Chapter 1

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The obnoxious sound of the digital alarm clock flooded Layla Chadwick's ears. On her nightstand, the black device rattled on the wooden surface. The light from the sun's rays peaked into her room through her lavender curtains; it threatened to shine into her eyes. The teen groaned as the sound awoke her from her sleep. She reached her hand out and aimlessly slapped around her nightstand. She knocked over her earrings and bracelets she'd set there the night before. The jewelry fell to the floor in a chorus of clinks and thuds on her black carpet. Her palm finally slammed against her clock.

Layla let out a sigh of relief at the absence of the beeping. She readjusted her head on her pillow. The pressure of sleep on her back regained its control over her body. Her muscles relaxed, and her mind began to cloud over.

Her ringtone replaced her alarm clock. Another groan left Layla's lips. She blindly swatted her hand around for her phone, knocking over more knickknacks on her nightstand in the process. "Hello," she croaked into the phone.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," a voice replied back to her.

Layla groaned. "No. I refuse."

"I don't care. Get your ass up and get ready for school."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. If you don't, then I'll come over and dump cold water over your head."

"Hm, then you'd have to fight me."

Layla could hear the shrug in her friend's voice. "Guess we'll have to fight then. Now get up. I'll be outside in an hour."

"Hmm, okay."

"I mean it, Layla, get your ass up."

Layla reluctantly sat up in her bed. "Alright, alright. I'm up. You can stop being bossy now."

"I can't stop being bossy; it's one of the reasons you love me."

Layla rolled her eyes. "I'll see you in an hour."

"Bye."

The teen hung up the phone. Her brown eyes went to her dog. The black and white furred husky was laying at her feet on the bed. He'd raised his large head when she'd initially sat up. His blue eyes watched her as she stretched her arms. "Good morning, handsome," she greeted him.

The dog got up from his spot. He padded up to her and licked at her cheeks.

Layla giggled. "Good morning, Ace. Good morning, my handsome boy." She rubbed the fur on Ace's neck. "I don't want to do today," she admitted.

Ace nuzzled his furry head against her chest.

"Hm, you think it'll be a good day?" She patted his side. "Let's hope so." She threw the covers off of her body. With a sigh, she got out of her bed. She quickly gathered her attire for the day before padding down to the bathroom.

Layla filled the silence with music from her phone. For the short twenty minutes she was in the shower, she sang along to Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato. Her voice echoed through her house, bouncing around the walls.

The teen returned to her room after her shower. She dressed herself in a plain blue crop top and a pair of high waist jeans. She pulled her head full of kinky curls up into a bun; she laid down her edges with gel. Her dark brown eyes avoided the sight of the medallion hanging around her neck. She tucked it into her shirt.

After she slipped into a pair of Nike's, Layla grabbed her backpack and her zip up hoodie. She wandered downstairs with Ace at her side. Her eyes stayed down as she entered the kitchen.

The sun supplied the light for the room, pouring in through every window. The kitchen table was empty. Four red placemats and empty glass cups sat around the table. No food was sizzling on the stove. The aromatic scent of bacon and eggs was absent. There were no sounds of soft chatter or laughter. Not even the wafting smell of premade coffee lingered in the air. Everything was completely still.

Layla flicked on the small television on the counter to fill the silence. The morning anchor's voices occupied the kitchen.

"Breaking news this morning, folks," a man with tight cheeks and dimpled spoke on the screen. "Last night, there was yet another riot in a small Maryland town. The black masked villains who call themselves 'The Fallen' seem to be the ringleaders of this riot."

Layla poured fresh dry food and water into Ace's food bowls. She moved to the refrigerator to grab a carton of milk. She pulled down a bowl and a box of Honey Nut Cheerios from the cabinet. She prepared her breakfast as the anchor continued to speak.

"Sometime around ten o' clock, these masked criminals began causing terror on the streets. The citizens in the neighborhood reported attempted and successful break-ins, physical altercations on the streets, and consistent damage of personal and communal property." The screen flashed images of the man-made fires, broken windows, fighting crowds, and close-ups of the black masks. The plastic covers were simple; they were an onyx color with the basic outline of a face. The identity of whoever wore them was hidden by these and an all-black clothing ensemble. If it were dark enough, they were practically invisible to the naked eye.

Layla sat down at the kitchen table. Her eyes were fixed on the broadcast as she munched on her cereal.

"Local police stations rushed to the various scenes. They tried to stop the members of The Fallen from causing anymore disruption." The screen flashed images of the black masked men being beaten, restrained, and shot down by the police officers. The camera revealed the faces under some of the deceased men. Men and woman, from ages fifteen to sixty, of all ethnicities lay beneath the masks. "However, not all areas were successful." The screen switched to police offices being beaten down and humiliated by some of the masked figures. "President Jackson Everett was informed of the situation and quickly sent in army personnel to control the situation." Short video clips of armed men shooting into the crowds of masked people appeared on the screen. "The situation was finally contained around three o' clock this morning. Many people survived this night with destroyed homes and broken families. President Everett will be giving a statement later on this evening regarding this tragic event as this comes shortly after the horrific terrorist bombing in New York." The anchor smiled. "Now we'll be moving on to Jessica McEvans with the best and worst looks from last night's Grammy Awards red carpet.

Layla shook her head. "What the hell is the world coming to," she whispered to herself. She flipped the channel from the news to a sitcom. The rest of her breakfast was filled with corny jokes and studio laughter. She dumped her bowl and spoon into the sink when she was finished eating.

Waiting outside for her when she finally stepped out was a teenage girl with caramel colored skin, dark waterfalls of curls, and brown eyes. She was dressed in a maroon skater skirt, a black tee, and black converses. She looked to Layla as the front door clicked shut behind her. "There's my favorite bitch," the girl exclaimed with a smile.

Layla smiled. "There's my favorite whore!"

The girl enveloped Layla into a hug. "Nice to see you're alive. I got worried about you last night."

"Why? I told you I was fine."

"That was before you started throwing up all over that hot guy's shirt."

Layla shrugged. "I gave him something to remember me by."

Her friend nudged her. "So he still gave you his number after he spent the last half an hour of the Senior Skip Day Hooray holding up your hair?"

"Surprisingly."

The two girls began walking down the street.

"So, are you going to call him," the other girl asked.

"I don't know, Maya. He was fun to dance with, but I don't think he'll be much fun to talk to."

Her friend, Maya, raised an eyebrow. "What tells you that?"

"Well, he didn't say much other than 'Oh my God, are you okay,' and 'Holy shit, you're pretty,' last night."

"Were you expecting more than that?"

"No, but I'm not looking forward to getting more than that."

Maya linked their arms. "Come on, Layla, lighten up. He was a hot surfer boy with spiky hair and washboard abs. You don't have to talk to have a little fun with him. I know I'd have fun bouncing up and down on his lap."

Layla rolled her eyes. "I'm not disagreeing with you; it would be fun. But I'm not in the mood to hook up with a random guy right now."

"May I ask why? You've always been down for a little fun when we go out to Michael Brennan's parties, but ever since March, you've been a little off." Maya frowned. "What's been going on?"

"Nothing's been going on, Maya. It's just…we're going to be graduating in a few weeks. I don't know if I want to deal with boy drama in college. I think I want to stay single and work on my goals for a little while. Maybe I'll even stop partying and get myself together."

"I support your efforts in getting your shit together, but I have to ask why." Maya raised an eyebrow. "Are you pregnant?"

"Jesus, Maya, no!"

"What? I have to ask."

Layla shook her head. "Let's just say I'm trying to put some plans in motion."

"What are those plans?"

"College plans; majors, scholarships, classes, etc."

"Have you already committed to a school?"

A smile tugged at Layla's lips. "Yeah, I did."

Maya pouted. "And when were you going to tell me about it?"

"At a time when I knew you weren't going to be mad at me."

Maya glared at her friend. "You're going away, aren't you?"

Layla offered a small smile and a shrug.

Maya groaned. "Are you seriously going to leave me in this shithole by myself?"

"You're going to the University of Sciences. You'll be studying to be a bomb ass doctor. You're going to be super busy. I promise you won't even miss me."

Maya threw her arms around her friend. "Of course I'm going to miss you, hoe, you're my best friend."

Layla gave her friend a soft squeeze. "And you're my best friend, and I'm going to miss you too."

"Can you tell me what school you're going to? Or at least how far away it is?"

"I can't tell you what school yet. I know you won't tell, but I don't want your dad finding out. He'll tell my mom, and I definitely don't want her to know yet. I want to tell you guys when I'm ready. This is a big decision, and it's very important to me."

"Alright, alright. I'll respect your confidentiality – for now. As long you promise not to forget about me once you're up there getting yourself together. I want to support the new and improved Layla Chadwick."

"I promise."

The two girls finally arrived to the brick building they called school. They dropped their embrace and settled for holding each other's hands. They waited in the long line of students to go through metal detectors. After grabbing their bags, they linked their hands and began walking down the hallway. The loud chatter of the other students and the slamming of their lockers filled the halls.

"Only two more weeks of this bullshit," Maya said.

"Thank God." Layla paused. "Do you think we're going to miss high school?"

Maya shrugged. "Maybe. I'll miss cheerleading, that's for sure." She nudged Layla. "I'll miss hanging out with my best friend every day. But I don't know if I'll miss high school as an experience. It was kind of shitty once you actually look back." She pursed her lips. "Or maybe I'm just bitter that we worked hard for four years to be co-captains of the cheerleading squad just to lose it to the Doodle-Dum twins."

Layla laughed. "There was some definitely some time we could've gotten back. At least we can say we can kick someone's ass and look pretty while doing it."

Her friend smiled. "You're right. Daddy thinks it's hilarious when we starting doing flips and twirls in the ring. He thinks it's going to be our secret weapon when it comes time for us to actually defend ourselves." She sighed. "Hopefully that time never comes. The boy's we've met have been lucky thus far; they've all been harmless idiots or nice guys." Her brows crinkled together. "Did we do high school, right?"

Layla shook her head. "I don't know. If not, we've got plenty of time in college to mess with fuckboys and question our sanity." She leaned against the locker next to her friends. "Did you hear about the riot in Maryland last night?"

Maya nodded. "My dad was watching it on the news this morning. There were a lot of casualties." She sighed. "I don't know what The Fuckheads or whatever the hell they're called are after anymore. They cause these violent uprisings for what reason? People, on both sides, die every time they riot or protest or whatever they think they're doing, and no one even knows why."

Layla shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe there isn't a motive. Maybe they're just crazy. Not everyone needs a valid reason to cause destruction." Her eyes drifted south. "I just wish the chaos they're causing would stop."

Maya shut her locker. "Don't we all, sweetheart." She nudged her friend. "Come on, we've got to stop at your locker before we head to first."

Layla allowed her friend to grab her arm and tow her down the hallway. The two made a quick stop at her locker before heading to class.

Their first period Business and Personal Law class was bustling when they entered the classroom. Students were chattering and milling around the classroom. The teacher sat at his desk with a book in his hands. He gave the girls a tight smile as they walked in. Layla followed Maya to the back of the classroom. They sat seats next to a small group of boys with letter jackets. A burly boy with curly brown hair turned in his seat to greet the girls.

"Good morning ladies," he said. His hazel eyes fixed themselves on Maya. "Hi."

Maya took out her notebook. "Hi Ricky." She sighed. "How are you?"

"I'm good now that you're here. How are you?"

Slight color appeared on Maya's cheeks. Her eyes stayed glued to her notebook. "I'm fine."

"I saw you at Mike's party last night. Who was that guy you were dancing with? I don't think he goes to our school."

Maya shrugged. "Why?" She smirked at him. "Are you jealous?"

Ricky scoffed. "No." A smirk of his own appeared on his lips. "Were you trying to make me jealous?"

"Not necessarily, but if you were then that's fine too."

Ricky rolled his eyes. He looked to Layla. "Tell your friend to be nicer to me."

Layla shrugged her shoulders. "I can't tell her anything. She's a big girl. She can do what she wants."

The boy shook his head. He turned back to his friends.

Layla scooted closer to her friend. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "How much longer are the two of you going to keep this up?"

"Until he grows the balls to ask me out. If he wants to act like a little boy then I'll treat him as such. When he learns how to be a big boy and let a girl know what he wants, then we can have a real conversation." She leaned her head in her hands. "Until then, I'll continue dancing with all of the nameless boys I want."

Layla smiled. She reluctantly turned her attention to the intercom as a static voice began the morning announcements.

The school day went by uneventfully for Layla. She passed through the usual Thursday routine without much trouble or lag. As graduation slowly approached, her teachers had begun to close their major lessons and projects. She expected her last few weeks of school to include watching movies and playing games on her phone. There wasn't much more left to do with her time their. She was already graduating with the National Honor Society, four years of varsity cheerleading, and a perfect GPA under her belt; and she was attending her school of choice. She didn't have to worry about anything. Or at least not while she was physically in school.

After the last bell rang, Layla headed back to her locker. She briefly waited for Maya to join her, and the two of them headed out into the warm spring air. The friends held hands as they walked to the local boxing and MMA gym. The gym was complete with multiple small boxing rings, a larger one for exhibition and tournament matches, padded mats for grappling, and locker rooms.

Two of the boys in one of the practice rings spotted the girls as they walked in. "Hey Layla, Maya," one of them said. He waved his gloved hand at them.

The other boy took advantage of his distraction and knocked the other boy off of his feet. "Hey girls," he said.

The girls giggled as the first boy grabbed the other's ankle and threw him down to the ground. Layla watched them grapple with a smile. Her eyes wandered from the boys to the small group of freshman boys stretching in a corner. They were preparing for their class. The boys waved to the two girls as they passed.

"It's going to be weird," Maya said. "Not having you here in the fall."

Layla's smile dimmed. "I know."

"It might not be too late to commit to Temple if you're thinking about changing your mind."

"I'm not changing my mind, Maya."

Her friend held up her hands. "I'm just saying. It's never too late to stay. You have every reason to leave, but you also have some pretty solid reasons to stay."

Layla squeezed her friend's hand.

The girls wandered to the main office. A man with dark hair, piercing green eyes, and sleeves of tattoos sat in the behind the desk. He was staring at his laptop before the girls walked in.

"Hi Daddy," Maya exclaimed. She skipped to his side and pecked a kiss at his side.

"Hola, mi hija," he replied. He pecked another kiss at her cheek. He smiled at Layla. "Hello, la ahijada."

Layla returned the smile. "Hi Uncle Gabriel."

"How was school?" He asked.

Maya shrugged. She perched herself on her father's desk. "Boring as usual. We're all just waiting to graduate at this point."

Layla sat in the cushioned chair across from Gabriel's desk. "I agree."

"Well, you two better enjoy high school while it lasts. It's a whole new world once you get to college." He smiled. "Then you'll be graduating from there, starting your own lives and careers, getting married –"

"Wow, look at the time," Maya exclaimed. She hopped off the desk. "Layla and I have to start getting changed and warmed up to teach our classes tonight."

Her father chuckled. "I knew that'd get the two of you out of my office."

Maya stuck her tongue out at her father. She followed Layla back out into the hallway.

The girls changed their clothes before going their separate ways. Layla taught her intermediate Jiu-Jitsu class, and Maya taught her beginner's kickboxing class. By the end of the day, the two were beat. They dragged themselves to the locker room to retrieve their clothes and trudged back out to the door where Gabriel was waiting. He drove the girls back to their block.

"Would you like to stay for dinner," Gabriel asked Layla. "I've got some leftover ingredients for burritos."

"Although I would love to save you from my father's leftover ground beef," Maya said. She grasped onto her friends hand. "I think you should stay." She squeezed her hand. "Please," she whispered.

Layla nodded. "Sure." She returned her friend's squeeze. "I'll stay."

"Perfecto," Gabriel exclaimed. "Maybe we can dig up an old movie to watch while we eat. If it's not too late by the, we can break out the Uno cards." He smiled at the girls through the rearview mirror. "We can have burrito night like we used to."

The girls' smiles dimmed. Maya's hand tightened on Layla's. "Sure," his daughter spoke. "Whatever makes you happy, daddy."

Gabriel kept up to his words. He dug up one of their old favorite action movies and prepared the girls' food. The three of them sat around the living room, munching on their burritos and watching the choreographed fights. Layla laid her head in Maya's lap and tried not to think about the memories the scene brought her. She ignored the hole in her chest. She pushed away the fuzzy memories. She fought against the tears forming in her eyes.

Near the end of the movie, she made the mistake of looking over at her godfather. He was sitting in the loveseat with his legs sprawled out in front of him, a beer in his hands, and his shoulders relaxed against the couch cushions. She noticed the small frown on his face and the subtle movement of his thumb on the moist can. His green eyes met her brown ones. They shared a sad thought.

I wish he were here too.

Layla blinked back the tears in her eyes. She turned back to the movie and tried to focus on Maya's hands braiding her hair.

Shortly after the movie, Gabriel and Maya walked Layla back to her house. The dark haired girl frowned at the sight of the silver Volvo parked in front of her house.

"Thanks for having me," she told Gabriel.

He waved his hand. "It's not a problem. You know, you're welcome for dinner anytime."

Layla smiled. "Thanks, Uncle Gabe." She gave her friend a tight hug. "I'll see you in the morning," she asked.

"Bright and early," Maya replied.

Layla reluctantly let her friend go. She gave the two a smile before heading up the front steps. Her smile fell from her lips as she unlocked the door and headed inside. She quietly closed the door behind her. She tried to bolt for the steps, but the sound of her mother's voice stopped her.

"Layla," the woman called. The teen's spitting image, a woman with dark curly hair and brown skin, appeared in the kitchen doorway. She was dressed in a button up shirt with a pencil skirt. Her straightened hair was messy. Her lipstick was smudged. The buttons at the top were undone, and small passion marks lie there. She tried to cover her exposed skin by crossing her arms. "You're home late."

"You're home early," Layla commented.

Her mother smiled. She approached her daughter. "Well, I thought maybe we could have dinner tonight. I brought Chinese takeout."

"I already ate. It was burrito night at Uncle Gabe's."

Her smile fell. "I see."

A chair skidded against the wooden floor in the kitchen.

"You brought company," Layla whispered. "I'm not surprised."

"Bonnie," a voice yelled from the kitchen. A man with chocolate skin, brown eyes, and salt and pepper goatee appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in a button down shirt and slacks. His hands were busy buttoning his shirt. He smiled at Layla. "Hi," he exclaimed. He walked up to her. "You must be Layla. I'm Terrence; I work with your mother at the law firm." He extended his hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"I wish I could say the same," Layla said.

Bonnie hissed her daughter's name.

Terrence let his hand drop. He tried to uphold his smile. "Bonnie told me you were a tough cookie."

Layla tilted her head. "Oh she talks about me?" She looked to her mother. "I exist now?"

"Listen, I just wanted to introduce myself to you formally."

Layla feigned a smile. "Aw, you wanted to introduce yourself to me after sneaking around with my mother for nine years. How sweet!"

Terrence cleared his throat. "I also wanted to extend my condolences about your father. I understand you're still grieving, and I want you to know that I am truly sorry for what happened to him. I'm sure he was a great man."

She narrowed her eyes. "How would you know? After all, you were the man sleeping with his wife."

"Layla," Bonnie snapped. "Stop."

"Why? I'm just telling the truth."

Bonnie sighed. She struggled to keep her smile on her face. "We wanted to have dinner with you tonight because we wanted to share some news with you."

Layla raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Bonnie clasped her hands together. "Well, Terrence and I…we've been together for a long time now. I've only kept it a secret from you because I know how much you loved your father. You know how much I loved him too."

"That's a lie, but continue."

Bonnie gritted her teeth. "Layla, sweetie, Terrence is going to be moving in with us." She extended her hand. "We're getting married."

Layla's eyes bored holes into the diamond ring on her mother's finger. Her hands balled up into fists. She slowly rose her eyes to her mother's. "Are you serious," she asked. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Layla," Terrence said. He held his hand up. "That is no way to talk to your mother."

Layla glared at him. "Fuck you," she spat. She looked to her mother. "Fuck both of you." She turned on her heel and ran up the steps.

"Goddammit, Layla," her mother yelled after her. She followed her daughter up the steps and into her room. "Who the hell do you think you are talking to me and my fiancé like that?"

"Who the hell do you think you are bringing your lover into this house and telling me you're going to marry him?"

A slap on Layla's cheek followed. "Why, for one damn minute, can't you let me be happy," Bonnie yelled. "Why is it every time I try to do something nice or I try to project my happiness to you: you reject it? Your father is dead, Layla! He's not here anymore, and he's not coming back! Do you expect me to live with that weight on my shoulders forever? Do you expect me to live my life in a constant sadness and pain? I have worked too hard and too long to be unhappy!"

"Then go be happy, mom! Marry your little boy toy! Replace dad! It's not like you loved him anyway! While you're at it, you might as well have another baby and replace me too!"

"Maybe I will! Maybe the next one will be more grateful of all the sacrifices I've made to provide for them! They'll be smarter, happier, and an overall better child than you ever were!"

Layla blinked back her tears. She sat on her bed, facing away from her mother. Her cheek still stung from her mother's palm. "Just get out, mom," Layla whispered. "Please, just get out."

Bonnie stood in her daughter's bedroom doorway. Her pants gradually slowed. The words that escaped her lips registered in her head. She frowned at the back of her daughter's head. "Layla," she sighed. She walked up to her daughter. She tried to touch her shoulder, but Layla flinched away.

"Don't touch me," the younger girl hissed. "Just get out. Leave. It's not like you haven't done it before."

Bonnie lowered her eyes. She backed away from her daughter. She stopped in the doorway. She didn't look at Layla as she spoke. "Terrence will be moving his stuff in over the weekend. If you want to help, you're more than welcome to." She closed the door behind her.

Layla listened to her mother's footsteps descend the steps. Hers and Terrence's voices hummed downstairs. The voices quickly turned from chatter into the soft smacks of kisses. Layla didn't resist her tears as they fell. She wrapped herself in her blankets and lay down in her bed. She popped her head buds in. She drowned out the sounds of her mother and her fiancé with Secondhand Serenade songs. Her hands clutched the medallion around her neck. With her eyes closed, she tried to numb her mind and forget that the arms she wished were around her were buried deep in a grave a few miles away.

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