Ruby

Chapter Ten

It was dark when i arrived home. My friend Jess had asked for a lift, and no sooner were we driving to her place, I had to pull over the car. Why, you ask?

To vomit.

Jess was so lovely - she held my hair and soothed me as a fully soiled some poor guys front lawn. I vomitted for half an hour. Jess had then insisted on driving, and making me wait at her place until her mum got home so she could drive me home in my car and Jess could drive their own car back home, so they weren't stranded.

It was pretty humiliating.

So when I arrived home, I didn't expect mum and dad to be mad. I was sure that once I explained, they would be nothing but concerned.

Another emotiton I hated right now.

But when I unlocked the front door, mum was standing right there. Her face was creased with frown lines, her eyes wide with fear and anger.

"WHERE IN GOD'S NAME, RUBY, HAVE YOU BEEN?!" mum shouted. She grabed my arm and led me to the door. I was use to this, so I calmly place my bag in the tucked away crevease in the kitchen, threw my jacket on the couch - all the while she was still holding onto my arm.

She practically threw me on the couch - the way she had when she'd found out Jeremy and I had set fire to the neighbour's tree. It was by accident. Of course it was. Okay, maybe it wasn't....But that is besides the point. Point is: mum was mad. Furious, even.

"Ruby Lee Field! Where have you been?!" my mum grumbled. I watched my dad though - trying to be tough, but he had always been the softy.

"At Jess's place," i replied.

"And why the heaven's were you at Jess's place?!" mum demanded to know.

"We had to pull over on the way home. I vomitted. Jess took me back to her place to wait for her mum to drive me home," I told her evenly.

Her face softened. "Oh baby, but you should have called!" she spoke in a shrill voice.

"I know mum, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again," I told her. I tried to sound sincere, but I sounded more like a grateful bitch who knows she just dodged a bullet. Mum didn't seem to notice.

"Well okay baby, are you okay know though?" mum asked concerened.

"Yeah - but I would really like to take a shower,"

"Okay baby," mum replied, freeing me from their grasp.

After the shower, i felt better - cleaner. I no longer smelt of vomit and the taste had washed away too.

In my room, I was reading my book when Liam came in.

"Rue-Rue?" Liam peered his head around my door.

"Yes Lee?" I said, uninterested.

"Will you read me a bed ni-ni story?" he asked. I frowned at him.

"Whats a ni-ni Lee, you know the word, now use it," I instruted. Mum and dad had been pretty lax with Liam when it came to speech. I was always trying to improve it. I didn't want him going to school telling people he needed to take a pee-pee.

"Sorry Rue-Rue, can you read my a ni...ni...nit...night story?" he said innocently.

He was too cute! I sighed and lept off my bed. He eagerly grabbed my hand and lead me to his room. He plonked himself down on the bed, squeeling with delight.

"What Rue-Rue read me?" he asked.

"Um...I dunno...what do you want me to read?" I asked him.

"The possum one!!!" he smiled.

I searched through the little bookshelf in his room and found the one called "Possum Magic".

"Hey I remeber this one! It was my favourtie!" I cooed at Liam. He gave a large beamy smile as I lay donw next to him on the bed. His light blonde hair tangled with my dark blonde hair and our skin touched each other - his cold, my warm. And this connection between made me happy, as I began to read "Possum Magic".

"Once upon a time, but not very long ago, deep in the Australian bush lived two possums. Their names were Hush and Grandma Poss.

"Grandma Poss made bush magic. She made wombats blue and kookaburras pink. She made dingoes smile and emus shrink. But the best magic of all was the magic that made Hush INVISABLE.

"What adventures Hush had! Because she couldn't be seen she could be squashed by koalas.

"Becase she couldn't be seen she could slide down Kangaroos.

"Because she couldn't be seen she was safe from snakes, which is why Grandma Poss had made her invisable in the first place.

"But one day, quite unexpectadly, Hush said 'Grandma, I want to know what I look like. Please could you make me visable again?'

"Of course I can!" said Grandma Poss, ans she began to look through her magic books.

"She looked into this book and she looked into that. There was magic for thin and magic for fat, and magic for tall and magic for small, but the magic she was looking for wasn't there at all.

"Grandma Poss looked miserable. 'Don't worry, Grandma,' said Hush. 'I don't mind.' But in her heart of heart she did.

"All night long Grandma Poss thought and tought. The next morning she shouted 'It's something to do with food! People food - not possum food. But I can't rember what. We'll just have to try and find out'

"So later that day, they left the bush where they'd always been to find out what it was that would make Hush seen.

"They ate Anzac biscuits in Adelaide, mornay and Minties in Melbourne, steak and salad in Sydney and pumpkin scones in Brisbane.

"Hush remanined invisble. 'Don't lose heart!' said Grandma Poss. 'Let's see what we can find in Darwin

"It was there, in the far north of Australia, that they found the Vegimite sandwich. Grandma Poss crossed her claws and crossed her feet. Hush breathed deeply and began to eat. 'A tail! A tail!' shouted both possums at once. For there it was. A brand new, visible tail!

"Later, on a beach in Perth, they are a piece of pavlova. Hush's legs appeared. So did her body. 'You look wonderful, you precious possum!' said Grandma Poss. 'Next stop - Tasmania,' And over the seas they went.

In Hobart, late one night, in the kitchens of the casino, they saw a lamington on a plate. Hush closed her eyes and nibbled.

"Grandma Poss held her breath - and waited. 'It worked! It worked!' she cried.

"And she was right. Hush could be seen from head to tail. Grandma Poss hugged Hush, and they both danced' Here We Go Round The Lamington Plate" till early in the morning.

"From that time onwards, Hush was visable. But once a year, on her birthday, she and Grandma Poss ate a Vegemite sandwich, a piece of pavlova and half a lamington just to make sure that Hush stayed visible forver. And she did.

"The end!"

I stared at Liam, who hadn't said a word. Indeed, he had been engrosed in the story.

"Did you like that Lee?" I asked him.

But instead on answering my questioned, Liam said this: "Ruby, can you eat a Vegemite sandwhich, a piece of pavlova and half a lamington on your birthday? Because I want you here with me forever,"

At his words I closed my eyes and grimaced.

"You know I never liked pavlova, Lee," I joked. But as I turned off his light and kissed him on the head, I couldn't help but dissolve into tears.