At Michelle Obama Middle School, Ruby's entire grade was anxiously waiting to see her friend Cornelia's mother, Dr. Dawson. The Starstone sisters appreciated the middle school's name since it was named after a woman of color who'd been a former First Lady.

The school's original name hadn't been popular with most in the neighborhood, so they renamed it during the Obama Administration to establish the school was moving forward, not backward.

Ruby kept glancing at the sizeable old-fashioned clock on the wall. On her planet, they measure the hours of the day slightly differently. Yes, they did have twenty-four hours, but they told time more like Europeans with a twenty-four-hour clock and not a twelve-hour clock.

So, to her, the time read Tiger's Eye Brown, which translated into 9:30 a.m. Earth time. Still, she kept that to herself. She was glad her friends and their siblings had taken an interest in crystals, but she wasn't about to divulge the truth about who she genuinely was.

"You skittish about seeing my mom?" Cornelia questioned curiously as she played with her blue braid.

"Why would I be worried?" Ruby asked, to which Cornelia explained, "Well, most individuals don't like therapists due to stigma. I also got the impression this is your first time meeting with one. Therefore, I assumed you might be a bit tense."

Ruby twisted the brilliant red streak in her hair. Today, she'd changed up her outfit and let her hair down. Everyone said they loved her new look: a red mini jacket, a T-shirt, and leggings. Her peace symbol was now on a choker.

"Okay, I will concede it's a little nerve-wreaking. However, Crystal assured me I shouldn't agonize too much. After all, she and her boyfriend have been seeing a therapist for the last week."

"Oh? Who have they been seeing?" Cornelia asked, interested.

Ruby shrugged, "They've seen some shrink named Dr. Jared Weiss...why are you looking at me like that?" Ruby looked at her friend's bewildered expression.

"Um, I can only say Dr. Weiss isn't a mental health therapist. He's more of a romantic relationship doctor," she said as heat rose to her pale cheeks.

Ruby only looked perplexed herself. Instead, she changed the topic by asking Chrissy how her last basketball practice went. That conversation went much better than the awkward one Ruby had inadvertently brought up.

While Ruby waited her turn to be seen by Dr. Dawson, she didn't realize her sister and Shaggy were in their own appointment with a sex therapist. They'd been struggling to move from holding hands to sleeping with each other. So they'd decided to see a specialist regarding it.

"So, have you completed your assignments for me?" Dr. Weiss asked as the couple turned in their journals. He sifted through them and then asked them, "I understand the first time is the most challenging and is a big step forward in a relationship.

However, according to your journals, you've taken several months to get to know each other genuinely. You're also true friends and seem to have enough in common with some healthy differences.

I'm perceiving a fear of intimacy. So, would you kindly explain to me where your anxiety stems from?"

Crystal replied, "It's more of a cultural aspect for me. It's not a sin to have sex before marriage for us. However, in my civilization, you need a sign to show it's the right time to do it by our deities. Nothing suggests it's the right time to be intimate."

Shaggy answered, "I'm a pretty mellow dude most of the time. However, I will confess I've some exceptionally traumatic memories from the life I led before coming to Chicago. I want this to be a good memory, but I fear it won't be."

"We also have to think about my younger sister. Neither my parents nor I have explained yet what comes with being intimate with someone, so I also feel I need to be honest with her on some level," Crystal added.

As the young adults continued to converse regarding their relationship issues, Ruby eventually met with Dr. Dawson. After getting comfortable and being given a water bottle, they began to speak.

Dr. Dawson adjusted her glasses before introducing herself. She added that she was delighted to meet her daughter's new best friend. Ruby replied politely that it was a mutual feeling to meet her.

"So, I'm going to ask you a few questions. Please don't take offense if they come off as too personal. However, to help you, I need to know some intimate details about your life."

Ruby fidgeted in her comfortable chair. "Okay, what would you like to know?"

"I want to know how you felt about staying with your sister. From my notes, you two didn't have a favorable relationship."

Ruby shook her head, "That's not true. I love my big sister very much! She's my hero and role model. I could never stay mad at her forever. I will acknowledge that I did have some resentment at first about her moving so far away.

I was also jealous at first that she was dating. I felt like I was being replaced and forgotten about when she came here. I suppose that's why I started acting out back home."

"Oh, what exactly were you doing to let out these feelings of jealousy and betrayal?"

"I did some stupid stuff, like sometimes stealing or being highly disrespectful. Some thought it was me entering rebellion prematurely. However, I didn't want to accept it then; I was honestly just enraged that my sister had moved away and had someone else in her life now.

Someone who seemed more meaningful to her then myself. I feel horrible now for acting out instead of having a civil conversation with her. Or even telling my parents how I felt."

"Did you have similar feelings of betrayal when your parents sent you here?"

She nodded, "I love my family dearly. Initially, I felt shunned and forsaken by everyone. Yet, I understand that occasionally, you must make difficult choices, and love is unlimited."

"Do you also understand that individuals can have many different people in their lives?"

"Yes, I have awesome new companions. I've even accepted my sister's boyfriend. I wish I could tell her I'm alright with her dating now and understand she's a grown woman with different needs.

But I'm okay with her having a romantic partner. Our relationship is just as special as her one with her partner."

They talked for a few more minutes, and then Ruby returned to class. When she got home that evening, she handed her sister a letter she'd written before heading to her room to get a head start on her homework.

Crystal read the letter in shock, realizing this was the sign she'd been waiting for. She showed Shaggy the letter and drawing that came with it. So that night, after dinner, they finally slept together for the first time!