Demi's Point of View.

"So how was your first day of classes, sweetie?" My dad asks me through the camera on my iPad. My dad is my best friend, to say the least. The hardest part about being in college is undoubtedly the hardest part of being away from him. Through the camera, I can tell that he's sitting in the living room, probably watching The Big Bang Theory or Criminal Intent. I wonder where Madison is, but I don't ask, because I know if I talk to Madison, I'll be here all night. "What are your professors like? Do you like any of the classes so far?"

I lay forward on my stomach and kick my legs up. "My classes were good, um… my professors are all jerks. I have ONE female professor, dad, and she's even a bitch." I giggle and fix my hair. "I kind of want to switch out of my algebra class already, because Alex has been telling me that the professor's a jerk that'll fail you for stupid reasons. If that's true, I gotta get out of that class because if my GPA slips below a 3.0, I can't play ball." I explain to him the policy that was explained to me earlier today. "…Heard from mom lately?"

"Yeah, she came over and took Madison to the park for a few hours today." My dad answers me with a sigh in his voice. I roll my eyes at that. "She asked where you were going to school at, I didn't tell her where. I did give her your number though. She might call you, and if she does, keep the claws away. She's your mother and you still need to have some respect for her, you hear?" He adjusts his glasses and scratches his chin hair.

"Yes sir." See, this is why I respect my dad so much. My mom's a heroin addict that's been in and out of me and Madison's lives since I was ten and Maddie was one. The fact that she once left me in the car for three hours while she went to get high is enough to make me hate her, but my dad still wants me to have some degree of respect for her. My dad is a very honorable man, and I don't know what I'd do without him. "Doesn't Maddie start school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, she's in bed already. I had to pull her teeth to get in the shower, and she made me wash her hair for her. So I just got her off to bed. I'm about to hit the sack too. I'm gonna get up and cook her a back-to-school breakfast, so it'll be an early morning for me too." He yawns into the camera. "What time is your first class?"

"8:30. It takes me half an hour to get there by bus, so I'll probably be up around 6:30ish. I have gym time tomorrow too, right after my last class. Can you believe that Miss Charity has me throwing doubles? Fulls, not halfs either. She made me throw a double full on the matt today and I landed flat on my ass." I laugh remembering how I fell, but cringe because laughter makes my tailbone ache again.

He laughs with me. "Be careful up there. I don't want you hurting yourself in gymnastics and not be able to play ball. Ball's the whole reason you're down there in that college for free." He scratches his beard again. "Speaking of softball, I ordered you a college bat; one that's NSA certified and sting-resistant. I ordered your game-face too. Do you need spikes?"

"Yeah, my old ones are rubber and they're really muddy and beat up. In college ball, we're allowed to have metal spikes, so can you get me metal ones? I like the way metal ones feel when I drag my back foot. They did in better than the rubber ones. I need metal ones before first conditioning, because I already talked to the coach and she said she wants to see my pitches the first day of conditioning to see who's gonna start on the mound. If I'm starting, I won't condition with the rest of the team, she has her own conditioning for pitchers with a new pitching coach. I can do without the game-face and the bat for now, I NEED metal spikes, I really wanna start, daddy."

"Alright, I'll go down to Dick's tomorrow. You're a size 6, right?" I nod into the camera. "Okay, I'll get them and mail them up to you. When's first conditioning?"

"Not tomorrow but the day after. Will they be here by then?"

"I don't see why not, Demi. I'm in Phoenix, you're only in Tempe. It's not even 20 minutes away; I can drive the spikes up to you if you want. Why do you keep acting like you're five million hours away from me? It's 20 minutes, babe. Relax."

"I know. I'm sorry." I yawn real big. "I'm just eager, that's all. I really want a starting position. I would cut off my left butt-cheek and sell it to the devil if god came down and said 'Hey, Demi. I'll get you a starting position on the softball team if you cut off your left butt-cheek and give it to the devil himself.' I swear to god I'd do it, dad." I say that with a straight face.

"You're nuts, you know that? You're a crazy little thing. You must get that from your mom, because I didn't raise a nutcase." He laughs and shakes his head. "You have to be up early and I have to be up early too, pumpkin-butt. Let's go to bed now, alright? Facetime me tomorrow after gym time."

"Alright daddy, I will. Love you."

"Love you too honey. And DON'T hurt yourself in that gym tomorrow, Demetria. I mean that."

"I won't, I'll be careful. Bye?"

"Buh-bye."

I tap the "end" button on my iPad and plug it back into the charger next to my dresser. I'm not sure if I like having a single just yet. I would actually like to have a roommate to live with, but then again, having a single is good because I don't have to worry about clashing with anyone. I'm not really a troublemaker or anything. I don't want to sound self-imposed or conceited, but I really am a sweet girl. I don't like to get into fights with anyone, and back in high school; I was voted "most quiet" by my peers. That doesn't mean I'm a lame, though. I actually won homecoming queen my senior year. I think I won it because I was nice to all the weird kids that people were mean to. I'm very non-confrontational, and I'm a good kid, if I do say so myself.

Now, that doesn't mean I don't have a bit of a wild side. I like to go out with friends, and recreationally smoke weed every now and again. I don't like to drink, because last year I drank on New Year's Eve and had a hangover for the next few days. I was fucked up, for lack of a better word. I was considered one of the "pretty girls" in high school, too. My posse and I (my posse being me, my best friend Marissa, my best friend Selena and Selena's cousin Priscilla) were the "popular" ones, but I tried hard not to be like the usual bitchy girls. I tried hard to be nice. Marissa was the "hoe" of the group, Priscilla was the bitch, Selena was the preppy cheerleader and I was the nice one. At least that's how people grouped us. The posse dispersed of course. Selena's here at ASU with me, Marissa goes to Phoenix College (she didn't get accepted here, her grades were too low) and Priscilla goes to Central Arizona College because ASU doesn't offer her major.

With all that being said, I don't think it would be a problem for me having a roommate, had I not been given a single. I get along with mostly everybody. I've really only been in one fist fight before and I won't lie, I lost. I lost, because I was jumped though. This one girl put gum in my hair junior year, and when I found out it was her, I punched her in her face point blank. She didn't fight back then, but after school that day, the girl and her two cousins rode my bus home and beat me up real bad at the bus stop. I didn't suffer any serious injuries, but that's not something I usually admit to people. Selena, Marissa and Priscilla got the girls back for me. Marissa got ahold of their PSATs and erased all their answers on their test booklets. Selena put worms in their lunch. And Priscilla… well, Priscilla had help spreading rumors that all three of the girls were lesbians that had a crush on me. We were a bit theatrical back then. They would always get mad at me because I didn't defend myself that much.

I get up off my bed and pick my underwear out of my butt. I took a shower when I came home from gym time today, so I'm already clean. I'm a bit sleepy, so I think I'm gonna make myself something to eat, get my clothes out for tomorrow and go to sleep. I go to my kitchen and raid my cabinets. You ever have A LOT of food to eat in your house, but at the same time, there's NOTHING to eat? I file through the cabinets. Easy Mac, Beef, Chicken, Shrimp and Oriental flavored Ramen Noodles, Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Beefaroni or Lasagna, Chicken pot pie, Beef pot pie, Turkey pot pie, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Frosted Flakes, Special K, Honey Bunches of Oats; so much to eat, yet NOTHING that I want. I give up on looking and settle for a container of Beefaroni.

I would make myself something more sensible and filling, but I don't feel like defrosting chicken or hamburger. I peel back the metal part of the Beefaroni container, stick it in the microwave, put it on for two and a half minutes and wait. While I wait, I grab a can of Coca-Cola from my fridge. My dad took me food shopping for my door after move-in day, so I should be set on food for a while. He mainly only bought me microwavable things or things that can be heated up in the stove, because he knows that I hate cooking. It's not that I can't cook, because I can. I just hate to do it.

I take a long sip of my soda and put the can on my counter. During gymnastics season, I usually try to stray away from junk food because it gives me cramps when I run, but I really needed a soda. Still waiting for my food to be finished, I grab my phone and check it. I got my phone as a graduation present. It's one of those iPhone 5s phones. I wanted a car for graduation, but I know a car wasn't feasible for my dad. We are far from broke. We're actually pretty rich, because my dad owns his own law firm for wrongful injuries, but he has to pay a little bit of my tuition, plus Madison's private school tuition so he doesn't really spend his money on pointless things.

When I check my phone, I see that Alex texted me again. I put my thumb on the fingerprint scanner and unlock my phone to check the message.

Alex: What R U doing?

I take a quick gulp of my Coke again and reply.

Me: Making food and going to bed bc I'm tired. Classes kicked my butt today :b

The microwave beeps. I put my phone down and reach up to get my food. I take my container of Beefaroni, my can of soda and my phone and crash onto my bed in my room. I cross my legs and dig in. My phone vibrates with a text back.

Alex: Ohk. I miss u baby n ily. U sed u were gonna come 2 my dorm after gym?

I fork some food into my mouth and text him back.

Me: I was tired, sorry. & your dorm is a whole mile away, I didn't feel like walking. Sorry but I wasn't walking. You could have come over here.

I put my phone back down and sigh. I know I probably just started an argument, but I can't think of a time when I don't cause one. Alex takes everything to heart and he looks for any reason to fight with me.

Alex: Ohk watever den. Why is it dat evrytime u need smth I get it for u but when I need smth u dnt feel like walkin?

I roll my eyes and pick my phone back up.

Me: Why are you arguing with me? You're so childish I stg. Next time you spend all day throwing tricks that could kill you, let me know how much you feel like walking. I was tired, my legs hurt and so does my butt. The only thing you want is sex anyway. Goodnight :b

Alex: Dats not true but watever. Ur my gf and I havnt seen u in like three days da fuck? Bt gn Demi

Me: Goodnight Alex! :bb

Alex: Rs fuck U.

Me: :)

I put my phone on the charger, put my empty container of Beefaroni and my empty can of soda on my dresser and get under my covers. My phone keeps vibrating with more and more messages from him, because he gets so pissed if I don't argue back. I don't have time for him though. He's a junior in college, messing with a freshman. I'm way more mature than he is. I mean, he's really hot and all, and I feel really strongly for him, but he needs to get it together. All he ever wants to do is argue with me. I started messing with him when I was a senior in high school and he was a sophomore in college. Once we started having sex, it's like all of a sudden he thought he owned me. I check the plethora of messages he sent me, just so he can know I read them.

Alex: I cnt stand u

Alex: So now u ignorin me?

Alex: Im childish? Demi ur dumb af

Alex: fine ignore me but ima keep talkin shit to ur weird ass

Alex: ur weird af demi I swear I hate ur dumb ass

Alex: yo ur real fcked up. even if all I want is pussy u shuld just come ova n give it 2 me bc I do evrythin fo still treat me like shit fuc u demi its all good cuz I got more bitches den u ;P

Alex: gn

He's so fucking childish. I'm not the one that'll argue, I'll never argue with you. I hate arguing, it's pointless and it gets nowhere. Instead of arguing, I could put the energy I waste arguing into a punch or something. Arguments are childish as fuck to me. Some of things he says to me used to bother me, but I learned not to give a shit. I don't take any of it to heart anymore. He says all that shit but I know tomorrow when I see him in the hallways, he'll kiss me, hand me flowers or a washed up teddy bear, feel me up and say he's sorry. That's why I just let him talk.

He has some real anger management problems that I really just let go.

I just can't stand when he raises his hand and tries to hit me, though.


Joe's Point of View.

"I'm feeling really good about this year, babe." I hold Livy's legs up in my hand and wipe her little butt. "There are only 20 kids in my algebra class, 40 kids in my integrated math and 16 kids in my stats class. The numbers are down from last year, but I'd rather teach to a small group, because I feel like they can pay attention better when there aren't as many people." I strap Livy's diaper on and pick her up. She puts her head on my shoulder and sucks her thumb. My girls are too precious. "How was your day at work?"

"I'm glad you had a nice first day back, honey." Bea holds Tori close to her and rocks her. Tori's close to falling asleep. "My day was… uneventful. I can't wait to get out of the oncology ward though. I don't know how much longer I can deal with people dying around me, you know?" She kisses Tori's head and keeps rocking her. "Just a little bit longer until I graduate nursing school, though." She gives me a thumbs up.

I kiss her on her cheek and start to rub Livy's back to put her to sleep. "Yeah, you only have a bit longer to go." I put Olivia down in her crib and give her a kiss. "Who has to pick the girls up tomorrow? Are you gonna do it or do you want me to do it?"

"I'll get them tomorrow. I get off work at 2:30." Bea puts Tori down in her crib across from Livy's and walks over to me to give me a kiss. "Let's go on to bed… we both have long days ahead of us."

"Yeah, we do." I yawn. "Love you, babe." I put my arm around her waist and kiss her on her cheek again.

"Love you too." She says.