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The Morning After
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Safe The Rest of Sunday
POV LaylaLeo and I hung out with Dad for a bit that afternoon. We told him about most of our weekend (we left out the sleeping arrangements last night and the kissing and such)."I can't believe that you got in another fight, Layla!" He said afterwards"I know. I'll try to stay out of trouble from now on." I repliedDad chuckled and said, "Somehow, I doubt that but I would like to see you accept help from your brother and friends when stuff like this happens"I nodded. "That's what Leo and Finn told me too. I'll attempt to" Dad hugged meLeo then brought Dad a small bag. "Layla and I got you this" Leo told him.Dad opened it to see the candle we got him."I really like it! It smells so nice. Thank you both." he exclaimed and hugged us."I better go and unpack. I need to get ready for tomorrow" I said"Speaking of, let's run to the store in a couple of hours. I know that you both need school supplies" Dad said and Leo nodded"Sounds good. Thanks Dad" I said. I took my luggage to my ro
Safe The First Day
POV LaylaI got up early to get ready. Last night, after Finn and Luke left, I called Eve to ask her what I should wear and she helped me come up with an outfit. It was a lightweight, tight, grey, scoop neck shirt with a light blue/grey plaid skirt. She reminded me that cheer tryouts were right after school so I packed some gym shoes. She said that the school gives us workout gear to try out in. After that, I was going to meet with Finn about the paper and then we were going to the Diner for our date. I sighed. This was going to be a busy first day! I took a shower and got dressed. I decided to leave my hair down and I curled it a bit. I put on the earrings from Dad and Leo and my necklace from Finn. I put on my makeup and remembered that I was also taking auto shop so I threw a coverall in my bag as well. I checked my phone and saw a text from Marissa and one from Clay both wishing my luck on my first day. I quickly sent texts back thanking them and wishing them the same. Then I put
Safe Tryouts
POV LaylaI walked into the chaos of the locker room. There were girls all over. I stood off to the side, completely overwhelmed for a moment. Suddenly, Keri and Eve walked in and all the girls went silent. Eve looked around and spotted me. She said something to Keri and gestured over to me. They both walked over to me."There you are! Here's your tryout clothes" Eve said handing me a shirt and shorts."Hurry up and get changed. We'll see you out there" Kere said as they walked out again. Everyone stared at me for a minutes and then went back to getting ready and talking. I quickly changed and put my hair up."You're Layla, right?" a girl with dark hair asked me."That's me" I answered."I'm Marie." She responded."Nice to meet you. Are you on the cheer squad?" I asked."I hope to be. I made it last year but we have to try out every year unless we're one of the captains." Marie explained."Oh. I didn't know that. Good luck!" I said with a smile."You too" She replied as we walked out
Safe Tuesday and Wednesday
POV Finn"Layla finally agreed to be my girlfriend last night" I said. Several things happened at once. Eve, Hart and Kari all squealed and launched themselves at Layla. Leo looked annoyed and rolled his eyes. Tom and Sally grinned. Vander looked pissed and stood up.Jake also looked upset and said, "I thought that you weren't looking for a serious relationship?"Layla shrugged and replied, "I wasn't." Vander stormed out of the room and we fell silent."I'll go talk to him" I volunteered and Layla nodded. They started talking while I left the room quickly. I caught up with Vander in the hall."Van, man, wait a minute" I said and he stopped and turned to me."What do you want?" he snarled at me."Come on, don't be like that. She was upfront and honest with you." I reasoned"I know. You're right. It still hurts though." Vander said and I nodded. I could imagine how hard this was for him."I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say" I replied"I'll get over it. It's ok. I was just surprise
Safe Thursday
POV LaylaThe next day at school was interesting. Finn was acting strange and I had no idea why. He was with me whenever possible which wasn't so odd and he was kind and attentive to me as usual but I caught him glaring at any guy that looked at me. It was strange. He did it all through first period and in the halls. I didn't like it. It reminded me of Tate and made me nervous. In my biology class, our teacher announced that we would be paired up for our next assignment."Can we choose our partners?" Sally asked."No. I've already picked them for you" He responded and everyone groaned.He went through the list and I was partnered with a guy named Peter who seemed really shy but sweet. I went to join him at his table. He smiled at me shyly and I introduced myself. After we said our hellos, we got right to work. Peter was really good at science and we almost had the assignment finished when the bell rang. Lunch was next for both of us."Do you want to take another minute to finish this?
Safe Bonding Time
POV LeoThis week has just flown by, I thought as we got to school. I couldn't believe that it was Friday already. I looked over at Layla as we walked in. I was so glad she was fitting in so well. I frowned as I saw Finn kiss her before separating to go to their lockers. Well, maybe she was fitting in too well. "Hey, La! What are you doing tonight?" I asked as we walked to our lockers "Finn and I are doing something but I'm not sure what. He just wanted to spend the afternoon together" she responded "Oh." I said, disappointed. Layla looked at me and squeezed my hand. "Sorry. I thought that you were going to the Diner with Eve, though" She reminded me. "Oh, yeah. I forgot. I just wanted to have a movie night. You know, like we used to" I suggested. Finn walked up then. "Hey, Finnie. What are we doing today?" she asked "I didn't plan anything, just wanted to hang out with you." he replied. "Ok. Can we plan on being home early then? Leo and I need some sibling time." she stated.
Safe Learning
POV FinnEve's mom answered the door when we rang the bell. Eve had sent her car to pick us all up so we wouldn't have to worry about driving later. "Hello all. Come on in." Eve's mom said and ushered us in as we heard familiar laughter from deeper in the house. "Eve! You're friends are here and I'm leaving. I left our hotel number on the fridge just in case. Have fun but please don't wreak the house too much" She called. Eve appeared a minute later and hugged her mom. "Ok Mom! Bye!" Eve said as her mom walked out. "Hey, guys!" Eve said as she kissed Leo hello. "You look beautiful" Leo said and she smiled and thanked him. She led us to her TV room and we sat down. "We're almost ready. Help yourselves to the bar." Eve said as she walked away. Leo and Jake practically ran over to the bar and began making drinks. They paused when we heard another peal of laughter from the girls and Hart. We smiled at the sound. "It sounds like they're having fun." Tom commented and Leo nodded. "H
Safe Sunday and Monday
POV LaylaAfter we greeted the boys, we went over to sit and order breakfast."That was embarrassing." Eve said and Keri nodded. I shrugged and Sally rolled her eyes while Hart smiled.As we ate, we talked and joked. I stopped eating remembering all the junk food I had last night but then Leo glared at me and I realized that he was right and I needed to eat. After they left, we relaxed and talked for a while longer."We better get going." Hart said and we went to pay but the cashier waved us away."Luke already paid for you too." he said."That was sweet of him." Eve said"We'll have to thank him later." I said and everyone nodded as we got into the car."Since Hart and Keri live near me, we're going to drop off Layla and then Sally first, ok?" Eve asked and we agreed. We pulled up in front of my house just a few minutes later."Thanks Eve! I had so much fun!" I said as I hugged everyone goodbye. I grabbed my stuff out of the trunk and waved as I went inside my house just as it began
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Safe All Good Things (Epilogue)
POV LaylaThe next couple of years had some ups and downs but our friends stuck together through everything. At first, I had to fight with Leo, Van, Jake and even occasionally Finn for my independence and against their natural tendencies for being overprotective asses. Eventually, they got better or at least livable although I still had to punch Leo from time to time.Marissa and her Mom both moved to Porter for a 'fresh start'. It may seem strange to move to the place where your son/brother committed horrible crimes for a new beginning but somehow, it worked. Marissa had a long road to recovery but since she had so much support here, she has remained sober for the last years of high school and graduated with a full ride to a good school back in Chicago. She and Vander dated for a while again but just couldn't make it work. She ended up casually dating Jake for the last year of school and for some reason, they seemed to fit. Vander was happy for them both.Jake and Pam broke up right
Safe The Morning After
POV FinnPeter and I walked back to our house a bit after Layla and Marissa went to bed. To say that I was frustrated was an understatement. I slammed the door closed and threw my hat on the table."It'll be ok, Finn. She's not going to leave. She's just pissed and needs some space." Peter tried to calm me."Space? How am I supposed to give her space when all I want to do is have her with me all the time? My head understands what she needs and wants but the rest of me is violently disagreeing" I storm. Peter nodded."I get that but you are going to have to find a way or you really will lose her" he replied. I sighed."I know. I know." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath."You know her. What should I do?" I asked him."Back off. Let her call you, let her make the first move. Give her some freedom. She's safe. Give her what she's asking for." he suggested."Freedom?" I asked weakly, knowing how dangerous that sounded."You have to risk losing her. She needs to find herself again. If
Safe Pissed
POV LaylaFinn finally parked his bike between Leo and Tom. I quickly took off the helmet and went to hop off when Finn grabbed my hand."Where are you going?" he growled. I glared at him."Inside." I replied, furrowing my eyebrows."Not without me. I meant what I said before. You need to stay with me." he ordered. I scoffed at him."Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine. This is the Den. It's safe!" I argued."No, he's right. The same goes for you, Eve." Leo piped in from behind me."What the hell?" Eve stormed and I looked at her. She looked as pissed as I felt. I was trying to be understanding and all but this was too much."Listen, we aren't some helpless girls that can't take care of ourselves." Eve began but Leo cut her off."That's sure what it seemed like today, am I right, Finn?" he snapped. Finn nodded as he looked at me."Are you fucking kidding right now?" I raged. I slapped Finn and Eve did the same to Leo. Neither of them reacted except to try to grab us. Eve grabbed my hand fir
Safe New Problems
POV Layla"What was that?" Dan shouted."I don't know. Come with me to check it out. Steven come with us. Pam, Suzy, watch them!" Tyler ordered. He pulled out two guns and handed one to Pam and one to Suzy."If they move, shoot them" he finished. He held his gun while both Dan and Steven pulled out theirs as well. The three of them ran up the stairs. I glanced at Jake's hands and saw that he was free as well. He raised his eyebrows at me and I nodded slightly. I started to double over and cried out."What's wrong with her?" Suzy demanded."It's my stomach. I think that I'm going to be sick" I called as Suzy walked over to me. Just as I was about to punch her, she fell at my feet. We all looked up in shock as Pam put her gun away. She had just hit her own cousin on the back of the head and knocked her out cold."I'm so sorry, Layla, Jake. I never wanted to do any of this. My dad and uncle forced me. They said that they would beat me if I didn't help." Pam cried as she went to untie me.
Safe Lucky?
POV Marissa (Remember her? Billy's sister and Layla's best friend from Chicago?)I was so glad to be out of that rehab! Mom was overjoyed that I was out too. She was so happy that I convinced her to let me go visit Layla. I needed to make some things right with her and I knew that I needed to do it in person. I decided to surprise her on the day she and her friends were getting back home. With any luck, I might even run into her at the airport. I hurried off the plane when we landed and went through baggage check. I checked the screens to see when the flight from Florida would be in. Shit, it had already landed a while ago."Guess I'll just have to take a cab to her house." I mumbled to myself as I walked out of the airport. A cab pulled up to be just as a van passed. I looked up to catch a glimpse of Layla and Eve with some other friends in it. They didn't notice me. I smiled."Please follow that van. Some friends are in it and I need to catch up with them." I asked my driver. He loo
Safe Home
POV LaylaAfter we landed, Finn and I got our carry on bags as the rest of our friends did the same. We waited until everyone else had gotten off the plane to leave together. Finn and I followed our friends off the plane and into the airport. Keri led us all to the baggage claim where we wrestled with all the suitcases."I think that's all of them." Hart announced and I sighed at the huge pile of suitcases."Our drivers are over there." Eve gestured to three men all holding signs with her name on it."Why are there three? I thought you ordered two?" Finn asked. Eve shrugged."It's ok. We'll need them." she replied as she nodded toward the luggage."Why don't you girls and Hart all go in the first van while the rest of us help load the luggage?" Tom offered. Finn looked annoyed but he nodded."Ok but Peter and Jake should go with them. Just to be safe." Finn added and I agreed. I wanted to argue that we could take care of ourselves but we shouldn't take chances with Hart's well being.
Safe Traveling Home
POV Layla"Since it's our last full day here, I think that we should enjoy the beach and house today and then go out for a nice dinner tonight." Eve announced at breakfast the next morning. The rest of us agreed."Great! There's a really nice steak and seafood restaurant not too far from here that I already have reservations for at seven." She added and I chuckled. We all went and changed into our swimsuits."Finnie, we should pack up some tonight too." I suggested and he nodded."Let's go to the beach and then come back this afternoon and start packing." he recommended and I smiled."I'm going to miss sharing a room with you" I said and he smirked."I'm going to miss sharing a bed with you." he added suggestively. I rolled my eyes but giggled. We grabbed some towels and headed down to the beach. We laid down between Peter and Eve."It's so cool that your housekeeper washed all our laundry. Now I don't have to take dirty clothes home." Peter was saying to Eve as we settled in."Eve, I
Safe Vacation Fun
POV LaylaThe next day we decided to go sightseeing. Peter seemed in a better mood and loved every second of visiting the sights of the area which were not that exciting to the rest of us but we humored him. To be honest, it was boring but it got us out of the house and walking around. By the end of the day, we were exhausted. We got drive thru for dinner and everyone went straight to bed when we got back to the house.Everyone slept late and we all met up in the kitchen the next day."I don't want to cook. Let's just do fruit and cereal for breakfast" I suggested. The rest agreed and as we munched, we discussed what our plans were for the day."The weather is perfect. Let's have another beach day. We can make a bonfire tonight." Eve suggested."That sounds great." Keri gushed and everyone else nodded.Finn and I changed into our swimsuits and grabbed some towels. We spent the morning splashing in the water and building sandcastles. When we got hungry, we went back to the house and ma
Safe Rainy Day and Shopping
POV FinnLayla and I woke up to the sound of thunder the next day."That was loud" she commented as I got up to shut the window before it rained too much in."Let's get up, I want biscuits and gravy." Layla suggested."You can make that?" I asked, excited when she nodded back.We both took turns in the bathroom and then hurried down to the kitchen. She directed me as what to do and soon, the kitchen smelled wonderful. Van and Jake were surprisingly the first to stumble down the stairs."What are you two making?" Jake demanded as Van got them both some coffee."Lay's making biscuits and gravy and I'm making eggs and sausages to go with it." I answered.They both looked shocked for a moment and then Jake smiled a sly grin."If things don't work out with Finn, I'm here. Just so you know..." Jake faked whispered to Layla."Hey! I'm already signed up to be her rebound!" Van argued.I glared at both of them as Layla shook her head."Nope. She's mine, boys." Peter added as he walked in.He w
