𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐋𝐄 → 𝐒.𝐌𝐂𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 ( EDITING )

vii. 𝖼𝗈𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾

𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐓 of her with a frown. She had woken up early because she couldn't sleep anymore. The redhead decided to spend her morning painting, and she did. She usually paints whatever comes to her mind, but this time she just painted. She didn't even pay attention to what she was painting. It just came on to the paper.

Layla bites her lip as she tilts her head. She puts the brush down just as someone knocks on her door. Layla looks back to see her mom peaking her head in. "Oh, you're up already."

She enters the room, "And you're painting? This early?" Nina asks, walking towards her daughter. Her eyes fall on the picture and her eyes widen when she sees the painting. "Oh wow. You painted a wolf mauling someone in a bus?"

"I don't think it's a wolf, though. It is bigger than a wolf, and it has red eyes," Layla tells her mom. "I also don't know what's with it mauling a person in a bus. My imagination just really wild."

Nina chuckles, "You're as imaginative as ever," Nina says, kissing Layla on top of her head. She rubs her shoulders. "Get ready. I'm taking you to school."

"Shouldn't you be resting? It is your day off."

"I have three more days to rest. Come now, get ready," Nina tells her. Layla nods and her mom leaves her room. Layla looks back at the painting, and she sighs, standing up to go wash up.

▷▷▷

"How has school been?"

"It's been alright. It wasn't that difficult to catch up with them because I was only one module behind," Layla tells her mom as they drive to school.

"Okay. Have you made any friends?" Nina asks, genuinely curious to know if her daughter had any new friends.
"Yeah, just one. Her name is Starr."

"Starr? That's a unique name."

"Yeah, she's basically the only friend I have. I do talk to others in my class, though," Layla explains. The car drives into the parking lot of the school just when Nina decides to ask her daughter about Thea.

"Is Thea still with Mark?"

Layla sighs loudly, which was enough to tell her that they say were dating. "Mom, you know better than anyone that distance isn't going to keep the two of the two of them apart," Layla tells her mother.

"I had hoped the distance between them would make her realize that the two of them weren't meant for each other," Nina says. She had tried to talk to Thea multiple times about her relationship, but the girl would shut her out each time. Nina felt them moving was the perfect opportunity for Thea to realize that her and Mark weren't meant to be together.

"Maybe I should invite her out today, so we can talk," Nina suggests, and Layla sighs.

"Mom, just let Thea get her heart broken. She never learns, so, let it happen. She won't listen to any of us, anyway," Layla tells her mom just when they park the car.

Layla grabs her bag from the back seat. "Anyway, I have to go now. See you later."

"See you later, sweetheart."

Layla exits the car, and she waves before making her way to the entrance of the school.
Nina watch as her daughter walks to the entrance. Layla seem happier here than she ever did back home. Moving was their best decision.

Layla enters the school, immediately going to her locker just to see Starr and Paisley leaning against Starr's locker making out. It seems the two of them already made up. She didn't expect it to be so quickly.