Well when you go
Don't ever think I'll make you try to stay
And maybe when you get back
I'll be off to find another way

Layla curled up under her bed, knees hugged tight to her chest, eyes glazed as she thought back over the past two years. Next to her was the scrapbook, the one she had made with Will back when everything was alright. Will. To her, his name was all the frustration, the tears, the fights and the heartbreak that had been her life for the past year. Only one knew just how bad it was, though even Zach could see the tension. The tension that was always there, hanging over them, reminding them of just how messed up they were.

When after all this time that you still owe
You're still a good-for-nothing I don't know

Slowly, she flipped through the scrapbook. Her and Will, Zach and Magenta, even Warren and Jenny Freeze, from the month that that relationship lasted. Her throat caught as she saw the picture on the last page. It was from the night in their freshman year, the night they defeated Royal Pain. Zach and Magenta stood to one side with Ethan, all giving the peace sign at the camera. Will had his arm around Layla, and she was smiling like this was the happiest moment of her life. Little did Freshman Layla know that it would be.

So take your gloves and get out
Better get out
While you can

Next to her was Warren. He stood a bit behind her, shadows giving him dark hollows and razor sharp features. She could have done it them, have told him, and then none of this would ever had happened. Oh God, forgive me, she whispered. Please God.

Warren.

Will.

Warren.

Will…

When you go
Would you even turn to say
"I don't love you
Like I did
Yesterday"

She didn't love Will, didn't want to be near him, with him, part of him. She wanted to forget what she couldn't forget, that fateful night at homecoming. She had agreed to go with Warren to make Will jealous. Back when she cared. But now everything had changed, when she had realised just how amazing those moments with Warren had been. Jenny Freeze, after the break-up, had told Layla how lucky she was. "He only ever smiled at you…"


Sometimes I cry so hard from pleading
So sick and tired of all the needless beating
But baby when they knock you
Down and out
Is where you oughta stay

She'd laughed it off, just like she'd laughed off every silent suggestion, every smile and comment. Will had been the one for her: he was her dream come true, her greatest ambition. Warren had once called it love. Layla had been sure of that, but sometimes you can't see the truth because you're too in love with the lie.

When after all the blood that you still owe
Another dollar's just another blow
So fix your eyes and get up
Better get up
While you can

She wanted to rebuild her life. A new life, free of the pain of yesterday and the dreading of tomorrow. She wanted to be the woman she had dreamed about ever since first grade: the confident, self-assured woman who could do anything, save the rainforests and promote equality. That was still her dream of course, but somehow she didn't think it would work out quite the way she had hoped.


When you go
Would you even turn to say
"Hey...I don't love you
Like I did
Yesterday"

Warren was so not her type. Layla wanted to be strong and righteous, to save the world, rainforest and ozone layer. In a man, she looked for the same qualities. Whenever she pictured herself in the future, she saw a picture perfect scene. She saw the white house with the picket fence that you see in adverts, she cooking inside while her husband stood beside her. She wanted a man who was considerate and kind, supportive and comforting. Warren was hardly ideal. But then…

Well come on, come on

All the times he had smiled at her, during their plan in freshman year. The first night in the Paper Lantern, when he had listened to her babble on about her problems, even though she was his worst enemy's best friend. He had always listened, whenever she needed to talk or to cry, she had gone to the Paper Lantern during his shift. She missed him when he went to China for a week, missed his quiet smiles and his dark attitude. She had wanted him back.


When you go
Would you have the guts to say
"I don't love you
Like I loved you
Yesterday...hey...hey"

The doorbell rang. Layla waited for a few seconds before she remembered she was home alone. Pulling herself from under the bed, she wiped her tears on her green t-shirt as she went downstairs. She hoped it wasn't Will, wanting to 'talk' about their shattered relationship. She didn't want to talk about them, about all the things that she had done. She wanted to be silent.

I don't love you
Like I loved you
Yesterday...hey...hey

The door bell rang again. With a sigh Layla took another step towards it. She didn't want more negociations, trying to figure out a way to turn her life around. She just wanted to cry on Warren's shoulder like she had done so many times before. Through the door pane, she saw a shadowed blur, tall and dark, the outline strong. Her heart began to pound. She knew that shadow.

I don't love you
Like I loved you
Yesterdaaayyyyy

Layla Williams opened the door with a smile.

"Hi Warren…"