Hey All! Thanks again for all the great reviews. You guys are awesome!
I've decided on how I'm going to schedule the chapters so that it last ninths months and for the most part stays chronologically true to the present time. There will be small breaks here and there. The longest probably being a month. A two week break will occur after the next chapter. I'm sorry to make you guys wait but I really want it to function like a real season.
Here's the next chapter:
Chapter 3: Friends
"Good morning, Mac." Annie looked up from the counter where she was pouring herself a cup of coffee. "What are you doing up so early?"
Mac took a piece of toast off the plate on the counter. "I got a couple errands to run before getting to work. I got a double shift today."
Eric looked up from the newspaper at the table. "I thought T Bone was working the day shift."
Mac took a bite out of his toast. "Oh, he was but he's in no condition to work."
Eric and Annie looked at each other confused and then back at Mac. "What's wrong with T Bone?" Eric asked.
A guilty look came across Mac's face. "Oh, I thought you knew."
"Knew what?" Annie demanded.
"Well, it's not really my place but then again when has that stopped me." Mac rambled on leaving Eric and Annie on edge. "Ruthie broke up with T Bone last night."
"What?!" Eric and Annie both exclaimed.
Eric got up from the table and move toward Mac. "Why?"
Mac took another bite of toast. "Hey, I was lucky I got that much out of him. My money's on Ruthie finally came to her senses about Martin." He grinned a little. "Well, I gotta go. See ya later."
With Mac gone, Eric and Annie collapsed at the table in shock.
"I just don't believe it." Annie sputtered.
"Why not? I mean you're the one who's always saying how teenagers are constantly breaking up and getting back together. Ruthie's probably just angry over the phone thing. I'm sure they'll be back together soon." Eric reasoned.
"Let's hope you're right and Mac's wrong." Annie sighed. "Ruthie needs to just give up on Martin already. They are not right for each other."
"I agree but she's got to figure that out on her own." Eric continued being the wise pastor. "We can't stop her from loving him."
Annie was about to say something when Ruthie came cheerfully down the stairs. She was dressed in a white blouse and blue jeans with black heels. Her hair was straightened out showing off her new haircut that Mary treated her to while they were in New York.
"Good morning." She said pouring herself some orange juice.
Eric and Annie just stared at her expectantly.
Ruthie rolled her eyes and set down her glass on the counter. "Who told you?" She figured T Bone wouldn't keep his big mouth shut very long.
"Mac." Eric stated.
"Well, I don't want to talk about it. You're just going to have to believe that it was the right decision." Ruthie held eye contact with her parents.
"But Ruthie, T Bone loves you." Annie said softly.
"But I don't love him." Ruthie sighed. "Listen. I don't have time for this. I got an appointment with the guidance counselor at the community college. She's gonna help me get registered for classes. And then I have to see about getting my job back."
"Okay" was all Annie and Eric could let out as they watched their daughter exit the kitchen.
They turned to look at each other. "At least she's taking an interest in her life outside of a boyfriend." Eric said unsurely.
Glen Oak Community College consisted of one large brick building. That was all that was needed since only about 200 students attended it annually. Ruthie was coming out of the sliding glass doors of that brick building looking down at her class schedul. It was only four classes of core curriculum but they would transfer to any college in the country. Distracted by her thoughts on why she had agreed to an eight am class, Ruthie bumped into another girl walking toward the building.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." Ruthie apologized picking up her schedule which had fallen on the cement walkway.
"Well, neither was I so we're equally to blame." The girl laughed lightly.
Ruthie looked at the girl. She looked about her age. She was of medium height, had straight light brown hair and deep blue eyes. Ruthie immediately found herself wanting to get to know more about this girl with an infectious smile.
The girl looked at Ruthie inquisitively. "You look familiar. You wouldn't happen to be a Camden?"
Ruthie's eyes widened. "Yeah, how'd you know? Do you know my father?"
The girl laughed. "Not officially. My Dad's the man who's taking over for your Dad at the church."
"Oh, you're Reverend Bennett's daughter." Ruthie responded surprised.
"Felicity." She held out her hand.
"Ruthie." Ruthie returned the handshake.
Felicity hesitated before asking, "Look, I know this sounds strange. But I was hoping we could be friends since I'm new in town and know no one."
Ruthie smiled. "That would be great. I could use a friend at the moment."
"Great." Felicity brushed a lose hair from her peachy face. "I got to get to an appointment with the counselor but how about we meet up for lunch?"
"Sure." Ruthie agreed. "How about Pete's Pizza. It's at the promenade. You can't miss it."
"Okay. I'll see you there." Felicity waved goodbye and entered the building.
Ruthie continued her walk to the bus stop. So far my new life doesn't seem so bad.
The promenade was busy as usual for a summer day. Ruthie came out of the movie theater relieved to know that she had a job. She would need the money especially if she ever wanted to get the stupid tattoo off her back.
"Hey, Mac." Ruthie greeted the sandy blonde who was confined in the Premiere's ticket box.
"Oh, hey, Ruthie." Mac said hesitantly.
"It's okay, Mac. I don't care if you told my parents about the break up." Ruthie assured. "They'd have to find out sooner or later and either way they were going to be disappointed."
"Well, don't tell anyone but I'm not disappointed that you broke up with T Bone." Mac confided. "In fact, I'm elated that it happened."
Ruthie's face read shocked. "What?"
"Hey, I can't help it." Mac smiled. "I will forever think you and Martin belong together."
Ruthie blushed. "Who said was still interested in Martin?"
"No one. But I've known you two too long to not realize that that you two will always be crazy for each other."
"We're not crazy for each other. Martin's never been interested in me. He was just confused when he said he was." Ruthie insisted.
Mac bent forward that his mouth was almost kissing the Plexiglas. "Ruthie, Martin's been crazy for you since his junior year in high school. It just took him too long to figure that out. He still loves you." Mac's voice was tinged with seriousness rarely heard coming from his mouth.
Ruthie felt her mouth dry up, her heart pound and tears brimming on her eyes.
"Excuse me. Are you buying a ticket?" A stick thin blonde girl asked snottily from behind Ruthie.
"Oh, sorry." Ruthie moved out of the way but not breaking eye contact with Mac.
He mouthed, "It's true" before putting his attention to getting the blonde a ticket.
Ruthie started toward Pete's Pizza slowly gaining her composure again yet her heart still pounded with the possibilities.
"Hey, you found it good." Ruthie smiled as she approached Pete's Pizza seeing Felicity sitting at a table near the entrance. She tried her best to put her thoughts on Mac's words to the back of her mind.
"You were right. You can't miss it." She got up politely until Ruthie had taken a seat.
(Time Lapse)
"So tell me about yourself. Where'd you move from?" Ruthie asked her new friend as she took a bite from her pizza.
"Virginia. Richmond to be specific." Felicity answered.
"Wow! That's quite a move especially just for a job."
"The job was just a blessing. We had been planning to move out here for year because my grandparents live about an hour from here. They're our only living extended family." Felicity took a sip of her soda.
"Did you grow up in Richmond? That's got to be tough to move away after so many years." Ruthie pried.
"Yeah. Tell me about. I miss all my friends already especially my boyfriend."
"You have a boyfriend?" Ruthie started to sound like a middle school girl.
Felicity nodded. "His name is Ben. We've been together forever. And now, we're both started new lives. Him at college and me here in California. I don't know how we can make it when we can't even understand each other's lives."
"Well, I hope that you can make it. It's not easy getting your heart broken." Ruthie said softly.
"You sound like you speak from experience." Felicity's interest was immediately peeked.
"I guess. I fell in love with a guy who got another girl pregnant. It's a long story." Ruthie sighed.
"I got time." Felicity smiled.
Ruthie smiled back. "Well, if you insist." She told her friend the whole story. This was the first time that she had shared all the details and all her feelings about the past two years to anyone. Ruthie had never felt so good just to get it off her chest.
"So do you think, you and Martin will get together now that you broke up with T Bone." Felicity asked when Ruthie was done.
"Uh, I don't know. I don't know if we can ever get past the past." Ruthie admitted honestly.
It was almost dinner time, before Ruthie made it home. She was surprised to find everyone – Eric, Annie, Lucy, Kevin, Savannah, Sam, David, Jane and Margaret—all in sitting in the living room. T Bone was standing by the fireplace.
"Good. You're here." T Bone said to Ruthie. "Sit down." He demanded coldly.
Ruthie felt guilty. It was obvious he was still hurt. She sat down obediently looking around at everyone questioningly. They just shrugged.
"Since Mac has to work, I will tell him this later but I have big news." T Bone started to pace a little before speaking again. "I have thought about this a lot and Reverend and Mrs. Camden, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me but I've decided that I'm going to live with my Dad in Santa Barbara. I'll be leaving next week."
Annie gasped. "Oh, T Bone we don't want you to move."
"I know, Mrs. Camden. But I've really grown to love my Dad over the summer and I think it will be best if I leave." He stared at Ruthie.
Now she felt even guiltier. Not only was she the reason for T Bone's broken heart but also the reason why her parents looked like they just lost one of their own children, the reason why Sam and David looked like they were going to cry and the reason Jane sat there trying her best but failing to appear like she didn't care. It seemed that in her effort to fix her life, she was breaking everyone else's.
Next Time on Far Away: A party in honor of T Bone leads Ruthie to some uncomfortable confrontations
