Multiplayer: My Partner In Crime

Chapter 2: I managed.

Layla pushed open the gate to her house, making a loud, shrieking sound. All the lights were off, the moon being her only source of light. She was about to open the front door to her house, but it creaked open before she could do it herself.

Her mom stood there, leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed. Her eyes squinted, directed to Layla. Layla tilted her head at her.

"Hello mother," She greeted.

"Bill called me," She replied, raising a brow.

Saint Bill. Bill and Layla's mother were co-workers—not until he left the company her mother worked in. It wouldn't be such a surprise if he did call her, but can't he just handle five minutes?

"You know, if you would've just listened to me," Mom added.

"Well, I managed. So you can keep whatever lecture you have prepared for me to yourself." Layla left her Mother

Now, she's sure that she should've walked into that traffic. Or maybe she should've listened to her mom. Maybe now she could just lay in her bed all day—there's no need for her to take care of a snotty eight-year-old.

She walked into her grandpa's office. He sat in his leather chair, smoking like he always would. "Hi grandpa," She said, giving a small peck on his cheek.

He took the cigarette out of his mouth and gave her a quick smile.

Layla could hear footsteps coming their way. She took a piece of candy out of his office and immediately left. The last thing she wanted to do today was sat for hours and listened to her mother's lecture: 'Don't do this Don't do that, I'm just trying to care for you' and all of that bullshit.

She passed her mother on the way to her room, and her mom went straight to her grandpa's office.

"Can you believe that kid?"

"She managed," grandpa replied and gave her a shrug.

Layla flopped herself into her bedroom door, pushing it open with her whole body. She dropped her backpack on the floor and dragged herself into her bed. She laid there in the comfort of her bed, also, sweat and dust, and all of that shit. But she didn't care. She hid under a thin blanket, and everything turned black.

She woke up the next morning. She wished for the chirping of the birds to wake her, but no. It was the yelling of her own mother. She did this every day, yelling on her phone about some business stuff. Layla never cared, since her mother's income doesn't affect her anymore, except for one thing—it does affect her sleeping schedule. Her mom would do this in the brightness of dawn, and the darkness of midnight.

Layla quickly takes a bath and gets dressed. She put on a striped shirt and a pair of jeans. She was about to leave to hang out with her best friend Sarah when her phone started ringing. Bill? What the heck does this son of a bitch want? She picked up the phone and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"I asked you to babysit Max today."

Her eyes widened and her heart raced when the realization hit. "Shit," she breathed out. She looked at her watch to see that it was still seven.

"Bill, it's still seven," She spoke confidently.

"I'm just reminding you."

"Well, I didn't forget." I totally did.

Layla quickly hung up the phone and packed her bag. She ran down the stairs to the kitchen. Her grandpa was there with his leg crossed and a newspaper in front of him.

"Hey, honey," Her grandpa greeted.

Layla quickly grabbed a piece of toast and kissed him on his cheek. "Goodbye, grandpa."