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Ruby
January 1st 2005

His lips were on mine,

His finger tips trailed my skin,

His body heat consumed me,

I'd never felt so alive,

I was flying,

I would never fall.

I would never die.

Patrick
December 31st 2004

     Ruby O'Reilly's bedroom has been a favourite spot of mine since she'd invited me to sleep there those months ago. 

It was painted a creamy off-white colour that I always saw hints of pink in. And a small double bed in the corner that was constantly lined with colourful colours and a colourful chequered blanket that laid on top. 

She had a desk that was overflowing with different hair products and perfume and makeup that I always worried would crumble to ash because of how little she used it all. Above the desk, there was a single window that provided most of the light for her room because the main lamp was broken and she wouldn't let me fix it. 

She had pink net curtains that were always pulled closed, which caused a pink filter over the entire room. Stuck to the curtains were various different pins; her communion cross,  a little angel she'd had since she was born, a ladybirds membership pin she said her Mam had enrolled her when she was little, a little rose to symbolise her middle name and a green ribbon that had the words seechange.ie stitched into it.

This information I had gathered in the months I'd spent sleeping in her bedroom, though I'm not sure how I retained it all because I seemed to only ever be looking at her. 

She was the only thing worth looking at. 

"Ruby, love?" Teresa's voice called through her door, Ruby didn't answer but she came in anyway. 

I was sitting on her desk chair with my feet resting on the frame of Ruby's bed, where she was laying as we talked. 

"Oh, hello Patrick." She smiled weakly, looking quite shocked to see me. Though, it should have been the other way around because this was the first time she'd spoken to me. And we'd only seen each other a few times in passing. 

But, surprisingly, she didn't resemble her daughter very much. She did, however, have the same look Ruby did when we first met; distant, angry and a little sad. 

"Do you need something, Mam?" Ruby asked, looking cracked and slightly afraid as she sat up in bed. 

"Oh, I just wanted to see what you wanted for dinner?" Teresa asks, raising her eyebrows which revealed her exhausted eyes. 

"We're going out, Mam. We won't be here for dinner." Ruby croaked out.

"Oh, yes. That's right, New Year's Eve." Her Mam replied, looking spaced out like she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing.