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The black and white dining room was full of people in fancy suits spitting out legal terms that fifteen year old Demi Lovato simply did not understand. The only word she recognized was "emancipation" and that's only because she had googled it a few weeks prior to this meeting. It was because of that google search that she was sitting in Kris Jenner's famous Calabasas mansion, twiddling her thumbs as people spoke about her but not directly to her, trying to decide her future and what the best route to take was. The only person who really acknowledged her presence was Kris Jenner, and when she did, she made everyone else acknowledge her as well.
"Demi...are you sure this is what you want to do?"
Oh gosh. She was only fifteen years old. She was raised in a good Southern home. She had a mother, a father, and two sisters. She grew up riding horses and doing pageants. She doubted that anyone from her small town even knew what emancipation meant.
But she wasn't in Texas anymore. She was in California. She no longer begged her parents to take her to the stables after school. No. Her mother had forced her into a disney audition and somehow she had gotten booked. There were talks of her being the face of a franchise. She was being shipped to Canada to film a movie with the freaking Jonas Brothers. They were giving her her own TV show. The world was opening up to her and she thought she would be able to celebrate these accomplishments with her family. The Jonas Brothers were super close to theirs. Their father even managed them.
But that's not how it was working out for Demi. That's why she had to learn what emancipation meant. That's why she was sitting in Kris Jenner's dining room with a bunch of lawyers. That's why she had to decide if this is what she really wanted to do.
"Do you think I should?" Demi questioned, because she didn't know what she should do.
If she got emancipated, did that mean that she doesn't love her parents anymore? Because she still did. It's not like she hated them. Well, she despised Dianna a little bit, but maybe this emancipation would make everything better. Maybe if her parents didn't have a say in her career they could go back to being a family, the family that they were before money got involved and everything got complicated.
"Can we have the room please?"
And just like that, the room was cleared. Everyone wearing a suit was gone and Demi felt as though she could breathe again.
"Demi, I can't make this decision for you. A huge part of being emancipated means that you have to make decisions for yourself. This is huge step but this was your idea. Do you really want to do this? Once we move forward, there's no going back," Kris explained as carefully as she could.
Demi was wise beyond her years but she was still only fifteen years old. That's what Kris had to keep telling herself. She was only 15. She was a baby; the same age as her Kenny. And she couldn't imagine Kendall going through the same thing as Demi.
"I mean, if she can't control my money maybe things will go back to normal, and we can have a good relationship again. Maybe if she doesn't have a say in my career she can go back to being my mom," Demi said as Kris's heart broke a little bit, because she was positive that that wasn't going to happen. Kris had met Dianna once and she could tell that that wasn't going to happen, but that was clearly all that Demi wanted.
"Maybe. So, you want to move forward?"
"Yeah...but I heard them earlier. I have to move out? I mean...I have to go film in Canada for a few months anyway but when I come back where am I supposed to live?" Demi asked, her eyes widening at the prospect of coming back into town and not having a place to go.
Kris wanted to chuckle because Demi was about to become the face of a major franchise and finding a place to live would not be a problem. But Demi probably didn't want a lofty apartment or a luxurious condo. She was 15 years old. She wanted to live in a house that felt like home, and she probably didn't want to be alone.
"You can live here," Kris said without hesitation.
Did she run it over with Bruce? No. Had she discussed it with her family? No. Did she even consider the fact that if Demi lived with them she would most certainly be featured in their upcoming TV show? No. Because all she could think about was the fact that this little girl would come back from filming a movie and would have no place to go. She probably wouldn't be in contact with her family. And Kris wanted to be there for her.
"Really? Are you sure? I can't move back in with my parents?"
"No, part of the emancipation process is moving out of your parents' house. And things might be a bit uncomfortable and tense for a little while anyway. You'll stay here in Khloe's old room," Kris decided. Demi nodded then looked back down at the papers in front of her.
"Thank you," Demi quietly said, looking back at Kris.
"No problem, Demi. I do anything for my children, and I want you to know that I would do anything for you. I'm going to be here every step of the way, okay? You're not in this alone," Kris reassured her.
Demi couldn't help but practically throw her arms around the older woman. Hollywood was weird, her family hadn't been the same since she moved, and all Demi wanted was for everything to go back to normal. But for some reason, Demi knew that it wouldn't. This was her normal now, and it would take some getting used to, but Demi was sure that she would.
