~ONE MONTH LATER~
"Banner! Wake up!" Kelsie yells.
She lightly slaps my cheeks, but I keep my eyes tightly closed, resisting the urge to laugh.
"Five more minutes," I groan.
She huffs, and I can feel her slight weight ease up from the mattress. Suddenly, cold moisture splashes onto my face. I sit up abruptly to find Kelsie holding an empty glass.
"Please tell me that was water," I drag my palm down my face in an effort to wipe away the liquid.
"Duh," she smirks, setting the glass on my nightstand.
With a groan, I flop my head back onto my pillow and shut my eyes.
"No, you're getting up right now," Kelsie insists, tugging at my blanket. "And put some clothes on, Banner! This isn't a photo shoot for men's underwear!"
Even though I'm trying to fall back asleep, I can't help but chuckle.
"Why do you want me to get up so badly?" I return to my sitting position.
Her jaw drops, and she smacks the back of my head.
"Ow! What was that for?" I rub my head with a frown.
"Does meeting Demi hot as fuck Lovato ring a bell?"
"First off: watch your mouth. Second: that's today?"
She nods with a 'duh, stupid' expression.
"Shit," I groan again, rising to my feet.
"I asked a girl on Twitter what's a reasonable time to show up, and she said around six thirty," Kelsie informs.
"What time is it now?" I yawn.
"Eight."
I widen my eyes.
"You got me up at eight when we don't have to leave for another nine hours?"
"We have to get ready, and you have to dye my hair," she shrugs.
A couple of days ago, I took Kelsie shopping to buy a couple of little things for the concert such as glow jewelry and a purse to carry her phone, camera, money, and everything else in. Not only did she get that, but she also got a whole new outfit, black-light sensitive makeup, and temporary hair dye.
"Fine," I huff. "Do we have enough time to squeeze breakfast into your busy schedule?" I sarcastically inquire.
"You might, but I-,"
"Oh, no, you're eating."
"But-,"
"Nope."
"Banner,-"
"No, Kelsie."
She huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. I crouch and lift her up over my shoulder.
"Put me down, Banner!" She screeches, pounding her tiny fists against my bare back.
"No can do," I smirk, entering the kitchen.
I place Kelsie on the counter. She glares at me.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Nothing."
I shoot her a look, holding the refrigerator door agape.
"Nothing."
"That's not a good enough answer, Kels."
"Absolutely nothing."
Rolling my eyes, I rummage through the fridge. Deciding that I want pancakes, I grab a container of blueberries.
"Eat," I command, setting the fruit beside Kelsie.
She just sits there.
"I won't hesitate to use force."
She sighs, hesitantly removing the lid. She picks up one blueberry and squints at it, scrutinizing it.
"It's not going to grow legs and walk, Kelsie, so just eat it."
With an eye-roll, she pops the piece of fruit into her mouth. As she slowly munches on the blueberries, I mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
"You're actually going to cook something?" She snorts.
"I can cook well!"
"You might be able to, but you never do cook; therefore, there is no proof."
Ignoring her, I add milk, egg, and oil and mix until smooth. I remove a pan from one of the cabinets and set it on one of the stove burners.
"Don't forget to slightly oil it first," Kelsie chimes.
Knowing this already, I loudly shake the oil bottle for emphasis before lightly coating the pan. I turn the burner on to medium heat and pour the batter into the pan.
"Now, we wait," I turn away from the stove to see Kelsie actually eating the fruit. "How many have you had?" I question, referring to the blueberries.
"Like, five."
"Want some watermelon?"
She glares but doesn't respond. I set the container of watermelon down beside her anyways, snatching a chunk for myself and popping it into my mouth.
"Your pancake is going to burn."
I hurriedly flip it as Kelsie laughs at my expense.
~
I slice my three pancakes as Kelsie pokes at her one pancake with her fork.
"Eat at least half, baby-girl."
She nods, slicing off a miniscule piece. After each of my pancakes are sliced up, I drown them in butter and syrup.
"What?" I ask, noticing that Kelsie's face is scrunched up in disgust.
She shakes her head. I return the butter and syrup to the middle of the table, even though I know that she doesn't want any. I sprinkle a handful of blueberries onto my plate before proceeding to shovel a forkful into my mouth.
"So, what have you heard about Demi's tour so far?"
"That it's epic and beautiful and fun," she smiles, pushing around the sliced up pancake.
"That can't be all."
"It is, unless you want me to rant for hours."
I laugh softly, taking another bite of my pancakes. She hesitantly stabs a piece of her bare pancake, bringing it to her lips even more slowly. Her face as she chews the one, tiny bite is what kills me: distorted, twisted up in pure disgust and despair with eyes that beg for the pain and hopelessness to be taken away. It is when she swallows that I decide to speak.
"Do to your body as you would want Demi doing to herself."
She stares blankly at me.
"Would you want Demi to starve herself?"
She vigorously shakes her head.
"What about purging up her food or self-harming?"
Another head shake.
"What about..." I trail off, thinking about the pills that Kelsie had in her room on New Years. "What about downing a whole bunch of pills and attempting suicide?"
With wide eyes, she gives me another shake of her head.
"Then don't do it to yourself. Give yourself the same treatment as you would want Demi giving herself."
"But I'm not her, Banner. I'm not strong or beautiful or talented or-,"
"You're all of those things and then some, Kels."
"Whatever," she grumbles, forcibly stabbing another piece of pancake and shoving it into her mouth.
~
"What are you doing?" She inquires upon entering the bathroom with her clothes in her hand.
"Well, as much as I hate to say it, I don't trust you alone after eating, so I'm sitting right here while you shower."
"That's weird, awkward, and an invasion of privacy," she comments with raised eyebrows.
"It's better than you purging or harming yourself," I retort.
She rolls her eyes.
"The more time you spend developing an attitude about this, the less time you have to get ready for the concert."
With a glare, she stomps over to me and tosses her towel over my head.
"Don't look," she demands.
"No problem."
I hear shuffling, followed by the shower curtain being moved and the water being turned on.
"Sing to me, Kelsie."
"Why?"
"So I know you're not doing anything you shouldn't be."
"What should I sing?"
"Whatever you want to sing."
She sings Courage by Superchick, I Bleed by Outcast Youth, and Why by Rascal Flatts. After that, the water is turned off, and I can hear the rustling of the shower curtain.
"You can remove the towel now, Banner."
I pluck the towel off of my head to find her wearing a black tee-shirt underneath a black, leather jacket with black jean leggings, and black combat boots. I nod approvingly, although I slightly wish that she didn't wear so much of the morbid color all of the time.
"Now, cover your clothes with some towels," I order, grabbing the can of temporary dye.
"I told you we should've just went to a salon," she grumbles.
"Way to have faith in your older brother, Kels."
"Ready?" I ask, opening the can and aiming it towards her hair.
Biting her lower lip, she warily nods.
~
"How does it look?" She wonders with eyes squeezed tightly shut.
"You'd definitely stand out," I weakly offer.
Snapping her eyes open, her hands fly towards her hair as a strangled sounding gasp escapes her lips.
"What the hell did you do?" She growls.
"Followed the instructions," I mutter.
"It looks like pink cotton candy puked all over my head!" She shrieks, her voice cracking, causing me to wince.
"Well,-"
"Fix it!"
"Okay, okay, sheesh."
I soak a washcloth and wring the excess water out of it. Going from her roots to her tips, I begin to wash out all of the Halloween looking dye from her now stiff hair.
~
An hour later, her hair is dry and soft again.
"All done," I smile, setting the hairbrush on the counter of the sink and admiring my work.
"My roots are still pink," she deadpans.
"It's barely noticeable," I reassure. "It's not like anybody will actually be paying attention to your hair anyways," I shrug.
With a heavy exhale, she nods. I clean up my mess and return to my room to get ready.
~
"Holy shit," I mutter upon entering the parking lot of the arena. "This is a lot of cars."
"Well, what did you expect? We're here for Demi Lovato!" She squeals her idol's name as I resist the urge to laugh.
I slow the car down as we approach one of the staff members directing traffic.
"Don't hit him, Banner," Kelsie giggles.
"He's wearing a neon yellow visibility vest and is waving around an orange, glowing traffic baton," I deadpan. "Don't worry about me running him over."
I roll down my window.
"You're going to want to take the first left up ahead and someone will direct you where to go," the man directs
"Thank you," I offer a small wave, rolling my window back up and following his instructions.
After turning the left, I drive a little ways and turn right upon noticing a guy blocking the rest of the path, pointing his baton to a line of parking spaces. I claim the final space in the line and shut the car off.
"You ready?" I grin.
"Yes!" She bounces in her seat.
"Don't you dare start crying before we even get inside the building," I tease, already noticing that her eyes are becoming glassy.
"I just might, Banner," she chokes back a laugh. "Or puke. My stomach feels all fluttery, like in those stupid romance novels. I'm so nervous, Banner! Oh my gosh, what if I make a complete fool of myself in front of her? What if they take the picture and my eyes are closed? Or my hair's a mess? Or-,"
"Kelsie," I clamp my hand over her mouth to silence her amusing rambling. "Breathe. What's that breathing mantra thing that you're always mumbling?"
Her voice is muffled against my palm.
"Sorry," I mutter, removing my hand from her face.
"Breathe in strength, breathe out weakness."
"Well, tonight we're changing that. Tonight it's going to be," I pause, wracking my brain for ideas. "Breathe in confidence, breathe out worry. How does that sound?"
"I like it," she nods with a small smile.
"Great!" I open up my car door. "Because I don't think I'll be able to come up with a better one."
She giggles.
~
"I think we're going to be the last ones to meet her," Kelsie groans, standing on the tips of her toes and craning her neck to try to see around the people in front of us before turning and looking at the lack of a line behind us.
"Well, I guess the best will be saved for last."
She rolls her eyes with an impatient expression.
"Hey," I place my hand on her shoulder. "You'll get to meet her."
She nods with a sigh, checking the clock on her phone for the billionth time. Shoving her phone back into her pocket, she sighs again and taps her foot as we continue to wait.
~
Kelsie was right about us being last in line, but at least it's finally her turn.
"Oh my god, you're Demi Lovato!" She nearly screams.
"I think she's aware of her own name," I snort, receiving an elbow to my ribcage by my sister.
Demi laughs. Since when does the chick have pink hair? It actually suits her.
"Hi, sweetie," Demi greets with a wide smile. "What's your name?"
"Kelsie."
"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."
She has probably said the same thing to every other girl before us.
"I, uh," Kelsie bows her head. "Thanks," her voice is a mumble, barely audible.
"Hey," Demi tilts Kelsie's head upwards. "You may not believe me right now, but trust me when I say that you are beautiful. One day, I promise you that you'll be able to look in the mirror and be happy at what you see. Now, how about that picture?" Demi grins.
Kelsie eagerly nods. Demi wraps her arm around my sister's shoulder, leading her towards the camera.
~
"Stay strong, okay?" Demi smiles after the picture is taken.
"I'll try," Kelsie nods, soon joining my side again.
"Take the money that I gave you and go get some merchandise while I get something to drink, okay?"
She nods, about to run off, but I grip her arm.
"Do you want anything?"
She shakes her head.
"Just hurry up, Banner!" She commands before practically running towards the front of the venue.
I'm about to follow her when I hear my name.
"Banner, is it?"
"Uh, yeah," I turn around to face Demi.
"Here," she smiles, handing me two laminated VIP passes on separate lanyards. "I'm allowed to have two specially selected guests from the meet and greet of each venue visit me backstage after the concert," she maintains her smile, sounding as if she has repeated that line quite a few times. "Honestly, I forgot about the passes until now," she laughs and rolls her eyes.
"Thank you," I breathe in awe. "Kelsie will love this."
"I bet she will," Demi chuckles. "She seems like such a sweet girl! A word of advice, though: surprise her. Don't tell her about the passes until after the concert."
"Will do," I smirk, already envisioning Kelsie's face when she sees the passes.
"This may seem like an odd question, but do I know you from somewhere?" She cocks her head to the side.
"Uh," I rub the back of my neck. "I don't think so," I chuckle uncomfortably. "I mean, I highly doubt it."
Who would a celebrity mistake me for? Why does she think she has seen me before?
"Huh," she hums, studying me before shaking her head. "Sorry that I'm acting all weird and probably freaking you out, but you just seem really famil-,"
"Demetria!" A feminine voice interrupts. "You're on in less than five!"
"Goddamnit, Natalie, I know when I'm needed on stage!" She rolls her eyes. "And you know to call me 'Demi', you bitch, so cut it out with the 'Demetria' shit!"
"Will I ever see you again, Demetria?"
"I don't know, but, if you do, call me 'Demi'."
Kelsie was not kidding when she said that her idol swears like a sailor.
"Sorry," Demi combs her fingers through her hair. "That was my annoying-,"
"Assistant," we say in unison.
She arches an eyebrow.
"I live with a 'Lovatic'," I shrug.
"Right," she giggles.
Damn, her giggle is adorable.
"Like I was saying, I guess you just have one of those faces."
"You just remind me of someone."
"I guess I just have one of those faces."
"Uh, yeah, I guess so," I half-heartedly agree, shaking off the flashbacks from New Years.
Suddenly, a woman wearing a white and blue tee-shirt with Demi's face plastered on the front of the shirt joins us.
"Quit flirting," the woman teases, gripping Demi's arm. "Your 'Lovatics' are awaiting their Queen," she informs in a posh accent.
Demi shakes her head, biting back a smile.
"I'm not flirting, Natalie. Was I flirting with you?" She asks me.
I can't help but laugh.
"I apologize for my friend's, er, boldness," Natalie smirks.
"Are you calling me a whore?" Demi raises her eyebrows.
"Not unless you get paid."
Demi gasps, but I can tell that she's not actually offended.
"Fuck you!"
"You'd like to, wouldn't you?" Natalie cheekily retorts causing Demi to laugh.
"I'll see you backstage?" She questions me as Natalie tugs her in the opposite direction.
I nod with a smile.
"I can't wait to see Kelsie freak out," she excitedly grins.
With a wink and a small wave, she turns her back towards me, keeping stride with Natalie.
"Who's Kelsie?" I hear Natalie wonder as I'm shoving the passes into my back pocket and turning on my heel.
I don't hear Demi respond.
"You winked at him, Demi," I can practically hear the smirk in Natalie's tone. "You like him! You totally like him," Natalie holds the "o" on the word 'totally'.
"Shut up, Natalie!" Demi squeals. "I hardly even know him."
ns 15.158.61.46da2
