Lust // John B // Outer banks

Chapter 33

John B's POV

Laila stops in her tracks while we're walking, staring straight ahead in fear. I look up to where she's looking, and see nothing but some people walking around, nobody important. Angelo also stops walking and turns around and looks at her, and she looks like somebody just killed her dog and told her about it.

"Hey, what's wrong??" I ask her, taking her hands into mine and turning her towards me. "We gotta go, we gotta go NOW!" She says quietly but urgently, and pulls me away in the opposite direction we were walking. Something has her freaked out, and I don't quite get it.

I stop her from walking away, and face her. "Talk to me Laila, what's wrong?" I ask, and she rips her hands from out of mine and starts to run back towards where we parked my van. I turn and look at Angelo, who looks just as lost as I am.

"The fuck?" I say out loud, and he just shrugs. Me and him jog and catch up to Laila at my van. "GO, take me home right NOW" she says, getting inside. "Please tell me what's wrong??" I beg, and tears start rolling down her cheek. Angelo looks freaked out by how she's acting, and not gonna lie, so am I.

I sigh and get in and drive us home while she literally cries and freaks out the whole time. We go to go inside her front door, but it's locked. She sits down on the porch and cries, while I ring her doorbell. Her mom seems super sweet, so maybe she can help us out with this one.

Katie opens the door, looking concerned. "Can I have a word with you inside real quick?" I ask her, and we step inside and close the door behind us, leaving Angelo outside by accident. Katie looks at me with a concerned look, I don't think she saw Laila crying yet.

"Me and Laila we're walking around boardwalk with Angelo to show him around, and she just freaked out in the middle and started crying and having a panic attack. I have absolutely no idea what happened and she won't talk to me." I say, and her face changes to an extremely concerned look.

"Here, go sit in the living room. Thank you for bringing her home.." She instructs me, and I do as told. I sit on the couch pull out my phone, texting Payton and asking if she knows what could've upset Payton.

Laila's POV

I keep replaying what I saw over and over inside my head, and I know it's him. That is most definitely him, but it doesn't make any sense at all. I cry as Katie wraps one of her arms around me and leads me inside, and to her room.

She closes the door behind us, and places her hands on my shoulders and looks at me. "What happened Laila?" She asks me, in a motherly tone in attempt to calm me down. "My dad. I saw him. He's here." I frantically try to tell her. He was staring RIGHT at me, with an angry glare.

"Sweetheart, he's in jail. That can't be." She tells me, and I rip myself out of her grip. "NO!! I know what I saw, he IS here. It's not safe.." I tell her, and she frowns. "I think you just need some rest, and to hang out. Maybe John B can hang out here for a little bit honey. You just saw somebody, it wasn't your dad." Katie says.

I storm off up to my room, not being able to believe that she doesn't believe me. I know that I saw him, and I wasn't just seeing things. That was my dad. I don't know why, and I don't know how, but I do know that he IS here. It just doesn't make any sense. How did he even find me??

Angelo looks at me from across the hall, and then walks towards me. "So what did you see?" He asks me, seeming genuinely interested for once. "I swear to god I'm not lying to you, I saw my dad. He got put in jail a few weeks ago and that's why I'm hear. I'm serious." I tell him, and he actually seems to believe me.

"Jesus.." He mutters, as we stand in the hallway. "Do you think he's after you? I think that would be my biggest fear.." He asks me, and I nod. "He looked angry, really fucking angry." I tell him, and he looks surprised. Tears prick my eyes again as I picture him again in my head. His untrimmed beard, beady eyes, and grown out hair. He looks like a monster, he IS a monster.

Payton's POV

I got John B's text and heard a bunch of commotion downstairs, and went down to check it out. John B and my mom are sitting in the living room, and I join them. "What happened??" I ask them, and they turn to me.

John B explained to me what happened at boardwalk, and then my mom chimes in. "She told me that she saw her dad looking at her." Mom says to me, and John B's jaw drops. "No, I thought he was in jail.." I say, and she agrees.

"He's supposed to be, I think she's just been on edge and saw somebody who looked similar to him and it sent her over the edge." She says, and John B shakes his head, as if he doesn't know what to believe. I personally don't even know what to believe, but I'd be terrified if I was in Laila's situation. Her dad is bad news. VERY bad news.

"Just in case, I called Hannah, the social worker. She's on her way over to have a talk with Laila and settle this situation so that she can be more comfortable." Mom says, and John B sighs. "I don't think she just saw something, she was really spooked.." He says, and my mom just nods and gives him a sympathetic smile.

"Is she alright now?" I ask, and mom shrugs. "You two should probably go check on her, Hannah should be here soon." She says, and me and John B stand at the exact same time, and head upstairs to her room. Her door is open and to my surprise, both she and Angelo's antisocial ass are sitting on the floor, in what seems to be a deep conversation.

"Hey.." John B says, and sits down next to her, wrapping her in an embrace. As soon as all of us are in the room, Angelo hurriedly stands up to leave, as if he doesn't feel comfortable with us being in here.

"Can we have a minute?" John B asks me, and I nod. I step out of the room and close the door behind me, trying to avoid the drama. Maybe she didn't actually see her dad, I know when I get stressed I see things that aren't actually there. That's probably what happened.

John B's POV

I give her a tight hug, and then look her in the eyes. "I believe you baby, it's fine. You're safe." I say to her in a soothing tone, and she lets out a soft cry while putting her head up against my chest. I feel horrible for her, I can't imagine how she's feeling.

We sit there in silence while she clings to my shirt, and I just hold her. After a little while, the doorbell rings. "Your mom invites your social worker over to talk with you, I think you need to go downstairs now.." I tell her, and she stands up, eager to talk to Hannah.

She leaves me and goes downstairs, and I stay upstairs to give her family the privacy. Angelo stands in the hallway, walking towards his room. "The bitch that dropped me off is back isn't she?" He asks, and I chuckle at that. I nod, and walk over to him to talk.

"How're you holding up, man?" I ask him.

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