You're My Exception

Chapter 13

The light shone through Joe's bedroom. His eyes slowly opened. His head hurt like fuck, his eyes were blinded by the light. He groaned. Wait, how did he get home?

"Good morning," Demi greeted him by walking into the room with a glass of orange juice. "You might need this."

"Thanks," he said as he sat up, taking the juice. "Did you take me home?"

She nodded. "You passed out and we came here. Well, actually, I stopped by my house before, but, you know."

"Wow. I was that wasted?" he asked after taking a sip of the juice.

Demi laughed softly. "Yes, you were." Her gaze couldn't seem to meet hers.

He frowned. His head hurt and he wasn't sure what was wrong with Demi. "Demi, you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," she muttered, looking out the window.

"Did something happen last night?" he asked. Did someone touch her? He gritted his teeth just thinking about it.

"Joe, you were really wasted, it doesn't matter," she told him softly.

"I did something?" he asked, tensing up. When she didn't respond, he added, "I should know what happened."

She turned to him, still unable to face him. "I don't know, Joe. You didn't mean what you said. We were alone in a room. You said you love me, not like a sister, but the other way."

"I said that?" Joe rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah," she replied. "Then you kissed me."

"Oh my god, Demi, I'm so sorry, I didn't know-"

"I know you didn't, Joe." She looked at him for the first time. "Just tell me, did you mean what you said? You love me?"

He tried his best to look her in the eye. "I love you Demi." The whole world seemed to freeze for a minute. "As a sister."

"Of course. Why would you love me as anything else?" she asked mainly to herself. She should have been relieved, right? Well then why were both their hearts hurting?

"Sterling, I have to talk to you," Demi said nervously.

"What is it, babe?" he leaned on the couch by Demi. He had just gotten home the day before.

"Um, at Joe's party something happened..." her eyes fell to her nails.

After a few moments for silence, Sterling suddenly got tense. "Did someone touch you? If they did, I swear-"

"No, not exactly," She interrupted before he could explode. "Joe was really wasted so I took him into a room so he could rest. He was babbling on like someone wasted would, and then out of nowhere, he kissed me." Demi bit her lip, unsure of his reaction.

"He...kissed you?" Sterling asked, grinding his teeth.

"Sterling, he didn't know what he was doing, he was really wasted. He didn't mean it."

"You don't know that, Demi!" he burst. "He could have been hiding that in for a while!"

"No, he wasn't, Sterling," Demi defended Joe as she tried to remain calm. "We talked about it the next morning; he told me he'd never do such a thing."

"Well he could be lying! Joe is an asshole!" he yelled, standing from the couch.

Demi stood as well, angry Sterling would bad mouth Joe. "Joe's not an asshole! He's the sweetest best friend I could ever ask for! So he and I have a LOT of history together, okay? If you can't handle that, then don't even bother."

"Demi, what are you saying?" he asked, the anger gone in his voice and expression.

"I think we both know what I'm saying," she said, grabbing her phone and storming out of his house.