"Passion in my eyes, I lived it everyday, but how could you go and throw it all away?" I watched Matt sing into the microphone through the soundproof glass.

I was sitting beside Mudrock and Fred at the switchboard, listening to Matt record his vocals for a new song. They weren't giving me any hint as to what the title of the album was yet, nor would they tell me what the song they were working on at this moment was called. It was frustrating to say the least, but exciting and intriguing all the same.

It had been sooo long since I'd last heard the guys play. I'd been there to see them record Sounding The Seventh Trumpet and Waking The Fallen, and watched them play at Chain Reaction before I'd left Huntington. When I heard they were going on Warped Tour I was desperately hoping to see them, but the money just wasn't there that year, and I'd missed out.

The door to my left opened and Larry Jacobson walked in. He looked very like I remembered; two years hadn't really made much of a difference in him. His eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face when he saw me.

"Ruby!" He exclaimed, coming towards me. "Is that you, Little Ruby?"
"Yes, Larry." I giggled, standing up to shake his hand. "It's me."
"Gosh, how long's it been? Two years?" He gasped. "Well look at you, you've sure grown up quite a bit, you're a little Woman now." He smiled.
"Stop it." I blushed. "You're embarrassing me."
"Aww." He chuckled. "Where've you been all this time?"
"I moved back to Chicago with my Ex."
"Ex?" He asked, looking puzzled. "Jack?"
"Yeah, we broke up." I frowned.
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head. "Don't be." I sighed. "Things just went sour between us."
"How long ago?" He asked.
"Five Months."
His lips twitched up at the sides in a weak smile, and he stepped towards me, enveloping me in a tight, Fatherly hug. "Well," He said as he pulled away. "It's good to have you back, and if you need anything, somebody to talk to or whatever, I'm here."
"Thanks."

A knock at the door ended the conversation, and Brian entered the room.

"I was about to go out for a smoke break, anyone keen to come with?" He asked.
"I'll go." I said, walking towards him. "I mean, I don't smoke, but I'll go."
"Alright." He smiled, putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me outside.

Brian leant back against the blue brick wall of the studio, placing a cigarette between his lips and lighting it, and I took a seat in one of the white plastic chairs. I fidgeted with the hem of my dress, my mind drifting to the less than joyful thoughts my conversation with Larry had triggered.

"You alright?" Brian asked, noticing how quiet I'd become.
"Yeah." I lied. "Just thinking."
"About?" He pressed.
I rolled my eyes. "It's not like you'd care anyway." I grumbled. "Every time I mention him you just groan and complain."
"Jack again?" He guessed, his tone less than amused.
"Yes."
"What triggered it this time?" He asked, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"I told Larry why I moved away, and that brought up the subject that we broke up when I told him why I was back." I answered. "Since when do you care?"
"Ruby, don't start." He groaned.
"Well every other time his name comes up you just bitch!" I snapped.
"Ruby." He warned me.
"No, you always had a problem with him, even when we were together and things were going good-"
"You wanna know why?" He snapped, cutting me off. "That bastard didn't fucking appreciate you, okay?" He spat. "You were never his first priority, Ruby, do you even realize that?"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I scowled.
"Oh don't fucking play dumb." He growled, rolling his eyes. "Everything else came before you, his friends, his video games, his drugs-"
"You can't fucking talk, Brian, you're no fucking Saint, you use drugs yourself!"
"But I do it in moderation, Ruby." He snarled. "And I don't fucking put it before the people who are supposed to be important to me."
I pouted angrily, and folded my arms.
"How many times did you have to come over because he and his friends were having a rave?" He asked. "Because it wasn't your lifestyle and he couldn't just wait until you were out for a night to do it, he had to kick you out."
"That was my decision, Brian, I never wanted to leave home when he was there."
"Regardless whose decision it was, Ruby, what do you think was more important to him?" He questioned. "You or his fucking drugs?"
I didn't have a way to answer him.
He knelt down in front of me, standing on his knees with his hands on either arm of the chair I sat on. "How many times did he call you first? Hell, for the matter, how many times did you have to call him before his phone was finally fucking switched on?" He raised his eyebrows, enforcing his point. "How many times did he actually willingly spend time with you without you having to ask? Because he couldn't fucking tear his ass away from his games for five fucking minutes?"
I felt tears stinging at the corners of my eyes. "I expected so little from him, Brian. He was a guy, you know? I didn't wanna be the girl who said he couldn't have fun and snap at him when he played games all day and partied with his friends instead of spending time with me."
"Yeah, but Ruby, he took that for granted, and pushed it too far." Brian pointed out. "He did it subtly, but he let it get to the point where he could spend as little time with you as possible and you'd just chalk it up to him being a guy and wanting his space." He sighed. "He wanted a little too much space, if you ask me."
"Brian." I croaked. "Please stop."
"It hurts, doesn't it?" He asked. "Suddenly realizing how little you really meant to him?"
"Brian." I sniffled, hanging my head as the tears began to fall. "Stop."
"That whole bullshit at The Used was just that; Bullshit." He spoke. "He was just looking for an excuse, Ruby."
"Brian."
"You meant nothing to him anymore, and he needed a way to get rid of you."
"That's enough!" I spat, snapping my head upward. "Why are you saying all of this to me? How could you be so cruel?!"
"Because." He snarled. "I want you to open your fucking eyes, Jack didn't want you anymore!" He snapped. "And that, is why I fucking hated him, because like it or not, believe it or not, Jack never loved you!"
"Get out of my face, Brian." I croaked, pushing him back and getting up out of my seat. I went for the door of the studio, but his arm shot up to block my way.
"Fine." He sneered. "Don't believe me." His arm dropped. "And keep being miserable."

I hit him with my shoulder as I walked past, wincing in pain when I realized that compared to myself, Brian was like a brick wall. I waited until I got inside to let the tears fall freely and grasped my shoulder, massaging it to try and ease the pain. I leant my opposite arm against the hallway wall, crying onto it.

"Hey." I heard a husky voice from behind me. "Ruby?"
I turned to face Matt, sniffling as I wiped my eyes, trying to hide my tears.
"Are you okay?" He cooed, coming towards me and rubbing my arms soothingly.
"I'm fine."
"No you're not." He frowned. "What happened?"
I shook my head. "I don't wanna cause conflict."
"Ruby." He pressed.
"Brian basically told me I meant nothing to Jack and that my being depressed over him was pointless and stupid."
"He said that?" Matt asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Not those exact words." I croaked. "But it was the basic gist of it."
"That fucking Punk, I'm gonna-" He started, making to walk past me.
"Matt don't." I pleaded, grabbing his arm. "Please."
"He had no right, no right at all!" Matt growled. "For god's sake he knows how sensitive you are!"
"Please Matt." I sniffled, my body trembling as my Anxiety began to kick in. "Don't go off at him, don't fight, I won't be able to sleep tonight if you guys start fighting." My hands shook and my lips began to tremble as my heart rate picked up.
"Ruby." Matt's expression softened as he approached me once more.
My breathing began to come out in short gasps.
"Ruby, calm down." Matt cooed, pulling me into his arms.
I cried onto his chest, my whole body shaking with each gasp for air.
"Ruby, relax, come on." He breathed, stroking my hair. "You know you can't let yourself get worked up like this."
I tensed myself to try and stop myself from trembling, and tried to focus on taking deep breaths to calm myself down.
"Good girl." He whispered, kissing my hair. "Just calm down, relax."
A few minutes passed and my trembling died down, my breathing almost back to normal. "I'm sorry." I sniffled.
"What for?" Matt asked.
"For letting my Anxiety get the best of me in front of you."
"Ruby, you have nothing to be sorry for, we all know you have problems with it, it's not your fault, it's just something you unfortunately have to deal with, and we respect that." He comforted me, an understanding smile spreading across his features, revealing his dimples, as he pushed my hair back out of my face.
"Please don't go off at Brian." I asked once more. "I have to get a grip on myself and I know it, Brian's just doing the tough-love thing, you know what he's like."
"Still Ruby," Matt started. "He was out of line, and it's still early in the breakup, you have every right to be miserable."
I frowned and looked down.
"Hey." He said, lifting my face back up to his. "You're not alone though, okay?" He smiled, bent his knees and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up off the ground, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around him. "You're still so tiny." He chuckled. "But it's great to have my Little Sister back." He smiled.

The door at the end of the hallway opened and Brian walked back inside, a serious pout playing on his lips. He raised his eyebrows at me in Matt's arms as he passed, before heading back into the main room of the studio. Matt set me back down.

"What the fuck was that about?" Matt questioned.
"I have no idea."
"Fuck him." Matt shook his head. "I don't have time for his egotistical crap today, we've got work to do." He said. "You head back to his place, spend some time with McKenna, alright? Just get out of his hair for awhile, rather than risk another argument."
"You're probably right." I agreed. "But if you remember, I don't drive."
"I'll drive her!" I heard a familiar voice call out, and looked up to see Johnny heading towards us. "Could stop by the pier, pick up some lunch, what do you say?" He smiled.
"That sounds great." I grinned.
"Take care, Ruby." Matt smiled, kissing my forehead.
"I will." I smiled.
"Let's go then." Johnny grinned, hooking his arm through mine as we headed out of the studio...

Notes