Ava spoke with the school officials and gave a statement to the officer before turning toward her car. Ruby sat in the backseat staring at the police car with tears streaming down her face.
“Oh, no,” Ava whispered. She pulled open the back door and slid into the car with Ruby, tugging her into her arms. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Ruby cried in Ava’s arms and only after she calmed down a bit did Ava slide out of the car and walk around to the driver’s side. Then she put the car in gear and got them out of there.
By the time they pulled up to the house, Ruby’s tears had dried, but she looked miserable. Ava wrapped an arm around Ruby’s shoulders as they walked up to the house. Cole pulled the door open before they reached it and looked between them. When his eyes met Ava’s, she smiled weakly.
“Ruby, it’s so good to see you,” Cole said in an excited voice.
Ava looked at him gratefully.
“Hi, Cole,” Ruby said quietly.
“You know what I was thinking we would have for dinner?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Pizza. And then popcorn and a movie. What do you think?”
Ruby looked up at him with a sliver of a smile on her face. “Really?”
“Yep. I even think I heard Ava say we might go to the store to pick out some candy.”
Ruby’s smile brightened even more. “Really? Can we? It’ll be just like going to a movie theater.”
Ava smiled back at her. “You bet. Would you like to go right now?”
“Yes!” Ruby said excitedly.
Ava looked up to where Cole still stood in the doorway. “Care to join us?”
“Of course. Shopping for candy is my favorite part.”
Ava handed Ruby’s backpack to Cole, who set it just inside the house. Then he stepped outside and walked with Ava toward the car while Ruby skipped ahead.
“How’d you know?” she asked softly.
“Danica texted.”
“Thank you for that.”
“Anything for you.”
