Just By Putting On a Smile

Chapter 27- From Amy xoxo

**Demi's POV**
I freeze as I reread the note over and over. I shove the 1st note in my pocket, leaving the second one on the table. As soon as I reach out and touch the blade she attached, I drop to the floor, gasping for air.

I crawl backwards, backing up to the nearest wall. I try to breathe in and out, but I can't get any breath in, sending me into even more of a panic. I wish Kelly or Paulina was here, but I don't want to seem weak. I slowly get tired of gasping for air, but continue. I hear a knock on my door,
"Dem, 10 minutes to the show," Kelly calls in.
"Demi?" She says when she doesn't get a reply.

She slowly opens the door peaking her head in to see me on the floor, backed up against the wall, unable to breathe. She swiftly closes the door and comes over to me, immediately grabbing my hand, putting it to her heart.
"Copy my breathing sweetie, focus on my breathing," She says. I try to copy her breathing, but everything is too loud, my demons are screaming in my head. I let out a couple strangled sobs, catching my breath slightly.

Kelly pulls me onto her lap, running my back with one hand, and her other hand over my hand on her heart.
"Dem," She says wearily.
I snap out of my trance, breathing heavily, out of breath.
"Thank god," Kelly whispers.
"D, are you okay? That was by far your worst panic attack, what happened?" She asks me.
I see her looking around the room, for what could have triggered this. Her eyes meet with the shiny metal blade on the floor next the the table.
"Dem, did you-" Kelly says concerned.
"No, I was close but I didn't." She lets out a sigh of relief.
"Why's it here?" She gets up and walks to the table, and picks up the blade from the floor. Shit, she'll see the note on the table! She picks up the piece of paper, reading it aloud.

"Oh, and I thought you might want this, go cut you screwed up bitch. And, maybe try the whole purging thing again, you could do with loosing at least 20 pounds, and Simon agrees." She reads from the paper.
"Dem, who put this here?" She asks.
"I don't know, it was here when I came in." I lie.
"You don't believe it, do you?" She says. I avoid eye contact, before I can answer we here the tannoy going off,
"1 minute to show."
"We need to go," I say avoiding the subject. I try to walk past her but she grabs my wrist pulling me back slightly, my breath hitches slightly as her hand makes contact with my wrist.
"D-Dem?" She says and tries to pull up the sleeve of my leather jacket.
"Kelly we need to go now." I say trying to yank my hand back, but her grip is stronger. She pulls up my sleeve revealing my aggravated cuts from rubbing against the leather.
"D-Dem why?" She asks in a small voice.

She hates you now.
She's going to tell everyone.
Your secrets out.
She will use this as blackmail.

"Do you hate me?" I ask, with a voice crack in the middle.
"Of course not, I'll never hate you. I want to help," She says nearly crying.

We agree to talk after the show we quickly get to the panel and take our seats. Luckily, Simon is first with the groups, then Paulina with the boys.

-
Simon, Paulina and Kelly have all chosen their final 4, Simon's final groups are: Roxxy Montana, Sweet Suspense, Alex & Sierra, Restless Road.
Paulina's final Boys are: Tim Olstad, Carlos Guevara, Josh Levi, Carlito Olivero.
And Kelly's final Over 25s are: Lillie McCloud, James Kenney, Jeff Gutt, Rachel Potter.

"And next up we have the girls category, mentored by Demi Lovato!" Mario Lopez, who is the presenter alongside Khloé Kardashian, introduces.

-
So far I have all 4 chairs full, Khaya Cohen, Simone Torres, Rion Paige and Primrose Martin. 8 acts have preformed, and I still have Ellona Santiago and Amy to preform, who will most likely both get chairs, or at least just Amy, She'll expose me if I don't.

Amy walks on with a smirk, making me want to throw up. I hear the opening chords of 'The Trouble With Love Is' by Kelly Clarkson, No. She-

(^She was 13, I- what the fuck?!)
**Flashback**
"See you've got no say at all" I finish, hopefully I didn't do too bad. Everyone starts clapping and cheering making me smile, a genuine smile. It's the first time in a while I've actually felt joy.

-
"Hey Fatsvato what's this?" I hear my bully, Amy, saying. She shows me a video on her phone, it's the audio of me singing 'The Trouble With Love Is', but the video is a whale in the ocean flopping around. As dumb as it sounds, it hurts.
"Demi you can't even sing well you whale. You should just give up." She tells me, angering me so much, for the first time I stand up for myself.
"No, I won't give up. This is what I want to do as a living." I say semi-confidently. Her mouth is wide open, she replaces it with her signature evil smirk.

She punches me in the face, and the rest of her clique join in, I'm kicked in the stomach making me fall to the ground. They shout continuous insults and names at me, while kicking and punching me on the ground. At some point a few jocks come along and join in.

Next think I know I'm waking up in a bed in the nurses office with an awful headache and being unable to get up. I've never experienced pain like this before.

**Flashback Over**

That was the start of the more physical bullying in school. She is making my life a living hell all over again, like she once did in school, and is trying to do again.