Lust // John B // Outer banks

Chapter 6

Payton's POV

It's 4am and I honestly should be asleep right now, but instead I'm making tik toks and watching netflix. Sounds about right for me doesn't it? I do this just about every night, no joke. My sleep schedule is screwed and I'd rather be hanging out with Laila but my mom wants me to "set a good example" for her and go to sleep early.

I'm practicing a tik tok dance that I just learned, when my phone rings, interrupting it. The caller ID displays John B Pogue. What the hell does he want? We haven't spoken since everybody watched him beat up Sarah's boyfriend at a party because Sarah didn't want a drink.

I've always had issues with John B because he hangs around Sarah's house constantly, and I hang out there constantly. Sarah hates him and so do I. We always have. He steals gear from the Cameron's quite often. Every time I see him he's a complete asshole and I don't want Laila to end up around people like him.

For some reason Mr Ward, Sarah's Dad, doesn't want us anywhere near him. It's kind of weird but my parents work with Ward Cameron and have an urgency for us to stay away from him and keep eyes on him.

I answer the call, and give him a sharp "What?". He takes a few seconds to reply and then goes off on me. "Have fun corrupting Laila into a stupid bitch just like you and Sarah. Shes built for it, runs away from her problems just like you guys too." He sounds drunk out of his mind, and it's kind of concerning. How does he even know Laila's name?

"John B, what the hell are you talking about?" I ask, demanding a response from him. "She bailed on me out of nowhere like half an hour ago. She just up and dipped, acting like she can't be associated with a pouge, like you kooks do best." He said, and I hung up and stormed downstairs to Laila's room.

She was asleep in her bed, and I turned on the lights. Still sleeping. I notice that she isn't in her pajamas, which confirms that she did indeed meet up with John B. Her face is tear stained, and I shake her gently until she wakes up.

"What the fuck Laila?" I ask her, waiting for an explanation. She looks at me with the most confused look ever. "Hmmm what's wrong?" She asks me, acting innocent while rubbing her eyes.

"Laila I thought I told you to stay away from him!!" I say raising my voice slightly, and then lowering it because I don't wanna wake up my parents. As soon as I finish my sentence, her expression turns to a mixture of horror and sadness.

"He called me and wanted to show me somewhere and I was stupid for listening but I never want to see his stupid face again it was such a mistake." She says while beginning to cry, and I start to feel bad for her. The son of a bitch probably lured her into going with him. He's a pouge for fucks sake.

"Did he hurt you?? What happened?" I start asking frantically, wrapping her in a hug. She explains to me everything that happened in detail, and it only angers me further. He clearly has no idea what she's been through, especially given that she didn't even tell him that she lives with me.

After comforting her, around 4:30 I leave and go back to my room so that I can let her sleep. I call John B back, and ask him to come over so that I can talk with him. Maybe if he knows what really happened to Laila, he'll do what's better for her and leave her alone. He's the type of boy to absolutely break any girls heart. He's a pouge. He's a player.

John B's POV

Payton told me that she had some really important things to tell me and to come over and to the back door ASAP, so I did. She let me in and tip toed me up to her mini living room area on the third floor and shut the door behind us.

"You really don't know anything about Laila, do you John B? How could you be so damn insensitive. She's been on this island for two days and this whole entire week has been hell for her!" She yells at me as quietly as she can, not wanting to wake her parents and brother up I assume.

"I mean she fucking acts just like you and Sarah. Can't be that different can she? Just another spoiled brat." I tell Payton, not really wanting to hear her bullshit. If I would've known Laila would've called Payton to have her lecture me I never would've even called Laila. I thought she was different.

"Now shut up and let me tell you what the fuck is happening with that poor girl. That is my SISTER John. My sister." What the fuck is she talking about? "She lost both of her parents. She lost her mom under the age of 13 and her dad just got arrested last week you fucking cunt. To add to it? Her dad's been molesting her and abusing her since she lost her mom. And you've been so judgmental and you acted like you just knew her situation. She got whisked away all the way from New York to my family. Complete strangers to her. Atleast you have the comfort of staying home near your friends John B! Don't act like you know shit that you don't. She went to sleep crying." She tells me.

I sit back speechless, now feeling like a complete asshole. I had no idea and now I must look like a complete monster to Laila. I always seem to fuck up friendships by saying some untrue shit and hurting people. "How can I fix this? Where is she?" I ask Payton, and she rolls her eyes at me.

"I don't really think she wants much to do with you at the moment. I've got school in the morning and my parents both have work in the morning and they don't want her leaving the house until somebody's home." She says, causing my heart to sink. I need to fix this as soon as possible. I can't imagine what she's going through, and I can't even imagine how much worse I made it.

"What time do your parents leave for work and get home from work?" I asked Payton, coming up with a master plan. "5:45am, and they get home at 9:45pm after picking Dawson up from daycare since it's a Monday. Why?" She asked, and that was all the information I needed.

I told her I'd owe her anything if she could let me stay here for the rest of the night without telling her parents, so I could walk downtown around 10 and get Laila some breakfast and bring it to her before she wakes up, and spend the day actually getting to know her and well, making up for what I've done.

"Fine, this ONCE. I'm doing this to make her feel better, not for some stupid pouge like you." She says, giving me some hope. School won't be an issue for me because I dropped out when my dad left, and nobody really cared.

Payton leads me down one floor and points to a door at the end of the hallway and whispers Laila's name, and then leads me to a room on the other side of the house. She whispers to me before closing the door with me inside, "Dont make me regret this, and if she asks you to leave, LEAVE."