LOGINLAYLAA shiver runs down my spine. Slowly, I turn to face her.Amy looks completely different from the way she did at her wedding. Sheās wearing less makeup, and I can see the age lining her skin. Her blonde hair looks dull and washed out under the fluorescent lights. I breathe out slowly.āAmy,ā Luke says coldly. āYou look well. How was the honeymoon?āāMrs Martins!ā Donny whines, making Luke flinch. āDid you hear what he said?āāItās Mrs. Tran,ā Amy says, looking annoyed. āLuke and I arenāt married anymore.āāOh. Sorry.ā Donny points at Zack. āBut he was going to punch me in the face! You need to make him leave!āZack rolls his eyes. āOh, suck it up, ya big baby,ā he booms. āYouāre not fourteen anymore. Quit whininā to yer teachers, itās pathetic.āAmy shakes her head, turning to me. āLayla. Do you want to explain why theyāre all here? The invitation said you could bring a plus one.āāActually, it said āpartners are welcomeā,ā I point
LAYLA Nerves crunch me. Why am I doing this? I donāt want to be here. I feel hot and cold at the same time. At the back of my head, a voice tells me over and over again to run.āWant a drink?ā Luke asks in my ear, and I relax minutely. āIf I remember correctly, they serve alcohol at these things.āI let out a shaky breath. āFor a twenty-pound entrance fee, theyād better,ā I mutter, letting him take me by the hand and lead me over to the refreshment tables. As we walk through the hall, I feel people turning and staring. I trymy best to ignore it as whispers go up around me.āIs that Layla Thompson?āāIs she with Mr.Martins?āāSo she really was sleeping with him? I thought that was a rumour!āI grit my teeth and ignore the comments as we walk past a cluster of girls staring and gossiping in hushed voices. They all look so different now. Oneof them is heavily pregnant. One is holding hands with a huge guy in a suit.One has pink hair and tatto
LAYLA TWO WEEKS LATERāAre you sure you want to do this?ā Luke breathes in my ear, as we stand, shivering, in the cold car park.I look up at him. The grey sky over his head is stroking highlights into his silvery hair, a light breeze brushing a curl into his eyes. He looks calm, but I can see the tension in his jaw. He doesnāt like being here any more than I do.I nod firmly. āYes.āOn my other side, Josh squeezes my clammy fingers. āYouāve got this,ā he says. At my back, Zack gives a rumble of agreement. I nod, straightening my spine and turning towards the set of open doors.Weāre standing outside the front entrance of Emery High School. Itās a drizzly, dreary day, and all I really want to do is go home and cuddle up in one of the guysā beds.In the past two weeks, Iāve pretty much moved into the guysā flat. Weāve been inseparable. And itās been heaven. We could be wrapped up in bedsheets right now, leisurely making out, watching TV, orderin
LAYLAWe spent the rest of the evening together, tangled up on the guysā couch.Iām exhausted, but I donāt want to go to bed. As early evening slips into night, the sun sets over London, washing our bodies in gold and red light, then fading into darkness.We spend most of that time kissing. Slow and gentle. Hard and passionate.And everything in between.A few months ago, I hated kissing. I thought it was boring. Now, every second takes my breath away. The hours slide away without me realising.Even when our mouths arenāt firmly locked together, we donāt talk much.Thereās some idle chatter, but nothing deep or personal. It feels like weāre inside a delicate little soap bubble. Iām scared of popping it and ruining the moment. Iāve been so heartbroken for so long, and suddenly, all of that pain has gone. I can breathe again. More than that ā Iām happy. My whole body is thrumming with endorphins. Itās like every cell in me was missing the guys, an
JoshI slip out of the lounge, leaving Zack and Luke to make up with Layla, and head back to my bedroom. Shutting the door behind me, I slump down into my desk chair, turning to face my open laptop. The room is dark, cut through with shadows, but I canāt bring myself to turn on the light. My heart is heavy. My mind is whirring.I absolutely hate myself.The reality of what Iāve done didnāt really hit me until Layla walked back in through the apartment door. Instead of falling into our arms, she looked around at us like she expected us to hurt her. Her face was guarded.Distrustful.Of course, she didnāt trust us. Zack might have been acting like a prick recently, but he was right about one thing: Iāve lied to Layla non-stop for the past two months. I took advantage of her. I told her I was āhelping herā, but really, I was just helping myself. I was in love with her, and I used these stupid ālessonsā as an excuse to kiss her and hold her and have my way
LAYLAEventually, the kiss ends. I pull away from him slowly. He swallows, looking down at me.āI love you,ā I tell him. My heart is pounding so hard it hurts. āI love you. Love you.āāGod.ā He clasps me against him. His chest shudders with hard breaths. āI could hear you say that until the day I died and it wouldnāt be enough.ā He rubs his throat. āYou know what Em would be saying, if she were here right now?āāGet off my man, you bleach-blonde skank?āHe smiles, his eyes glistening. āCongrats. Ya, big idiot. Or something to that effect.āTears fill my eyes. I donāt know what to say, so I just kiss him again.When I finally pull away, my skin is fizzing. Zack stays at my back, stroking my arms as I turn to Luke. Heās sitting on the arm of the sofa, watching me, his face calm. The silvery strands of hair falling over his forehead are gilded in the low yellow light of the loungeās side-lamp, and the sleeves of his white shirt are rolled to his el







