Young and Beautiful

Twenty Six

Wilmer held her hand the entire way back to her house. There wasn't much he could do in the cushiony back seat in the town car and holding her hand didn't feel like nearly enough to comfort her, but that's what he did. Because her hands were trembling and she tried to stop it herself but she couldn't so he had grabbed both of her hands and just held them until she calmed down. She still had her sunglasses on and she wasn't crying but she was upset. And he hated that. He hated that two people who had tainted her soul had waltzed back into her life as if nothing had happened and he couldn't do anything about it.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest car ride of his life, they pulled up to the Plaza and exited the car. The doorman, Thomas, titled his hat as he opened the door for them and then the bellboy in the elevator pressed their floor button. The only sound that filled the air was the jazzy music that played through the speakers of the elevator.

Demi took her key out when they made it to her front door and pushed it open. Isabella, the twins, and Buddy were sprawled out on the living room floor, still in their pajamas, with junk food surrounding them and a cartoon movie that Wilmer didn't recognize playing on the screen.

"Mommy!" Nicholas screamed, and he thought that Demi was so emotionally drained that she would've just shut down and ignored him but instead she cracked a smile and knelt down so that he could crawl into her arms. Nolie did as well. And Demi kissed both of their heads and held them as if she was never gonna see them again.

"What have you guys been doing all day?" Her sunglasses were still on but she didn't bother to take them off and Wilmer was pretty sure he knew the reason why.

"We watched movies with Bella and she gave us snacks and candy and we ordered pizza and took Buddy for a walk," Nolie said as Demi nodded and kissed their heads again.

"I think Wilmer and I are going to get changed into our pajamas and then we'll come join you guys. Is that okay?" Demi asked as they both eagerly nodded. They crawled off of their mother's lap and Demi kissed Isabella and ruffled Buddy's head before going to her room. When she was in the comfort of her own bedroom, she took her sunglasses off and rubbed her tired eyes, not caring that she was messing up her makeup.

She shrugged out of her coat and her shoes and her clothes, throwing on one of Wilmer's discarded t shirts before grabbing one of the pillows off of the chaise in her room and plopping down on it, hugging the pillow to her chest. Today still seemed a little unbelievable to her, and a part of her was waiting to wake up from this nightmare.

Wilmer entered the room a few minutes later but Demi didn't look up. She was too stuck in her own thoughts and all she could think about was how horrible her abuela had treated her while she was growing up and she still had no idea why. Her abuela loved her older sister, Dallas, but for some reason she was just so mean to her. Nothing that she did was ever good enough and seeing her today and hearing everything that she had to say to her just made Demi want to go to sleep and never wake back up. That's what her abuela always reduced her to and nothing had changed.

"Abuela, I don't wanna dance anymore," Demi whined, tugging her sandy brown hair out of the tight bun that her older sister Dallas had secured it in for her ballet class. Everyday for class she had to have her hair in the tightest bun possible and wear a black leotard with pink tights that gave her wedgies. She didn't like it at all. If Dallas didn't have to dance, why did she?

"Some little girls would kill to be able to take dance class like you do. You should be more appreciative. You whine and complain just like your mother," her abuela hissed in the same tone that she had used as soon as she took custody of her two granddaughters. She never used to use that tone when Demi would go down to Mexico to spend summers with her on her farm. But since her parents died it was like something switched in her and she didn't know why.