A/N - This chapter is going to be a flashback from when Kayla was 15.

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I was walking across the street.

I had already had 1...2... okay fine 3 drinks and the bar refused to give me anymore since they knew I was underage.

I know right, a bar that serves minors.

But to be fair, this was the east coast.

My brain felt slightly fuzzy but I decided to hit up another bar.

I tumbled into the bar and sat down, ordering a beer.

I sat down and began to slowly sip at the beer.

As Rory Gilmore would say I was "Ready to wallow now."

My mom was dead, my sister and I were more distant than ever, and we were probably going to lose the house soon.

I was lost in thought and I felt a guy sit down next to me.

I snapped my head to look at him and saw that he was crying slightly.

He ordered a small whiskey and nursed it as he rubbed his eyes.

I looked at him, feeling slight sympathy.

"Hey man, you good?" I asked him.

He turned to look at me, obviously just now realising I was there.

"Not really." He answered.

He had shaggy brown hair, green eyes and wore a brown jacket over a compression shirt.

"You wanna talk?" I asked.

He breathed in heavily.

"I got a girl pregnant, I don't really know what to do. My parents are kicking me out, I got nowhere to go."

Well shit.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"18."

Well fucking shit!

"How old is she?"

"Same age as me. Her folks are mad as well, they're kicking her out too."

I nod, taking the info in.

"What's your name?"

"Luke Caddel."

"Well, Luke Caddel, I'm Kayla Diana Grambs."

I extended my hand to him.

He shook it graciously.

"What are you in here for?" He asked.

"Oh nothin."

He smiled slightly.

"I may be a dumb 18 year old who knocked a girl up but I sure can tell when someone's lying."

I heaved in a sigh.

Was I really going to pour my heart out to a stranger?

"My mom just died. My sister won't talk to me and we're probably gonna lose the house."

"Well shit, I'm sorry." He said.

"Yeah what can ya do?"

"You seem like a nice kid Kayla Diana Grambs. Lemme buy you a drink!"

I shrugged. "I probably shouldn't"

"Why's that?"

"Can I tell you a secret?"

He nodded and I leaned in and whispered.

"I'm actually 15."

His eyes widened slightly.

Then he smirked.

"Well damn."

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Over the next year Luke and I only got closer and closer.

And, when he had his baby girl, he named her Kayleigh (Pronounced Kay- lay)

I remember screaming when I figured out.

"You named her after me?"

"Course KDG, she had to know her godmother."

I cried that day.

Little did I know I wasn't gonna be the only one crying for long.

One night, or rather the night I was raped.Luke showed up at my window in tears.

"Hey, Lukey what's wrong?"

He sank to my bedroom floor and covered his face with his hands.

"She left Kay, she left."

I remember both of us cried that night.

Cried like nothing else in the world mattered.

He held me through my worse and I held him through his.

I helped him raise Kayleigh and mostly due to the fact she hadn't really spent much time with her mother, she began to call me mom.

When I inherited the money, Luke was the first person I told (also the only one)

I told him he needed to drop by for a visit and he said he would.

He said Kayleigh missed her mom (we began to roll with the whole me being the mom thing)

And, we'd talk every night, at least, whenever I wasn't getting killed or having panic attacks.

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PRESENT DAY

On our way to the safe house where I had to stay for a day for as it was put by Alisa, Oren and Isaac, 'safety precaution'. I thought of Luke and dropped him a text.

Me: Hey Lukey, I miss u and KayKay. How's she doin?

Lukey: Hey Kay, I miss u too, wish u were here. KayKay's doin good but she misses her mom.

Me: Tell her that her daddy needs to come and visit soon, that's the only way she can come and see me.

Lukey: I wish it wasn't. Why are rich people so complicated?

Me: when i figure out, I'll tell ya.

Lukey: I'll call ya tonight okay?

Me: Will do, see ya

Lukey: See ya Kay.

I sighed and put my phone down.

"Everything alright?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah, just talkin to my friend."

When I say Isaac slammed on the break, I'm not kiddin ya.

"Kayla," He said seriously. "No one can no you're away from Hawthorne House. It compromises your safety."

"Relax, Luke can't hurt a fly."

He straightened slightly.

"Luke?" He asked.

"Yeah, Luke. My best friend."

"Right." He said, furrowing his brows slightly.

"Aww, is someone jealous he's not my best friend?" I asked teasingly.

"No," He said. (I didn't buy it) "and we're not supposed to be friends Kayla, I'm your bodyguard."

I chuckled.

"Yeah, like I could forget. Don't worry Isaac your second in the list of friends."

"And how many are there in this list of friends?"

"It ends right after you," I told him. "So there really ain't much to compete with."

"Again, we're not meant to be friends." He repeated.

"Okay, first of all; way to rub it in! Second, you won't admit it but you love me."

His eyes widened.

"Jesus Christ, Isaac, not like that! It's called a platonic relationship! Ever heard of one?"

Not like that! Never like that!

Although I won't lie and tell you I didn't think he was hot when we first met.

"I mean, I'm not really permitted to have relationships even platonic ones with my clients."

"So you're saying, you should be an Oren."

"Pretty much yeah."

I give it a second and then pretend to vomit.

He laughed

"That's just sad." I said.

"Yeah what can you do?"

"So you're saying you have no friends?"

"I guess not."

"Not even back home?"

He looked at me confused.

"Oh please, don't give me that bullshit, you're not Texan!"

"No I'm not."

"So where ya from?"

He didn't answer.

"Isaaaaccccc. Tell meeee."

He rolled his eyes playfully.

"I won't stop till you tell me."

"New York." He said after a while of bugging.

"YOU'RE A YANKEE!" I pretty much screamt.

"Um... yeah..."

"I would have never guessed that!"

"Where'd you think I was from?" He asked.

"Not New York!" I exclaimed.

"Is it a bad thing?" He asked.

"No, not at all, just took me by surprise."

"Hmm."

After a while I drifted off to sleep and was woken by Isaac tapping on my shoulder.

"Kayla, wake up, we're here."

"Hmmm." I said sleepily.

"You gotta wake up." He said.

"Yeah, yeah got it."

We got out of the car and I was greeted with a surprisingly normal looking house.

"Where'd you plan on staying?" I asked Isaac.

"Well, according to Oren and Alisa I'm supposed to stay in the same house as you."

I stopped walking toward the house for a second.

Then I smiled.

This is gonna be fun.

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WC:1104