Raising Laila

Chapter 21 - Hitting

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i hope something good finds you. 

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February 23, 2018: 7.42pm. 

Having just arrived at their hotel for the night, the four girls along with their dancers (and Laila) were dispersing to their various rooms to have a shower, change and hopefully meet in one room for a movie and a few drinks. Jade who was obviously in a room with Laila was also sharing with Perrie which they loved! 

Currently though Jade was in the shower, Perrie had already had hers and Laila (who had already had a bath that morning) refused to get in the bath, so Jade figured it could wait until the morning when they had more time, Laila wasn't tired and cranky and she wasn't so stressed out! 

So with Perrie looking after Laila, Jade was having the longest, most luxurious shower she had had in months! Although Perrie wasn't having such a great time, she had noticed Laila was chewing or sucking on something. Jade had noticed this earlier this morning however in the rush of Laila's meltdown at the office and everything else had completely forgotten to talk to her about it, that and she hadn't noticed her doing it since, but now Perrie was watching her it was obvious that there was something in her mouth. 

She initially didn't want to say anything, she knew that Laila might not take it well and didn't want to make her upset on the first night of their tour so stayed quiet although as the minutes passed she became increasingly paranoid that the six year old was going to choke on her watch and she would never be able to get over not saying anything, so eventually she spoke up. 

"What's in your mouth, Laila?" She asked carefully. 

"Nothin'" Laila mumbled her face going red as she turned away. She didn't want anybody to know, then they'd think she was stupid! 

"You shouldn't put small things in your mouth, you might choke on them," Perrie pressed certain that she did have something she possibly shouldn't have in her mouth since she was so stubborn. "Laila, I'm not cross, I'm just worried. Let me see what it is," Perrie suggested holding her hand out towards Laila now she had moved back closer in front of the little girl, her back towards the bathroom door where now the running water of the shower had stopped, still not wanting to overwhelm her but wanting to understand and even attempt to help. 

Laila still refusing to say anything thought about turning away again or even getting up and moving to the other room in the suite they were sharing for the night, but decided against that assuming that Perrie would just follow her again and she needed to make all the questions stop. She didn't want anybody to know. 

So quickly before she could think about it or change her mind, her arm shot out and she punched Perrie directly in the stomach. Perrie gasped and stepped backwards all in one shocked moment, it didn't hurt exactly (the six year old didn't have much power) but it was the unexpectedness that shocked Perrie. 

"Laila Grace! Did I just see what I thought I did!?" Jade had opened the bathroom door just in time to see Laila's fist shoot towards Perrie's stomach. Laila froze on the spot, she knew she was in trouble now and she had only just promised Jade that she would be good! Her face turned from cold and determined to a little girl's soft as she looked from Perrie to the floor keeping her eyes trained downwards as Jade came towards her. 

"I just asked you a question," Jade pressed standing in front of Laila and holding her hands as Laila wriggled in her grip. "When I ask you a question I expect to be answered, did you just hit Perrie?!" Jade took a deep breath attempting to remain calm. 

Laila's mind was whirring, she knew she had done it and Perrie knew she had done it, and she was pretty sure that Jade knew she had done it too. But she most definitely did not want to admit to having done it. So she shook her head.