At first, Kayla had been uncomfortable with the idea of living with Demi and Trey. But now, she didn't want to leave, even if that meant going back with her mother or going to live with her grandmother. She wished there was a way for her to stay with them forever, but Demi wasn't her family, and her having custody of her when she had living relatives didn't make sense. Her mom's trial was at the end of the week and even though Demi was trying to be optimistic about it, Kayla just wasn't. It didn't matter what the outcome was. Things were never gonna be the same after Thursday and it left Kayla feeling a little hopeless.
She wandered downstairs on Wednesday night and dug a carton of cookies and cream ice cream out of the freezer. She tried to be quiet as she grabbed a spoon and plopped down at the counter, but apparently she wasn't quiet enough because a few minutes later, Demi entered the kitchen.
"What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep. I'm sorry if I woke you," Kayla apologized before shoveling a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.
"You didn't. Trey is coming down with a cold so he's been snoring and it's unbearable. Why couldn't you sleep?" Demi asked as she grabbed her own spoon then sat down next to her.
"It doesn't matter..."
"Yes it does. What's wrong?"
"I'm just scared for the trial and everything. I want to go back with my mom but...it's stupid," Kayla shook her head as Demi sighed.
"You want to stay here? You actually want to stay here with me?" Demi asked, causing Kayla to slowly nod her head.
"I didn't know that. I thought you'd want to be with your grandma or your mom."
"I do and I'll go if I have to, but I just really like being here with you. And it makes me feel guilty because I miss my mom and I want my mom but..." Kayla's voice grew thick with tears. She raised her hand and used the back of it to wipe her tears away.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered. Demi wrapped her arms around her and held her close as Kayla really started to cry.
"It's okay. There's nothing wrong with you wanting to stay here with me. I like having you here. You're like the little sister I've always wanted," Demi smiled as she kissed the top of her head and hugged her a little tighter.
"But it's not up to me, Kayla. It's up to the state. We all knew this was temporary and it sucks but that's just the way things are. Whether you stay with your mother or end up with your grandma, I will keep in contact with you, okay? You won't be able to get rid of me that easily," Demi chuckled as she pulled away. Kayla nodded and finished wiping away the last of her tears.
"I'm sorry. I love my mom but I'm tired of going back and forth. I went from living with her to jail to living with you and now possibly back to her...I just want some-"
"Consistency. Normalcy. I understand. There's nothing wrong with that. We'll...we'll figure something out," Demi promised. A part of her knew how this would all end, but she wasn't about to crush Kayla's hopes and tell her that.
Thursday came and went in a blur, and it ended with Lisa getting taken into custody after being found guilty of every single charge against her. They gave her ten years with a possibility for parole after two. And since Demi only had temporary custody of Kayla, she would be with her grandma in Florida by Monday morning.
Trey decided to take them out to the mall and to dinner to lift their spirits. Then they were going to head to Disneyland but he hadn't told them that yet. It was clear that Kayla didn't want to leave and Demi definitely didn't want her to leave. Trey didn't really want her to go either. She had gotten so used to her being there with them all the time. Without her, the house would just feel empty.
