"I've Never Cried"
Chapter Sixty-three
'Revelations'
Scene...
Demi's House
Joe's POV
After a morning breakfast run to a nearby McDonalds, I made my way over to Demi's. I was itching to see her; the night before was the first night we'd spent apart since our engagement, and I missed her in a way I'd never imagined I could. I never thought that being without her would be as difficult as it was, but it only made sense. After our breakup, I was sure that I'd lost her forever. But the more that I fought and fought for her heart, the closer she inched back to me. Once I got her again, I guess I became more attached than I'd realized. Whether or not that was healthy, I was unsure. But I was sure that she was going to remain in my life, and it was my responsibility to ensure that for the both of us.
I left the car back at my home so that Nick could have free reign of it, and opted to walk to Demi's that morning. The restaurant was on the way, so I grabbed some breakfast for the two of us, and planned to surprise her with it.
As my walk came to an end and I began to approach her doorstep, I turned around at the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Immediately, I recognized that it was my brother, and waited for him to emerge from the vehicle.
"Dude, why didn't you tell me you were coming here? We could've-,"
"I didn't plan on it," he stated, shutting the driver door and pressing the lock.
He looked determined as he made his way to the front door ahead of me. I followed him then, as he twisted the knob and entered the living room of the house.
"What's going on?" I asked, shutting the door behind me.
"I need to talk to you and Demi. Demi, we're here!" He yelled up the stairs. A part of me wanted to jab his shoulder for disrespecting my fiancée in such a manner, but it subsided quickly at the sight of Demi.
She came down the stairs in a second, her hands tucked into the pockets of one of my old hoodies. It was obviously much too large for her, but she looked adorable. Demi approached me first, wrapping her arms around my torso.
"Hey," she whispered, tucking her head into my chest. I wrapped my free hand around her back, giving her a quick hug. She released me then, and turned to Nick, running her hand through her hair. "What's up?"
"I think we should talk," he replied.
"About what?" I interjected, causing Nick's eyes to jump over to me.
"Selena."
I rolled my eyes. "I thought we already handled this-,"
"Well, we didn't. Not this part, anyway." Nick said. I decided to let him speak, instead of allowing my frustration to get the better of me again. Demi wasn't too fond of how I'd handled it the day before, so I monitored my temperament as he explained. "I know why Selena tried to kill herself."
Demi stepped toward him then, her arms crossed.
"Nick, we all think we know why, but we don't actually know."
"Demi," Nick said, staring directly into her eyes. "I know."
She closed her eyes, taking in a breath. "Okay," she responded. She grabbed me by the hand then, and tugged me with her to the couch. Nick followed behind the both of us, and sat down across from Demi and I. I set down the bag of food on the coffee table as Demi placed herself in my lap, my arms around her waist.
We both looked at Nick then, and waited for him to begin his tale. He sat with his elbows on his knees as he hunched forward; his fingers interlocked.
"About six months into my relationship with Selena, I started to notice some things about her that were a little off- especially when it came to me asking about her childhood. She never talked about anything before age twelve, kinda like she wants to pretend it-,"
"Never happened," Demi and Nick both said at the same time.
"Exactly!" Nick exclaimed.
"I've noticed that too," Demi agreed, nodding her head at Nick. "I first met Selena when I was eleven, but she'd always tell anyone we met that we'd known each other our entire lives."
When Demi said this, I remembered the day I'd approached Selena about helping me paint the mural. When the conversation got a bit more heated, I remembered Selena saying that she'd known Demi her whole life, and even though I knew that wasn't true, I didn't say anything. Perhaps I was too caught up in my own anger at the time to notice.
"That's what she told me, too," Nick said. "But one day, we actually sat down and finally talked about it. And the whole time she seemed so uncomfortable . . . by the end of the conversation she looked exhausted. Almost like it took a lot of effort to remember."
"Well what did she say?" I asked, trying to piece together his point. Nick looked at me for a moment, and then at Demi.
"Dem, how much do you know about Selena's family?"
Demi shifted in my lap, and I could tell she was becoming uneasy.
"Umm, I know that her dad died, and she doesn't have any siblings. She told me that she lived with her grandma for a while before she died, and that's where she inherited the money and the house."
"And that's all you know?" Nick asked. Demi nodded, and Nick took in a breath.
"Selena's father committed suicide when she was eleven; right before she moved to Sacramento."
"Oh my god," I heard myself say. Demi quickly asked,
"But what about her mom?"
"I don't know," Nick responded. "I could never get her to talk about her. But I do know that Selena's father died from an overdose on painkillers."
The air was still right then as we all came to the realization of what had actually happened. Selena showed signs of depression, but she didn't do it in a way that caused concern. If anything, the way she coped with her depression was through bitchy behaviors that ultimately pushed people away from her.
But we all let our pain overshadow Selena's.
Simply because she didn't show it.
Demi stood up then and walked over to Nick, who put his head into his hands.
"Nick, even knowing all of this now, none of this is your fault." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Selena made these choices, okay? She chose not to tell us, she chose to hurt us, she chose to try and escape from this life, and she chose to try and leave us behind in more ways than one. You did not enable her. Do you hear me?"
Nick looked up at Demi, and finally stood, towering over her. He embraced her then, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. When he released her, he glanced at the both of us, and said,
"I'm gonna go see her. I'll call you if there are any changes."
With that, he headed for the door, ignoring the protests coming from both Demi and I as he left.
When the door shut, Demi turned back to me and ran a hand through her hair.
"He's hurting," she mumbled, her big brown eyes peering up at me.
"He's stubborn," I replied. "But he's passionate. I don't think I want to beat him down for being loyal, even if it is stupid."
Demi smiled at me then, and threw her arms around my neck.
"It seems like all of that time I spent missing you last night paid off, then?"
"It gave me some time to think," I responded, pulling her close. "He needs his space. So I gave him the car."
"Sounds more like you needed an excuse to come by here," she said, smirking. I scoffed,
"Hey, I was just concerned that you'd starve to death, so I brought you some breakfast!"
"Oh, how thoughtful," she said sarcastically, laughing through that pretty smile. "Just admit you missed me."
"Every second," I replied. With that, I kissed her, and it felt like the first time. When she pulled away, she giggled.
"Wow, that was cheesy," she said, releasing me and picking up the bag of food from the floor.
"Luck for you, so is that McGriddle." I grinned.
"Stop!"
JJDL
*****Guys, I miss "The Mechanic" a lot and Elaina deleted it entirely so, should I write it over again by myself? All of my chapters are still there so I'll just fill in what for what Elaina had before. What do you think? Comment below.*****