Chapter 1
AN: Hi! Trying out something new with this one! I'm a huge fan of MTVs catfish as well as twilight. This story is almost entirely pre-written. It was originally going to be a valentine's day one shot, but alas, it grew into something much bigger. This plot line came after adopting a wonderful banner by MarieCarro. Posting weekly on Fridays until completion.
As always, thanks to Fran for beta'ing and Gabby1017 for pre-reading.
Anyhooo...
Chapter 1
"And that's how we flip the picture." Bella Swan said to the camera, throwing her signature peace sign up, causing the couple next to her to laugh, "See you next time when we try to tackle turning Munch's "Scream" into a new house." She continued laughing and smiling until she heard the final clap of the slate board.
"Cut! That's a wrap!" yelled the field director, "great job, Bella!"
Bella smiled and moved out from in front of the camera. She watched eagerly as the couple chatted with her production assistant. They exchanged keys and handshakes. It warmed her heart. Another episode finished, but another family happy with their new home.
"Great job, Bella!" yelled Alice, her best friend and set assistant. The tiny girl rushed over to the television host's side, opening Bella's discarded coat as she approached. Bella slid her arms in easily, transitioning the gesture effortlessly into a hug.
"Thanks, Alice. It's awesome to see how much they love their new home. And thanks for the jacket, I forgot how brisk the Washington wind can be!" Bella exclaimed, patting her friend's dark cropped hair. She stepped back to adjust the zipper of her jacket.
"Yeah, well, only a few more days in Seattle. Then, back to New York for a wonderful, two-month-long vacation! We just have to get through HomeCon and then we're home free." Alice chirped excitedly.
All part of the job, Bella thought.
She had been hosting her TLC, house-flipping show for a little less than a year. Flip the Picture was the hot new love child of a show that brought together art history and home renovation. As a photographer and lover of flipping, Bella adored her job, but she wasn't so thrilled with the press and reality end of it. She'd been all over the country the past six months making art-lover, dream homes a reality, and each stop had a simple press junket she'd rather not deal with.
Seattle's press junket was a panel and interview session at the city's own, HomeCon. Think Comic-Con but instead of costumed contests, it was Property Brothers' Trivia. Many of her network's top, house flipping, television hosts would be there. Bella wasn't an exception.
Before she started hosting her TV show, she was a photographer with a large, social media following. She didn't mind sharing parts of her life with her followers, but the press from the show was different because she couldn't always control what went out to the world. The show only added to her following on social media.
Deep in her thoughts, Bella hardly noticed the team around her loading things up in the production trucks. Alice had moved from her side to bark orders at some large men carrying equipment.
She sighed and pulled her hair out of her jacket.
A slap on her shoulder pulled her out of her daze.
"Ready to go? We've got to get some dinner and head to the hotel to get settled in. Panel starts at 0800." Riley, Bella's production assistant, and compadre spoke quickly. He bent down to shove things into the backpack he was sporting.
"Yeah, let's get this over with." She sighed and rolled her eyes.
Her main production team decided to head to a local burger joint to ring in the evening and the end of their season.
Gathered around a ring of small tables, Bella enjoyed hearing her friends and team talk about their favorite experiences from the last six months working together to make her show a reality. Over beers and burgers, the laughter came easily. Cheers and congratulations were passed around the table like butter and she'd wholly forgotten about the doom that awaited her the next morning at the press junket.
Bella and her team were not the quietest of crowds. And based on the number of people, Alice flashing her camera, and a large cake someone from production brought in the shape of a house, led outsiders to believe they were important. It was a sure thing that locals knew a television show was filming nearby. A few people even gathered, trying to snap a photo of the crew.
Bella didn't let this stop her from enjoying herself.
After a while, Bella excused herself to go to escape the party and use the washroom. Alice quickly discarded her slice of cake to accompany her. The bathroom was located on the other side of the restaurant, and the small gathering of onlookers was a river of curiosity.
As the two girls began to walk, it was clear some of the other patrons recognized her. Bella bit her lip and tried to look down as they weaved through the crowd. She was almost in the clear until a raspy voice behind her caught her attention.
"Oh my gosh, can I take a photo with you? I love Flip the Picture!" a girl said. Bella looked up to take in the questioning fan. She was tall with a large mane of bushy brown hair tied awkwardly at her nape.
"Uh…sure. Thanks for being a fan of the show." Bella answered calmly, smiling awkwardly. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but she wasn't used to it quite yet.
The large girl was quick to throw her arm around Bella, shoving the cell phone to snap a selfie very close to their faces. Bella ignored it and smiled meagerly, tossing up the peace sign she was known for. The girl's arm tightened around her waist as she took a multitude of shots. With each click, she seemed to be getting closer.
"All right, we have to get going." Alice the lifesaver cut in seeing the discomfort on Bella's face.
"Aw, really? I'm such a fan of yours, Bella! I used to follow your photography before you got your TV show! You're so amazing!" The girl said eagerly.
"Thank you…" Bella trailed off.
"Angela!" The fan stated eagerly, taking her awkwardness for curiosity.
"Nice to meet you," Bella said again, eying the bathroom door. So close, but so far away.
"Thanks, Angela," Alice said again hurriedly. She pulled Bella's arm toward her and moved towards the bathroom. Overcome with relief from the situation alleviating, the girls rushed towards the washroom.
Moments later, they were at the sink as Alice stared at Bella with a smirk on her face. She ducked her head to make sure nobody else was in the stalls around them before squealing.
"Oh my God, you're so famous."
"Oh my God, do not even bring it up." Bella scowled.
"Are they all that strange? She was hugging you pretty tight." Alice asked.
"I know! No, that is the first time that's happened. Just excited, I guess. Thanks for jumping in." Bella said, looking at her face in the mirror. She toyed mindlessly with a smudge in her eye makeup.
"Come on, let's go greet your fans." Alice teased, heading towards the door. Bella didn't think there would be that many more. It wasn't like she was a movie star or anything. She sighed before following her friend.
When they exited, the small crowd had dissipated almost entirely. The manager must have caught wind of the situation and put the loiterers in their place, allowing the girls to quickly get back to their now, quieting group in the corner. Bella saw her manager paying the bill at the front counter and she counteredcounted her lucky stars for the night coming to an end. She needed a good night's sleep if she was going to have to deal with people who actually paid to see her the next day.
The girls started to head in that direction when Bella felt a strong grip on her arm.
"Excuse me-" she started to say. She tried to pull her arm away, but the beefy bicep was strong enough to turn her all the way around.
"Kimberly? Is that you? What are you doing in Seattle?" The man said.
"Um, I'm sorry, I'm not Kimberly. I don't know you. Let go of me, please." Bella said, staring at the man's hand.
"Come on sweetie, don't play dumb with me. Of course, you're Kimberly. Kimberly Smith. Kind of a bitch move to just ghost me out of the blue and then pretend I don't even exist when you see me in public." The man rolled his eyes, and his voice gave a hint of a chip on his shoulder.
He didn't release her arm.
Whoever the hell this Kimberly person was had done a number on him.
"Seriously, dude. Whoever you are. Let me go. I'm not this Kimberly Smith chick. Sorry she ghosted you, but you can't just go around grabbing people in public."
"That's the biggest load of shi-, it's me, Paul…your boyfriend?" The man started again, but to the rescue once more, Alice rushed to Bella's side with tall, muscular Riley in tow.
"Bella, everything okay?" Alice said cautiously. She eyed the man's grip.
"No! This dude thinks I'm his girlfriend or something." Bella said, trying again to pull away.
"Let her go, man," Riley said, holding his hands up to Paul. "She's not who you think she is."
"Seriously, you're not Kimberly?" Paul asked.
"No." Bella spat.
"Shit, I'm sorry. You just look exactly like—I swear I spent enough time looking at the photos to know you in person by now. Her, not you. Uh…sorry man." Paul said, looking once to Bella and then at Riley.
He released his hand before scurrying away in embarrassment.
All Bella could do was stare.
"You good?" Riley asked, moving closer to Bella's side. He placed a light hand on the red spot where Paul's grip had left a mark.
"Uh yeah…dude thought I was someone else. Called me Kimberly Smith. I guess a girl ghosted him or left him hanging high and dry or something." Bella said, shaking her head in confusion, "did Sam pay the bill? I am so ready to get out of here."
"Yeah, he did. Let's do it, I'm ready to crash." Riley said back. He threw his arm around her shoulder, leading the way out. Alice retrieved Bella's coat and purse from the table and caught up with them.
"Washington's got some weirdos; don't you think, Bells?" Alice chuckled as they got into the car.
AN: What do you think? This is a new kind of story for me! I'm so excited!
Check out my Facebook Group called "Mariescullen Fanfiction" for teasers, photos, etc. I made so many manips for this one...;)
Check out the TwiFanFiction Recs top ten fic foll for the year of 2019! There are so many great fics up there! I have two up-Breakable and Oh Reindeer. If you enjoyed them, I'd appreciate a vote!
Happy reading
sarah