A New Beginning

Two weeks ago Jimmy walked out on the group and hasn’t been home since. I stopped calling him because after this length of time his phone would be dead. Brian is the only one who has seen him. Apparently he saw a man who looked like Jimmy wandering around PCH at two in the morning. Brian said he called his name out and then the guy walked away faster. Even Johnny is worried at this point and I never thought that Johnny would calm down from that one morning. The day after that had happened he had apologized greatly to me. The main point being that he had just gotten me in his life and he didn’t want me to be taken from him. I wasn’t sure what this had to do with me seeing Jimmy, but I just left Johnny with his apology. He still felt as if he had to make it up to me somehow. This morning was no different.

“Layla, I have a present for you.” My brother yelled up the stairs.

“Johnny,” I groaned, “stop getting me shit that I don’t need or want.”

“It’s not a thing, so much as a proposition.”
This piqued my interest. I screwed on the cap to the bottle of nail polish I was using and met him on the stairs. With an eyebrow raise I prompted him to continue.

“I know that I’ve been driving you crazy the past couple of weeks, so here’s the thing. How would you like to go to the mall and shop all day? Also, I won’t even be there, nor anyone for that fact. You can do whatever your little heart desires.”

Skepticism filled my face as I thought about this. There had to be a reason he was allowing me to go out on my own. After much consideration I smiled at Johnny and gave him a huge bear hug.

“You’re the best brother I have, you know that?” I said with a little laugh.

“Yeah yeah yeah, now get out of here you little weasel before I change my mind.”

Running up to my room I threw open my closet door and began rummaging around for something to wear. The outfit I had on now was fine, but it didn’t scream mall material. Pairing a purple tank top with my Syn Gates tank, I finished my ensemble of with a pair of jean shorts. I ran my flat iron through my hair and put it in a high pony tail so that my bangs appeared even edgier. The purple liquid eyeliner I had on earlier was touched up a bit and a bit of silver shadow was added for some shine.

“Bye Johnny!” I called as I slipped on my pink Vans with black bats on them. “I’ll be back
later!”

I walked out of the house before he could give me one of his infamous speeches. The mall was just two blocks from the house, so getting there wasn’t a task. Taking a step through the wide double doors, I took out my lifesaver. Johnny had signed me up for a credit card as a graduation gift and also said he would pay for it. Normally I would never accept something like that, but he was my brother, so I made an acception. The first store that I went to was PacSun. I loved all their clothes and they had an amazing sale today. It just so happened that next door to PacSun was Hot Topic, enough said. They had an amazing array of Vans, but I only bought one pair. The shoes were black with a white spider web on it. Jimmy had the same pair. See, there I go again thinking of Jimmy. That man is contagious. I walked around the mall not seeing much. Checked out the magazines, went to the food court, and then threw coins into the fountain while making outrageous wishes. But nothing seemed to keep me occupied. I hauled my various bags around the mall and stopped at the pretzel stand.

“Can I have a plain pretzel with a cup of cheese please?” I asked, stressing the last two words because they rhymed and I thought it was funny.

“Of course, that’ll be $4.39.” the man behind the counter said.

I looked up to pay the man when I saw him for the first time. The smile that was trying to make its way to my lips was hard to hide. He could only be a year older than me at the most. Warm, caramel brown eyes gazed into my light brown ones as I handed him the piece of plastic.

“Oh, I forgot to ask,” the guy chuckled, “would you like anything to drink?”

“A medium Dr. Pepper.” I ordered, still staring at the guy.

“I’ll bring it out to you because we’re swamped back here and it might take a while.” He stated.

I nodded and still stood in line, not being able to move for some reason. He slid the card back to me and said nothing. He has pretty teeth.

“Ah, ma'am? Can I get you anything else?” he asked with a laugh.

Waking up from my daze I shook my head while grabbing my card and leaving to sit down. Smooth move Layla, real smooth. Did he just call me ma’am? Do I look like a senior citizen? My thoughts were interrupted by the guy bringing my pretzel and drink over. His brown eyes twinkled at me through his shaggy blonde hair as he left. I gave him a little smirk and turned to my food. After taking the wrapper off my pretzel I noticed that a napkin with writing was stuck in with my food.

Hope you find it easier to tallk sometime. 823-1029. Derrick.

The number found its way into my pocket as I began eating the oily goodness covered in cheese. Maybe I’ll give Derrick a call someday, he’s quite a looker. I wiped the crumbs from my fingertips and threw away my trash before leaving. As I stepped outside the first thing I noticed was the darkening sky. It looked like a storm was fast approaching. I had only taken a few steps when I felt a rain drop smack on my nose. That tiny drop brought an onslaught of rain after it, causing me to run for shelter. A ramshackle Laundromat was the first place I spotted and I sprinted for it. The rain had completely soaked me to the bone but luckily I was alone so I didn’t seem entirely stupid. A sharp bolt of lightning hit the sky and the booming thunder let out a resounding crack. I gave a whimper and quickly placed myself in a seat. I had to admit, storms weren’t my favorite thing. crack. Ok, they were my least favorite thing in the world. Above my head, the different rows of lights slowly began to flicker and then my world was cast in a think darkness. This time, I wasn’t shy about keeping in my shrieks.

“Fuck.”

My heart stopped as I heard someone shuffle behind me in the black abyss that was the Laundromat. Apparently, my screaming had woken someone up from a deep slumber. A bright light filled the middle of the room, blinding me for a few seconds. I spread my fingers apart as I saw who I shared the room with. This was totally unexpected.

“Jimmy?” I asked stunned.

“God, Layla, what are you doing here?” he asked just as stunned as I was.

“I got caught in the rain coming back from the mall.” I answered, nodding my head towards all my bags. “What are you doing here?”

He paused slightly before he answered my question. “Funny that you should ask that, because this is where I’ve been living for the past two weeks.” He said meekly. “Kind of a reunion, if you want to think of it that way.”

It hit me like a ton of bricks. This is where Jimmy used to live when he couldn’t go to a home. The fan in me wanted to bask in the history, but the overwhelming caring side took over.

“Jimmy, you don’t have to stay here. Come back home. I miss you and believe it or not Johnny is a wreck without you. He’s already apologized for his behavior that day and he wants you to come home.” I begged. “What else do I have to say to make you come back with me?”

He looked at his hands for a few seconds and looked up at me. “Did you mean everything you just said?”

“Yes,” I smiled, “it's just not the same without you. Please Jimmy?”

In the glow of the emergency lights his blue eyes sparkled as he listened to me speak to him this way. His shaggy black hair was a mess and it seemed he hadn’t shaved in a while. I could tell he wanted to come back with me to freshen up a bit.

“I’ve missed you guys so much. The way he yelled at me that day I figured I would never come back because I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise. Layla, my feelings for you haven’t changed since. I knew what I was doing by telling the group about us and now they know my true intent is to win you back. But to answer your question, I’m so ready to get back into the house.”