Are we out of the woods

 

It felt like Ruby might be on the mend, but Rafe wasn't sure of anything. Possibly, he'd fallen down a dark rabbit hole and didn't know it. 

Oh,  how he'd listened. There wasn't much else he could do. First he got her to go to the cafeteria and eat something that might make her mood better. But then one could only go so far on brownies and ice cream. 

Later, they did a lot of walking around the empty campus. It wasn't exactly in full mode. So they spent a lot time eating sandwiches at the local SUBWAY. They were hiring and for a moment of positive thinking, Rafe wanted to fill out an application. Naturally, Ruby forbid it.

"I'm not staying," she was still full of anguish.

"Well, where will you go?" He told her her dad had been calling her, but she wouldn't answer. "I bet he wants you to come home."

"I can't." She hugged herself as if he had no idea what she was going through. After all, they were no more than maybe friends. Sure he'd slept in her room. It was like the longest slumber party he'd ever been to. There wasn't any fun. Yes, sometimes, he slept through most of her rants. Still, he couldn't say he felt bad about a lot of things, but not bad enough to call home.

Still, the roaming around of being in a different place left him eager yet so lost. And then out of nowhere was someone very familiar that he thought he might be having an illusionation. Maybe it was just the heat.

"DAD!" Rafe was baffled. "What are you doing here?" He was certain no one could find him.

"I've come to take you home," he was even-lipped as if he was too tired to fight.

"How? How did you know?" Rafe's eyes stared at his dad as if he bet it was all Cade's doing.

"Your friend Boone told me," he looked over at Ruby whose bright red hair was blowing in the hot wind. "Who's she?"

"It's..it's Ruby."

"Ruby Reynolds," she told him she was twenty-one which Rafe didn't even know. He squinted, unsure she was telling the truth.

His dad looked her in the eye. "Do  you know he has a term paper to do before he can graduate?" 

"Dad?" Rafe wailed. How could he bring up something like that? 

"You're coming home," his dad told him. 

"I can't." It was all so frustrating. "I won't leave Ruby."

"Is this true?" He looked at Ruby who gave him a shrug.

She said she quit. Her father and his new family moved to where Rafe lived at the nearby airbase. Her dad was an officer in the Navy.

"But it's Nebraska?" Did Rafe have to remind her how landlocked they were?

That was when his dad mentioned he'd been in the Navy too and the Air Force. Rafe was certain his dad would tell him he'd be in the military soon enough, but instead, his dad mentioned her dad's name. They knew each other from a long time ago.

All the while, Rafe kept holding Ruby's hand as if she might fly off somewhere. 

"I guess you can come home with us," his dad told her. He turned to Rafe. "You're going to graduate."

Rafe winced as if his dad was just too much, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

Just wishing that I had just something you wore

 "You will go back, won't you?" Harley found some alone time with KC even if it was in her own room. Yes, it was practically after midnight, but there was some time they could actually see each other while he was on Spring Break.

"I guess," but he didn't sound as if he could make it out there. Especially with everything that went down with Ruby. "She hates me," he said about Ruby. Even if the bed wobbled just a little. She couldn't help to be happy that he was here with her. Maybe shades of green prevailed in her scope of things, but it felt so meant to be as she looked into his dark brown eyes.

"Maybe..maybe she was just-"

"No, I think it's over." KC shook his head that he wouldn't even try. "I don't want to make her a mean girl. I just-" He sighed as if he'd messed up. "She..she might have some anger issues."

"Really?" Harley cringed at the thought. Suddenly she remembered right before she became diabetic and  how things went down with Rafe. Oh, she wouldn't get into it now.

"I want you to be happy," she found herself taking both of his hands. "You were happy last year when  you were playing all those music festivals." Somehow, she knew they were friends forever. That's all they would ever be.

"I don't know, I haven't played..in like forever." He looked so grim. Not the guy she remembered. They were so in tune with each other back then. Still, it was a bit dreamy having him here with the lights so low. They were whispering. And she felt so sad about that.

KC talked about growing up and how he played his electric guitar everyday in the the livingroom at home.

"Hey, you weren't so bad on the drums, either," Harley's smile was open. "You taught me everything I know."

"Yeah, right," he almost laughed back, but then gave her a hug, right there on her bed. He confessed he'd missed her so much. "I don't want you to hate me. I want you to be with Brick." But tears were in his eyes. She thought she might crumble too. 

She knew she had no business being with KC, but it felt so right. 

where do we go from here

 

It was a surprise to see Riley. Brandon hadn't expected it. Usually, she called to let him know she was in town.

"What's up?" He looked at her blankly. He held Heidi his niece who he was the guardian of on his hip even if he knew she was far too big to be carried. She was munching on an animal cracker. 

Of course, Riley was upset. She'd come from Yuki and Em's.

"Where's Melissa?" Brandon didn't understand with a wince. He let Riley into the apartment and told Declan to put the kettle on. Perhaps some herbal tea would help but with that distraught look on her face, he doubted it.

"At her mother's." 

Riley shrugged and took a seat on the couch. She was eager to give Heidi a little something. A Squishmellow that Heidi would never say No to. 

"But..but don't you guys do everything together?" Brandon sat down across from her and Declan came to join them.

"We had a fight."

"Really?" Brandon looked to Declan to check on the tea. He got up from the arm of the chair where Brandon was sitting and went back to the kitchen. "A real fight?"

"Oh, we argued on the way here," Riley practically crumbled, but at least Heidi gave her something to smile about as she gave the soft toy back to Riley to hug.

"What's going on?" Brandon squinted.

"I told you what would happen," she frowned. "Melissa doesn't want a baby. She hates babies, evidently."

Declan brought the tea then. Of course, there were the brownies. Although, Brandon told Declan to put them away. "I'll make us some lunch."

"She doesn't want me to have a baby," Riley said.

"That's all?" Brandon made it sound it wasn't so horrible. "Maybe?" He shrugged. "She just doesn't want you to go through all the pain."

"Or lose that figure of yours," Declan smiled with a silly grin. Of course, Brandon gave him the eye to go away.

"You have options," he told her. "I know you love kids."

"I used to think that's all I needed, you know, to work with children, but now..I want a family."

"Have you thought about fostering?" Declan said from the kitchen then.

"Just think of how many children need parents, right here in our community," Brandon mentioned. "It doesn't have to be a baby, you know."

"I don't know if she would go for that," Riley squinted. "I might have to do it on my own." She said she was certain she and Melissa were splitting up. 

"It was only a spat," Brandon didn't believe her. "You know you need Melissa as much as she needs you. I just can't see you two saying it's over after one little argument."

It's just a little weird

 It was an odd gathering at the coffee shop, but Vanna still showed up with Koda. It felt strange to be there without Harry since this was about Maisy. Instead, it was just the four of them. Mercer and Cade knew Maisy first. Maybe they knew something.

"I did try to get a hold of her," Cade told them. He'd already bought some muffins while they waited for their tea and coffee.

Honestly, Vanna didn't wait. She grabbed the first muffin full of chocolate. She winced, she hated that she wanted chocolate so much during this pregnancy. Was something wrong with her? Of course, Koda looked at Vanna as if she needed better manners.

"I think she changed her phone number," Vanna had decided. First, her messages went through. At least the text, but Maisy wouldn't respond. Then she sent a voicemail.

"That's what I was thinking," Mercer gave her a nod. "We used to talk all the time."

"You did?" Cade looked at him as if that was a surprise.

"You know, it was nothing big. Just school and who she used to know," Mercer shrugged. Vanna nodded. It was hard to believe so much had happened since high school. Vanna was married now and they were getting ready for the baby to be here in August. 

"I guess we lost touch when..when I got pregnant," Vanna sounded as if it was all her fault.

"Don't say that," Koda scowled. "She wasn't one who..who you could be friends with." 

He told them they'd been friends with her because of Harry. Koda shook his head, "He's the sweetest guy, how could she have dumped him?"

"Let's don't make her sound like..you know, a bitch of some kind. That was not Maisy," Vanna spoke up for her. "We were really friends."

"I know she was happy that you helped her with her jewelry making," Cade told her as he stirred his black coffee while Mercer took his chilled in a plastic cup. He put a little cream in his and stirred it with a straw.

"Are you sure?" Vanna cracked a grin. "I was so slow. I didn't know what she was even doing, at first."

"I can't believe she'd give it up," Mercer said.

"I dunno. I guess she was having some tax issues or something with the site," Vanna said. "It's like everything will cost you, these days."

"How is she even living in New York City?" Cade looked at them as if it must be impossible.

"Maybe it's working out," Vanna remained positive. She just wished her friend would call her. And she could see Cade and Mercer were worried too.

"I just can't imagine what Harry is going through," Koda looked sad about it. About then the waitress came over to ask for their order. 

"I feel like a bacon burger with fries," Vanna said first thing, "But I'll take the cheese omelet with some hashbrowns on the side instead." No way was she not going to let herself have some potatoes.