Page 101 of Wayward
“Everything is more than okay,” I say, catching up to them. There’s a short ball of energy running from the lobby of the building. “Ruby.” I catch my sister and pull her into a giant hug.
She lets go of me and playfully smacks the top of my head. “Did you get taller? I can’t believe you’re here. It’s like a dream. A dream I never want to wake up from.” Ruby’s hazel eyes blink up at mine. She looks so much like Mum. She pinches me.
“Ow.” I hold the side of my arm even though it didn’t hurt. “Mum home?”
“Is Mum home? Are you having a laugh? She hasn’t left home since you said you were coming. She’s been crying and cooking. Well, not at the same time.” Ruby waves back at Haley. “The food’s not contaminated with tears or anything.”
“I’ve cried in more than one sauce.” Dante holds out his hand, and Ruby shakes it.
We do a quick round of introductions, and then we’re up the three flights to my childhood flat. The place where I had the last dinner with my nan and my dad. Where I told my mum I was going to go work on yachts instead of going to uni. And it will be the place where I tell her how important Haley is to me. How she’s my girl. Things might not look like she’d imagined them. But I’m . . . I’m not afraid she’s going to reject me, Haley, or the guys because of how things are.
“They’re here,” Ruby sings as she opens the door for the group of us to enter.
“My boy.” My mum tackles me, and I stumble back into Calvin who, along with Pepper’s crate, holds us up. “Sorry, sorry. I’m more than a bit excited.”
“And well so,” Calvin says and shakes my mum’s hand.
She pulls him into a hug with a lot of force, and when she’s gone through everyone, she pushes us into the lounge and makes us sit. It’s weird but wonderful to watch my worlds clashing together.
“Lunch will be ready soon. Sit and take a load off. I don’t need help, so don’t any of you ask.” She picks a spoon up off the counter and waves it at us. She’s never hit me with a spoon, but she did tell me the stories of how her mother used to smack her with one. I’m on the sofa with Haley at my side, the other guys peppered around the small room.
“I tried to tell her she didn’t have to cook, that we could go out for curry, but you know Mum.” Ruby’s sitting on the arm of the sofa, and her eyes skip over everyone. Clever has nothing on my sister. She’s figuring things out. She jumps up. “You need to see Zane’s room. It’s like a flipping museum. I mean . . . I’m glad we left it alone now.” Ruby pinches my arm, and this time I don’t react. She’ll keep the pinch-me game going if I do.
“Your sister wants to make it into a Taylor Swift room. No respect,” Mum yells from the kitchen.
“No, I don’t,” Ruby hollers back and grabs Haley’s hand and pulls her down the hallway. “Really, I wouldn’t have done it. I missed him tons. Just don’t tell him,” she says to Haley, loud enough for the entire flat to hear.
“Stay put.” I point at the guys.
“No way in hell. I want to see what a young Zane’s room looks like.” Dante laughs and is up after us with the other guys trailing. The only saving grace is that there’s not enough spacefor Easton, Sam, and Calvin to fit into my room. It’s just wide enough for a single bed, my old school desk, and a dresser.
Damn, the walls are still covered with the posters from my cringe GCSE era. One wall’s got footie flags from school tournaments, a signed Villa kit, and a dozen posters of Lamborghinis. We’re good as long as Ruby doesn’t close the door—which is why I’m leaning up against it.
“This is exactly how I pictured it.” Haley squeezes my hand.
“Are you two an item, then?” Ruby asks, sitting on the side of my bed.
“Yes,” Haley says.
“Oh.” Ruby looks out the door to Calvin. When we walked up to the flat, Haley gave Calvin a kiss on his cheek. Which is totally fine. It’s not like I’m not going to tell my mum and sister that I’m not in a traditional relationship. There’s been nothing traditional about the way I’ve lived for the last year.
Except maybe there has been. Not having a phone, very little electricity, and nothing from the outside world to bother us. Maybe people would be a lot kinder to each other if they were allowed to find their own way instead of following what society tells us is normal.
“Ruby, we’re all dating Haley.” I thought there might be an easier way of telling her. Easing her into the idea. But I don’t have time. We’re taking off tomorrow morning for Miami. And telling them over the phone or in an email? That’s not the way my family does things.
“Whoa, that’s . . . You’re okay with that?” Ruby asks.
“Yes.” I stand, and the door bounces behind me.
“I wasn’t asking you. I was asking Haley. You’ve always been a little off.” Ruby turns to Haley. “And by off, I mean . . . I mean that in a good way. Zane doesn’t give a monkey’s arse what people think of him. But when that bully took the piss out of me in my year nine, Zane absolutely flattened him. He’s protective,proper loyal to the ones he loves. So yeah, you picked a good one. Well—at least one good one.”
“They’re all good ones.”
“I was going to make you look at the poster behind the door, but that’s nothing on what . . . Sorry, it’s going to take me a minute to . . . Bloody hell. All of them?”
“No worries. I completely understand. It took me more than a minute to realize what was happening and to be okay with it,” Haley says.
“Ruby, let me tell Mum.”
