The True Test Part 1

Hi Everyone!
It’s a new series!

I’m so excited to bring you all into the minds of Ruby and Saige, two teen girls curious about their crushes.

This is only part one, so the story will continue soon!

CHAPTER 1- RUBY

I love going on walks.
It gets my energy out, calms me, and me and my mom have heart to heart conversations on walks.
And today was a perfect day for a walk.
“So, anything new going on at work?” I ask my mother. She is a lawyer, and a good one too.
“Just another divorce case, nothing much,” she sighs. I admire my mom’s work. She sets justice in Wind City, and helps others. She spends her time to keep others safe. It’s amazing what one persons power can do. “Anything new with you, Ruby?”
“Well,” I think about it for a second. Not much other than a math test (That I’m sure I failed) and Saige’s award for Best Science Experiment at the Science Fair. “Nope. Nothing.”
We walk in silence. My best friend is the smartest kid in our grade. Saige has a great reputation, and she has never been to the principal’s office once.
I, on the other hand, am a total wreck. I don’t get great grades. I prefer to spend my time playing ukulele and trying out new hair styles on myself. I go to the office a lot for either my latest pranks or my grades being low. My blonde-dyed-blue-with-a-streak-of-lime-green hair also gets me in trouble too.
Don’t people understand that the color doesn’t come out easily?
I turn around, and all I see is a red car recklessly driving on the road, coming right towards me and my mom.
I scream as loud as I can and take firm hold of my mothers hand and sprint onto someone’s lawn. We both tumble into the grass. I close my eyes and we both are screeching. After a few seconds, I open my eyes. We are alive.

CHAPTER 2- SAIGE

My phone rings loud and annoyingly. It’s a call from Ruby, so I immediately answer.
“Hi! What’s up?” I say. I usually always clean my room or draw while talking to Ruby, but I already cleaned and I dong feel like drawing, so I slump myself onto my bed.
“You will not believe what just happened.” She sounds out of breath and scared. I begin to feel concerned, almost nervous.
“Are y-you okay?” I stutter a bit. My anxiety is getting to me.
“Wait and see,” my best friend laughs. “So, I was on a walk with my mom, like always, we go down Hickory Lane. Pretty safe street, right?” I nod, even though she can’t tell I am. “So, we are walking and talking, everything is normal, then BOOM!” She yells. I pull my phone away from my ear. “A car comes right by us, almost hitting me and my mom! We could have died if I didn’t run to someone’s yard!”
“Died?” I repeat nervously.
“Yeah, died! I could have been hurt. You could have had to live your life without me.”
I stay silent for a bit. My life without Ruby? I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like. I feel my heart beat rapidly and try to stop myself from tearing up. Even the thought of losing Ruby gets to me. “I-I’m so glad your safe.”

CHAPTER 3- RUBY

“Yeah, I am too.” I say calmly. We stay silent for a bit. Silence between us doesn’t feel awkward. It’s actually kind of nice at times. I finally say something. “What would you do if I did die? If I was in that car crash? What would you do?”
Saige took a deep breath. It almost sounded like she was crying.
“I would,” she sighed to calm herself down, “I would be sad. If you went to a hospital and were still surviving, even barely, I would visit you. I would be scared.” She pauses again. “I would be miserable without you.” At this time, I began tearing up. Even though we were over the phone, I could tell she was tearing up too. “What would you do if I was in a car crash?”
“Well, I would visit you in the hospital, talk to you, try to make you feel better, you know?”
I pause and smile despite my tears. “Would you be sad? Would you remember me if I died?” Saige said through her tears. She has massive anxiety, so this deep conversation probably isn’t doing much for her mental health.

CHAPTER 4- SAIGE

Ruby was sad, I was sad. Thinking of it, I was just about to have the biggest anxiety attack of my life. We had to talk about death, didn’t we.
I regret answering this phone call.
Ruby laughed through the crying. “Of course I’d be sad. I would be quite emotional, and I would want everything to be okay.” We took a moment to cry together. “But Saige,” she said in her motherly voice, “I am okay! I’m fine.”
I want this all to stop. I know everything is okay, but the universe almost made things terrible. I anxiously stroke my dirty blonde hair. I look around my room for excuses. I almost never lie to Ruby, but I feel as if I have to.
“I-I have to go.”
“Why?” Of course, Ruby always has to know why.
“My dad is home from work and dinner is soon.” I lie.
“Oh. Okay. Talk soon!” Ruby says happily.
“Yeah.” I say quietly and hang up. I set my phone face down on my bed. I grab my speaker, turn it on full volume, and play my favorite songs, mostly Billie Eilish.
And I sit there, singing along to the lyrics with my head tucked in between my knees and cry.

That’s all for now!

Stay tuned!

You will see where love will come into play soon..