Exiled (AmBw)

Chapter 12

Layla: "Hello?" I answered the phone.

Within seconds, my heart stopped when I heard intense moans and heavy breathing on the other end of the call.

'What's going on?' My mind raced as the commotion over the phone quickened.

"Hmmm." I heard groans and heavy breathing. "Damn Liz, you feel so good." A familiar voice said.

Layla: "Zach?" I whispered to myself when I recognized the voice.

My heart sank.

'Is he about to sleep with Liz?' I thought, crushed to the core that my friend would hurt me like this.

Zach: "Wait, wait, hold up," I heard movement. "Oh shit, my phones on." There was a slight paused before he spoke again. "Layla?" He whispered, surprised. "Oh damn Layla. Hello? Layla, are you there?" Zach asked, now well aware I was on the other end of the call.

Liz: "Layla?" Liz said in the distance.

I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe, I just froze.

Zach: "Hello? Layla?" he said repeatedly.

Unable to say a word, I just hung the phone up.

My chest ached as if I had just had a heart attack. 'What the hell? Why do I feel this way?' I thought, trying to figure out my emotions. Zach and I had already broken up, so why did this discovery hurt so bad? I stood still, trying to convince myself not to cry. "Stop it, Layla, you're better than this," I said, forcing all my hurt feelings away. 'Shake it off, come back to your senses.' I thought, trying to ground myself. I scoffed when I remember the last things Zach said to me. 'Let's take a break. We both just need some space.' He said. 'I love you, but let's just go back to being just friends for now.' I bitterly chuckled to myself when I remembered what Zach said to me two months ago.

'I must be out of my mind.' I thought, feeling completely stupid for using the replacement phone Takanori bought to call Zach. 'It served you right.' I thought, upset at myself.

I got startled when the phone rang again. I stared at Zach's name on the screen for a while before I dismissed the call. After swiping his call away, the sadness I felt was engulfed by retaliation.

'Fine, if you're having fun, I might as well enjoy myself too.' I thought, tying up the good girl in me so I could have some real fun. I strutted back into the party, and without missing a beat, I shot back seven shots of alcohol that were on a small table in the lounge area where Katsuhiro was sitting before he could stop me.

Katsuhiro: "Woah, Woah, Woah! Hold up, sweetheart. You might want to take it slow." He said, stopping me from taking an 8th shot. "Are you alright? One moment you're only drinking Sprite, then the next moment, you shooting back seven-shots straight. Anything you wanna talk about?" He asked, concerned.

Layla: "Nope." I stood up. "I just want to take some shots and dance."

Katsuhiro: "Well, you got the shots, so I guess your next option is to dance."

Layla: "You're right. Let's dance." I said quickly, turning to him before I took his hand so we could go to the dancefloor.

A wave of relaxation hit me when the drinks kicked in because I started to feel as loose as a goose.

'Damn, this stuff is strong.' I thought surprised at how fast it got into my system.

Katsuhiro: "Hell no," Katsuhiro said, taking his hand from me. "My dear, I would do a lot of things for you, but dancing isn't one of them." He said, crossing his legs as he rested back on the couch.