Life of a Teenage Haner

Layla’s POV

Another week of my life being controlled by Nathan; another week of hell.

I lay in bed, tears falling from my eyes as I stared at the ceiling while in the background I could hear Braden, Mom and Dad talking downstairs about something, probably me.

My entire body felt like one big mess. I had bruises all over my torso and legs from where Nathan had kicked and punched me like some kind of anger management punching bag. It hurt like hell but I had given up begging him not to do it after learning he liked it when I did so. I had to wear lots of makeup on my face to hide the slap marks he would leave there and the bite marks he would leave on my neck as some kind of mark of ownership though he would make me show them off with his friends and at school with mine and I hated it; it made me feel cheap and a whore.

He had caught me hiding it once at school and threatened to burn me so I would learn not to cover it again and so I haven’t since unless I’m with my family. I learned not to initially because he cut me with a knife.

Braden’s POV

I shook my head as I walked out the front door of the house. My parents refused to see that this wasn’t normal behaviour for Layla; that it wasn’t a faze she was going through with her first boyfriend but that something was seriously wrong.

I mean Dad thought Nathan was a weird kid when he first met him but he thinks it’s ok for Layla to date him?

I’ve sat outside Layla’s room for hours listening to her cry and moan in what sounds like pain and I can’t take it any more so I’m going to the one person I know might be able to get through to her; Jaden.

Arriving at the Baker household I knock on the door and Auntie Hannah answered. Smiling at me she opened the door wider

“come on in Braden, Jaden’s in his room” she told me. I nodded with a smile and walked up the stairs.

Walking into his room I raised a brow at the mess in there. Jaden was kinda messy by nature but this was dismal with cans and food packaging everywhere. Jaden was sat on the edge of his bed staring blankly at the TV which was playing some kind of tattooing programme.

Walking in, around the rubbish, I stood in front of the TV bringing his attention to me. He looked up at me and blinked a couple of times before sighing

“can you move please?” he asked me. I frowned and shook my head

“no Jaden, what’s going on? Does this have to do with Layla?” I asked confused.

Jaden groaned and rubbed his hands down his face before shooting me a miserable look

“I don’t know what’s going on with Layla, she hasn’t spoken to me in weeks and I can never get a hold of her, I don’t think I want to either” he mumbled the last part.

My brows creased as I glared at him

“what?! What do you mean you don’t want to? What the fuck man that’s my sister and I thought you were in love with her but you don’t wanna see her!” I shouted at him, angry.

Jaden’s face fell into anger as well and he got to his feet

“hell yes I love her, have for years but she is with that Nathan kid and she is happy, I won’t ruin that for her but I certainly won’t sit around and watch it happen Braden, I won’t do it” he shouted back then fell back onto the bed and dropped his face into his hands.

I stared down at him, slightly shocked he shouted because he never really gets angry. I sighed, he was my best friend

“look Jaden she’s not that happy, you could help her end it with him” I told him. Jaden shook his head

“no I can’t” he told me. I frowned

“why not?” I asked. He sighed

“I’m going on tour” he confessed. My whole body froze

“for how long?” I asked stiffly. Jaden sighed

“6 months” he told me.

I could feel my body shaking with anger

“6 months” I qualified, Jaden nodded and I growled “you broke your promise to Layla! You promised; promised that you wouldn’t go on another 6 month tour until she finished school and now you’re going to do just that... I can’t... I can’t look at you right now” I told him before turning and leaving his room. I missed the tears that fell from his eyes as he watched me go.