Hey guys. Oh my gosh, so much has happened to me since last time I updated. If you don't really care, then skip everything in BOLD here and go on. If you do, enjoy.
Okay, first, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. It came out last Saturday, and I went to Border's to get it around eight thirty, even though I had a swollen eye. (I'll get to that later.) I knew this story wasn't going to be a very happy story, because obviously, Bree dies at the end. Sad, but inevitable. Damn Volturi. Anyway, it's a beautiful and sad book, and the reason it's sad is because you see how everything really was and how Bree really was, and you want her to live and go on, but you know she's going to die anyway. And it's not like I almost did with J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)—that I would've been so mad if she'd killed Harry. (No, lazy movie-goers who haven't read the books, he doesn't literally, really die.) I can't be mad at Stephenie for killing Bree, because she did it three years ago. I don't want to put any spoilers, so if you want to discuss the book or anything, send me a review saying so and PM me.
Second, I'm in a really expensive and really EXHAUSTING camp. I'm not even joking. Today, we hiked for two hours in a forest, I got my favorite jeans muddy, and my hair all messed up. And I ate a Subway sub with all the cheese melted and all the bread soft and mushy. Ugh. It's really tiring, and I'm only thirteen. Next year, definitively NOT signing up. It may seem like I'm not updating soon, but I'm trying. I recently discovered if I pass a document to a flash drive and then copy paste that to a computer with Internet, then I could upload a chapter. So I wrote this on my laptop over the course of four days. I am writing, but I'm also getting so many ideas, and I'm not sure which I'll post after this one. Because this story will probably be over in less than five chapters. I've told people a long time ago, Two to three, or something along those lines, and then I keep adding more.
Third, about the swollen eye, I woke up on Saturday morning and it was really big and swollen. And my stepmother put some drops on it, and it went to an almost-normal size. Then I went to mom's house, and it got big again, so she called the hospital and told her to just put something cold against it. So I had that for ten minutes and then we got the Bree Tanner book.
Also, I wanted to send a sarcastic shout out to all the stories I was reading last summer, and how they haven't updated since summer ended. I won't mention them, but I loved them, and they haven't updated in so long!
And lastly, the MTV Movie Awards. This year, I watched the whole thing. And damn, was it disturbing. Whoever was beeping out all the 'Fuck's had to be getting a good pay this year. 'WHAT A SURPRISE! TWILIGHT WON EVERYTHING!' I'm not a die-hard fan, (I used to be, but I kind of realized that is really annoying, so I toned it down.) and I really don't think some of those awards, like best actress, were deserved, or Global Superstar. I voted for Kristen for best actress, but then I saw The Blind Side. Sandra Bullock won the Generation Award, though, so that's fine. LOL. Later, then.
Wow, that was a REALLY long Author's Note. Summary: Comment on the chapter, the MTV Movie Awards and the Bree Tanner book. :) Enjoy
BPOV:
"You're dating Sue?" Charlie nodded, looking needlessly guilty. "That's great, Dad!" I jumped up and hugged him. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around me.
"You're not mad because I didn't tell you?" he asked, sounding confused.
"Not really," I said. I let go of him and smiled. "As long as you're happy."
"Okay then," Charlie smiled, relieved. "Why don't we go-." My phone rang again, but the default ring.
'Starstruck, Camera flashing, Cover of magazines, Starstruck, Designer sunglasses, Living the dream as a teen, Paparazzi, Cars, Hollywood, Boulevard—'
I answered. "Hi, it's Bella."
"Oh, Bella, I was meaning to talk to you, but I just got your number. It's Beyonce," she said. "I wanted to—." I didn't let her finish.
"Oh, my God, I'm on the phone with Beyonce!" I shouted. I started jumping up and down, earning weird looks from Edward and Charlie. I stopped. "Sorry, I got a brief fan girl moment. Please continue." I heard laughter on the other line.
"It's okay, Bella," she said. "I wanted to say that since most people who are invited to the party are bringing celebrity friends, and the whole point of the party is to meet new people, so I changed it. You can bring three or four guests and pose with them all at the red carpet."
"Oh," I started. "Wait, all of my celebrity friends are invited already. Who can I bring?"
"I've heard recent rumors you got a boyfriend," she humored. "Why don't you bring him?"
"Where did you hear that?" I asked. "It might be true, but I haven't told anybody."
"It's all over the web, with pictures and everything," she said. "Oh well, I'll see you in a few days, okay?"
"Yeah, later, bye," I said. I hung up.
"Why do you have 'Starstruck' as your ring tone?" Edward asked.
"It's how I feel, really," I said. "Anyways, you can go to the Christmas party, if you'd like."
"I'd love to," Edward said.
"Um, well, can I call Sue?" Charlie asked.
"Sure, Dad," I supplied. "The Skype stuff is set up in the computer. You can use my account." He nodded and walked off.
"That turned out quite well," Edward said. I smacked his arm and smiled, then pulled him down with me on the couch. I turned on the TV and surfed for anything good. I was about to settle for a Discovery Channel show when my phone rang the default ring again.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hey, Bella? It's Alice. Alice Cullen," a high soprano voice said.
"Alice!" I squealed. "Oh, my God, hey! How are you?"
"Great, now that I'm speaking to you," she chirped. "I heard you're going to the biggest Christmas par-tay in Hollywood and I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, what?"
"Actually, three things. One, are you taking Edward?" she asked.
"If he wants to go," I supplied.
"I'll get his clothes. Okay, two, do you have your hair and outfit ready?"
"Not hair, but the outfit, yes." I walked to the balcony and breathed in the fresh air.
"I'll take care of that," she said. "And three, can… I know we haven't seen each other in so long, but… can I come with you?"
I knew she was serious. I debated. The red carpet started around seven, and I always arrived about thirty minutes after to be fashionably late, and there would be lights, but the sun wouldn't be shining. Plus, it'd be more fun if Alice went with me. But everyone would wonder who she was. Sure, there were reporters who would ask, but it would still be awkward.
"I guess, but only if you don't wear red," I joked.
"Ooh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she chirped. "Can we go shopping so we can get my stuff?"
"I've already shopped too much today, Alice," I said. "Why don't you go and surprise me?"
"Oh, alright," she said. "Can I come over? Can we have a sleep over?"
"Uh, sure, I guess, but you have to know Charlie's here," I said.
"Oh. It's ok, I don't mind," she said.
The sleepover would be tomorrow, December 23rd, and she'd come over after dark. We discussed the details and hung up. I told Charlie, and he seemed delighted at the thought of seeing the legendary Alice Cullen again. He said it was fine and turned on the TV. He started watching some baseball game with Edward, and instantly I knew I wasn't excluded, but I wouldn't exactly be missed if I left. So I walked to my bedroom and surfed the Internet. Twitter was out of question, since I didn't have anything to Tweet, I still didn't have an official FaceBook page, and I got tons of fan mail, but I didn't feel in the mood to answer 'Aw, thanks. Thank you for all the compliments. I love being an inspiration. I hope you have a great Christmas and a happy New Year.' a dozen times, so I watched WHATTHEBUCK on YouTube. I must say, Michael Buckley was funny. Even when he said my crying on Ellen was baby-ish, I couldn't be mad at him. He said it in such a funny way. I had an official YouTube page, though it wasn't my name, and I subscribed and commented.
'Hi, you just talked about me in your video. I have to say you're hilarious and I can't be mad about you saying it's stupid to cry on TV, because I really deserve that. Everyone else keeps saying 'Oh, poor Bella' but I like the way you criticize! Keep it up, Buck!'
I watched videos and made one of my own, then checked the daily gossip. What I found on GossipChickOnline wasn't exactly comforting.
BELLA SEEN AGAIN WITH HOT GUY—SOURCES CONFIRM—BOYFRIEND ALERT
Bella was seen yet again with the hot guy we reported on a few days ago, and this time, a close friend confirms the relationship.
"Bella wants to keep it a secret because of what's happened before with other celebrity couples," the insider reports. "She wasn't planning on getting back together with him, but she loves him so much. I don't know if she's taking him to Beyonce's party, but it's highly probable. She'll probably say it's a close friend, but you know by the way they look at each other."
Back together, eh? So this could be the guy Bella cried over on Ellen, and the one her songs are about. We all know the rumor that Bella isn't the nice girl everyone thinks she is, but if she is that party girl from Ke$ha's party, then who's to say this guy can tame her? We'll have cameras and reporters at Beyonce's party, so anything that goes on will be here.
Always keeping you posted with the young Hollywood news!
Here's a clip of the video from Ke$ha's party and some pictures of her boyfriend and her.
-GossipChickOnline
Okay, I should probably explain the Ke$ha's party girl rumor. Ke$ha had a Halloween party in the same town I was in that week, and there was leaked footage of a girl with pale skin wearing booty shorts and a bra with my hair color giving a lap dance to most of the guys present who asked her to. Lots of people concluded it was me, but you can never see the girl's face, and no one at the party said anything. Ke$ha had said before she'd invited me, but then said I couldn't go. Some other witnesses said it wasn't me, and that rumor was cleared up, but some people changed their views of me.
Anyway, I ignored this chick, because she always went out of her way to embarrass me. I sighed and went on Twitter. I Tweeted 'Bored of the same old gossip. Come up with something new and refreshing! :p' and started looking up celebrities I didn't know who would be at Beyonce's party.
After seven, I decided to make pasta and texted Edward to make up an excuse since I was cooking. He excused himself and said he had to call his family to tell them he was staying longer and left. I could tell as I dumped the spaghetti in the boiling water that Charlie was still a little miffed at me for getting back together with Edward. I let the pasta boil and cook, stirring it occasionally, until nine minutes had passed. I took them out and got the sauce and parmesan cheese, plus the plates and glasses. I set the table and everything, and called Charlie.
"Hey, Dad, dinner's ready!" He stood and turned the TV off, then sat down. "Dig in."
"Thanks, Bella." He grabbed his fork and looked at it longingly.
"You missing Forks?" I asked.
"How'd you notice?" he asked, laughing. He gathered some spaghetti in his fork and popped them in his mouth.
"Dad," I said, "you looked at a fork as if you missed it."
I ate some pasta, too, and it was quiet. I gulped down some water and cleared my throat. Charlie looked up at me expectantly.
"I wanted to invite Tony for Christmas," I stated.
Tony was my cousin. I hadn't seen him since I was thirteen, but I loved him to death. He was, besides Edward and Jacob, the only guy who really understood me. He made family gatherings worthwhile. He'd been e-mailing me and calling me a lot, asking me to hang out, and saying he missed me. And he was studying in San Francisco, alone, and he didn't have the money to go back home for the holidays. I thought it would be a nice thing to do. And since it was Charlie's sister's son, I didn't think Charlie would mind.
"I think that's a wonderful idea, Bells," Charlie said after a moment of thought. "Are you gonna pay his ticket? 'Cause if he can't afford one to his parents, I don't think he can afford one for L.A."
"I've got it covered, Dad," I said. "I'll call him. He's already packed."
"Good, then," he said. We finished eating, and I brought out a chocolate cake I'd gotten especially for him, trying to get him in a good mood. I served him a huge piece and told him to dig in. I served myself a big piece and put it in front of me, but didn't start eating. Charlie looked at me after a moment, probably wondering why I wasn't savoring Aunty Em's homemade Triple Chocolate Delight.
"Do you feel all right, sweetie?" he asked.
"No," I stated.
"Do you want me to take you to the hospital? Or get you some pills or…?" he asked, unsure of what to do.
"It's not a physical pain, Dad," I said. "It's emotional. You have to accept Edward and I love each other, and even though you and Sue love each other, you're going to hurt each other in some moment, and you're going to see that no matter how much she hurts you, you're still going to love her, and you're going to try and get back with her, because you love her."
"So, just so I'm clear, you're sure Edward's never gonna hurt you again?" he asked skeptically, unsure of where the conversation was going.
"I don't know for sure," I said, "but I trust him not to, and if he does, then he failed."
"Come again?"
"Love is exposing yourself to being broken, but trusting that person to hold you carefully," I said.
"Then there's nothing I can do to change your mind about Edward," he said. "I understand."
"You don't know how much that means to me," I said.
"But just so we're clear, no kissing while I'm around. Hand holding, arms on waist and hugging is fine, and long as his hand's not on your backside," he said in his no nonsense voice.
"Yes, Chief, now dig in," I laughed. I stabbed the cake and shoved it in my mouth, loving the taste of cold chocolate on my tongue. After we were both done, and Charlie had seconds, I washed the dishes and took a shower, then called Tony.
"Hey, Bella!" his voice greeted me.
"Tony! Oh, my gosh, I've missed you so much!" I said. "Listen, Charlie said you can come, so get your ticket ready—you leave tomorrow at eleven and arrive here at five in the afternoon, okay. Ready?"
"Oh, cool, awesome." He took a deep breath. "Hey, you still have no boyfriend?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I read an article online that said you were back with the douche you cried over on Ellen," he said. "And the one your songs are about, which is so not like you." He paused, probably to think. "When you were younger, when someone hurt you, you shielded yourself away from them, and you forgot about them. Remember Samantha in fifth grade? The girl who told you you looked like the crap she saw in the morning, even though she was your best friend? After that, you went home and cried, and the next day you looked as if nothing had happened, but you didn't talk to her and you didn't look at her."
"Yeah, yeah, I get your damn point, Tony, but I love him," I said. "And don't call him a douche, because I don't know what that is and it could be something worse than I'd rather have you say."
"A douche bag is a bag of shit, which makes 'douche' shit," he explained.
"Well, that's mean, but I can live with that, I guess," I said. "But, whatever, he's really nice, once you get to know him. I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Bye."
"Bye, Bella, love you," he said.
"Love you, too, bye." I hung up.
I put my phone on vibrate and just as I put it in my pocket, it vibrated again. It only vibrated twice, which signaled a text. I flipped the phone open, reading a text from Edward.
"Who's Tony?- E"
I laughed and called him. As soon as he picked up I spoke.
"Come here and I'll explain," I said through laughter.
"Is Charlie asleep?" he asked.
"In a few minutes he will be." Right on cue, Charlie called out he was going to bed. "Yeah, exactly." I thought for a second. "Where are you?"
"Walking in the beach with my shoes off and my jeans rolled up," he said, sounding sarcastic.
"I thought you hated sarcasm because it was a nice way to tell someone they're hair looks ridiculous or they're outfit's from the sixties," I said.
"I don't like it, but that doesn't mean I can't apply it, Bella," he said. "I was outside your bedroom window when you were on the phone, but I'm at the park near your building now."
"Well, come in ten minutes," I said. He agreed and I hung up, then hurried to turn the hot water and the air on, then picked out my PJs and closed my curtains, then hurried to the bathroom. I didn't wash my hair, but my vanilla-scented body wash and the special face wash I took to keep my skin smooth were used. I brushed my teeth thoroughly and wrapped my body in my purple towel. I walked to my room and changed quickly, then looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost ten, and I wondered where the time had gone.
I picked up Twist magazine, read an article debating whether I should let my hair be natural or curl it for every event. However, in the end, they said it was my decision, but I shouldn't use any kind of iron so much, because it could seriously damage my hair in the near/far future. Whatever, I thought, it's not like I curl my hair every day. Just as I was about to read an article about the star of Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev, I heard a swish as someone moved the curtains. Right, the window was open.
I stood and opened the curtains, then moved as Edward climbed in.
"Who's Tony?" he asked as soon as he was standing up straight.
"What, no hello?" I teased.
"Who's Tony?" Edward repeated.
"My cousin," I said automatically. "Why? Are you jealous?"
"It's not illegal," he said nonchalantly.
I looked up at him, searching for his eyes, shocked at his comment. Would he really think I loved someone else like I loved him? Seriously, after all we'd been through? That hurt. I looked into his eyes, but they were hard topaz, even though his face was open. It kind of reminded me of those last few days he'd spent in Forks, and that sent a shiver my spine. His hands had come around me in a hug during my thinking, and he felt the movement.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing… just thinking," I answered. I disentangled myself from his embrace and closed the window, then sat on the bed.
"What did I do?" he asked, sitting down with me.
I noticed that his eyes had turned from hard to pleading in all of three seconds. I looked over him, and he was wearing casual sneakers, jeans, a white V-neck T-shirt, and a light blue hoodie. Most people in California wore stuff like that. Casual and comfortable, subtly not showing any vampire skin. It must have been a hard thing to do to walk around L.A. without a disco-ball effect thing happening.
But I couldn't tell Edward I was hurt he didn't trust me. We were honest with each other, yeah. And he wanted to know, yeah. And I was totally sure I could trust him, yeah. But that didn't mean I wanted him to know how much power he had over me.
"Nothing," I said, "just an article I read on the Internet that's got me down."
He kissed my cheek, smiling my favorite crooked smile. "Well, don't worry. Whatever they said about you isn't true, and I know it, and you know it, and everyone who cares about you and loves you knows it."
I tried to smile, but I felt guilty knowing that even though he thought I sucked at lying, I must have been pretty darn good to convince him. But he was frowning. Only slightly, but I knew his face so well I could see when it was distorted, even if I didn't have the amazing vampire sight.
"So, what's your cousin going to be here for?" Edward asked.
"I haven't seen him in so long, and he's studying nearby, so I thought, why not?" I said. "He couldn't afford going to his family, but I paid for his ticket here, and he's going to be staying in the other guest room." I saw the dark look in his eyes before it went away. "Wait, where are you staying?"
He looked at the floor, then smiled kindly at me. "Nowhere in particular, really."
"Where?" I asked firmly. When he didn't answer, I raised my voice. "Where are you and Alice staying?"
"Alice rented a big suite in a hotel, and I stay there sometimes, but not when I leave you." He sighed. "When I leave you, I wander around till the sun comes up. Then I go to the room."
"Um, okay, then," I said awkwardly. I leaned back and breathed in deeply. I was feeling sleepy, so I told Edward, and he offered to hum the lullaby I hadn't heard in so long. I agreed and in mere minutes I was asleep.
….
"Where is he?" I exploded. It was time for Tony's arrival. Where the hell was he? The flight wasn't delayed. I'd made sure of that. I was getting anxious. Since I was leaning against the hood of my car, and since this was L.A., where some celebrity had to be arriving in each flight, there were paparazzi everywhere. Tons of them, and they weren't holding back, taking pictures, I mean. I kept a small smile in case someone was taking a picture of me, but this setting made me feel on edge.
Charlie had decided to stay cool inside the car, and Edward was going to meet up with us after he and Alice went shopping. I glanced at my watch. Five twenty. I glanced at what I was wearing, glad it was something cute and presentable. I was wearing dark blue flare jeans, a dark green V-neck T-shirt with 'Love' written in cursive in it, and my black Converse. My hair was in a high ponytail because the harsh wind had been tormenting it. I started tapping my foot against the asphalt.
Suddenly, through the doors people walked out, some looking nervous, other excited, and some just walking fast. I stood on my tip toes, trying to see a bit of Tony, at the very least.
"Tony?" I called.
"Bella?" I heard him.
I rushed to where he was and hugged him. "Oh, I've missed you so much!" I let go of him and carried his back pack to my car. "You've gotten so tall," I marveled.
"You're so beautiful," he complimented. "Sure, still the little midget you always have been, but, you know, at least you're not four feet. Anyway, my God, this is your car?"
"Yup," I said. "I picked it out with Taylor Lautner, no biggie."
"No biggie?" he said incredulously. "Bella, this is one of the best models Audi offers, and it probably costs more than anything I could ever afford." He whistled and I smiled.
"Dude, if you want, later you can drive it," I offered with a smile. He smiled back and got in the passenger seat, saying Hi to Charlie in the process, as I got on the driver's seat. While I waited for an opening so I could pull out, I looked over my one and only cousin again.
He was handsome, that much was obvious. He had chestnut curls, like Charlie, but unlike me, he had blue eyes. His skin was also pale, but it had absorbed a bit of sun in San Francisco. His features were all soft yet angular, the kind that drove girls crazy. He wore casual clothes—jeans, soccer sneakers, a green soccer jersey, and he had a blue hoodie on. I saw an opening and drove out. Charlie and Tony were discussing the latest basketball game, but once Tony saw I felt out, he started talking about the flight.
"First class was awesome, Bella," he said. "Do you always travel like that when you go places?"
"Not really," I answered. "Depends on where, when, what time I have to be there, and why."
"If you had to perform for chickens and the president, in the House of Blues, on Christmas Eve at two in the afternoon, what would you use?"
"Where would they be taking me from and where is the concert?" I teased back.
"California and you are in Florida," he answered.
"Okay, then I'd probably go in a private jet," I said logically.
"You have a private jet?" he asked.
"No, we rent them," I said. Tony laughed, though I saw no comedy in my statement.
The conversation went back to sports, but I didn't mind. Tony was here, Charlie wasn't mad at me, and the world could be bliss, for all I cared.
Or so I thought.
…..
As soon as Tony started settling in his room, the doorbell rang. Edward was a regular visitor now, so he was allowed in. I opened the door and something flung itself at me. It was cold, and it had stylish clothes on. I screamed at the impact, thinking I'd hit the floor in no time.
"Bella!" a high soprano trilled.
My back made contact with the floor, though lightly, and the person on top of me stayed there.
"Alice?" I asked.
"Duh! Who else, silly?" she teased.
"Can you please get off of me?" I asked. "My back's still human." I forgot Charlie was in the room.
"So is mine, but people won't cry if I hurt my back, will they?" she said. She stood up with Edward's help, and then they both helped me.
I mouthed 'Nice cover' to Alice.
"Bella?" Tony's voice called. "I heard a racket. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, Tony, it's fine!" I yelled.
I looked at Alice, amazed she was here. She was wearing very California-ish clothes—a yellow sundress, with white leggings underneath and white sandals. Her hair was, as always, spiky and inky black. She looked so beautiful.
"Oh, my God, you're here!" I hugged her.
"Bells, chill," Charlie warned me. I ignored him.
"Bella, oh, you look so amazing!" Alice chirped. "How's superstardom feeling? I follow you on Twitter and everything! And I love, love, love your CD!"
"Awesome," I said. "But you sound like a fan girl, and I want my friend here, not my fan."
Alice dropped her sleepover bag and took a deep, unnecessary breath and said: "Alright. Fan girl mode—off."
I laughed and welcomed them in, then closed the door. Edward's hand immediately found mine, and Charlie's eyes didn't miss that. He didn't complain, but I told them I'd go check on Tony. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I left the room, and I was suddenly glad I didn't know what they were thinking.
What did you think? Don't forget to tell me what you thought of the chapter, the MTV Movie Awards and the Bree Tanner book. Review, bye!