Thanks so much for reading and reviewing guys! Soo glad you like it! :D I know it seems like the demena relationship is going a little fast, but I promise there will be drama and quite a lot of it...so don't worry about it! And I have to thank wizardsofwaverlyplaceofficial and ennessjai for the ideas for the storyline... thanks guys! :)

Chapter 10

When I went to school the next day, the fear was back. As I walked down the street, I could feel my stomach turn inside out. I had come early so there was no-one around, but I knew there would be soon and was dreading it. I just hoped that Selena hadn't had a change of heart or worse, been joking all along. I think I would die. I would certainly never be able to go back to the school again. Just as I was about to walk into the school building I heard someone talking behind me.

"Look, there's the stupid bitch that got Selena kicked out." A snotty-sounding girl with an annoying, nasally voice said from behind. I whirled around to see her talking to one of the guys who used to spit at me when I walked past.

"Shut up Tracy. Just leave her alone." He said to her, avoiding eye contact with me. She just scowled and rolled her eyes.

"I thought you were preggers. Where's the baby? Did you give it up? Probably best. What kind of child would want a slutty fat bitch for a mother." She said harshly, smirking at me. I was surprised by how little it affected me; for the first time in a long time, I was able to hear her call me fat and realised that it was just a random insult. She probably didn't even think I was fat.

"Stop it, Tracey! You don't even know her!" the guy, Joe, said.

"So? I've heard all the rumours. Besides, aren't you one of the people that messed with her and fucked her up anyway?" she asked me. He blushed, looking embarrassed, but then took a deep breath in and looked me in the eyes.

"Yeah, I was. And I'm really sorry. There were so many rumours, and I don't know which were true and which weren't, but all of them said that you were screwed up because of the bullying. I get it if you can't accept my apology, but I want you to know that I really am sorry, and I will never forgive myself for what I did to you." He said. The girl, Tracey, stood there staring at him, her mouth open. I smiled tightly. I forgave him, of course. I forgave Selena, how could I not forgive others? But I was tensed up because of Tracey., Her dislike for me was obvious, and I was worried that she might jump me if I let her.

"For fucks sake, are you serious?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I am." He told her. She rolled her eyes and turned to stalk away. He watched her go, and I could see in his eyes that he was debating going after her. Finally, he shrugged and turned back to me.

"Screw her." He said, smiling at me apologetically. I started laughing, and he joined in, looking relieved.

"Who is she anyway?" I asked him.

"New girl, moved here from Washington not long ago. After a week she hated your guts. I was dating her, but I think that's probably over now. Anyway, she was always trashing you, I mostly just ignored it, figuring you weren't coming back so it didn't matter, but saying things to your face? That was taking it too far. I don't know what I saw in her; she really is a bitch." He said. I smiled. We had started walking together, into the school.

"I really hate it when people judge others without really knowing them. Especially if they've never even met them. I mean, I'm not saying she would love me if we knew each other. But she has no right to treat me like trash if she has never even spoken to me. It's totally pathetic." I sighed. He nodded in agreement.

"I don't know why I ever did those things to you, you know. I think it was just an unwritten rule; everyone hated Demi Lovato, so everyone treated her like crap. I'm not going to lie and say I always felt sorry for you and wished I could stop treating you that way. In truth, I never even thought about how you felt. I don't think anyone did. But now I do." He said honestly. I smiled at him, nodding.

"I believe you. And don't worry, I'm better now. But I didn't disappear because I was pregnant. I disappeared because I went to rehab." I whispered, aware that there were more people about now, and they were staring. Joe didn't seem to care.

"Oh my God. Things were that bad?" he asked, shock and anger written all over his face.

"Yeah it was. I was anorexic…and I cut myself. A lot. It got to the point where my mom and my sister couldn't take it anymore, and they signed me up for a nine-month rehabilitation course."

"And it worked?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course. I mean, look at me. Do I look anorexic to you?" I asked him jokingly, raising my arms to show off my curvy body. He smiled.

"Nah, you look beautiful." He said, then blushed when he realised what he had said. I dropped my eyes, embarrassed too, but decided not to ruin our new-found friendship by letting things get awkward.

"I know." I said seriously. He looked at me, surprised, before grinning when he saw the smir on my face.

"You're funny, Lovato." He said happily.

"Why thank you, erm…"

"Jonas. Joe Jonas." He told me.

"I knew you were called Joe, just didn't remember your last name." I assured him. I didn't want him to think I hadn't even known his name. He grinned.

"I'm glad. So, where are we going?" he asked me.

"I have to go to reception to let them know that I'm here and get all my things sorted out. I'm still in the same year. I just have to have a lot of tutoring to make up for the time I've missed." I sighed, not looking forward to the tutoring at all.

"Who's tutoring you?" Joe asked. I shrugged.

"They said they would be in the reception when I got there this morning, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see. You don't have to come with me, by the way, if you don't want to. I feel bad." I said, smiling at him awkwardly. He shook his head.

"I'm fine. I like talking to you. And now I want to know who's tutoring you." He said. I smiled, then realised we were outside of reception. Taking a deep breath, I reached for the door handle and pulled it open. And stood there, right in front of me, was Selena Gomez. I heard Joe gasp.

"What you doing here, Sel?" he asked tersely. She smiled.

"I'm here because apparently I'm not expelled anymore." She smiled at her.

"How'd you pull that one?" he asked her, subtly moving around me to stand between us. I assumed that he thought we would start fighting.

"I didn't. She did." Selena said, pointing to me and grinning madly.

"Oh, yeah." I said weakly. Selena rolled her eyes and stepped forward to hug me tightly.

"Thanks so much! My parents were so angry, with me and with the school and everything. The only other school close to us where I could have studied what I want to study is a big, expensive private school. But anyway, I don't need to worry anymore, because this little lifesaver actually just saved my life!" she squealed, hugging me again. Joe just stared at us both, looking awestruck.

"No problem Sel. I couldn't just let them kick you out. You weren't the only one who did this to me; they couldn't have punished you for what almost everyone was doing. That just wouldn't be right." I explained. She just shook her head.

"Yeah but you could have just let them punish me. I treated you the worst, and don't try to deny it because I know I did. And it was my fault anyone else hated you in the first place. But all that is going to change now, and I'm going to make up for making you have to go to rehab by making you smart again!" she said, hugging me a third time. I was hardly even surprised this time, and Joe seemed to break out of his trance.

"Careful there, Selena, you might make Cassie jealous." He warned jokingly. She turned to him, smiling.

"I see you and Dems have made friends? I'm assuming you apologised…" she said pointedly. Joe shook his head feverishly.

"Yeah, of course." He replied.

"Good. Then we can all be friends. I have to warn you, Dems…a lot of people still hate you, and a lot of them want nothing more than to see you cry. But they will leave you alone sooner or later. I mean, they'll see you hanging around with me and you'll be popular!" she joked, poking me in the side. I squirmed and squealed a little. I had always been sensitive to things like that.

"Don't poke me!" I giggled. Selena just laughed, and her and Joe attacked me. I was being assaulted by my only two friends in this school, yet I had never felt happier in this building.

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