Dance for Camera Chapter 1: Happy New Semester, a twilight fanfic

This is my first Fanfiction so I apologize for any errors, awkward sentences, weird lines of dialog or anything else I could have done wrong.

I woke up to a sunny sky, a warm cat's body, and an empty apartment this morning - which led me to believe that my sneaky room mate had slipped out in the late night or early morning for a couple extra hours with her man.

You're going to see him when you get to campus.

I sigh and roll my eyes at her, though she couldn't see me.

"No fancy coffee for you then." I scoff as I use the over expensive cappuccino maker she'd bought for us when we moved in. "That's her loss, isn't it Chihiro?" I bend down next to our cat and pet her head. She looks at me and meows. "Exactly." I nod and picked her up so I can have company while getting ready.

At least the cat loves me.

"You love me, right?" I look down at her fat body, dangling limply in my arms. The minute I put her down in my room, she runs off.

Nope, not even the cat.

Breakfast in the cafe. Meet you in 15. - A

My iPhone vibrates with a text from Ms. Missing just as I'm walking out the door.

Kay babe, see ya there.
Speaking of seeing you, where are you, Missy? Did you weasle off to a certain someone's apartment? - B

The answer, though completely obvious, is yes. If your next question is whether or not I had amazing sex while I was gone, the answer to that is yes as well. - A

Oh hush up! Says the bitter old cat lady with a weeping vagina. - B

Hah! We'll get you some soon, babe. Don't worry(: - A

Sure we will.

I make my short walk down the street towards CalArts. The campus is alive with people on our first day of the new semester. The sun is already high in the sky and deliciously hot on my skin as I cross the grass toward the main building.

"Hey, Bella! Happy new semester!" Garrett greets me with a smile from his post on the grass with Ben & Mike. They have a guitar and portable synth sitting near them. Mike has a harmonica hanging from his lips.
"Happy new semester," I laugh at Garrett's supposed holiday "What are you guys up to?" I motion to the odd combination of instruments around them.
"Making revolutionarily horrible music, as per." Ben tips his trucker hat at me.

"That figures. You guys are insane."

Last year at the final - more laid back - music concert, the three of them along with the rest of their out-of-the-box friends went on stage and played out of tune, out of rhythm, out of key and everything else you could think of "music". Mike took the initiative to sing R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" horrifically into the mic while the rest of the boys played madness behind him. The audience was dying with laughter and amusement at how much of the song Mike knew by heart until their teacher finally had enough and ordered them off the stage. I have no idea how they managed to not get kicked out of school.

"You can join us next concert, Bella." Mike smiles up at me and I roll my eyes.

"If there's gonna be a next concert."

"There has to be!"

"Yeah, we're graduating this year." Ben jumps in.

"This is our last chance to goof off and make fools of ourselves. We have to be adult after this." Garrett says.

"That should have happened when you graduated high school!" I laugh harder and shake my head at them.

"You are not nearly innocent, Bella." Garrett sighs at me. "You're just as bad as we are half the time."

He's got me there.

I've always enjoyed goofing off with them, getting in trouble and making a fool of myself. I don't see why people become so put-off with the idea of making a scene.

"Well at least I can be serious when I need to be! See, look at me being adult right now. I'm leaving to meet Alice on time like adults do." I huff playfully.

"Soooo adult, Bella." Ben chuckles. "See you later."

"Yeah, see you guys." I wave goodbye to them and walk into the building.

Upstairs in the cafe, I see Alice sitting at a table, dressed like she walked out of an Urban Outfitters catalogue. She has on a floral headband, a crop top, a sheer yellow maxi-skirt with a turquoise slip underneath and gladiator sandals. I look down at my blue skinny jeans, crusty old dodgers baseball tee and flip flops with a frown.

"It's only Monday, Al. No need to dress like a supermodel until at least Wednesday." She jumps at my sudden appearance and rolls her eyes.

"I always look fabulous, even though you should instead because you're an actual supermodel."

I laugh out loud because to be honest, that's hilarious. Posing for clothing catalogues doesn't make me anything close to a supermodel.

"Hardly, Al." I set my duffel bag down. She sticks her tongue out at me, and I stick mine out right back then get in the line for food.
When I'm finished buying breakfast and saying hello to Angela, I turn to walk back to our table and stop dead in my tracks.

He would ruin the first day back with his presence.

There he is in all his "glory". With his disgustingly sexy bed hair, wearing what I'm sure is a ridiculously over priced pale blue button down.

I straighten my back and do my best power-woman walk back to the table. He's talking to Alice as I put my tray down on the table loudly. He looks towards the noise and sees me standing above them.

"Cullen." I scowl and sit.

"Swan." He retorts with a curt head nod.

"Brandon." Alice says, just to be a bitch. We both turn to look at her and she smiles. "I thought we were saying last names? Or should I say Whitlock, because we're saying each others?"

Neither of us say anything until Alice takes another bite of her bagel, not phased by our tense staring.
I go to open my yogurt and he takes the opportunity to start talking again.

"So as I was saying, Al - I think they were really impressed." his voice sends chills down my spine and I hate it.

"That's good, do you think you got the job?"

"I don't want to say I did until I know for sure, but I'm pretty positive."

I roll my eyes.

I don't wanna jinx it but I'm pretty sure I did amazing as always.

I mock him in my head. I look up from my food to Alice.

"Alice, what's your first class?" I can tell he was about to speak, but I cut him off. I can't fight the smirk that forms on my face when I hear him huff.

"The digital art class." She says "It's something I've never really tried out before so I thought it'd be a cool class to take in my 4th year. I can't wait to see how my artwork comes out digitally. It'll be so challenging. You know how I love a challenge. I'm really excited, Bella. I'm sure you can tell."

"Yeah, I can tell." I laugh.

Once Alice began that rambling-talk-thing, sometimes accompanied by squeals, you knew she was over the moon.

"What class do you have first?"

"Final recital prep. It's only on Mondays and Fridays because we have until the end of Spring semeter to coordinate it."

"What about you Edward?" she turns to ask him, cueing me to turn back to my food.

"Documentary II." He says with a head nod and an awkward silence envelops the table.

Alice sighs loudly and dramatically, put off by his and I's tension, as usual.
I feel bad, putting Alice through this. She tries so hard to get us to be civil, but it just won't happen.
After Alice met Jasper in an art-music collaboration class and became a perfect power couple, Alice wanted me get to know Jasper and his best friend and vice versa. So it was set up for all of us to hang out at Jasper's apartment he shares with Mike. The night before we were suppose to hang out, him and a couple of his douche friends got completely shit faced and stormed into the costume department - destroying half of the dance concert costumes. Lets just say the next day ended up a disaster. He showed up with a hangover, I showed up fuming. We argued like dogs, screaming. We had never met each other before, and our first impressions were less than savoury. It's been half a year since that day and we haven't made up. I don't think we ever will.
"Where's Jasper?" I ask to break the silence.

"He had to run to the store before class."

"Ahh." I say, at a loss of what to do. I look at my phone and see that my class is starting in twenty minutes. "I have to go. Class starts in twenty and I need to change."

"Why don't you come in your clothes like a smart person?" He asks all of a sudden, and I'm taken aback.

"What's it to you?" I retort, recovering my shock quickly. "I have other classes so I need to be dressed for those too." He's staring at me with those hard forest green eyes. "Who's a smart person now?" I grab my duffel bag and my trash. "See you later, Alice." I stand up straight and strut out of the cafe.

"Good morning, Bella!" Kate greets me as soon as I get inside of the studio. She runs over and gives me a hug. "I haven't seen you all summer! And your hair got even longer. How is that possible?"

I laugh and hug her back. "I just don't cut it. How was your summer break?" I ask her as we begin stretching and warming up.
"Great! Garrett asked me out." she gives me a sly look.

"Holy shit! Finally! I was beginning to think I'd have to ask you out for him." Kate and Garrett have always had their eyes on each other but have never done anything about it. "Aw, I bet you two are so cute."

She sighs, "It's true. We're incredibly cute." We interrupt in a fit of giggles and she continues to tell me about her summer break until Victoria walks in.

"Good morning, my little dancers."

"Good morning, Victoria." the class greets her.

"Okay, we have a long time until the final recital, but we have to start preparing now. I'm sure all of you are aware how big a deal this recital is." She begins to pace the room, in her heels and leotard, bright red hair fanning behind her. Victoria - last name never given to us because apparently the V in Victoria sounds much more intimidating - has always been a great instructor. She lets us have our creative freedom, but she never hesitates to tell her opinion on something. May it be brutal honesty or high praise, it always makes us better dancers. For the next two hours, the twelve of us in class discuss themes, show works in progress and try to lay out some very basic details for the final concert.

We're out by noon and I change back into my normal clothes. I decide to walk back to the apartment for lunch before my next class at two. It's an experimental collaboration class, joining 4th years from dance, art and film. It's not a required class and is purely for fun. After the end film is made, the 4th year music students willing to participate are required to interpret the films without the original music and create pieces inspired by the picture. Collaboration has always been my favorite part of being an artist and I made sure I signed up to join the class, along with Alice and Jasper - though being a music student, Jasper won't be very active in the process until later.

When I walk in the apartment, I realize that I easily could have showed up to class in my dance clothes and came home and changed.

He was right. Dick.

I grumble all the way to the shower, deciding to take one because I can. I put a little more effort into my clothes because I won't be getting out of them, changing into high waisted shorts and a black and white striped blouse. I let my hair air dry into a curly mess while I make myself a sandwich. My hair is too long to do it nicely everyday. I've been growing it out since my Freshman year in highschool, only trimming my dead ends off as needed. Now it touches the top of my butt.
Chihiro jumps on the counter as I'm eating and meows.
"Oh now you want me, huh?" she meows again and I take a piece of my turkey off of my sandwich and feed it to her. She meows again. "Greedy!" I scoff and pick her up off of the counter. I fill her bowl with food and sit down on the tile floor with my sandwich and watch her eat.
"Don't mind me, Chihiro, just thinking." she doesn't look up from her post at her food bowl. "You know me, thinking all the time. You don't mind if I'm here, do you?" No acknowledgment. I sigh. "I'm talking to a cat."

Chihiro is still eating well after I finish my sandwich.

"Shibō!" I call Chihiro by her other, more fitting name - "fatty" in Japanese.

I look down at my fatty, scratch her behind the ear and then head off to my second and final class of the day.

When I get to the class, I realize it's being held in a much bigger room than the other classes. The room is one of our auditorium lecture halls.

How many people signed up for this?

I push open the big green doors and stand there completely stunned.

Holy shit. Did everybody take this?

There were tons of 4th years in the class. The seats were filled with people. Since this is the first day, the music students have to be here, but after today they aren't needed until closer to the end. Still, with the music students gone there are dozens of people in the class. Usually a class holds at max fifteen students. And that is still rare - normally classes are only eight to ten students.

Are you here? - A

My phone vibrates with a text and I quickly reply.

Yeah, where the fuck are you in this mass of people? - B

Meet me at the front of the class and we'll find seats. - A

I walk up to the front quickly and see Alice.
"Holy shit." I say wide eyed as soon as I'm within talking distance.

"I know!" She exclaims. "This is going to be so great!"

I look around and notice the heads of the different departments for all the 4th year classes are there. Alice and I's art instructor Mr. Banner and Victoria are talking to each other. Mr. Banner sees me looking and waves me over.

"Ms. Swan, how nice to see you!" He smiles at me and I smile back.

"Same goes for you, Mr. Banner."

"I was just talking with Ms. Victoria and we were wondering if you'd be interested in a proposition?"

"Depends what it is, Sir."

"Well, since you are majoring in dance, you will no doubt be partaking in the dance segment of this class. Since you are also minoring in art, we were wondering if you'd like to also take on the art segment in whatever group you are paired up with. You would of course be getting special recognition if you decide to take up our offer." Mr. Banner looks at me expectantly.

Do both dance and art direction for one group? Can I handle that? I'm sure I can, but I wanted to be paired with Alice... But jeez, with all these people I could be paired with anybody...

"You know, Mr. Banner. I think I'll take you up on that. I love a good challenge."

"Perfect! It would have been really weird if you said no seeing as we put you down to do both anyway."

I laugh, "Thank you, Mr. Banner and Victoria. I won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't. Now go find a seat because we'll be calling groups soon."

I smile at them and leave to find Alice, who is way up at the top waving and calling my name like a frantic woman for my attention.

"I see you, Jesus!" I scream at her from the floor and she laughs loudly, earning stares from students around me.

When I finally reach my seat next to her, the dean comes up to speak about the class. Then Mr. Felix Volturi, head of the film department, comes up to announce the groups.

"Group 11 - Kate Delani, dancer. Rachel Barkman, dancer. Jasmine Orthrow, film director. Jessica Stanley, art director. Mike Newton, composer."

"Oh wow, Mike's gonna have fun with all those women." I whisper to Alice and she snickers.

" Group 12 - Tanya Delani, dancer..."

"God, how did Kate end up with such a horrid sister?" Alice asks, but quickly puts her hand up to stop me from talking when she hears her name.

"Alice Brandon, art director..."

"Fuck, really? I got paired up with her?"

"...Tyler Crowley, film director. Jasper Whitlock, composer."

"Yes! My baby!" Alice squeals loudly enough for people in two rows in front of us to hear and turn around.

I slap my hand over her mouth. "Shh, Al!" I can feel her smiling widely beneath my hand, but she nods.

"Group 13 - Bella Swan, art director and dancer..."
"Really?" Alice asks, surprised by my job title, though I'm not the first to be called with a joined title. I nod and continue listening.

"Edward Cullen, film director and composer."

"Fuck."

Thanks for reading! Let me know whatcha think?

Until next time~