Chapter 1

I was driving back from the airport after landing back in Georgia, I had just finished my first year at Juilliard University and was now on my way to my home town in Georgia, it was a small town where everyone knew everyone. I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel as I waited in the afternoon traffic. It was a friday and of course everyone wanted to get back home to their loved ones, christmas was next week and people were rushing back to prepare every last detail. I personally had no special plans for christmas. I was single, 19 and just excited to get home and see my family. I had lived in a dorm at the university for a month and it was terrible, the beds were like concrete and the rooms where tiny, about half the size of my room at home, there was a little kitchenette, equipped with a fridge, microwave and sink, in the hallway and everyone shared a bathroom. After the first month of living in the dorms I decided to get an apartment so now I lived in an apartment in New York a few minutes away from campus and it was great, but I did really miss my old room and all the memories that were inside it.

The traffic finally started moving and I drove off down the long winding road that was just an hour away from my home town. I hadn't been back in town since Easter, I missed my parents and little sister Maddison more than anything. My mother, Dianna, was a psychologist, majoring in relationships and addiction. My step-father Eddie, was a police officer, they had completely different jobs but they were completely compatible and in love with each other. Madison was 11, going on 17. She has started wearing make up and dressing in more relieving clothes. I don't understand how my parents are letting her act like that but I guess its because she's their child together and i'm just some bastard child from my mums first boyfriend.

An hour later I parked in front of my childhood house. I sighed and looked up, turning off the engine and stepping out, grabbing my suitcase out the boot before locking up the car and dragging my bag toward the front door, I knocked, placing my bag at my feet waiting for the huge red door to open.

"DEMI!" I heard Madison scream from the other side of the door.

I smiled as I saw the door swing open and my little sister run towards me.

"Hey Mads, I missed you" I smiled, hugging her tightly.

"I missed you too!" She squealed.

I pulled away from Madison to see my mother walking towards me.

"Demetria, i've missed you so much. I'm so happy you decided to come home for christmas" she smiled, pulling me into a hug.

"Im happy I decided too as well, Ma. I missed everyone so much" I said, pulling away from the hug and walking inside with my bags in tow. My house wasn't a huge mansion, it was just the right size for all of us with a huge living room and a 'man cave' downstairs in the basement. I told my mum that i'd take my stuff up to room. I walked into my bedroom and sighed as the familiar room came into my view. My bedroom was equipped with a ensuite bathroom which was bigger than the one in my apartment, but only by a little. My room was covered in photos of my best friend Selena and I, along with a few band posters. It was painted blue with a black feature wall. My big collection of books were scattered on shelves around the room like I had just flung them their yesterday. Some of my old clothes were in a pile on top of my bed, my notepad was open on my desk. It was almost like I had been living here for the past year not at the university. I put my bags on my bed next to the pile of clothes and began to unpack, I chucked all myself laundry into a pile in the corner of the room near the door and hung up the very little clean clothes in my wardrobe. I unpacked everything in my suitcase and pulled it into the closet.

"Demi! Your father's home and he has company!" my mother shouted up the stairs.

I sighed, putting my hair up in a messy ponytail, kicking my shoes off at the same time before walking downstairs to see my step father. I walked into the living room where I heard the voice of someone I didn't recognise, a male voice. My face scrunched in confusion as I saw a man, who must be about 3 years older than me, 22, standing next to my step father in a police uniform. Dad brought a colleague home?

"Demetria, its so good to see you again, I missed you" Eddie said as he hugged me.

"I missed you too Dad" I smiled, hugging back. I had missed him, even though he wasn't my biological father, I considered Eddie pretty much my real one. He had raised me since I was 5 years old. We pulled away from each other and Eddie turned towards the unfamiliar man that he had brought home with him.

"Demi, this is Joe. He works with me" he introduced the man before turning towards me.

I walked to Joe and held my hand out "Its nice to meet you, Joe"

"Its nice to meet you too, Demi. I've heard a lot about you." he smirked and shook my hand. I looked him over subtly and I have to admit, he looks hot in that police uniform. His hair was a dark brown, almost black colour, that was short and a little spiked up. His jaw was covered in a little bit of facial hair, he had a slight tan and even though he wasn't that tall, he was still taller than me.

He must have noticed me checking him out because the smirk on his face grew a little bigger. My family was oblivious to the exchange and my mother continued to ask Joe what it was like for him to work as a police officer.

Joe stayed for dinner and I didn't get to talk to him much if at all. My parents and Madison kept asking him questions like if he was single, where he lives, where he's from. My mother gave me a nudge when he admitted that he was in fact single and that he lived just a few blocks away. I rolled my eyes at mothers shitty attempt to make the action subtle. Joe looked at me as she did it and chuckled under his breath.

"Where do you go to school, Demi?" Joe questioned, shovelling a huge fork full of pasta in his mouth.

"Juilliard" I smiled, I was still over the moon that I was accepted into Harvard even though I had been there for a year already. I was ecstatic when I received my acceptance letter, I had been accepted into one of the most prestige music universities in the country. It hadn't be hard to decided which university I was going to go too. Who in their right mind would turn down Juilliard?

Joe's face looked a little shocked when he registered what I had answered "Oh, wow" he muttered "thats amazing, is it as great as everyone says it is?" asked.

"Its incredible" I gushed, putting my knife and fork down on my plate. "The lectures are so smart and the campus is beautiful. The dorms weren't that great though so I moved to an apartment."

"It sounds great" he smiled "I wanted to go to university but I changed my plans. I decided to become a police officer. What are you studying at Juilliard?"

"Music, Guitar and Piano" I smiled, music had always been my main passion since I was little. I loved to sing and play piano and guitar.

"Thats awesome" he smiled "I play too"

For the rest of the night, Joe and I talked about music and what it was like for me at Juilliard. I ended up really liking him and hoping we could be friends.