“That’s enough!” I snap, but she just laughs while spraying my ass with some more.
Who thought it was a good idea to stick glitter in an aerosol can? Someone just as evil as her, that’s who.
“Fairies have to be sparkly,” she says with too much enthusiasm.
This is definitely the most humiliating experience of my life.
“And now for our five woodland fairies,” Mrs. Taylor announces, causing the crowd to cheer.
“That’s you,” Ruby says, smiling as she fluffs my stupid tutu—yes, a damn tutu!—and adjusts my glittery top.
Tights. I’m wearing tights! How did Robin Hood make this look cool? Maybe it was the bow and arrow. Why can’t fairies carry bow and arrows?
Ruby shoves me hard, and I’m stumbling before I realize it, tripping onto stage. As laughter erupts, I start plotting my own revenge.
She’ll pay for this.
***
Thirteen years old…
CORBIN
I’ve never hated anyone in all my life as much as I hate Cassie Lyons, or Jenkins, or whatever in the hell her last name is now. It’s hard to keep track of how many husbands that woman has had.
My fingers lace with Ruby’s as she rests. At least she’s alive.
“You can’t be in here!” a nurse hisses as she walks in and spots me.
“My dad owns this hospital. I’ll be wherever I want to be,” I say absently, leaning over to kiss Ruby’s hand in mine. She would hate looking so vulnerable. Her mother… I wish she was the one in this hospital bed. Not Ruby.
“You’re Corbin?” the nurse asks, but before I can answer, the door is opening, and Ruby’s father and stepmother are walking in.
“You two can’t be back here,” the nurse scolds, on a mission today.
None of them have had any luck kicking me out, which is why being a Sterling comes in handy. Not even my mother has been successful in prying me away for the past three days.
“You’re welcome to call security. Tell them to bring backup,” Ruby’s scary-as-hell father says as he glowers at the nurse.
The nurse pales before running away from the bald beast with tons of ink showing. The second his eyes land on his daughter, they soften, and he slowly makes his way to her bedside, taking her other hand.
They got here within a few hours after Ruby was admitted to the ER. Once she was stable, they took off to do something they apparently wanted to keep secret.
We both sit quietly for a while, and Ruby’s stepmom stays busy by knitting something. But her dad finally breaks the silence.
“Ruby’s coming to Austin with me,” he says on a sigh, destroying my world with one single sentence.
My eyes jerk up to see him staring at his daughter, but I can’t form words. It’s selfish of me to want to keep her here, but I don’t know what I’ll do if she goes. Her dad moves every time he opens a new shop somewhere. He just moved to Austin not long ago. What if he moves her all the way across the country?
When I can’t speak, he continues. “It’s the best thing for her, and after this, my lawyer has pulled some major strings to get me temporary custody. It’ll be sole custody soon. My daughter will die if she stays in that neglectful house.”
I swallow hard. I’ve been around a lot of lawyers, and I’ve heard a lot about custody disputes because of Ruby’s family. So I know…
“Sole custody means she never has to come back. Right?” I ask on a choked whisper.
His eyes meet mine, and his lips tighten.
“It does in this case,” Wanda—Ruby’s stepmom—says softly, trying to lessen the blow with her tone. “Cassie won’t even have supervised visitation. She’s lucky she has a judge for a father, or she’d be in jail right now for some form of neglect.”
I look over at her, trying not to get angry as the tears form in my eyes. Guys aren’t supposed to cry, but I’m about to.
“What about Krysta?” I ask, still only able to whisper. I feel desperate using that against them, but Ruby’s sister is all the hope I have for seeing Ruby again.
“We’re trying to figure that out,” Wanda admits, smiling grimly at me. “Krysta’s father isn’t in the picture, so it’s harder to figure out how to talk Cassie into letting Ruby see her half-sister, since now we’re taking her away. Because of who Cassie’s father is, we’re unable to get Krysta out. Fortunately, she doesn’t have any fatal allergies like Ruby. But that’s not your problem to worry yourself over. I promise we’ll figure out a way.”
“I have to see Corbin,” Ruby says in a rasp voice as her fingers tighten around mine, and my head jerks up to her.
Her eyes are still closed, but I know she’s awake.
“You’ll still get to see Corbin. I’ve already spoken to Hershel,” her dad tells her.