Aerobics

The weeks flew by. I forgot about Rebecca and my family most of the time because I was so busy. All I had time for was homework and aerobics lessons. People enjoyed the lessons more, and even more people signed up because the school advertised it. Soon their was lower, standard and higher aerobics classes. Beginners had lessons every Wednesday, Standard ever Tuesday and Friday while higher had lessons every Thursday, Saturday and Monday. Ruby and I were in higher.

Before we knew it we were onto the dance section, then past that and three months later were into the gymnastics lesson. But after a lesson I remembered my parents again and did some more research on them. I looked into the hospital three streets away because my Mum was pregnant. I read ‘Rebecca Mary Stone born 29th of January.’ My jaw dropped. That was the day of the fire! That meant if my sister Rebecca was born that meant that my Mum and Dad hadn't been in the fire! They must have been at the hospital. I thought of the name Rebecca. It was my favourite name because it was my best friends name… Rebecca Mary… Then it clicked. Rebecca, my best friend was my younger sister! But why would Mum and Dad send her into adoption if they were still alive? Another thing was where were they? I had to know, and fast.

By Saturday I had told Ruby and Julia what I had found out. Julia drove us to our Saturday aerobics lesson. Ruby hadn't said a word. You'd work in partners and each test would be taken separately, with three judges, each judging a different thing. One judge for every section: exercise, gymnastics and dance. If you won you would both be given a scholarship sending you to a boarding school which is mainly about aerobics. We would learn jazz, class, hip hop, rock, gymnastics and more exercises for a year before returning to this school. We would still have normal lessons on Monday and Thursday but then on Saturday we would start practicing. We had six lessons to come up with something. They put us in pairs and I was paired up with Ruby luckily.

I stayed a little after the lesson, finding out more about the test, and when I finished in the changing rooms Ruby wasn’t out their waiting like usual. I asked Becky, who wasn’t so bad anymore, but she said Ruby had already headed for home. I found that weird. First she was silent the whole car ride and then was purposely avoiding me the whole lesson. She didn’t look at all happy when she heard we were paired together either. I decided to go and talk to her after I finished off my math assignment.

I sprinted home (Even after that aerobics… I know!) high in thoughts about what was wrong with Ruby. When I got home I quickly did my homework and had a little dinner of beans on toast. Julia wasn’t home after her job interview and basically that was all I could make.

I rang the doorbell of the house. Ruby’s drunken mother opened it and asked if I had some more wine. I said no and quietly walked past her. I wasn’t really scared of her anymore and all she ever wanted was to know if I had a drink. Like I would bother giving her another drink, she must’ve drunk about eight bottles already. I ran upstairs to Ruby’s room and shoved open the door.

Ruby was in a corner crying. She looked terrible. Her room was completely empty and bare, just like the living room and the hallway.
“What’s so wrong?” I asked.
I didn’t exactly need an answer. They were moving probably. But Ruby’s mum was I no state to go anywhere.
“Mum has been drinking,” she snuffled. “Like her usual self. Except this time it went too far. She’s going to prison for about a year and after that who knows how long they plan to trap her in this building that tries to get people off drinking and drugs. I’ve got no other family so they are whisking me off to America with my Aunty Baba…” Ruby burst into tears.

I didn’t blame Ruby’s tears. She would have to lose everything and rebuild into another country because of her mum. I know Ruby’s mum wasn’t the best of them all, always getting money from their mum, but I do know Ruby still loves her. Ruby buried her head in my shoulder, wailing. I let her cry for a moment when until I had another great idea!

I called Julia and told her to bring the adoption papers. I told her to come quickly. In a week Ruby was adopted by us. Ruby shared my room, and my double bed. We were sisters. I woke once in the night, hearing Ruby crying out for her mum and wailing. I would’ve done the same. But she was always fine in the mornings. Thinking of Ruby’s mum reminded me of how determined I was to find my own parents, and my baby sister, Rebecca. I felt a pang of guilt for forgetting them. But as I fell back asleep, my guilt eased off and then my family was forgotten once more…