Chapter 13

"When I was 15 I found a new friend request on my facebook account, I found it was Joe, I got confused at first but I accepted it… and then he started talking with me, he told me that he wanted to make sure I'm okay and all, and that he found me by chance." Demi started her story.

"Yeah, he talked to me too when I was about 16 or 17, but it didn't last that much, sometimes we were both on and we didn't talk." Miley told her and nodded for her to continue.

"Yeah, not just you, he talked to Taylor too, at the same time he talked to me, and he told her the same, that he wanted to see if she's okay and that he found her by chance." Demi sighed. "Well, at first it wasn't that big of a deal with me, but as time passed I got used to talking with him that he became my best friend and I told him my problems and he helped me through them all.

We then started talking over the phone not just video chat, I found myself waiting for his call everyday. And after that the meetings, I mean we saw each other a lot, by that time he had already told me that he's not blood related with us, and you know, I couldn't help but feel happy that I'm allowed to fall for him; because I was falling for him. And one day, when I was 18 we were having our normal Friday dinner when he told me he liked me. I was on cloud nine. I admitted my feelings too and soon we were official. But it only lasted ten months." She looked at Miley with a sad smile.

"Why? What did he do?"

"He was playing all along."

"He didn't like you?"

"Neither me nor her." Demi shook her head, "He did the exact same with Taylor."

"What?" Miley's eyes widened. "He was dating the two of you?"

"Yes," Demi nodded, "Once, we were watching a movie in his apartment and he went to the bathroom and I opened his laptop and it logged on to his mail automatically and her face soon popped in my face saying "Hey babe." But she saw me and asked about who I'm. I told her I'm his girlfriend. He came out and his face soon got pale recognizing her voice and hearing her words."

"Whoa. What a jerk!"

"Me and Taylor talked later and found that he has been dating me for ten months and her for eight."

"Well, didn't he try to contact you after?"

"He did. A lot. But I only answered him once and told him to get away from me, and it was the last time we talked." She finished as silence filled the room for a while until Miley smirked breaking it,

"Until today."

"What?"

"Come on, you know what I'm talking about, you were there crying and he was holding you like Romeo and Juliet." She said dramatically and started mimicking them as Demi laughed and hit her with a pillow.

"Stop." She giggled.

"Oh, Demetria, I miss you my love. Oh, Joseph, sweet, sweet Joseph." Miley laughed along with Demi.

"Shut up." Demi laughed out loud.

"Seriously, Dem, did you hear him out?"

"Hear what? He was playing with us, Mi. He cheated on me with her and cheated on her with me." She shook her head chocking back her tears not wanting to cry.

"I know it looks too bad. I'm telling you he's definitely a jerk, but why did he try to call you after it? Doesn't that prove that he at least feel bad?"

"He should feel bad. Let him suffer like he made me suffer. Like he made her suffer."

"Did you love him?"

Demi looked up at Miley with wide eyes; she didn't expect that question. She feared that question because she feared thinking about it answer.

"I, um, I don't kn-"

"The truth, Demi." Miley demanded.

Her brunette cousin looked down thinking about it as she closed her eyes, "Yes, I guess so." She looked up at her again.

Miley looked at her sadly wondering if she should ask the harder question, she didn't think she'll tell the truth, but she asked anyway, "But, the more important question is: Do you love him?"

"I, um, well, honestly, I think I do." She looked down, "Miley, I didn't have true friends, back then when he started talking to me, he was my only true friend. Sure that made him special, and after that when I had real friends, I was always boasting about him and how much I adore him. He was my first friend, first boyfriend, first kiss and first love. And after what happened, I never had another boyfriend. My friends tried to hold some blind dates for me, but none of them worked, they were perfect, but they weren't Joe." By the time she finished, tears were already pouring down her face.

Demi shook her head; she knew that no matter what she said, she'd never be able to explain what happened to her back then. She can never explain the storm she was living in, her clouded mind, her rainy eyes, her foggy vision and the thunder that pounded in her head leaving the headache.

Miley looked at Demi through her tears also as she got up and wrapped her arms around Demi's shoulder as the cousin leaned her head on Miley's shoulder.

"It's been two years, Miley. But I don't seem to get over him."

"You know what, Dem, Joe will get what he deserves. We've been here for a while and it's getting kinda boring, so, let's have some fun, and Taylor can join us." Miley smiled through her tears as Demi looked at her observing.

"Are you kidding?"

"Of course not. He must not get away with this so easily. He already caused a lot of damage to you, who know what happened to Taylor too."

Demi smiled at her and nodded, "Will we make him suffer?"

"Oh yeah." Miley smiled evilly and held her hand up for her to high five as Demi wiped her tears and gave her a high five.

XxXx

Joe's eyes flew open hearing the knock on the door. He looked at his side seeing his heavy sleeper of a brother deep in sleep without any disturbers. Joe stood up and rubbed his eyes as the door knocked again and he went over to it opening it to see Sara smiling at him.

"Good morning Mr. Anderson."

"Yeah, good morning." He yawned.

"I'm here to inform you that Mrs. Anderson is downstairs."

"Mom?" he asked confused.

"Yes, she's here."

"Um, alright, thank you, Sara." He said as she smiled nodding and left him as he went inside his room and woke Nick up.

"What do you want?" Nick mumbled.

"Mom is here."

"What?" his head shot up horrified.

"Yup."

"Oh, shit. Does Delta know?"

"I don't know."

"Ugh." Nick hid his face in his hand.

"Good luck, man." Joe said and went to the bathroom.

Nick groaned frustrated, as if he needs more stress! His mother and his girlfriend never got along, and whenever they're at the same place, they start annoying each other.

A while after when he was ready to face it, Nick went downstairs and saw his mother sitting with all the girls in the house, including Delta.

"Hey, mom." He smiled as he went over to over to her hugging her.

"Oh, hey, sweetie. What a pleasant surprise I've found when I arrived here." She said pointing at Delta as Nick groaned, Delta rolled her eyes and the girls laughed obviously already figured the exchange of hatred and enjoying the scene.

"Yeah, Delta is staying with us for a while."

"What's wrong? You look tired."

"Yeah, slept late after last night's events." He yawned.

"What happened last night?" she frowned.

"You don't know? Why are you here then?"

"I'm just visiting. You got me worried, what happened?" she looked around for an explanation.

"Nothing, your secret is out and your niece here is a criminal." Delta said pointing at Miley who gave her a disgusted look.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Do you have something to defend yourself with? To prove it wasn't you?"

"No, but I-"

"Then shut the fuck up."

"Who do you think you're? This house is ours and we can throw you out anytime, you don't go around ordering us." Selena yelled at her surprising everyone.

"Stop everyone." Denise ordered, "What the hell happened?"

"I'll tell you, mom." Kevin said entering the room as everyone sat down again and Kevin started telling her everything from Erick's visit to Demi's incident.

"Oh my God." Denise had this horrified face as she looked at them all.

"Alright, I want to say I'm sorry for what I did, but I was mad at Taylor and you Joe." Selena stated and it was obvious that she was holding a huge weight over her shoulders while saying those words; everybody knew that she was pressured to apologize, probably by her sister.

"I-Is everyone okay?" Denise managed to ask.

"We're fine. But who knows for how long." Delta said looking directly towards Miley.

"Delta, that's enough. Shut up." Denise yelled at her as the girl's head snapped towards her with a glare then looked at her boyfriend who shrugged.

"I'm going to my room." She said aggressively and stormed out of the room.

"That's…" Denise stopped trying to find a suitable word.

"Horrifying?" Demi suggested

"Strangely horrifying."

"We have no idea who would do that, mom." Nick said shaking his head.

"I don't know, honey." She shook her head too, "But I know that what Delta's saying is bullshit." She said referring to Miley.

"I know," Nick mumbled.

"You really don't think it's me?" Miley asked her aunt who shook her head smiling.

"No, none of you. You wouldn't do that."

"Why didn't you want us to know you were… you know, adopted?" Selena asked her as Denise looked at her with a straight face and sighed.

"Because of your parents. I didn't mind them knowing when we were one big family, but now, they'd just bug the hell out of me. Especially, Robin and Richard."

"So, why didn't you tell them then?" Taylor frowned.

"Mom. Mom didn't want me to tell them, she wanted us to be the brothers and sisters we're, she didn't want them to look at me differently. Little did she know they would, anyway." Denise looked away and gave a sad smile.

"I don't get how such a close family can be so separated."

"You know, it was possible that we'd come close as before, but that was fifteen years ago. Now that time has passed, it's kinda impossible."

"Don't tell me you moved on, you loved each other."

"I can't tell you about that!" she shook her head, "Anyway, let's change the subject, What do you want to eat on dinner?"

Denise chatted with her sons, her nieces, and her nephews almost the whole afternoon. They figured that she's actually a cool woman to be with, she was kind with them and funny, and the most thing that amused the girls was that she annoyed the hell out of Delta.

Even though I didn't get that much of reviews last chapter… but I decided to update this one anyway!

So, what do you all think about Joe now?

And… did you see the cover I just added for the story? :DD I spent soooo long on it because it's like my second time I try to edit photos like this.. but it's worth it really :DD what do you think about it?