Layken Cohen

**Layken Cohen** is an 18 year old high school student.

## Biography

**Layken Cohen** was 18 years old when she moved from Texas to Michigan with her mother and little brother after the death of her father. She was a senior in high school at the time.

Lake and Will Cooper meet within minutes of pulling into the new house, he was their new neighbor. She was acting like a zombie playing with her brother and the kid next door when she comes up on Will.  They introduce themselves and there is an instant connection between them.  The neighbor kids turns out to be Will's little brother who will become best friends with Kel, Lake's little brother.

From that point on it's constant flirting, a 20 minute ride to the store which is 2 blocks from their houses, cleaning cuts and band-aids, then finally asking her out on a date.  I loved the date.  He makes her grilled cheese, they play "Would you Rather" , hold hands all night, then he introduces her to slam poetry which he's very into.  He does his piece when she begs him too and we learn about his parents.  They were killed in a car accident and left him unprepared, broke, and with a little brother to raise when he was 19.  He lost his football scholarship, his girlfriend and his life when he moved home to raise his brother.  They spend a long time saying goodbye with extremely hot kisses and smiles.  Things are perfect.  They are really into each other and they both know it's more than just an attraction.

She begins her first day of high school only to come face to face with Will who is wearing a faculty badge and turns out to be her 3rd period poetry teacher.  Big problem since teachers can't date their students.  He tells her later that if it hadn't been for his little brother he would have resigned the second he realized what is happening.  He doesn't take this little nugget well because of the feelings that have developed between them.  He talks to her after school and asks her to withdrawal from his class and to stay away from each other.  He changes his mind when she attempts to do it and she stays in his class but they avoid each other like the plague.  The problem is they live across the street from each other and staying away from the person you are falling for is easier said than done.  So they start long and painful months of avoiding each other and slip ups where intense make out sessions occur only for him to kick her out of his house the minute he regains his senses.  She does the high school girl thing and tries to make him jealous with another boy which she succeeds in by his reactions.  It doesn't take a genius for her new best friend, Eddie, to figure out what's going on.  This causes all kinds of drama since he's afraid he'll loose his job.

After one incident with a make out session that ends badly she slams him with her poetry in class in front of everyone and he's not happy.  It was hilarious!  He's furious and even more so when she accepts a date with a guy right in front of him. She ends up in his room during lunch defending herself.  He can't have her and he doesn't want her to wait for him until she graduate but he doesn't want anyone else to have her either.  He's driving her to the point of murder.

The reason her mother moved them to Michigan was so she could be close to her doctor.  Her mom has lung cancer and has had it since before her father died.  It's stage 4 and there is nothing they can do.  She's going to die.  They aren't broke like she originally thought.  Out of her mind with grief she heads to Will's where he holds her in his arms all night in his bed while she cries.  The following morning Eddie drags her back home only so she can get details and head back to Will's where she pretty much has a mental break down and he has to put her in the shower to get her to snap out of it.  At  first she refuses to discuss it until Will makes her see the truth in what she's doing.

She goes to slam poetry one night many weeks later and hears him reading one of his poems in which he's telling everyone in the room that he's in love with her and she runs.  A guy from class walks her to her car and forces his mouth on her.  The next thing we know is that Will is on top of the guy punching him.  We find out that it wasn't out of defense.  He had just read that poem that he knew she had heard and then found her kissing some other guy.  He was jealous until he realized the next day that the kiss was unwanted.  He resigns from his job and takes another but it's still not enough.  After an awkward scene at his house she leaves vowing to get over him and she tries.  He won't be with her because he's trying to give her time with her mom.

She does a poem a few days later at the same place and he stops her before she can bolt through the doors and then does one of his own.  It made me cry.  He's telling her that he's putting her first and that they are going to be together.  The "I love you's" come next.

The epilogue happens on Christmas morning on their 2nd Christmas together.  Her mom has died and she's raising her brother.  They still live in 2 separate houses but are together all the time.  The book ends with letters to Lake and Kel from their mom giving them advise.

## Character description

She's independent, beautiful, strong, amazing, and resilient.

## Notes/Trivia

* Layken has a Southern accent, being from Texas.
* Layken takes her coffee, black.
* *The Avett Brothers* is her all time favourite band.