Jacob – Past
I’m skimming stones along the water when Layla finds me.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Sorry.” I throw another stone.
She steps into the water in front of me, her hair blowing across her face in the wind. She pushes it back behind her ears.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Layla.”
I start walking down the beach, and she keeps pace.
I stop. “Please just leave me alone.”
“No.” She stares at me, the blue of her eyes the same color as the sky today.
“No?” I’m angry, I’m yelling at her, and I hate myself for it.
“You can’t just decide what to include me in, Jacob. That’s not how this works. You’re upset, or angry, or heck, I don’t know what you’re feeling because you won’t tell me what’s wrong, but something is, and I want to know what.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Can you, for once, just leave it at that?”
“No, I can’t.”
I start walking again, and she moves in front of me, then stops.
“Please, Layla.”
I’m waiting for her to start to argue again, but to my surprise, she doesn’t. She leans into me, then puts her arms around my neck.
“I’m not going anywhere, Jacob Evans,” she whispers. “So stop trying to push me away.”
I let out a heavy breath and move my hands around her waist. I pull her closer and lower my head to her shoulder. We’re silent for a while before I finally decide to talk to her.
“My mom died last night.”
Her arms tighten around me. “Jacob.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, not yet, so please don’t ask me to.”
She nods against my chest. “Okay.”
“I’m supposed to see social services tomorrow,” I tell her. “They’re letting me stay one more night.”
“We’ll figure it out,” she tells me.
I pull her chin up so she’s looking at me, and then I kiss her. It’s nothing like how we usually kiss, it’s almost as if all the emotions we aren’t talking about have spilled out into it.
***
Layla decided to come back to the trailer with me. She told me she’s staying tonight. I didn’t argue with her, I’m glad she is. I’ll handle the repercussions with her dad another day.
We ordered a pizza from Harry’s, and when it arrived, we took it into my room. I dragged the TV in earlier and set it on the chest of drawers beside my bed, I don’t want to be anywhere near the couch, or the living room, or that damn bottle of whiskey still poured on the carpet.
We flick through the channels until we find a movie, then we start to eat.
Once the movie’s end credits start rolling, Layla asks me for something to sleep in. I give her my T-shirt. When she comes out of the bathroom wearing it, I try not to think about how good she looks in it. We share my twin bed, and I fall asleep with her curled into me.
There’s something about that strawberry scent in her hair, and her soft breaths as she falls asleep, that makes me fall in love with her even more. I don’t know what’s next. But this, this feels like something I can hold on to.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I open my eyes and feel Layla’s head moving against my chest. She’s waking up.
The tapping is louder now that I’m fully awake.
“What is that?” Her voice sounds raspy.
I sit up.
It’s not tapping, it’s knocking. Someone’s at the trailer door.
I reach by Layla and grab her phone, squinting at the brightness, it’s two thirty in the morning.
“What time is it?”
“Two thirty.”
I pass her the phone and get up.
I pull a T-shirt over my head, just as I hear shouting, followed by more banging.
“Who the hell is that?” She runs her hands through her hair.
I lean down and kiss her forehead. “Stay here. I’ll take care of it. It’s probably just Owen, sometimes he crashes here after he’s been out.”
I close my bedroom door and yawn as I reach the front door.
It’s not Owen.
It’s Rhett, and he didn’t come alone.
I recognize some of them. And of course, Alex is front and center. I hold the door half open so they can’t see inside the trailer.
“What are you doing here, Rhett?”
“Where is she?”
“Who?”
“Don’t mess with me, Evans. Where’s my sister?”
“It’s the middle of the night, Rhett. Go home.”
I hear Layla opening the door of my room, and I glance toward her in warning.
She stops. She’s still only wearing my T-shirt.
Alex is beside Rhett when I turn back. He says something to him, and Rhett nods.
“I’m not leaving without her.”
“Then I guess you’re spending the night outside.”
“My little sister would never willingly spend the night with someone like you,” he spits, then starts shouting her name along with his friends.
I see her move out of the corner of my eye and I shake my head, trying to tell her no.
I go to close the door, but Rhett puts his foot against it to stop me. He’s holding his phone to his ear, and her ringtone starts going off in my room.
Alex kicks the door, forcing me back.
Rhett walks in first, eyes scanning the room like he owns it.
“This place is a dump.”
When Alex enters, I move to block his view of her. She touches my arm, like she’s saying she’s got this.
“Leave us alone, Rhett.” Her voice cracks, she’s scared.
Rhett looks at her the way he usually looks at me, and it sets my blood boiling.
He steps toward us.
“Leave, Rhett,” she says again.
Alex keeps staring at her. I don’t like that either.
“You heard her. Get out.”
Rhett ignores me. “Get your clothes and get in my car, Layla.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Rhett shouts, and then the rest of his friends come in. One of them is holding a baseball bat.
Rhett goes to grab her, and I stop him.
“Don’t touch her.”
He doesn’t say anything, but he reaches for her again.
I block him for a second time.
I turn to look at Layla. Her eyes go wide.
I hear the sound before I feel the pain.
Then I’m on the floor.
I look up to see Rhett dragging Layla down the hall. She’s screaming, but I can’t hear anything except a loud ringing in my ears, like I’m underwater.
My vision dotted in black. I push myself up.
My feet unsteady.
I feel the warmth of the blood dripping down the back of my neck.
I start toward where Rhett took her. Alex steps in front of me and pushes me back. I stumble, losing my footing, then steady myself on the arm of the couch.
Rhett reappears with Layla, now wearing the dress she came in. She’s crying, trying to pull away. He’s got her arm, and I know he’s hurting her.
“Looking good, Layla,” Alex whistles.
I want to hit him, but I don’t know where he is anymore.
Someone starts to push me outside. I feel the heat of the air, then a fist connects with my jaw.
I punch back, but the ground keeps moving.
Another fist connects to my ribs, or maybe it was the bat again. I can’t tell.
Kicks and punches come from everywhere.
I’m on the ground.
Trying to catch my breath.
Trying to see her.
She’s screaming my name over and over.
I just want to see her. I just want to know she’s okay.
I swing out and hit someone’s, nose? Eye? Doesn’t matter.
I hear police sirens.
They stop.
The car pulls in along the gravel path.
It stops.
The door opens.
I try to stand.
There’s blood everywhere.
I hear talking and I hear Layla arguing. Her voice is doing that thing when she gets mad where it sounds higher pitched.
The policeman kneels in front of me. He sighs, then begins searching me, he finds something that he takes away too quickly for me to see.
Then my cheek is pressed against gravel. He pulls my arms behind my back. I feel the metal against my skin. He starts reading me my rights, then hauls me to my feet.
I stumble.
I can’t stand.
He drags me toward the flashing lights.
“I told you, Layla,” Alex taunts. “He’s just like his old man. A piece of trash.”
The officer pushes me into the backseat of his car.
“Layla!” I shout.
He slams the door.
I see her.
Rhett has his arm around her stomach, and she’s fighting him.
“It’s not him! He didn’t do anything wrong! Please! That’s not his, it’s not his fault! They’re lying! Look at him!” She’s screaming.
Then everything goes black.