Fraying Edges

| FIFTEEN |

Ruby never really liked her family's annual Christmas diner. She preferred to just stay holed up in her room, stretched out on her bed, sipping hot chocolate and watching the snow signalling the beginning of winter come down, coating every surface with fairy white dust - if it actually did snow. Some Christmas days, snow did not show up.

So as she sat in the private room in a fancy restaurant in Brooklyn, surrounded by her relatives that she couldn't care much about, she felt stuffy even in the cold weather. She kept reminding herself that she was doing it for her parents, over and over. After all, a girl needed motivation to endure what she had to go through. Apart from her occasional outbursts, she always felt compelled to follow her parents instructions.

Small talk was going on around the table, cutleries clanging on plates. Fancy dresses and jewelries where shown off by the ladies. Ruby felt stuffy and cold at the same time. The heater couldn't warm her because she felt chilly inside.

She didn't like the people surrounding her. Their perfectness and falseness sickened her. At the same time, she strived to blend in. Maybe that's what made her wear a red dress that stopped at her knees. With heels. Heels. She hated heels, but she needed to wear them. She needed to blend in and not stick out like a sore thumb.

Just today, she had told herself as she had slipped on the black heels and struggled to walk down the stairs.

Amara was sat on her right side, chatting with her fiance on her phone and smiling silently to herself every once in a while. Amara wasn't a Grayson, but they'd welcomed her with smiles. After all, they were all connected somehow. Mr and Mrs Grayson sat on her left side, their happy and loving couple mode activated. Ruby couldn't help but wonder what was actually going on with her parents. She wondered if it had anything to do with Madeline. The woman who never left her mind after her one-time visit. It seemed strange that she'd only just noticed the strain in her parents relationship. Now she was left to wonder, had it always been there?

"My son is studying in Yale." Her huge aunt sitting at her far left stated proudly, interrupting Ruby's thoughts. The over-dressed woman with a caked up face always reminded Ruby of well, cake. Her husband sat quietly beside her, silently subdued by his wife. Ruby pitied the man. But the wife brought all the money, while he had no job, so, it was expected. Plus, she was bigger than him in size.

"That's very good. Where is he?" Her mom asked coolly, dabbing her lips with a napkin. She always looked so laid back and at home in these dinners and other occasions. Always the flawless one, Nigerian or not.

"He stayed back for extra studying."

"Oh. He did, didn't he?"

"Yeah." The woman quickly changed the subject. Observant Ruby picked that up. She was obviously hiding something. Ruby dropped it. She needn't worry about that when she already had enough to worry about.

Ruby looked at all their faces on the large dinning table. They all looked strained. Fake laughter. Fake. She was pretty sure that some of them had borrowed the clothing's they had on. There were about three families and she only liked one of them. Her Dad's sister, who just got married and had no kid yet. She was always so nice to Ruby. Her grandma was also nice. When Ruby was smaller, she'd always thought of her as a female Santa clause.

This was supposed to be her big family. She played with her food, deep in thought.

When the clock struck twelve, they all clanked their glasses and shouted, "Merry Christmas" to one another. The gifts where shared and Ruby hoped that they'd like her gift.

She'd gotten her mom an electric whisk, her dad an expensive pen, Amara, a book about feminism. The others, she'd gotten nothing for them. So, when she received two gifts from those she hadn't given, she felt guilty. She'd check the gifts later.

Everyone hugged each other. Everyone smiled. In that fleeting moment, Ruby noticed something. The smiles were real.

Then it all went and they said their goodbyes, heading to their various homes to continue their celebration.

The Grayson's headed instead to the airport. Amara had returned the rental car and was packed up for her journey. She was going to spend the rest of the holiday season with her fiancé in Texas.

Ruby hugged her. "Goodbye Aunt. I'm still all dazed at the fact that you got engaged and I wasn't aware."

Amara cringed at her words, but smiled anyway.

"Goodbye Ruby. You just never notice a lot of things happening around you."

She hugged Bridget next and shook Bill's hand.

They all stood and looked at each other, before Amara's flight was announced. She took her luggage and went to check in. Throwing one last look over her shoulder at the Grayson's. She winked at them and blew an air kiss. Ruby rolled her eyes and caught the kiss. And it dawned on her that she was really going to miss her Aunt.

****

"Merry Christmas! I've been waiting for you. All of you." Madeline's cold, deep voice welcomed them as they got to their porch, voice dripping with venom.

"Why so?" Ruby was the first to answer. She was eager to go to bed after the stressful evening and it was one am. The shock she'd felt upon hearing her voice wore off as adrenaline kicked in.

"Because my son-" she looked at Billy, dead in the eyes. "-our son wants to meet his other family."

"What do you mean?" Ruby clenched her fists as the words actually processed. She couldn't tell if the woman was joking, but the joke was not funny.

"Meet your half brother, Ruby." The words sounded absurd.

It can't be, she thought. Her Dad could never cheat on her mom. She trusted him. She turned to her Dad. He looked guilty, his face down.

She felt sick, betrayed.

The boy stepped out of the shadows of the porch, his face so blank. Ruby looked at his light brown skin and did a double take.

Everyone paused, breathes sucked in. Only Madeline looked hyper happy.

"Hello Dad." The boy sneered.

A/N
Fraying Edges won its very first award!! *drum roll*
❤🎉🎉🎊🎊

Precisely, First place in general fiction in the Golden Arrow Awards! First freaking place! Wow...
To say that I'm happy is an understatement. I'm way more than happy right now.

Soo
Finally! Secrets are coming out. This chapter seems a bit cringey, I know.

Forgive me. I'll edit it when I'm done with the first draft.

Sooo that aside, do you like her big family?

Mackenzie the 2nd. . . Out. . .