I love how all of you are totally hating Selena right now. XD Then again, you have to see things from her point of view, you know? Besides, this chapter might make you like her a wee bit more :3

You know what I also love? YOU PEOPLE AND YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT AND FOLLOWS AND FAVORITE AND READING AND ALL OF DAT SO KEEP IT UP!

: ) Enjoy!

Demi

If she thinks I'm letting her go that easy, she's dead wrong.

Selena

Well, it's been a couple weeks since I last saw Demi. I can't exactly say I don't miss her because I do, and I don't know why. I feel so torn right now, and it's getting harder and harder to keep moving on through life without figuring out what's going on inside of me, and what it has to do with the celebrity.

She took the studio job, but from what the magazines are saying, she hasn't looked happy in a while. Her fans are desperate to know what's wrong, and I smile wryly at what I could be giving Taylor's magazine.

That's right, I started my work there. It's not that bad, and I've actually gotten a lot of money from photos I took of celebrities who come into Coopers. Yeah, I'm still working there, but can you blame me? Good pay, and Chad himself is really nice, too.

I'm there right now, actually, finishing my shift. Wiping my brow, I turn to my boss. "Chad, can I go now? My eight hours ended thirty minutes ago."

"Alright, fine, Russo. Thanks for the extra help."

He shoots me a bright smile and a wave, then continues working. I change back into my clothes and walk back to my apartment.

When I get to the door, there's a letter taped to it. Curious, I open it and read, the words in girlish, loopy writing.

SELENA,

THANK YOU FOR ACTUALLY OPENING THIS INSTEAD OF THROWING IT AWAY, FIRST OF ALL. SECOND OF ALL, I WANT YOU TO MEET ME AT MY HOUSE. WEAR SOMETHING NICE. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

-DEMI

Half sighing, I go to throw the note away. Why hadn't she just called me? I was listed in the phone book.

Of course, laughing to myself, I realize that she might not even have used the phone book in a while. These days, people just had to google others to get all the information they wanted. It's actually pretty creepy if you ask me.

I know I have to go, because the longer I sit here the more curious I get. On the other hand, I'm completely exhausted, and I just want to eat some dinner, go out for some photos, and then sleep until my next shift. She's lucky tomorrow is one of my days off, or I wouldn't have showed up. When it comes to waking up that early in the morning, you really need to sleep all you can.

Why was she telling me to go to her house? I thought she would be too embarrassed to see me again, what with everything going on. The main reason I was even bothering was because my stupid curiosity. If it wasn't for that, I would be staying home. It's probably best if I stay away from her anyway. Not for myself, but for her. I have to admit, being around her was amazing, but I have to look at this carefully.

What if I was in love with her? What happens then? Does she go out with me and be exposed to the world as gay, possibly ruining her career for the rest of her life? Does she go out with me and keep it a secret, making me feel like I'm not that important to her? Does she not go out with me and then just ruin our whole friendship plus any chance at a relationship? The way I see it, there's no way to win in this situation, so I might as well just forget about anything that might or might not happen. We're just friends, and barely that. I mean, we just met.

Following her earlier instructions, I dress up nicely, and do my makeup carefully. I did my hair carefully, then got in my car and drove to her house.

When I got there, the inside was lit up. At least I know someone's home. Breathing deeply, I walked up and knocked on the door.

Demi answered at once, smiling brightly. "Hey Selena!" she greeted happily, ushering me inside. I raised an eyebrow at her as I passed, wondering why she was acting like that day I rejected her never happened.

"Hi, can I ask you what I'm doing here?"

"Well," she started, still grinning widely, "you said we barely knew each other. So I figured I would get to know you better."

I gape at her. She was still trying to get me to go out with her? Or was this some other scheme I had no knowledge of. I give her the look.

"Don't glare at me," Demi laughs, taking me to where a huge dining room is located. I momentarily gasp at the candle lit environment. It looks like something from a movie.

"This looks an awful lot like a date," I mumble, not really thinking about it.

She obviously heard me. "It's not a date! I just wanted you to feel comfortable. We're just two friends. I need you to understand something, first, though. This is not something to try to get you to fall in love with me. I understand why you said no before, and it was good reasoning. I know how to take 'no' for an answer. I just want to know you better."

Half of me doesn't believe her, but I nod, flashing her a smile of my own. "Alright then."

I sat down in one of the huge chairs, and she took the spot across from me. I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit awkward. I was sitting in a candle-lit room having dinner with a girl who was 'just a friend.' Demi didn't have me completely fooled with her 'get to know me' stuff, I'm suspicious that she really is still trying to get me to like her, or at least to get me to say I love her.

This is all so confusing.

"Why don't we start of simple, like, what's your favorite food?" she folded her hands and stared intently at me, making me squirm under her gaze.

"Um, I really like, uh, Mexican cheeseburgers. I don't know, but the cheeseburgers at Mexican restaurants are always the best."

She got up abruptly and walked out, leaving me speechless. Had I said something wrong?

In the next room, I could hear her talking quietly into a phone. In a few minutes, she was back, smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry, but I had to take a call. Anyways, let me ask another question. If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?"

"A keyboard petal," I said at once. I loved my keyboard, but playing without the petal always made me feel like I wasn't doing as well as I could, I guess. I was so used to my parent's real piano, that when I moved out I had completely forgotten the one I had was an incomplete set.

"How many instruments do you play?"

"One."

Demi nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Is there another instrument that you want to learn to play?"

I nodded immediately. "I've always loved the violin, but my parents didn't want to pay for lessons." I tried not to sound bitter. "Justin's vocal lessons and his guitar lessons and his football and his secret club and his new clothes he had to have every other day and his…"

"Woah, slow down there Selena, I get the picture," Demi held up two hands. "Your brother got everything."

"Not everything," I hate to admit, "I did get something he didn't."

She looked surprised. "From the way you talk about him, he sounds like he would have everything you wanted. It's strange, because when I met him he seemed pretty civil. What did you have that he didn't?"

I run my hands in my hair. I wasn't yet sure what to think of this new side of Justin I never even thought existed. Maybe how I saw him was only because of my jealousy. Take away his fame, and he was just like the older brother I'd always had…. right?

"When we were younger, he got this huge recording set for Christmas. I was so mad, because it was the exact set I had wanted, and he hadn't even asked for it. Mom had heard him singing in the shower or something and thought he was the best singer she had ever heard, or something like that anyway. My package was tiny, and I was sure it was something I would hate. But when I opened the box…" I smile, the memory making me happy. "The present was a camera. My first camera."

Demi raised an eyebrow. "So Justin was fine you had something he didn't?"

I laughed. "Heck no. He had a fit."

"And I thought you didn't want to be a paparazzi when you were younger."

This is a touchy subject; I can hear it in her voice. She's trying to figure out what I wanted to be. She's hoping it's not a paparazzi girl. She's hoping that I wanted to be a singer.

"When I was very, very young," I confessed, "I wanted to be a famous pop star."

Her face lit up, but I can't let her think that's my current goals.

"But," I finish, "I grew up and realized that was never going to happen, so I decided I would be a photographer. Justin said there would be a lot of good photographer jobs here, and for some reason I trusted him. I was just out of high school, I was stupid, and I wanted out of my house. So, like an idiot, I followed his advice. When I went to work for The Now, I thought it was some sort of gallery." I laughed humorously. "It's pretty obvious how wrong I was."

"Why didn't you just quit?" she asked me.

I sighed. "Because I was already settled into an apartment with Jen, who I had only recently met. I didn't know if I could find a new job in time to pay the next rent, and even if I wouldn't mind living on the street for a week or a month, I didn't want to do that to her. So I stayed."

Demi opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door interrupted her. She walked over to answer it, and I heard her open the door, say some things, laugh, and then shut it again. When I next saw her, she was carrying a styrofoam package with a grin of triumph on her face.

When she set the thing down in front of me, I looked at her, confused.

"Open it," she gestured.

I listened to her and carefully lifted the lid of the box. The smell of food hit me like a wave of goodness, and I almost died. Inside was a cheeseburger and fries, and if the smell was correct, it came from La Palma, my favorite Mexican restaurant in time.

"I would say that you know me so well, but I just told you I like this stuff," I laughed before digging in. She watched me with a smirk on her face.

"I can't believe you asked me that so you could buy me dinner," I shook my head at her.

"Maybe next time I'll just put a gun to your head and demand you tell me," she rolled her eyes. "Of course I was going to ask. How else would I have known?"

"You might have hired personal stalkers or something," I mumbled around a fry.

This just made her chuckle. "Nope, no personal stalkers. Just this… and maybe some googling," she winked.

I wondered if she was joking or serious. Brushing this aside, I finished the meal in under two minutes. Usually it takes me longer, but I've gotten pretty hungry since my lunch break. When I take the last bite, I let the food settle in my mouth for a couple of minutes before swallowing.

"You really do like that stuff, don't you," she teases.

"Yes, I do," I stick my tongue out at her.

"You're welcome."

"Thanks."

Our eyes meet, but I look away quickly.

"Now I get to ask you a question," I say. I don't know what's gotten into me, but what I'm about to say could seriously mess up my entire life.

"And what is that?"

I stand up and walk over to her slowly, taking my time. Leaning over, I let my lips linger a couple inches from her own. "Do you still think you're in love with me?"

"Do I have to answer that?" Dang, she's cool under any circumstances.

"Well I know exactly if you are or if you aren't," I smile, wondering if she can sense it.

"Really?" Demi answers. She's smirking, I know it.

I pull back and face her, me standing and her sitting. "You're not!" I said in a singsong voice. She is gorgeous when she pouts.

"Tease."

"…yet," I finish, enjoying the way her eyes widen. The left one is practically twitching.

With that, I leave her, wondering what the heck I just got myself into.