For you I would ruin myself

four

Just like that, it was already Sunday morning and to Lyla's surprise she was actually looking forward to be out on a Sunday for a change. She had set an alarm just in case it had escaped her mind, which could have very well been possible. After having a tiniest bit of cereal for breakfast at 11am, she goes back to her room and checks her phone to find 10 texts and 3 miscalls from Lexie.

Lyla frantically unlocks the phone to call her back, "What's the matter Lex? Are you ok?"

"Jesus Christ, thank the heavens. I thought you hadn't woken up. You and Ashton are heading to the park together right?" Lexie says relieved on the other side of the phone.

"Um yeah, we're not leaving in until 11:30 though. Also are we buying food to eat from the supermarkets there or are we eating at a restaurant?"

"Just bring about £30, I'm pretty sure we're just gonna get a takeout pizza and have it at the park."

"Ok great! I'll see you then."

Lyla stays on her phone for what seems like 2 minutes until she checks the time and it reads 11:20. She throws her phone onto her bed and picks up the easiest and most comfy outfit, which is a plain navy blue t-shirt and grey sweatpants with her initials embroidered near the bottom. 

Lyla questions her choice of clothing, then mutters under her breath, "What can I say? I have an impeccable sense of fashion."

She rushes into the bathroom and ties her up into a half up half down ponytail. She puts on some jewellery and a shit ton of deodorant for some reason as well as covering herself in perfume, that luckily doesn't have a choking smell to it. Lyla runs around her room to find her string bag (which is the only bag she'll ever use), wallet, battery pack and water bottle still half filled with yesterday's water. She scours the floor and her desk to find loose change so she doesn't have to ask her mum for too much money. She grabs her coat hanging on her door and hurries down the stairs.

"Mum! Could I please have £15, I'm going out right now!"

Lyla heads to the shoe closet and finds her black high-top Converse so she could be at least a bit more presentable. She puts them on as her mum places £20 next to her.

"I don't have any 5's on me, you might need a bit more anyways. Have fun love, ta-ra!" Mum says.

Lyla swings the door open and it closes it a bit too loudly behind her, "Oh fuck, didn't mean that at all," she whispers under her breath.

To her luck, Ashton had also just come out of his house, Lyla runs over to him, "Good morning, good morning. We can either take the tube then catch a taxi or walk a bit to the bus stop that will brings us basically right to the park. Bus might be a bit quicker and cheaper."

"Lead the way to the bus stop then," Ashton says.

**

"You know, you're quite different at home than compared to school," Ashton quietly whispers to assuage the awkward silence.

"I could say the same for you."

"Do you hate me or something? You sure act like you don't want to talk, like all the time. Is it like a thing that you do?"

Lyla's demeanour automatically changes and she starts nervously fiddling her phone, "No no no, I don't hate you at all. It's just– you see at school, if you're seen as the 'quiet' one, people who you're friends with find it really easy to pick on you because they think you can't stand up for yourself. And it just pisses me off just cause other's are just different to you, doesn't mean you get to pick on them. So yeah, I'm normally the 'quiet' one, but you need to let people know you can defend yourself you know?"