"Demi!" I charge down the stairs the next morning, absolutely furious.
"What?" Both her and Nick stare at me curiously. "What's your problem?"
"My problem is you! Where's my stuff?"
"What stuff?"
"Don't play dumb," I scoff. "I wake up and and am about to take a shower when I realize that all of my pants are gone, except for a pair of shorts, and all of my makeup is gone. Where the hell did you put it all?"
With the most confused expression I've ever seen, Demi walks upstairs to my room, and I trail after her.
"See!" I exclaim as she looks through my nearly empty closet and drawers.
"Bailey, I seriously don't know what happened."
"Well, I don't believe you. You're so sure that I harm myself, right? You'd do anything to try to prove something that isn't even true to begin with."
"I'm sure the entire city can hear you two screaming at each other," Nick enters the room, and I glare at him.
"You're a part of this, too, aren't you?"
"Bailey, neither of us know what is going on."
"You seem pretty upset for someone who doesn't cut," Jordan says, leaning against my doorframe.
It then clicks.
"I hate you!" I lunge for her without even thinking, but Demi snakes her arms around my abdomen and holds me back.
"Jordan, give her her stuff back," Demi orders, still not releasing my squirming body.
"No. Why should I? You want the truth, right?"
Realizing that I'm not helping my case, I stop fighting, and Demi warily releases me.
"Fine. I'll just wear my pajamas all day, no big deal."
"You can't do that today," Demi shoots down my genius plan.
"Why not?"
"My family's coming over. Nick, your family's coming over, too, right?"
He nods.
"They want to know why the media suddenly believes that 'Nemi' is real."
"And, Jordan, your dad's coming over."
"I'm not talking to him."
"You're not expected to."
"If people are coming over, I need clothes to change into and makeup to apply," I state the obvious.
"I disagree with the makeup part," Nick says.
"And you have shorts in your closet," Jordan smirks.
"Jordan, just bring her stuff back in here," Demi sighs.
Rolling her eyes, Jordan sulks off to retrieve my belongings, I'm assuming.
"Here," She plops the pile of pants on my bed along with all of my makeup. "Happy now?"
"Very. Now, everybody get out, so I can get ready."
Jordan stays behind after Nick and Demi leave, hovering in my doorway.
"Bailey?"
"What?" I snap.
"Do you really hate me?"
"No."
She mutely nods, finally exiting my room, and I shut my door behind her.
~
"She looks like Nick," Denise, Nick's mother, says,
"No, she looks like Demi," Joe contradicts.
"She looks like both of them," Alena tells.
"I feel like a zoo exhibit," I mutter. "Jordan, where did Nick and Demi go?"
"They left us to fend for ourselves," She chisels away at her peeling nail polish. "Awkward."
"Let's pray that the neighbors don't call the cops," She furrows her eyebrows at my words, but I ignore her and emit an ear-piercing wail.
"What the hell, Bailey?" Demi snaps.
"Nice of you two to finally join us," I smirk. "Thanks for running, by the way. Maybe you two actually do care. Now, they," I point at Nick's family. "are interrogating me."
"They want to know why Bailey looks so much like the both of you," Jordan corrects. "I mean, it's obvious, but I guess you guys had the world fooled pretty well."
"What's obvious?" Kevin wonders.
"Genetics?" I offer. "Just a thought."
"I am so close to sending you both upstairs," Demi pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Can you? Oh, wait, no, Wilmer's not here yet," I pause. "Speaking of which, Nick, do you own a shovel?"
He shoots me a dry expression.
"Is that a no, or....?"
"Sarcasm here is my daughter," Demi rolls her eyes.
"Aw, I get a nickname," I coo, dramatically placing my clasped hands over my heart.
"I told you guys," Joe triumphantly states.
"Then why does she look so much like Nick?" Alena retorts.
"She doesn't."
"Yes, she does."
"No, she doesn't."
"Alena," Kevin interferes. "For two seconds, think about what you're saying. Nick and Demi have never been an item."
"So?" She snorts. "No offense, Demi, I love you and all, but, Dad, it's Demi we're talking about here."
I can't help but laugh.
"How am I not supposed to find that offensive?"
"Well..." Nick trails off when he notices Demi glaring at him.
"You've done thrown yourself right into a ditch, dude," I chuckle.
"Can everybody be quiet for, like, five seconds?" Denise snaps, and I arch an eyebrow, wondering who this woman thinks she is.
Everybody is silent as the woman's gaze flickers between Demi and Nick, to me, and back again.
"Demi?"
"You always did say that I picked the wrong son," Demi sheepishly mumbles.
"Mom!" Joe gapes.
"Oh c'mon, Joseph, get real," Denise rolls her eyes.
I silently laugh to myself, thinking that maybe I am related to these people afterall.
"When?" Denise returns her attention to Demi.
"Does the Neon Lights Tour ring a bell?" I interject.
"Vaguely," Denise furrows her eyebrows. "Nick, weren't you on that tour with Demi?"
"Yeah," He slowly replies, as if waiting for her to connect the dots.
Realisation flashes across her features, and she turns to me.
"Hi," I wave. "Nice to meet you. I was conceived on the back of a tour bus."
"Would you quit telling people that?" Demi hisses.
"Would you rather me lie?"
Suddenly, Denise smacks the back of Nick's head.
"Mom!"
"You never told me anything! You gave this little girl up, Nicholas! How-,"
"Actually, that was all me," Demi sheepishly corrects. "Nick begged me not to give her up. He even went as far as saying that'd he put his entire career on hold if it meant me keeping her. I was stubborn. I couldn't let him threaten his career like that. I," she sighs. "I was selfish."
"You weren't-,"
"Quit trying to defend me," She cuts Nick off. "I love you, but you have to let me own up to my faults sometimes."
"Did she just say that she loves him, or am I hearing things?" Jordan whispers in my ear.
"No, I heard it, too."
"Aw," she coos, and I roll my eyes.
"Y'know, just because you two whisper doesn't mean that we can't hear you," Demi smirks. "We're all in the same room."
"Wait," Alena pipes up. "What about Wilmer? Weren't you with him at the time?"
"Alena!" Kevin scolds.
"What?"
"Kevin, it's fine," Demi reassures, then turns to Alena. "Kind of."
"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Alena pauses. "Oh, wait, there's this girl at my school who's constantly breaking up with her boyfriend, but he won't allow her to date anybody else when they're on a break, and," her face flushes when she notices everyone staring at her like she's crazy. "I'm rambling, sorry."
"This shit goes on in high schools, too?" Nick gapes, then looks between Jordan and I. "Well, I'll see you all on prison visitation days."
"I was nineteen when it started," Demi points out. "And would you quit going around threatening to kill every guy that has done something bad?"
"Do you want our girls going through what you've been through?" He retorts.
"Wait, so am I right?" Alena wonders.
"Yes," Demi admits.
"But you guys always looked so perfect," Alena frowns.
"We're actors," Demi bitterly smiles.
"What else has been happening?" Denise looks at Demi knowingly.
"Nothing," Demi toys with her fingers, and Nick rolls his eyes.
"Wilmer beats her."
"He doesn't beat me."
"What do you call it, then, Demi?"
"He drinks, and he gets mad. It's as simple as that. I'm the one that-,"
"Demi, if you say that you're the one that provokes it, I swear to God I'll kill him."
She falls silent.
"Baby," Dianna approaches Demi; Demi's side of the family has been strangely quiet, but, then again, they do know more. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why didn't you tell anyone that it was this bad?"
"Because it's not! Nick's exaggerating!"
"Demi-," The doorbell interrupts her.
"I'll get it," I jump to my feet. "It's probably the cops wondering what the hell all of this screaming and shouting is about."
I open the door only to be greeted by the sight of Satan himself.
"Nick, I'm going to be needing that shovel," I glare at Wilmer.
ns 15.158.61.50da2
