The Stars are Holding You

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I awoke coughing as if I'd stopped breathing. I blinked a few times to clear my mind and push away that sleepy feeling that always came with mornings.

I stretched and glanced over at the clock to check the time. It read 5.07AM, which was surprisingly good for me.

I groaned and pushed back the thick purple blankets, using every once of energy to get out of bed.

Life had become a vicious cycle. Get up, go running until I collapse from exhaustion, go to the bar to work ten hours while trying to avoid the sleazy men attempting to cop a feel.

I honestly don't know why Garry, the owner of The Central where I worked insisted on having the girls wear barely-there uniforms. It just made the regulars think we liked having our Asses grabbed while serving them beer after stale beer.

When the day was done I'd go to the flower fields and lay on the grass watching the stars, thinking of Jake, my beautiful Jake, just like he wanted.

When it got to eleven I'd slowly drive home and drag myself into bed, only to be woken at ridiculous hours having nightmares of blank, lifeless eyes.

Slowly over the past year I'd shut everyone out, my parents, my best friend Casey, Jakes family. My life had become boring and repetitive.

I pulled off Jake's 'Cool Story Babe, now bring me a beer' shirt and jumped into some running shorts. I gathered my hair into a loose messy bun and started for the front door.

The fresh air flooded into my lungs the second the door opened. I breathed it in and smiled, maybe today was going to be a good day after all.

I returned from my run out of breathe and as sweaty as a pig. Running wasn't particularly glamorous but it took your mind off everything, when the wind was rushing through your hair and your heart matched the beat of your feet on the pavement everything tended to fade away.

"Morning sweetheart," my mother called from the kitchen. I turned off my iPod and slowly shuffled into the kitchen to great her.

"Have a nice run darling?" she cooed. She was awfully enthusiastic for so early in the morning. Which meant one of two things; either she had finally spoken to dad or she knew something I didn't.

I shrugged at her, "It was fine," I said, "What's got you so chipper?"

Her face grew into a grin, her hands fidgeting in anticipation to tell me.

"Well," she drawled, dragging out the L, "If you must know I was talking to Katherine Baker down yesterday down at the store."

She paused when she saw me tense at Jake's mothers name before continuing, "She said herself and Joseph we're thrilled that Laikyn was coming home from college."

I couldn't help but to stare at her in disbelief.

Lake, or Laikyn, Jake's older brother was finally coming back to the Hunter Valley after the last two years of being thousands of miles away at University.

The last time I spoke to Lake was the week before Jake's funeral. When Kate Baker told me her own son wasn't coming home for his brother's funeral; I was furious.

I couldn't understand how somebody could be so selfish to not want to say goodbye to his own brother. I remember growing up it was always Jake, Lake and Layla.

All three of us we're inseparable and you couldn't get two brothers that were closer than they were. But it all changed when I when Jake and I started dating the summer of freshman year.

Laikyn became distant and we all pulled away from each other. I won't lie; it hurt like hell, out of my two Baker boys, Laikyn had always been special to me. But I knew the way Lake had reacted hurt Jake a lot more than me. Laikyn was my best friend growing up, we were always stirring up trouble and Jake was the one to get us out of it. It was the whole dynamic of our friendship. The whole reason I fell for Jake was his kind and caring heart. He'd always get us out of messes without expecting so much as a thank you. He did it because he cared.

I remember the last words Laikyn and I spoke to each other the day of Jake's Funeral. I called him up in a storm of anger to give him the biggest verbal bashing I could; he was a selfish prick, the Laikyn I once knew was gone.

The familiar dial tone rang and rang until he finally picked up. "Sup?" he answered, his voice was husky and slightly breathless like he was just in the middle of something and I interrupted.

I scoffed at his audacity and couldn't stop the words coming out as my mouth took over.

"Sup? Don't 'Sup' me you arrogant asshole! Your brother was there for you all your life! He picked up the aftermath of the destruction that is Laikyn Baker time and time again! And what did he get? He got a pathetic excuse of a brother that pulled away from him as soon as somebody else got his attention. A brother who forgot he existed why he was off in Wellington having the time of his life! A brother that didn't even call him once in the whole year he was gone."

"And the most pathetic thing of all?" I whispered now, having lost my breath from all the yelling, "This selfish prick didn't even have enough compassionate in his cold heart to come home and say goodbye to the boy that loved him unconditionally, that looked up to him."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds until Laikyn let out a hard breathe.

A soft creak could be heard, indicating he was getting up.

"Listen Layla, and listen good because I won't repeat myself," he replied, his voice was cold, emotionless.

"I don't care for immature little bitches calling me up at all hours to tell me how I felt towards MY brother. You don't and will never know the full story of what went down with Jake and me. He wasn't the only one to get someone out of shit, so mind your own fucking business. This conversation is over," he said with finality, "And don't bother calling again."

His next words took my breath away, the last words I thought I'd ever hear him say to me.

"It should have been her," he whispered harshly, I assumed he was addressing his bed buddy, "It would have all been okay if it was her." Without another word the line dropped out and all that was left was a disconnected tone and the thumping of my heart. Did he mean me? Did he really think that? Hell, I agreed with him.

The dial tone rang in my ear but I couldn't move the phone, I couldn't move at all. I was completely speechless.

I shook my head to snap out of my daydream and looked at my mother. "Are you okay sweetie? You spaced out again," she said with worry written across her face. I'd been doing it a lot lately but I couldn't seem to help it.

"I'm fine," I replied coolly, "I bet the Baker's must be thrilled to have him home," I continued, with no emotion to my voice.

I turned on my heel and walked to my bedroom to get ready for another long day of flat beer and handsy old men at The Central.