All I know is I've gotta be
Where my heart says I oughta be.
I loved you before I met you
And I met you just in time
Cause there was nothing left.
School finally began and Zac and Ruby kept themselves busy. They didn’t talk as often
but it helped clear the air. After Ruby didn’t come home for Thanksgiving and went to
her sister’s in North Carolina instead, Zac started getting anxious for her to come home
for Christmas.
Ruby had finals all the way through the 24th of December. She flew home that
evening and met her mother at the airport. Her older sister, Trina and her husband, Carter
came to Tulsa to spend the holidays.
“Hi,” Ruby smiled coming in the house with her mother trailing behind with a bag
of presents. “I’m finally home.”
“Hey man, how were finals?” Trina asked meeting her at the bottom of the stairs.
“Ugh,” Ruby groaned. “Don’t ask. I didn’t get out of my Physics one today until
2. And then I couldn’t get a cab and I almost missed my flight. But hey,” she smiled
leaning in to give her sister a hug. “I’m home now.”
“I can’t believe you had a final today,” Carter said giving Ruby a hug.
“I know. Wow, the house looks so pretty,” Ruby said admiring the white lights
and garland on the banister leading up the stairs.
“You want anything to drink?” Trina offered.
“Um, yeah. I’ll have some peppermint tea. I’m gonna put my stuff upstairs,”
Ruby said climbing the stairs with her suitcase in hand.
*********************************
“Is it a video game?” Mac asked excitedly as he shook his presents under the tree.
“I’m not telling,” Zac laughed taking the present from him. “You’ll find out
tomorrow morning.”
“Cookies are ready,” Jessica called from the kitchen.
“Save some for Santa,” Zoe whined as Zac, Taylor, and Mac swiped three cookies
each.
*********************************
“I didn’t finish studying until 8:00 the next morning. So I left straight for school
and totally fell asleep on the subway. All of a sudden I feel someone’s coat against my
face,” Ruby explained sitting on the couch while she finished her tea. “All nighters are not
my specialty.”
“You’ll do plenty of them,” Trina laughed.
“Well,” Ruby sighed placing her empty mug on the coffee table. “I think I’m
gonna run over to Zac’s before it gets to late.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’d love that,” Ruby’s mom smiled placing more presents under the
Christmas tree.
Ruby stretched and put on her forest green fleece over her long sleeved white shirt
and dark khaki boot cut courderoys. “I’ll be back,” she said running her fingers though
her hair that was pulled half-way up in a dew drop.
She jogged across the street in the cold December night noticing Zac’s car wasn’t
in the driveway. She rang the doorbell anyway and heard the commotion of the large
family.
“Ruby, hey,” Taylor smiled opening the door. “How are you?”
“Hey,” she said giving him a hug. “I’m good. What about you?”
“I’m fine. You glad to be finished for the semester?” He asked letting her in the
warm house that was festively decorated and smelled like cookies.
“Yes. Definitely,” she nodded.
“Um, Zac actually left with Dad to go get some more firewood. But he should be
back any second,” Taylor informed her.
“Oh,” she smiled. “Well maybe I should go up to his room and suprise him when
he gets back.”
“Okay,’ Taylor laughed. “I’m sure he’ll pass out when he sees you. He’s been
freakin’ out all day.”
Ruby laughed. “Get him to go up to his room when he gets back. But don’t tell
him I’m here,” she said going up the stairs.
“Sure. But come down and see us before you leave,” Taylor said.
“Of course,” she smiled. Ruby entered Zac’s slightly messy room. His bed was
made but a small pile of clothes hung over the desk chair. She walked through the familiar
room that smelled like incense. She went over to his CD’s picking out an acoustic Dave
Matthews bootleg and putting it in his stereo keeping the volume low.
Zac and his father pulled up in the driveway and got out to unload the firewood.
Zac was wearing a red sweater over a light blue dress shirt, untucked with his khaki cargo
pants and dark brown Doc Martens.
“Hey Zac, why don’t you get your guitar?” Taylor grinned as Zac helped with the
fire in the fireplace.
Zac looked confused as to why the whole family was looking at him.
“Yeah, Zac,” Jessica said.
“Ookay,” he said standing up and making his way out of the living room.
“He’s never coming back,” Diana whispered.
chapter 6.
