Who Killed Kyle Simmons? (Bastille)

Chapter Eleven

Chapter eleven

"Life just fucks you over."

Dan was sat on the swing adjacent to Layla, his hands wrapped around the chains, supporting the seat.

He watched her as she just looked forward, the wind blowing her dark hair around her as she turned to hold his gaze.

"That's not true."

She readjusted her own grip on the swing's chains.

Dan tucked his legs underneath him.

"Course it is. We, we all have that like shitty thing that happens to us. Just some people are," he paused as he tried to find the words, "more oblivious. They can't see their lives falling to pieces like others."

Layla nodded at him.

"Is that how you feel?"

"Nah, I'm good."

The wind was biting, and Layla could feel her nose turning red. Dan just recoiled deeper into an orange, white and grey scarf, a black beanie keeping his head warm, with a small tuft of hair poking out of the front.

Like her, his glasses steamed up every time he exhaled.

Layla noticed he was picking at a shoelace.

"Dan?"

He looked up at her.

"Kyle is, Kyle and I had an argument. Shortly before, you know... I still don't think he'd forgiven me, I'd apologised thousands of times. That kind of thing happened a lot, after like about a week or so, everything was normal."

"What did you fight about?"

Layla had slid her note pad out now, pen at the ready, trying to collect every scrap of information she could.

"I, I chucked him out of the band."

Layla raised and eyebrow.

"We were all, I was stressed, he was right, we all needed a break, something none of us had had in a long time."

Pen poised over the paper, Layla had stopped making notes. This wasn't going anywhere and it was clear the two of them were freezing.

"Dan, do you wanna walk, I'm cold." She added.

No wonder the park was so quiet, it was freezing.

Dan jumped up off of his perch on the swing and hurried over next to Layla. His cheeks and nose had a pink tinge to them.

"What happened that night?"

"I, I was driving home, - up late working in the studio - I was going past the woods, in the dark...

Everything was quiet except the rumbling engine of my small car. It was too cramped really, but I didn't want to just discard it for a new one. It still worked.
Suddenly, the windscreen shattered inwards, the car grinding to a sudden halt almost throwing me out if my seat.
Something hard connected with my head.

... A-and I spent a few hours in A&E, nothing erm, serious. When I found my phone, I got, Janna called me. She'd already talked to Will. I'd never thought..."

Dan trailed off and Layla didn't want to push him any further. Half of his sentences were so jumbled, they just about made sense.

Dark orange leaves stuck to their shoes as they neared the park gates.

The empty conversation was somewhat comforting.

Layla rubbed her hands together before turning to Dan.

"Thanks for well, helping."

He nodded.

"Kyle would want us to find the killer." He said quietly.

Dan wrapped his arms around Layla in a hug, first she was shocked then grateful for the warmth of Dan's body.

His blue eyes stared at her, before he quickly pecked her cheek then disappeared into the maze of London traffic.

*********

A/N

I've seen a couple of people comment this, and yes, Layla's surname is Jackson, as in Miss Jackson - P!atd, because I'm not great at choosing surnames and I was listening to the song at that time :)

I'm trying to make the chapters longer, are they an okay length?

Please vote, comment, share etc... :)