Smoke Screen

Chapter 11

Layla woke up disoriented with a fuzzy head. Looking around, she found herself still at Tony's house leaning against him on the couch. She quickly jumped up, startling Tony. "What time is it?" She asked, unable to hide the frantic tone in her voice.
"Um, I'm not sure." Tony said. "Between ten and eleven."
Layla groaned. She could not believe that she fell asleep! If her dad was still awake then he was going to be furious. If he was asleep, then he was going to be even more enraged the next day. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked, slightly irritated. Though her irritation was more directed at herself rather than at him.
    "You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you." He said.
    She tried her best to not snap at him. It was not his fault. It was hers. "I have to go." She said on her way out the door.
    "Want me to drive you home?" He offered.
"No, I can walk."
"But it's dark out!" He called after her but she was already halfway out the door.
"It's fine." She said then left before he could argue further. Tony sighed. At least he managed to make some progress with her. But with the project due tomorrow, he was worried that they might go back to how things were before. Without a reason for her to hang out with him, would she still want to?
That was the only thing that Tony could think about that night, but there was something completely different on Layla's mind. As she quickly walked down the dark street, panic and fear overwhelmed her. She tried to calm herself, to convince herself that she did not care what would happen. It always happened. There was nothing to fear. It was normal.
But no matter what she told herself, it did not help. All because it happened a lot did not mean she was used to it. There was nothing she could do except try her best to brace herself for the worst.
By the time she reached her front door, she was so nervous she was practically shaking. Crossing her fingers, she opened the door and stepped inside. Please don't be awake. Please don't be awake. "Layla." A loud voice called. Her heart dropped as she nearly jumped. Of course.
She slowly stepped into the living room. Before she had time to look around or realize what was happening, she felt a sudden pain strike her cheek. She stumbled back slightly as she clutched the side of her face that stung with pain.
    "And just where have you been?" Her dad yelled.
    "I was just working on a project for school." She told him. His eyes narrowed as he scoffed.
    "You really expect me to believe that? I would've expected you to come up with something more clever than that."
"But I'm telling the truth." She argued.
She could see his eyes snap as he glared at her, his jaw stiff and fists clenched. The look itself made her flinch. "Do not talk back to me." He raised his voice even more.
"But I wasn't, I was just-." She stopped talking when she saw his face flare with anger. She shuddered. He took a step forward and she subconsciously took a step back. Like a snake striking its prey, his hand lunged forward and grabbed onto her shoulder so she could not walk away. She winced as his fingernails dug into her.
"What makes you think you can come and go as you please? Get off your high horse. I'm your father. You do as I say. If I want you home after school, you come home right after school."
"But when did you say that?" She asked. She only meant it as a question, but it sparked a fire of spite in his eyes.
"Don't you try to be a smartass with me." He yelled. His harsh grip clamped onto her even harder as he stepped closer, invading her personal bubble in an attempt to intimidate her. Layla tried to stay strong and not show fear. That enraged him even more. "I'm growing sick of your disobedience!"
He shoved her, smirking as she hit the floor. "I'm sorry." She muttered, not meaning it in the slightest, but hoping he would buy it anyway. He did not.
Stepping closer, he looked down at her. His smirk grew as he enjoyed towering over her while she lied beneath him on the floor in a helpless state. "As if you'd be sorry about anything. You're above that, aren't you?" He said in a mocking tone. "I'm done looking at you. Stay in your room for the rest of the night. And tomorrow come home right after school."
As he walked out of the room he stepped on her hand. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from yelling out in pain. She was not sure if he did it on purpose or on accident, but it did not matter.
Instead of getting up, she just laid on the floor as she tried to calm down her rapid breathing and pounding heart. It seemed like he forgot about the fact that she never gave him the money for the vape she was supposed to deliver. She was relieved but at the same time even more scared. Though she had escaped his wrath for her failure this time, it was just going to be worse when it actually did happen.