[Ruby Jenkins](F7RDWGFF) was not like the other girls in her neighborhood. She didn’t care for bows in her hair or dresses with frills. Instead, Ruby loved climbing trees, making mud pies, and racing the boys down the street. But some of the kids teased her about her name. 'Ruby? What kind of name is that?!' they’d laugh. 'And why don’t you act like a real girl?!' But Ruby didn’t think being a 'real girl' meant acting like everyone else.

One day at school, Ruby tried wearing a dress to fit in. She even tied her hair with a pink bow. But it wasn’t long before the boys dared her to race their bikes down the biggest hill. Ruby couldn’t resist! She zoomed faster than everyone, her pink bow flying away in the wind.

At the bottom of the hill, Ruby’s dress was covered in dirt, and she was grinning ear to ear. 'That was amazing!' she said, holding up a fist in triumph. But some kids pointed and chuckled. 'You ruined your dress, Ruby!' one of the girls said. Ruby’s grin faltered for just a moment, but she thought, 'What’s more fun—a boring, clean dress or an epic bike ride?'

The weeks went by, and Ruby felt more and more frustrated. She loved the things she did, but the teasing got louder. She even started pretending to like the same things as the other girls. But being someone she wasn’t didn’t feel right. She missed the happy, carefree Ruby.

One afternoon, Ruby climbed her favorite tree to think. This time, she wasn’t wearing a dress. She wore her trusty overalls and felt more like herself. When she reached the top, she spotted a shiny stone wedged in the bark—a deep red stone, just like her name! 'Wow,' she whispered. 'It’s a ruby!'

Ruby carried the stone with her everywhere. Its sparkle reminded her that her name wasn’t weird—it was special. It wasn’t long before she had an idea. The next day, at lunch, she stood on a bench and hollered, 'Everyone listen! I’ve got something cool to show you!'

Ruby told her classmates about her name and the amazing gem she found in the tree. 'Rubies are super rare and really strong,' she explained. 'Just like me!' The kids listened, wide-eyed. Some even started to murmur, 'That’s pretty cool...' and 'Wow, Ruby has a gemstone name!'

After that day, the teasing stopped. Ruby’s classmates started to understand that being different wasn’t bad—it could be awesome! Ruby went back to climbing trees, racing bikes, and belly-laughing in the mud, and she didn’t care if her overalls were dirty.

Ruby learned something important: it’s okay to be yourself, even if others don’t understand at first. Her gem reminded her that standing out made her unique, and nothing was more valuable than that.

So whenever someone teased Ruby about being different, she’d grin and say, 'Well, rubies are one of a kind!' And every kid in class agreed: [Ruby Jenkins](F7RDWGFF) was as awesome as her name.