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♪ 𝟹𝚛𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙿𝙾𝚅 ♪
Leila rushed out of the dance studio with a grin on her face, her team had won the battle and she was buzzing with excitement, not just because of her recent win but because she was going to see her boys perform at the Orpheum.
Leila rushed down the street, pausing when she saw ambulances rushing past, sirens blaring outside of the Orpheum, close to where the boys had gone for their hot dogs. Leila frowned, making her way over to the Orpheum upon seeing Bobby standing out front, he would know where the boys were and what was going on.
She didn't like talking to him however she needed answers.
"Bobby!" Leila called out to the boy who turned to her with a frown. Leila paused upon reaching him, worry etched across her face as she spoke, "Where are the boys?"
"They're gone." Bobby told her bluntly.
Leila's frown deepened, she knew what that meant however she couldn't believe, they couldn't be gone. "W-what do you mean gone?"
"They're gone, dead." Bobby told her.
Tears began to fall down Leila's face the second she heard those words, "W-what?" Leila asked in shock.
"I have to go." Bobby told her before he turned around and walked away, leaving the heartbroken girl alone on the cold street.
Leila gripped her arms tightly as she turned around to face where the ambulances had been, there was a familiar leather jacket, seemingly thrown carelessly on the concrete. Leila gingerly walked up to the jacket and picked it up with shaking hands, she brought the jacket to her nose and smelled, closing her eyes as she smelled him.
A sob racked Leila's body as she fell onto the concrete road, "They can't be gone, they can't be gone, they can't be gone, they can't be-" Leila continued to repeat as she held the jacket close, eventually her words were cut off, unable to get anything through her sobs.
After what seemed like forever, a warm hand was placed on Leila's shoulder as she sobbed. "Leila," Jasper's voice called out to her softly, "Leila, come on let's get you off the ground." He whispered as he picked her up, Leila gripped Reggie's jacket close to her as her friend picked her up bridal style, she was scared, scared that the only thing she had of him would be gone if she released her grip, gone like they were.
"I can't do it, Jasp, I can't do it without them." Leila sobbed into his chest.
"Can't do what, Lei?" Jasper asked in confusion, Leila's sobs becoming louder upon hearing the familiar nickname.
"Live." Leila answered in a whisper, unsure if Jasper would even hear her however when she felt him tense, his grip on her tightening, she knew he had.
Jasper shook his head, "Don't say that, Leila, you can live without them." Jasper told her as they reached the sidewalk.
Leila shook her head, bringing Reggie's jacket impossibly closer, "No I can't." She whispered as she watched the ambulances carrying her best friend's drive off out of sight, sirens blaring despite the fact that she knew they were already gone, or with little to no chance of survival.
"You can live for them." Jasper stated, "You have to." He added softly.
Leila stayed quiet after that until she realized he was still walking. "Where are we going, Jas?"
"I'm taking you home." Jasper answered focusing on the walk to her house.
Home. He wasn't taking her home, her home was the boys.
Her home was Luke.
Her home was Reggie.
Her home was Alex.
She couldn't go home anymore. Her home was gone. Her best friend was gone, her anchor was gone, her everything was gone. Half of her heart was missing. Her twin was gone, and she didn't know what to do.
She felt like she couldn't do anything.
Not without them.
Leila was the one to break the news to her parents, in between her sobs she told her mother and father their son, her twin brother, was gone, never coming back home, and despite all the previous anger they held for Alex, they cried.
They cried, if not for Alex than for their daughter who was sobbing as they held her. Jasper left the Mercer family alone to grieve, promising to come and check on Leila tomorrow.
After an hour (at least) of sobbing into her parent's arms, Leila went up to her room, falling onto the bed she hadn't slept in for weeks and cried. Still holding Reggie's jacket to her. She cried until she had no tears left to cry.
She didn't go to sleep that night, she listened as her parents went to their bedroom before she got off her bed and snuck downstairs and went right out the back door.
At first, Leila thought she would just be going out for some air, something she desperately needed, however she felt herself walking away from her house, unable to stop herself.
Half-way through her journey, Leila realized not only where she was going but how cold it was. Leila shivered for a moment before she remembered the jacket still gripped tightly in her hands, she glanced at it nervously for a few moments before her teeth started to chatter and she gingerly slipped on his jacket before continuing to walk to their studio, embracing the smell of Reggie and the safety she only felt when wrapped up in their arms.
Once Leila arrived at the studio, she slid open the doors and walked in, closing the doors behind her before she took in her surroundings. She walked over to her electric piano where Luke's acoustic guitar was leaning, she brushed her fingers across the strings before looking around. She walked over to the couch and sat down, picking up Luke's songbook that had been tossed onto the couch before they had left, she opened the book and looked through the book for a moment, gingerly tracing his messy handwriting with her finger before tears streamed down her face, hitting the page that had 'Now or Never' written across the top, the last song they had ever played, the song they were supposed to play tonight at the Orpheum.
Leila sniffled as she closed the book and laid down, her exhaustion finally getting the best of her as she clung onto Reggie's jacket, curling into a ball on the couch, the smell of her boys surrounding her as she fell asleep, tear streaks slowly drying as she slept. In the morning they would be replaced with fresh tears upon Leila realizing the events of the night before.
