20 ○ shawn

07

New York, 3:30 pm

January 23, 2015

reason #5: family & friends

Shawn had gotten a text from Layla at lunch, asking if he was okay to know the next reason after his school, which ended at three exact. As Shawn drove to the building, he spotted a familiar face walking down the sidewalk, hands in her jacket and a school backpack on her back. Shawn sighed and stopped by the side of the road, just beside her.

Layla glanced to the side and smiled widely after seeing Shawn's car and the window being rolled down. "What's a beautiful little girl like you walking in these streets at this time?" he asked playfully and unlocked his car, allowing Layla to hop in.

"Things got tough." She replied also playfully, sighing exasperatedly as she buckled up. Then she blushed, turning her head to look at Shawn. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course. Every girl is. And don't you remember me telling you that already? When we had that snow fight." Shawn pointed out.

Layla laughed. "You remembered?" And she laughed more as Shawn's face turned red and he looked forward, regretting even saying anything. "And by the way, you called me pretty, not beautiful. But thank you. You're pretty beautiful yourself."

"I'm a mess,"

"And you're the most beautiful mess I have ever met." Layla said, giving Shawn a gentle smile, despite the seriousness in Shawn's voice. He truly did think he was a mess. Here he was, sitting in his car with a girl who walked in on him about to jump off a building.

"Okay, so where to?" Shawn asked, deciding to just ignore the topic.

"Shawn, does your school have after-school activities?"

"Of course, why?"

"And do any of your friends have them right now?"

"They're training for soccer,"

"In the snow? Well, kind of snow?" Layla exclaimed. The snow was only a few centimetres thick.

"Strict coach. They're training for a competition that's happening in March."

"Ah, I see..." Layla pursed her lip, thinking. "Okay, yeah, go drive to your school."

"What? No. I just got back from there!" Shawn refused.

"Too bad. You're under my control. I'm giving you my reasons. We had a contract,"

"No we didn't,"

"Yeah, we did,"

"I never made a contract, Layla,"

"Okay, you didn't...but please? It's for the reason!" Layla begged. Shawn sighed and listened, putting his car into Drive and drove to his school.

-

"Ooh, wonderful building." Layla remarked in awe as she went out of the car, admiring the school building. "Anyways, lead me to the soccer field!"

"Whatever you're planning Layla, I'm not going to like it," Shawn mumbled but led her to the soccer field anyways. "We're going to get in trouble with the soccer coach. I told you already, he's strict." As Shawn and Layla walked down the hallway, they got some stares from the students that had stayed after school. They were mostly staring at Layla, though - the mystery girl.

Shawn and Layla arrived at the soccer field, where the soccer players were about to huddle up as the coach called them in. "Ooh, your friends! Are they all your friends?"

"Most of them,"

"Wonderful!" And Layla began to run towards them, making Shawn's eyes widen and he ran after her. But before he could hold her back and stop her, she had already arrived to them.

Shawn slowly approached as Layla excitedly gestured for him to hurry his speed. God Layla, why? Anything but this...anything but this!

"Mendes, who's the cutie?" asked one of the soccer players - the captain - as he eyed Layla up and down. Layla smiled at him and waved, completely ignoring the acknowledgement of 'cutie'. It's illegal anyways.

"My name's Layla!"

"And we're leaving..." Shawn grumbled and took Layla's forearm, tugging on her.

"Wait, no I'm not. I have to ask something to all of you," Layla gestured to the team. "How many-"

"You are disrupting my practice, Layla. And I don't appreciate that!" the coach butted in, stepping closer to Layla.

"It'll be quick,"

"Leave."

Layla thought for a while, her eyes narrowed thin as she looked at the soccer team coach. "Do you need a hug?" Layla asked, eyebrows creasing and mouth curving downwards, a pout.

"No I don't need a hug. Leave!"

"I think you need a hug. So I'm going to hug you." Layla opened her arms and wrapped them around the coach, making Shawn turn red in embarrassment. Layla literally didn't even know the man!

The coach tensed up as Layla hugged him, but it did calm him down just a little bit. And when Layla pulled away, the coach paused for a while before saying: "Few minutes, then you have to leave." Layla nodded and the coach sighed before ambling towards the soccer balls.

"Okay," Layla begun, turning to the soccer team. "How many of you love Shawn? Like a friend? Best friend, even? Raise your hand." The soccer team all looked at each other, none of them raising their hands - not because none of them were Shawn's friends, but because they thought it would be embarrassing.

And then the captain whispered to his team: "Just listen and answer. Do it for the cutie." And then most of the players raised his hand, giving a smile to Shawn.

"Okay. That's all I needed. Thank you." Layla waved goodbye to them and then grabbed Shawn's wrist, dragging him to the bleachers and the two sat down.

"I can't believe you actually did that, Layla. You hugged the coach!"

"I could see it in his eyes; he needed one." Layla shrugged. "But reason number five: family and friends. I'm not going to go over to your house for the family, but it's pretty expected what I'm going to say. Imagine if you did jump off that building on December thirty-first, twenty-fourteen - how your family would have felt when they heard the news. You've got to think about the after-effect sometimes.

"And as for your friends," Layla continued and tilted Shawn's face so that he was looking towards the field, where the soccer players were dribbling the soccer ball. "Imagine your life without them. All those memories you had with them - and all the memories you were supposed to have with them - gone just by a simple...jump."

Shawn studied every single one of his friends, and he knew deep down that Layla was right. He did have many memories with them - not only his friends in New York, but his friends back in Canada. "But friendships don't last sometimes, Layla," Shawn mumbled. "And sometimes, jumping off a building would be way less painful than the pain you have of losing a friend."

Layla giggled. "Probably not, silly. If you jumped off a building, that would be way worse. You'll break all the bones in your body and that's kinda gross,"

Shawn gave Layla a look before huffing and standing up, holding a hand out for her to take and stand up. "And you just ruined my deep moment, so thank you for that."

---

school started. kms. but that means i wont be updating frequently - like i did in the first place anyways lol.

sorry for the stupid ending for this chapter. and this chapter is kinda ironic bc i just lost my best friend today and it hurts...

really badly. haha.