Danger Signs // Demi Lovato // 4

35. I'm Hearing Myself Thinking Too Clear

I was so surprised to see Demi standing in the living room. I was happy to see her, of course, but I wondered if she knew something was up and she was using the upcoming holiday as an excuse to come home and spy.

Okay, you're paranoid, I told myself. Demi doesn't know anything, but she probably thinks you hate her.

Why am I talking to myself?

I let out a soft groan, shaking my head.

It was Thanksgiving morning, and I dressed up as much as I could, while still being comfortable.

I texted Jay to let her know I wouldn't have my phone on me during the day. It was a rule in my family to leave your phone in your room for holidays and birthdays. They were allowed occasionally for pictures and videos, but that was pretty much it.

Jay: Aw. Ok, well happy thanksgiving! I love you and can't wait to see you!

Me: lol someone's excited. I love you and can't wait to see you too.

Jay: Foooooooooodddddddd

Chuckling, I set my phone on my nightstand, tucking my hair behind my ears and blowing a stand out of my face. It was getting so much longer and harder to control. Before I left, I slipped some bobby pins in it and added a spritz of hairspray.

When I was going down the steps, I could hear Demi and Maia arguing about how long the turkey needed to cook. They saw me, and asked for my opinion.

"Hey, I've never cooked a turkey," I said, putting my hands up. "I don't know why you're asking me."

"Yeah, she's right," Maia said. "We should ask-"

"Our moms!" Demi finished, running to get her phone.

I chuckled, sitting at the counter, which was littered with all sorts of dishes for when the food was cooked. "Don't you need this space for, like, cooking?" I asked.

Maia's eyes widened as we heard something fall upstairs. "It's okay!" Demi shouted. "Nothing broke!"

"This time," Maia said quietly to me, before asking me to help clear the counter.

"Is Abby coming?" I asked when Demi returned, eyes glued to her phone like it held all the answers she needed. But then again, it probably did.

"And Sabrina and Davis," Maia said, smiling. "Where's the potatoes?" she asked Demi, who wasn't listening.

I smiled to myself, remembering the first time they cooked for me. I was also smiling because I hadn't seen my former foster parents in a long time and I missed them. They had been so wonderful when I lived with them, and I always thought Sabrina was so nice for picking me up and dropping me off when I started living with Demi and Maia.

My moms started discussing what Demi had been reading, and started preparing to cook the turkey. It wasn't a very big one, since there would only be six of here. In previous years, we had a full house that required a much larger turkey, and a longer cooking time, which was why they had been arguing.

The doorbell rang and I was sent to get it.

"Abby!" I exclaimed, hugging my magenta-haired aunt. Adopted aunt?

"Still with the pink, I see," Maia commented on Abby's hair.

"Hey, once you go pink, you never go back." I closed the door and Abby walked in, sitting next to my spot at the counter. "And I see you guys still can't cook."

"Hey! We can so," Demi cried, pretending to be more offended than she was.

"Rosie, how many times have they texted or called their moms?" Abby asked, leaning closer.

"That I've seen, once," I answered.

"Hm, maybe they are improving. Never thought I'd see the day. Oh, speaking of never seeing the day, I have some news."

One of Maia's eyebrows raised and I could already hear her sarcastic answer. "You finally saw a Monday?"

"Ha ha, very funny. No, I have a girlfriend." Abby grinned as the rest of us smiled.

"Abby, that's awesome. You could have brought her," Maia said, offering us drinks. She gave us bottled water and I wondered what we would have with dinner. I was so hungry...

"I wanted to, but she doesn't live here. She's working on a movie in Canada and she can't really leave until it's done."

"Oh, she does hair?" Demi said.

Abby shook her head, her smile growing. "She's an actress. This is her first movie."

Both Demi and Maia's mouths dropped open slightly. "How'd you meet her?"

"I did her hair for her headshots, and we ended up going for coffee and it went from there."

Maia squealed with excitement for her best friend and ran around the counter to hug her.

They continued making dinner, and I let Sabrina and Davis in when they arrived. Davis immediately went to the TV to resume watching football. Sabrina chuckled, sitting to Abby's left. She had taken a break from helping and was giving Demi and Maia directions because they were lost.

"Smells amazing in here," Sabrina said.

"Thank you," my moms and Abby all said at the same time, shooting glances at each other.

I chuckled, but quickly stopped when they got serious again. I suppressed the urge to gulp, shifting on my stool.

The thoughts kept flooding my mind that they all knew what was going on. They wouldn't say anything now, but later, I would be expecting it.

~//~//~//~//~//~//~

The next day, Demi had to leave again. We ate some leftovers for breakfast before she left, and I teared up as I hugged her for the last time. I knew she would be back in December, but saying goodbye was always hard.

Back at home, I realized they hadn't confronted me about anything. So, maybe they didn't know. Or they're waiting until Demi is back for longer.

Maia started asking a lot more questions about my school life and the homework I had.

"Homework?" I asked, picking at a piece of turkey. I had fixed a small plate and was sitting at the counter as Maia cleaned the counters.

"Yeah, the other day you said you had some homework you needed to do."

I shrugged, shaking my head. Great, now I'm not remembering my lies.

"Okay, what's going on?" Maia asked, setting the cleaning spray down.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked.

"You're eating a lot more."

"Wait, what? You thought I had an eating disorder, and now I'm eating too much? I told you I would eat with you more. And it's Thanksgiving leftovers. Of course I'm gonna eat a lot."

She released a breath, eyes closing. "Right, yeah. Sorry. I'm just so worried there's something I've been missing. I want everything to be okay with you."

"It is okay. I swear. If anything is wrong, I'll tell you." My eyes were wide with fear, but she didn't know that. I was scared because she seemed so on top of things when she hadn't been before. I didn't know what changed. Maybe Demi helped somehow, but I couldn't let them find out what happened when I wasn't home.

She nodded and continued cleaning. "I hope so," she whispered.