Danger Signs // Demi Lovato // 4

60. We've Been Down This Road Before

The next day, Jordan dropped Jay off at my house and Demi and Maia were going to be gone most of the day, getting ready for their honeymoon. They had wanted to leave right after the wedding, but they hadn't had enough time to plan, and it was late, so all they wanted to do was go to bed.

Jay's dark circles were prominent, even under her makeup, but she was just as cheerful as she had been at the wedding reception.

We decided to stay in the kitchen to eat, since neither of us had. Jay's attention went from the fruit bowl on the counter to the cabinet where we kept cereal. I left it open while I made myself a bowl of Fruity Pebbles and Jay peered in. Before she took something out, she eyed the fruit bowl again. Then she began preparing a bowl of Frosted Flakes and cut some banana to go on top.

"I haven't done this in so long," she said, waiting for me to be done with the milk. I let her put it back and sat down, then she joined me after closing the cabinet and putting the milk back. "That wedding was so much more fun than my cousin's though."

"What happened?" I asked.

"I mean, nothing crazy, it was just boring. And the music was horrible and too loud." She kicked her feet slightly, and we continued to eat in silence. I finished first, standing by the sink to drink the milk and Jay checked her phone, setting it next to her bowl and tapping it so that it rocked back and forth on the camera.

"What do you wanna do when you finish?" I asked.

Her head snapped up from her phone and she locked it. "I have to tell you something crazy. Jordan got a second controller for when Isaiah comes over, and we ended up playing some game. I don't remember what it was called, but we were playing it and I killed him so many times and he got so mad he threw his controller down and now it doesn't work right." She laughed, popping a banana in her mouth.

"Wow," I said.

"Yeah. It's so weird how fast I learn games, but I remember when I first started playing Minecraft." She gave me a look, eyebrows raised. "I tried playing on the hardest mode, no cheats so I could get achievements." She paused for dramatic effect and what she said next made me burst out laughing. "I fell into a ravine and lost my only tools and food, and when I respawned, there were no animals or trees in the area. I died again. Of starvation."

I leaned over the counter, laughing. Jay just had a neutral look on her face and she finished her cereal, drinking the milk and handing me the bowl to put in the sink.

"Well, we have to play on the hardest mode, right?" I said, leading her upstairs.

She sighed loudly. "Only to humor you, but I probably have PTSD."

"It'll be better with another person," I said, reaching back and feeling for her hand. She slipped hers in mine and her palm was warm, but her fingertips were almost like ice. "Are you cold?"

In my room, she took her shoes off and dropped her bag next to them. "Nah, I think I'm just a little sick. I'm okay though."

We situated ourselves on the bed, controllers in hand, Minecraft loading on the TV.

"This game is so old, you'd think they'd make it load faster."

"I know. And Maia and Demi heard me complaining that the internet was slow, so they had a talk with me about internet in the 90s. I shut up about it."

Jay laughed. "I can't imagine having a home phone, honestly. I know there's still some people who do, but when I was growing up, my parents' phones were the home phones because Jordan and I didn't have our own as kids. So I'd use Mom's and Jordan used Dad's."