Page 24 of Derick

Nervous,I walked the TAFE campus, familiarizing myself with my surroundings before I went to class. My goal here was to get my High School Certificate and then hopefully further my education. I’d been tested because I’d never gone to school. I had to work on my maths, but was at a level where if I studied hard, I could join the classes I needed. I was ecstatic I could go to TAFE, as I wasn’t sure I would have been able to. I worried I would be too far behind to ever get my HSC. My bodyguards had agreed to stay hidden if I didn’t leave the campus.

The Silverman family was popular and very well known. I had a feeling if people knew of my association with them, my experience here would be different. I didn’t intend to tell anyone about them or my own family if I could help it. I was determined to have as much of a normal TAFE experience as I could. I didn’t plan to lie, just not tell all the details, like who I lived with, or who and how I grew up. Truthfully, I couldn’t wait to be with people who didn’t know anything about me. I could be anyone I wanted.

There were people of all ages sitting in groups around the campus. I was looking forward to making friends. I hadn’t had any friends before I met the Silverman family. The girls in the house I’d been placed with were nice, but I knew they weren’t friends with me because of the hate they held for my family. Ihad been okay with that, but since meeting Cassie and then some of the other Silverman women, I knew what true friends were like. Before I approached anyone, I was going to see who would be in my classes.

Clutching the bag with the laptop, paper, phone, and anything else I could possibly think I could need, I made my way to my first class, maths. I’d never been fond of maths. I hated looking at numbers and working budgets. I’d gotten used to it, but knew I only knew the basics.

Walking into the class, I studied my surroundings. The classroom had windows all along one side. There were ten double tables, five on each side, and half of them were filled, with mostly women. There was a table in the center at the front of the room with a whiteboard on the wall.

Making my way down the center aisle, I stopped beside a young woman with jet-black hair who looked my age. I placed my bag on the seat and settled in. I smiled at the woman and took a deep breath and reminded myself that no one knew me. “Hi. My name’s Ruby.” Beaming a smile at her, I tried not to bounce in my seat at my happiness of not stuttering.

“Ruby. I like it. It suits you. My name’s Ashley, but everyone calls me Ash.”

And just like that, I made a new friend.

I’d beenat TAFE for three weeks. I was hanging out with one group of friends more than the others. Ash, who I’d met in maths class, was very outgoing. She had friends already going to TAFE, but they were doing course and not their HSC. Ash and I had both made new friends, but we mostly hung out with the friends she’d known.

They had asked me to go out with them, and tonight was my first night ever going out with friends. They all knew about Hope and had even invited her to dinner and then said they’d hang out at my place if I couldn’t get a babysitter. I didn’t tell them I had babysitters everywhere I turned nowadays thanks to the Silverman family, who I lived with. I still wasn’t ready for my new friends to learn about my association with them yet.

Hope loved her new life. I missed her like crazy, but knew everything that was happening was good for her. She loved having friends of her own and told me all about them when I picked her up from daycare. I wanted the best for my daughter. I would do anything to make sure she thrived.

She didn’t seem to be missing me. Which, if I was honest, kind of hurt as since she’d been born, I’d pretty much been her entire world. We did everything together, and I had never let her leave my side. I couldn’t risk it with my family. Now though, she had freedom, and she was thriving. I was beyond grateful and determined to keep living the new life I had been given, and I intended to make the most of it. I had never been one to dwell on the negatives in life. I knew that, unfortunately, life could always get worse, so enjoy it while you could.

The bodyguards were good at staying hidden, and this kept me happy. I wasn’t sure how that would go tonight. I was going to get ready at Ash’s house, and I was nervous as she lived with her parents. Meeting normal—or what I would consider normal—parents was another new experience for me.

Raising my fist to the door, I knocked and stepped back to wait. The door opened to a man with streaks of grey in a short crew cut, maybe in his late forties, early fifties. “Hello. You must be Ruby.” He took a step back and held the door open. “Come in. Ashley is in her room. Just up the stairs on your left, second door. She’s waiting for you.”

I smiled. “Hi. Y…yes, I’m Ruby. Nice meeting you.” Dropping my head, I bit my tongue to stop my groan coming out at my stutter. I’d been so good lately.

“It’s lovely to meet a new friend of Ashley’s.” His voice softened. “She’s been telling me that you’re a single mother and doing TAFE full time. That’s pretty impressive.” He smiled and I relaxed a little as he guided me to the stairs.

I would love to take all the credit, but I knew I couldn’t do this without the Silverman family’s support, Derick’s in particular. “Thanks, it’s nothing really. I’m lucky, I have a support system.”

He nodded. “It’s good you have help. I admire that you’re trying to further your education. It’s not easy. So don’t sell yourself short.” He jerked his head toward the top of the stairs. “I better let you get to Ashley. She’s been excited for tonight all week. She’s the second door on the left. Nice to meet you. Have fun tonight, and stay safe.”

I walked up the steps slowly, jealous for the first time in a long time that I never got to have parents like what Ashley had. Her father seemed like the type I always dreamed of. My own father would never have told me to stay safe.

“Ash,” I said as I opened the second door on the left. My jealousy intensified as I entered a young woman’s room. Ashley had three white walls with a purple feature wall that her double bed sat against. There was a pinboard on one wall filled with photos, and a closet open on another with clothes spilling out of it and thrown everywhere. Next to a huge window was a vanity with a massive mirror.

Ash spun as I entered and squealed. “You’re here.” Before I could even get a word out, she grabbed me and pulled me further into her room and then slammed the door shut. “I’ve been hanging for you to arrive. Come on. I’ll do your makeup for you while we wait for Lilly, Courtney, and Lisa to arrive.”

I wasn’t one for makeup, I had never needed it before. I didn’t even own any. Well, besides some colored lip gloss. Wanting to fit in, I didn’t say anything about not having or knowing how to do makeup. “Sure. Have at it. I will be your willing doll.”

Ash laughed and then rubbed her hands together. “Oh, this will be fun.”

Today was my first full day back at uni. The last couple of weeks I’d helped my parents get Hope and Ruby settled into their new activities; Hope at daycare and Ruby at TAFE. I was uneasy as Ruby would be going to TAFE without me. My brother had at least seen Jade at school, and Richard worked his hours around spending the maximum time with Bailey. And Divinity…well, she was something special. And Cassie didn’t leave Dustan since…

I shook my head, trying to shake away where my thoughts were drifting to. I’d started doing afternoon classes during the week for a couple of weeks, while Ruby started and settled into TAFE. She was coming home exhausted though, and any energy she had she gave to Hope. So I had tried my best not to ravish her, and I was slowly going insane and starting to worry that soon I would snap.

The hours away from Ruby were driving me crazy though. I wondered what she was doing every moment without me. I worried she’d meet someone else, and I wouldn’t be there to woo her and show her I was the one she was meant to be with, her soulmate. It had helped me realize that since meeting her and moving her into my parents’ house, besides when we slept, Ruby and I didn’t spend much time apart at all.

My knee bounced, and I knew that the gift my family had of going a little he-man crazy when they meet their soulmate, hadn’t kicked in with me because I spent all my time with Ruby.With her history though, she needed to have some freedom and a chance at an education which she’d never received.

I had a feeling tonight I was going to become a crazy Silverman. I didn’t want to deny her friends, but tonight was the first night Ruby would be away from me and out having fun with her new friends.

Today had been my first day where I had gone seven hours without seeing Ruby or Hope. Ruby was who my mind wouldn’t stop conjuring images of; her in PJ’s, the silky fabric clinging to her body as she walked down every morning. I know she had no idea what they did to me. They weren’t the worst though—it was the swimmers she wore in the pool. I know she had a bikini, but she had yet to wear one, instead she wore one-pieces. The one she’d worn yesterday had been a torture device for me. It was just a simple black suit with a low back and spaghetti straps. It wasn’t something that would usually catch my attention, but on Ruby, it took my breath away and had my cock rock-hard for hours. I’d stayed in the pool longer while she’d gotten changed so my boner could deflate, but it became hard again when I saw Ruby strut out in silver sandals and a bright yellow sundress. She had no idea the power she held over me.

Fridays were busy days for me. Ruby only had two classes. She’d had them in the morning and had spent the rest of the day with Hope before she went to her friends Ashley’s house. Hope was now with my parents who had taken her to the Disney on Ice show.

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