Layla
I close my locker as I look at my phone to check the time and see if I have gotten any miss calls from Rose. Classes were over already and she was supposed to meet me at my locker so that we could go to my dad's restaurant together.
Rose and I met after the death of my mother in 6th grade, ever since then we have been best friends, she has been like a sister to me. We won't be close today if only Liam haven't advice me to stop being a loner in 6th grade, Rose and I won't be friends. At that time I was always surrounded by people, yet I felt alone, I was always smiling, but I felt empty. How he does it, I don't know. how he could always see through me. To him I was the most transparent person, he knew all my secrets, including my smiles full of lies. If not for Liam I would have never been able to find myself, I felt so lost after the death of my mother. If Liam had never come into my life, I would have been nothing but an empty shell, those surrounding me, smiling and laughing with me from my heart won't be there today. To me Liam was more than a brother, more than a friend, To me, Liam was my everything.
"Hey!" Rose shouted, waving her hands at me as she walks towards me. She looks excited.
"What's up?" I ask.
"You are not even going to ask me why I'm late?" She asked, grinning.
I have seen this look and excitement in Rose before and it isn't because she was finally able to get the love of life or a dress she saw at the mall. It was probably because of something insignificant, something I might not like that she did. In cases like this, I feel like I and Rose are worlds apart.
"Well?" We walk down the school hallways towards the door.
"Jackson!" She started "you know Jackson right?," She continues without giving me a chance to answer, times like this reminded me of the first time I thought of Rose as a living parrot. "Well, he left school today during lunch break."
"So?" I asked, not getting, what was so important about Jackson.
"Layla, will you just let me continue." Rose said exasperated as we both got onto the school bus." well it turns out that Jackson's parents had gotten a divorce." She whispered. "And he hide it from everyone, but his girlfriend found out the truth today and lash out at him, and also told everyone about it."
"Why does that makes you happy?"
"Because." Rose said, "she broke up with him."
I frown my face at her as I thought of the name Jackson. There was a time Rose mention him before. But when... Ohh yes, it was around the first time I met her when she told me a story about a boy who was her dad's friend son. It turns out that they were friends until something bad has happened to her dad's business, causing them to almost go bankrupt. Ever since then Jackson has started avoiding her, he denies the fact that he knew her. She was hurt, it turns out that she was in love with him at that time. I wonder if she still likes him.
"Do you still like him?"
"What?, No!" Rose folded her hands around her chest "I am only happy he's having some family issues. I want him to know how it feels like when those around you turns their back on you, including the ones you trusted the most." her eyes held a faraway look.
I look at her as I shifted closer to her and hugged her.
"I'm fine." She said, "his girlfriend confesses that she cheated on him with one of his friends and broke up with him, those fake friends he surrounded himself with are finally showing their true colors." Rose snickers, as she holds on to me "is it weird that I feel kind of happy and sorry for him at the same time." She relaxed her head against my shoulders as she asked me.
"Yeah, I guess, maybe."
That moment of Rose Life was the worst, sometimes I wonder if that was why will were able to relate so well after we met. Each of us facing the worst moment of our life. But Rose's parents are financially stable now. And I still feel like I'm in the worst moment of my life at times, it's an emotion that comes and goes. But during those dark days, all I needed was Liam, he was my light. Whenever I see him, talk to him about it, it all just go away. I sometimes wonder what his moment was. Before it use to feel like such a moment doesn't exist to Liam, at first I thought it was his birthday being the same day as my mom's death anniversary. But whenever I looked at him staring at mom and dad, then I realized, it was the day his mom got married to my Dad.
*****
I walk into the restaurant as I look at Liam taking the orders of two couples as he smiled and wrote down what they wanted, he ask them if that was all, they nodded then Liam walk away. I wanted to help Liam out, but I strangely didn't feel like it anymore, I felt kind of distracted.
This was the first time Liam has to agree to help dad out with the restaurant, even though he already had plenty of help. He always asks Liam if, he wanted to come and know how the business work. Liam normally says no. I was surprised when he said yes today. I had asked why, because I was curious. And he said that because he needed to move on. Liam at times could be very confusing, what was it he needed to move on from. I know he didn't break up with anyone because he has never dated anyone before. Unlike me, I tried two relationships that didn't work out for me. Even after the break-up, I didn't feel a thing. According to Liam, I was in an empty relationship.
"So what is this beautiful girl doing here all alone," Liam said, "mind if I join you." He smiled.
"Yes, sit on the floor," I said as I fake a nonchalant voice while trying hard not to smile.
"And yet, you call me the heartless one," Liam said as he took a seat and sat down. The sun was reflecting on his blond hair making it seen golden. His light brown eyes look around the restaurant as if searching for someone. Liam look nothing like his mom, whose hair was brown like mine. Except that my eyes were dark brown while hers was light blue. She told me of the time, she dye her color blonde because people kept asking her if she was Liam's mother. To me, Liam was absolutely beautiful. He has never talked about his real dad. And his mom told me that he has never once asked about him. Whenever she tried to tell him something about him he would either Walk away or say that he wasn't interested. To me, Liam was full of mysteries. His eyes were full of secrets. It felt like Theo knew him more than I did and I hated it. I sometimes hate the way he was more open to him than me.
"Where's Rose?" He asked, "I thought you said, you two were coming together."
I look at him as I wonder if the Liam I knew was changing, because Liam didn't care for people. I could tell the only people he care for in his life were just me, his mom, and Theodore. His relationship with Theo and how they became friends was still strange to me because during that time Liam hated people. Whenever I asked them how it happened, they both just say it just did. Even though Rose has been in my life since the 6th grade, I could tell that Liam only thought of her as an approval, approval of her presence in my life. when Rose first met Liam, she thought he was cool and wanted to get Liam to like her, he didn't even notice her feelings and brush her off every time. And whenever she annoyed him, he tolerated her because of me. Rose soon later realize that Liam's interest in people was non-existence. She had asked me at that time how could such a person exist. It took Rose two years to give up on chasing him. She told me it was an impossible task, while I just laughed.
"She couldn't come." I said "she said that she had to take care of some things, she couldn't see you like this." I look at his expression, trying to see if he cared. I had told Liam in the second year of Rose's impossible mission, that she likes him. All he did at that time was to look up at me from his book as he said in a bored expression 'well tell her I'm not interested.' but I never did, I wanted to but I at the same time I wanted to see if Liam was going change his mind. But then again he never did.
"I'm guessing the reason she didn't come, is the same reason you are worried." He gaze at me intensely, trying to figure out what was bothering me. "What happened in school today?" He asked.
I look at him confused for a moment until I realized what he had said to me and thought if I was truly bothered with Jackson's story. The thoughts of his parents separating from each other made me think of my mom Harper and a situation of what if.
"Rose told me a story of a boy named 'Jackson' that goes to our school." Staring at the glass window, I look at the road outside the restaurant as I tried to distract myself a little from thinking. "She had said that his parents got divorced and it looks like he isn't taking the whole situation well."
"Is that all?" Liam ask. He rested his long hand on the table, laying down his head on his arms as he face sideways towards the window while I watch him. Wondering if the reflection of the sun wasn't blinding his eyes but the sun made him more beautiful. Like a delicate piece of art.
"The thoughts of him." I said "made me think, I imagine what if mom was still alive. If she and dad would have gotten a divorce. I wonder how I would have been able to face that situation."
"Do you think, that you can do it?" He asked
"I feel like, I would have been confident. Perhaps more brave and accepting of the circumstances around me." My voice sounded lost. Lost as my thoughts while I wonder how much truth lies in my words.
Liam turn his head, away from the window as he gaze at me with eyes that could see more than I ever could.
*****
Walking down the street, I was lost in thought, thinking of the discussion, I had with Liam in the restaurant, while going home. I pass by a wall with a painting. I stop as I realized I have never seen this painting and this street before, I must have made a wrong turn. The painting was weird, it was about a Lady who was standing, admiring a rose but she was pierced by the same rose she admired, she smiled as the thorns of the rose made her bleed.
"Sad isn't it?"
Startled by the sudden unknown voice I turned around to see a boy whose hair was red, smiling as he looks at the painting.
"When you look at it, don't you think it's sad and beautiful at the same time?" He turned his head to face me.
His expression shows that he was expecting me to say something, but what do you say to a redhead boy that just pops out of nowhere.
"My name is James Hudson." He said. Extending is hand.
"I'm Layla Wyatt," I said, shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Layla," he said "I guessing this is your first time, seeing street art."
Am I really that, obvious. I thought
"It's not exactly my first time, just that this one, in particular, is just weird," I said. "Why would the artist make her smile while she's being pierced by a rose." It just didn't make sense to me.
"Who knows." He said. "Probably because he wanted people to see beyond her smiles and focus on something else." His face held a dark melancholic expression.
"You drew it didn't you?" I asked
Smiling brightly he look at me as he says "yes!"
"So tell me, Layla." He said, "what do you think life is all about, how exactly do you view your life, with what perspective?"
I look at him as I thought to myself that his personality somehow reminded me of Liam, always thinking too much and asking me questions I'm too afraid to answer. The only difference was that his smiles and welcoming attitude towards people were brighter. He was like a brighter form of the boy I have always known.