Black Keys

Four

Chapter Four

"This sucks!" Demi groaned jumping on the couch of her new house.

"I know." Dallas said setting their luggages down. "Where's mom and Maddie?"

"Maddie made a new friend so mom's looking out after her at the park." Demi said standing up to help her sister with the bags. Dallas nodded and walked out with her right before her dad walks in with a few boxes.

"Demi, you have mail." Her dad said as Demi furrowed her eyebrows.

"I just got here, I already have mail?"

"It's actually from Joe. He asked me to give it to you when we land here." Demi smiled and snatched the envelope out of her dad's hands making him chuckle.

Hey Dems,

I hope you had a safe trip there. Just know that I already miss you, I'll try my best to visit you as much as I can. I love you very much and make sure to keep the ring. I'll probably be the biggest loser in school now that I don't have the coolest girl with me.

Demi giggled as Dallas smiled at her.

I hope you make great friends there and don't forget about me. Don't worry too much about me, I'll be fine. Just know that I'll always remember you and you're the sister I've always wished I had. I love you so much.

Love, Joey

Demi grinned and laughed slightly heading up to her room filled with boxes. She set the letter down and opened the box with pictures of her and Joe before anything else. She started working on designing her room, hanging images and photographs of her and her family back in Los Angeles. After finishing her room she walked downstairs just in time for lunch. Mom had gotten Maddie to come back after her fun play date with Ally, her new best friend.

Demi sat down on the couch where the food was set up on the coffee table. The kitchen furniture hasn't arrive yet so they ate in the living room. Demi's parents had gone to New Jersey four years ago when Demi was thirteen and Dallas was eighteen. Mr. Lovato had to fly to New Jersey for a two week business stay, but when everything changed in the office, Mr. Lovato had to take a night-after-night job and he can't go back and forth to Los Angeles. He and Mrs. Lovato decide to move there. Dallas receives an approval letter to UCLA so she stays and Demi insists on staying with her.

Demi sighed and fiddled with the food on her platter with her fork. Mrs. Lovato keeps glancing at her, but won't say anything knowing exactly what's going on.

~~~~~

"You'll be fine." Nick said a little annoyed.

"I know, but the very first time in my life that I go to school without Demi...well except when she's sick, but that's besides the point." Joe rambled as they got out of the car in the school parking lot.

"Hey, bro!" Zac approaches with a high-five. "Woah, man. Demi's absent on the first day of school. Weird." Nick elbowed his stomach as Joe sighed and nodded. He cringed, "What was that for?" Nick shook his head instead and walked to his locker.

"Demi's gone." Joe said dialing his number in the combination lock of his locker.

"What do you mean?"

"She moved away to New Jersey.'

"What?! No. Demi won't agree to such a thing." Zac said, very shocked.

"She didn't have to agree. She had to go whether she like it or not." Nick said.

"Wow..." Zac said sadly. "Sorry, you couldn't get that kiss you wanted since middle school." He and Nick laughed a little.

Joe froze and smiled. "I did." He walked away leaving the boys.

~~~~~

"No!" Demi shouted in her pillow.

"C'mon Dems! You're going to be late." Dallas said through her bedroom door.

"I don't care." Demi sat up, but refused to clean up.

"Dems, please. You can't be like this for the rest of the school year."

Demi sighed finally standing up. She walks to the door and opens it a little. "Fine, but if I hate it, I'm not going back."

Dallas smiled. "Deal."

It's not typical for Demi to start a new school. Everything here is different and unsystematic compared to her old school. Students ran through the hallways and showed no respect for teachers. Bullies lounged all three floors. She hates this place. A girl hurries trough the packed halls and bumps onto her.

"I'm so sorry." Demi said apologetically.

"It's fine." The girl seemed timid, she acted as if something was very urgent and picked everything that fell.

"I'm Demi." Demi greeted. The girl nodded and continued down the hall. How rude, Demi thought. She shook her head and stared at her schedule.

~~~~~

"Where's Joe?" Mrs. Jonas asks as she puts away the clean dishes

Nick walks in the kitchen and leans on the island. He eats a chip from the center platter. "He's in the basement."

Joe presses on random keys. He puts his arm on the top of the grand piano and leans his head against it. He stares at his fingers as they move up and down the scale. Joe creates a melody after randomly picking keys. He hears drops of water from outside, Kev must've forgotten to shut the garage door since he could perfectly hear the rain fall. Joe sighs and dims the lights. To him, everything bright seems to be filled with grief.

"The black keys never looked so beautiful,

And a perfect rainbow never seemed so dull."