✾

"Hey Mom," I greet her. "I just called because I know we were planning on having you come for dinner later. Do you think you'll still be able to make it?"

"Oh sh*t," she sighs, and I can imagine her shaking her head at herself. "I just made plans with Andre!"

"Andre?" I echo.

"Just an old friend of mine, he's kind of cute. Anyway, I feel terrible and I can't believe I forgot when I scheduled for dinner tonight. How about this? You have dinner with Ruby tonight, and that should make up for it now. And then tomorrow is when I'll be the one to have dinner with her. I have to go but thanks Pierce! You know I appreciate you a ton. Bye!" She hangs up like she's in a hurry.

Once I get to my house, Iris is standing in front of the door with a plastic bag in her hand. She's wearing the same outfit as always - a hoodie and jeans. When I get out of the car she waves to me. Once I get close enough, she immediately starts talking.

"So I started thinking about birthdays when I went home yesterday, and I realized that you didn't really seem to have any decorations. Decorations can really light up a kid's birthday, so I bought a few things. And my present for her is in my room."

"Oh, that's great. I still have to go and get her a cake though."

"You go and do that, just open the door for me so I can start decorating. Do you have any presents for her?"

I shake my head.

"I'll hand you a twenty if you get... I don't know, whatever you think she might want."

"I have no idea," I sigh. "I know when I was a kid I liked cars and video games."

"Think about your sister." While she talks, I go and open the door for us so we can go inside. "She likes what? She likes drawing and cutting hair. Try to find maybe some mannequin heads for her to practice with, you could probably find one with long hair for like ten bucks. And use the rest for some cheap watercolors or a blanket or something. Just grab something and I'll get started on this."

✾

Once I get back from the store, after having bought all three things Iris recommended plus a cake with a rose in the upper-right corner and her name, I open the door and am shocked by all of the decoration she set up so quickly.

Originally, when she said she was going to decorate, I thought she meant she'd hang up an old, wrinkled banner that said Happy Birthday. And if she really felt generous, I thought, she'd blow up some balloons to wad up in the corners with tape. Instead though, she's brought twisted blue crepe paper from one of the lights out to the edges of the living room. There are blue balloons on the floor and a blue plastic table cloth over one of the empty tables I have. Shining silver strings are hanging in the doorways and above the table is a silver balloon in the shape of an 8. On the table is a big stuffed dinosaur with a name tag on the ear and a bow tied around its neck, and right beside that (still on the table) is a plain yellow box with a blue bow.

"Where did you get the money for all this?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, I asked my dad for a few bucks and he gave me thirty. Then I used ten to buy decorations and the presents at the Dollar Store. I want Ruby to have a nice birthday."

I sit down in a chair and nod. "It'll mean a lot to her. Last birthday she didn't have presents or cake or anything. Me and her I think went to the park and I might've picked her up early from school as a surprise so I could get her ice cream. Because I spontaneously did it when I ditched school. But she ended up crying because my mom never showed up and she didn't feel like anyone cared."

She nods with understanding, her eyes dropping to the floor as she bites her lip. "Well today is going to be different."

After I set up my presents and put the cake in the fridge, Iris and I leave to go pick up Ruby.

When we get back, Ruby widens her big blue eyes at the decorations and they trace the apartment. "Woah!" she voices. Her eyes go to her presents and she slowly looks up to them. "Are these all... mine?"

"They're all yours, Ruby," I say with a smile. "Have at it."

After she opens her presents she's really happy, and spends an hour just raving to us about her new gifts and starts to paint with the watercolors. After about an hour, my phone starts to vibrate and I pick it up to answer it. It's my mom. I go outside to answer it after briefly telling Iris so that she can stay inside and be with Ruby.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Pierce... Andre ditched me. I waited here and I got all dressed up and I was even excited to see him. But now he's just... not here." I hear a melodramatic sniffle. "I've been waiting here for forever now. I don't even know how long. Anyway, I was thinking you could pick me up? I just got back home and I'd love to see the Ruby. Some kid came over and dropped off some plastic dinosaur toys for her, so I figured I'd give those to her."

"Now you're deciding to show up?" I irritably mutter, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Of course, Pierce! Listen, I know I f*cked up last year, I can't be perfect. But this year I want to make it up to her."

"Fine, I'll pick you up. But for Ruby only."

With that, I hang up.

✾

I stand in front of the door, waiting for my mom to answer it. After waiting for a few moments, she doesn't answer and I open the door myself.

What I see really shocks me.

A stranger - who I assume is Andre - has my mother pinned against the wall, her face cupped in his hands as they're kissing. Her hair is falling over his wrists and finds itself in a mess, but she does the same to him. Once they're out of breath they stand there and breathe. Then my mom turns to me and her eyes widen. "Pierce! Pierce, you're supposed to knock! Don't just walk in!"

Looking at the plastic toys on the table she must've been talking about, I shake my head. I walk inside and pick up the plastic toys, dropping them in my pocket. "Are you coming or what?"

"Oh honey, I can celebrate it tomorrow. She's a sweet girl, she'd understand. And she's happy with you, right?"

I shake my head, incapable of finding any words for her. I turn my back, saying "Bye." No more words are exchanged between the two of us.

✾

When I come back, I see a familiar black Cheetah in the parking lot. Once I get to my apartment, I see Logan standing in front of the door.

"Listen Darling," he yells, "I know you can hear me! You can be silent, but I don't have to look to know you're in there!"

"Logan, what are you doing here?" I say, my voice low as I walk up to him. "You need to back off."

"Oh, I'm here for your girlfriend," he says with a menacing grin. "I heard her speaking to someone."

"I said it once and I'll say it again, get away from her and don't ever come back. How pathetic do you have to be to continue to taunt her after all the sh*t you've done to her? Wasn't trying to r*pe her bad enough?"

"It wasn't r*pe, pretty boy. The b*tch is fine, that wasn't an attack."

I get close to him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pinning him against the rail across from the apartment. "That's not true and we both know it."

"Listen, man, relax! I wasn't gonna hurt her, I just wanted to p*ss you off! Obviously it worked."

I bend him back further until he groans in pain.

"You can do whatever you want with me," Logan says, "but know that the girl is just f*cking you to make me jealous. She doesn't really give a sh*t about you." He makes a feeble attempt to get me away from him by clawing at my wrist.

"She's not an object to f*cking steal. You're not getting away with sh*t," I warn him, only loud enough for him to hear. "I just didn't come for you sooner because I thought you'd actually step off. You laugh now, but that f*cking stupid grin's gonna be wiped off your face when half your teeth are missing, your gums are bloody, and you're sitting in prison where you belong. What the h*ll else were you planning on doing, huh?"

I shove him into the wood and he mumbles, "Are you trying to say you want me to do something else to her, Wright? Because if so, enlighten me."

The anger is boiling inside of my fists, so much that I don't even think when I swing a good punch at his face. And I even do it again, because all I can think of is how he hurt Iris and tried taking advantage of her when she was drunk. It gets worse without me thinking, because I'm not thinking any coherent thoughts. Except for that he deserves to be hurt.

He tries to punch back, too, of course. And I'll admit, when he got my nose it might've done some damage. But I think overall, my anger is a stronger fuel than his defense. By the time I decide I don't want to make the guy pass out, he stumbles onto the floor and I stand above him. "Let that show you, Clark, the next time you try to put your hands on a girl that tells you no."

Iris comes outside shortly after he leaves, widening her eyes at the drops of blood on the carpet outside that came from him lying on the floor. My nose tingles a bit so I put my hand up to it, and it's bleeding. Whatever.

"I - uh, Pierce? What... happened?" she asks, her voice small. Her eyes dart around the scene. "Is he gone?"

I nod, wiping blood onto my wrist. Is it gonna stop anytime soon? "He's gone for good, Princess, and if he tries to get to you again he's gonna find himself buried in the godd*mn desert."

"Okay, okay," she mumbles, putting her head in her hands. "Just come inside and we'll talk about this at a better time."

Once I get inside, Iris hands me some toilet paper to hold over my nose (since I didn't have tissues) and a glass of water.

"Oh! Ruby," I say, walking towards her while she was on the couch, "some kid dropped off toys for you at Mom's, so I grabbed 'em for you." I take them outside of my pocket and put them on the cushion between us.

She widens her eyes, beaming. "It must've been Theodore!" she immediately runs to the toys and looks at them, picking them up and squealing. "Thank you!"

"Sure thing, kiddo."

✾