Constant Battles

Chapter 6

Beautiful

Cade stood there with her hands gripping onto Layla's shoulder. The silence between them was uncomfortable. It ended with Cade nodding and walking in. The hysteria in her brain was overtaking everywhere in her body. It was time to snap.
"You little bitches want to keep laughing?" Cade asked them. "Well keep laughing. Cause I already know why. In fact, now that I'm in on it. I want to laugh!"
She started to laugh maniacally, traumatizing everyone in the classroom including Layla.
"Cade, you're scaring them," Layla tried to calm her down.
"Let them be scared," Cade said. "In fact, they're the ones who triggered this."
"You two," Mr. Talbot said. "In the office. Now!"
He dragged them both out and pushed them towards the office. It was over now.. or for now.

*********************

The day was long after Mr. Platt yelled at the duo and kicked them back to class. But the bigger travesty was how Cade procrastinated the talk she was going to have with Mel.
"I need my violin. Mr. Fredericks is really not letting me breathe in Chamber Orchestra this year. Meet you outside?"
"Okay?!" Layla said angrily and stormed out.
When Cade went into the music lockers, she encountered a strange being everyone knew as James Clark.
"Nice to see you, how can I be at your service?" He smirked.
"How about shutting the hell up and give me the information," Cade snapped.
"Alright," James calmed her down and handed her a packet folder filled with mysterious items.
"Everything?" She asked again.
"Everything, now what's your end of the bargain?"
"I'll tell you tomorrow. Okay?"
Layla, who never knows when to leave, overheard the conversation and pretended as if she walked from the hydration station and just bumped into Cade.
"Girl, I told you to go to the car," She said. "Now I'm sure Mel and Arielle are out and about."
"I'm sorry," Layla showed the more-than-half-empty bottle. "Needed a drink."
"You suck at lying," Cade shook her head and laughed. "Let's go."
Just as she expected, Mel leaned on the car door and started flirting with Arielle, who was "wet and blushed" according to Cade.
"Hey babe," she walked up.
"Cade!" Mel was startled. "I thought you weren't supposed to be home until another week!"
"I decided to come home early to you!" Cade saw through his lie. "Even though I did tell you I was coming home today."
"Right," Arielle said and glared at Layla. "Why don't you drive me home today.. Layla."
"Um," Layla became flushed. "No."
"I'm not taking no for an answer. I need to go."
"Why do you need to go all of a sudden?" Cade asked. "You didn't need to go 10 minutes ago when you were on top of my boyfriend."
"Right," Arielle turned awkwardly towards Cade and Mel. "Um, but the thing is, I wasn't on top of him."
"You're really going to lie," Cade scoffed. "I already have the proof I need."
"Mel was just talking to me," Arielle became defensive.
"Sure that's totally all?" Cade asked. Layla was too scared to see what was going down between the three of them but inevitably knew that there was fight going on.
"Are you implying that he cheated?" Arielle asked.
"I'm not implying," Cade said. "I know he cheated on me. How do I know, you ask? Because throughout the whole day, people were pointing and laughing at me. What are you gonna say about that now, bitch?"
"Don't take this out on Arielle, take it out on me," Mel said.
"I'm not done," Cade walked towards Arielle who was trembling. "For the other woman.. you're weak. I can already sense the sensation of tears inside your blue-cut eyes."
"So what? I'm the only one willing to donate some pussy," Arielle came close to Layla. "Is that a crime?"
"Just stop," Layla whispered aloud.
"Who even put that in your mind?" Mel asked. "Who told you I cheated on you?"
"The photos!? The laughing kids!?" Cade yelled. "You're annoying as shit now, I can't stand you!"
"Who told you," Mel said sternly looking at Layla. "Was it you?"
"Don't bring her into this," Cade said.
"It was totally you," Mel grabbed the shrieking Layla and held her over the ledge of the cliff-like parking lot.
"Please!" Layla said. "I meant no harm! She begged it out of me."
He held her choke hold and Cade screamed.
"No! Stop!" Cade tried to push him off.
"Woah," Jayce interfered and pushed him off. Mel was in disbelief and Arielle came to his defense, kissing him on the cheek and reassuring him.
"You didn't mean to, but either way, she deserved it," Arielle shrugged.
"She doesn't deserve it.. you do," Cade had anger in her eyes.
"What even happened?" Jayce picked her up.
"Tell your girl to calm down before I calm her down for you," Mel threatened.
Layla regained herself and stood up tall next to Cade, "I'm not his girl. And even if I didn't want to tell her, she has the right to know when her pig of a boyfriend cheats on her with his best friend's leftovers."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mel came violently close to Layla again.
"It means someone stuck it in before you did on the same day. How unlucky.. you lost your wife and your mistress in one day."
She smirked and turned away, "Jayce, I'm sorry."
"It's okay," he hugged her. "Mel, don't even talk to me again. Don't even consider walking towards me at all."
They both walked together up to their parking spot, but Layla turned back, "Wanna come? Cade?"
"I'll be good," Cade glared at Mel and Arielle. "You go ahead."
"What's with the attitude?" Mel asked.
"You can't lie your way out of this one, Melbourne," Cade said.
"Cade, just shut the fuck up and let us be," Arielle said. "Times were better when he could cheat in peace."
"Arielle stop," Mel said. He walked towards Cade and tried to embrace her but she didn't want it, all she wanted to do was leave and never come back.
"Mel, after all you've done, I think I need some time," Cade ran before the tears in her eyes fell and locked herself in her car. Even a Mercedes-Benz upgrade from her old tattered car wasn't enough. She needed to do something, something fast.
Pulling out her phone, Cade made a phone a call with her old lover.
"Where are you?" She said through the nasal and tears. "Where.. are you?"
She left the phone on and started to bawl. She didn't know when it would stop, nor when it'll turn into hysterical laughter.
"You said you loved me the night before you left," Cade had tears streaming a mile per second. "I hope you know that I hate you for leaving me, I hate you for leaving me after you said you loved me. I hate you, but somehow, I go in full circles and love you again. I don't know what I did to make you leave me. But just know, I love you so much, that I am willing to die, just so I can leave this place and look from above. To see if you are doing fine."
The other line beeped for the longest time and Cade screamed aloud, slamming the steering wheel and crying hysterically. No one could save her, no one could stop her, and no one could ever love her anymore.

******************

At home, Layla was eating dinner with her family until a surprise phone call arrived.
"Who is that?" Her mother asked.
"I don't know," Layla said as she picked it up. "Hello, Layla Nghie-"
"Layla?" It was Mel.
"What do you want?" Layla confined herself in the bathroom where her parents couldn't hear her.
"Something terrible happened," Mel said in a fearful voice. "Please come to the gas station around the Honey Farms and Industrial Park. Please."
"This isn't another joke, I'm eating dinner. Don't talk to me ever again."
"CADE JUST GOT IN A CAR ACCIDENT."
Layla heard and immediately hung up.
"Mom, dad," she kissed them both. "I gotta go."
"Why?" Her dad asked. "What happened?"
"My friend just got in a car accident, I'll be right back, I have to help her!"
"No," her mother held her back. "Where are her parents?"
Layla calmed down instead of getting angry. "She doesn't live with her parents."
When Layla arrived around the scene, she started to tremble when she saw the poor body of Cade lying outside the car door. The new Mercedes-Benz had just gotten a huge dent on the side and the car who instigated it was knocked out, but the culprit trying to run away, holding his phone.
She immediately became angry, assuming he was texting and driving and charged at him.
"Excuse me! Miss!" The cop pulled her back.
"Stop! He's running away and leaving my friend to die!" Layla screamed. Mel arrived also and took over.
"Calm down," Mel held her and took her out of the scene.
"Wow," her parents and brother had also arrived. When Mel put Layla in her parent's car. She started to cry aloud.
"Drive her car home for me, honey," her dad told her mom. To which her mom went over and drove it.
"Dad-"
"I know, it's unfortunate," her father said. "Just pray for her."
"They let him get away. He's gone," Layla said silently.
When she got home, she saw dull faces in front of her parents.
"I'm really mad and sick of you lately. What's up!?" Her mom screamed.
"I don't think I've ever been so mad. Even madder than the time you showed me the C+ in english and got yourself off the Honor roll," her dad said. "What were you thinking running in there for no reason?"
"There was a reason, my friend is possibly dead. She got herself into a horrible marriage and now she's going to die because some idiot couldn't handle himself. He thought he could text and drive but guess what? He ended up hurting someone."
Her mother went over and hugged her, "Just don't do anything like that ever again."
Her father nodded, "First and last time."
Layla sighed, "Can I visit her, she needs someone there with her."
"Go ahead," her dad said. "Make sure you shower thoroughly when you get home before mom overreacts."

********************

Luckily when Layla visited, Cade was still conscious. Though bandaged up, she made it through with just a few bruises and no cuts. She was clean but still unclean.
"Cade, my parents are coming now," Mel walked in with a clipboard. "Layla."
"Mel," Layla nodded. "Did anyone else come in? Am I late?"
"You came just in time and missed Iliana. What a sweetheart, did you see what she got me?" Cade flaunted the teddy bear.
"She is a kind blessing," Layla agreed. "Mel, I can stay with her if you want."
"Go ahead," Mel sighed.
"Alone?"
"What makes you think I'll leave her here?" Mel asked.
"It's okay, Layla, I like him here with me," Cade smiled which faded with Elisanne and Arielle coming in.
"Hi Cade," Liss said as she sat beside Layla. "Hiked a ride with Marital Discord."
"Way to go," Arielle glared at Liss and diverted her attention to Cade. "I'm sorry."
"I'll have you know that saying your apologies will do nothing. It won't end my marriage, and it surely won't work in your favor."
Arielle shrugged and sat next to Mel, to which Mel moved next to Layla.
"You're the only one I could bear right now, with the exception of Cade," Mel whispered.
"I guess so too," Layla sighed. "What are those two doing here?"
Elisanne whispered something in Cade's ear, to which Cade reached over and smacked her.
"Bitch, I hope someone pulls the cord on you," Liss grabbed her cheek and ran out.
"What are you still doing here?" Cade asked Arielle.
"You have no right to show up and gloat."
"I ditto Elisanne, see you in hell bitch," Arielle smiled at Mel and Layla.
"How are you feeling," Mel went to her and checked on her.
"Tired as ever," Cade said. "Remember the time I got sick and you basically treated me like a princess the whole day?"
"That was just two weeks ago during Spring break," Mel chuckled.
The two exchanged happy memories and Layla snuck out, before leaving, she smiled at the image of Mel and Cade talking all night. But that was the last time Layla ever saw the two in the same room.. with happy thoughts.