A Good Friend

Chapter 5 - The Appointment

The teacher slammed me into the plastic chair next to the principal’s office and stomped down the hall murmuring to herself. Me and Ruby waited anxiously. No words needed to be spoken. It was pretty obvious how we both felt. Ruby put her tail around me as an attempt at comfort. It was a nice gesture but it looked like she needed just as much comfort as I did.

I expected the principal to be mad with me but instead I got the sinking feeling he was instead disappointed, which of course felt a million times worse. I had been bullied a million times so I knew the best thing to do was to keep my head down and stay quiet until it was over. I hoped Ruby wouldn’t try to do anything as we didn’t need this any worse than it was but considering how fearful she looked I doubt she would have actually have tried anything cheeky. She certainly wasn’t in the kind of mood for that now.

It went the best I could have hoped. He didn’t get angry and instead told me about how disappointed he was and didn’t question how quiet I was. I didn’t even look at him the whole time but he didn’t say anything about that either. Although, I did find of the things he said rather...odd.

For example, he mentioned bullying, stress and pressure a lot. From all the things he was saying it sounded like he was worried about my mental health rather than the fight I had been in. If this was what was going around it was no wonder the teachers and students were treating me weird. Who the hell said I was mental?! Great, just, great! Now there is nasty rumour going round that I am crazy and with Ruby around it won’t be easy to shake off if I even could to begin with.

I didn’t have any friends to lose and people mainly ignored me like I was invisible. That may have not been preferable but at least it’s better than this type of attention! That’s pretty much my entire school life ruined I bet, even more than it already was, which I didn’t even consider to be possible. ‘Oh what a hell of a week it’s been’ I thought to myself by the end of it all.

A few days of social torture later, trying to avoid the glaring gaze of the creeped out stares of students around every corner, I woke up to find out I had slept in. I rushed to get ready and yelled to mum asking why she didn’t wake me sooner, only to get a quiet response to come downstairs. I did as I was told, confused as to what was going on.

When I saw mum, she seemed stressed and worried about something. We both had the nervous habit of rubbing our left arm when we were nervous so it was easy to tell.

“Honey. You’re not going to school today” she said

What? I was dreadfully confused now. What could have possibly happened? Was I suspended? Surely the principal would have told me when he had the chance if that was the case.

“We...have an important appointment to go to” she continued

Double what? I was getting more and more confused by the second but considering how seriously worried mum seemed to be I thought the worst. Was I sick? How did that happen? I feel fine! Nevertheless, I didn’t want to bring out of mum because she obviously didn’t need it right now. Ruby didn’t seem to be around this morning either although it took me a while to notice that with all this going on. I didn’t much care though. I was too worried about the future.

It seemed not a moment had passed before the time came for the ‘appointment’. It was a pretty long drive. I didn’t dare look at the signs on the way in but it seemed we were somewhere medical that was for sure. At least the waiting room was comfortable. Me and mum didn’t end up speaking at all in the waiting room. Ruby appeared beside me and I was glad to see her. I felt like I needed her for this.

Then we went into a small room with a clever looking man on the end of a short table in a large chair. Me and mum also had chairs to sit in but these weren’t as big and grand as his and no doubt less comfortable. This wasn’t a doctor’s office. Where on earth were we? I saw a bookshelf covered in complex looking books on one side of the room and a box of various kids toys on the other.

“So...you are Mrs Windon I presume?” the man asked

“yes” mum said like a robot to its master

“and this must be Lily” he said as he turned to me

“does...she know why she is here today Mrs Windon?” he asked as he turned to my mum.

“no” she said she hung her head in shame. The man turned to me and I eagerly awaited the explanation I hoped for a long time now.

“How have you been feeling recently Lily? Have you been doing well?”

This question had a strange purpose I was sure so I answered as plainly as possible.

“I’m OK I guess” I answered

“and how is Ruby?”

“W-what?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“What the fuck is this; some sort of joke?! Well it isn’t fucking funny!” Ruby yelled.

“No please. Ruby, not now.” I tried to sooth her. Now was certainly not the time for this sort of reaction. I looked up at the man nervously but he didn’t seem shocked or surprised. Instead he just sat back in his chair in a sort of way I felt was a little smug, like he had somehow been proven right of something. I wondered. What on earth is this about?

“And you say she has never acted this way at home before?” The man asked as he turned his chair to face mum while still leaning back.

“No. Not at all” mum said sounding very shocked, concerned and upset

I looked at Ruby and Ruby stared back. We were both just as confused as each other here but staring at each other wasn’t giving us any answers.

“Sir, why am I here?” I asked the ultimate question on my mind. The man looked at my mum as if to get consent to speak to me and then turned to me again before answering.

“You have been in a lot of trouble at school recently, correct?” he asked me. I hung my head. I couldn’t deny that one and I wasn’t very happy about it.

“Well the school and your mother have both noticed you have been acting strangely of late and so they decided to contact me to see you”

“Well I know I have been behaving badly and I am very sorry about that but...t-there isn’t anything wrong with me I swear! I feel fine!”

“Well what about your friend?”

“huh?”

“Doesn’t Ruby want to talk about this? How does she feel?”

“Why the fuck do you keep asking about me?! Besides, it’s none of your fucking business how I have been!” Ruby said, turning away from the man in disgust

“Ruby!” I yelled in disgust at her rude behaviour

“When you did these things you got in trouble for at school, was Ruby there?” the man asked

“yes” I replied. Wondering what the implication of all this was

“It’s as I thought” The man said turning to my mum

“she is showing clear signs of having a split personality disorder”

“WHAT?!” Is what I thought but it seemed I must have screamed it out loud at the same time but considering the shock of the reveal it was no surprise I would do that.

“Oh you have to be fucking KIDDING ME! This is BULLSHIT! Come on Lily, let’s get the fuck outta here now!” Ruby yelled

But it was too late. My whole world seemed to spin as I thought about everything that had happened over these last few months. Surely, it wasn’t true! Ruby was a true friend! But...come to think of it. It all made no sense. The way she just appeared in my bedroom, the way I warmed to her so quickly, the way we were so close, the way she looked, the way people didn’t react to her...

“You see Mrs Winson. This Ruby character is a fiction of Lily’s imagination in order to help her cope with her stressful high school life. There were too many new things, too many pressures so she created a friend who could never let her down and would always be there when she needed it, like an imaginary friend but it’s more than that. This friend has become so real to her it has gone beyond just imagination but she actually believes this Ruby is real because she needs her and she can’t bear the thought of being without her”

“No” I said

“Sweetheart” mum tried to comfort me

“No” I said moving away from her. I couldn’t trust her. I couldn’t trust anyone!

“NO!” I screamed and ran out the room

“LILY!” Mum yelled after me but it was too late. I was already long gone. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I didn’t know where I was going. Anywhere but here would be fine. So many thoughts rushing through my head. I didn’t know what to believe anymore. The only thing I could think of doing was to cry and cry and I ran away.
I don’t know how long I ran for but eventually I got tired and I had to sit down on the pavement. I breathed so heavily I almost panicked as I couldn’t breathe. But Ruby was there to help as she reminded me to breathe in and out slowly as I had been taught in the past. But then something occurred to me.

“Wait...How could you know about that?! I didn’t tell you about that!” I screamed

“I thought it was common knowledge! Come on Lily, don’t do this to me!” Ruby begged

“Do you really believe that bullshit that man spewed to you?!” Ruby yelled

“I-I’m sorry Ruby. I-I didn’t mean it. I just...”

“Listen. It’s OK” Ruby said soothingly as she held me tight

“You know what? I don’t care even if it is true! I don’t want you to go!”

“and I don’t have to! Who cares what that jerk says?”

There was a pause as I calmed down a little again until Ruby broke the peace

“Let’s run away”

“What?” I said in disbelief

“I know it sounds scary but what other choice do we have? You know they are only going to force you to get rid of me and you need me. I know you do. This is all just a trick to make you think it’s OK for them to control you and your life! Well no more! Let’s go Lily! Let’s go!”

My heart was racing. It was such a rash and dangerous idea, like nothing I had ever done before. Would I even be able to? Before long me and Ruby heard the sound of police car sirens nearby.

“There isn’t much time! You have to decide now!” Ruby said in earnest as she tightly gripped both my shoulders. 
I closed my eyes and nodded as Ruby pulled me away from the blaring noises of the sirens. Here we go.

THE END