Bullying: Friends with Stars. A Little Mix and Demi Lovato story

Chapter 5

Aliyah's point of view

I froze in complete shock. "What? I'm sorry. I thought you said that I'm going to meet Demi Lovato," I told Mom as we came out of the parking lot. "I did say that," Mom said with a laugh. "What do you mean? How? When?" I asked. "Well, Demi actually came to the salon where I work. Her hairdresser is away because of a small family emergency. She asked my boss, Damien if there was someone that could fill in for the concert she's doing for her Neon Lights tour right here in Fairfax. He recommended me," Mom explained.

"Did you agree?" I asked her. "Yes, I agreed. We talked for a little bit, and I told her about the situation you're having at school. She said that she could help, and asked if I could bring you along when I do her hair. Do you wanna come?" Mom asked me.

I was so surprised and happy. My mom getting a chance to style the hair of my favorite superstar!? And she wants me to accompany her?? How could I say no to that? "Are you kidding? Of course I want to come! When's the concert?" I asked. "Tomorrow night," replied Mom. As soon as we got home, I told my dad and siblings the news. They were so surprised and happy for me, especially my Dad.

I put my PowerPoint presentation together in no time, including the information I got from the articles. "My presentation is ready," I said with a sigh of relief. Soon, Mom called me, Jayden and Amber down for dinner. Mom made her spaghetti and meatballs, and Dad made fried chicken and baked potatoes for us. My favorite! As we we ate, Mom had another surprise for me. She said that we would be staying in a hotel overnight. Demi's tour manager already paid our stay.

I was so excited that I could barely sleep. But I breathed deeply a few times, and finally fell asleep at around 10:00 p.m. As the sun rose, I went into the bathroom to wash my face, and put on some comfortable clothes for the day. After that, I picked out my clothes for me to wear for the ride to the hotel, and then something to pick out for the concert tonight. After breakfast, Mom and I helped each other pack our suitcases and kissed our family goodbye. As we were driving to our hotel, Mom told me that Demi had a surprise for me. I was curious about what it could be, but I didn't ask.

We got to the hotel, Hampton Inn, where Demi's tour manager, Holly greeted us. She led us to our room. It was beautiful! It had two beds, a tv and a little mini fridge and microwave.

After settling into our hotel room, Mom and I got ready to go to the concert, which was being held at the Patriot Center. Once we arrived, Holly led us to Demi's dressing room and knocked on the door. It opened, and there standing right in front of us was Demi Lovato!

Hi, Demi. Nice to see you again," Mom said, shaking her hand. "Hello, Laila. It's nice to see you too. You must be Aliyah," Demi said, turning to look at me. To be honest, I was so excited to see her, but when she opened the door, I suddenly felt a little shy. "Y-yes ma'am," I stuttered. "Oh! Don't be so shy. It's alright. Can I have a hug?" Demi asked me, opening up her arms. "Yes," I said, walking towards her with my arms wide open. We hugged, and Mom smiled at us. After we went into the room, Demi and I sat down in front of a mirror. She told my Mom what she wanted her hair to look like, and Mom immediately got right to work. 

As Mom was styling Demi's hair, she and I started having a conversation. "How old are you, Aliyah?" Demi asked me. "I'm 14," I replied. "Do you have any siblings?" Demi asked me. "Yep. I have a younger brother and sister." "What are their names?" "Jayden and Amber. Jayden is 10, and Amber is 7," I replied. As we were talking, Demi noticed the bandage on my chin and asked what happened. 

I sighed and told her what happened to me that day. She was shocked, but nodded. "I know how you feel," she told me. "Huh? What do you mean?" I asked her. Demi told me that she used to get bullied at school when she was my age. Hearing this stunned me. "You were bullied in school?!" I squeaked. She nodded. "You're kidding," I said. "No, I'm not kidding," Demi replied, shaking her head. 

"When did the bullying start?" I asked. "I was 12 at the time. After I  was finished filming a tv show I was on, I tried to go back to school and fit in. However, it made me feel like an outsider," Demi explained. "What happened at school?" I asked gently. Demi sighed. "Other girls my age started calling me names like: 'fat', and saying that I should kill myself, and slit my wrists," she told me. 

"Calling a 12 year old girl fat?!" I yelled, hardly believing my ears. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. The bullying got so bad, that my mom took me away, and I was home-schooled. Even though I was away from those girls, what they did effected me. I even cut my wrists," Demi said. I shook my head. "I'm so sorry you went through that," I said. "Thank you," replied Demi. "You are so kind," a voice said. 

"Gee, thanks. I... Hey! Wait a minute, who said that?" I asked, looking around the room. "That would be my surprise I have for you," Demi said laughing. "What surprise?" I asked. Demi winked at me and turned to the door, shouting: "Come on in, girls!" I looked at her confused, but when the people came into the room, I was shocked beyond belief to see that it was...