"My life wasn't worth living until you."
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When Layla Greene struggles to handle the death of her best friend, her father decides to uproot and move her family to California in aims to keep her on the right track he put...
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Song for this chapter: Pull Me Down
- Mikky Ekko
"Mom?"
My eyes drift over the woman, and then the man who she's holding hands with - and I feel my heart race. While she looks the same, there's something about her that feels so foreign, and cold.
"What are you doing here?" She asks, while frowning in confusion, but I can't find it within me to come up with any type of response as I stand still in shock. How is she standing here in front of me right now when I've just got my life together?
"Layla..." Grayson whispers in my ear, trying to get my attention back on the situation at hand, not on the bad memories I've associated with this woman in front of me.
"What? Are you surprised since the last time you saw us was when you left us all in North Dakota without as much as a goodbye?" I can't help the words that fly out of my mouth, and I hear Grayson's little chuckle that he attempts to stifle and for the first time, my mom's attention snaps over to him.
"It's a surprise, that's all..." she trails off at the end, her eyes focused on Grayson still. "Who's this, Layla?" She asks, her eyes cold as she stares at my boyfriend, or more like glares at him. The audacity of this woman.
"Grayson, my boyfriend." I say, simply and smile a little when he slips his hand into mine to show his support. He really has been here for me through everything, huh.
"Wow." She utters, "you moved on fast." I go completely still, my body rigid and my eyes cold as I glare at this woman that I used to call mom, now she's just a mere stranger. After knowing everything I went through, how can any kind of mother say that to their child? But I guess it's the same kind of mother who takes off without a word to her husband or her own children.
"You're one to talk." My eyes drift over to the man that's stood next to her with his hands entwined with hers. This is the man she chose to date after my dad. There's not much to say.
"Last time I saw you, you were still crying over Mason cheating and mourning Cleo. The drink and drugs didn't work?" She taunts, and Grayson's grip on me tightens, holding me down to prevent me getting lost inside my mind. "Now you have this new boyfriend. I'm not surprised though, he is nice to look at. I am surprised he settled for you though." She says, her eyes scanning my boyfriend's body. Ew. I step in front of him, to block her view of him - disgusted at her looking at my boyfriend that way - the slightly predatory look in her eye that she has when she looks at him sends shivers down my spine. I can't even begin to understand how the person who held me as I cried in her arms after just finding out my boyfriend cheated with my best friend is the same person who stands in front of me now.
