School Time

Layla

"Hello!" I said for the second time and heard no answer. I was ready to hang up when I heard static, and someone answered on the other line. "Layla, mija, it's me, Carmen. Can you hear me?" my eyes widened in shock as I heard her voice.

"Carmenita? Oh, my God, how are you?" I was so excited to hear her voice that I wanted to cry. "Mija, I will cut it short because it's raining really hard over here. Shelley wants to know if you thought about her offer, we miss you, and we want you back. We'll keep waiting for you, mija."

I placed my hand over my heart over her words. Doctor Shelley told me she'd call me in a few weeks to see if I had changed my mind about going back, but things have changed since then, and I was no longer interested in going back to work with them. I want to stay with Danny and Zoey. They're my world... My family.

I gave Carmen the bad news... Well, bad news for them, at least. But she was happy for me, and that's all it mattered. "I will come to visit you sometime, sweety. I miss you so much. And, if you're ever down here, you must visit me. The town misses you, Laylita."

"I know, thank you. I miss you guys too. Please, say hi to my kids and tell them I miss them so much."

"By the way, Layla, has that good-for-nothing Trevor gone by?" she asks, making my heart drop. So it was him I saw on the runway. "N- no, why?" I lied. Maybe she could give me insight into why she thinks he might be coming over. She sighs on the line, "The association found terrible things about that man, Layla. Apparently, he had been harassing many of the young girls in our town. He forced himself on many of them, and the police are looking for him." my eyes widened in shock at her revelation.

I hear a knock on my door, and I turn to see a smiling Danny at the door. I gesture for him to enter. I can't keep this from him. This is terrible news, and if he was doing this to other women and he was fired, he might try and do something to me. Danny walks in, kissing me on my neck. He signals to me, wondering who's on the line. I had told him about Carmen and how wonderful she was to me.

I placed my phone on speaker so he could hear the conversation. "Carmen, my husband, is here. He's listening too, ok?" I let her know so that she wouldn't be bothered.

"It's fine, mija. As I said, last we heard, Trevor was seen at the airport, but by the time the police were notified, the plane had already taken off. I'm not sure if the airport there knew, but up to now, he has not been seen. Layla, please be careful. He assaulted my son, and he knocked out two of the nurses here when we tried to apprehend him. He was..." she pauses. She sounded like she was holding back tears. I looked at Danny with hurt eyes, and he failed his hands, clenching his jaw in anger.

"He was trying to force himself on one of the teenage girls when she had gone in for a vaccine for school. He took nothing but his passport and legal documents. Everything is here, his clothes, his belongings. God, it's a disaster, Laylita. Please, mija, be careful 0ut there, and if you have Stacy's number, please tell her to be careful too." I was a bit scared about this situation. Danny soothed my back. He could sense my tension.

"Mrs. Carmenita, I can assure you that Layla is safe. I won't let anyone hurt her. And we will make sure Stacy is safe too." he says, making Carmenita cry in relief. "Thank you, my boy. Please take care of my girls. They are so dear to me." she says, making Danny give me a sad look. He leans down, kissing my lips as he engulfs me in a big bear hug.

We talked to Carmen for a few more minutes until the phone line cut off. It sounded like thunder and heavy rain on the other line before the line cut off, but we managed to comfort her and assure her that we'd get in touch with Stacy. But, I had to tell Danny of my suspicions.

"Listen, I have to tell you. I think I may have seen Trevor at the back of the crowd when we had the runway." I said, looking at him. His jaw stiffened, and his hands fisted, making his knuckles turn white. He stands there, eyes closed and fuming with anger.

"Why didn't you tell me this that same night, Ladybug?" he finally says calmly as he pulls me by my waist and hugs me tightly, burying his face in my neck. Danny was always overprotective with his sisters and me, but he's more possessive now than he used to be. "I'm sorry. I wasn't sure. I thought maybe it was just my nerves. I should have, and I'm sorry I kept it from you."

He kisses the top of my head, sighing. "I'll take care of that fucker." he said; I found our hug and quickly left, getting on the phone andspeaking to someone. I was left dumbfounded. I still couldn't believe the news Carmenita had given me. Surely, I had to let dad know as well, so that he could get his guards to circle the house and protect mom and Karla.

Trevor has become unpredictable, and we all need to be careful around him. I dialed Stacy's number. It rang three times before she finally picked up. I had to tell her the news.

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My days began to get busy after that day. But I was glad that there was no sign of Trevor, for now, at least. I also notified Stacy. Luckily, she rarely went out since she cared for her dad.

I was glad that I hadn't seen Trevor again, but it did keep me on edge. Let's just hope he stays away.

It's been a week since then, but Danny hasn't budged. If he was overprotective with me before, he was far more now. He knew I didn't want a bodyguard, but he had one for me anyway. His name is Bryce, really nice guy, and he follows me from afar. He ensures that Zoey and I are safe when Danny isn't around.

By now, it's been about three and a half weeks since Danny and I discussed the plans of starting daycare at our work, and though dad was against it at first, I think he is beginning to come around to the idea.

He was against the idea because he said we might face legal problems regarding regulations and city codes. But, my sister and mom have been trying to convince him. Plus, if this project goes through, I can bring Zoey around after school too. This way, she'll be closer to us.

Oh yes... School is starting, and Zoey finally turned four, so she will attend preschool this year. This morning to be exact. And since she's never been to Disney, we decided to take her for her birthday this past weekend. We had a blast. She rode so many rides with everyone and met many characters and princesses. She especially got excited when she met Merida, her favorite princess, and Stitch, her favorite character of all Disney.

We had a few times when we faced a little bit of trouble. She became overwhelmed here and there, but Danny always managed to calm her down. He's so patient with her, and he loves her so much.

Don't get me wrong, I love her too, and she's already calling me mom, but Danny seems to be very protective of her. Especially in big crowds. He takes over like papa bear and doesn't wait for me to calm Zoey down or do things for her. He steps in quickly, attending to her needs every time.

I sat at our breakfast nook, going over the essentials in her backpack and sipping on my coffee. Danny was still upstairs, getting ready. He's been on his laptop morning.

We finally leave the house and take Zoey to her first day of school. She was really nervous, but not as nervous as I was or Danny. Believe me; he was a wreck.

I won't deny it... I cried when we finally had to leave her with her teacher. She quickly got along with a little girl, and I was nervous because I was unsure if she would befriend anyone.

I just hope she likes being in school, and I hope that she enjoys her day.