Ruby Love

Chapter 3 : Rainy Day

Lily woke up with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, trying to remember what happened last night. She had gone to a party with Sarah and they had both gotten drunk. She winced at the memory of and on how embarrassing it felt for him to find her in the bathroom. She felt like she was being shattered into a million pieces.

She knew she had to get up and get ready for school, but the thought of facing her dad made her stomach churn. He had been in a bad mood lately, and she didn't know why. He was usually a quiet man, but lately, he had been drinking more and more. Lily suspected it had something to do with her mom, who was also struggling with addiction.

As she got dressed, she heard her dad yelling in the other room. She knew she had to be careful around him when he was like this. She tried to sneak out of the house, but he caught her by the arm and slammed her against the wall. "Where do you think you're going?" he growled.

Lily winced in pain but tried to keep her voice steady. "I have to go to school," she said.

Her dad sneered at her. "You're not going anywhere until you clean up this mess," he said, gesturing to the empty bottles on the floor.

Lily felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him that he was the one who needed to clean up his act. But she knew better than to argue with him. She quickly gathered up the bottles and threw them in the recycling bin.

As she left the house, she felt like she was walking on eggshells. She didn't know what kind of mood her dad would be in when she got home. She wished she could run away from it all, but she didn't know where to go. All she knew was that she couldn't keep living like this.

Lily tried to put makeup on the bruises on her arms, but they were still visible. She knew she couldn't hide them forever, but she didn't want anyone to know what was happening at home. She didn't want anyone to think she was weak.

When she got to school, she tried to act like everything was normal. She smiled at her friends and tried to make small talk, but she felt like a fraud. She felt like she was wearing a mask, and she didn't know how much longer she could keep it up.

As she was walking to her locker, Sarah, her best friend, noticed the bruises on her arms. "Oh my god, Lily, what happened?" she exclaimed.

Lily felt her heart race. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to lie to Sarah, but she didn't want to tell her the truth either. "I fell at the party," she said, trying to sound casual.

Sarah looked at her skeptically. "That doesn't look like a fall to me," she said.

Lily felt her throat tighten. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to lose her best friend, but she didn't want to burden her with her problems either. "I'm fine, Sarah," she said, trying to sound convincing.

Sarah shook her head. "No, you're not fine," she said. "You're hurt, and you're lying to me. What's going on?"

Lily felt a lump form in her throat. She didn't know how to answer that question. She didn't even know where to begin. "It's complicated," she said, finally.

Sarah put her arm around her. "Whatever it is, you don't have to go through it alone," she said.

Lily felt a tear roll down her cheek. She didn't know how to respond to that. She had been so used to keeping everything inside that she didn't know how to let anyone in. But maybe, just maybe, Sarah was right. Maybe she didn't have to go through this alone.

Lily tried to focus on her schoolwork and forget about everything else. She took her seat in class, hoping to blend in with the other students. She was surprised to find that her seat was next to Tyler's. She had forgotten all about that.

The teacher asked the students how their projects were coming along. Lily tried to avoid eye contact with the teacher, hoping she wouldn't call on her. Luckily, the teacher didn't ask her anything.

She started working on her project with Alex. They made good progress, and by the end of class, they had finished it. Lily felt a sense of accomplishment, but it was short-lived.

Tyler had been staring at her the whole time. She could feel his eyes on her, and it made her uncomfortable. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to talk to him, but she didn't want to be rude either.

As she was packing up her things, Tyler approached her. "Hey, Lily," he said.

Lily tried to ignore him and keep walking, but he followed her. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

Lily felt a lump form in her throat. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to tell him the truth, but she didn't want to lie to him either. "I'm fine," she said, trying to sound convincing.

Tyler looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Lily felt her heart race. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to break down in front of him, but she didn't want to keep everything inside either. "No," she said, finally. "I'm not okay."

Tyler looked at her with concern. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Lily felt a tear roll down her cheek. She had never felt so vulnerable before. She didn't know what to do. "I don't know," she said, finally.

Tyler put his arm around her. "It's okay," he said. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But just know that I'm here for you, okay?"

Lily felt a sense of relief wash over her. She didn't know what the future held, but at least she knew she wasn't alone.

Lily walked away from Tyler, feeling a mix of emotions. She was grateful that he had reached out to her, but she was also scared. She didn't want to burden him with her problems, but she also didn't want to keep everything inside.

Tyler watched as she left, feeling a sense of helplessness. He wanted to be there for her, but he didn't know how. He was lost in thought when his friend put his arm around him and asked him why he was talking to that freak.

Tyler felt a wave of anger wash over him. He pushed his friend away and said, "Don't call her that."

His friend looked at him with surprise. "What's gotten into you?" he asked.

Tyler felt his fists clench. He didn't want to talk about it. He just wanted to be alone. "Nothing," he said, finally. "Just leave me alone."

His friend shrugged and walked away. Tyler was left standing there, feeling more alone than ever. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to be angry, but he couldn't help it. He was frustrated with himself for not being able to help Lily, and he was angry with his friend for being so insensitive.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He knew he needed to talk to Lily again, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. He decided to give her some space and wait for the right time to reach out again.

Lily met up with Sarah at lunch, feeling grateful for her friend's support. Sarah wanted to hang out after school, but Lily knew she wasn't up for it. She tried to tell Sarah that she needed some time alone, but Sarah convinced her to go to the mall and relax after school.

As they walked to their next class, Sarah told Lily that she was there for her if she needed to talk. Lily felt a wave of frustration wash over her. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to burden Sarah with her problems. "I'm fine," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

But as they walked into class, Lily's resolve broke. She burst into tears and ran out of the room. Sarah followed her, trying to comfort her. "It's okay," she said. "You don't have to be strong all the time."

Lily wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "I know," she said. "I just don't know what to do."

Sarah put her arm around her friend. "It's okay," she said. "You don't have to have all the answers right now. Just take it one step at a time."

Lily nodded, feeling grateful for Sarah's support. "Thanks," she said. "I appreciate it."

As they walked to their next class, Lily felt a sense of relief wash over her. She knew she wasn't alone. She knew that she had friends who cared about her. And that made all the difference.

As the day went on, Lily found herself forgetting her worries and focusing on school. She was looking forward to meeting up with Sarah after school. When the final bell rang, she met up with Sarah and they drove to the mall together.

They had the best time at the mall, talking about everything from school to Tyler. Sarah spilled the tea on the guy she was hooking up with at the party, and Lily couldn't help but laugh. She felt a lot better after spending time with Sarah.

As they walked around the mall, Lily felt a big smile spread across her face. She was living in the moment and didn't want to forget the time she spent with Sarah. She was grateful for her friend's support and for the chance to forget her worries for a little while.

As they left the mall, Lily felt a sense of contentment wash over her. She knew that she had friends who cared about her and that she wasn't alone. And that was enough for now.

So after finishing their meal, Lily checked the time and realized it was getting late. Sarah offered to take Lily home and Lily accepted.

So Sarah and Lily leave the restaurant and head to Sarah's car. On the way, they run into some other friends who are hanging out in the park. The friends invite them to join and they all spend some time together, playing frisbee and chatting. After a while, Lily realizes that it's getting really late and she needs to get home. Sarah offers to drive her home again, but Lily feels bad about making her stay out so late. They decide to catch a movie together before heading home, so they head to the theater and watch a romantic comedy. After the movie, Sarah drops Lily off at home and they say their goodbyes.

So after Sarah drops Lily off at home, Lily sends a Snap to Sarah thanking her for the fun night and saying how much she enjoyed spending time with her. Sarah responds with a Snap of her own, saying how much she enjoyed hanging out with Lily and how they should do it again soon. The next day, Lily texts Sarah asking if she wants to grab lunch together. Sarah says yes, and they meet up at a cute little cafe near the mall. They catch up on each other's lives and make plans for their next adventure together!

The next morning, Lily's dad comes into her room and apologizes for what happened earlier. He tells her that he didn't mean to upset her and that he wants to make it up to her. He asks if there's anything he can do to show her how sorry he is. Lily thinks for a moment and then says that she would like to spend more time with him, just the two of them. Her dad agrees and they make plans to go on a hike together that weekend. They spend the morning exploring the trails and talking about their interests and hobbies. After the hike, they grab lunch at a nearby cafe and continue their conversation. Lily's dad tells her how proud he is of her and how much he loves her. Lily feels grateful and happy to have such a supportive and loving dad.

Lily checks her phone. She sees that Tyler has added her on Snapchat and she gets really excited. She quickly gets ready for school and heads out the door. When she gets to school, she finds Sarah and tells her the news. Sarah is happy for her and tells her to be careful, since Tyler has a reputation for being a bit of a player. Lily thanks her for the advice and says that she'll be careful. Later that day, Lily gets a Snap from Tyler asking if she wants to hang out after school. She agrees, but makes sure to tell Sarah where there going and tell her everything that happen but lily got a feeling is Tyler just playing is he going to try and make a joke out of her.