Eternally

Chapter Fifteen

"Layla!" Said Katherine excited when we saw her at the mall entrance on Saturday.

To be honest, we almost dragged Amber here with us.

"Hey, Kathy," she greeted her with kisses. "Hey girls."

"Hey," said Amber almost through her teeth.

"You realized who that is?" Said Katherine to Layla.

"Yes, of course I do," said Layla. "She is Esmeralda."

"We can tell how excited you are to see her," said Amber sarcastically.

"Welcome back," said Layla ignoring Amber's comment. "Shall we go get some coffee?"

"Thank you," I said.

"Yes, let's go. That coffee place we went to last time was so good!" Said Katherine.

Layla and Katherine walked in front of Amber and me.

"So, Esmeralda, what was of your life all these years?" Asked Layla.

"Well, I left to Mexico and spent a long time over there," I said. "Then I spent two years in this other school and recently came back. I live in the same house and everything."

"So you're neighbors with Adrian?" She said.

"Yeah," unfortunately I said in my mind.

"He's a jerk now actually. We don't talk to him anymore," said Katherine. "Not the boy you used to date. I guess you moving affected him a lot."

"Or the fact that he dated you," said Amber. It was the first thing she said since we got here.

Layla then started joking on her own spit.

"Isn't he dating this Kendal girl? Not great of an influence I've heard," said Layla.

"He hasn't had any luck with love," said Amber. "He's quite stupid when choosing girls."

"Amber stop!" Said Katherine.

"What? Did I saw anything bad?" Said Amber.

"It's fine, it's fine," said Layla to Katherine. "She's just probably in a bad mood today."

"I'll be right back," said Amber while heading to the restrooms. Obviously, I followed her.

"Can you at least try to be polite?" I told her.

"I can't! I just keep remembering what she..." She stopped herself as if trying to hide something from me.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I said.

"It's not that, it's just not my secret to tell," she said.

"Are you always like this to her?"

"No..."

"You discovered something?"

"Something that explains a lot. It explains why I lost one of my best friends; a kid I knew since kindergarten,"

"You knew Layla since kindergarten?"

"I was talking about Adrian. Before he transformed into a popular jock, he was like a brother for me. He was a true friend, cheering me up and always helping me with Matthew. He always wanted us together,"

"Well, trying to hook up Matthew with a Barbie girl while he knew he liked you and you liked him back and were in a date together, doesn't seem like he wanted you guys together,"

"You knew him as a kid, you can't tell me he wasn't nice and funny before,"

"You just said it, as a kid. Why do you guys keep making a big deal about him while he doesn't even care about you guys?"

"Because he's our friend, or was. He was part of our lives, part of our family,"

"Well, he wasn't part of mine, but Layla was. And I hope to keep my friendship with her like with you guys,"

"I don't even know if I know her anymore. All these rumors about how she acts..."

"Are just rumors," I said and left the restroom.

We spent the last of the afternoon catching up on news. Layla's life was like the one of a celebrity. She talked about special events her dad had, and she had to assist. Also, she talked about her trip to Paris. Her dad was the CEO of a fashion designer brand company.

"The models from Paris said I had the potential to be a model," said Layla while we headed back to the parking lot where her chaffer was. "So now my dad is making me take these training sessions to become a model in his company."

"That's interesting," I said. It might've been if she had been talking to Monica or my mother.

"That's so awesome!" Said Katherine.

We said our goodbyes and departed the mall.

Amber gave me a ride home in her car.

"She's like any other rich girl," I said before getting down. "Easy to like, but impossible to not dislike."

"That doesn't make any sense," Amber laughed.

"I'm saying that she was fine. A little annoying while bragging about her princess life, but more humble than other people I've met. She was very nice,"

"I don't like her because she's rich, it's because she let money change her,"

"Money doesn't change people, but status does,"

"Are you talking about Adrian?"

"No," I said. "I'm talking in general about people. My mother is a good example: she is not happy without money and luxury, but she wasn't like that when my father met her. At least, that's what he says."

"I remember your mom used to be nicer,"

"I remember that, too," I said. "My whole family changed when we left to Mexico."

"Of course, what happened to you guys wasn't something that happens everyday to all families,"

I stayed silent. Suddenly, I was there again with my family in that truck. I saw my father close to death, my mother almost being raped, my brother crying, myself trying to assimilate what was happening, and in real life I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.

"Hey, I'm sorry," said Amber getting my attention back. "I didn't want you to remember that."

"It's okay," my voice was broken.

"It's fine to cry if you need to,"

"You're not helping," I laughed. "I shouldn't cry. I should've gotten over this year's ago, but I can't. I can't. Every year I remember it so vividly, it's like it's happening again. Every time I hear my parents argue, every time my mother yells at me, every time something bad happens... I can't control it. I should be able to control it!"

"Control what?"

At this point I was crying without a reason, yet I tried to answer.

"The darkness in my mind, it's like a poisonous gas that invades every corner of my brain. It brings back memories I thought I had forgotten. It's like yelling at me all the miserable aspects of my life,"

"Did your family ever go to a psychiatrist?"

I laughed so hard I surprised myself.

"My mother says that's for crazy people,"

Amber just shook her head and turned to the window.

"We will talk later okay," she told me.

"I'm fine, Amber. I'm fine, this is normal for me," I got out of the car and went straight to my room.

While I went upstairs, I could hear my mother saying something like not having manners and her being invisible. I got near my window and Amber's car was still there. After about five minutes it left, and I went to sleep.