"Selena, wake up." I heard a whisper in my ear followed by hot breath on my neck. "Come on, Sel. Please." Goosebumps pricked my skin.
I immediately sat upright as soon as I heard sobs. Demi's sobs.
"Demi. What's wrong? Come here." I rasped before engaging her into my arms tightly. I played with her hair and soothed her by whispering sweet nothings into her ear. I didn't stop until she pulled away.
She used her hand to wipe away any lingering tears. "Go back to sleep. It's 2:39am."
"Demi. What happened?" How could she think I would just leave this? That I was going to act like everything was okay, when I knew it wasn't?
"Drop it. Go to sleep." She husked before putting as much space between us that she could and drifting off into a deep sleep.
She was driving me insane.
~
I woke up the next morning due to my alarm once again. I couldn't tell you how much I wish I could just drop out of college and go home. My life seemed so much easier back there. So much less...complicated. The first thing I noticed was that a sleeping Demi was no longer beside me.
"Turn that fucking shit off." I smiled at the familiar voice but frowned as soon as I realized that getting Demi up in the mornings was nothing but pure hell.
"Get up, Demetria." I sang as I made my way to the bathroom, clothes in my arms.
"Try and make me." She challenged.
I stopped in my tracks.
"Challenging me, are you?" I raised my eyebrow.
I was answered with a giggle.
I shook my head and half smiled before walking over to her bed. I sat down and pulled the blanket down slightly.
"Don't make me tickle you." I said sternly.
"Not ticklish." She stuck her tongue out.
"We'll see." I challenged her and jumped on her, tickling her as much as I could.
Her laugh filled the room and it felt like music to my ears. Loud and calming. Those were the only words to describe the magical sound that escaped her lips when she was laughing.
After a few kicks, eblows and headbutts, she reluctantly dragged herself out of bed.
"I'll get you back. Your ass is mine." She warned me.
I put my hand up to my mouth and jokingly acted shocked.
She smiled at me as she ran her fingers through her hair. "About last night-"
"Don't worry about it, Dems." I interrupted her.
"I like it when you call me that."
~
Trying to focus during my lecture was like someone with no legs trying to walk across a thin piece of wire in the air, impossible.
My mind kept drifting back to Demi. The more I thought about her, the more I wanted to know her but her being a closed book made that very hard and very frustrating.
I was interested in her. Not in a way that I wanted to know what it would feel like if I was panting underneath her naked body, but in the way that I wanted to know how her mind worked. I wanted to know how her brain was wired and what made her feel so damaged inside that she needed to damage herself on the outside.
She was beautiful. No, she was so much more than that. Words could not express the beauty within her. Words could not describe the way she held herself. She was so strong on the outside but on the inside she was like a little girl who was lost in a big city.
I knew that feeling all too well.
~
I walked my exhausted body to my dorm after what was meant to be a long day of work, but was instead spent with me trying to figure out ways to break Demi's walls down. They were so high that you couldn't climb them and so strong that you'd need a sledgehammer to break them. Unfortunately, I had to break them down.
Every body has cracks in their walls, I knew that because that's how the light gets in. I knew Demi had cracks in her walls, because she would shine brighter than the sun, meaning that the light was getting in.
Instead of breaking her walls down and leaving her completely vulnerable, I knew I had to find those cracks and squeeze slowly through them. I would pour my love into her slowly and then all at once.
~
"Long day?" I heard her raspy voice.
"Something like that." I smiled, sitting upright on my bed.
"Same."
"What are you doing tonight?" I questioned.
"The same as every night. Why would you even ask?" She laughed.
"You party way too much." I whined.
"Sorry, Mum." She retorted sarcastically. "I need to get ready."
She made her way to the bathroom, leaving me alone again, trying to figure out ways I could get in between the cracks. I needed to do it. I needed to know her.
~
I was awoken by Demi sitting on the end of my bed. I hadn't even realized that I fell asleep. I wiped my sleepy eyes and sat up.
"Hey." My voice was hoarse due to my little nap.
"I'm gonna go. Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah, Dem." I half smiled.
She lifted herself off of my bed and started to make her way out of our dorm.
Without thinking I stood up. "Demi."
She turned herself around on the heel of her boot and shot me a smile. "Mm?"
I gulped and walked towards her slowly.
Once I reached her I grabbed her wrist and instinctively she pulled away.
I looked her in eyes. "Let me."
I grabbed her wrist again, gently lifting up her sleeves, revealing numerous scars, white and purple and also fresh ones.
I swore I could hear my heart shatter.
"It will be okay." I stated softly.
She scoffed. "Like you'd know."
"Demi," my voice cracked.
It was now or never.
I turned my left arm over and cautiously lifted up my sleeve revealing the scars that littered my skin.
"It will get better."
