The Ultimate Sacrifice

Chapter 1 Part 2: The First of Many Goodbyes

I pressed my head against the cool window of the van, watching the trees pass by as we went along.

"There it goes. We're finally gone. No more of this small town stuff. You're in all new territory now, Demi," my dad said as we exited the small town I had grown up in all my life.

Before I even had the chance to respond, my mom smacked my dad on his arm and scolded,"Why would you say that? Don't even try to imply that she is gone forever! Demi can come back whenever she wants. You know that, right, hun?"

My mom then turned to me and I nodded, trying not to laugh at the fact that she was practically in tears over what my dad had said. I could see that he, too, was trying to keep a straight face. It was all I could do to not look at him, because once we made eye contact, it would be all over and my mom would be smacking the two of us.

"That's right. You have any problems and you just call me and I'll be right over to pick you up. Alright, now did you remember your medicine? You have to make sure you take it as the dose tells you, right? If you don't we're gonna have some..."

At that, I zoned my mom out, her rambling becoming just background noise to the music that filled my ears. I turned my iPod up a few more notches just for good measure and rested my on the back of the seat. Every once in a while, I'd nod my head to make it appear like I was listening; but in reality, I was dreaming of what the future would hold.

I must've dozed off because I was startled by the voice of my dad saying,"We're here, Dems. James Madison University."

Suddenly, I felt wide awake and I pushed myself up in my seat to get a better look. There, just outside my window, was a perfect view of the campus, filled with students walking around in their royal purple. Immediately, a smile formed on my face and I found myself getting excited for what might lie ahead.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

My attention was drawn from the campus back to the car. Eddie had a great big smile on his face, and I could see the excitement he had for me. It made sense, though, since he attended the very same college.

"Yeah, it's perfect."

Eddie pulled into a parking spot along the edge of the sidewalk and we all hopped out. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and then dragged a suitcase out, waiting on the curb. Knowing that my parents would flip out on me if I picked up one more thing, I waited patiently for Eddie to get the rest of the stuff. I wasn't alone, however, as my mom already started giving me her run down for about the tenth time that day alone.

"There's no need to be nervous, you're gonna do great. Just be smart and make wise decisions and you'll have a fun time here. And don't miss me too much. Remember, I'm just a phone call away!" she rambled.

"Alright, that's enough. Let her breathe, Dianna. She's ready, even if you're not," my dad said, pulling a suitcase and setting a bin of stuff down.

"Ready? Of course I'm ready, what're you talking about?" my mom dismissed, trying to play it off.

"C'm'ere, kiddo."

My dad pulled me into one of his bear hugs, swallowing my small frame into his strong arms. I squeezed tight, taking in the moment. "I love you," I whispered.

"Love you, too. Have fun for me, okay? And make sure you call every now and then, okay? You're mother'll need that."

He pulled out, looking me in the eyes as if awaiting my answer. I nodded, smiling back at him. I wouldn't see them again until Thanksgiving.

Before I even had the chance to move out of Eddie's grip, my mom swarmed me into her arms.

"I love you so much. Be good for me, okay? Make sure you keep yourself safe. Remember, I'm just a phone call away!"

My mom's eyes were now swimming with tears as she began to try and tidy me up, readjusting my shirt and tucking the hairs behind my ears.

"Yes, mom. I love you, too," I replied, trying to calm her down.

Not even five seconds after I had finished speaking, someone brushed me from behind, knocking my backpack off my shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me help you with that."

A boy with curly brown hair and broad shoulders bent down, catching my falling backpack in his arms. He stood up with the bag in his hand and looked me in the eyes; those, too, were a golden brown. "Here, I'm really sorry about that. Let me help you with the rest of this to make it up to you," he offered.

"Yeah, that would be great, actually," I said to him, knowing I couldn't possibly carry this all by myself. "Dad, can I have my suitcase?" I muttered, noticing his hands were still firmly clenched on the handle.

"Oh, yeah, here you go...?" Eddie said, looking at the boy with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Nick, sir. Nick Jonas," and he held out his hand to Eddie.

"Nick, I'm Demi's father. Try not to run into her anymore, understand?"

"Dad, it's fine, really. It was an accident. Shouldn't you guys be going?"

"Oh, right, yeah, sorry. Umm, Dianna, we better get going."

Right then, my mom attacked me with another hug, sobbing on my shoulder.

"Mom, it's gonna be okay. I'm not leaving you forever, remember? Nothing bad is going to happen," I hushed.

"Okay, you're right," she said, wiping her eyes.

"C'mon, Dianna," Eddie took her hand, leading her to the car. They both hopped in, rolling down the windows to stay goodbye; and then, they were gone.

"They really care about you."

My glance was quickly taken off of the van driving away as I turned by head toward the voice.

"Yeah, they're good to me. Sometimes they care a little too much and then they're just embarrassing and stuff like that happens," I laughed, putting a hand on one of the suitcases.

"You probably already know by now but I'm all about formality. I'm Nick," he said, holding out a hand in my direction.

"Nice to meet you, Nick. I'm Demi," I smiled, taking his hand.

"I usually don't meet people for the first time by nearly knocking them over, so I'm sorry about that. Could we maybe forget that ever happened and start over?"

"As long as we can forget about the scene my parents made."

"Alright, you have yourself a deal miss...?"

"Lovato," I responded.

"Lovato... I like that. So, Demi, what wing is your dorm?"

"Uhm," I said, scrambling for the paper in my pocket," North."

"You're in luck, it's not too far. Shall we?" he smiled, taking the suitcase in hand and picking up the bin in the other.

"I'd like that," and we made our way down the paved stone to my bunk.