I groan as I hear pans clanking around in the kitchen.
I throw my blanket over my head for about 15 mins until I decide to check the time.
4 AM
I look to see Ally's bed empty.
I groan as I get up and drag my feet downstairs.
"Hey good morning Ruby." She said when she noticed me.
"Shut the fuck up. You in here in the kitchen at 4 AM. Talking about how's it going? It's not going good!" I said grumpily as I sat down on the stairs.
"You act like I don't like you when I do." She said.
"Shut the fuck up it's 4 AM you blood sucking mosquito!" I said as I went back upstairs.
*three hours later*
My outfit-
I walk inside Sonic Boom.
I slam the Sonic Boom doors.
"Don't slam my door!" My uncle said.
"I'll slam whatever I want." I said as Rachel trailed in behind me.
"What's she doing here?" Austin asked. I sigh.
"She keeps on asking me if she can use one of my songs to sing in her stupid little act in the school talent show." I said.
"Come on Ruby! I'll give you credit!" She defended.
"I said no and I mean it. Now leave before I lose my mind." I said. She scoffed and left.
*third person pov*
Ruby stomped upstairs and locked herself in the practice room.
"What's wrong with her?" Trish asked. Ally sighed.
"She's mad because her dad called and said he's coming to visit her." She said.
They all 'ohhh'ed in realization.
"I didn't know she hated her dad that much." Dez said.
*flashback*
Everybody was sitting down in the practice room when Ruby walked in.
Ally stands up and hands her an envelope.
"Here's your mail. It's from your dad." She said.
Ruby scoffed and opened it up.
It was a picture of him and his new family at the beach.
She groaned and ripped it to shreds before walking out of the room in anger.
"I HATE HIM!" The crew heard her yell from downstairs.
*end of flashback*
"Okay, she definitely hates him."
"I would just advise you to not to talk about it to her. She's very sensitive to the subject."
There is a loud bang that comes from the practice room upstairs.
They all rush up their to see a broken chair, and Ruby standing in the middle of the room.
"I saw a spider and it didn't die when I stepped on it." She said as she stood with both arms by her side.
"So you broke my chair?" Ally asked.
She shrugged.
"Nobody sits in it." Ruby said.
Austin wrapped his arms around her as she broke down and started crying.
"My dad is coming today." She said. Her tears stained her boyfriend's shirt.
"Maybe talking to him and seeing him will help you forgive him." Ally said as Ruby pulled apart from Austin.
"No, it won't. I could never forgive him for leaving my mom and I the way he did." Ruby said. She then stormed out.
____________________________________*Ruby's POV*
*three hours later*
The crew and I were sitting down at Rey's eating pizza.
We were having a good time until a tall figure entered the room.
I didn't say anything until I saw Trish and Ally throw food in the tall figure's face. Then I new who it was.
Everyone watched the scene.
"Ally, who is this man?" Austin asked. I got up and walked to the man.
"Hi dad." I said as a lump in my throat formed.
"Hi Ruby." He said.
We all stood there as he wiped his face off with a towel.
I waited until he was done before I spoke.
"You said you'd be going for a walk and you'd be back in an hour. You're nine years late." I said.
Just then my mom walked through the door. Forgot to mention she was visiting. She put her arm around me.
He looked at her.
"Thank you, Katy." He said.
"For what."
"I know that in those nine years you protected me with Ruby. You never once sold me out." I went and sat down with my friends. I held Austin's hand and he put our hands in his lap as he rubbed mine with his thumb.
"Yeah, well a girl should think well of her father." She looked him up and down.
He turned towards us.
"I'm really happy to see you Ruby. And that you've got a cousin like Ally." He said.
I put my other hand in Ally's lap as I looked up at him.
"This girl was more of a father to me than you." I said.
Ally put my head on her shoulder and started stroking my hair.
"Yup. I've raised Ruby since she was a pup." She said. I smiled.
"Looks like you did a bang up job." Dad said.
I sat back up and looked up at him.
"So, you left. Why were mom and I not good enough?" I asked as I gestured to mom.
"No no no, Ruby," mom chuckled, "that was a long time ago, we're over it!" She said. Then she started hitting him.
"WHY *hit* WERENT*hit* WE*hit* GOOD*hit*ENOUGH!" She hit him in the arm repeatedly.
Dad put his hands up and looked at her.
"I think you know that wasn't it." He said. Mom gave him a look before walking away and sitting in the chair across from us.
Ally stood up.
"You know, I should really go anywhere but here," I grabbed her arm and sat her right back down next to me.
"Nope. You're gonna stay with me. You're my family." I said. I then looked up at Dad.
"Oh, how's your other family?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Everyone is fine." He said.
I got up and walked towards him.
"Do you remember that night the thunder shook the apartment? I was five and I thought the lightning was so bright I thought the world was on fire."
"Why bring this up?"
"I'm all under my covers crying and you come flying into the room and peek under the covers and decide to make it a game. We were in Alaska and looking for gold. And you said the lightning was the northern lights, the aurora borealis."
"Is this the reason the only thing you know is the aurora borealis?" Ally asked.
"You made that entire night an adventure until the storm passed. And I woke up the next morning, and it was a sunny day. Don't you remember that?"
He shook his head.
"No, Ruby I don't." He said. Mom stood up.
"That's because it never happened. The storm happened. But you didn't." I said.
"So how do you know the aurora borealis Ruby?" Trish chimed in.
"Mom, it was mom that came in. She made it Alaska and I wasn't scared at all." I said as I walked over to my mom and put my hand on her shoulder.
"Hmmm. I was petrified. Greatest preference of my life." She said. I smiled.
"Where were you?" Ally asked my dad.
I turned my head to him.
"I wasn't home."
"How could you not be home?" She asked.
I walk over to him as I'm looking at her as I slowly walk to her.
"Because people play drums with corndogs, friends ruin movies and fathers leave. And sometimes you can let it go and sometimes you can't." I said as I stood towards the door.
"You're usually right about a lot of things Ally, but I think you're wrong about this. Me forgiving him." I said as I walked out.
Ally then came out after me. I sat down on the floor and she sat next to me.
"Forgiveness takes time Ruby. You just have to do it right. All you have to do is listen to the other person." She said.
"My mom has been there everyday. While my father hasn't been there for nine years Ally. My dad is probably ready to be halfway home by now. Forgiveness doesn't work for everybody." I said. We got up and went back inside.
"Thank you all for taking care of Ruby Ally these years. I really appreciate it. But is it okay if I borrow her for just one quick moment, please?" My dad asked before we both walked outside and sat down at a table in the middle of the food court.
"This wasn't you Ruby, this was all me. I couldn't provide comfort for you on a lightning storm and I was no good for you on a sunny day either. I blew every paycheck instead of providing food for the refrigerator and when you know you're not good enough for people you start not showing up enough times. And it begins to feel like leaving, until you actually do." He said.
Tears started to brim my eyes and a lump built up in my throat.
"You're there for your new family aren't you? What did they do that I didn't do?" I asked.
He shook his head in sympathy.
"You never did anything Ruby. You were just a little girl. I was who I was and there is you didn't or could've done. I just wasn't ready for you, or anyone."
I started at him as he talked.
"But I think I've changed. These people believe that I am capable of something. They don't know who I was, they believe in who I am now."
"Who are you?" I tried to hold back my tears.
"I've found a job and I've managed to keep it. I came back to tell you that I am sorry for what I did. I'm glad you're okay." He said.
I sniffled.
"You found a job?"
He nodded. "I did." He said.
"Your job was to stay. Look, thank you for telling me your side. Ally thinks that if I forgive you, it'll bring my peace. And she's using right about these things, but I don't see how she's right about this one, and I can't."
He started at me.
"Your job was to stay. You don't think I had it in me to allow my father to grow?"
I put my hands on the table.
"I'm happy I got to hear what you had to say and, it makes me feel better knowing that I had nothing to do with what you did."
Tears brimmed his eyes but I held my cry together.
"I always thought that this is my fault somehow but,"I stuttered.
I looked down.
"But it's not. I didn't do anything." I said to myself.
I stood up as I sniffled.
I pushed my chair in and attempted to walk away until he spoke.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there. You, you turned out great."
I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding in.
"Woah."
"What?"
"I've been angry for so long, I'm not angry anymore."
I look at him.
"Thank you for coming, I hope you make it home okay." I said before I walked back inside quickly.
Mom put her arm around me as everyone stood up and watched me. I was failing at not letting my tears fall.
I walked up to Ally.
"I'm sorry. I failed. I know you wanted me to forgive him but, I didn't. I couldn't do it. You were wrong about this one Ally." I stuttered.
It's getting harder to keep my tears from falling.
"I never expected that Ruby. That kind of forgiveness doesn't come so easy. But life is a long time and I hope you get there someday. But that's never what I was looking for right now."
"What did you want from me?"
"Ruby, did you forgive yourself?" She asked.
That. That right there is what made me fall.
I ran and wrapped my arms around her waist as I cried hysterically. Everybody crowded around us in a group hug.