Chapter 1.43

Chapter 1.43- Intentions

            Early the next morning Layla had run out the door to go to her very own Fortress of Solitude to think. Her Daddy had indeed made her promise to break things off with Anthony sooner rather than later, and she had no idea how to do it. Hoping a little alone time with the snow would help her come up with something she’d headed out.

            Thankfully the crunching of the snow alerted her of a visitor long before he’d arrived. She didn’t even need to turn to guess who would be out looking for her in this weather on a Saturday morning.

            “You know,” Anthony finally spoke from behind her. “You know I stumbled across these very bales of hay just yesterday. Coming across them out here in the middle of nowhere, no farm in sight, I knew that you had put them here. But you weren’t here. So I thought I’d check again today, and here you are.”

            Layla nodded. She had indeed dragged the heavy bales up here to have a softer place to sit a long time ago. She’d never intended to bring anyone here after bringing Buck, and she’d never thought anyone would stumble onto it on their own.

            Making his way around Layla is surprised to see that he is about to sit.

            “If your pants aren’t water-proof-“

            Anthony sat heavily on the snow covered hay.

            “-You’ll get wet if you sit on the snow.” Layla finished helplessly. She didn’t want him here. She wasn’t ready for this yet.
            However, for nearly five minutes, she didn't have to worry about that as he didn't say anything to her. Just sitting there. Thinking. Exactly like she was.

            “On the day I aged up, yesterday, my step-mother came into my room to see me,” Anthony spoke quietly at last, but Layla could feel something else. Something a little sinister.

            “Since I’m now an adult I have no right to her monetary support. I have no right to take up room her own children could use as play room. And she kicked me out.”

            It was all said so matter-of-factly. As though it didn’t rip him to shreds that his dad had allowed this to happen, that he wouldn’t be seeing his siblings any longer.

            “I can’t believe she’d do that,” whispered Layla, scowling.

            “Well, she did.”

            Thinking about anyone being so mean to someone so nice consumes Layla for a moment until she realizes she’s about to do it too.

            “What did you do after she told you to leave?”

            “I packed up my clothes and some things of mine. Dad gave me some of the pictures of my mom that were in the house and a nice wad of cash. Then he helped me call around to find a place to rent with this old dude, Henry McGrub.”

            “McGrub?” Layla repeats thinking he’s made the name up.

            “McGrub. He’s a cook down at the diner. At least someone in the house can cook. I just burn everything.”

            The gentle hiss of the snow was the only sound between the two for a few minutes as Layla digested what he had said. She’d heard lots of pretty awful things about his step-mother, but could hardly imagine that someone would just sever the link between father and son, brothers and sisters like that. Anthony’s half-brother and sister were just toddlers. Would he even get to know them?

            “So I came to see what your plans were,” finally, Anthony broke the quiet. “You and Galen age up tomorrow, right? What are you going to do once you’re legal?”

            “Leave,” Layla doesn’t miss a beat. “I’m going to leave.”

            “Okay,” Anthony kept his voice as level as he could. “Okay, well what about when you come back? What are you going to do then?”

            Sighing, Layla shook her head searching for the right words.

            “I’m not coming back,” said Layla quietly, hoping that straight shooting was best.

            Sitting upright as though an electric jolt had hit him Anthony gave a squawk.

            “You’re not coming back?”

            “No,” anger coloring her tone. “No, I’m not coming back. I’m not going to live here. I don’t even like it here. I never have. If you ever would have asked I would have told you that.”

            “How was I supposed to know to ask?” Another explosion from Anthony. "I’m not a psychic Layla, I can’t read your mind and you’ve never, never, hinted about this at any other time we’ve talked. What’s wrong with here?”

            “I just want to run and jump and play with the wind in my hair and no one telling me what to do. I want to see something else of the world! I want to explore something different! I want to be free!” Trying to lighten the mood a little, Layla said in a little girls voice, sing song and chirping.

            “Seriously,” annoyed and hurt, Anthony’s look burned into Layla’s stomach.

            “I am being serious,” whispered Layla back. “I’m leaving because I don’t fit here and I feel that and believe that and I want to see somewhere else and what it’s like. I don’t want what this little town offers. And as cliché as this may sound, I just want more.”

            Curled into a ball to protect herself from further questions that she didn’t have very good answers to, Layla closed her eyes, wishing he would leave.

            But he didn’t leave. Instead he sat there as still and stony as Layla herself.

            “You know,” spoke Anthony. “You know I always thought you were pretty special. Not just pretty like the other boys at school all said. But there was something else about you. You held yourself apart and above all the petty crap that goes on there. And though you obviously didn’t do badly, you didn’t seem too concerned about your grades. Your brother was the popular one, but you refused to march to the “in-crowds” drum.”

            Sighing, he paused, letting the words sink in.

            “I purposely arranged to run into Galen and get invited to help you with your homework at your house. It took me two days to come up with how to do it. I knew I wasn’t someone Arden wanted around her boyfriend’s sister, but I had to try. And I got it to work by lying about my intentions about you, to you. I can’t tell you how much happiness you’ve given me. First by just saying you were my girlfriend. My girlfriend. And then by acting like it.”

            “I slept better, and started actually caring about other things again just because of the way you lit my entire life up, Layla. At home things were miserable with Amie and my step-mom, but I could leave it all behind and still be right there just by thinking about how when the light hits your hair right, there are golden glints in it. And how your eyes sparkle and dance when you’re happy. How your every curve is so soft and inviting when you move, when you walk.”

            Listening in silence, Layla just hopes some freak meteor will streak down and kill her. It’s the only thing that could make this any better.

            “And I was happiest when I could plan a future for us. For us together. And you’re leaving.”

            Unable to hold it in any longer, Layla hated herself, and let out a small quickly stifled sniffle.

            Hearing her agony, Anthony is swiftly by her side, kneeling in the snow.

            “Don’t tell me you don’t feel anything at all for me either, Layla. I know that’s not true.”

            Shaking her head a little is the best answer Layla can give. She can’t lie.

            “Look, you don’t have to answer me now. You can think about it a little. But plans can be changed, and you can have time to think.”

            “I don’t want to hurt you any further, sweetheart, by pushing for something you aren't ready for. I just want to say a few things more. Please. Please hear me out.”

            Nodding wordlessly, Layla can’t deny that she’ll listen to anything he has to say. She can’t stop her ears up any more than she can suddenly fly away. No matter how much she wants to.

            “Layla, I love you. I’ve loved you for so long, been so patient for you to grow to like me back. And I can wait forever if I need to, I can wait for you. Go out and see something of the world. And then come back to me. Or we can go together even. Just-just think about it. Please.”

            Standing up as suddenly as he had knelt at her side, he took a few paces from his beloved’s side before turning back to her.

            “Please, just think about it. Think about all we could do together. How good we are together. And after you age-up, you can give me your answer then.”

            The sun peeked behind a cloud as Layla curled herself tighter. But it held no warmth for her, only a blinding pain and a realization that the day was already half gone.

            “I love you, Layla.”

            Hearing the crunching of his footsteps as he walked away left Layla more anguished than she had ever been. Phedra had warned her that someone would get hurt. Buck had told her that she had strung this out too long. And the entire time, she had no idea just how right they both were.

            She was a horrible, horrible sim. How could she even imagine torturing him like this? What was wrong with her? He’d been through enough and she had the power to make him happy!

            Quickly uncurling herself, she twisted around. A cry for him to come back on the very tip of her tongue ready to take flight and make him the happiest of sims. But as she took in a sharp ice-cold breath she found she had no voice. She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t bring herself to say those heavy little words.

            Would life with him be so awful? No, no it wouldn’t. She’d probably even grow to love him back one day. But that just wasn’t what she wanted. And she just couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t do it.

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Eff Sim Torture, I’m a horrible, horrible person to do that to Anthony. And his step-mom (read: SP) really did kick him out the second he aged up. It was sad. Though he had bought his own home I moved in Henry McGrub with him because I needed a second in his house. I’ve got a few outdoor lots placed to shoot on, but this lot and one other that is going to be in an upcoming scene are a little too small to do what I want with the walk-aways. So I need to take control of him and don’t want to leave a household with 4 cats in it (He’s the crazy-cat man!)  while I moved him back and forth. So he gets a roommate as consolation for the torture I’m putting him through. *facepalm
Also, I think the guy  might be called McGlum? But I can't remember and quite frankly McGrub is better for me.