Scarred Soul (Nemi)

Part 7

When she entered the school building, Demi looked over her shoulder at the gate and watched Nick's car slowly disappear. Her steps stopped, and she sighed as she recalled her last conversation with Nick before exiting his car.

"Maybe I'm the type of person who never stays in one place for too long."

"So you won't be in LA for long as well, I guess?"

Though she said it candidly, those words carried deeper meaning than a simple question. Knowing Nick was now living in Los Angeles was exciting enough, but her emotions were all over the place when Nick said that. The optimist in her was pleased with how things were going so far. That was a good restart. In fact, she was looking forward to spending more time with him. She enjoyed having him around and had no reason to be sad if he left someday. She would be grateful for the memories they shared.

On the other hand, she couldn't shake off the fact that he would leave again, if not sooner. She was aware of the strong attraction she felt toward him, and she liked the feeling. But she knew deep down in her heart that there was something holding her back from acting on the feeling – insecurity. Most of the men she had trusted in her life had left her, including her father. Some of them even left her with bad memories. So the big question that kept circling in her mind was: what would happen if she decided to act upon her feelings? Would she find happiness within those feelings, or would she be hurt again?

All in all, she tried not to care much. They were friends, and she understood that even if he left someday, they could still be friends. A long-distance friendship would not be as complicated as a long-distance relationship. As long as Nick still wanted to be her friend, she would take the chance and try not to be worried about what might happen in the future. Nevertheless, those were just nagging thoughts in her head. Only God knows if they were fated to fall in love and possibly be in a relationship. Just let the time decide. A small voice calling her name brought her wandering mind back to the present.

"Miss Lovato." A third-grade girl was approaching her with a backpack hung over one shoulder and a piece of paper in her hand. "Can you help me practice 'Let It Go' today?"

Demi smiled at the girl. She was one of Demi's students; she was the most talkative and also the most creative. "Yes, of course, Judy. We'll practice the song later. Are you ready for the class?" The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go." Demi motioned the girl to the class as she walked behind her. It was time to get back to business in the real world.

**************

Days had passed, and nothing much had changed in Demi's life to date. Her daily routine remained the same; she taught music classes in the morning until noon and organized vinyl shelves until midnight. It was a Thursday, and class had ended a few minutes earlier than usual. However, the rain began to fall again halfway through the class, trapping most of the students inside the school while they waited for their parents to pick them up. "Don't forget to put on your jacket, and please don't play in the rain or you will get cold." She announced it to the class while wiping the white board. A minute later, she heard someone knocking at the door.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Anderson. Please come in." Demi smiled welcomingly at the Principal. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The Principal smiled back at the music teacher as she took a few steps further into the empty classroom. "It's pouring outside, and we're going to be stranded in this building for a while, so I just want to make sure everything is fine. Oh, I heard about the audition you had a few days ago. How was it?"

"It was good. It was pretty much like the open mic session, but in a better studio with professionals and music executives. But I haven't heard from them yet." Demi briefly explained to the Principal.