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WESTCHESTER, OREGON MONDAY - 9:28 AM
AS DEMI ENTERED the school's gym, music that was blaring over the speakers filled her ears and Demi's swirl of thoughts was drowned out. As the chatter was getting louder so was the heartbeat of the girl. Anxiety rushed through her and suddenly she felt claustrophobic and her mind went back to the night before.
Lily noticed Demi's subtle mood change and turned to look at her. It was obvious that Demi wasn't okay - she was never good at hiding her emotions. Lily put her hand on her shoulder and peered up, "Demi? Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah. Just, uh, kinda crowded in here," Demi replied as she jolted out of her trance, "You see anywhere to sit?" The girl forced out a small smile at her worried friend as she quickly changed the subject with a distant look in her eyes.
Lily was searching for empty spots before the question even left her mouth and she made her way deeper into the gym, standing on her tippy toes so she could get a clearer look. "Not really," Lily said with a frown, "Looks like there are a couple seats up there next to...oh...never mind. That's Ava's spot."
And there she was, on the top of the bleachers, scribbling in a, what look liked, worn sketchbook. As Demi continued to watch she caught a few freshmen moving to sit beside her but as the gothic girl let out a low hiss like a feral cat they all scrambled away, tripping over themselves. Ava glared after them until she caught Demi's gaze at her.
A proud grin was now on Ava's face as she nodded towards the empty bench next to her.
"Is...she inviting me to sit by her?" Demi questioned Lily as she wasn't sure how to read Ava's actions. Even as a kid, Ava was hard to read. They say you can read anyone's feelings and emotions from their body movement and expression and even their words, but unlike Demi and Lily, Ava was a professional when it came to hiding it all. Her mood swings and dismissive answers made Demi feel like she didn't want her by her side, but right now she was inviting her to sit next to her and that confused Demi even more.
Then a thought crossed Demi's mind. Maybe if she sat by Ava, she could talk to her more about the craziness she went through last night, after all her dark friend knew all about supernatural stuff. She was sure it would feel nice to talk to someone who would believe her.
"I think she is!" Lily then confirmed Demi's assumptions, but with one nervous glance at the girl with pink dreads she said, "You go ahead...Ava kinda...um...scares me a little."
Demi didn't have a problem with sitting next to Ava. Sure, they lost their contact and weren't that close anymore but the memories she was so fond of pushed her to make the move and try to break all the walls that all of her childhood friends built. Puberty and growing up changed them all. It was so easier when they were small kids, there was no judgement and all they were chasing was fun. But now they are much more self aware and feel like they have appearances and statuses to keep up. And this wasn't the case with her friends only, everyone felt this way.
