Hello! Thanks for stopping by! Layla and Warren have always been my favorite Sky High couple, and I've always wanted to delve into Layla's brain, since she had the potential to be so much more complex. I feel like this is going to be a longer fic, and it'll touch on some serious issues like mental health and domestic abuse, but I only want to continue if people are enjoying the story, so please let me know! Sexy scenes won't appear until later in the story. This chapter is mostly laying out the scene for the rest of the story, we'll meet Warren in the next chapter!

There had been a slight change in the breeze over the last few weeks. The gentle scent of Spring began to grace Maxville. Years ago, Layla had told herself that she'd move on to bigger and better things, yet here she was, still stuck in suburban hell. After college, it was easiest to come back here and settle into her mom's house, which then became her house when mom left. Her mother had decided to travel the world, saving animals from cruel fates everywhere she went. And Layla? She was all alone in that big house.

Sometimes, she missed Will. College had destroyed them. While she was off studying botany and biosciences, he was chasing a different sorority girl each week. The worst part was that he never admitted his mistakes, only blamed them on her lack of time. They both graduated and began to walk their separate ways. And, as expected, he was handed the reigns of Stronghold Realty, as well as the responsibility of being Maxville's primary superhero. That was short-lived.

Once the Commander and Jetstream unveiled their precious Freedom Fighter, it didn't take long for supers to flock around him like fruit flies, all begging to be his partner. He eventually settled on Star, a gorgeous woman who could create blinding rays of light and small explosives. A useless power 95% of the time, sure, but it complemented his all-American theme. He always was attracted to the pretty ones, and Layla never quite fit that bill.

Layla didn't stay very close with any of her old friends from Sky High, but she still checked in from time to time. Everyone except Will held a non-super job. Zach was the proud owner of a club, and occasionally he'd flaunt his power as a novelty on packed nights. Magenta worked at an animal shelter; she found that she could communicate better with animals rather than people, especially in guinea pig form. Ethan was off being an actuary, which was terribly normal and just as boring as it sounded. She'd heard that Warren was now in a high profile position, but she'd been too embarrassed to call and chat with him. Somehow, they were all happy. And Layla? She didn't know where to go, she didn't fit in anywhere. So for now, she was the mayor's lead landscaper. It was an easy job with high pay, but compared to her former friends, especially Will, she felt she'd amounted to nothing.

And today, on her day off, she found herself curled up on the couch with a glass of wine, watching her ex and his new lady all over the news for defeating some villain. Why she was indulging in self pity like this was beyond her, but she couldn't stop looking at their smiles, their powers, their happiness. Maybe she didn't deserve happiness.

Maybe I don't deserve to be...

Her cell rang, distracting her from the thought at hand.

"Hello?" she answered brightly, unable to admit her personal defeat to anyone else.

"Layla, just the woman I wanted to reach!" Mayor Madeline Price's charming voice was always welcome. That was one good thing to come out of this job; Layla had befriended one of the most powerful people in the city. "Are you coming in today? We just received a large shipment of peonies for the spring and I'd love if you could have the staff start on them today!"

"Depends, can I make tomorrow my day off then?" She heard Madeline gasp on the other end, obviously having forgotten that today was Friday.

"It totally slipped my mind!" Madeline laughed it off. "Of course you can have tomorrow off, you can have the whole weekend off, but if you can't make it today, don't worry about it!" Layla wasn't doing anything better with her time, but sometimes she just needed the day to sit and sip something vaguely alcoholic.

And feel sorry for yourself.

She pushed the irritating thought away, returning to the matter at hand.

"I can come in," she said, mustering a smile though no one was watching. "I'll be there in a half hour, we'll start planting those peonies around the courtyard."

"Layla, you're a godsend!" She couldn't help but smile a little more at Madeline's words. "Listen, if you're free after your work, I'll be throwing a small party for some stuffy rich people and I'd love if you'd come!"

"You sure I'm important enough, Madi?" Sometimes she wondered if Madeline even realized she was the gardener and not a wealthy socialite.

"You're important to me, therefore you're important enough for a silly party," she expertly replied, making Layla feel a little better. "I'm taking your momentary silence as a yes, so bring a nice dress, I'll see you soon!"

"See you soon," Layla near whispered before she hung up. Whatever happened today, it would beat watching Will on the news.

The mayor's manor was quite a sight; there were beautiful columns holding up most of the building, inspired by the White House, decorated in a lovely eggshell color and accented by a rich maroon. It was a grand mansion, but Layla's favorite part was the backyard.

When Madeline hired her, she'd said that she wanted to integrate the greenery and flora into as much of the land as possible, and Layla had done just that. The marble sitting benches and freestanding pillars were wrapped in creepers, small flowers poking out every inch or two. The courtyard had a different design every day, made up of vibrant buds and fully bloomed day lilies, chrysanthemums, aster, and coreopsis. Those who visited Mayor Price often just thought she spent a lot on gardening, but Madeline was fortunate enough to have the 'plant priestess', as she jokingly called Layla.

In a few hours, Layla's team had almost all of the peonies planted around the courtyard, and a few hours later, when everyone had clocked out for the day, Layla would work some magic on the flowers and help them bloom. Peonies were lovely in the Spring, and they'd fit well with the rest of the courtyard garden. Madeline had ordered them in numerous shades, so the options were endless when it came to design.

A strong jolt to the shoulder brought Layla back from her thoughts. After turning, it was evident that the smack was simply a friendly gesture of praise from Madeline. She looked ecstatic.

"I keep saying there's nothing you can't do, and every time you prove me right!" Layla uncomfortably accepted the compliment with a shy smile. "So did you bring a dress?"

Oops.

"Madi," she started, already watching her friend's face shift into irritation, "I don't think I should go, it's for socialites and important people and I'm neither."

"Layla, I invited you," she countered. "I like that you're not a socialite." They walked over to a marble bench, Madeline's arm sneaking around her shoulder. "Look, a couple of months ago, I hired you to garden, and you've not only become head landscaper, but you've also quickly become a better political advisor than the ones I hire. You keep me grounded and remind me not to let the power go to my head. And," she added with a kind smile, "you've quickly become one of my favorite people." Layla could only imagine the flush on her skin; compliments were really not her thing. "I'm asking you to come as my friend, and if not that, then as an occasional political advisor."

"I'm not even a political advisor though," Layla continued to argue. Madeline rolled her eyes.

"Do you want to be?"

"Yeah, right," she laughed. Madeline didn't seem to share the humor.

Oh.

Oh.

"You're being serious?"

"I told you," she said, sitting up straighter, "you've been a great asset to me. I couldn't have closed half of the environmental deals we've made without your professional expertise. And, I recently let two of my advisors go."

Layla let this news sink in for a moment, still surprised. Was she really cut out for this?

"Listen," Madeline stood, bringing Layla up with her, "take the weekend to figure out if that's something you want. If not, you'll still be my favorite landscaper and confidante. But, you are coming to this party, and that's final." Layla took one look at Madeline's face and sighed. When Ms. Mayor set her mind to something, she was going to get it. And unlike Madeline, Layla was never in a mood to argue anymore.

"I don't have anything to wear," she pointed out a valid flaw in Madeline's plan.

"Lucky for you, I've got the closet of a Kardashian," she laughed, leading Layla into the manor. She sensed Layla's apprehension and sighed. "Come on, it'll be like those dress-up sleepovers we used to do in high school." Unbeknownst to Madeline, Layla never did that, mostly because Magenta scared her a little and the rest of her friends were boys. "You need to have some fun, and I need to have a friendly face there. Please?"

I never could say no.

"Alright, let's do this," she mumbled under Madeline's cheers.

Maybe Madeline was right.

Maybe I do need to have some fun.

One night of fun. What could go wrong?

So, what did you think? Let me know in the reviews! I appreciate any feedback, even if you didn't like the story, so please be honest! I've started writing after years now and this is only my second story, so I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things! Anyways, thanks for giving it a chance, and happy reading!