A Little Pizzazz
A/N: So, I'm leaving for China on Monday. There are 8 more chapters to this. Clearly there are not 8 more days until I peace out of Canada so that means I'll pretty much just upload the rest of it between now and Sunday!
Again:
Bella was sitting with Jasper on her left and Alice on her right, going through all of their shots together. There were several hundred of Jasper, several hundred of Alice, and even more of them together. These were test shots for the potential use of the promotional purposes. The production company's design team could be putting together the posters and possibly the movie cover with these. In her head, Bella could already see a the grimy shot of Jasper, his head down and his fists clenched so tight that the tendons on his arms stood out, as the center piece of the cover. A nice profile shot of Alice looking lost and forlorn could be edited into the background amidst a city rough landscape and perhaps a supporting character or two.
Rosalie was behind Alice, constantly yammering on her phone to first one production manager, then another. Bella tuned her out as Jasper and Alice joked with or complimented one another over the photos. She found herself doing the absent minded 'stare off into space and nod occasionally' gimmick that she did every time her mother started rambling about her latest pet project. She couldn't focus on what was being discussed around her, she was too concerned with the things not being said.
In fact, she almost felt like an intruder by sitting between the two apparently soon-to-be love birds and for some reason it irritated her. She briefly contemplated pulling an Alan Rickman and knocking their heads together, just out of spite. She shifted guiltily and tried to push away the Bad Bella thoughts but they continued to poke at her with their pointy fingers and she steadily got more irritated. Finally, she got up with a harrumph and headed over to pour herself another coffee—because caffeine would make the voices shut up, apparently.
She was just adding sugar and cream to the tar in her mug when Rosalie came over to her looking apologetic. Bella took one look at her and grimaced.
"What is it?" she glowered.
"I...well...I need another favour," she said tentatively.
Bella sighed. "Does this one involve a jackass?"
Rosalie bit her lip. "I really hope not..." she looked rather uncertain and Bella's guilt flared. Rosalie was not one of those women who wore uncertainty like another skin. She ate interns for breakfast and washed them down with men who thought she couldn't do her job simply because her rack was fabulous. If she was uncertain, Bella must have been in full out bitch mode without realizing it.
"What do I have to do?" she took a sip of her coffee and mentally shrugged. It passed. Sort of.
"Another early morning photo shoot?" Rose looked hopeful.
Bella contemplated kicking a child.
"You owe me," Bella said, grouching her way back to the computer. "You owe me so fucking hard that you may as well sign over your house to me right now. And that shit better be paid off."