𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐌 beside her and the flushing of the toilet across from her room. The bathroom was closer to her room, so she could hear when Thea's in it. The girl grabs her phone to look at the time. She groans before sitting herself up. She hasn't woken up so early in a long time. Layla actually wanted to sleep a few more hours.
The redhead stands up, putting on her slippers, before she exits her room. Thea exits the bathroom, wiping toothpaste off her mouth.
The two sisters make eye contact. "What?" Thea asks before walking back to her room.
"Why are you in the mood so early in the morning?" Layla asks and Thea flips her off before entering her room. Layla and Thea didn't have a close sister relationship, but they did care for each other. Lately, Thea has been pretty cranky and angry mainly due to them moving, but it's to be expected, though.
Layla enters the bathroom to wash up. After she finished washing up and dressing herself.
She exits her room with her bag. "What do you mean, no? We had discussed this, Mark. I even gave you the money because you said you would come."
Layla stops in front of Thea's door. The girl was on the phone talking to whom she presumes is Mark.
"Is this really how you're going to behave? Is this really how you'll treat me?"
Layla didn't want to be nosy, but unfortunately, she was. "You know, fuck you. I don't need you, and you can keep the fucking money."
Layla raises her brow, shocked by the direction the conversation went. Thea and Mark has been on and off for three years now, but they always get back together. Their relationship is toxic, but for some reason they can't be a part for too long. Layla predicts they'll be back to being lovey-dovey by tonight.
Thea hangs up the phone, and Layla takes it as her signal to go before Thea finds out she heard everything. She wanted to avoid being yelled at.
She walks down the stairs towards the kitchen. Her parents had already gone to work. Her dad to his law firm and her mom to the psychiatric hospital, Eichen House. Her mom is a psychologist, and she was lucky enough to get a job at Eichen House.
She grabs the box of cereal before throwing some for her in a bowl. She grabs the milk just when Thea comes downstairs. She places her bag on the counter before she walks to the fridge.
"Didn't mom think of making us breakfast?"
"I don't think she was able to. She probably had to leave early, but I honestly don't care," Layla says as she pours milk in her cereal. She grabs a spoon before sitting at the counter. "Is Rice Crispies the only cereal we have?"
"Yeah."
Thea groans, but she still pours her cereal into the bowl. "Why are you so grumpy this morning?" Layla questions. "Is it Mark again?"
Thea sighs, rolling her eyes. "What do you think? I'm so tired of his shit."
"Why don't you break up with him, then?"
Thea grabs the milk, and she pours it over her cereal. "It's not that easy, Layla. I can't just break things off."
"What do you mean, it's not that easy?" Layla asks, genuinely curious.
"You wouldn't understand."
Layla rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't understand because I've never had a boyfriend. I don't need to understand to know that your relationship is toxic!"
Thea slams her spoon on the counter. "I'm not having this conversation with you, okay?"
Layla sighs before going back to eating her cereal. She will just have to decide on her own if their relationship is toxic or not. Maybe the distance between them will make her realize that she can actually function without him.
"Mom told me that our cousin will likely be in the same grade as you," Thea tells Layla. The redhead raises her brow and she frowns. "Mom's brother's daughter? What's her name again?"
"Lydia. And you could just say uncle."
"Yeah, but I don't know the man. I just found out about our uncle and cousin two months ago. Don't you find it weird that we never knew about them?"
"No. Mom and her brother never had a good relationship, so when she left this town, they lost all communications. She probably thought there was no need for us to know about them," Thea explains to the girl.
"It's still weird. Even if you don't have a good relationship with your sibling, your kids should still know they have an aunt or uncle."
"We don't know their reasons, so we shouldn't say anything," Thea tells her. Layla sighs nodding. She should just forget about it.
After the sisters are finished, they lock the house before leaving in Thea's car.
* * *
Thea stops the car in the parking lot of the school. There was still some tension between this from this morning, but luckily, they didn't make it obvious. They're just pretending it never happened. Thea takes out her lip tint, and she applies it to her lips. "Why are you putting on lip gloss?"
"It's lip tint, and I'm putting it on, so my lips looks nice today," Thea says before putting it away. Layla sighs and she smiles, "At least you don't wear heavy makeup."
"Why would I? I have flawless skin."
Layla rolls her eyes and she exits the car. The grabs her bag and her phone before closing the door. Thea locks her car and she turns to Layla. "My class ends around three thirty. And yours?"
"Three o'clock."
"You can wait thirty minutes, right?" Thea asks. "Sure."
Thea nods before she walks off, leaving Layla alone. Her sister seems pretty confident walking into a new school.
She now first had to find the principal's office, then she has to find her class. She didn't want to he treated as the new girl, but she most likely will.
Layla walks on to the pavement, towards the entrance of the school. She walks past the dumpster just when someone walks into her, pushing her against the dumpster and to the ground.
"What asshole can't see where he's going?"
"I'm sorry." Layla looks up to see a shaggy looking kid standing above her. He holds his hand out for her, and she accepts it.
"I'm so sorry," he apologizes again. The redhead sighs, looking at him. "It's fine. Just watch where you're going next time, okay?"
"Yes. Again, I'm sorry." Layla straightens herself out before she continues on to the entrance of the school. The redhead walks into the school before making her way down the hall searching for the principal's office.
She makes it to a door that said administration office, and she enters to see her sister already there sitting on a chair against the wall. Layla makes her way over, and she takes the seat beside her.
"Did you meet the principal, yet?"
"No, I'm just waiting for my locker number and class schedule. I'm not going to wait for him to escort the other girl to class before me," Thea says. "There's another new girl?"
"Yeah. She's probably a junior or senior."
"Oh."
"Thea Paxton." The girl stands up, and she walks over to the administration lady. "Here is your locker number and class schedule. Your homeroom teach is Mrs April."
Thea thanks the woman before she makes her way out of the room. Layla stands up, and she walks over to the lady. The lady looks up with a smile.
"Layla Paxton, right?"
"Yes."
"You're a Sophomore, so your homeroom teacher is Ms Adams but seeing as she is currently on sick leave, Coach Evans will be your homeroom teacher until she returns," the lady says. She quickly prints Layla's class schedule before handing her, her locker number and class schedule.
"Thank you."
"Enjoy your day." Layla nods before she leaves the room. She looks around at the crowded hallway before making her way past everyone to her class, which is on the second floor. She will just search for her locker during lunch because she won't find it now.
Layla walks up the steps and luckily the classroom was the first door from the stairs. She enters the classroom just to have the few students who are inside to look her way. Layla quickly shuffles to the seat at the back. She hopes it isn't anyone's seat.
"So, you're the new girl?"
The redhead looks up to be met with two girls. "Yeah."
"I'm Veronica, but you can call me Roni. This is Gia," the dark-haired girl introduces herself and the girl beside her.
"Hi. I'm Layla," the redhead introduces herself. "Where are you from?"
"Michigan."
"Michigan, wow. Why did you move out here to this small town?" Gia questions, taking a seat on the desk beside hers.
"My dad got a job outside the town."
"Oh, but why did you guys decide to live here?" Layla seriously hated questions, but she didn't want to be rude to them.
"My mom works at Eichen House as a psychologist."
"Eichen House, wow. Your mom must be really brave," Roni says, chuckling. Layla just gives the two girls a smile.
"Hey ladies and one gentleman!"
The three times their heads to the door where three boys just entered. "Here, I thought you'd move over winter break," Roni says to the one boy.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily, babe. How have you been?" he says as he walks over to them.
His eyes falls on Layla, and he raises a brow. "I see we have a new face. I'm Ross, nice to meet you."
"You too."
He holds out his hand just when a group of girls enters the room in their cheerleading outfits. Ross' attention immediately falls on them, and he lets out a loud cheer.
"I really didn't think you guys were serious when you said you'd be forming a cheerleading team. Did the principal approve?" Gia questions one of the girls.
"Not yet, but after today's tryouts, maybe he will. We do need cheerleaders for the lacrosse team," the blonde girl says. She walks over to them just when her eyes falls on Layla. The redhead sighs, wondering how many more people will she have to greet. She already felt awkward with just Gia and Veronica around her.
"Are you the new girl, Layla?"
"Yeah."
"Oh nice. I'm Paisley. Would you be interested in joining our cheerleading squad?" the blonde asks. "Uh, no, thanks."
"Too bad. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."
The bell rings and man was Layla glad about it. She wanted homeroom to be over already, so she can go to her first class. A man enters the room and the class erupts into loud cheers.
"Mr. Evans!"
Everyone goes back to their seats. "Settle down now, everyone. You wouldn't want detention on your first day, now, would you?"
"Come on, Mr. Evans. We're just happy that this semester, you're our homeroom teacher," Ross tells the man. "Temporary Homeroom teacher. I'm just filling in for Ms Adams."
He picks up the register. "All right now. Let's roll call before the first period starts." He starts calling everyone's name. Layla tried to put the names to faces, but she's sure she will probably forget them all.
When he's done with everyone's names, he raises his head, "Layla Paxton?" Layla raises her hand and he nods. "All right. So, we all know what happened last night, so the Sheriff department have put out a curfew even though they do have the suspect in custody."
Layla frowns, looking over at Gia. What happened last night?
"Really a curfew?"
"Yes. And I do expect you all to follow it," Mr. Evans says, and they all mumble a yes. Before he can say anything more, the bell for the first period rings and everyone jumps up.
Layla grabs her bag before she follows the rest of the class.
"Ms Paxton."
Layla grabs on to the strap of her bag, and she stops a few feet away from Mr. Evans' desk, and he rummages through the drawers before taking out a book. "Here, this is a Biology textbook."
She hadn't gotten her books - yet. She is supposed to get them all at the end of the week, so basically she won't be working in any classes until she gets her books.
"We'll start our work tomorrow, so read through the module. I don't want you to fall behind."
Layla takes the book from him, and she thanks him. She exits the classroom, and she is bombarded by Veronica and Paisley.
"What did he want to talk to you about?" Paisley asks and Layla raises her book. "Oh, just the textbook."
"What did you guys think he wanted to discuss?" Layla asks and Veronica wiggles her brow, which made Layla cringe. "What the. . .no!"
"What? Is it that unusual?"
"Yes, he's a teacher." What the hell was going through their heads to even think like that.
"Not exactly. He's a teacher's assistant, he's just filling in for Ms Adams."
"Same thing."
Paisley chuckles, pushing Veronica to the side. "She's just playing with you. She asks everyone who stays behind with him that because of how young Mr. Evans is."
"Still doesn't make it, right."
Veronica wraps her arm around Layla. "I'm sorry. It was funny seeing the look on your face, though."
Layla rolls her eyes before pushing the girl's arm off her shoulder.
"Great. I'm glad I could make you laugh. Now, I have to go to my English class."
Layla walks away from them, and Paisley rolls her eyes at her friend. "You're really weird, Roni."