"About that bleached blonde cow being a fucking cow and if I didn't win, I at least beat the shit out of her." Layla said. "Can we drop it?"
"No, we can't drop it. What brought the fight on?" Sam asked.
"She was being a bitch." Layla said, looking out the window.
"Was it about Embry?" Sam asked quietly.
"Partly." Layla admitted. "Sam?"
"Yeah?" Sam said, glancing over at her, seeing silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Why do the hardest things in life not make a sound?" Layla asked.
"I don't think I understand." Sam said.
"When you drop a glass or a plate to the ground, it makes a loud crashing sound. When a window shatters, a table leg breaks, or when a picture falls off the wall, it makes a noise. But as for your heart, when that breaks, it's completely silent. You would think as it's so important it would make the loudest noise in the whole world, or even have some sort of ceremonious sound like the gong of a symbol or the ringing of a bell. But it's silent and you almost wish there was a noise to distract you from the pain." Layla said.
Sam rolled her words over in his head over and over, trying to find some sort of explanation, a string of words that could give her what she was looking for.
"Because, I think, when something that important happens, the universe knows that no sound could match the ache you feel soul deep. Any noise would immediately become silent in comparison." Sam finally said.
"I hate the new me I've become. I was never like this, you know? So heart sick over some guy that it's made me like this. I let his rejection shape me, and it's the worst shape. Why did I just let him in my heart like that? Why do I keep letting him in when he just keeps running back to her?" Layla asked, looking over at Sam. "I'm done. I'm finally done. It hurts so bad, so deep, and I can't continue like this. I'm done."
"I know we've all pushed you and tried to push him, but it ended up you being pushed all the way." Sam said. "And for that, I'm sorry."
Layla just shrugged and pulled out her phone, scrolling through it. Sam could see, from the corner of his eyes, Layla tapping in numbers.
"Jay?" Layla said a few moments later. "Do you still want to go out?" she asked. "Tonight sounds great, actually. 8 is perfect. I'll see you then. Bye."
"Jay?" Sam asked. "Who's Jay?"
"Bennett. I met him on my first day at school, actually. I just kept saying no when he would ask me out because, stupid me, I thought Embry might actually...just see the light of day and ask me to be his. It's not going to happen. So it's time for another new me. The old me." Layla said. "I'm saying yes to anyone who's asked me out since I got here."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam asked.
"It's a great idea. Do you want me to just keep pining away after him like some lovesick puppy?" Layla asked, looking over at Sam.
"I want to see you happy again. Even if it's not with Embry." Sam said.
Layla scrolled through her phone again, calling another person. She made a date for tomorrow night with a guy named Donovan. Another date the night after with Kaleb. By the time she had finished, she had a date every night for the next two weeks.
"Are you hungry? Because I'm starving." Layla asked.
"I could eat." Sam said.
"Let's stop somewhere then." Layla said. "There's a restaurant. Looks Italian."
Sam pulled off the road and into the parking lot of a small Italian restaurant and walked in with Layla. Together they ate, laughed, told stories, and Layla pulled up the online video of her fight, watching it with Sam over and over.
"Oh, man. You kicked her ass!" Sam said, grinning.
"It felt good, too." Layla said. "We gotta get going. I still need to shower and change before my date tonight."
Layla took the check and paid for her and Sam, telling him it was her treat for coming to get her and help bail her out. They got back out on the road and Layla's phone rang. Layla pulled her phone out and saw it was Leah.
"Hey, sexy!" Layla said, answering the phone.
"You got into a fight?!" Leah screeched into the phone.
"What? Who told you?" Layla asked.
"Told you, Jake!" Leah called out. "Seth sent Jake a link to a video and it's you beating the shit out of Embry's cow!"
"Who sent a link to Seth?" Layla asked, looking over at Sam.
"Jared. So tell me every detail!" Leah said.
"Jared sent it to him, Sam." Layla said. "She was mouthing off. That's it. Wait, how did Jared find it?"
"Not important right now. Are you okay?" Leah asked.
"I'm fine. Billy and Sam bailed me out." Layla said.
"Bailed you out? Of jail?!" Leah yelled.
"Oh. Yeah. They took the video before the judge and he ruled it self defense." Layla said. "I didn't have to wait that long at all, thankfully. I guess they don't have a lot of juvenile cases. Nothing like New York."
"You were arrested?!" Jake said, having taken the phone from Leah. "How much has Sam yelled at you?"
"He hasn't actually yelled at all." Layla said, looking over at Sam. "He's within crotch hitting distance."
"I'm not that stupid." Sam said.
"Did you all have fun in Seattle?" Layla asked. "I'm not going to be an Auntie am I?"
"Layla!" Jake said. "No, you're not going to be an Auntie."
"Good." Layla said. "Will you ask Leah if she'll come over tonight? Around 6?"
Layla heard Jake asking her in the background. "She said she'll be there." Jake said.
Layla thanked him and hung up the phone. "So it's safe to say nearly everyone on the rez has seen it, then?" Layla asked, glancing at Sam.
"Oh, more than likely." Sam replied.
"Oh, well." Layla said.
"We're starting up the nightly bonfires tonight." Sam said. "Are you going?"
"That sounds awesome. Sure!" Layla said.
Sam and Layla drove the rest of the way to the reservation in near silence.
Layla had taken each of her dates to the bonfires held every evening at First Beach. She listened as Sam would tell the stories of their ancestors, how they had the ability to change into a wolf in order to protect their people from enemies. She looked around, seeing how Leah and Jake held each other, then seeing the look of pride and love written all across Emily's face as she watched Sam tell stories. She saw that both Jared and Colin had their girlfriends laying in their arms, looking so serene, so happy. She looked beside her and saw her date for the evening. Raven. She didn't feel anything for him, though. She was determined not to let someone who didn't even like her control how she lived.
Layla watched as Sam pulled out an acoustic guitar, strumming gently, laying his head in Emily's lap, turning his head and kissing her baby bump.
"Cause all of me loves all of you." Sam sang gently.
"Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections." Layla sang along softly with Sam.
"Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you." Sam sang.
"You're my end and my beginning, even when I lose I'm winning." Layla said, swallowing hard, shaking her head.
Jake stood and pulled Leah to stand with him, wrapping his arms around her, swaying side to side gently. Within seconds, nearly every couple had followed suit, Sam even laying his guitar on the sand and pulling Emily close to him.
"Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace, baby I can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace. You're everything I need and more, and it's written all over your face, baby I can feel your halo, pray it won't fade away." Layla sang softly, the song coming to her as she watched the couples.
"You ready to go?" Raven asked when Layla had gone quiet.
"It's only 10." Layla said.
"We can head back to my place. My parents are out of town." Raven said, grinning.
"Have fun. I'm staying here." Layla said.
"Jack told me you put out." Raven said, narrowing his eyes.
"Jack lied. Jack didn't get any, either." Layla said.
"Frigid bitch." Raven said, standing.
"Suck my dick." Layla muttered.
Sam and Jake had stopped what they were doing, hearing the exchange between Raven and Layla. Layla looked bored and uncaring while Raven looked near livid.
"I took you out and bought your fucking dinner. You owe me." Raven said.
"I'm sorry, it was what, 6 bucks?" Layla asked, standing and pulling a ten out of her pocket. "Keep the change to jack off with."
Raven snatched the money and grabbed Layla's arm. Sam and Jake started walking toward him, both looking pissed off.
"I will rip your arm off and beat your with it if you do not let me go." Layla said, turning and looking at him.
Before Raven could reply, he was ripped away, forced to let go of Layla's arm. He was held nearly six inches off the ground by a very, very angry looking Embry. Layla was too shocked to move. She hadn't seen Embry since he was sick, well over a week ago.
"Who in the fuck told you it was okay to grab a female's arm?" Embry growled out.
"Who...who the hell are you?" Raven asked, struggling to get out of Embry's grasp.
"Death." Embry growled.
"Embry! Let him down." Sam commanded.
Embry visibly struggled before he dropped Raven to the sand. Raven took that opportunity to kick Embry right in the nuts. Layla was overcome with anger at that moment and pulled her sweatshirt off, going over to Raven and kicking him in the back of the knees and wrapping her shirt around her hands and pulling Raven in a choke hold, dragging him backwards.
"You little shit!" Layla yelled, pulling the sleeve tighter.
"Fuck! Layla!" Sam said, going over and grabbing Layla around the waist. "Let the shirt go, you're going to strangle him!"
"Good." Layla whispered.
Jake ran up to them, pulling his pocket knife out and slicing the sleeve of the shirt, breaking it's hold on Raven's neck. "Go!" Jake yelled, shoving Raven.
"Why the fuck did you do that?!" Layla yelled, struggling to get out of Sam's arms. "Let me go!"
"You nearly killed him!" Sam said. "Be still!"
"I will fucking flip you." Layla nearly growled out.
"You won't!" Sam commanded, trying his Alpha double timbre, hoping it would work.
Layla deadweighted, making Sam readjust his hold or be left holding onto Layla by her boobs. When Sam tried to grab her back around the waist, Layla turned and shifted her hips and shoulders, using Sam's own body weight to flip him over her shoulder and into the sand, flat on his back. Layla hopped over him and starting trying to run after Raven, still livid. She felt herself being pushed down into the sand, the breath knocked out of her. Jake had tackled Layla, trying to pin her down in the sand. Jake grabbed her arms and held them to her sides, using his body weight to pin Layla down.
"That was like running in peanut butter." Jake said, out of breath. "What's on your shirt?" he asked, looking at Layla.
"Fuck you, that's what's on my shirt. You're letting him go!" Layla cried out.
"Is...is that...a wolf riding a bicycle?" Jake asked.
"It's Leah's." Layla muttered.
Jake started laughing, turning to look at Leah. Before he could get another word out, he felt a huge weight knock him backwards, off of Layla. A large gray wolf had rammed him, front paws on his chest, growling dangerously. Layla moved and sat up, recognizing the wolf. 'It's the one who protected me when Paul attacked.'
Sam, Jared, and Colin had to rush to surround Jake and Embry, now in wolf form. Sam called for the girls to go home, asking Leah to stay with Emily and Layla until he could get back there.
"I'm not fucking leaving." Layla said, backing away from Leah. "Where did Embry go?"
"You're kinda looking at him." Leah said.
...
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A/N: Eeeee! What a mood, what a mood. Okay, so the next chapter is really, uh, hot and I probably won't be allowed to post it on here. What kind of route do you all want to go so you can read it? I could post it but have to cut out like, over half, because of the content. There are several ways. Leave me a review or a message and let me know. You won't want to miss it, okay? Okay.