When Kaya Perry graduates college, the last place she wants to go back is Layton, the town that she left behind. She left that place with bad memories and no friends, so there is no way she's looking to go back. So it's really a bummer when the job...
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Sometimes, Kaya hated when she thought something and then something related to her thoughts showed up even later. Case in point: when she arrived at work the next morning, Kaya was surprised to see Alison leaning beside her door, cutting an impressive figure in a cream-colored tightly-fitted jumpsuit covered under a light brown blazer. When she looked up at Kaya's footsteps, though, her face was drawn, dark circles under her eyes and hollowed cheeks. A blanket of dread briefly covered Kaya as she remembered the last time they'd spoken.
"Hello," Kaya said, her voice cautious. She didn't really want to speak with her now. It was almost like Kaya had summoned her.
But the small part of Kaya that was nosy and loved helping people—hence Julian, Ximena, and Santiago all living in her home—wanted to know why Alison of all people was here to see Kaya. That curiosity would get her into trouble one day, she knew.
"Can...can we talk?" Alison asked, her usually confident voice wavering. The tone was so unlike Alison that Kaya's fight or flight kicked in.
Kaya said nothing, just unlocked her door and waved the woman in. She made herself comfortable and instructed Alison to do the same, though Alison was still so obviously uncomfortable, closing herself off by almost curling into herself.
Kaya had never seen Alison like this. Usually Alison was beyond confident, almost coming off as snobbish, and was never seen to have a crack in her mask. If she heard rumors about herself—with her reputation she definitely had—they never affected the woman and that person was usually cowed by her and her family sooner or later.
But Alison's mask was gone, and so was the confidence.
"What happened?" Kaya asked, sitting across from the woman.
At that question, Alison broke.
The night before, Alison had visited her parents' home, Julian not in tow like her parents wanted. According to Alison, to keep the illusion of a perfect life her parents wanted her to get Julian to get back with her and pretend that they hadn't broken up. Alison confronted her parents, telling them that their constant pressure and guilt-tripping—as well as her attitude—ran him away and that he wasn't coming back.
Her parents didn't like that, and the argument turned into a screaming match between the three of them. Objects were thrown, words that couldn't be taken back were said, and in the end, Alison was cut off and disowned. As of that night, she only owned the clothes that she was currently wearing and the money that was in her bank account. Her parents, who funded the community center, removed her as the director in a terse email that morning at eight, although Alison had long packed up her office.
She'd gotten herself a hotel room, but didn't know what to do after that. For her entire life, she'd been directed by her parents on what to do and how to act, and now all of that was gone and Alison had come to the uncomfortable realization that she didn't know who she was or what she wanted.
It scared her enough to go to the one person she knew would listen.
Kaya.
Kaya listened to all of this with a heavy heart.
While she'd forgiven Alison a long time ago, part of Kaya felt that this was almost divine retribution, though she didn't take glee in it. Alison had been a nightmare for her entire life, and it was as if she were getting her just desserts. Kaya felt for her either way.
"Well," Kaya said after a long silence. "What you need to do now is find an apartment. By now everyone and their aunt in Texas knows what happened, and knowing your reputation, very few people are going to help you. Spending every night at a hotel—and eating out—will just drain you of your money, so finding an apartment is a priority. Assuming you have enough money in the bank and that your credit is good, it should be pretty easy for you to find something and pay a deposit."
Alison nodded, hanging on to Kaya's words. Kaya continued to try to help Alison through the mess that was now her life, and they bounced ideas back and forth between each other. By noon, Alison had a solid plan and had an appointment to look at an apartment in Gainey later that day, though, from a quick text to Julian, who had been in the complex for the New Year's party, she learned that the complex was pretty nice and affordable.
Kaya would close early that day after trying to get some kind of work done and then she would pick up Alison to go to see the apartment. It was sheer luck that they'd found one so soon.
Before Alison left Kaya, she turned to her exhaustion marring her features. "I know it's too late, and we can never be friends again, but I'm sorry. For everything that I've done. This has been a wake-up call and I've always taken everything out on you even though you didn't deserve it and did nothing wrong. You don't have to do this for me and you are, which reinforces how good of a person you are. I know that, if we were in each other's shoes, I would've never done the same."
When she arrived home that night, she was exhausted and Julian was waiting for her. He'd heard from Ty that Alison had been at Kaya's office—sometimes she wanted to kill her boyfriend—and Julian had been blowing up her phone ever since. She'd ignored him while she was at work, but he was waiting on her porch when she arrived home. He'd been staying in Gainey more and more.
"Why were you with Alison all day?" he demanded. "What happened?" The two of them, of all people, knew how nasty Alison could get. She understood his reaction, and wondered at her reaction to the entire situation herself.
Kaya waved her hand as she yawned. "Hey to you too," she replied. "Let me eat first and then I'll tell you."
After Julian angrily reheated leftovers, clanging plates around, Kaya told him everything. At first, Julian didn't believe it and thought that Alison was manipulating Kaya and planned to do something to her. She'd done it to him before, he revealed, and he wouldn't put it past her to do it again.
"It's real," Kaya said. "It's hard to believe, but it is. Alison would never come to me otherwise."
"Why didn't she go to her friends?" Kaya had wondered the same thing when she and Alison had been talking, and had asked.
"Alison has no friends," Kaya said. "When she told her friends that she was cut off, none of them came to help her."
Julian dragged his hands down his face and sighed. "I don't trust this," he said. "I love that you like helping people, but this seems too much."
"I appreciate that," Kaya said. "And I know that this is a lot. I'm not going to do much."
"You've already done enough for her. You don't need to do more."
"But Julian—"
"Kaya, just think about it. I know you've already made up your mind, but really think about it. She made your life hell and she's only apologizing because it's all she can think to do to get your attention. She would never have come to you unless she needed something."
"I know, Julian," Kaya said. "I know that she'd never do the same for me, and I'm not expecting anything out of it. I'd be a fool to. But she truly needs help, and if I'm able to give it to her then I will."
Julian sighed and lifted his eyes to the ceiling. "Ty's going to be pissed."
"Ty doesn't control me."
He looked at Kaya, his jaw tight. "I'm well aware." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "If you're set on doing this, then I'm coming with you. I'm not leaving the two of you alone together."
