I should have known

Chapter Twelve (Demi finds out! MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING)

THIS IS COMPLETELY UN-EDITED BUT I HAVE TO GO OUT AND I WANTED TO GIVE YOU THIS CHAPTER SINCE YOU WERE ALL SO WONDERFUL AND REACHED THE EARLY UPDATE QUOTA! SORRY IT IS 11,000 WORDS IN LENGTH, I GOT CARRIED AWAY OMG! WILL EDIT LATER IF I CAN!

Stefani waved before skipping inside; the ballet studio already felt like a second home to her. She was the only one there when arrived, so she made her way to the restroom to get changed into her leotard and tights.

As soon as Stefani caught a glimpse of the toilet, the voices came crawling back. She had been so distracted at Disneyland, she had forgotten to purge that greasy Corn Dog. “Gross” She whispered , still able to taste that grease ball in her mouth.

Quietly locking the restroom door behind her, Stefani quickly threw up the corn dog until the blood returned. Sucess. This was so normal to her now she forgot what it was like to eat and not puke.

On the way out of the restroom after cleaning herself up and changing into her ballet uniform, Stefani smiled at herself in the mirror; it showed her bones today. She felt satisfaction for the first time in months.

“Hello Stefani” The ballet teacher said sweetly in her thick Russian accent as Stefani walked into the studio to warm up. She was still the only one there.

“Hi” Stefani said, a little startled, praying the teacher didn't hear her purging before. She hoped her friends arrived soon.

“Did you get fitted for your pointe shoes?” The teacher asked excitedly. The moment she laid eyes on Stefani, she knew she had the potential to go far.

Stefani blushed, they completely forgot. “Not yet, sorry” She replied nervously, hoping she wouldn’t get in trouble. The teacher nodded, relieving Stefani’s anxiety.

“Next time then” The teacher smiled, playing with the Ipod dock to set up the music for class.

A few moments later, Lia and the rest of the girls began to filter into the studio, all dressed the same. “Hey!” Lia said, waving frantically as she took her spot in front of Stefani at the barre.

“Hey” Stefani replied.

“Oh my God” One of the girls said, running over to Stefani excitedly. Stefani took a step back nervously, almost waiting for the girl to say something horrible to her like the girls did at her old studio. “Do you know Demi Lovato?” The girl squealed. Stefani let out the breath she had been holding inside.

“Yep, she’s my – uh- she’s looking after me” Stefani replied, not yet willing to say that she was a foster child. All of the girls in the class probably had perfect families and happy lives. Stefani still thought she was a temporary fix until Demi got bored or fed up with her.

The girl gasped. “You are SO lucky” She said before running back over to her spot at the barre, telling all of the other girls. They all gave Stefani adoring, yet jealous looks.

“Okay girls, settle down” The teacher said, showing them the combination they would be working on. Stefani’s racing heart began to level out again once the music started. Relief.

…

“Uh, Stefani, can you stay behind for a moment…” The teacher asked calmly at the end of class while everyone else began to filter out of the studio. Stefani knew something was wrong when the teacher closed the door so no prying ears could overhear their conversation.

“Yes?” Stefani asked curiously as she pulled a pair of sweatpants over her ballet tights to keep warm. The teacher sat beside Stefani, waiting for her to look directly into her eyes.