Pinky Promises

"Layla....Layla, wake up you fuckin' bum. LAYLA!" I heard the voice calling my name but I was too tired to move. "Layla!!" The sound of someone throwing a rock at my window. I knew only one person who did that. The same person who still made me make pinky promises even though he was pushing thirty.

Very slowly, without even opening my eyes, I tossed back my blanket and set my feet down on the floor. My hair was hanging everywhere in a mess, though I was pretty sure when I had turned in at three this morning it was put back in a ponytail. I groped around for my glasses that were on the nightstand then put them on my face, still without opening my eyes.

"Layla, you have until the count of three then I'm coming in!" Jimmy's voice came from just outside. I frowned at the mental image of him kicking in my door, though I couldn't say it would've been the first time.

"Alright!" I yelled. "I'm coming!" I shoved myself off from my bed and walked over to the slightly cracked window and lifted it so I could stick my head out.

"It's aliiiiive!"

"Jimmy...what are you doing here? So early." I asked finally peeling my eyes open so I could look down at him.

"No need to get attitude with me! It's almost nine, you should be up by now!"

"I didn't even get home until two and went to bed at three!" I protested.

"Who's fault is that?" He asked crossing his tattooed arms.

"Mine. All mine. Now, what do you want?"

"I want to come in and talk to you! Let me in! Jesus!"

"Alriiiiighhhht." I said and left the window to let him in. I glanced briefly in my hallway mirror to see what I looked like- a total mess with my make up smudged underneath my eyes- then proceeded to open the door.

Jimmy was looking down at me with a smirk on his face, his shaggy brown hair hanging and slightly curling around his ears because of the humidity. "Date didn't go so well?" He asked.

"Let's not talk about it." I said and turned to let him come inside.

"I told you." He said.

"Yes, you did tell me. You always tell me. In fact, I think you tell them before we even go out so that way they make it miserable on purpose."

He laughed. "I'd do no such thing. You just need to pick a better guy and so far your judgement in men sucks."

I spun around and gave him the most evil look I could muster on a few hours of sleep but it only seemed to make him more satisfied.

"You're cute when you're mad, so that little look doesn't bother me." he said.

Only Jimmy could bust in my house and wake me up and instantly make me smile. "What are you doin' here Jim?" I asked again with a slight sigh.

"I did want to see how the date went, but since we're not allowed to talk about Ted I guess I'm here to see if you want to hang out with Matt and me until Charlie and Dillon get out of work. We're all going over to the falls, do you wanna come?"

"Do I have a choice?" I asked running a hand through my hair.

He grinned.

No, I didn't have a choice, I never did when it came to him. Jimmy could commit murder and I would hide the body, that's how much he meant to me. Although, it wasn't just me that couldn't deny what he was asking, everyone loved Jimmy Sullivan.

"Alright I'll go. But! You could have let me sleep longer! Did you have to wake me up and ask me that now?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to see you."

"Yeah right, you just wanted to be nosy and couldn't contain yourself anymore about my date last night."

"Hey, can you blame me? My best friend is going on dates and since I would look like a stalker following her around I just have to settle for a recap. So!" He plopped down on the couch and made himself comfy.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but there's not much to know." I sat down next to him in the typical fashion I always did when Jimmy and I had our talks, and explained away what I thought was a poor excuse of a fun evening.

"Well you know my rules. As long as he treated you good and didn't try to force you to do anything you didn't wanna do." Jimmy said standing up.

"Like what? Sit through a painfully quiet dinner, and then be expected to put out based on his 'oh so good looks'? Pretty sure that happened."

Jimmy cracked up then shook his head. "You know what I mean, Layla."

When I was younger, just barely over eighteen, a guy I was seeing got me alone in his car and tried to force himself on me, which I made the mistake of telling Jimmy. Ever since then he had kept an extra eye on me. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate his concern, it was that Jimmy was all smiles and laughs. I didn't want to be the reason he wasn't doing either.

"I do know."

"Anyway, fuckin' lazy ass, do you want to come hang out with me and Matt while we wait or what?"

"What are we gonna do until they get out of work? And yes, I'll hang out with you guys just give me like ten minutes to fix myself up."

"In that case are you sure you don't need twenty?"
I threw the nearest object I could find at him and he dodged it gracefully.

"Feisty." He said. "I don't know what we're gonna do, but we'll find something. Now go get dressed you slut and meet me out front of my house when you're done."

"Slut? Really?" I looked down at myself and realized I could've pulled my top up a little more. "Ugh, sorry."

He laughed. "It's okay, I have to get on to Charlie about keeping his boobs in his shirt all the time too."

I shook my head. "Don't let him hear you say that."

"What's he gonna do? Beat me up?" Jimmy snorted. "Please. He couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag."

"Should I be writing this down and letting him know?" I asked and stood up from my spot on the couch.

"No." Jimmy said and winked. "I'll see you in a few."

"Yes sir." I said.

Once Jimmy was gone I quickly went upstairs to get dressed and at least fix my hair. I didn't have anyone to impress, Jimmy and the others had seen me at my worst and I was comfortable with wearing no make up and baggy pants around them, but it was nice to act like I hadn't just failed at my recent attempts at a romantic life.

I just hoped I could move on with someone before Jimmy did, because I knew it would break my heart when he finally settled down.