like a hobo, but that's up to you. I could loan you some money for clothes. You can pay me back later," he suggested as he reached past her, grabbing a set of keys from a hook behind her. She found herself breathing in through her nose a moment, smelling the woodsy scent of his cologne as he was inches from her. She followed him as he made his way out to the big truck sitting in his driveway. He opened the door for her and she moved to get in. He put his hands on her waist helping her up. She was surprised at how different he seemed from the way he had treated her in High School. He closed the door for her before getting in on the driver's side. He turned the key and she heard country music blaring from the radio. Smirking he stepped on the gas.
"Country? Really? I never thought you would ever like country," she said rolling the window down. She never pictured herself liking riding in a truck either, but the sound of the engine rumbling made her smile. It made her feel tough just riding in it, it helped that she felt taller than everyone sitting in it.
"What's wrong with country?" Manny asked putting an arm over the back of the seat. She shook her head.
"Nothing," she said, feeling his fingers next to her shoulder on the back of the seat.
"Hey, you better get used to it, girl. Seeing as how you don't have a car," he said with a smirk. She bit her lip to stop from saying anything and reached for the radio. He shoved her hand away.
"Woman! You don't touch a man's radio, or tv remote for that matter," he said sternly and she couldn't help but laugh.
