she didn't just fall for jj maybank.
she drowned.
jj x oc
"I wanna be your someone. Even if being with Layla Arden is the only thing I accomplish in my life, I'd still say I was pretty successful."
started: may 10th, 2020
Layla still had an overwhelming urge to cry in response to the recent heartache she experienced.
Her thinking about JJ ended when she headed downstairs to see her grandmother at the kitchen table with a man dressed in a polo shirt and slacks. He smiled up at her as she entered the room in her over-sized t-shirt and athletic shorts.
Layla's car keys were jingling in her hands as she slid in her Crocs. "Good morning, hun," Flora greeted, her lips in a tight line. "Do you, uh, could you come sit for a minute?"
She vaguely recognized the man, but she had no idea from where. She had her arm resting on the chair as she glanced down at the Manila envelope he had nearly in front of him.
"We're required to inform the victims when an inmate is up for parole," he explained, as Layla slid into the seat next to her grandma and across from the man who seemed to be in his late thirties.
Layla shrugged. "He was up for parole a few years ago and the board laughed at him," she explained, letting out a small sigh. She gave him a sarcastic smile. "I'm not worried about it." The man was a lawyer she had met a few years ago.
The man bit back his frown. "Sweetie, I promise that we're working like hell," he began, "but it's really look like he's going to get out."
Layla let out a bitter laugh. "When?"
"In the next few months." He fell silent.
"After everything he did?" Layla questioned in amazement. "They're just letting him out like that?" He had been up for parole about a year ago, when his minimum sentence past. His maximum sentence was about five years from the present.
"I promise we're going to try our best," the man explained to the girl.
Flora shook her head. "I can't believed they're even considering it." She held annoyance in her tone.
"He's been active within the prison," the man explained. "He's taught classes on personal finance, he volunteers regularly, he has a job. His behavior within the last few months has changed. The parole board just wants to hear you say that you're a shitty person, and they'll let you out."
Layla nodded, rising out of her chair. She glanced at the two people at the table. "I, uh," she paused. "I hope everyone has a great day."
She didn't say another word as she grabbed her lanyard from the table and left with the door slamming behind her.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Her day ended with a similar element of stress. She had filled it with driving around and landing up at a playground after grabbing a takeout lunch.
When she arrived home, JJ Maybank was seated in her living room. She was so completely taken aback, the situation did register until she was inside of the home and he was blocking the door. "Layla, I needed to see you."
"Get the fuck out of my house before I pepper spray you." Her threat was sharp as she referenced the mace on her keys. Her blood was boiling at the sight of the boy and the fact that he had just shown up at her house.
He shook his head. "I have to talk to you."
This was so on brand for the day she was having. She shook her head, a bitter laugh falling from her lips. "There's nothing to talk about. I trusted you with my heart and you broke it."
"Layla, I said I'm sorry," he reminded, his eyes pleading as she refused to look over at him as she stood in the living area and he stood in front of the entrance to the home. "What else can I do?"
She bit her lip. "Leave me alone?" she questioned rhetorically. "JJ, why don't you understand? You really fucked me up." She let out a sarcastic laugh.
"You don't feel like maybe you're overreacting?" he questioned to her. She glanced up at him for the first time to make sure she wasn't poking light at the situation.
"Wow, you're serious." Disbelief was present in her voice. She shook her head, her keys tight in her palm. "You know what, JJ? Stay here if you want. I don't give a fuck. Just stay away from me, okay?"
He barely noticed the tears brimming in her eyes as she headed up the stairs. He felt her reaction was slightly blown out of proportion. They had a huge fight, how was he supposed to know they would still be together in the morning?
What really bothered Layla was the mentality she now learned he had; he took every fight or disagreement as an excuse to jump ship and try to find something new or better.
He allowed her to walk up the stairs without any further interruptions. He heard the shower turn on after a few moments, taking it as his cue to leave the home. She clearly was not entertaining him or his apologies tonight.
He felt bad for how she felt, but he didn't really feel guilt for the way he had acted. He felt as though he hadn't done anything wrong.
All he had done was hurt Layla a little bit. It wasn't intentional.
As if everything with JJ wasn't bad enough, she now had the situation with her incarcerated father weighing on her. The issue was she wasn't sure just how much longer he was going to be incarcerated.
She had left out the details about him as if he didn't exist when she shared even snippets of her life pre-Flora. While she had only shared some details with JJ, they were about her mother primarily. They didn't speak of her father, who had been missing from her life for the last few years. JJ didn't ask, and she didn't tell.
In all honestly, she wanted to forget her father and everything she had been through with him. While she hadn't given him a passing thought in months, he had to just re-intrude back into her life.
He couldn't let her have peace. He was doing what he did best; inconveniencing his daughter.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
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