September 16th, 2024
Layla leaned against the concrete wall of the hotel. She took another deep breath, checked her hair, and made sure her shoes were clean. She took another deep breath. She'd been doing this routine for about 5 minutes now. The darkness of early morning was still settling as Layla looked up at the sky. She sighed. Looking to her left and looking to her right yielded nothing but empty grey streets under an empty grey sky.
DING.
Layla looked down hoping for the right text, but nope. It was just Ryn again.
RYN
Is she there yet?
LAYLA
Nope
RYN
You sure she didn't get lost or something?
The girl has her head in the clouds 90% of the time.
LAYLA
Yeah I know
RYN
Maybe you should go look for her.
LAYLA
No she'll be here soon
I just know it
Layla clicked off her phone and stared back at the street. She did worry about Vanessa, a lot. But she had faith that she would make it back.
"Just a little longer." She told herself.
...
I wake up drowsy and feeling gross. I pick my head up off the pillow to see the chair in front of me empty.
"Haito?" I call out.
No response. I guess he already left.
I grab my phone off the dresser and check the time. It's 7:20 AM. Shit. I quickly pounce up, grabbing my jacket off the hook and running out the door, before running back and locking the door. A dash down the concrete staircase leads me to the back, as I frantically open Google Maps and find my way to the girls hotel.
My feet step onto the sidewalk as I'm adjusting my messy hair in the phone mirror, as it bumps up and down. I look like a disaster, but at this point I barely even care. Wait, no I care a lot actually. Layla's gonna see me looking like a wreck. UGH.
...
Another check of the street yields nothing. Layla checks the time. It's 7:34. Maybe she's just running a minute or two late. It's fine, she set an early date for a reason. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees something running down the sidewalk. A blonde blur. Vanessa was running down, her hair untied and thrashing around. Her black leather jacket was falling off of her as she seemed to trip over her own feet.
"Oh... that makes sense." Layla exclaimed.
...
I reach the sidewalk, frantic and panicking that I didn't make it on time. I look up off the floor to see Layla rushing towards me. She grabs me and slows me down. I plant my two feet solidly back on the ground.
"H-hi." My voice shakes as my body tries to grab hold of itself. "H-hey, girl."
"You're a little late."
"Sorry..."
"It's fine." Layla sighs. She picks me up by the hand off the concrete, looking at me with half an eyebrow raised. "Are you okay?"
"I just got out of bed..."
"I figured. C'mon, let's get you inside."
"Thanks..."
YOU ARE READING
Delinquent Hearts
General FictionVanessa is just a normal girl. At least, that's what she thinks of herself, even when the world is telling her she isn't. Being transgender isn't easy in a town full of bigots, fake sympathetics, and everyone else annoying. Life for her is a constan...
