Chapter 11
Ava pulled up to the school to get Ruby, but before she could get into her car, the car behind her honked loudly. Then she heard her mom’s voice.
“Ruby, over here.”
Ruby’s eyes met Ava’s, and she swore she looked like she was pleading with her. Ava hopped out of her car and walked with Ruby over to their mom.
“Hey, Mom,” Ava said.
“Ava, why are you picking Ruby up? I didn’t ask you to,” she said. “Ruby, get in.”
Ava set her hands on Ruby’s shoulders to hold her back. “She stayed with me last night. I thought I’d take her home again tonight to give you guys a break. I’m sure you’re tired.”
The best option she had always found was to act like she was doing her mom a favor. It usually worked, but apparently not today.
“No, I’m not tired. I can take care of my daughter, Ava. Stop pretending she’s yours.”
“Mom, let me take Ruby home with me. I already planned on taking her tonight.”
Her mom slammed her hands on the steering wheel. “No. She’s coming home with her mom. You need to butt out, Ava.”
People stared, but Ava was beyond caring. Ava stood up straight from talking to her mom through the open car window. When Ruby didn’t move to get into the car, their mom got out and stalked around to the sidewalk.
“Ruby, I said get in,” their mom shouted.
Ruby’s eyes widened, and Ava stepped between them. The smell of alcohol was heavy on their mom’s breath.
“Mom, have you been drinking?” Ava asked, lowering her voice so people around wouldn’t hear.
“It’s none of your business. I’m an adult and can do what I want in my free time,” she spat.
Ava turned around and looked at Ruby. “Get into my car, Ruby.”
Ruby nodded and hurried over to Ava’s car.
“What do you think you’re doing? She’s my child, Ava!” Their mom’s voice rose with every word she spoke. School officials were walking over.
“Is there a problem over here?” Danica asked. She was one of the school administration who helped with parent pickup and drop-off.
“Yes, there’s a problem. Ava seems to think she can kidnap my daughter,” Tonya said.
Ava looked at Danica apologetically.
“Ma’am, have you been drinking?” Danica asked.
“Cut the shit, Danica. Don’t ma’am me. I’ve known you since you were a teenager.”
Danica raised a brow, and Ava stood back watching. The school would handle it. They weren’t about to let a child get into a car with someone who was clearly under the influence.
Danica spoke into her walkie talkie asking for additional help. A security guard immediately walked over and asked what the problem was.
Tonya stepped closer to him and jabbed her finger into his chest. “I’ll tell you what the problem is. Ava thinks she can kidnap my daughter, and Danica is enabling her.”
The security guard looked down at her finger and then back up at her. “Ma’am, have you been drinking?”
Tonya sighed loudly and rolled her eyes. “What is it with you people asking me about my personal business?”
In only a few minutes, a police cruiser had rolled into the parking lot.
While Ava’s mom was busy yelling at the security guard, Danica had called the police to report Tonya.
While Ava didn’t relish seeing her mom put into handcuffs and stuffed into the back of a police cruiser, she also didn’t feel sorry for her.
Ava spoke with the school officials and gave a statement to the officer before turning toward her car. Ruby sat in the backseat staring at the police car with tears streaming down her face.
“Oh, no,” Ava whispered. She pulled open the back door and slid into the car with Ruby, tugging her into her arms. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Ruby cried in Ava’s arms and only after she calmed down a bit did Ava slide out of the car and walk around to the driver’s side. Then she put the car in gear and got them out of there.
By the time they pulled up to the house, Ruby’s tears had dried, but she looked miserable. Ava wrapped an arm around Ruby’s shoulders as they walked up to the house. Cole pulled the door open before they reached it and looked between them. When his eyes met Ava’s, she smiled weakly.
“Ruby, it’s so good to see you,” Cole said in an excited voice.
Ava looked at him gratefully.
“Hi, Cole,” Ruby said quietly.
“You know what I was thinking we would have for dinner?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Pizza. And then popcorn and a movie. What do you think?”
Ruby looked up at him with a sliver of a smile on her face. “Really?”
“Yep. I even think I heard Ava say we might go to the store to pick out some candy.”
Ruby’s smile brightened even more. “Really? Can we? It’ll be just like going to a movie theater.”
Ava smiled back at her. “You bet. Would you like to go right now?”
“Yes!” Ruby said excitedly.
Ava looked up to where Cole still stood in the doorway. “Care to join us?”
“Of course. Shopping for candy is my favorite part.”
Ava handed Ruby’s backpack to Cole, who set it just inside the house. Then he stepped outside and walked with Ava toward the car while Ruby skipped ahead.
“How’d you know?” she asked softly.
“Danica texted.”
“Thank you for that.”
“Anything for you.”