Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight! And the characters own me :)

Alice was toast.

Okay, I guess some of it was my fault because I should've predicted she'd do something this crazy sooner or later, but I'd had such a good day I'd forgotten to check on her. As my handler, I would've suspected she'd be a little more responsible, putting a little more thought into her wild schemes or at least conferencing the decision with me. But no, Alice has a one-track mind. Sometimes it was great, but sometimes I wanted to run her over with my four-inch stiletto heels for it. (Although I'd probably trip before actually running her over with them. We'd bought them last week in New York's most exclusive shoe store, even though I'd pointed out countless times how if I can't walk over a flat surface without finding something to trip over, how will I ever do it in four-inch heels? Alice, of course, won by compromise that if we bought them, I wouldn't have to shop with her for a week, which was quite a sacrifice on her part.) And now she'd just landed me in a movie with none other than the obnoxious Jacob Black.

"You did what?" I shrieked into my phone as Alice told me the news. I cursed under my breath as I thought of how disastrous this would be. She told me this morning as I was enjoying a hearty (and private) breakfast at IHOP with my mom, and manager, Renee. She had set up this exclusively, demanding that no one could enter except her and I, so there were no cameras to avoid or screaming fans I'd have to sign autographs for. Yes, however over-the-top it was, Renee had booked the entire restaurant for just the two of us.

"C'mon, you said yourself how amazing it'd be starring in a hit blockbuster movie directed by the most famous director ever!" Alice chirped happily, unfazed by my unleashed fury. She was talking about Chip Parker, of course, possibly the most famous director in Hollywood. And she did have a point, however reluctantly I admitted—if you were in one of his movies, you were instantly a flamingo in a flock of pigeons. Everyone knew your name and you became more famous than ever. It would put the icing on the cake for my career, and I knew it, even if it meant corresponding with the most annoying actor ever.

I would say I have nothing against Jacob Black, but that would be a flat-out lie. Jacob had starred in a few hit movies, like me, and was currently rated number five on America's Up & Coming Male Actors and came in third on America's Hottest Teen Stars. He was probably as well known as I, with pictures taped on millions of lockers and walls. But I, one of the few, saw right through his fake, delightful mask to the real jerk he was. He couldn't act like a normal person for the life of him, and I swore to myself I'd never talk with him, let alone act with him, ever. He was shallow and selfish and begging for attention. Sure, he had a "charming smile" but he had no personality, and if I were in that movie I'd have to listen to his annoying voice for three whole months, possibly longer.

"Honey, Alice makes a good point," Renee said, trying to hold in her excitement. She and Alice were bursting with energy and, if not for my down-to-earth friend Angela, I might've just exploded from the deadly twosome. Angela is my best friend, aside from Alice. She always shows up to support me while I'm filming and stays on the sidelines, cheering me on. Angela goes to a regular, public high school and she's not famous, which is pretty awesome because she keeps my feet on the ground.

Anyway, don't get me wrong about Alice and Renee—I love them both to death. It's just sometimes they're way too overwhelming and can be intimidating, even though I should probably be the one intimidating them. I was, after all, voted number two on America's Sexiest Women Under 25, starred in as many successful movies as Jacob, and had finished filming the second season of the hit series, All The Small Things (ATST), which would premiere September 3rd. I played the main character, Sophie, a shy, reserved girl in high school trying to cope with her alcoholic father, cruel sister and, to top it all off, a guy that's captured her heart who doesn't know she exists. My co-star, Jessica Stanley, is the cruel sister, which fits her personality to a T.

Jess has been downright evil to me ever since we started the series two years ago. I think it's out of jealousy, since I get more attention for the show and am currently more famous. She's given me the cold shoulder ever since day one.

"Hey, I'm Bella. I heard you're Sophie's sister, and I wanted to say hi." I'd introduced myself two years ago. My mom had insisted I greet all my fellow actors in their trailer so I was in the doorway, watching her examine her glamorous (and expensive!) manicured nails in the mirror without so much as glancing my way.

"You? I can see why they picked you for Sophie—you match her awful sense of style perfectly." She sneered, waving her hand as if to shoo me out like I was an infectious disease.

Yeah, that pretty much triggered our downhill relationship. That was probably the nicest thing she's ever said to me, which isn't a shocker. She's always bashing my friends and family, constantly pointing out my flaws, ("Nice tomato on your nose, Bells. Ever heard of Clearasil?") and giving me a hard time on set.Once she threatened to leave the show if Sophie got a supreme confidence boost because of her guy candy complimenting her hair, which made the director change scripts and delayed filming for about two hours. Dreadful.

The worst thing about Jessica, though, is not her snippy comments or annoying voice, it's the way everyone thinks she's simply the sweetest thing. Reporters call her personality "stunning" (gag) and she was almost named America's Angel. (Luckily, America came to its senses and voted me instead. That sure made my day, and gave Jess one more reason to hate me.) Jess recently started dating none other than Jacob Black, who she thought I liked, I assumed, since she'd always trying to beat me at everything, whether its popularity or guys or whatever. Even soaps—if I have a different brand of soap than she, she'll demand she get the same kind so we have "equal treatment onset." Blech. But I was thrilled about her hookup with Jacob—they were made for each other. Jess didn't seem too thrilled about my nonchalance and I think they're a little rocky right now.

"Bella, this is your big chance! If you star in that movie, your future will soar! You might even enjoy Jacob, he seems very nice..." Renee tried unsuccessfully to convince me. I rolled my eyes.

"Ma, that's like saying a tsunami is just a little water," I said. "Trust me on this."

Renee sighed but smiled at me. "I trust you, sweetie, and I'm sure you know what this will mean. Promise me you'll think about it. For me." She batted her eyelashes.

Urgh! Everyone was laying the guilt on thick, and I, of course, was eating it all up. So far, both Alice and my mother had convinced me by feeding on my weakness. I know, it was completely unfair, but right now I was trapped as Ma unleashed her sad brown eyes on me. I caved.

"Alright, alright, I'll think about it," I muttered. Renee and Alice squealed and Renee patted my back, as if to say, "it'll all be worth it." She said a few more words to Alice and hung up, smiling cheerfully at me. Once I realized I'd been fooled again, I glared at her.

"Oh, lighten up, hon. Filming starts in the fall, so you have plenty of time to memorize lines and meet your costars. Try to be nice to Jake, please? Don't do anything that you might regret later," Renee warned. I knew what she was referring to, and looked down, shamefaced. I'd blown up at Jess sometime last year after she'd called Renee a slut on crack, which ended up on the cover of numerous magazines, except somehow it was switched, and that's what I'd been calling her mom. Luckily Alice set everything straight and Jess got PHed (publicly humiliated) so it all turned out fine. Still, memories of that awful time where everyone looked down on me made me cringe.

"I never said I'd do it," I tried arguing uselessly. Renee shot me a knowing look, like she knew I would agree eventually, but said nothing. I knew she was right so I didn't bother defending myself.

We rode back to our house in Beverly Hills in silence. Since I had no siblings, and Ma was divorced, it was just me, Ma, and Alice who lived in our small-for-Hollywood home. I had to battle Alice about where we'd live, since she wanted an extravagant mansion while I desired a simple, two-story house, but I, for once, won and we settled here. Who needed that extra space, anyway? Those record-breaking ginormous houses that are only occupied by one person make me sick. Why would you have something that massive built if only you are living there? It's a waste of space, money, and time, and could absolutely be used on something much more useful, like a hospital or homeless shelter. Alice greeted us before I was even out of the car, skipping across the freshly manicured lawn without a care.

"Bella! You'll never guess who called!" Alice said happily, jumping up and down in an attempt to control her enthusiasm before bursting.

"Who?" I asked warily, following Renee inside. Alice bounced along after me, like a toddler in a candy shop.

"Chip Parker! I told him you'd be honored to play the main role, and he said he's delighted and he's sending me a copy of the script! You're playing Andrea, a spontaneous nineteen-year-old who snags the heart of teen pop sensation Carl or Chance or something, who's played by Jacob. He said he's setting up a meeting soon to meet the cast and go over the publicity deal, and then you begin in May!"

"Wait, you already agreed?" I groaned. "Alice, I didn't even agree yet!"

"But you were going to, I know it," Alice said, bounding into the kitchen to get a snack. She was referring to her uncannily accurate predictions, which were almost always right. If she weren't my handler, she could've made quite a bit of money being one of those psychics on TV.

I huffed and stalked out of the room. Hollywood was getting to be very draining. I'd just wrapped up ATST and now I had to start memorizing a whole new script? Isn't there some kind of vacation I could take? Of course, literally that was always possible, seeing as we could travel anywhere—money wasn't an issue—but figuratively there was so much Hollywood action going on that I couldn't keep track of. To tell you the truth, I was getting a bit tired of it. A break would be nice.

Of course, I knew how lucky and grateful I was. I appreciated every second of my life, counting my blessings each night and never taking anything for granted. It's just...a girl needs some down time, you know? Let's face it: I was sixteen years old, and I was missing out on a teenage life. I know thousands of girls would kill to be in my place, I am aware how many guys drool over me every day...I know those things. But sometimes I just wish I could trade places, if only for a few weeks, with those people. I'd been famous since I was little, so I never even experienced real kiddy life.

Suddenly, a light bulb went over my head. I knew if Alice were here, she'd misinterpret my excitement for the movie, but I knew the real reason. It was silly, and pathetic, not to mention impossible, but it sounded so tempting and brilliant I just had to see how someone reacted. Maybe I'd tell Ang, she'd understand. And I'd have no trouble convincing my makeup team, Alex and Penny. Maybe, just maybe, this would work. I pressed number four on my speed dial and drummed my fingers impatiently on my bureau. It only held one tenth of my clothes but it was necessary to be in my room. My cell phone was on its third ring before someone picked up.

"Hey Bella,"

"Hey Ang. You know how I've been constantly on the move?" As if she didn't. I hadn't exactly kept my distaste of my busy schedule to myself.

"Yeah,"

"Well, I have a plan. Are you in?" I knew this was extremely risky, but the benefits might just overshadow those risks. If only I could convince my best friend, I knew I could make it work.

"Uh oh," Ang said on instinct. Normally I would react that way with Alice, but this was my plan, and it was thought-out. Well, mostly. I'd have to discuss it with Ma and Alice, of course, but there was time for that later.

"Meet me at Slice of Heaven in ten?" Slice of Heaven was an amazing hangout-diner that made the best pizza on earth. It truly was heaven.

"I guess," Ang ruefully agreed. I laughed and hung up, my mind buzzing with possibilities. I hung up and called to Alice and Ma,

"I'm going out! Be back in an hour, I'm going to Slice of Heaven with Ang!" Without waiting for a response, I dashed out the door, bringing my cell. Alice would have a fit when she found out, and so would Ma, but maybe, by a thread of luck, the others would agree.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Thanks, Tyler," I said to the manager of the store as he placed a welcoming basket of breadsticks on the table. Tyler, who was in his mid-fifties and had a small goatee, made himself the waiter every time we came. Tyler was always super nice to us and has this caring twinkle in his eyes that I hate to disappoint. Angela and I are addicted to his pizza, a craving that can only be satisfied here, so Tyler's like family.

When Tyler was out of earshot, I leaned in close to Ang and explained.

"Okay, you may think I've gone crazy, which is probable but hold your horses before I'm done, k?"

"Kay."

I sucked in a deep breath. What if she refused? Or worse, what if she agreed but someone found out and told the paparazzi and my career was plunged down the toilet? I pushed away all the nervous butterflies and steadied myself. This would work. I just needed to work a few more things out and we'd be ready. I'd be ready.

"Well, work is really exhausting and I feel like I haven't had any real, teenage experiences, you know? All I know about real life is acting it out, and that's not enough for me. All the Hollywood drama is tiring and competing against other actors and actresses isn't very fun. So I was thinking...I have an expert makeup crew, so that would be no problem...that maybe I could go in disguise and enroll in your high school, just for a few months, to see what life's all about."

Angela was silent, her tiny mouth forming an O. I waited nervously, watching the minutes tick by on the clock above her head.

Finally she replied. "I...you...what if someone finds out?"

I smiled as encouragingly as I could, as if I had it all figured out. "Don't worry. No one will find out—how could they? And besides, I will look nothing like myself. By the time I'm transformed, you won't even be able to recognize me. All I need is your help. So...are you in?"

Angela, I noticed, gulped hard and fanned her face. I knew she wasn't one to get too involved in drama, but this was a plea from her desperate friend. High school...a real high school. The real deal, not a set of one.

"Are...are you sure about this? Did you talk to Alice or your mom?" Ang, I could tell, was trying to come up with every possible way of persuading me to not follow through with this. But I already had my mind made up, and no one was going to change that. Call me stubborn, but I knew this would all be worth it.

"I'm convincing them next. I really need your help, Ang. I can't do this alone. The press won't get a hold of this, I can assure you. I'll be going undercover like...like...like a spy. I really want this, Ang, and you can make it happen. Please. I'll stay out of your way and everything, I just—"

"Bells, stop." Angela looked me in the eye, her face giving away nothing.

I waited in fear, trying to read her expressionless eyes. My hands turned into clenched fists under the table. She couldn't leave me in suspense like this!

Angela took a deep breath. "What color will your new hair be? And what's your new name?"

I clapped for joy and awkwardly hugged her over the table, breathing a sigh of relief. This would all work out. Now I'd just have to conquer the impossible—Renee and Alice.

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