Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

A heavy weight settled in my chest. “Mrs. Young, I’m… a friend of Demi’s. I heard something happened to her. Do you know how she’s doing? What happened?”

“We… we don’t know… she won’t say a word,” Mrs. Young’s voice wavered, breaking.

“Is Demi’s boyfriend there with her?” I asked.

“Boyfriend?” She sounded surprised, like she didn’t even know.

My heart sank. I got my answer. Whatever had happened to Demi, it had to do with him–and he wasn’t even there.

She caught on. “What do you mean by ‘boyfriend‘?” she asked.

“That’s something Demi should explain herself. For now, can I talk to her? Just tell her it’s Keira.”

“Alright, alright… maybe you can get through to her,” Mrs. Young said, sounding a little hopeful.

I heard her speak to Demi, “Demi, it’s… it’s your friend Keira. She wants to talk to you.”

Then, silence. I assumed the phone was near her, so i spoke. “Demi, I’m in Houston. My phone broke, so I just got your message.

Still nothing. My throat tightened, “Demi, are you okay? Is someone hurting you? Did it have to do with your boyfriend?”

Silence again. Mrs. Young, getting anxious, begged, “Demi, answer her! Is it about your boyfriend? Please don’t cry, sweetheart…”

I could hear Demi’s soft sobs. That was answer enough. Still, I asked, “Demi, what did he do? Did he hurt. you? Was it betrayal? Or… something worse?”

Her sobbing grew louder, and it was gut–wrenching.

Demi had always been happy, carefree. She never let anything get to her. But now, she was broken.

“Demi, what happened? What did that jerk do to you?” Mrs. Young was getting more distressed.

But neither of us could get a word out of her. Finally, Mrs. Young sighed. “She won’t say anything I’ll try again later.”

“Don’t push her. Let her rest for now. I’ll talk to her when I get back,” I reassured her.

“Alright… thank you.”

“Please keep an eye on her,” I added, anxiety creeping in.

Demi had a positive attitude; she wasn’t the type to give up easily. Something had broken her– something so bad she couldn’t talk about it. She was still trapped, and I feared she might try to hurt herself again.

What had her boyfriend done to her?

When Jace betrayed me, Demi was the one who told me men were replaceable, that I had to let go of one to find someone better. By her own logic, even if her boyfriend had hurt her, she wouldn’t think about

ending her life over it.

But now, here was Demi, clearly broken.

The weight in my chest deepened. I hadn’t been in any hurry to go back, but now I knew I had to.

If Demi hadn’t told her parents about her boyfriend, she wasn’t going to share her pain with them, either. Maybe I was the only one who could help her.

This wasn’t about being a hero–it was about respect for life. Besides, Demi had been there for me after Jace broke my heart.

With that resolve, I called Jace.

The phone rang before someone picked up. “Jace, I need to go home.” Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“When are you leaving?” His voice was short.

“As soon as poss-“I stopped.

The voice wasn’t Jace’s.

A chill ran through me. “Who is this? Where’s Jace?”