Begin Again

| Chapter Thirty-Seven |

Uncle Rickey's eyes were wide with panic as his gaze swiveled over to where Ruth stood completely frozen. Her fingers shook around Raffo's laptop and a small part of her worried she was five seconds away from dropping it. Breathing labored, heart racing, she searched for a way out of her current situation, but came up empty.

Nobody breathed.

Nobody moved.

Until they did.

Koi Semple was the first to break the frozen stillness. He took a hesitant step towards her, a sad smile brushing his pink lips. He was just as Ruth remembered. Black hair pulled back into a solid braid down his back, warm brown skin unblemished aside from the one freckle near his eyebrow, and his almond-shaped expresso eyes inviting. He still towered well over her and her mom, which brought Ruth's attention to the hand in front of his torso, stopping him.

Ruth's mother was . . . annoyingly perfect. Per usual. Nails manicured and trimmed pristine, she had a sharp look in her honey eyes, teetering on the edge of cold. She had gelled her curls into a slick bun at the base of her neck and, low and behold; she was in her inky business suit. Very Shantelle Semple of her.

"Hello Ruth," Shantelle said, her voice crisp and sharp. "Long time no talk, young lady."

Yeah, Ruth wasn't doing this. Not when she was having such a good few days. Her mother's lack of acceptance of who Ruth was as a bisexual woman came rushing to the surface of her mind.

It was just a phase; she said. Ruth was acting out because she wasn't with the boy she wanted, she thought. That Ruth would never have the life Shantelle wanted for her if she chose to be with a woman, because it wasn't traditional. It wasn't practical, and therefore shouldn't be taken seriously.

That conversation ended what was left of their relationship.

Fuck, Ruth needed to get out of there. And fast.

Before anyone could say anything more, Ruth jetted to Uncle Rickey's bathroom, her breathing quickening after hearing her dad call her name. She slammed the door behind her and hurriedly pulled out her cell phone with shaky fingers. It took a second, but eventually she was able to dial the number she knew by heart.

"Hello? Ruth?" Raffo asked curiously, his tender voice soothing the tightness in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Raff," she choked into the phone.

"Ruth? Baby, are you alright?" Raffo panicked. "What's wrong?"

Ruth was losing it. Hard. And she didn't know what to do to stop it. Her parents' presence had blindsided her, and now she just wanted to be far away from there. The farther, the better. Even if it meant going to the hospital with him. "C-can you come back and get me? I'm so sorry--"

"Don't apologize. I'm on my way now," he promised. Though he did his best to sound calm, she could hear the alarm in his tone. "Talk to me, baby. What's going on?"

She swallowed and squeezed her hands around the edges of the sink. Her lips wobbled as the onslaught of what her mother had said to her swirled in her head, drowning out all sensibility. "M-my parents are here and nobody told me."

Raffo breathed out sharply. "That's whose car we saw out front. I should be there in five minutes, okay? I didn't get very far."

"O-okay," she whispered. "Thank you."

"Of course. Did you want to stay on the phone with me until I get there or let them know you're leaving?"

She nibbled her bottom lip. "I'll tell Uncle Rickey. But text me when you're out front."