Baby Fever

The Underdogs

Layla's POV

"It's hard." He said over the phone.

"I know, Dom, I know. But look, once spring break hits, I'll be ably to come over there and visit you."

"No, jelly bean, I mean it's hard to hear your voice and not be able to touch you."

"You just have to wait a couple more months, though." She clutched her phone tighter.

"I don't think I can go on like this. You need to stay right where you are and go visit that art school in Rhode Island over spring break like you planned."

"If this is about Rhode Island, I can always post-pone it for the summer."

He sighed. "You are too stubborn for your own damn good."

"No, this isn't me being stubborn, this is me prioritizing. I'm going to come see you, and help you try to settle in, and we can explore and-"

"Layla, do you hear yourself right now? Do you know where I'm fucking living?"

"Dom-"

"I live in a one bedroom apartment with an aunt I only talked to once a year during Christmas and her 2 kids. I don't even have my own bed. What kind of exploring are we going to do together? I can give you a tour of the rats under my couch, or maybe of the dusty drawer that's keeping my unfinished diploma."

She tried to breathe in  to subdue her anger. "What're you accomplishing by throwing all of this in my face?"

He sighed, and she could imagine the little wrinkle forming in between his eyebrows. "I've got to figure out the next step in my life, and I can't do that if I'm constantly thinking about accommodating you."

She hated it how he could bring her to a few tears with just a couple of words. She chuckled at the irony of it all. "So, you're breaking up with me?"

"You don't understand how hard this," his voice cracked, "it's hard to bit the hand that fed me. I was asleep until I met you, Layla. I was asleep until you showed me that love was possible."

Angrily holding onto the collar of her shirt, she whispered "Then why're you doing this to me then?"

"Some would call it loving you enough to let you go." He chuckled, but then his voice deepened "Layla...thank you baby. For everything."

"You can't let me go down like this, you douche." She wiped her tears before they could reach her chin. She could barely get through the next sentence, "How dare you let me go down like this. I'm a fucking soldier."

She heard him breathe in through the other line. "I know you are, jelly bean. That's why I know you'll be okay. Try not to hate me too much?"

"I love you." She said before hanging up. 

She put the phone to her heart and let the tears silently cascade down her cheeks. 

She wasn't used to being this girl. The one that let her previous experiences give her trust issues. The one that let a single moment define the person she would be. Layla Petal Johnson was not going down this way. 

She texted Victoria to pick her up in half an hour and began angrily throwing things into her suitcase. 

So caught up in heat of the moment, she didn't even know her mom walk in, still in scrubs. One look at Layla, and she went into defense mode. 

"I just cut into a man's skull, no one wants to mess with my baby right now." She narrowed her eyes. 

Layla laughed at her slightly over aggressive mother. "You're looking at a girl who'll be going to Rhode Island for spring break."