A Symphony of Devotion: The Start [Demi Lovato]

[44] Anagapesis

I never did send that note, in the end. I read it over, folded it up again, then walked that few feet to Devonne's locker, decided that I shouldn't drop it in, and kept walking. The note stayed in my pocket until the next morning, when I was woken up by a series of loud beeps that signalled incoming texts.

I sit up automatically, rubbing at my eyes as I reach for my phone, squinting at the brightness that greets me.

There are five texts, all from the same unknown number. I read the one line of the popup notif that states 'you ugly bitch go kill y-', and another line that goes 'do you know how much you hurt devo-', then delete the entire thread without reading the rest.

I put my phone on silent, lie back down, and try to go to sleep. My attempt is futile, needless to state the obvious. I may have only read a few words, but those continue to stick in my memory and torture me with the imagines of Devonne crying in her bed at night, all because of me.

Slumber refuses to take me away. I twist and turn in the warmth of my sheets that suddenly feels itchy, and in the enigma of my thoughts that never seem to end. Perhaps it was the wildness of the night, with all the doors it left for exploration. Yet perhaps it's Devonne, although miles away, enforcing the magnetic touch that her movements left tattooed to my memory. As if the ink she smeared messily on every inch of my soul during the short period of time we were together freed me from the unchanging pathway.

I thought the world was tailored for me, letting me paint my own, leading me to aimlessly wander the twists of its roads. But I've come to find that there has not been a specific road picked out for me by some outwordly force. I choose the own way I want to walk; the own way I want to live my life.

And it's tragic how I feel like the only path left for me to take is the one without Devonne in it.

The irritation of having been awake since four am is only the start of what I've come to discover is a very bad day. From the minute I step out of my room and rush down the hall, realizing I'm over ten minutes late due to an extremely unfortunate makeup mishap, to my father catching me at the bottom of the steps and giving me a very detailed scolding that I definitely did not need, that led to my being caught in a huge jam on the way to school that I'll have missed if I wasn't late in the first place, it spelled the potential of a terrible day.

When I enter school property, there isn't anyone in sight. The tardy bell went five minutes ago, and it's a safe bet that any kid with a brain is in class.

As much as I pray and hope I won't run into any teacher, the odds are not in my favor today, and on my way to my locker, I bump into Principal Miller. Literally. I grab my books from my locker, shut the door, and turn and walk right into the principal.

"And, what, may I ask, are you doing outside of class, Miss Stone? Do you have a hall pass?"

Sweat begins to bead up on my palms as I rack my brains for an excuse. "Well, you see, Principal Miller.. I was.. There was this huge jam, and it was just impossible to get through, and.. You understand, right?"

"Oh, absolutely!" He's the face of forgiveness. "That was an amazing excuse, and, oh, let me just forgive everyone who was caught late in a jam today, shall I?" His smile vanishes. "Detention."

The next thing I know, Principal Miller is gone, the only mark he left behind being the pink detention slip that's now slipping off my sweaty palm. I sigh, and throw the slip into a trashcan, mentally cursing out at everything I see.

That was strike five of the day already. It's impossible for me to prevent any physically myself, but as I sat in a restroom stall, waiting out the next fifteen minutes for first period to end, I couldn't help hoping nothing else bad would happen.