Hers (Ruby Rose)

40| Careful

I MUST HAVE been checking my reflection for too long, because it had turned two minutes to nine before I knew it and I still had not arrived at the house that the interview was taking place in.

"Shit, shit, shit," I repeated under my breath as I practically bounced in my seat while waiting for the light to turn green. According to the GPS, I was five minutes away.

Not a good first impression.

I ran towards the house after finding a car park across the road, my shoes rubbing against the skin of my toes painfully.

My phone buzzed in my bag and I quickly pulled it out, trying not to glance at the time because it only reminded me of how late I was. It was a message from Ruby and immediately I felt butterflies.

You'll do great.

Little did she know I was late. So very late.

Once at the door, I quickly tried to compose myself before knocking.

The door opened but I still could not see who it was thanks to the security door.

"Hi, I'm here for the interview." I tried to use my most friendly voice, the one I would use when speaking to those much older than me.

The woman finally opened the door and revealed herself to me. Just like I had expected, she was elderly and had on thick beige glasses.

"The interview was supposed to begin five minutes ago..." She said as she walked ahead of me. I felt like someone had taken a steaming dump on my spirit as I followed her into the dining room.

"I am so sorry, the traffic was awful." It almost like I was begging her to forgive me.

But to my relief, it was not her that would be interviewing me.

A woman younger than her but older than me stood up from the chair, a warm smile on her face.

"Hi, you must be Ellis." She reached her perfectly manicured hand out towards me.

I gave her my best smile. "Nice to meet you. Again, I am so sorry about being late. It's very out of character for me." I grabbed her hand. Her skin was as soft as butter.

"Nobody's perfect. Please, sit down."

Thank God she was nice. Too bad the other woman was peering over us like a hawk, her lips pressed into a firm line. She definitely did not like me.

"You're the first person to be interviewed today. I'd like to know about you, so please tell me."

The first half of the interview was a blur, as I recited exactly what I had practiced with Ruby until late last night, before falling asleep next to her.

Then I found myself thinking about Ruby during the interview, and unfortunately, I got so distracted that I missed the question she had asked me.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"I was just wondering what your tattoo means."

I must have looked confused for a few seconds because the woman tapped on her own collarbone, and then it clicked.

Fuck! I completely forgot about the tattoo.