Raising Laila

Chapter 7 - Jealousy

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sometimes she'll push away what she wants because she wants it too much... 

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November 19, 2017: 4.32pm. 

Since the incident last week, Laila was pretty much the same; angry at the smallest thing, frustrated and refused to let Karl and Shireen help her with anything, her and Karl's three children also didn't have the best relationship; previously they were great together, since they lived just a twenty minute drive away from each other they met up at least once a week but now Laila didn't want to spend anytime with them. This upset Karl and Amara who didn't understand  why the little girl who used to be their friend was now fighting them constantly, Leonie being older understood more and never pushed Laila to play or join in. 

"Laila? Why don't you go and sit in the living room with the others, I think they've got a movie on," Shireen encouraged instead of sitting with her toys in the living room like Karl had done, Laila chose to sit just outside of the door in the corridor with hers. 

"No," she answered, without looking up from her barbie dolls. 

"Are you sure? You could sit on the couch, babe?" Shireen suggested, she always tried to get her to join in but never pushed her more than once or twice, it would never end very well. 

"Fine," Laila muttered under her breath, gathering her dolls and accessories taking them in to the living room, although sitting at the opposite end of the room than the others.

"Good girl, Amara's got Sofia the First on but I can change it if you like?" Shireen tried to make her feel like a part of the family, like she got a choice in what happened and didn't just have to settle with what the others had. 

"No thanks," 

"Okay, well just shout if you need anything," she said before leaving the room to start preparing the kids dinner. The kids were going to have dinner slightly earlier today, since Laila had to have a bath. Ever since the first time she had a bath with Shireen's help, she hadn't willing had another one, so most of the time Shireen didn't push it knowing that eventually she would give in and voluntarily have a bath. She hadn't yet done so, but was in desperate need of a bath having played outside in the morning, Shireen predicted a fight so planned an extra half an hour in to the routine. 

November 19, 2017: 5.06pm. 

Laila had sat and played with her barbie dolls silently, mouthing words in her game but looking up every few minutes to check that neither of her 'new siblings' were coming nearer to her. She was enjoying playing dolls quietly and didn't want them to join in and ruin it for her. 

"Kids! Dinner's nearly ready, what do you want to drink?" Shireen asked, calling from the kitchen before coming in to the living room to finish her sentence. 

"Juice please," Karl responded, while Amara looked curiously up at her mother. 

"What would you like Laila?" Shireen asked gently lifting her youngest daughter into her arms. 

"Water, please," she responded quietly. Laila liked Shireen, she didn't show it and knew that she didn't, but her Mummy was still better and didn't want Shireen to replace her. 

"Alright, it'll only be a few minutes," Shireen responded before going back into the kitchen taking Amara with her. 

"She's my Mummy, you know," Karl said pointedly, looking between where Laila was sat and the door where Shireen had just been stood. Karl knew what had happened to his grandparents, he didn't quite understand but he knew that Laila was going to live with them and his parents were going to look after her now, but he didn't know if he was quite ready to share them just yet and Laila wasn't even being nice to them!