Switching Lanes by Renea Porter Read Free Book Online Page B

him.
    “No, go ahead.”
    I grab my bag and walk into the stark white and black bathroom and let the steamy hot shower wash away the sweat from dancing tonight. Today has been one of the best days that I ever had in a long time. Once I’m done, I step out and put on a pair of shorts and a tank to sleep in. When I walk in the room Layne is already passed out in bed. I quietly slip in bed so I don’t disturb him; I turn out the light on my side and slide underneath the cool sheets.
    S ometime during the night I’m awaken when Layne gets out of bed. My eyes adjust to the darkness and I can see his shadowy figure. I hear him whimpering and in one swoop he angrily clears everything off his dresser, sending everything crashing down on the carpet.
    “Layne?” I call out.
    He falls to the ground and cries. I throw the sheets off and I get to him in a flash. I wrap my arms around his body as best I can. He has himself curled into a ball, crying.
    “Shh,” I try to console him, but tears well up in my own eyes. It’s hard seeing him like this. It kills me.
    “I miss her so much, my chest hurts. How can she leave me like this?” I don’t answer him. I try to stop my own tears from falling, so I swallow a hard lump that’s formed in my throat. I continue to wrap my arms around him.
    “She didn’t want to leave you. Trust me ; we talked about it. She held on until she knew you would be okay. You are going to be okay, Layne. We both will be; it will just take time.”
    His cries are worse now than they were a minute ago. And I have never seen him like this.
    “This is not how it was supposed to be,” he says through his tears.
    “I know,” is all I can offer him while my heart breaks into a million pieces. I wrap my arm around him. He cries into my neck while he wraps his arms around me. “Let’s get you back to bed.”
    I try to get him to stand with me, bu t he outweighs me by so much. Finally, he manages to stand and weakly gets back into bed. I slide in next to him and I hold him close to me. I want him to know I’m here for him, no matter what. Though, perhaps it’s for my own selfish reasons. Even if nothing came of us, and the friendship we share would never waiver. He wraps his legs with mine and it’s not sexual, it’s just wanting to be close to someone and to feel that closeness sometimes is more important.
    He falls asleep fast and I don’t move a muscle as we are wrapped in each other. Tonight was his breaking point and I’m glad I was here to at least alleviate some of the pain, hopefully. At least he has someone who can relate to the pain he is going through.
    One day the darkness will lift and the sun will shine.
                                                           
     
     
     
     
     
    LAYNE
    It’s early morning and I feel like I was hit by a Mack truck. I squint my eyes open and find myself entangled with Renee’s body. Rubbing my eyes open, I carefully untangle myself from her and make my way to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, I see blood shot red eyes and I remember waking up late last night having a melt down over losing my angel. I throw on a pair of my sweats and a tee shirt. My chest tightens and I feel the need to get out of here. The walls are closing in on me so I grab my car keys and head outside to my car. In the car rearview mirror, I see Renee standing in the doorway watching me pull out of the driveway. I can’t possibly face her right now; she was never supposed to see me like that. And the fact was that, that wasn’t the first time that has happened.
    I gave my heart to someone and now I have to get used to being on my own, after a year of being completely engrossed with Amber. How do I get back to that place? These random girls and one night stands are getting old, and it only makes m e forget for a short time, then I’m back to remembering her in the morning.
    The car takes me straight to the garage. I park my