There's no way to know your strengths when you've always been weak. There's no way to know you can succeed when it's always seemed like you failed. There's no way to know if you're in love if you've never been in a relationship. But there are ways to try harder. There are ways to succeed and to be strong. And to love. There are ways. There's always a way.
Demi grabbed her purse off the one-night-stands bedroom floor. She never got his name. She never gets their name. She does this a lot, at least three times every week. She always thought one-night-stands were easier than having a relationship. Things got complicated when she would be in a relationship. And she wouldn't know what to do. So one day Demi just stopped trying. Stopped trying in school, to impress boys, to be the 'perfect daughter'. She couldn't take it anymore.
She moved away. Far away from the little Delaware town her and her family was living in at the time. The only person she told was her best friend, Taylor. She stayed in contact with Taylor. And that was it. No one else knew. Well Demi hoped no one else knew. Taylor did have a pretty big mouth.
Demi moved to LA, got a job as a dance instructor and took night classes. She moved into a very nice apartment on the seventh floor of the building, very close to the shopping district. The position of the job she had paid good money. Teaching rich kids to dance wasn't that hard. Sometimes their moms would even want private lessons which were more money.
Demi made new friends, new acquaintances. She gained a new life. She had finally taken the institutive to do something for herself for once. The only thing she regrets is leaving the wonderful ex-boyfriend she had behind. Maybe if she didn't leave, they would be married right now. But she sure he has a better girlfriend now, one that won't leave him with things get tough.
Sure, Demi missed everybody. But missing them didn't make her want to go back to them. She would see Taylor in a couple of months when she came to live with her. Taylor was going to teach lessons at the studio Demi worked with and she would also be taking night classes at UCLA for acting.
Demi was walking through the LA streets. It was dark outside but people were still up. The car headlights made it light outside enough to see. Demi phones started ringing in her Dior clutch. It was loud. But it seemed louder because she was alone. It was Taylor.
"Hello," Demi answered, trying to make it sound like she was sleeping.
"Were you asleep?" Taylor asked.
Demi fake yawned. "No," She said. Taylor didn't know about Demi sleeping around all the time. And Demi was determined to keep it that way.
"I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but your mom asked me to call you," Taylor started.
"What happened?" Demi asked suddenly worried.
"Your dads in a coma and they don't think he's going to make it."
Demi got home, changed her clothes and ran. She wasn't sure to where. She didn't even really care. Demi just wanted to get away from everything. She didn't want to believe in what was happening. But it was and nothing was going to change that.
Taylor explained everything. Demi's dad was in a car accident, a really bad one. He had a heart attack while driving. The other guy was a teenager. He was drunk and both of them collided. Given both of their conditions, they didn't know what was going on. Her dad was already knocked out and the other driver was close to falling asleep. The teenager died. And now her dad was too.
Demi got back to her apartment after a mile run. She didn't bother changing or showering. She called a cab and got her suitcase out to start packing. Basically she threw everything that was in her closet into one suitcase. Everything didn't fit, but she made it fit. Somehow.
The cab took her to LAX. She called Taylor telling her to tell everybody else she would back in about four hours. No doubt, Taylor really did tell everyone, at least she better have. Was it bad that instead of thinking about her dad, Demi was thinking about her ex-boyfriend? She had been wanting to see him really bad lately.
Demi was now walking up the sidewalk to her old house. It felt so surreal to her. To be back here and possibly staying here for a while. Or at least a lot longer than she wants too. The house still looked the same. Expect for the fact that the siding was coming off just a little bit around the door, the gutter was sagging a little bit. She had to get things fixed.
Demi knocked on the door. Nobody answered at first. She knocked again. She couldn't believe who opened the door.
It was her ex. Joe Jonas.
Demi's shocked face was mimicked on the person who was standing in front of her. He hasn't changed much. Just a little stubble and shorter hair. Of course everybody changes. It's the way of life.
"Dem," He breathed. The next thing Demi knew, she was being picked up off the floor and spun around. "I missed you so much." He said into her hair.
Demi was put back on the floor, tears were brimming her eyes. "I've missed you too." She said. She couldn't believe he was here, in her house, like he lived there. Maybe he did live there. Maybe they took him under their wing. Maybe he sleeps in her old room, in her old bed.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him, breathing deep through her nose so the tears didn't spill out of her eyes.
"Your mom offered me a place to stay after my parents kicked me out." He said. They walked into the house. Meaning he finally let her in the house. Inside of the house looked the same as it did when she snuck out to leave two years ago.
"You got kicked out?" She asked. He nodded as Demi her mom's voice from up the stairs.
"Who was at the door, Joseph?" She asked. Demi stepped to the bottom of the stairwell.
"Hi, Mom," She said as she finally let the tears escape her eyes.
Demi's mom didn't change a bit. She was happy to see that. Her mom was just her mom and she would always be her mom. Demi's mom smiled at her. They both met each other half way up the stairs. They hugged and cried. Right now, Demi was regretting every second she was in LA instead of being here.