"I've Never Cried"
Chapter Thirty-nine
'A Different Point of View'
Scene...
1 Year, 5 Months & 16 Days EARLIER
Demi's POV
I stepped off of the plane after my brief forty-five minute flight from Sacramento to LA, my heart pounding with excitement to see my best friend. It had been about a year since I'd seen Selena, so I was absolutely more than ecstatic to be staying with her for the entire week of spring break. I could only imagine just how fun our week would be together, and all of the new experiences we would have.
The second I saw that long brunette hair, that pointy chin and that bright smile, I went running!
"Selena!" I yelled, wrapping her in a hug the second I was close enough.
"Demi!" She smiled, hugging me back. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too." My sprint had left me gasping, some of her hair getting caught in my mouth. I stepped back and laughed.
"Nice bangs!" Selena said, taking her hand and flicking it through the wisps of hair flattened across my forehead; nearly knocking the sunglasses right off of my head. I smirked at her sarcasm and crossed my arms.
"Nice boobs." I gestured toward her flat chest. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she scoffed, a smile playing on her lips.
"Same old Demi," she said, grinning.
"Who else did you expect?" Selena grabbed my duffel that was hanging at my side, and began to head toward her car that was parked outside the terminal. I hopped into the passenger seat, fiddling with her radio stations as she tossed the bag in the trunk. In a matter of seconds she had appeared beside me, closing the door and starting up her car.
"We're gonna have so much fun, Dem. There's so much I have to tell you, and so much I have planned! I even got us these." She reached into the console between the two of us, and pulled out two reflective cards. I took them into my hands, examining them quickly,
"Fake IDs?" I asked as the car began to move.
"Yep," she grinned. "There's this awesome party after the football game at the high school tonight, and some of the seniors are bringing drinks."
"Drinks at a high school?" I asked, confused. I wasn't sure that was something that anyone could pull off.
"Relax, Dem," Selena said as she flicked on the turn signal. Her eyes remained on the road as she spoke. "No one that works at the school actually knows about it. They do this every spring break. Some seniors break into the gym and throw a huge blow out. But we have to have IDs. Everyone has a fake in case cops ever come."
"Cops?" I'd asked, my eyebrows pulling upward in worry. I'd never gotten into any kind of trouble, especially with the law. Selena responded as though she read my mind.
"Don't worry! I won't get you into any trouble. Promise. Besides, we're here to have fun and let loose! Don't be such a goody two-shoes." I rolled my eyes playfully, my right hand reaching beside my seat and lifting the handle that released the recline. My seat fell all the way back, my sunglasses falling downward onto my face.
"Hey babe, I'm cool...," I said slyly, crossing my arms across my chest. Selena cracked up laughing, and I knew the week ahead would be eventful.
-----
Shortly after arriving at Selena's home, she escorted me to my room, where I began to make myself comfortable. I chucked my things into a nearby nightstand - never too concerned about tidiness - and grabbed a quick shower. My flight had come in late; approximately three hours before the party at the high school began, so I didn't have much time to settle. Selena wasn't far behind, as she was also frantically looking for the right outfit for the night.
"Demi!" I'd heard Selena call for me once I'd completed my shower.
"What?!"
"Come down here once you're dressed! I've got someone I want you to meet!"
"Is it the Pope?" I yelled back, sarcastically.
"What? No!" She yelled back.
"Then fuck you!" I screamed, laughing to myself. I heard Selena laugh too, followed by the laughter of another unfamiliar, deep voice. Once I'd dressed myself in the best outfit I could find for seven days worth of packing, I headed down the stairs. No one was in the living room, but I could hear Selena's laughing from the kitchen, and started for that direction.
"Welcome to the party, Beyonce," Selena said, a large smile on her face.
"Shut up," I said, punching her shoulder.
"Hey! Not in front of our guest!" She gestured toward the opposite side of the room, and I followed her gaze to a tall, curly-headed guy. "Demi, this is my boyfriend Nick." I kept my eyes on the guy as I spoke to my best friend.
"You have a boyfriend?"
"Nice to meet you," Nick said, approaching me with his hand out. I reached out and shook it, smiling awkwardly as I introduced myself.
"I'm Demi."
"So Dem," Selena started, grinning at the both of us. "We're gonna pregame here and then catch an Uber to the party. Okay with you?"
"Let's do it."
-----
2:42am
The party had a bigger turnout than I'd first anticipated; my expectations were about two-hundred, but the actual amount came out to about a thousand more. I'd lost Selena three hours after we'd arrived there when she'd never returned from the bathroom she'd told me she was going to. Nevertheless, the whole event was absolutely chaotic. Girls were stumbling everywhere in a drunken fog, the stench of marijuana surrounded me no matter where I turned.
Nick was missing as well, not that I'd particularly noticed or even cared. I had tried giving Selena's cell a call, but I doubted she could hear it's ring over the pounding loud music.
Unable to find anyone I'd recognized, I was just about ready to throw in the towel and meet Sel back at the house. Still, I took one last cruise around the large gymnasium, before entering the empty hallways of the school.
The halls were well lit, and looked just like any other high school; red lockers, white floors, etc. I wasn't totally sure of the way to get out of the place, so I just wandered around in a slightly drunken haze, my phone buzzing, alerting me that my Uber was outside.
"Selena!" I yelled, my voice slightly slurred. "Sel, where are you?!"
I heard giggling coming from one of the bathrooms and quickly made my way toward it, stumbling a bit as I walked.
"Selena!" I yelled again, hoping that the giggling girl was her. Once reaching the door, I leaned all of my weight against it, and it opened. I tried to take a moment to focus my thoughts enough to see clearly, as my vision was beginning to cloud. "Sel are you in here?"
My body leaned against the door, I tilted my head up into the bathroom, and instantly saw my best friend pressed up against a wall by a guy that I knew was not her boyfriend. He was kissing her neck - the cause of her giggling ; his back to me entirely.
"Sel!" I said in a surprised whisper. She was clearly far more drunk than I was, as she made eye contact with me, but still ignored me all together. The guy moved his head back up to hers and they continued making out, Selena closing her eyes and pulling him nearer to her.
Immediately, I was extremely uncomfortable, and with my phone buzzing on a never-ending loop, I decided to just leave Selena at the party, and made my way to the car.
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The Next Morning
Selena was the one to wake me up the next morning, which delighted me because I knew she was safe, but my pounding headache kept me distracted.
"Dem," she said, shaking me from my slumber. I blinked up at her. "Here drink this."
"Thanks," I replied, groggily.
"Great way to start off spring break, huh?" Plopping herself at the side of my bed, she smiled at me as I sat up to drink whatever she'd given me. Ignoring her question, I asked,
"This isn't alcohol, right?" Sel rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, Demi. I gave you vodka to cure your hangover." Sticking out my tongue at her, I sniffed the rim of the glass one more time, and then began to drink what I immediately discovered was water.
"What happened to you last night?" I asked after I'd taken a sip.
"You're not gonna believe what happened, Dem. I-,"
"Hooked up with a guy that wasn't your boyfriend?" I interrupted her, my eyebrow raised as I brought the glass back up to my lips. Selena crossed her arms, her mouth open in sarcastic shock.
"How the hell did you know that?"
"Because I saw you, Sel." Then she stood, her face a mixture of anger and confusion.
"How did you--? When did you-,"
"I was looking for you for like an hour. I eventually found you in the bathroom with... you know. Weren't you a virgin? What the hell were you thinking?" She uncrossed her arms then, and placed her hands on her hips.
"I was thinking that I wanted to have some fun. Not that you would know anything about that since you're such a princess."
"A princess?!" I yelled louder than I meant to. "Sel, you didn't even ask me if I wanted to go."
"You didn't say you didn't want to!" I stood up then, facing her.
"You never gave me the chance."
Selena snatched the glass from my hands, her tone becoming harsh.
"Gee, Dem. Did you really fly out here to tell me how terrible of a person I am? So what, I lost my virginity to some guy. It doesn't matter to anyone but me, anyway! I don't need grief from you too." She was playing the guilt card, and she played it pretty well, because right then, it worked. Immediately I felt like I owed her an apology.
"Look, I'm sorry Sel, okay? I don't wanna fight."
"Neither do I, Dem. I wanna be able to tell you about my bad choices and laugh at them with you! I mean, what else are best friends for?" Selena and I laughed over that, sitting together on the bed and immediately dismissing our argument.
"So, tell me, was he cute? Was he a good kisser?" I asked smiling, ignoring the headache behind my forehead.
"Oh my god, Demi, he was gorgeous. He had these hazel eyes, and this amazing smile. I'll never forget that face." She grinned, "But he was way more drunk than I was. I doubt he'll ever remember me."
"Oh please!" I scoffed, rolling my eyes playfully. "Did you get his name?" Selena thought for a minute, her eyes turning up as she struggled to remember the drunken night before.
"Uhh, not really. I know it was something really plain, like maybe Joe or something. But who knows." I traced my finger across the white comforter beneath us.
"So um, how are you gonna tell your boyfriend?"
"Why would I tell Nick that I cheated on him? I was drunk anyway. It doesn't even count." My head snapped up at my best friend, as I was sure she had to be joking. But looking at her face right then, I knew she was absolutely serious. For a moment, I didn't even recognize her.
"You sure are something, Selena," I said, surprised at the new person I saw before me. She was nothing like the best friend I remembered a year ago, but I still loved her the same. She stood from the bed, heading for the door.
"Come on, we can talk some more after we eat. I'm starved."
JJDL
***** If you guys are confused, jump back to the chapter titled "The BIGGEST Mistake (Rater R)" and see how someone else lost his virginity. :)*****