A deep breath of air pushes passed my lips and I watch the smoke escape me, the vapor dipping and dancing through the air above me. Almost immediately, the wind blows the smoke away and I watch the last traces of it disappear as I sigh. Highway to Hell by AC/DC is playing through my headphones and I let my fingers tap to the beat against the concrete ground beneath me. I love this song.

I am an idiot. That is a fact and I frown at the thought. It has been two months since I smoked my last cigarette and now, I have gone and blown it again. I have given in again. Things had been going so well and then I found the old packet of cigarettes in my locker. I couldn't stop myself. But I will stop again. I've done it once and there's nothing stopping me from doing it once more. Nothing but myself. I just have to be stronger this time. I need to fight harder.

I won't let what she did ruin me forever.

The familiar tune of Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves starts playing in my ears once the previous song has finished. I'm slightly confused as I don't remember ever adding this to my playlist. Taking another drag of my cigarette, I let my gaze lazily drag around the parking lot I'm lying in the middle of. My eyes almost immediately lock on a girl walking out of school. I unconsciously blow the smoke from between my lips as I watch her. She is in a couple of my classes. Her long blonde hair is in soft waves, half of it pulled back from her face and her hands are dug into the pockets of the jacket she wears.

I feel compelled to look back up at her face, and when I do, our gazes lock. Her eyes are quite easily the most beautiful shade of green I have ever seen. I look back up to the sky and away from her as I slowly let out the smoke from my last drag out in rings.

The sound of her approaching footsteps ceases, and I let out a sigh, watching the last traces of smoke leave my lips. I look at her once more, forcing a scowl onto my face as I stub out my cigarette. Taking one headphone out, I ask, "Yes?"

"Why are you lying in the middle of the road?" She asks bluntly, her head slightly tilted to the side as she watches me.

I wasn't expecting her to be so straight forward.

"This is a school parking lot, no cars are gonna come in or out of here for another couple hours." I reply blandly, grabbing my leather jacket that I had earlier discarded beside me. Taking out a lighter and a box of cigarettes from the pocket, I pick another cigarette out of the box before putting it between my lips. I can't stop myself.

"That doesn't really explain why you chose to lay in the middle of the road." Her persistence surprises me. But it also annoys me. I ignore the step closer she takes and light up my cigarette.

I meet her gaze once again, "I felt like it." Then I pause. "You're a curious one, aren't you?" It's more of a statement than a question and I have no idea why I say it. Why am I continuing this conversation?

She shrugs her shoulders and takes a seat on the ground in front of me, watching as I once again blow the smoke from between my lips. "I guess I am."

For a moment or two, we sit in a surprisingly comfortable silence as I smoke my cigarette. Then I suddenly stop, sitting up with an annoyed sigh. "You're so goddamn stubborn. Why are you here?"

"Well, you see, when I saw someone lying in the middle of the road, my instinct was to check if this person was mentally stable." She pauses, a teasing smile now pulling up her lips. I don't think I have ever realized how pretty her smile is before. "So far, the results are undetermined."

I wasn't planning to laugh or even smile at her. But that damn smile captures me inhumanly fast and I find myself unable to hold back. Her eyes are practically twinkling for fúck's sake. I swear that smile of hers is contagious. So, despite my best efforts, my own lips curl up into a small smile as well. Not only do I smile in front of this girl that I have only been talking to for a few minutes, but she gets the smallest of laughs out of me as well. I turn my face away to try and hide it, quickly forcing my face back to its normal blank look.

"I'm not insane," I finally murmur my reply once I recover. I turn my head back to look at her now that my face is void of emotion, "just bored."

"So, you're telling me you decided to skip class and lay in the middle of the road... because you're bored?" She raises one of her perfectly arched brows, clearly skeptical.

"Pretty much." I reply shortly, looking away from her for a moment. A few beats of silence pass before I speak again. "Do you know who I am?"

She nods once, "You're Reece Carter." If she knows me, then that is a clear sign that she is aware of my reputation. It isn't exactly a secret that I find it difficult to control my fists at times.

"Exactly. So why are you talking to me, Blondie?" I clench my jaw as I avoid her gaze, feeling her eyes on me. I don't like it.

"My curiosity gets the better of me sometimes." I look back at her. "And don't call me Blondie." She adds and I force my lips to stay down in a frown.

"Layla Stevens." I murmur, taking another drag of my cigarette. "You sit two seats in front of me in Chem."

Her eyes widen a little in shock. "That's right." She breathes as our eyes lock.

For another heavy moment, the two of us simply sit and regard the other silently. As my mind wanders, I remember why I was wasting time away out here in the first place and I quickly jump up, stubbing out my cigarette beneath my shoe. Muttering profanities under my breath, I begin walking away from Layla.

"Hey!" I hear her call out to me and I stop abruptly, my body rigid. "Where are you going in such a hurry!?"

I let my gaze fall to the ground for a moment as a quiet sigh escapes me before I look ahead of me once again. "You should try to contain that curiosity of yours." I'm sure if she hears me, but I don't care. I quickly walk towards my car and get in. I don't look back at her as I start my car and drive out of the school gates.

I can't believe I let myself get distracted like that. I never let that happen but the minute she walks up, it's like I forget everything. Now I'm going to be late and I've left them waiting. Shít, I've left them waiting.

After a short drive where I may or may not have gone over the speed limit, I finally pull over to the side of the road when the four of them were waiting. They all clamber into the car once I come to a stop.

"What took you so long?" Max grumbles as he does up his seat belt beside me.

Rolling my eyes, I look to the backseat to make sure all three of my youngest siblings are buckled up properly in their seats. I then turn back around, pulling back onto the road as I reply to my brother, "I got held up."

"With what?" He smirks, "You have no friends."

I turn to glare at him, "Have you just forgotten about Liam?"

"But he's basically part of the family at this point. He doesn't really count."

"Hey, Reecey!" Macy calls out from the back of the car, preventing me from arguing with Max any further.

"Yeah, Princess?" I ask, glancing at her in the rear-view mirror before returning my eyes to the road.

"Where's Anna?"

"You had a half day of school today, Princess, but Anna and I didn't." I tell her with a smile.

"So why aren't you at school?" Sophie, my other younger sister – and Macy's twin sister – asks.

"I finished early to pick you up because I'm the only one that can drive. Mom and dad had to work."

"What's for dinner?" My other younger brother, Cody pipes up, abruptly changing the conversation.

"Mom and Dad will decide when they get home from work." I reply, holding back a sigh. My siblings can be a lot of work. The rest of the drive home is filled with more of their constant chatter. There never is a dull or quiet moment in our house.

Once I pull into our driveway and park the car, I turn around to look at my three youngest siblings sitting in the back of the car. "Alright, inside." All five of us pile out of the car and head for the front door. I unlock it for them and the four of them immediately scramble inside ahead of me. Shaking my head with a quiet chuckle, I step inside and shut the door behind me. I head straight for the kitchen after ditching my jacket on the coat rack and my shoes beside the door.

I quickly put together some snacks for the Macy, Sophie, and Cody's afternoon tea, knowing they will be hungry. Max is thirteen now and he's long since decided he can get his own food. Usually that just means heading to his room with a packet of potato chips to snack on while he plays video games.

I opt to join my younger siblings in the living room where they are watching SpongeBob. Food and technology is the only way to get any sort of quiet around here. I watch over them for a while, waiting around for Anna and Liam to get here. Liam is supposed to be bringing Anna home from school today as he's usually here with us most afternoons anyway. It is getting pretty late though. Maybe he forgot? I quickly shake off that thought. Liam would never forget about Anna. Those two are basically married except they're not actually together because neither of them will admit their feelings.

Just when I have decided to call Anna and see where they are, I hear the front door open. That sound is soon followed by Anna and Liam's laughter which follows them as they walk into the living room. I relax a little and turned to face them as they walk in.

"Hey, Reecey." Anna ruffles my hair as she passes me, falling onto the couch next to me.

"What's up, Man?" Liam grins, holding out his hand for us to do our handshake which we did before he sits down on the other side of Anna.

"You two took forever." I raise my eyebrows at them questioningly.

"We went to Mel's diner," Anna replies before reaching into her bag which is at her feet and pulling out a brown paper bag, "We brought you back a donut. Your favorite."

I grin, taking it from her. I open it and sure enough, a chocolate donut is sitting inside. "Thanks."

The three of us soon get absorbed in the show the kids are watching and before I know it, the front door is opening again. "I'm home!" My mom calls out and almost immediately, Cody, Macy and Sophie all jump up to tackle her at the door. Liam, Anna, and I follow after them.

Shaking my head, I pick up her discarded bag and coat from the floor which she had dropped to hug her three youngest children instead. I hang up her coat and place her bag on a stool at the kitchen counter.

When I turn back to face them, Anna is being released from one of Mom's hugs and now my mother is looking at me. She smiles, holding her arms out, "Do I not get a hug from you now, Reece? Too old for those now?"

I roll my eyes, stepping forward to hug her, "Never."

"Good." After she pulls away, she turns to Liam and he bends down to give her a hug as well. "You're staying for dinner?" She asks him, although it was more of a statement than anything. Liam's parents are big time business owners and they are always away for long periods of time, so Liam is mostly home alone. He is over at our house all the time because of that. He's basically part of the family now.

"You bet." Liam replies with an easy smile, following Mom into the kitchen.

"Oh! Reece, would you be able to run to the grocery store for me after dinner?" Mom asks, turning to me with a pleading smile.

I nod, "Of course, Mom."

She smiles as I walk past her to go the living room, stopping to kiss my check, "Thanks, baby."

I walk out into the hallway just in time to see my dad walking through the door. He must have just gotten home from his shift at the tattoo parlor he owns. "Hey, Dad." I greet him with a smile, pausing on my way to the living room.

Dad smiles at me, hanging up his coat, "How was school?"

I only shrug, "It was fine."

He laughs, "That's boring. You couldn't tell me that you set the science lab on fire or you glued your English teacher to his chair or something?"

I roll my eyes, "Well, I did ditch the last two periods."

Dad wiggles his eyebrows up and down exaggeratedly, "Exciting. What did you do?"

I raise my eyebrows, amused, "I picked up Macy, Sophie, Cody and Max from school. They had a half day."

His face falls, "That's boring. You really did nothing interesting?"

"Uh... well before I picked the kids up, I listened to my music while lying in the middle of the school parking lot? I guess that's kinda interesting?"

"Really?"

I nod, "Yeah and then this girl came out of school and she said she was questioning my mental health. Which is fair, I guess. We talked for a bit and she made me laugh which was kinda weird because I don't really do that much at school. She was actually kind of funny though."

Dad grins, "You like this girl?"

My eyes widen, "What? I had one conversation with her, Dad. Just because she's funny, doesn't mean I have a thing for her. She just... Didn't seem to mind the rumors about me."

He scoffs, shaking his head, "Those rumors are the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Just because you have a few tattoos and like boxing doesn't make you a 'bad boy'." He grins then, "Now back when I was in high school, I was known as the bad boy. I had the motorcycle, leather jacket and everything. That's why I met your mother-"

"Yeah, yeah. She rebelled and started hanging out with you to get away from her terrible friends and then you guys fell in love. I know, it's gross." I pretend to gag.

Dad rolls his eyes, "Yeah, you find it gross now, but you just wait till you meet the one. You'll change your tune then, trust me."

I shake my head, leaving him and walking into the living room. I don't believe what he says for a second. Finding 'the one' is all bullshĩt. There's no one out there for me and I know that for a fact. My ex-girlfriend proved that no one could ever really love me. As she put it, 'You just punch people and cover yourself in tattoos. What girl wants a guy who only knows how to hurt himself and the people around him?'.