dear devonne

[9]

"My PR called a little while ago. Both Devonne and Lola's faces are plastered on every gossip site out there.. They have me on camera getting them out of the bathroom, too. They think it'd be best if we did a last minute TV interview to clear the air about my long-lost twin and niece."

I furrowed my eyebrows.

Interview?

"No. Absolutely not."

Demi rolled her eyes and turned from the rest of the family to me.

"You don't get it, do you?"

"What's there to get? My life is my business."

"Yeah, and if we don't do this damn interview together you'll have a shit load of paparazzi on your doorstep every time you want to go grocery shopping. So I mean, we could do it and all of this will blow over in a couple of weeks, or you can go home and be the next Nicki Minaj or something."

I bit my lip and held in a laugh.

"Are you seriously comparing me to Nicki Minaj right now? She isn't even remotely related to my situation at all.."

"I couldn't think of any other celebrity, okay? Point is, you really don't have a say in this."

"Alright, fine, but when can I finally

go home?"

"Like Demi said, as soon as this thing blows over. It could be weeks or even months," Mom explained.

Great.

Exactly what I need.

"Why do you want to leave so bad?" A small voice suddenly spoke, somewhat deepening the tension in the room.

All eyes were on me as I raked my brain, looking for an appropriate response.

Why did I want to leave so bad?

I turned to Maddie and sighed at the hurt displaying through her eyes. None of this was her fault yet I had already taken apart of my anger on her.

So I settled on the one answer that I knew she could understand.

Or at least I hoped.

"It's complicated."

"Why? It doesn't have to be," she replied in barely a whisper.

I took the chance to look at everyone in the room.

Dallas, who was sitting on one end of the couch with a smug look on her face Mom, who was leaned against Dad, Lola sprawled across their laps. Maddie, who was on the other end of the couch. And Demi, who was standing up, leaning against the wall and staring back at me with a neutral face that I couldn't quite pinpoint.

I just didn't get it.

Why did I hate that house so much?

Why did I resent my family so much, other than the given reasons?

My eyes slowly trailed back to the little girl sitting across the room, and the more that I looked at her and everyone else, the more I began to realize.

I was the problem.

I didn't belong there. In that house. Back in Texas.

New York was my true home.

Lola and Hayley were my only family.

They were all my only future.

And the people that were currently surrounding me - they were a roadblock to finding my true happiness in life.