Demi closed her eyes. She counted to three, hoping that the image she supposedly saw would just disappear. Unfortunately for her, two familiar boys were still sitting right in front of her. Their heads rose to get a good look at the figure standing above them. Nick's eyes fluttered quickly as he tried to regain his composure. Everything stood still in a moment of silence until Demi finally decided to do something.

"You," she pointed her finger at him. Nick's brown orbs widened as he absorbed Demi's death glare. He did not know what to expect. "Outside. Now," she spat. She looked over at Pixie who was utterly confused at this point. Joe shrunk back into his chair and started to play with his paper napkin.

The two weaved through the countless number of tables and finally stepped out of the restaurant into the ice cold weather. Nick felt the sudden change of atmosphere and stiffened up.

"You had no right to do that to her," Demi shook her head. She placed her hands on her hips and spat out venom in every inch of her words. "She really trusted you. You scumbag." At this point, all of Demi's emotional anger turned physical as she pushed Nick.

"Demi," Nick stuttered; he held is hands up in the air as a form of surrender, but it didn't seem to faze her.

"You hurt her," Demi squinted her eyes at him. She could feel his expression soften up a bit. This was a perfect opening. She raised her hand and left a scorching mark on his right cheek.

"Demi," Nick gasped as he took in the pain. He winced as the burning spread across his cheek. "I didn't mean to," he protested. He looked up at her but another hand flew at his other cheek. Nick stumbled backwards from the impact and gasped for breath. "I swear I didn't mean to hurt her."

"Really? Is that why she's such a fucking mess right now? Can you please heal her broken heart?" He stayed silent for a moment and Demi shook her head in disgust. She stomped her foot down and blinked, trying to hold back further anger. "You are pathetic. I want you to get the hell out of LA. If I ever see you in this city again, I swear- I swear you don't even want to know what's going to happen to you." She gave him one last dirty look and started to head towards the restaurant door.

"I'm not going anywhere-"Nick was cut off as Demi spun around sharply. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. She was about to open her mouth, but Nick continued on. "Do you know how much it would hurt to never see your sister again? Do you know how much it hurts that I really hurt her?" Demi's expression turned incredulous as she took in Nick's words.

"You're hurt?" she said in disbelief. She felt as though she could slap him again. Her hand was starting to lift up again, but Nick stepped a couple feet back for protection.

"You never listened to my side of the story," he fought back. He had the desperate need to tell Demi everything that had happened since he met Miley. Demi looked at her opponent and stayed solemnly quiet- she needed to her his excuse. After all, she had a nagging voice in her head that kept telling her that he really was a great guy.

"It started out that way, yes. But our first date- all of that was real. I did tip off the paps, but as soon as I did it, I regretted it. I promise, after that night I never did that sort of thing again. There's something beautifully amazing about your sister," Nick caught his words and closed his eyes as his memories started to invade him. "You don't know how much I love her and I would-"Nick was about to finish his confession, but he was cut off by Demi's gasp.

"You love her?" she looked at him. His body suddenly relaxed and he looked so vulnerable. He bent his head down and looked at the gray cement. "How can I believe you?" she whispered. And that's when she saw the glossy, beady drops of water making their way down his cheek. He shut his eyes. He was crying. His emotions were all out in the open and Demi saw every ounce of pain that was visible on his pale face. For the first time that night, she saw how weary his eyes looked. They were plagued with dark circles. His usually vibrant, brown irises were now dull with hurt.

"Yeah, I love her," he choked out. He turned towards the brick wall and pounded his fists. "I can't believe I messed this up," he tried to hold back his tears. Demi's heart dropped at the scene. She saw his tattered form and something within her changed. She felt the need to believe him. She felt the need to console him in all his misery.

"Nick," she tugged his sleeve. He looked towards her and she sighed. "You really love her, huh?" she asked. In return, she got a silent nod.

"Please, tell her for me?" Nick pleaded. His eyes looked so desperate.

"I can't Nick. You need to fix this yourself," Demi slightly shook her head. She wanted to help him, but what could she do? Nothing she would say would make Miley take him back. Miley needed to realize on her own that Nick truly did care about her. Nick's face fell in disappointment. "Hey," she cooed. "You'll find a way to show her you love her. If there's a will, there's a way."

"I really miss her," he whimpered. "I didn't want to go out on this date," Nick said absentmindedly. He looked towards the street and sighed. "Joe didn't want me to mope around the apartment." An awkward silenced settled in between the two.

"Hey, Nick," Demi choked out. Nick looked up at her. "You'll always look out for her, right?" she asked. Her voice was quivering and Nick nodded his head urgently. "Good, because she'll need you soon." And with that Demi walked back into the restaurant to get Pixie.


Demi tossed her hair to the back and straightened out her mini. She took a final look at her strappy shoes and turned towards her sister.

"You ready to rock it out tonight?" she teased her little sister. Miley gave her a soft smile and let out a giggle.

"Girl, you know how I do," she flipped her hand in the air and landed it back on her left hip. She laughed off the light moment and stepped towards her mirror, applying any finishing touches.

"Pix, you good in there," Demi yelled over her shoulder. I muffled reply came from the bathroom and Demi rolled her eyes. "We're going to leave without you." She heard a small yelp and suddenly the bathroom door swung open, revealing their blonde friend draped in a hot pink dress.

"Oo, la, la," Miley teased. She ran a free hand through her curly hair and walked towards the door. Pixie gave her a quick glare, but she laughed it off. "Finish your make up and I'll get the car ready," she informed.

Once the brunette was out of the room, Pixie threw her hands up in the air and sighed.

"Did you tell her?" she asked Demi. Demi's eyes wandered towards the dresser and ignored her friend's urgent question. "Demi?" she shrieked.

"What do you want me to tell her?" Demi snapped back. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her black purse from the bed.

"I don't know. The fact that we had dinner with her apparent ex-boyfriend." Demi had told Pixie the whole soap opera like plot on the car ride back home. It was the least she could do once she ruined Pixie's date.

"Pix, you know she won't handle that well."

"Please, you aren't giving her enough credit," she glared back. It was hard keeping a secret from Miley- especially when the girl was going through apparent misery.

"Nick needs to do this by himself," Demi explained. Her opponent sighed in defeat and started to head out the door. Demi trailed behind silently and the two made their way downstairs. They reached the car and hopped inside to find Miley talking to the driver.

"Hey, guys!" Miley bubbled. She reached over and closed the door. "Tonight is going to be a blast."

"Don't get too excited, Mi," Demi winked. Miley rolled her eyes in return and sat back comfortably. Before the girls knew it, the car parked itself before the red carpet. Pixie was the first one out of the car to greet the crowd of cameras. Miley followed and then Demi came after.

Miley was the first to get hounded by personal questions once they stopped for short interviews. She patiently answered the Nick questions and tried to shrug off anything that was getting to her. She was on her last stretch of interviews. She turned to look around for Demi, who was preoccupied with an interview of her own.

That was the most tiring thing about these movie premiers- meeting all the reporters. She walked towards Demi and linked arms, tuning into the conversation.

"So Demi, I love your dress. Who's the designer?" the unknown reporter gushed. She gave Demi a bright smile and flashed her pearly whites.

"Max Azria," she replied politely. She leaned onto Miley's shoulder and nudged her sister's side, a plea for help.

"We got to go," Miley lamely offered. Demi stiffened up and was about ready to leave the platform until the reporter blocked them one last time.

"Wait one question. Our channel is dying to know," the girl gave Demi a mischievous smile. The girls nodded their heads and the reporter continued on with her interview. "So did you break up with Nick because he was cheating on Demi?" The question was obviously directed at Miley. Demi's eyes widened in realization and her body stumbled a couple of inches back.

"What?" Miley gasped. "No, that's not why we broke up," she spat. She turned around to see a pale faced Demi.

"Look, I don't know what you guys know," Demi retaliated. Miley held her breath as she waited for Demi's explanation. "But that was a blind date," she responded. She mouthed a sorry to Miley and grabbed her sister's hand before sprinting into the theater.

"What happened?" Miley hissed once they closed the doors. Demi paced back and forth, trying to figure out the exact way to phrase the next sentence.

"Pixie's blind date was Nick. I swear I didn't know," Demi pleaded for Miley's attention. She saw her sister's face contort in pain as she processed the story. "Miley, I left as soon as I found out." She was about to add to that sentence, but it was best not to.

"I know you didn't mean it. The fact that you didn't tell me hurts."

"Mi, I swear I will never keep anything from you again," as soon as those words spilled out Demi gulped. She knew she couldn't hold that promise for long. Too many things were happening in their lives.

"You promise?" Miley meekly asked. She looked so soft and broken like a child whose innocence was lost.

"Yeah," Demi whispered. She gave her sister a hug and they embraced each other's warmth. Demi closed her eyes. She was in way too in over her head with all these lies. They would end soon, though. Miley was the first to pull away from the hug and she rushed through the doors into the public screening area.

As soon as she stepped out, her body slammed into a familiar form. She gasped for breath and looked up to see the face that had inconveniently toppled her over. Her eyes met a pair of brown circles. Her forehead creased and she immediately got up.

"Miley," he whispered. He reached out to her but she winced away. Demi finally came out of the private room and interrupted the awkward scene.

"Nick," Demi cleared her throat, allowing Miley to escape. Nick looked at Miley's retreating figure with disappointment.

"She isn't even talking to me?" Nick asked. His voice was so soft and delicate. Demi shook her head silently and rushed to Miley's side. She didn't tell Miley what else happened the other night and she didn't plan to. Nick had to fix this by himself. He had to show her he loved her.

"That was so awkward," Miley breathed. She stuffed her hand into her purse and searched for some lip gloss. "Hopefully, that doesn't happen again," she murmured. She glossed her lips and stuck her tube back into her black purse. Little did she know, that was the first of many Nick related occurrences she was going to have.


Miley flipped through her book and leaned into her arm chair. She shivered from the cold and curled up into a ball. It was late at night and she couldn't go to sleep. She heard her father's drunken murmurs from downstairs. It wouldn't be that much longer until he staggered into her room, looking for an outlet to his pent up frustration. She sighed.

The minutes passed by slowly and her eyes were drifting up. She was suddenly woken up as she heard heavy footsteps slam across the hallway floor. She whimpered. Demi's door squeaked open and she heard her father grunting. The door slammed shut and Miley's ears perked up to be able to hear well. All of a sudden her door flew open and Billy Ray tumbled in.

"Where is she?" he slurred. He swayed from side to side and clutched the bottle in his hands. Miley eyes widened- what was he talking about? Demi was in her room the last time Miley had seen her. "Where is she?" his voice gained volume. Miley shrunk back as he trudged toward her. She whimpered as his hand pounded her side.

"Daddy, please?" Miley cried as she winced in pain. She could feel the tears break out from her eyes. He slumped back and swayed around. She could see his face contort in pain as he started to lose his consciousness. He grabbed a hold of the wall and made his way towards the hallway. His eyes were sliding shut and he collapsed.

Miley's breathing started to slow down. She gasped in pain as she started lifting herself up. Her whole side was already sore and she could feel her skin burn. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain and walked to Demi's room. She opened the door to find an empty room. She saw a couple of drawers wide open and completely empty.

Miley's head was spinning in circles as she processed the image of Demi's room. It looked almost deserted. Her eyes finally landed on a notepad that was neatly laid on her sister's desk. Nothing was making sense to the brunette. She couldn't think clearly as she stepped closer to her sister's desk. She took a hold of the notebook and scanned the messy handwriting. She could feel her tears build up.

Miley read each word slowly to make sure her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. No matter how many times she read the damn thing, it had the same damn content.

Dear Miley, I can't go on like this. I have to leave. I hope you , Demi

And just like that, Miley's feeble world came crashing down. Her sister left her. The one person she could count on left her. She had no one.

a/N So yeah, the big thing with Demi was that she was going to run away. Re read the ATV chapter, I put a hint in there and I put so many in the beginning of the chapter. I didn't want to make it seem so abrupt, but she has been thinking about this for a long time. I hope you liked this chapter, I think its my favorite so far. I think. Haha. But yeah. This is just a minor subplot and will play an important role later on. These next two chapters will be a blast to write. So the next two events coming up are that Miley gets drunk and Miley and Billy Ray have a huge fight.