Becoming Layla Hale

Chapter 3

My eyes fluttered open to a world of chaos.

I was enveloped in the rust-colored blanket and with my head resting on something like a pillow. Air conditioning was bursting from all angles. It chilled me to the bone even wrapped up in my fleece blanket like a burrito. There was a seatbelt that arched across my body that was really uncomfortable as in my sleep. In my sleep I had leaned into it so that it was practically sawing into my neck. I instinctively un-cocooned my hand to rub the sore.

Where am I? I thought as my mind began to arise from its groggy haze.

I lifted my eyes to a window to my right. I saw streets fly by, all dotted with lights and signs. The sky was velvety dark with no moon in sight.

I groaned slightly as I felt my pillow moving under my neck.

Wait- what?

Eyes widening in alarm, I realized that my “pillow” was actually Jackson Hessian’s shoulder. Even worse, I spotted a small smudge of drool that now decorated his football sweatshirt. Oh. My. God.

“Hey, Holly.” I heard a gentle voice that I didn’t know that Jackson could’ve possessed from above me, “Are you awake?”

Layla would’ve pretended she was still asleep. Most girls would’ve. Anything to stay that close to Jackson Hessian. And the surprising part was that even though he had been so rude to me earlier today, I wanted to stay there right on his shoulder too. At least until we got to wherever we were going.

To where we were going…

The memories flooded back to me like a landslide. The field trip. Ms. Salwick. The red beard. The police. I couldn’t just stay here if I wanted to or not, right now I needed answers.

But that didn’t stop me from being completely embarrassed when I made my decision not to fake it. I could practically feel my cheeks flushing as I shifted my weight off of Jackson.

“Sorry.” I muttered.

Jackson smiled in acknowledgment, but it seemed too forced. His lips pressed together and only slightly curved up at the edges. I caught his eyes darting quickly to examine the drool stain on his shirt and then they were back again. There he was with that eye-locking thing again. Why did he always have to look into people’s eyes?

If it was possible to die of humility- this would probably be one of those cases.

I tore my gaze away from his to observe more of my surroundings. I’d never been inside a cop car, but I’d seen them in TV shows so I recognized this was one immediately. I was on the rightmost end of the backseat and Jackson took the middle with Perry to his left. The latter was staring out his respective window, quieter than I’d ever seen him in my life.

I guess that’s what life-changing situations can do to you. They make Perry Valero be quiet and Jackson Hession be nice. The polarity of it all was beginning to unnerve me.

“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked. Perry turned from the window at the sound of my voice, but he didn’t say anything.

“Not really sure.” Jackson told me when he figured Perry wasn’t in the mood to talk, “Probably taking us back home.”

Home. I doubted Dorothy herself had ever wanted to go home as much as I did at that very moment. I would welcome the cold, white walls and leather furniture with open arms and dive straight into my bed to read ‘The Princess Diaries’ while forgetting that this whole ordeal ever happened.

A snort cut through my dream sequence as Perry semi-laughed at Jackson’s statement- the first sound he’d made since I woke up.

“What?” Jackson snapped defensively.