Austin Carlile is my father

The boys are back...kind of.

Once he's done embarrassing me, he pulls my hands from my face. "Jay, I'll follow you and the boys to your house on the way home okay?" he says to me. I nod my head, grabbing Derek and running out the classroom. I run with Derek down the hallway. "God, I forgot how embarrassing he is." I say once we're down the hallway. "Nah, he isn't. He's like a big brother. It's the way Joey is over his little sisters." Derek says. "You do know, now that I've promised him that'd I'd protect you. I'm going to do it. I stick to my word. No matter what, so please don't make it hard." he says to me "And he's extremely intimidating." he adds. I laugh as he says this. "He's really just a big teddy bear." I say shaking my head at him "To you. But to me he's 6 foot something, has an extremely deep voice, and sounds scary." he says shivering. I laugh "Can I sit in the courtyard for lunch?" I ask he nods. "I've gotta get to class. Met me and the boys at the tree when your last class is over." he says turning to walk backwards "Okay." I shout to him. 

The boys showed me where the college prep hall was earlier. I've just got to find Advance English. Ah yes! It was the first door on my right, also the first place I looked. I opened the door and there wasn't but a few chairs taken. I looked at the clock and I was late "Am I in advanced English?" I ask the teacher "Yes, I'm Mrs.McMahan. You must be Jayla?" she ask me "Yes ma'am." "Get a seat and I'll introduce myself, then since this is such a small class I'll let you introduce yourselves" I sit in the second row on the left. Next to a girl with big glass and bright red almost orange hair. "Your hair looks like Hayley Williams." I say to her. She jumps out of her skin "I didn't mean to scare you." I say giggling "Oh, um it's..it's okay. Um thanks, I guess..." she says in a small voice. "Your welcome." I say smiling at her.

Mrs.McMahan points to me and says "Jayla. Introduce yourself." "Hello, my names Jayla. I'm from Orange County, Florida. I love—" I get cut off when Mrs.McMahan ask for me to come to her desk. "What are those on your face?" she ask crudely "Piercings." I say sounding standoffish. "Take them out please." she ask me sounding conceited "I'm sorry m'am I can't." I say getting annoyed at her. "Why not? It's against school rules." she ask angrily, clearly not used to defiance. "It's self expression" I say in a even tone. "Take them out now, or I will send you to the office you. You will get them back at the end of class." she says pointing at the door. "M'am I doubt you want some of my piercings" I say sweetly knowing what I'm about to do is going to get me into major trouble. "Why not?" she ask enunciating each word. I stick my tongue out and pull my shirt up. "I can't take those two out" wiggling my hips to make the implants shimmer in the lighting. "And I don't think you want to touch something that has my saliva on it." I say smiling at her. "Go to the office now." she says with her face red. I turn and grab my bag and walk out of class.

I enter the office "Jayla, what did you do to get sent to the office on your first day of school?" Mrs.Atkins ask me shaking her head. I point to my face. "Apparently you can't have piercings. I honestly don't see why not, because I saw three cheerleaders in mini skirts that barely covered thier bum, and it also showed their stomachs, which I'm assuming is also against school rules." I say to her. "It is dear." she says "Well I'm keeping my piercings in. Thank you." I say turning and walking out the door. I hear her say "Good girl." under her breath. I smile.

Knowing of nothing other to do but go sit in the willow tree, that's where I go. I climb in it, high enough not to be seen. I check my phone. I answer Kathy's text of have a good day, saying I've had a great day. I look at Vic's text tearing up at the message he sent. It was a picture of a note he and the boys wrote for me it said " Okay, I'll add it to my phone.". The picture said 'Vic: It's not going to be the same at the park without you Jay. I'm gonna miss my graffiti buddy, all the guys are too scared too. I love you. Call me if you ever need anything. I'm only a phone call and a plane ride away. :)' 'Mikeywhiskeyhands: What am I going to do without my drinking Jay? I miss you, I also miss hugging your head. Nobody will be my foot stool on movie nights. :'( And they aren't the same without you. I love you.' 'HimeTime: I doubt the other boys have told you, wait I know they haven't, so I will. None of us are okay. Tony hardly talks, Vic locks himself in the studio for hours on end. Mike has been drinking more than ever. And I'm stuck cleaning up the mess. I know how you felt when Vic was in the hospital now. I'm tired of being strong Jay. Please the first chance you get call us. Please. I love you. You're the best.' I tear up at the thought of all my best friends so tore up. I begged to stay. Mama and Papa Fuentes even said I could stay with them. (It's Vic, and Mike's mom and dad.). I read the last of the letter 'Tonytheturtle: I'm sure Jaimes told you. I'm so sorry, none of us know what to do without you. I miss you, we all miss you, so much. I feel like I'm drowning, I can see everyone breathing, but I can't seem to get a breath of air. I'm so done Jayjay. I'm so sorry. I love you so much.'Tony drew a little turtle beside it and on the paper you can see tear stains. After the picture Vic put I'll give the boys your number. By this point I'm crying because of the letter.

I knew I shouldn't have left. I tried everything I could. I dial Vic's number. Smiling at the contact picture, it's from a few summers ago. I'm on his back in a cutout bikini and he's in black shorts. He's got his head thrown back and I've got his eyes covered. It rings three times and he picks up "Hello?" he says sleepily "Why are you asleep?" I ask "OH MY GOD JAY. I'VE BEEN MISSING YOU TO DEATH. WHEN CAN YOU COME BACK?!?! WAIT LET ME GO GET THE BOYS." he shouts hurriedly. Causing me to pull the phone from my ear. Yes, it's Vic and all the boys from Pierce The Veil, those are my best friends. I wait as I hear scrambling feet and Vic yelling 'it's Jayla!' I hear the other boys shout my name and wrestle Vic for the phone. "HEY! SHUT UP! Put it on speaker." I yell at them. "Okay, I'm so so so so sorry guys. If you want me to I'll catch the first flight back, or I'll pay for you all to come out here and live. I don't care, but it's awful without you. But I've met some boys who are making my first day of school easier. I miss you all. I love you all. I got kicked out of my last class, because my piercings. No, I haven't had time to check out the underground, but I checked out the skate park and no the bowls aren't like the ones in CA. And there's no empty pools." I say answering the questions I knew they'd ask. "Aww. That sucks cause you ripped those up." Mike says. "Those boys best not try anything on you." Vic laughs knowing if they did what would happen. "Stay out of trouble." Jaime says I see he's took my position of mama bear. "Guys where's Turtle?" I ask noticing it's only the three of them talking.

"I'm here." I hear a quiet voice say. "Vic hand him the phone. Would y'all leave the room please." I ask them. I knew Tony would take me leaving the hardest. We were the closest out of the group. I had a crush on him for the longest time. Jaime always told me he liked me to he just couldn't tell me. "Turtle, I'm so sorry. If I knew it would hurt you this bad I'd never left." I say "Jayjay, that's not what's hurt me. Okay maybe it's part of it, but really it's what I left unsaid. I don't know how you are, if you're okay, if you're laying in a cage bleeding, or if you're in a skate park with your head busted open. I'm not with you, I need you to breath, you're my air. I'm beating myself up because I never told you what I'm telling you now. I love you Jayla Marie Carlile. I love you wholeheartedly. I loved when you were here, and I love you more now that you're not here. I need you to be here, I need you with me. I need you to be happy. I need you to close be me. Please, let me come out there or come back here. Anything. Please." he pleads, his voice cracking at the end. "Tony, I'll get you a plane ticket here. I'll get the first one tonight. If you can get to an airport and pack your bags that's fast. I'll get you here. I love you. I love you too." I say into the phone through tears. Maybe Jaime was right.