𝑇𝐻𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝐷𝐸𝑀𝑂𝑁𝑆

x 57 x

x DIOR x

I sat in my old bedroom, glum as hell. For one, the house was empty. All of my graduation stuff thrown across the bed was the only sign that this house was habitable. My parents were downstairs making calls to keep my scholarship to that one big university secure and to keep the news of my rant on the stage quiet.

We won't be here in Redwillow long.

That, my parents have made clear. When we go back to Tennessee, I can't have a girlfriend, I can't have any fun. My life will be strictly basketball and school. All because I wanted to express myself emotionally. All because I wanted to expose to everyone how evil Khloe is.

Even Laura.

I feel like crying, because the hopeless part of this all is that once I leave here, I'll be alone forever. Even in college, I won't have any freedom. How long will my life consist of basketball and school? Until I get some big injury that'll leave me confined to a check and living with my controlling parents? Shit, for all I know, they may have already came up with my retirement plans.

They'd probably leave me to coach basketball after that.

I just can't do this. Pretend to be the perfect daughter and never have any spare time for myself. What about my wants and desires? Why can't I have that too? First Synara, now I'm losing Khloe in a whole 'nother way. Sometimes I just don't know what to do with my life.

Do my parents want the perfect daughter...or do they want me? Devana Tellman. I glanced at my elastic ponytail, discarded on the bed. A party. Khloe was holding a party tonight at her place. Our flight for Tennessee is in the morning, but I know if any flight changes occur, my parents will hop at the first opportunity they can to get me away from Texas.

I locked my bedroom door and decided to quit wallowing. This might be my last chance to change Khloe's mind about me. I've sort of realized that I've been going about this all in the wrong way. I'll come to Khloe without any threats, without any cruelty. I'll open my heart to her and it'll be up to her whether she sees my love for her the way I do or not.

I slipped on something casual for the party. It was supposed to be my outfit for the airport, but my parents had been pretty strict about what they wanted me to bring on our trip back to Texas for my graduation. I guess that was their subtle way of trying to prevent me from going anywhere out of the blue. Limiting my number of outfits to only places I'd go with them.

Well, I guess I'll just have to find something else to wear for tomorrow because I'm wearing it today, I shrugged. I combed my hair out of the style my mother used for my ponytail, and let it hang. I grabbed my cellphone and my car keys, and slipped out of my window.

By the time my parents realize I'm gone, I'll be out of the driveway and on my way to Khloe's. I'm not even trying to catch the party and all the fun the other graduates are having, I just want to speak to Khloe.

I just wanna speak to her heart.

I pull up to her place shortly afterwards, a little nervous. I don't see a lot of people around it, so I'm guessing it hasn't started yet. I slowly make my way up the driveway, reminiscing on all the times Synara and I had come here. At one point and time, I was just another play thing to Demon, but getting to be with her the way that I was...even for that short amount of time before the incident, made me realize that she too had changed. Like I have.

I wasn't going to threaten anybody anymore. I wasn't going to kidnap people. I wasn't going to hurt anybody. I was going to be upfront and mature with Khloe about my emotions and lay my heart out on the line, hopping that she would be willing enough to make a grab for it. I had always been weird at showing my affection, showing that I cared. But I thought Khloe understood that too. Me and her are one of the same.

I made it to her front door and exhaled slowly.

"Two minutes and I'll do it," I promised myself.

I just need a few minutes. I need to come up with the right words. I can't let this fail.