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I was standing outside of Kayla's house getting ready to knock on her door. It's been a week since she's been at school and everybody was worried. She never goes M.I.A like this. She always puts us in her business so for her to be completely silent was totally out of her character.
I took it upon myself to visit first and everybody would come in like 30 minutes because she needed to know that we were here for her even if she didn't need or want us to be.
I knocked on her door 3 times and waited patiently for somebody to answer. I wasn't surprised when Coach K finally opened the door since it was only him and Kayla that lived here.
"Hey Coach." I greeted him with a smile.
"Hi Alaïa. Where's the rest of the crew?"
"Oh trust me they're coming. I'm kinda the buffer you know."
He nodded. "Trust me I know. Come on in, I know you're here to check up on Kayla." He stepped aside to let me in.
"Is there anything I should know before I go up there?" I said jokingly
He shook his head. "Just...be patient with her. This is a type of grief she's never dealt with before so just take your time talking to her." He cleared his throat. "I don't know if she'd want me to tell you this but the reason she's been out is because her mom died."
I held my gasp in. "Her mom?? Really? How? When?"
His expression turned sad as she looked down at the hardwood floors. "I'll let her tell you. But it's hitting her hard because you know they weren't that close."
"Yea.. I know the feeling." I said more to myself than to him.
I looked in his direction and said. "I know I came to check on Kayla but are you okay?"
"Oh yea don't worry about me I'm fine. Her mom and I broke up almost 18 years ago." He forced a smile I could tell.
Kayla always used to tell me how her mom left her and her dad when she was 1 years old. She said she doesn't really know what happened because her dad never really told her but that's because he doesn't really know either. All she knows is that her dad woke up one day with a poorly written note about how she couldn't be a mom and a wife and that they were better off without her.
Apparently Coach K did everything he could to try and find her but she essentially fell off the face of the earth. Ever since then he never remarried or even had a girlfriend to Kayla's knowledge.
About a year ago though Kayla's mom reached out and they were finally starting to get close and build a relationship.
I'm finally understanding her distance.
"Hey Lala, thank you for bringing my joyful, loud, obnoxious daughter back in advance. I have a feeling you're probably the only person she'll listen to." He said.
I offered him a sad smile one more time before making my way upstairs to Kayla's room.
I've been to Kayla's house probably a million times over the years. Believe it or not there was a time when we were younger where she was one of my best friends. The memories we shared in this hallway alone were unforgettable.
I knocked on her door once before opening it up to see her laying on her side with her back towards the door and her front facing the wall.
"Kayla?" I said gently, taking two silent steps in before closing her door.
Although she didn't respond, I knew she could hear me. I've known her long enough to know that she can't fall asleep on her side. It's impossible for her, she can only fall asleep on her back with her hands behind her head.
