Before we met

Chapter 28

'No, I don't think s-. Shit. It's Zach. I completely forgot when he called me last night that he told me he would come round!' I could hear the panic in her voice.

'Shit. And I presume he doesn't know I'm here?' What a stupid question, Taylor.

'No! I told him I dropped you off at your parents...I panicked! If he knows you're here he'll ask questions!' Another knock echoed off the door.

'It's okay, I'll go hide in the bathroom...just make sure he doesn't go in there.' I hurried into the bathroom whilst Demi composed herself before answering to Zach.

'Finally...what took you so long.' I pressed my ear up against the door so I could listen in to what was being said...yeah I'm nosey, so what?

'I..uh, I was in bed dumbass.' She tried to play it off cool.

'Demi it's 1pm.'

'Yeah well thanks to you I didn't get home until about 5am.'

'Look, about that. I really didn't mean to make you upset about the whole me texting Taylor thing. We'd literally only text a couple times and she told me not to tell.'

'It's fine Zach, Taylor kind of explained and by the sounds of it you were looking out for her so...I'm not mad.'

'Wow...thanks...by the way you reacted last night I thought that would be a lot harder.'

'Wait...Taylor could hardly even talk when she left Rachel's...how did she manage to have a conversation with you?' I heard Zach question. Shit. I hardly even remember that conversation.

'Oh she, she came around a little by the time I dropped her off and she mentioned it just before I left her.'

'Oh...okay. What's the deal with her anyway?' I furrowed my eyebrows as I wondered where this conversation was going, I tried to press my ear closer before I realised it wasn't going to help.

'What do you mean?' I could sense Demi getting slightly standoffish, as if she was about to be extra cautious about what she was going to say.

'Well she comes into the bar, drinks underage with her friends. Then that Friday night I saw her she looked really deflated, and she was smoking on her own. Then she just so happens to be the only one who got 'drugged' at that party.'

'What are you suggesting, Zach?' Yeah, what are you suggesting Zach?

'I don't know...I could be totally wrong but it kind of follows a pattern if she was taking harder drugs and accidentally took too much.' Is he fucking serious, he thinks I'm a fucking addict?

'She's not on drugs, Zach! I've seen people on drugs and I've seen people when they've been drugged. It's totally different, you of all people should know that.' What was she talking about?

'Don't you fucking dare throw my past in my face! That's not who I am anymore and you know it Demi.' I feel like at this point I shouldn't be listening in to their conversation, but I think even if I stepped away from the door, they were shouting loud enough for me to hear.

'I'm sorry, that was...I was out of line. All I meant was that I know she was drugged last night, that's all.'

'Why are you so protective over her? She's just your student.' Hearing him say that hurt me more than I'd like to admit. But hearing Demi's response was worse.