Mac's POV
I was glad I was wearing black and red, because today, everyone was wearing that. I knew we were going to church, but that's pretty much it. I hadn't been to church since the time Mrs. Karey took us to a non-denominational church when I was 7. I was sure a lot had changed since then. I didn't know what church we were going to, or why everyone was so excited, but all my questions were answered when we pulled into a church parking lot and a large sign on the front of the building read, "CrossPointe Church's Annual Children's Christmas Musical! 12/13/19! Bring Your Friends!" Gabe and Gracie were going to be in the Musical. That explains the excitement.
I followed Demi and Nick into the church building and down a hall and they dropped the twins off in what I assumed was Sunday School, and then we headed to the biggest room in the church, and sat down in one of the rows of chairs. A young guy went onto the stage and started talking, but I zoned out until a blonde haired girl who looked about 11 walked up on stage.
"Welcome to CrossPointe Church. Today is our Christmas Program. Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge our director, Miss Demi Lovato. We couldn't have done it without you, Miss Demi."
Demi stood as her name was said and smiled. She sat down and the music started. I didn't recognize the song, but we never really made a big deal out of Christmas back at Shadow Creek, so I guess that's normal. 2 lines of kids came walking down the aisle between the two sections of chairs and made their way up onto the stage. They began to sing a song and after a little bit, Gabe stepped out. He opened his mouth and started singing.
"Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains. And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains."
He stepped back in line and began singing with the other kids again. That kid could sing! I was shocked at his voice considering he was only 4. He was really good.
The song ended and everyone applauded, myself included. I could kinda carry a tune, but not like Gabe. Gabe sang like an angel.
The musical continued with songs and occasional speaking parts. Eventually I tuned out, focusing on Demi. She had honey brown eyes that fit her perfectly. Her hair was black with blue and silver ends, but she had mousey brown roots. Her skin was not exactly tan, but not pale either. She had several tattoos, but the one that stuck out the most to me was the one on her wrists that read "Stay Strong." Had she been through this nightmare they call our life? Maybe so. I blocked the thought from my mind and tried to focus on the kids, but the image of Demi living life the hard way was permanantly etched into my mind.
Demi's POV
When church was over, the twins ran over to Mac, Nick, and I. I picked up Gracie and propped her on my hip as Nick was spinning around with Gabe in his arms. Nick stopped spinning and messed up Gabe's hair, and Gabe made a face and made an adorable attempt to fix it, but failed, so I set Gracie down and helped him. He did so well in the show. He had real talent.
As we were walking out of the church, Mac grabbed my hand. I squeezed her hand and she looked up at me. Up at me. She was tiny enough that even at 14, she had to look up at me. I'm only 5'2, so she must be at the most 4'9. God, she's tiny. I almost couldn't believe she was 14, not 9.
We walked out to the car and got in. The ride home was silent, and although it was only a 10 minute drive, it seemed like hours. We got home and Mac went upstairs immediately. I followed her quietly as she stepped into the bathroom. She closed the door and I knocked. There was no response so I knocked again. Still no response, so I got the key. I unlocked the door and opened it to find Mac sitting on the floor in the corner shaking. She looked up as she heard me step in and I sat down beside her. She grabbed my hand and flipped it over to where she could see my wrists. She started tracing over my tattoos, but she wasn't tracing the words. She was tracing what was underneath them.
My scars.
I decided that I would let her look at them. She looked up at me.
"Is this how you knew how to stop my p-panic attack the other d-day?"
I looked her in the eyes and nodded.
"I have them sometimes, too. My friends use that method when I have them. Sometimes I have anxiety attacks, too."
She looked down at her hands.
"When did you get the tattoo?"
"I was 18." I replied. "I had just come out of treatment."
She looked at me with a confused expression.
"Why did you go into treatment?"
"Well," I started, "Technically, I was there for an eating disorder. But while I was there, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder."
She nodded.
"You can help me?" She asked weakly.
"Of course. But you have to come down and eat lunch. We're having Mac and Cheese."
She grimaced but got up and came downstairs. I held her hand as we sat at the table and began eating.
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OMG OMG IM SOOOOOO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE IM LIKE LITERALLY THE BUSIEST PERSON ON THE PLANET!!!!!!!!!
I'm not going to give y'all an update day from now on because I don't wanna put pressure on myself.
K so I will give y'all a general idea of when I'm probably going to update.
So I'm probably going to update over the weekend if I have time.
K byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
