**Welcome to my first story. This is just something I came up late one night. I hope you enjoy it. Please review! Thank you! **

Demi felt so great when she left Timberline Knolls. She had learned techniques to deal with her stress and anxiety and took her anti-depressants with pride, comforted that they could only help, not hurt. For the first time in a long time, Demi felt confident. She believed in herself. Demi was strong.

She strove to make changes in her life. She got tattoos to remind her of her own inner strength and the never-ending support from her devoted fans. She graciously thanked her legions of fans for staying by her side through her time in rehab. She spent time with her family. Most importantly, she took care of herself. Demi tried her absolute hardest to eat full, healthy meals; her parents and sisters were always with her, cheering her on. They made sure that Demi knew that she could talk to them about anything. Overall, the 18 year old was living a happy, healthy life, despite the daily battle of recovery.

However, there was one thing that Demi had yet to fix…her friendship with her long-time friend, Selena. They had been inseparable since the age of seven. They practically lived at each other's houses growing up. They were there for each other through everything. It was a rare friendship, a bond so close that it seemed they were united as one being.

But all of a sudden, Demi and Selena started to drift away from each other in 2010. Selena found a new "bestie" in Taylor, and Demi became edgier and more rebellious. The cute tweets they sent to each other stopped abruptly, and the world was left to wonder what happened to the girls' friendship…honestly, not even Demi or Selena knew what happened to their bond. It was as if it vanished into thin air right before their eyes.

Without her lifeline there to catch her, Demi fell into a downward spiral. She didn't know what to do without Selena by her side. She felt like a child lost in the woods, surrounded by so much fear that she had no choice but to cave in on herself. The cuts became deeper, eating became less frequent; Demi's abuse of drugs and alcohol increased, and she spent countless nights crying herself to sleep, hoarsely whispering Selena's name into the darkness.

Demi's first day at Timberline Knolls was a confusing blur. Just when she was settling in to her room, one of the nurses came in and told her she had a phone call.

"Oh God, now what?" she asked, clenching her teeth.

"It's a friend of yours," the nurse provoked.

"What friend? I didn't think I had any of those left."

"She says her name is Selena."

That was when Demi's heart stopped, or that was what it felt like at least. Mechanically, she walked past the nurse towards the phone, its receiver lying on the table. Shaking, she picked it up and held it to her ear. Demi's mountain of anxiety turned to confusion as she heard sobbing on the other end of the line.

"H-hello?" she tentatively asked.

"Demi…" was all Selena could muster between broken sobs.

"Sel, is it really you?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?" Genuine concern peeked through Demi's words.

"Are-are you okay? Are they treating you alright?"

Demi couldn't help but smile and let out a light chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm okay. The people here seem really nice…but Selena, why are you crying? I'm the one in the treatment center here!"

"I'm just…I'm sorry, Demi. I'm so sorry. I've been the worst friend to you this past year. Hell, I haven't even been a friend to you. I completely abandoned you. You needed me and I was never there, and then today I find out that you checked yourself into rehab and I just feel so…awful. I'm so stupid, Demi. I should have been there and I wasn't and I'm so sorry."

Selena finally let go of the sobs she had been holding back in order to get her words out. Then, she completely broke down, crying so loudly it sounded as if she were in great physical pain.

Listening to Selena's strangled sobs, Demi too began to cry.

"Lena, I'm sorry too. I should have tried to reach out to you, but I was scared that you would ignore me. I…I thought you hated me. I thought I lost you…"

Demi's voice wobbled and cracked on the last sentence before the tears consumed her in waves. For a while, the two heartbroken girls stayed on the line, listening to nothing but each other's sobs. Selena was the first to speak up.

"Demi, I want to fix this. I want things to go back to the way they used to be. I mean, I understand that you have to focus on yourself right now, but can we please try to fix our friendship too?"

"Of course, Selena. I want to fix this just as much as you do. I really, really want you back in my life again. I need your support, now more than ever."

"You have it, Dem. I'm here for you one hundred percent. I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I really hope we can work things out."

"Thanks, Sel, you have no idea what that means to me…and I hope we work things out too. I have to go, but call me again later this week, okay?"

"Okay, I will. And Demi?"

"Yeah?"

"You're never going to lose me," Selena stated in a determined, yet comforting tone.

Smiling softly, Demi replied, "I love you, Selena. Thank you for calling me tonight."

"I love you too, Demi. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Demi whispered into the receiver before hanging up.

Dazed, Demi stretched out on her bed and relayed the conversation over and over again in her head. She couldn't believe that Selena, her Selena, had called to make sure she was alright. Maybe everything would work out for the best after all. Looking forward to their next phone-call, Demi closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, Selena's soothing voice still in her head.

"You are never going to lose me…"