Stay For Me - Megan Smith Page 0,3

to make at least two girls smile tonight while my sister is sitting home with another broken heart.

Layla

“Congratulations!” Jaylinn says when she and Eli come to stand beside me.

“Thanks.” I glance behind her to Eli, who winks at me.

“You ready to go?”

I jump off the stool since I can’t even touch the ground. I really hate being short. “Yes.” I push the stool in and turn towards Eli and hold my hand out. “Thanks again.”

He smiles that perfect gorgeous smile of his and takes my hand, shaking it firmly. “You’re welcome. I’ll call you this week and get things set up.”

“Sounds good.”

Jaylinn and Eli share a look, an understanding of some sort. “Curveball, pretty girl.”

Jaylinn finally smiles. “Curveball.”

I look between the both of them trying to figure out what the hell I’m missing, is that like an I love you? Is she cheating on Cooper? Is Eli the problem between them? I shake those thoughts from my head. Nope, that can’t be it. They love each other too damn much, and what the hell is up with him calling her pretty girl? Do they know each other? Oh, who the hell cares right now, I got a damn job!

Jaylinn and I walk out of Fierce with a smile on both of our faces. Jaylinn backs out of the parking lot and onto the street heading back towards my house. Well, she thinks it’s my house when really it’s an old friend of my moms. I don’t tell anyone where I live, not even Jaylinn. I never even wanted my boyfriend Brian to know where I lived but the sneaky ass followed me home one day and he really didn’t give me a choice but to show him.

“I’m so fucking happy I got this damn job, Jay.” I say excitedly.

“Hmm?” She responds not even paying attention to me.

I’ve been talking, to myself really, because Jaylinn isn’t listening to a word I’ve said the whole way here. She’s on autopilot but every once in a while a smile would break out across her pretty little face. Whatever Eli said or did for her back there helped more than he’ll ever know.

“Thanks for the ride.” I tell her as I open the car door.

She blinks a few times and looks around.

I laugh. “You were lost in your own little world.”

She laughs now too. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s nice to see you smile.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow.”

I shut the car door and Jaylinn pulls away. I wait until she’s around the corner before I start walking the other way towards the little two bedroom apartment above Jax’s bar, which my mom rents. The sun has set, it’s cold and dark. I hate walking in the cold winter nights but there is no way I could ever show Jaylinn where I really live. She’s not the type of girl who will care but I want to hold on to the little pride that I have left.

I get to the block that my apartment is on and lose my footing when I spot Brian leaning against his car. I fall back on my ass and not gracefully, I might add. I lay back, embarrassed that I’ve fallen while I wait for the pain in my ass to subside. Or maybe the pain in my ass won’t go away because I know he’s headed my way, this isn’t a friendly visit based on his posture.

I hear the snow crunching before Brian appears above me with rage etched on his face. He’s pissed, I can tell from the way he’s just standing there and not asking if I’m okay.

“Don’t worry I’ll help myself up.” I mumble to myself and get to my feet.

Brian grabs a hold of my upper arm, harder than he needs to. “Where were you?”

“I had a job interview.”

I start walking towards his car with him close on my heels. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to.”

“Was?”

I sigh. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get the job or not. I didn’t want to look like a failure to you if I didn’t.”

Brian is my longtime boyfriend. Well, really, I wouldn’t even call him my boyfriend. I hate him but I can’t get rid of him. After a few months of dating he became abusive. I came to realize that it’s because he was high as a fucking kite. He promised he wouldn’t do it again and he didn’t, for about a year. In that year things with us turned, and went down