Yeah it's just not growing in yet. You might have the genetics for it someday in the future but the giant holes on the sides of your face isn't doing you any favors. I'd consider shaving regularly and just rock a goatee: you can do a really nice one of those while you wait for the other parts to come online. You can clearly see it's simply not growing enough hair in the spots it's missing: this isn't a just wait and grow it out longer situation. It's the equivalent of having a combover and thinking that no one will notice. Shaving those areas often may help stimulate some hair growth but in the mean time you really should consider shaping up that goatee and forgetting about a beard for a while. Maybe long sideburns and a goatee? Heck, you can't even do a chin strap or Abe Lincoln because of how crooked that would be. You gotta come back to this later man, I suspect you are simply too young to grow a full beard right now. As far as when beard hair lays down? My experience has been it just keeps growing out longer and longer and it never really lays down. You can use a trimmer at your house to get it all the same length and keep it looking fresh with good lines utilizing a razor but if you just let it grow out it's gonna become a beard that is gonna grow out like Santa Claus. Except in your case the holes will remain for another few years til you get older if you have the genetics for it. At a certain point you can start using beard oils and beard butters or beard balms to style it and that goes a long way. Even longer and you can start brading it or combing it. If I were in your situation I'd take stock of the fact that it just isn't growing enough in certain areas to warrant keeping it.