** ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO STEPHANIE MEYER**
***PLEASE REVIEW!***
************KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS A FICTIONAL STORY THAT'S LOOSELY BASED OFF AN ACTUAL EVENT
Chapter 1
EPOV
It was all anyone was talking about. 'Explosive Pictures! Tanya Caught Cheating on Edward!' When my Publicist called me 9:00 tonight about the upcoming Us Weekly feature, I didn't believe it. The tabloids were always running these bogus stories about us, hell last week we apparently secretly eloped because Tanya was pregnant, so this just had to be another load of bullshit.
So why wasn't Tanya answering her phone? And why isn't she home? And more pressing, why is my publicist coming over? We usually laugh over these magazines, not once in the four years since I have shot into super-stardom has she come over to discuss damage control. So why now?
I grabbed my cell and tried calling Tanya for what felt like the 20th time in the last thirty minutes. Just like all the others, it went straight to voicemail. My stomach started doing summersaults. I couldn't take this any longer; I grabbed my computer and Googled Tanya Denali.
There were at least a dozen pictures of them together, Tanya and Alistair Charles, the director of her latest film. Pictures of them kissing in her car, them standing outside embracing, their bodies pressed together. Christ, they were even holding hands while they were walking. Out in public during broad daylight no less!
I sat back on the couch and just stared at all the pictures, numb and unsure of how to feel. These had to be fake, that's the only possible explanation. There was no way she would be so stupid to sneak around in public with a married man. Plus, there was no way she would cheat on me. She loved me. But why wasn't she answering her God damn phone?
I looked at the time and it was 11:00, two hours have passed since the news broke and I haven't heard a peep from her. This has to be a big misunderstanding. If they weren't photoshopped I'm sure they were just taken out of context, it happens all the time.
I tried calling Tanya, again, to no avail. Where the fuck was she? She was only going to the gym… and that was over six hours ago. That uneasy feeling reappeared. I stood up and started pacing, I need something to calm my nerves. I walked over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of Whiskey, pouring myself a double.
She couldn't have cheated on me, I told myself, she loves me.
I drained the glass in two gulps.
Just then I heard someone buzz from the security gate. I leapt off my stool and ran towards the phone. Maybe it's Tanya?
Christ! What am I thinking! She knows the code, we share this damn house. She would just drive up. "Hello?" I said into the intercom.
"Edward! Let me through! The place is swarming with Paps!" I heard Jessica's voice and my heart sank. She has to know something if she's making house calls.
A couple minutes later, she burst through the door talking a mile a minute on her Blackberry. I just sat there and helped myself to another drink.
"Pour me one." She said as she hung up the phone, sitting down next to me. "So, would you like the good news or bad?" She ask as she slapped a copy of Us Weekly on the bar counter. The picture that glossed the cover was of me and Tanya, with a tear mark separating the two of us. In the corner was a picture of Alistair embracing her from behind and placing a kiss on her shoulder.
Tanya caught cheating!
I felt like someone knocked the wind out of me. I just sat there staring. This is some damn good retouching.
"Ok then!" Jessica drained her glass and set it back on the counter with a loud thud. "First off, I'm sorry." She placed a hand on my forearm and I looked up at her. She's sorry, why? This is all just a bunch of bullshit! Isn't it? I just cleared my throat.
"I managed to get a copy of this trash before it hits stands tomorrow" she flicked the magazine with a manicured nail "and I want to get you out of here before the shit really hits the fan."
The shit hits the fan? What? "What are you talking about?"
"Have you looked outside your window? There's got to be at least twenty paparazzi waiting outside the gate."
I looked up at her and finally saw what kind of state she was in. She looked a mess. This was bizarre, she was usually so well put together, her white button up shirt was wrinkled and her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail. "What happened to you?" I asked filling up my glass to the brim.
"Ha-ha" She said snatching my glass before I could take a sip. "I do have a life and this just added about ten years to it." She took a long sip. "Seriously though, I'm not going to release a statement, unless you really want me to but I would seriously advise against it. It's a personal matter frankly, so people will understand if you don't care to speak about it. It will be a lot better for your professional image as well, not blabbing all your dirty laundry. Plus, you already have the publics' sympathy, so we don't want to milk it too far. You don't want to come off as oh poor me. Anyway, I'm assuming you'll want to keep what little dignity you have left." She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "But, in the meantime, people are still going to want to hear your side of the story so I've arranged for you to hide out for a little while. You don't have any press to do for Metropolis for at least a month and hopefully by then this whole thing will blow over and the press will be able to focus on the movie and not this little scandal."
I took my glass from her, confused. "Why would I make a statement? I've never done that before. And hide out? These are just some bullshit pictures they photoshopped together." I pushed the magazine so it slid off the counter.
Jessica was silent for a long while. Longer than appropriate. "Isn't it?" I asked, panic evident in my voice.
"Honey, I think this is something you need to discuss with Tanya." She patted my shoulder and stood up. "But once that is done, you're going to need some place to go and I just got off the phone with Charlotte Randall, she offered you her home in Carmel. I've arranged for a U-Haul truck to come pick you up at noon. I've left some boxes by your front door, so you can start packing but just bring enough for a couple of weeks. I'll talk with your assistant to get the rest of your belongings. This is just going to be a decoy so you can get to Carmel unseen. You'll load yourself and your boxes into the back of the truck- and that is key! Make sure you go into the back so no one will see you. The truck is going to take you to an apartment complex that has a private parking garage and inside will be a white Escalade that's going to drive you to Carmel. Make sure you hide in the backseat when you leave the complex. It's about a six hour drive from LA, so be prepared. I would book you on a flight but it's too risky. Someone will spot you at the airport and you're safe house will be swarming with pap's before you can say fuck off. I'll be in touch with you but I just want to you relax, clear your head and prepare yourself mentally for the Metropolis press tour, the next few weeks are going to be tough but you'll get through it." She placed a kiss on my cheek. "Chin up, Edward. Things will get better."
What the fuck? "Wait! What the hell? Charlotte Randall? Why am I staying with her? Can I get a little more information here?" I ran a hand through my hair, this was just too much.
"Eddie. Charlotte. Randall. You just filmed Metropolis with her? You two were connected at the hip all through production? Anyway, you won't be staying with her, she's with her family in LA but from what I hear her family estate in Carmel is gorgeous. She is just concerned about you because she knows what it's like to go through these scandals; her niece certainly knows how to cause a media frenzy. But that's beside the point, Charlotte is just looking out for your best interest and that of the movie. In times like this, the best thing to do is lie low until it all blows over."
"Clear my head from what!?" I almost shouted. Christ, this woman was my publicist, couldn't she tell me anything?
"Edward, are you really that dense?" She patted my shoulder "Tanya's fucking Alistair Charles! I say you throw all her shit out on the lawn. She really doesn't deserve you."
Suddenly, it was like Jessica was speaking Mandarin. I couldn't understand a word she was saying. "No." was all I managed to spit out. I couldn't believe it.
"Listen, talk to Tanya and figure out what you want to do. If you decide to stay together then call me tomorrow morning and I'll cancel the truck. If not, be ready by twelve and get ready for the ride of your life." She waved and strutted down the hallway. "Give her Hell!" She yelled.
I heard the front door click and was once again greeted by silence. So it was true? I was suddenly furious. I grabbed the bottle of Whiskey and started walking around the house Tanya and I shared together. We just moved into this house a little less than a year ago, right after she finished filming The Beast, with Alistair Charles, I suddenly felt sick. Was she screwing him while they were on location? And then she came home to play house with me? Christ, we even adopted a fucking dog together. I walked over to the couch where Riley was fast asleep and sat down next to the mutt, clinging to my bottle of Whiskey.
Somewhere near the bottom of the bottle, I passed out.
I was awoken by a pounding in my head and loud bangs coming from upstairs. Fuck. I opened an eye and noticed I was asleep onto of the bar. How did I get here? Damn, I feel like shit. I walked into the kitchen and popped to Advil and downed a bottle of Gatorade. I looked at the clock and it was 11:00. Shit, I haven't slept in this late in years. I heard more slamming of drawers and my heartbeat quickened. Was that Tanya?
Even though I felt like shit, I darted up the stairs and into the bedroom I shared with her. Sure enough, she was in the closet, throwing things in boxes. She was packing up her stuff?
"What are you doing?" I asked her.
I must have surprised her because she jumped about three feet in the air. "Christ Edward!" She spun around and I noticed her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were tearstained.
"Baby, what's wrong?" I swiftly walked over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Oh Edward" she sobbed "I'm so sorry. I love you, I love you. It was a mistake."
She said it was a mistake? Alarm bells were going off in my head. "What?" I pulled back from her and studied her face. "So it's true?"
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and her lip started to quiver. She silently nodded her head.
"How long?" I couldn't even look at her.
"Edward. Please. It was a mistake and I want us to fix this. We can get through it. I love you!"
"A mistake!" I said incredulously. "This isn't a mistake! Burning dinner is a mistake! This is a betrayal!"
She walked over towards me and tried to pull me into a hug. "No. Fuck this." I ran my hands through my hair. I can't believe this whole thing was true. She really cheated on me? How could I ever stay with her? I can't. "No. We're done." I turned and went to walk out of the door but I stopped short. "I'm moving out." I said as I turned and left the room, slamming the door as I left.
I looked at the clock and I still had some time to pass before the truck was coming to pick me up for Carmel and I was suddenly so thankful for Jessica and Charlotte. I'll have to call her and thank her. I grabbed another bottle of Whiskey and waited.
Once the U-haul truck pulled up, I walked inside without looking back, leaving all my belongings behind.
BPOV
As I was waiting to board my flight at T.F. Green, I was wondering what my next move was going to be once I got off the plane and landed in Los Angeles. I quickly realized I needed somewhere to go and obviously, my parent's house was out of the question. Even in the unlikely circumstance that they would actually notice I was home, I just didn't feel like explaining why I was there instead of away at college, like I was supposed to be. Maybe I could go to the beach house in Malibu? I'm sure no one will be there. A little sand and sun is just what I need to get over this little bump in the road! I mentally patted myself on the back. Now that I had a plan, my first priority is to get a car. I quickly pulled out my cell and Googled the number for the Mercedes Dealership.
"Hello Beverly Hills Mercedes, this is June how may I direct your call."
I fanned my fingers out in front of me to examine my manicure. The red polish was all chipped and worn. "Hi. I need to get a G-glass Mercedes delivered to LAX at 6:30. I'll need it in white with black interior and I'll need 22" white rims also." I pinned my phone to my ear with my shoulder while I picked at a cuticle. "Soooo yeah. Are you ready for my credit card number?"
I heard laughter on the other end of the line and I was a little put off. "Is there a problem?" I asked, digging through my bag for my wallet.
"Ma'am, please hold." I heard the woman say just before the line went dead. Did this bitch really just hang up on me? How freaking rude! I quickly dialed the number again and the same snobby girl picked up the phone. "Hi. Remember me? I don't have time to deal with your incompetence in such menial tasks like answering a fucking telephone. I need to get a car ASAP, so can I please talk to someone who isn't going to be cunt? Kay thanks." I said more than a little annoyed. I let out of a puff of air, if only RISD didn't kick me out on such short notice then I wouldn't be in this predicament and I would have some time to ship my car from Rhode Island to California. But obviously they don't believe in karma, seeing how that bitch got what she deserved, and now I need to make other arrangements. Uptight assholes.
"Hello. Beverly Hills Mercedes, this is Tyler. I hear you're interested in coming in to look at the G series?"
"Hi. I don't have time to come in. I'm flying in from Rhode Island and I need a car, like yesterday. So like I told that rude bitch before, seriously you should fire her, I'd like a white on black with 22" white rims. My flight lands at 6:30 terminal 4. Are you ready for my credit card number?" I asked as I pulled my American Express card from my wallet.
"Um, Ma'am we are currently not able to process this transaction over the phone but I would be more than happy to set you up with a car service that can pick you up from the airport and bring you to the dealership so we can get you set up with a new G-Wagon in person."
What a crock of shit. I guess I was going to have to drop some names, I quickly scanned the crowd around me and I noticed there were a couple of people staring right at me. Geeze, what's it take to get a little privacy? I know I don't exactly blend in but do people need to gawk? I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself, the embarrassment was already seeping out my pores. "Look Tyler, this is supposed to be a surprise for my Dad, Charlie Swan" I tried to whisper his name but I noticed the woman across from me nudge the guy to her right. Shit! She must have heard. "See, I'm meeting him for dinner tonight and I wanted to give him the car as a present and I really won't have time to stop at the dealership, so can I just give you my credit card and we can get this thing going?" The lie just slipped right off my tongue.
"Charlie Swan? Like, Quest's Charlie Swan?" I could hear the excitement in his voice.
I let out a sigh. It's amazing what two little words can do. Seriously, I guess when your Dad is the lead singer for one of America's greatest rock bands, it really opens some doors. I mostly find it annoying.
"Yep" I said making a popping noise on the p. "Like I said before, my names Izzy Swan." I could hear the hushed whispers of the people around me and I knew a blush was creeping up my neck. I let my long locks fan over my face.
"Izzy Swan?" He paused for a moment. "As in Isabella Swan?" I could literally hear the gears turning in his brain. "Oh! I'm sorry for the confusion Miss Swan! Yes, yes we'll get everything sorted out for you."
I sat there nodding my head.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you like your birthday present? I was the one who helped your Mom pick it out."
Was this a test? "The E550? It's all right." I said nonchalant. I really don't have time for games.
"Um, well. Err, great. So, you said you wanted a White G class? We only have black here but if you can just hold for a moment I can check the Mercedes' in Encino for you."
I was looking at everyone around me and more and more people were starting to stare. Fuck! I knew I shouldn't have come here without a disguise. I suddenly had the urge to get out of there fast before I was bombarded with questions. "Well, I'm actually kind of short on time but whatever G class you can get me is fine."
"Ah! No problem Miss Swan. We have your Dad's card on file here, I'll just charge it to that account and we can finalize all the paperwork at LAX. What terminal was it again?"
Seriously, what a difference. "Terminal four. Six thirty." I said a little too antsy, I just wanted to get off the phone and away from all these gawking people.
"Ok. Sure thing. See you then Miss Swan."
"Later." I quickly hung up the phone and grabbed my bag to make a quick getaway. I stood and turned just as I heard a woman shout "Izzy! You're Izzy Swan! I thought I recognized you!" I started speed walking away, pretending I never heard a thing.
As I walked through the terminal, I stopped in little convenience mart and grabbed a black baseball cap that had PROVIDENCE written in bright yellow letters. It was hideous but it might just offer me some privacy. Lord knows once I land in LA I'll need it. I wonder if the media has found out about my expulsion yet. I'm sure if they don't know by now, they will definitely know by the time I land in LA. I sighed and walked over to the wall of magazines and started scanning the covers. I didn't bother even looking at the tabloids. It was the same stuff, different day. Hot celebrity diets, some reality star posing with her new baby, bachelorette drama, celebrity breakup and I'm sure half of the shit wasn't even true. Though, I was pleased to see I wasn't on the cover of any. This was a first.. maybe because I've been stuck in this Podunk town for the last six months. I stopped at a picture that grabbed my attention. What the fuck is this! I picked up a copy of Glamour that had my mom featured on the cover. Oh, hell. 'Super Model to Super Mom: How Renee Randall balances kids, a rockstar husband and staying hot.' The tagline said. I actually snorted, what a crock of shit! I doubt that woman even knows she has a kid! This I have to read, I started flipping through the pages as my cell phone started ringing to the familiar tune of Mariah Carey's Fantasy.
"Jake!" I squealed into the phone. "Please tell me you've seen the Glamour Magazine Renee is on. Her PR team must be making bank."
"Izz, what the fuck have you gotten yourself into now?" I heard Jakes scolding voice. Hmph, hi to you too.
"I don't know what you're talking about Jakey." I said as I tossed the magazine to the side in favor of a bag of Twizzlers. How did he find out about my expulsion already? It only happened yesterday. I walked over to the register and pointed to the cap as I handed over my credit card.
"Please, don't be coy. There's a high-larious video of you on Gawker. Never knew you were such a pyro." He sounded pissed… pissed he missed it. Frankly, it was a great time.
Ugh. I groaned and opened my candy taking a bite of licorice. "There's a video?" I said with a smile.
"Yeah. You're dancing around a huge fire like a witch doctor, double fisting vodka bottles. It's everything."
"I wonder who took a fucking video." I was thinking out loud. Angela? Ben? No, they wouldn't do that to me. Well, maybe they would?
"You didn't know about this? I thought this was part of the latest piece in James Screen's exhibit."
I cringed at the mention of his name. "It wasn't his idea but he had a hand in it." That hand was just all over my bitch of a roommate.
"Seriously, you're killing me here. Did he make you burn all your shit? I swear to God if you burned that new Chanel jumpsuit I sent you l will personally fly out to that dump of a state and slap you until you get your senses back."
I laughed. "Have some faith honey. I would never burn my own stuff, just Victoria's." I said shrugging my shoulders. Serves that ho right, screwing my boyfriend. Well, technically I guess I was never really his girlfriend… officially.
"Shut. Up. Bitch spill?" I was walking back towards my gate and I saw the crowd had thinned, they must be boarding.
"Umm… well I can't really talk right now but how do you feel about meeting me at the Malibu house in say, eight hours?" I was practically running towards the plane.
"Hooker, how you think I'm going to wait eight hours to hear this story is beyond ridiculous. Give me all the dirty details."
I sighed. Whatever. "Ok, long story short. James came to visit me and I was going through his pictures and there were all these naked body parts and at first I was like awww, and then I saw boobs that had these pancake nipples and I was like what the fuck, these aren't mine. Anyway, I kept looking through the pictures for some clues as to who this skank was, and remember how I told you Vic had that butterfly tattoo on her inner thigh? Like some kind of stripper? Well, there it was, pink wings and all! And he had like fifty pictures of her nasty tattoo. So of course I flipped! Like why the hell was he interested in her? She's a crazy lunatic. So I smashed his camera and went back to my apartment. And there she was, all phony and fuck so I waited until she left to go develop some pictures and I threw all her shit out the window then Angela helped me pile it into my car. We drove like an hour away from Providence to some sketch field and I lit her shit on fire. I shot the pictures for my Documentary Photography class and presented them the next day and they expelled me on the spot. Seriously! It was the next day! Can you believe that? I worked my fucking ass off setting everything up and pulling an all-nighter so it was done on time and this is how they reward all my hard work? Just because Victoria threatened to sue!" I was so worked up all over again. "So much for artistic fucking freedom. Apparently it excludes and I quote 'the destruction of other's personal property.' Fucking assholes. Seriously, she's the one who's a whore and I'm the one who has to pay for it! It's totally not fair." I was practically screaming. A woman turned around to look at me and I glared back at her.
"Fuck Izz. What are you going to do? I'm sure Dad could get you back in."
"Nah, I'm so over the whole photography thing anyway. It's just not for me."
"Right." His voice was laced with sarcasm. "So, you got kicked out of school and dumped by your boyfriend? Sounds like you've had a fucked up week. I'll bring the Tequila."
"He didn't dump me!" I screeched. "I read he's shooting Emma Roberts out in LA… maybe I'll run into him. " I dug through my bag for my ticket and handed it to the woman. "Miss you'll have to end your call." She said and I held up a finger to tell her to wait a moment. I was having a serious conversation.
"Bitch. Get real. This guys a total loser! You should have burned his shit too. Why are you still into him?" Jake said.
"Hello. He needs me, I'm his muse. He said I was the Edie Sedgwick to his Andy Warhol." If that's not love I don't know what is. I flipped up my hair to check for split ends.
"Oh my God. Do you hear yourself? You're living on the corner of pathetic and delusional."
The flight attendant cleared her throat.
Ugh! How could he say this to me! No I wasn't! "Whatever, you're dumb. So I'll see you in Malibu? I really just need to relax and I miss you." I whined into the phone. "Plus I need some pot." I added sweetly.
"Izz, Renee's having the beach house renovated. It's completely uninhabitable. Just come home."
"What the hell! Where am I supposed to go?" I was in full on panic mode.
"Miss! Are you getting on the plane or not?" I turned around and noticed I was the only person left at the gate. "Duh."
"Listen Jake I have to go. I'll call you when I land!"
"Wait!" I heard him say as I hung up the phone and walked onto the plane. Fuck… where the hell was I going to go? Well, at least I had eight hours to think about it. I found my way to my first class seat and grabbed my Ipad, I was kind of curious to see this video Jake was talking about.
I opened up Gawker and clicked on the tagline 'Izzy Swan', seriously I was this newsworthy that this website had a forum about me? I opened the link and saw the video with a little description.
Izzy Swan, demonstrating she still doesn't give a fuck. Rock on.
I rolled my eyes and let out an audible sigh. I did that because I did give a fuck! Couldn't these people ever get anything right? I clicked on the video and was mildly entertained for about 2.5 seconds, when I saw that they made my statement look more like a drunken bonfire. It was art I wanted to scream! Frustrated, I tossed my Ipad back into my bag and tried to get some sleep.
One fantastic nap later, we were taxing to the terminal at LAX and I had a plan. I was going to go to our family home in Carmel, why I didn't think of it sooner is beyond me. I would have saved myself a six hour drive. I waited at the baggage claim and eventually had all fourteen of my bags. Seriously, fourteen. It was a fucking nightmare. After singing on all the dotted lines, I was officially cruising to Carmel in my new G Wagon, my new, white G Wagon may I add. After making a pit stop at In-N-Out burger and picking up an ounce from my favorite dealer, I began my road trip.
An hour into my drive, my cell phone started ringing. It was Jake. Shit! I forgot all about him! "Hey honey boo boo." I said.
"Izz, I saw you landed at LAX. What the fuck are you wearing? You need me more than I thought. I could see your nipple rings."
I looked down at my hot pink pants and thin white racer back tank top. I guess it was kind of see through. Maybe that's why people were staring at me but I quickly brushed that aside. I was wearing a leather jacket after all….
"And your Providence hat! I was dying!"I heard Jake laughing. "I thought you were trying to lay low!" More laughter. "You really don't stick out at all with electric blue hair and nipple rings." More laughter.
I don't get what was so funny…. I liked my outfit… and why was he making fun of my hair! "It's only highlighted blue, asshole."
It took a moment or two for his laughter to die down and I just sat there silently stewing. "Anyway, where are you?" His voice echoed through the car.
"I'm on my way to the house in Carmel. What are you doing? Come see me! Please! Please!"
"Can you come pick me up?" I heard him whine into the phone.
"I'm by Santa Clarita, I'm not going back through the valley again. Anyway, what would I tell our parents? Just drive up and meet me there!"
Jake snorted. "Like they'd even realize you shouldn't be there. Anyway, Renee is recovering from a chemical peel so she's held up in her room popping Ambien like tic tacs and Dad is in London recording with Paul McCartney."
I didn't feel like dealing with this. "Look, you're breaking up. Just meet me there! Bye!" I yelled into the phone and I cranked Kings of Leon as loud as it could go. Why the fuck didn't he tell me that before? I would have just went home? Whatever, I debated turning around for a hot minute but I already had my heart set on a relaxing couple weeks in Carmel. Plus, if my little video was online, it was only a matter of time until my expulsion became public knowledge and the last place I needed to be when that shit hit the fan was LA.
Once got off the exit for Carmel, I pulled to the side of the road and rolled a joint. Seriously, I needed it after that long drive. Once it was halfway done, I pulled back onto the road and drove the familiar way to my family home. I seriously loved this place, the few decent memories I had with my parents are here, though really, any memory I have with my parents are few and far between.
As I was driving down the long driveway to the estate, I was so high I probably shouldn't have been operating a vehicle. I swear that the leaves on the trees were little people that were dancing. I slammed on the brake and put the car in park. I cranked up the stereo to Modest Mouse and hopped out of the car to dance with them.
Once the song ended, I was panting and I heard some rustling in the darkness. I spun around, frozen in place. What if it was a mountain lion? I screamed and bolted into the car, locking the doors once I was inside. Which made me laugh, like a mountain lion could open the door? Ridiculous. After I calmed down a bit, I started to make my way down the long road. The closer to the house I got, the more paranoid I became. The house was starting to come into focus and I felt my nerves start to dissipate, I was all most there.
Then, out of nowhere, the car went from dead silence to blasting music like some kind of DJ ghost possessed it. The music startled me so much, I screamed and my foot slammed down on the gas, causing me to collide head on with a palm tree.
For a moment, all I registered was crunching metal and then I was sitting flat against the back of my chair. Holy fuck! I started patting down my body making sure everything was still in place.
Head….check
Shoulders….check.
Boobs…. Check.
Stomach….Check.
Legs….check!
Oh thank God! I'm all here! Wait a minute! I pulled down the visor mirror and checked out my face. It looked perfectly normal. It wasn't until then I noticed the air bag didn't even deploy. Well, shit, I could have just died. I grabbed my bag and climbed out of the car. I was about to inspect the damage when I remembered there could be an ax murderer out here and I needed a drink before I was going to deal with all that shit. I walked up to the darkened house and a bunch of outside lights turned on, causing me to let out a little yelp. Calm down Izz, I told myself, they're just on a sensor. Jesus. Maybe this place wasn't such a good idea, it's so dark and deserted. Hopefully Jake will be here soon.
I rolled my eyes and dug through my bag, pulling out my keys. I quickly unlocked the door and typed 1972 to disable the security alarm. I leaned against the door and let out a sigh of relief. I made it!
The house was eerily dark and quiet so I flipped on all the lights downstairs and walked through the house into the bar. Hmm, there's a half empty bottle of Whiskey sitting on the counter. What the fuck is this doing here? Why didn't the maid clean it up? I swiped the bottle and took a large sip as I continued walking though the house. Ugh! Disgusting! I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
Hmm…. Well what do I do now? I dug through the cabinets looking for a deck of cards… it looks like I'll have to entertain myself until Jake gets here… I shuffled the cards in the deck and sat down at the kitchen table, I placed the cards face down and tried to guess the color of the card….
Hmm… "Black!" I said out loud, to myself as I flipped the card over. It was red. Hmph. I took a large sip. Let's see…. "This one is going to be… Red!" I flipped the card over and it was black. "Well, here goes nothing" I said as I took a large gulp. The whiskey burnt the whole way down. Fuck! This was disgusting! I played this game for a couple more minutes until I was starting to lose interest. Hmm, all I wanna do is dance! I ripped off my jacket and tossed it onto the couch as I tried to stand up. Whoo. The room did a little spin.
I walked over to the entertainment center and put on the Satellite Radio and played BPM Dance Hits. I turned it up as loud as it could go and started dancing around the room to Tiesto.
EPOV
For the second time today, I was awoken suddenly. This time it was to blasting music. What the fuck was that? I wiped the sleep from my eyes and grabbed my cell phone and looked at the time, it was two o'clock in the morning. So why the fuck was there music playing? Maybe I passed out with it on? I stood up and went to the bathroom to take a leak. I stared at myself in the mirror and I looked like shit. Well, more specifically I looked like I had been drinking all day. Which, I could really use another and I really need to turn that damn music down.
I walked downstairs in just my jeans and I noticed that I left all the lights on. Oh what the fuck. I walked into the kitchen and saw a deck of cards strewn all over the table. Did I play cards? Shit, I don't remember. I guess I did drink a lot. I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. I was taking a sip as I was walking towards the living room, looking where the source of the music was coming from. I literally spit out my water when I saw her. She had her back to me, blue and chestnut waves hung down past her waist, swaying back and forth as she shook her ass, bouncing around the room with a bottle of Whiskey. I was transfixed by the way she was moving her body, the way she was dancing, she just seemed so carefree. Well, maybe that was because she thought no one was watching her. No one should be watching her, like no one should be here. Besides me! I snapped out of my daze. Who the fuck was this girl and why was she here?
I walked over to the couch and picked up the remote to the entertainment center off the cushion. I shut the music off and it took a few seconds for the mystery girl to stop dancing and take notice. She whipped around to look at me and suddenly I felt extremely self conscious under her intense gaze. She made no move to hide the fact that her eyes were obviously taking in my naked chest, I should have put a freaking shirt on. Though, I didn't mind. She was even more gorgeous than I anticipated. She was tall and slim, while her clothing left little to the imagination. I had to force my eyes away from her chest because her shirt hugged her curves just right, proudly displaying her perky breasts and more specifically, two nipple rings. Her skin was almost ivory, which really contrasted with her dark hair and big brown eyes. Her lips were full and pink, her face was free of makeup and was only accentuated by a tiny rhinestone stud in her nose.
She just cocked her head to the side, giggled and kept on dancing to no music.
Who was this girl? "Who the fuck are you?" I asked in a tone that I hoped didn't convey how curious I was about her. I wanted to sound menacing, to let this girl know she was trespassing. "This is private property! I'll call the police."
She took the last sip of Whiskey and passed me the empty bottle. "You sound like you're from London." She said in a faux British accent as she brushed by me to get to the bar. Her scent filled my nostrils, she smelled sweet with a little hint of pot.
"Yes. I grew up in England…" I said momentarily perplexed. I turned around and followed her over to where she was, grabbing a bottle of Kettle One off the shelf. "Look, I don't know how you got in here but you need to leave."
She laughed. "No need to be rude, you don't see me asking you how you got in here." She grabbed two glasses and poured some vodka into both, sliding one in my direction. She leaned over the bar and I could see directly down her shirt. "What's your name, London?"
"Ed-Edward." I stammered, picking up the glass of vodka and draining it. "I'm serious. I'll call the police. You're breaking and entering."
She laughed and flipped her hair over her shoulder, exposing her long neck. "It's not breaking in if I have a key, so I guess it's just entering." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
She had a key? "Well, you need to leave. I was promised this house by a friend and she guaranteed I would be alone."
She rolled her eyes at me as if she didn't care a lick about what I was saying. "That's too bad because I make for very good company." She took a large gulp of her drink and sexily bit her lip. I involuntarily sucked in a large breath of air. I bet you do too.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"You don't know me?" She said a little surprised.
"No?" Shit, was this one of my crazy stalker fans?
A huge smile broke out on her face.
"I'm Izz- actually." She paused to think for a moment. "Just call me Bella." She pressed the rim of her glass to her lips, taking an exaggerated, very sexual sip. I didn't think sipping vodka could be a turn on, but somehow this mystery girl made it hot.
"Ok, Bella?" I said placing my glass back on the table. Wait a minute. It all made sense. My public breakup, a sexy girl showing up at my doorstep, this had Emmett written all over it. "Did Emmett send you here?"
She laughed a little bit and bit her lower lip. "Oooh, who's Emmett? There's another one here?" She asked a little too excitedly. "Is he as cute as you are?"
I was perplexed. Wait a minute, I didn't tell Emmett where I was, come to think of it, I haven't spoken to anyone in my family. "No." I paused for a moment, my mind racing a mile a minute."How'd you know I was here?"
"I didn't." She said taking another sip of vodka.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"Riding out the wave." She said cryptically. What the fuck does that mean? "What's your story Edward?" She asked as she brushed by me, making her way over to the large sectional where she laid down on her back.
"You can't stay here." I blurted out.
She rolled over onto her stomach and cradled her chin in her hand. "I can do whatever I want, Edward." She gave me a smile that sent a chill up my spine.
"Well, you can't. My friend Charlotte Randall, who owns this house, lent it to me for a couple of weeks. If you won't leave I'll call the police."
"Be my guest." She said flippantly as she rolled back over.
I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room, walking towards the kitchen where I saw a telephone. I grabbed the recover off the wall and stopped with my hand mid air. What will happen when I call the police? They'll come rushing out here and I'll have to file a report? Which will get leaked to the media and subsequently every one will know where I'm hiding out. Christ I haven't even been her 24 hours yet.
"It's 9-1-1 in case you forgot." I was so lost in thought, I jumped at the sound of her voice and quickly hung the phone back on the receiver. I turned around and saw her leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Look, I don't want to have to call the police but you can't stay here." I said mimicking her posture.
"Who says I have to be the one who leaves? This is my house after all." She said arching an eyebrow at me.
"This isn't your house. It's Charlotte's." I scoffed.
She just stood there, silently, almost challenging me.
"Fine, you say this is your house? Then let's just call Charlotte and get this whole thing sorted out." I turned and grabbed the phone.
"Don't!" She yelled. I glanced back at her and she looked at me pleading. I think I hit a nerve. I started pressing buttons on the telephone, picking numbers at random since I had no idea what Charlotte's number was off the top of my head, trying to gage her reaction. Bella rushed over to me and yanked the phone out of my hand, hanging it back on the cradle.
"Fine! You win! I'll leave but I crashed my car into one of the palm trees in the driveway. Just let me stay the night and I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow. I promise." Her eyes were frantic, almost pleading. "Just don't call Charlotte."
I studied her face. Her previous calm, cool exterior was replaced by what looked like a nervous, scared little girl. Why was she so worried about Charlotte? She wouldn't hurt a fly.
"How'd you crash your car?"
"It's not important." She said flipping her hair back over her shoulder.
"Why should I let you stay here? You're so scared of Charlotte it obviously means you shouldn't be here." I said leaning back against the granite countertop. I felt good to finally have the upper hand with this girl.
She took a deep breath and looked down at the ground. "I got expelled from school yesterday."
"High school?" I asked.
"No. College, I was going to school at Rode Island School of Design?" She said digging the toe of her shoe into the ground.
"What did you get expelled for?" I needed to know if I should sleep with my door locked tonight or not.
"It was total bullshit. I should really sue them for what they did to me." She said defiantly.
"And that would be?" I made a motion with my hand for her to keep talking.
"They didn't like my art."
"They can do that? Just because they don't like it?"
"Something like that." She shrugged a shoulder and I felt like I wasn't getting the whole story.
"So, you don't want your Mom to find out?" I didn't know that Charlotte had a kid, but she never said she didn't have children. It's the only explanation for Bella's intimidation.
She snorted. Bella actually snorted, I didn't know people actually did that. "Honestly? I don't think my mother even remembers I'm in college. Well, was." She added as an afterthought. She walked back out into the living room and I followed her. I watched her pick up the bottle of vodka and take a large sip. Once she was done, she shook her head and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, making a 'bleh' noise.
I was kind of mesmerized. Watching her was like watching a train wreck, I couldn't help but feel like something horrible was going to happen. "So, what are you so worried about?" I walked over and grabbed the bottle from her. "If she doesn't know you're in school what's it matter if you were expelled?"
She shot me a glance so fierce, I felt like I shrunk two sizes. I held up my hands in a silent apology.
"Charlotte's my Aunt, not my mother and contrary to popular opinion, I do give a shit about what she thinks of me."
Oh. "I doubt Charlotte would be disappointed in you, she's amazing."
"You obviously don't know me, London." With that she turned and walked out of the room.
What was it about this girl? For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that I would like to get to know her...
