Chapter 4 Going Home
770 Words
The crowd erupted into whistles and jeers.
Kelly's friends watched with smug anticipation, waiting for Ruby to break.
Ruby trembled with fury.
Growing up poor, she had endured plenty of cold treatment. But this—this blatant humiliation—was a first.
"I won't do it." Her voice was hoarse from anger.
"Won't do it?" Kelly sneered before turning to the bar owner. "See? This is the kind of service your employees provide. Get her out of my sight! I never want to see her here again!"
"Kelly, what's going on?" A lazy, magnetic voice cut through the noise. A tall figure pushed through the crowd, making his way toward Kelly.
It was Bill.
Ruby suddenly stepped closer to Kelly and whispered, "Did you know too much aphrodisiac incense can cause poisoning?"
"W-what?!" Kelly's eyes widened, her expression betraying guilt.
'How does this waitress know I used aphrodisiac incense on Bill?!'
"Imagine if I told Bill," Ruby continued, her gaze sharp as a knife. "What do you think he'd do to you?"
Since that morning, when she had entered the wrong room, she had caught the distinct scent lingering in the air.
She knew the chemical composition of that particular fragrance—after all, she had worked with it in the lab while researching for her thesis.
Bill slipped an arm around Kelly's waist, his gaze lingering on Ruby. His curiosity deepened at the defiant fire in her eyes. "Kelly?"
"Everything's fine!" Kelly blurted out, quickly turning him away.
"Just a rude waitress who spilled a drink on me. Forget it. I won't stoop to her level."
Bill shrugged, unconcerned, but something nagged at him.
The girl standing before him—her scent was oddly familiar.
'Could it be her?'
Ruby met his searching gaze and, without hesitation, flipped him off.
'What a terrible taste in women,' she thought.
At least Kelly had backed off.
Ruby sighed in relief.
"Ruby, you're fired." The bar owner's heavy voice cut through her thoughts.
She spun around in shock.
"What?! But she just said to let it go!" Anna protested indignantly.
"And if she changes her mind and complains again? I can't afford to offend Bill Jones' girlfriend."
Ruby looked at the bar owner's panicked expression and exhaled deeply.
"Fine. Pay me for tonight, and I'll go."
In the dressing room, Anna ranted about Kelly and the bar owner before turning to Ruby with concern.
"At least they're not making you pay for anything. It's just a job. There are plenty of others."
Ruby nodded. "Thanks, Anna."
Anna pulled her into a quick hug. "You okay? Need someone to walk you home?"
"I'll be fine. I live in the Kingston University dorms—not far."
Anna's eyes widened. "You're a Kingston University student?!" Most people assumed Kingston students were all rich kids.
"I got in on a scholarship. I have to work to cover my living expenses," Ruby explained.
Anna stared at her with newfound admiration. "No wonder you're so smart. That woman was ready to humiliate you, and you turned the tables on her in seconds! But seriously, you shouldn't be working in a place like this. It's not for you."
Ruby's phone buzzed.
She rummaged through her bag for her old-model phone. "Hello?"
"Is this Ruby? Laura collapsed!"
A cold wave shot through her body. Laura, her grandmother, was her only family.
"I have to go back—I need to get back to Sunset Hollow immediately!" she murmured, her voice breaking.
Anna grabbed her by the arm, noticing that Ruby hadn't even picked up her bag. Her whole demeanor was off—panicked, disoriented.
"Ruby, take a breath. What happened?"
Ruby's wild eyes locked onto Anna's, and some clarity returned. "My grandmother—she collapsed. I have to go!"
The bus sped down the empty highway in the dead of night. Most passengers had fallen asleep, but Ruby sat upright, tense and restless.
Mary, the neighbor who had called, had told her, "For someone Laura's age and condition, a stroke can be dangerous. Thankfully, she was found in time."
Laura had collapsed while baking bread—her daily routine to make a little extra money to support Ruby. She would wake up before dawn, bake, and personally deliver the loaves around town.
Ruby had begged her to stop. She was eighteen now. She could work and take care of them both. But Laura had refused to let her bear the burden alone.
Laura was the only person in the world who had ever loved Ruby unconditionally.
Silent tears streamed down her face.
If Laura didn't recover... what should she do?
- Writer
