One day

Chapter 20 ~Love, Layli~

Dedicated to Jellybeanissy for her numerous votes. Check out her book Shivers. Thank you jellybeanissy it means alot!

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Sitting inside the library I tug my blue jumper sleeves over my hands only leaving enough fingers available to hold my pen as I continue to do my homework. I look up at the window in front of me and watch the rain pelt down onto the glass, the sky grey. The weather over the past five weeks has begun to get colder as the middle of autumn hits and winter fast approaches, that's why the library is much more packed today than it usually is as students try to keep warm and dry. School has been dreadful for the past five weeks. I've spent all my lunch times and free moments in the library just to try and escape everyones stares and whispers. Only one positive thing has come from all this and that is that my grades have skyrocketed as I spend every free second in the quiet secluded spot of the library. Loud male voices suddenly erupt snapping my gaze away from the window and to the library doors where I see the guys that you would usually find playing football on the oval entering the library. I'd be surprised if they'd even stepped foot in here once in their life. I press the volume up button on my earphone cord in an attempt to block them out. What catches my gaze is Tom and Cameron lingering behind them and my curiosity towards the scene perks up. I still feel my heart tighten as neither of them have made an attempt to hear me out or believe that I didn't date all those guys, and now it seems, our little group has split up with Bella still not forgiving Cam I'm guessing. Putting my head down I use my long blonde hair as a sort of shield, not that any of them would talk to me anyway, but you never know. Unlike what I prayed for, the rumours still haven't died down and I'm seriously getting fed up with all the lies they're making up about me. I would have thought they'd find someone else to gossip about by now but apparently not. The only person who's really been on my side through this whole thing is Ashley. After my little melt down that first day and then the paparazzi attack -they found out nothing new that they could twist into some stupid rumour- my mum came back a few days earlier than expected with a suitcase full of shopping bags. She called it retail therapy, but I thought that in order for it to count as therapy I actually had to be there in present during the actual buying. So she bought me about 500 new outfits, of all which were gorgeous ready for winter and were very, very expensive. I let out a yawn as the words on my paper begin to blur and I blink a couple of times to focus back on my work. I begin to write again when I see something out of the corner of my eye through my curtain of hair. Jumping I gasp when I see Ashley grinning at me.

"You scared me." I slap his arm and he chuckles. I press pause on my music so I can hear what he's saying.

"Come and hang out with us." He says quietly and I sigh.

"Are you ever going to give up?" For weeks he's been bugging me to get out of the library and hang out with him and his friends but I just don't want to face the humiliation at the moment. After having a cast on my wrist for 4 weeks I don't want a reoccurrence of those events.

"Layli come on you haven't left this place for ages, the term is nearly up." I shake my head no before clicking play, putting my head back down and finishing the last question. All of a sudden my book is snatched out from under where my hand was resting on it and before I even have time to react Ashley is half way across the library carrying my book.

"Oh that little fucker." I mutter under my breath as I get out from my chair leaving all my things on the desk and running after him. I jog through the tables of studiers and through to the other side of the room where the book shelves are. I run in between two massive shelves trying to find Ashley.

"Ash please give it back, it's not funny!" I plead jogging around the corner. I dart in and out between the book cases and my eyes widen when I realise where I am. All too quick I turn the next corner into the beanbag area that is reserved for reading. No surprises who was there. I grimace when all the popular guys that walked in a few minutes ago go silent and turn to look at me with mixed facial expressions. My cheeks immediately heat up and my eyes scan over them, I see Ashley sitting towards the back with the guys he usually hangs out with, an amused expression on his face. I am anything but amused, lunch is going to be over soon and I'd prefer to have my book to take home. Hesitantly I walk towards him stepping over guys legs all while his smile grows along with my scowl. My music is still blaring and my confidence increases as I ignore everyone else like I've done for the past few weeks, maybe I'm just an expert. Standing in front of Ash I stand with my hip to the side and hold my hand out.