Prologue &Chapter 1

Prologue:

"Will Flight 675 California please board?"

I gave my Mom, Dad, and Cameron a hug and kiss. Cameron cried into my mom's shoulder and my mom slipped out few tears.

"I'm proud of you kid." My dad smiled and kissed the top of my head. I smiled back and walked into the little hall way.

"Layla!" I whirled around and saw Josh. "Layla wait!" I walked towards him.

"Josh.. you can’t stop me.. I'm going." He looked into my eyes which made them get watery.

"Layla.. I love you.. I know you may not feel the same way... but I do.. Layla I've loved you all along! Please! What I did was stupid and f*****g wrong! I love you.." By this time tears were sliding down my cheeks.

"I-I love you too Josh.. But I have to do this.. you know we were never meant to be.. we travel in different paths.. if we were meant to be.. no none would have tried to separate us.. as much as I love you Josh. I can’t be with you."

"Last call for flight 675 to California!" We heard the announcer.

"Josh.. I have to go.. But I'll never forget you.." I said softly. He came closer to me and wrapped one arm around my waist pulling me close.

"I know. Just know.." He kissed my forehead gently. "That I will always love you.." I closed my eyes and let tears fall. He walked away from me. He got further and further away until I never saw him again.

 

I turned around and walked onto my plane. I sniffed and sat down. I fiddled in my pocket trying to find some tissues but just found the paper Phoebe gave me.
"Wha-.." I mumbled to myself. I unfolded it and began to read.

 

Layla...
Nothing in this note can even explain my love for you. I'll say three words that describe how I've acted: I was stupid. I hope you didn’t listen to any of those rumors saying 'you broke my heart.' and 'I'm dying inside.' When really.. you didn’t break my heart.. I don’t want you to go away to your dream college and have that running through your head! But.. I was dying inside.. from not being around you... When you weren’t around I felt incomplete you know? I do love you Layla.. and I always will.. but I'm afraid that well never be together. Looks like forever really will never end. You’re going to Yale! I'm happy for you! But I'm going to Harvard.. and that’s four states away from you! I wouldn’t be able to stand it. I want you to move on.. fall in love with someone who can take care of you. Just don’t feed them tainted popcorn. lol. I want you too be happy. That’s all I want. I'll miss you Layla..
With All My Love
Josh

I closed the note and smiled.

Josh was my first love and I will never forget him.. He wants me to be happy. He wants me to move on.

But I don’t think I’ll be able to.

Chapter 1

3 Years Later..

I took a sip of my red bull and stepped into my dorm room wheeling my Burberry suit case behind me.

The room was like an apartment.

Two rooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a living room, and a phone room.

I hope I have a different roommate this year!

Last year my roommate was allergic to everything!

Every five minutes you'd hear her sneezing and coughing or screaming 'I'm suffocating! I'm gonna die!'

I rolled my eyes at that crazy chick.

I walked into the room with a large vanity window. I laid back on the bed and looked up at the tall ceiling. I smiled and closed my eyes.

Yale is an amazing school, I'm pissed I nearly ruined my chances here. I got up and started to unpack. I pulled out my stereo and plugged it in. I turned on 'It Ends Tonight' by the All-American Rejects. I opened up my suitcase and grabbed my hoodie. I pulled it on and walked around the dorm room. A girl banging her head walked into the dorm. She started dancing around.

Instead of a sick person I get a psycho..

I looked at her weird and noticed she was listening to her iPod. She stopped and looked at me. She flipped her long dark hair back.

"I'm sorry! I'm Sarah!" She smiled. I rose and eyebrow and chuckled.

"Hi, I'm Layla." I smiled back. She latched onto me and I awkwardly patted her back. She let go.

"Isn't this place amazing!" She yelled and flopped down on the couch.

"Yea its great." I smiled.

"Where’s your room?" She asked and got up. She walked over to it.

"Its.. ok you found it." I mutter to myself. I walked in and saw her looking through my year book. "Oh. I see you’ve decided to go through my stuff."

"Sorry it was just laying there!" She smiled.

"*sigh* It's fine." I said and sat by her. She went over my picture.

"Oh my god! You looks so Cute!" She squealed. She saw his picture. "Who is he!?! He is HOT!" I grabbed the book from her.

"No one." I said. "So.. where are you from??"

"I'm from San Francisco!!!" She squealed.

"I'm from Pennsylvania!" I smiled back and mentally wiped my forehead.

"Did you know that guy??" She asked. I looked down.

Of Course...

Christmas 2009

I walked into my house with Josh's Christmas present clasped in my arms.

My mom opened the door.

"Layla!!!" She squealed and hugged me.

"Hi mommy!" I smiled. "Who all’s here?"

We always have Christmas party’s!

"The whole gang!" My mom smiled.

"What about Josh?" I asked. She didn’t smile.

"He's here, but Layla. There’s something you should know." She said softly.

"What? He have long hair now?" I chuckled.

"Layla!!!" Phoebe squealed. She ran up and hugged me.

"Phoebs!!!" I laughed. "I need to breath!" She let go and we walked in. "Where’s Josh?"

"Um... We'll see him later! Let me introduce you to Shane!" She said nervously.

"That’s great Phoebs, but I wanna see Josh!" I smiled. I walked around into the living room.

"Layla wait-" Phoebs stopped looking at me. She knew what I saw and knew it was too late to stop me.

Josh with another girl.

"Hi." He said nicely.

"Hi yourself." I said back.

  "How are you?"

"I'm good. You?" I asked and sat down on the chair.

"Good. Oh Layla this is Torie." Josh smiled tightening his grip around her.

"Hi." I said nicely shuffling my feet.

"Did you guys like go out?" She asked.

"Yeah." We both said at the same time. My eyes wondered to Josh's arm draped around Torie.

I miss that arm around me.

You're over him remember!

Never.

"Uh hello!" Torie said snapping her fingers in my face.

"Sorry. I'll be back." I said walking into my kitchen and a got something to drink. I took a drink and let the cold fluid run down my throat.

"Hi." Josh said emerging from the living room.

"Hi." I said back.

"Is this awkward because we did-"

"No it's fine."

I just didn’t want him to say that word.

Breakup.

Yea.

"I miss you Layla." He said breaking the silence.

My eyes got soft.

"I miss everything about you, your sweet vanilla scent, your warm arms, your humor.."

My eyes got watery.

"..the way you used to bite the inside of your cheek when you were thinking. The way you laughed. The way you talked."

I miss you too..

"I wanna be with you so bad!"

I love you..

"I love you Layla."

"I love you too, but we both agreed that we cant be together." I said sadly.

"I would do anything just to make our relationship work!!"

Kiss me!

"But your right." My eyes fell. The small plastic empty cup fell out of my grasp and hit the floor.

NO! No I’m not!

"We belong with other people."

NO!!!!

"I really like Torrie. Don’t worry you'll find someone."

I found him! He’s standing in front of me!

"I do love you Layla." He smiled and hugged me. I didn't hug him back. He left the kitchen with me standing there alone and confused.

Reviews

[Marius Partenie]

I read this chapter. But after reading your note, should I tell you my opinion?

If you're looking to others to tell if you should keep writing, you're going on the wrong path. If writing is your passion, you will write regardless of anyone's opinion. Be it good or bad, passion about something appears only when doing it, not if you have talent or skill for it. Aiming for greatness isn't bad, but when you write, you should be doing it because you enjoy it; don't write because you want to be great. That just puts unnecessary pressure on you and you'll not unlock your true potential.

Without needless weights around your shoulders, your hands are free to write anything.

If nobody tells you anything about your work, what will you do? Will stop writing or will you go on with it?

Everyone said to Van Gogh: "You can't be a great painter, you only have one ear." He answered with "I can't hear you."

I'm just trying to help, though it may seem a bit harsh. The value of your doesn't matter as long as you enjoy doing it.

Think about it a little and tell me; then I shall impart my opinion to you.

[Shawna May Sipes]

I understand what you're saying and I completely agree with you. I love to write and it's been a long time since I sat down and wrote this much. I just needed to know if I still had it in me, but I am going to continue to write even if no body likes it I'm still proud of myself.

Thank you for you opinion.
I hope you enjoyed my story either way.
:)

[Marius Partenie]

Okay. Glad to hear that.

Grammatically, there are a few errors. They don't spoil the story, but are worth correcting.

About the story, I don't have time to read all the chapters right now, but I will be done with them by the end of the week. I shall give my opinion of the book as a whole at that time.

Keep going!

[Shawna May Sipes]

I will and thank you for reading :)