This is a new fan-fiction of mine. Although you will probably figure it out throughout the story, Bella is living in Seattle and is 21 years old. She does not know who the Cullen's are, as in this story they never lived in Forks.
Everyone in this story is human.
All of these characters were originally created by Stephenie Meyer. I am using them as my own creative outlet.
I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
Bella POV
"Those of you sitting the two and a half hour exam for ENGL 354 Women Writers, pens down please your time is now up." The voice of the exam invigilator echoes through the large, silent hall. I notice my peers around me sighing and closing their papers. This was it, never again would I have to analyse literature in a college exam. I stretch my fingers and do the same, closing my thick, now extremely scribbled on, exam booklet.
Goodbye to the Bronte's. See you later Mr Dickens. Ciao Hardy and Hawthorne. The next time I see any of you it will be in the comfort of my own bed, with no exam stress!
"Please stay seated as supervisors come and collect your papers. There is to be no talking." The dominant voice in the microphone echoes once more.
I look over to my left at Christine Taylor, I'd gotten used to nervously smiling at her all semester. It's an unspoken friendship every college student has with his or her fellow alphabetised exam victim; say hello before it commences, nervously glance throughout, then leave mumbling 'that wasn't too bad actually' and never really speak again until the next time you're both in the dreaded exam hall. This time Christine's grin is so big you'd think she'd won the lottery, and I can't help but grin back just as enthusiastically. That was it, our last exam ever. Or at least for those who have completed their three-year long degree in English Literature, like Christine and myself. I've been counting down this day on my calendar for months. After tiresome late nights filled with cramming, stress eating, complete mental breakdowns and existential crisis' it is safe to say I am ready to go out for a drink or two to celebrate my success. My roommate, Angela, finished her last art exam two days ago and has never been so impatient to go out, it's honestly a miracle I managed to get any last minute study done with her buzzing around the apartment in a pure blissful state.
"Those of you sitting the two and a half hour exam for ENGL 354 Women Writers, you are now free to exit the exam hall." I all but leap out of my seat and grab the small purse from underneath my single person desk. I'm so excited I hadn't even noticed the lady who had obviously come around to collect my paper. The eager whispers start immediately as we all rush to leave. "May I remind you to stay silent until you have left the hall as other examinations are still in progress."
Angela squeals as soon as she see's me. "Thank god that's over!" She runs up to me and wraps me into a hug. "I've been waiting for forever to get my drink on, let's go!" She grabs my hand and drags me towards the taxi rank that is already being flooded by other excited students, keen to get out of here. Oh how she has changed, it must be all the carefree art students she's been surrounded by the past three years. I remember shy little Angela taking photos for the Forks high-school newsletter, nervously flirting with her long-time crush, not even considering drinking or partying.
"The exam was great," I say sarcastically following her towards the long line of yellow cars. "I think I did really well thanks for asking Ang."
"Oh hush Bella," she replies. "Of course you did well, what's your GPA again? 4.0? I don't need to ask about how you think it went." We reach the cab line and she stops before turning towards me. "Now I have some makeup in my handbag, I'll attack you while we're on the way. Ben is meeting us there, as well as Lauren, Jessica, Mike and some other people."
Lauren, Jessica and Mike are all friends from Forks high school. Lauren and Jessica never do anything without one another, and of course the pair of them wanted to escape the small town as soon as they could, so they also both applied for UW. Regardless of their stereotypical looks (big boobs and blonde hair), the pair of them are actually very intelligent. Jess just finished a bachelor of elementary education and Lauren did something in fashion design, and shared a few classes with Angela throughout the years. Although Mike never came to the city, he likes to keep in touch with the rest of us and often travels up from Forks with Ben, and we all go out on weekends.
"So where are we meeting everyone?" I ask, secretly praying it is somewhere affordable. You never know when you visit the city; you can go to some surprisingly fancy bars.
"Oh, it's that bar we went to a couple weeks ago, remember Flannigan's? They give discounted drinks to students and until we formally attend graduation, we are still technically students of the beautiful University of Washington." She winks at me.
"Oh thank god for Flannigan's, I live for student discounts," I reply. "I would've only been able to afford the free water if we went to Polar Bar where the cheapest beer is $15." I have just finished my last exam, I work part time a little bookstore, have barely any savings, and am probably going to get zero income from an internship this coming year. I shake my head in an attempt to rid the thoughts.
Now is not the time to think about how little money you have Bella, now is the time to drink!
"You and me both, Bells." She smiles. "Ooh, a cab!" She practically squeals again and grabs my hand pulling me into the backseat of a warm yellow sedan. "I'm feeling shots tonight." She states, already rummaging through her handbag to find her beauty weapons.
"Shots sounds great to me," I grin.
After getting attacked by pink lip-gloss, having my hair fiddled with and my boobs pushed up and readjusted, I stare out the window of the cab, admiring the beauty of Seattle. We reach the bar quicker than I thought; and it's already filled with people.
"There's Ben and the others!" Ang grabs my hand again and drags me through a sea of people to a small table at the left of the bar where Ben and a few other familiar faces are sitting, drinks already in front of them.
"Hey, hey!" Ben raises his beer glass as we approach. "All finals are finally done!" He cheers.
"Amen to that!" Ang grins at him before leaning in for a chaste kiss. "Now lets get some drinks in our hands, Bells!" We turn our backs to the group and head back towards the bar.
"See," Lauren continues. "If you swipe right it means you've said yes to them- ew swipe left to that guy Bella!" She reaches for my phone and grabs it out of my hand before moving her thumb in all sorts of directions, from a distance it might look as if she is playing a game.
"So then what?" I ask, taking a few not-so-steady steps around the cocktail-style table trying to get a glimpse of my phone screen again.
"Well, if they swipe right to you too, you can start up a conversation." She explains. "But I never do anyway, leave it up to the guys. If they like you, they'll talk. Oh look at him! He's cute." She tilts the phone towards me, displaying a tall, tanned male with dark hair and glasses, but he's gone quickly as she swipes her thumb to the right.
"Lauren what on earth are you doing with Bella's phone?" Angela comes up to the table we are both standing at with three shots in her hands. "I leave you for one minute to go to the bar and you've…" she pauses to look at my phone screen, "signed her up to a dating app?!" She laughs and moves one shot in front of me, the other in front of Lauren and the last one stays in her right hand.
"What's this one?" I ask, picking up the shot and admiring its blue colour.
I think you've drank the rainbow tonight Bella. God I'm going to have a killer headache in the morning.
"Honestly I'm not sure," She laughs again. "I just asked the barman what a popular shot was. He poured three different things in to it I think."
"A shot is a shot," Lauren states, putting down my phone only to reach for the little glass and down it quickly. "Oh! It's yummy." She states with a smile.
"One," Angela begins.
"Two," I continue.
"Three!" We touch our glasses together before pouring the slightly sour liquid down our throats. Lauren's right, it is surprisingly delicious for something so alcoholic.
"Why can't there just be an app where I swipe right and a hot guy gives me money?" I moan, jokingly.
"Bells," Angela laughs at me. "You've only just finished your last exam, don't start stressing about an income now. Plus, you're drunk, think about it logically when you're sober."
"Well, I don't know about an app where you swipe, but there are websites for that Bella." Lauren replies, looking up from my phone with a smile and a wink.
"As in prostitution?" I laugh. "I mean just give me money out of pure generosity, someone who's super rich and wouldn't miss the money anyway! Wouldn't that be a dream come true?" I sigh with a smile and rest my head on Angela's shoulder.
"I don't mean prostitution!" Lauren says. "Haven't you ever heard of Sugar Daddy's? They're a real thing, you know. Girls don't have sex with them, just go on dates and keep them company for money. A fair bit of money I've heard. It's a bit sad for the guys to be honest, but hey, it's a win, win. I bet half the old men doing it couldn't even get up." She snorts then looks back at my phone, though this time she starts typing.
"Lauren!" Angela laughs again. "But seriously… Bella? A Sugar Baby? Come on!"
"Hey!" I frown. "Why couldn't I be?"
"Sugar babies are trophies old men carry on their arms. Girls who tend to be blonde, with big boobs, no morals, and a Chihuahua in their handbag!" She replies. "Not someone who gets second-hand jeans from Goodwill, trips over her own feet and works at a bookshop."
"See?" Lauren passes my phone back to me. "Told you it's real. Why don't you just sign up?" She says jokingly with a smile. I stare at my phone, and sure enough across the screen in pink glittery letters are the words 'Sugar Babies', with a sign up button in bright red below. Further down the page are profiles of women. I press one of the girls with my thumb and it takes me to her page. 'Asking for $3,000-$5,000 a month…'
Woah, surely the girls don't actually make this much! But can you imagine if they did? I could be rich.
I picture myself on the arm of a 70-year-old man and snort.
Angela's right, my recycled boyfriend-style jeans wont suffice.
I lock my phone and put it back in my pocket.
"If it's so great why haven't you signed up Lauren?" Angela asks her.
"To be honest, I don't know," she laughs. "I should give it a go, a few of the girls I met at UW had done it. It's hard getting through college on a minimum wage part time job, I'm lucky I had my parents support! Of course they all denied having sex with any of their 'clients', though I doubt none of them would admit it if they had anyway." Lauren turns and looks at me. "You can forget the website if you want," she states. "But don't forget about that app! I got you started by swiping right on lots of cute guys, even if they don't give you any money. I'm sure by the morning you'll have plenty of mess-"
"Oh my god guys," Jessica comes up and leans on Lauren as she cuts her off. It's easy to tell her 'only one' vodka cranberry had turned into five or six. Though I find myself leaning on Angela for support and realise I shouldn't judge; I've had enough drinks to make the room spin. "Emmett Cullen!" She squeals. The name catches Lauren's attention instantly, and another girl I've already forgotten the name of who was standing with her back to us talking to a guy.
"What about Emenent, I mean Em… Emerett Cullen?" I ask.
Gosh that last round of shots we did is really hitting me now.
"It's Emmett Bella!" Lauren corrects me. "He's only one of the sexiest men alive, he plays for the Seattle Seahawks!"
"Oh sorry," I reply. "So what about Emmett?" My question is followed by a slight sway, and I feel Angela hold on to my waist a little tighter.
Maybe I need some fresh air, fresh air always helps.
"I just went outside with Mike to have a smoke," She glances back at the door of the bar as she speaks. "And he was just walking past with a bunch of beautiful men who I assume are the rest of the team!" She squeals again.
"Oh, my, god!" I-forgot-her-name-girl emphasises every word, the guy she was talking to clearly forgotten. "Well we have to go after them! What if they are out for a drink and they're just going to a bar within a few blocks? I would shoot myself in the foot if tomorrow morning I see headlines of that gorgeous team at a club surrounded by tramps and they were only a mile away from me all night!"
"What do you plan to do, guys?" Angela asks. "Wander around the city going in and out of bars until you see him? And then what?"
"I would walk around all night if I could get a piece of that!" Jessica grins. "I say we go for it. Why not? Lauren, Joanne, you in?"
Oh, Joanne. That's the one.
"I've just gotta' pee first! Maybe someone can try to see if he's posted anything on social media, could give us a good idea of where he is!" Lauren yells the last few words across the bar as she heads towards the back corner where the bathrooms are.
"We'll meet you outside!" Jessica yells after her, and starts heading to the door with Joanne.
"Bells I am not walking around the city looking for a footballer with these nut cases," Angela laughs. "And I don't think you should either. Why don't we head out the front, say goodbye and head back to the apartment with Ben?" She looks around for Ben as she speaks.
"Fresh air sounds nice," I hiccup and begin to stumble my way through the sea of people.
"I've just got to find him," Angela says letting go of my waist. "You go out the front, I won't be long."
The fresh air hits me like a tonne of bricks.
Gosh it must've been hot in that bar.
I see Jessica off to my left and walk over. Joanne has her phone out, probably trying to track down any clues on the location of the football team. A part of me thinks wandering around this beautiful city at night would be a fun adventure, but it's very un-Bella-like. I never do anything exciting or stupid. Sensible, reliable Bella, that's me.
"I think Ang and I are going to head home," I say as I reach them.
"Aww," Jessica moans. "Why?"
Because I'm boring, and this is something I would never do.
"I've had lots to drink Jessss," I drag out the 's' in her name, before giggling. "Bedtime sounds sooo good." I sigh with a smile.
"Are you sure you don't want to hang out with Emmett Cullen?" Joanne asks me with a wink, emphasising his name once more.
"Pretty sure guys." I sway a little again. "The only thing I want to hang out with is my bed."
"I agree," Angela says walking up to us with Ben in tow. "Honey can you get us a cab?" She asks him.
"Of course I can," He smiles at her before kissing her cheek and walking off towards the line of cabs further to our left.
"Jess," Angela gets her attention. "I told Mike to wait for Lauren to come out of the bathroom and go with you guys." I see Jess roll her eyes. "Hey! I don't want three 21 year old women walking around Seattle on their own late on a Friday!"
"Fine," Jessica replies. "You guys better go, looks like Ben has your cab."
"Be safe!" I yell walking, or rather stumbling, away towards the familiar looking yellow car.
"I'll send you a selfie of me and the team!" Jessica yells back with a laugh. Now it's my turn to roll my eyes.
The warmth of the cab surrounds me like a hug and I nearly drift off to sleep on the way home. The ride doesn't take long, and I think I struck up a conversation with the driver at one point but I have no idea what we spoke about.
Buzz. Buzz.
God what is that annoying noise?
Buzz. Buzz.
Can it shut up?
I open my eyes to my sun soaked bedroom. Buzz. Buzz. I roll over and notice it's my phone that is incessantly buzzing on my bedside table.
Ugh, who is calling me this early on a Saturday?
"Hello?" I groan into the device.
"Morning sunshine!"
Oh great, my mother.
"How did your last exam go?" She asks.
I drag myself into a sitting position and yawn. "Good," I answer before rubbing my eyes I an attempt to wake myself up properly.
"Did I wake you up?" I hear her laugh come through the phone. "Bella it's nearly ten!"
"I just finished my last exam," I reply. "I went out last night, Mom."
'Nearly ten', is she serious? I'm 21; ten is not even late in the day. Lucky she wasn't around when James and I broke up; Angela was lucky if I was out of bed by two in the afternoon.
"Oh of course you did," She says. "Bit of a headache then?" She asks.
"Just a bit," I look at my bedside table again and see a glass of water and two little white pills.
Bless you Angela, what would I do without you.
I take the pills and drink the water as I listen to my mother talk, an activity that is not helping with the growing pain in my head.
"Well Phil and I just wanted to congratulate you on officially finishing everything!" I notice she's put the phone on speaker.
"Congratulations Bella!" Phil says through the phone. "What a great achievement."
"Thanks Phil," I smile.
"Time to apply for jobs then!" Mom starts talking again. "Now as important it is to get started on all that I also think it is very important to spend some time taking care of yourself. Why don't you come visit us for a while? You could soak up some sunshine and maybe even get a tan. I think it would be good for you!"
Not this again. Arizona is great but I really don't miss the heat. Plus, I don't think I could even afford a plane ticket anyway.
"I don't know Mom," I reply. "I told Dad I'd go back to Forks to see him over my break sometime too, and internships start pretty early… I can't delay it or all the good positions will be gone."
"Okay sweetie," She says. "We can talk about it later."
Later, perfect. Now I can be prepared to avoid that conversation.
"Sounds good," I reply. "Hey Mom, I better get up and get moving, I've got a couple things to do today."
"Okay honey, well stay in touch."
"Of course Mom," I say. "I love you."
"We love you too, Bella." I hang up the phone once she finishes and look at it in my hand. It's open on the Sugar Baby website. I wonder again what it would be like.
I could always make an account and just try it. What are a few dates? If I don't like it I delete it.
I shake my head, laughing just at the thought of it and lock the phone again. I get out of bed and head out to the kitchen.
"Morning Bella," Ben greets me from our kitchen table, a mug of coffee in his hand.
"Morning Ben," I smile at him and head to the cupboard to grab some cereal. "How'd you sleep?"
"Pretty good actually," He replies. "Angela is just getting out of the shower. She put water and pain relief on your bedside table." He chuckles.
"I noticed! Already taken them." I smile before I pour some milk into my cereal filled bowl and head over to sit next to him. "What are your plans for today?"
"Nothing," He replies. "Ang has work later tonight at the restaurant. I'll probably just chill here if that's okay but I think tomorrow we are heading back to Forks for the week. Did you want to come along? I saw Charlie the other day and he misses you."
Ben still lives in Forks; he works for his father at their family-owned 'Outdoor Living' store, selling camping equipment and tourist maps of the local area. He and Angela got together in our last year of high school, when she finally got the courage to tell him she liked him. Even though I am no winner when it comes to relationships, it was becoming painful watching the two of them pine over one another but both being too shy to say anything. When I applied for UW so did she, it had been our dream since seventh grade to have an apartment together in the city and go to college in Seattle, and their relationship was just beginning they didn't think much of it. The past three years have been a killer though; I've dealt with many teary nights where Angela missed Ben 'so much it hurt'. After he'd leave our apartment, or she'd just come back from visiting Forks, she would get into a very low mood that would hang around for about a week. I can't deny though, he is a great guy and takes care really good care of her. Ben supports Angela through everything; including when her parents found out she was going to Seattle to study art, not medicine. Boy wasn't that a fight and a half.
"I miss him too," I reply. "I told him I'd come visit but I think I want to perfect my resume and start looking at internships next week. I might head down next weekend." I take a bite of my cereal.
"Fair enough," He replies. We continue to eat and drink in a comfortable silence.
"Hey, morning Bells," Angela says as she walks into the kitchen, a towel wrapped around her head. "How are you feeling? Luckily Ben force fed me a bottle of water last night before I slept so my head isn't too bad."
"Ugh," I groan. "Why can't I have my own Ben." I joke.
They both laugh. "So not feeling too good then?" I watch as she makes up her own bowl of cereal.
"Not the worst, those pills are starting to kick in I think," I smile at her. "Thanks, by the way."
"Always," She smiles back at me and takes a seat opposite me at the table. "We're just lounging around the apartment today. Might have a Star Wars marathon, you in?"
"I've got to tidy my bedroom a bit, now that my cramming is over I really should organise my desk." I reply with a mouthful of cereal. "But I'll come sit throughout the day, you know I can't resist Episode III Hayden Christensen." I stick my tongue out at her.
"He is a beauty." She chuckles then takes a spoonful of her cereal.
I get out my phone intending to check social media while I finish eating my breakfast. I notice I have one new text message and nearly choke on my chocolate puffs as I open it. "Oh, my god." I whisper. "Oh my god!" I say louder.
"What?" Angela asks concerned. I slide the phone across the table to her. "Oh my god, I can't believe she actually got that selfie." She laughs.
"What?" Ben asks looking at the both of us amused. Angela slides the phone across to him.
"Jess," I say. "She managed to somehow find that football team and sent me the photo she promised!"
"That doesn't surprise me actually," Ben laughs too. "She and Lauren can do anything if they set their minds to it, I swear."
I shake my head in disbelief, a smile still on my lips. Jessica wasn't lying either, they really are a gorgeous group of men.
"You amaze me, you and Lauren are better at tracking people down than the FBI. Hope your head isn't hurting too much this morning! xx" I send a quick reply to her.
Jess and Mike come from Forks too. Though we all have different majors and new friends, Jess just finished studying something in fashion design (which is where she met her best friend Lauren), and Mike has just obtained a bachelor of business and economics, we all try to catch up as often as we can. It was nice when we would all head back home for long weekends or mid-semester breaks, the car rides were always a laugh and it was fun to have people in Forks to hang out with. It also really came in handy when we all left home, Jess and Mike used to live together just like Angela and I do now, the two of them are practically brother and sister.
I quietly finish the rest of my cereal making a mental list of things I have to do today, while Angela and Ben get up from the table and make themselves comfortable on the sofa, putting in Star Wars: Episode I.
After putting my dishes in the sink, I walk into my room and sigh.
Bella why did you have to make such a mess studying for your last exam?
I look at my desk and dread cleaning all the scattered notes, textbooks, novels, and stationary. My eyes pan over the rest of my room to also see an unmade bed with clothes practically covering the floor. Although I am usually a very sensible, reliable person, I am most definitely an over thinker. When I get into a stressful, anxious state, all hell breaks loose so to speak. My room becomes a mess, I sometimes forget to shower, I don't eat, my hair becomes a bird's nest and I become a hermit in my safe space, my bedroom, surrounded by books. Although my exams have never stressed me too much, the excitement and nervousness of finishing my course, mixed with my break up with James a few months ago, my life hasn't felt very put together in what seems like a long time. I roll up my sleeves.
Let's do this. Time to get your life in order, Bella.
"Bells!" I hear my name being yelled from the living room. "Belllsssss!" Angela yells louder.
I walk out of my room towards her voice. "Yeah?"
"We're about to start Episode III." She says from the sofa. She's covered in a blanket, her head against the armrest and her legs draped over Ben. "Did you want to watch?"
"You've watched I and II already?" I ask, amazed.
She laughs, "Yeah, we have." She starts to get up. "I'm just going to make some more popcorn." She says walking in to the kitchen.
"You got in the zone again, Bella. I walked by your room in my bathroom break, you were jamming to your music and deep cleaning." Ben says. "You've got to be done now, surely?"
"Yeah! Just give me ten minutes to finish up and I'll come out." I turn around and head back into my now very clean bedroom. I finish making my bed, the one thing I always do last, open my curtains and crack my window to let in some fresh air. I grab my laptop then head out towards the living room.
"It's over Anakin! I have the high ground!" The TV blares nearly two hours later.
"You underestimate my power!" Ben yells dramatically. Angela and I burst out laughing.
"Babe you are such a dork," Angela laughs at him.
"You love me though." He smiles at her.
"Oh god, no mushy stuff." I laugh and open up my laptop again, staring at my resume.
Throughout the movie I had been opening and closing the document making subtle changes, while researching internships at publishing companies in Seattle. Around the time Order 66 was issued, I had also decided to research Sugar Daddy websites. I have no idea what drove me to do it, but ever since the conversation with Lauren last night I have been very intrigued. A lot of what I've found has been legitimate actually, a few articles interviewing Sugar Baby's revealed none of them have sex with their clients, they just go on dates and have fun. Although their kind of work is frowned upon in the community, they hate being characterised with prostitutes. A lot of them are actually around my age, just like Lauren said, and need extra cash while studying to help pay for rent or their credit card debt. It's smart really; they can earn an absolute killing for just putting on a pretty dress and keeping an older man company. I'm talking thousands of dollars a month, and they earn more if they travel with them and put on a show for the public eye.
I could really use the money.
As much as I love books, retail just doesn't support me enough, especially with the limited hours I'm getting. Never mind the fact that if I get abused by one more customer who is 'just appalled' we don't have the very specific book in stock they 'need to have today, you don't understand', I'll cry. People can be so nasty to retail workers. Also, James knows I work there, which makes my skin crawl. After scrolling through the potential 'Sugar Daddy's' and reading more articles, it's clear to see the more money you want the older your client will be, which makes sense. For example girls getting $5000+ a month tend to be on the arms of 60 year-old men or older. I, hypothetically, would only ask for $2000, maybe $3000, which puts me in a slightly younger demographic, which I'm happy with.
I should just give it a go; I never do anything exciting or crazy. I could go on a couple dates for some cash, what's wrong with that? It's not like they're asking me to go home with them, or rather, I hope they won't.
I open the website Lauren showed me last night and for what feels like the hundredth time today I hover my curser over the bright red 'sign up' button.
It's a little bit pathetic. How would I explain it to Angela?
I stare at the screen, my heart racing.
Oh just do it you coward.
Click.
My heart continues to race as I wait for the page to load.
Thank you so much for reading.
Please review so I can improve.
