Prologue
Belle Black was so excited. She was finally moving away to college. The past year had been tough to get through, with all the applications and such. But she had, in the end, been admitted to her top choice: UCLA. Her parents had hoped she would go to an Ivy League school, but she had her heart set, and they didn't want to upset their princess. So there she was, in California, joining Brady.
She couldn't believe she would be joining her brother. When they were little they had been quite close but she hadn't seen him in almost 2 years. He had gotten in a fight with their father and just left, never to return.
As Belle got off the plane, she looked for him. He was supposed to pick her up. Suddenly, she heard a voice from the right. "Tink?" she whipped her head around.
"Brady!" she said, running towards him. "Oh my gosh.it's been so long. I've missed you!"
"I missed you too Belle." He said, hugging her. "Come on, let's go get your luggage. You need to get to your dorm for orientation tonight."
"Oh that's right. Let's go."
CH 1
Belle entered her new apartment, and much to her surprise, her two other roommates were already there. "Hi." She said, smiling at them. They were in the middle of unpacking things in the living room and kitchen. The one stopped and smiled.
"Oh, hi. You must be Belle. My names Chloe, and the girl ignoring you over there is Abby." One of the girls said. She was really pretty, long brown hair and bright blue eyes, almost crystal-like Belle's.
The other girl looked up from her box. "What?" she said to Chloe, then looked at Belle. "oh, hi. Didn't see you come in."
"It's nice to meet you both." She said, then turned around, grabbing the suitcases from Brady. "Meet you for dinner tomorrow night?" she asked.
"Yeah, see you then." He turned and left.
"Who was that?" Chloe asked curiously. "Your boyfriend?"
"Um. No. Try my brother." Belle said, laughing.
"Oh, well he's cute." Chloe said.
"Yeah, but no cuter than Shawn, right?" Abby said, rolling her eyes.
"Who's Shawn?" Belle asked, slightly confused.
"My cousin that all the girls drool over. "Remember the first time you met him Chloe?"
"Yeah. I remember. I said he was the cutest guy on earth. Happy?" she shot back, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, you said it, not me." Abby replied smugly, then turned to Belle, "Don't worry, she doesn't obsess over him anymore. He'll be coming by later, he's in the next dorm."
"Cool. So, which room is mine?"
"The one to the left."
"Ok. Thanks. I'm gonna put my stuff up."
As Belle put her clothes away in the closet, she thought about her roommates. Obviously they had known each other for a long time. But they seemed nice and welcoming, so that was ok.
Also, she was interested in this Shawn character. Chloe looked like she would be a girl with good taste, so he was probably cute.
CH. 2
Shawn Brady sat in his dorm, staring aimlessly around. He had already put all of his clothes away and covered the bulletin board with notices from classes, advertisements for parties, and submission forms for clubs. He even made himself a wholesome dinner.
And he still had 30 minutes to spare before heading over to Chloe and Abby's dorm.
He got up and went to the phone. He was going to call and see if they minded if he came early.
"Hello?" a feminine voice answered the phone. He didn't recognize it, and deduced it was the roomate.
"Hi. This is Shawn Brady. I was wondering if Abby and Chloe would mind me coming over a bit early." He said. Hmmm, maybe she was cute. That would be a bonus, cause he knew he would be spending a lot of time at that dorm room.
"Actually, they just stepped out to go to the store. Something about cheese doodles. But you can come over now. I don't mind."
"Alright. I'll be there in five minutes."
"M'Kay."
CH. 3
Belle laid down across the couch, pulling out a sketchbook. She was already working on designs for her fashion class. Had to stay ahead of the game and all. As she sketched, she thought about Shawn. He was coming over. Even though the people he knew here weren't around. This could provide interesting entertainment she mused to herself.
A knock sounded on the door. She jumped up, looking through the peephole. Yes, this could be very interesting.
"Hi. I'm Belle." The girl said. She was cute all right. Her blond hair was pulled back, and she wore tattered boot cut jeans and a tight black fox tank top. "sorry about the clothes. Plane ride was a killer."
"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, gesturing to his own clothes, which were looking pretty wrinkled themselves, "I'm not exactly dressed to impress either."
She smiled. "Come on in. I'm guessing Chloe and Abby will be back soon."
"Well, I guess we'll have to figure out some way to keep ourselves entertained until then." He said suggestively.
"Oh really?" Belle said, taken aback for a moment. Then she smirked. "And how do you think we should occupy our time?"
"With the get to know you game, of course." He replied. Belle cracked up. "What, something I said?" he asked. He hadn't expected that reaction.
"No, no. You saying that reminded me of the last time I played the get to know you game." She walked over and sat down on the couch, motioning for him to join her.
"And when was the last time you played it?" he sat down next to her.
"Freshman year of high school. My friend Mimi had her new boyfriend Chris sat with us at lunch and we played the game. He dumped her the next day because he thought we were all crazy!" she smiled at the memory. "Anyway, what kind of questions would you plan on asking me?"
"Well, we could start out with what's your full name?"
"Isabella Grace Black. And if I remember correctly, you have to answer anything you ask."
"Yup. And I am Shawn Douglas Brady. So what are you majoring in?"
"Fashion Design. My dad owns Basic Black."
"Impressive." Shawn replied with a nod. "I'm majoring in criminal law."
"Cool. So, my turn to ask a question. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Nope. What about you?"
"No. Of course I don't have a girlfriend." She replied with a wink.
Shawn rolled his eyes at her. "You know what I meant." He said. Even after less than 5 minutes talking to her, he felt an attraction.
"Yeah, I know." She replied smiling. "And no, I don't have a boyfriend."
"Really. Do you realize by telling me this you have cleared me to ask you more. interesting. questions?"
"I have, have I? And what would those interesting questions be?"
CH. 4
"I'm waiting." Belle said as she watched Shawn think. What was he going to ask her?
"Okay. Easy one first." He finally said. "What do you think of me?"
"Well." Belle pretended to think hard. "You seem cute, nice, swe-"
"Don't say it." He always hated it when people called him that.
"okay. Not-sweet. And you have good manners from what I can tell."
"Yeah. That's what everyone says."
"Should I add concieded too?" Belle replied with a laugh, then "So, your turn. What do you think of me?"
"Well, you are cute, even though you are suffering from a severe case of jetlag." He replied matter-of-factly.
Just as Belle was throwing a pillow at him Abby and Chloe walked in. Chloe laughed, saying, "Well, I guess you two are getting along well if you are already throwing things at him."
"Yeah Shawn." Abby piped in, "What did you say to deserve that?"
"Nothing. I said she was cute."
Belle laughed. "Yeah, and then you said I looked like I was suffering from a severe case of jetlag!"
"You could have done without the last phrase, my friend." Abby said, putting some bags of chips into the cabinets in their small kitchen.
"Whatever Abs. Now, why did you guys leave? Something about Cheese Doodles?"
"We had to stock up the kitchen with all the college essentials." Chloe told him, "You know, chips, dip, coke, frozen pizzas." she looked over at Belle, "Tell me you are not a health food nut or something. Cause if you are."
"Don't worry. I'm not."
CH. 5
A few hours earlier they were all sitting around on the couch, watching tv and eating pizza. "So when does orientation begin, anyway?"
"In about a half hour." Abby replied, checking her watch.
"What? Only half an hour? I gotta go change." She hopped up off the couch and ran to her room. Chloe and Abby looked at Shawn expectantly.
He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Okay, are you going to do an in quesition now or whatever?"
"Cute Brady. Now, spill. What do you think of Belle?" Chloe asked him. Abby nodded in agreement, seconding the question.
"She's cute and sweet and I think I like her. Happy?" he said. It wouldn't work to beat around the bush, the two girls could get any information from him.
"I knew it!" Abby said triumphantly. "I knew you two would like each other!"
"Oh no. Are you going to give me a 'you two were destined' speech or something? Cause if you are, I'm leaving."
"I won't. I promise. You should ask her out."
"Why? I'm going to see her over here all the time."
"Yeah, but it'll be more romantic!" Chloe said, as Abby nodded with agreement, "and you won't have to deal with us."
"Well, that would be a bonus." He said. Abby smacked him with a pillow.
"Wow Shawn, you've gotten hit twice in one day. What did you do to deserve this one." Belle said, coming out of her room. She had changed into a pair of tight khakis and a light blue tank top.
"Hey, I was right! You do look better when you aren't suffering from as much jetlag."
"Trying for three?"
"No. Actually, they were trying to talk me into asking you out."
"They were, were they?" she smirked. "And just why would they think I would go out on a date with you."
Shawn's mouth fell open and Belle couldn't help but laugh. "I was joking." She reassured him.
"Oh. Well, in that case you want to go out Saturday night?"
CH. 6
Belle pretended to think about it. "Well, let me see. What did I have planned that night." Finally she laughed and looked up at Shawn, "Eh, who am I kidding? I just got here 4 hours ago, of course I don't have any plans. Sure I'll go out with you."
"Great. Now, if I only knew something about this town, I could pick a killer restaurant to go to."
"I can ask my brother." Belle offered. "He's been going to UCLA for 2 years now. Actually, maybe that wouldn't be a good idea."
"Why?" Shawn asked, confused.
"Brady is the overprotective type. He would hunt you down and check out your family background before letting me go out with you." She explained.
"Okay then. I guess we are on our own for the pick a restaurant thing."
"Yeah, guess so."
"Okay, so should we head over to orientation now?" Chloe asked, hopping off the couch, "It is probably going to be supremely crowded."
"Yeah. Belle, you coming with us? We were going to take Chloe's car." Abby said.
"We were?" she asked.
"Yeah, we were." Abby told her, "I just didn't let you know that."
"Sure, I'll come." They headed out the door.
CH 7
After the orientation, they all piled back into Chloe's car. Abby took the passenger's seat, while Belle and Shawn climbed into the back.
Belle looked at her watch. "I'm going to have to get used to this time difference thing. It's only 10:30 here, but it is after midnight back home."
"So I'm going to assume you aren't a night owl?" Shawn teased her.
Belle shook her head, "Not when I got up at 5 this morning to pack, visit some people before I left and then catch the plane out here. I just want to go to sleep." She yawned, then looked at Shawn, "You aren't even tired, are you?"
"Nope. But, then again, I didn't get up until 10."
Belle shook her head then looked out the window. Leaning back against her head rest, she fell asleep.
When they got to the dorm, Abby turned around to wake Belle up. Shawn motioned for her not to. "Let her sleep. I'll carry her up." Shawn said. Abby just shook her head, amused. She was going to rib on Shawn for being mister gentleman, but decided not to. Or, at least wait till tomorrow so Belle could enjoy the story too.
Shawn picked her up carefully and carried her up to her room, setting her down on the bed. After taking off her shoes for her he looked around. She had a few framed pictures and a lap top on the desk, and a few boxes laying unopened in the corner. He walked over to the pictures, looking them over. He stopped at one that looked like it was from her high school graduation. She was standing with a tall blonde guy, also in a graduation gown. They were both holding up their diplomas and smiling. The guys arm was wrapped around Belle's shoulders. Shawn wanted to know who this guy was. In the picture they looked close. Could it be that Belle was actually in a relationship even though she denied it?
CH 8
The next morning Belle woke up, slightly disoriented. She knew she was in her dorm room, but why was she still wearing her clothes? The last thing she remembered was driving home from orientation.
Getting up she grabbed some new clothes and her shower caddy, going to the communal showers. Passing through the kitchen area of the dorm, she looked at the clock. It was only 9.
When she came back she found Abby and Chloe sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and talking. They were both still in their robes.
"Morning!" Belle said, setting her stuff down on a chair, "You two sleep good?"
"Yeah." Chloe mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "What about you?"
"Okay, but I was wondering. Why was I still in my clothes when I woke up this morning?" Belle sat down in another chair.
"You don't remember?" Abby said. When Belle shook her head she continued, "You fell asleep in the car, so Shawn carried you up here and put you in bed."
"Oh. Ok. Well, I'm going to get some things done on the computer. My parents just gave it to me and I have to try my best to program it." Belle said, making a face, "Hope I don't break it."
"Have fun!" Abby said sarcastically. She couldn't stand computers.
CH 9 Later that morning Belle was still on the computer. Somehow, she had managed to get it up and working. She had even installed the internet.
GossipGoddes: Belle! How are you? TinkerBelle: Hey Meems. I'm good. Cali is good. How is Salem surviving without me? GossipGoddes: Haha. Salem's fine. Somehow we are managing to keep going on with our lives! TinkerBelle: That's good. So what have you been up to? GossipGoddes: Not much. I'm trying to talk Phillip into going to the lake. He doesn't want to. TinkerBelle: Leave him! GossipGoddes: Cute. How can I when it is his lakehouse?
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Belle called. Shawn entered the room.
"Sleep good?" he asked.
"Yeah. Pull up a chair. I'm talking to my best friend from back home."
TinkerBelle: Good point. Tell him he has to go because I say so! GossipGoddes: Yeah, he's going to go for that. TinkerBelle: You never know.
"Whose Phillip?" Shawn asked. "Oh, one of our friends." Belle pointed to the picture on her desk. It was the same one Shawn had been looking at the night before. "There we are at graduation. I've known him since I was little." "Oh, I saw that picture last night when I brought you up here and thought you were hiding a secret boyfriend from me." Shawn said with a laugh. Belle looked at him and shook her head.
GossipGoddes: So, anyway, what's been going on in the past 24 hr with you? TinkerBelle: Not much, had orientation and met my roomates.
Shawn leaned over Belle and typed something in. "What are you doing?" Belle asked him.
"Saying hello." He entered his message.
TinkerBelle: And I got to meet my roomates totally hot cousin who I'm now in love with! GossipGoddes: What? TinkerBelle: That wasn't me, that was Shawn. He has ego issues.
Belle looked at Shawn with a glare. "You do realize now I'm going to have to explain to her who you are."
"Yeah, well, I think I already summed it up." Belle smacked him in the arm, then turned back to the computer.
GossipGoddes: I see. So is he as hot as he thinks he is. TinkerBelle: Yeah, I guess. Lol, we are going for dinner tomorrow, so I'll fill you in after that. GossipGoddes: Ah. Only you would be in a new state for less than 24 hrs and already have a date. TinkerBelle: Yeah, well, what can I say, it's a gift? GossipGoddes: lol. Phillip just called. I told him what you said and he agreed to go up to the lakehouse. TinkerBelle: Told ya. Now you go have fun. I'll talk to you later. GossipGoddes: Alright. TinkerBelle: Oh, and tell Phillip that I expect him to use that private jet and bring you to visit me sometime! GossipGoddes: I'll tell him. Talk to ya later. TinkerBelle: Bye.
"Private Jet?" Shawn said, his eyebrows raised.
"Yeah. Phil is a rich daddy's boy."
CH 10
Later that evening Belle sat in a booth across from her brother. "So how's college life so far?"
"Okay. My roommates seem nice. I think Chloe likes you." She told him with a smile. When he had shown up Chloe had tried to flirt with him, and Brady seemed pretty okay with it.
"Really. Well, she is hot. I may have to look into that."
"Yeah. So, are you still going to be as protective of me as you were back in high school?" Belle asked him. After talking with Shawn that afternoon she had decided the best thing to do was be up front with her brother. If she and Shawn started dating, Brady was sure to find out.
"You know it. You are still my little tink." Brady's face got serious, "Why?"
"Well, you know that guy that was over this afternoon?"
"Yeah." Brady did not like where this was going.
"Well, I talked to him a lot yesterday, and some this afternoon, and he asked me out on a date."
"Belle, you don't even know him. He may be some serial killer, or-"
"Brady! Please. He is Chloe's friend and Abby's cousin! If he was a freak they would have told me, trust me. They've already gone through all of his embarrassing childhood memories with me!" she said smiling, remembering how they had been filling her in earlier that afternoon.
"Still, I don't know if it's a good idea."
"Brady. Come on, the only reason I even told you was because I thought if you found out from me it would stop you from freaking out." She told him, rolling her eyes, "Obviously I was wrong about that point."
"What?" he said defensively, "I'm not freaking out."
"Yeah, you are. Just say 'yeah, Belle, you can go out with him' and leave it at that."
"Fine." He said, "Yeah, Belle, you can go out with him, but if he ever hurts you, I'll physically impale him."
"I know you will. Now, I need your help. What's a good restaurant?"
CH 11
The next day Belle was sitting in front of her computer, once again talking to Mimi. It was about 4:30, and Shawn was going to pick her up at 6 for dinner. Abby and Chloe had gone to check out the shopping scene. They had asked Belle to go with them, but she had declined, telling them she needed to talk to one of her friends and read a book for her English Composition class. They told her they would report back on the good shops, and then went on their merry way.
TinkerBelle: Mimi, you know my wardrobe, what should I wear? GossipGoddes: What is the style of the place you are going? TinkerBelle: Casual. It is this little diner place in downtown. GossipGoddes: What about your black pants and blue scoop neck shirt? TinkerBelle: No, I wore the shirt yesterday. GossipGoddes: Geez, I don't know Belle. I don't know what this guy likes. TinkerBelle: Meems, Please, HELP! GossipGoddes: Okay, okay. I don't think I've ever dealt with you freaking out about a date. TinkerBelle: I'm not freaking. GossipGoddes: Sure you aren't. Okay. What about those dark denim jeans and the white lace top. TinkerBelle: That could work. GossipGoddes: Well there you go. And curl your hair. That always looks cute. TinkerBelle: Okay. Thank you Meems. You are a lifesaver. GossipGoddes: I know! Now, you go get ready and report back to me later, okay! TinkerBelle: Alright. Love ya!
She signed off the computer and went over to her closet. "White top, white top, come out come out wherever you are!" she said, looking through her closed. Grabbing it off the hanger, she looked at it. "Let the games begin!"
CH 12
Abby and Chloe walked along the street, window shopping, "So you think Belle is really reading?" Chloe asked.
"Probably not. She's running around her room trying to figure out what to wear in my opinion."
"Yeah. Though she could probably wear a paper bag and Shawn would still think she looked gorgeous."
"I know. She's been here for two days and he's already wrapped around his little finger."
"Well, I think it's a good thing personally." Chloe said.
"I agree. He needs a girlfriend."
Meanwhile.
"Belle is going out on a date already. This is unbelievable." Brady said, shaking his head as he worked on his computer. He had a paper due for his English class, an over the summer assignment. Of course, he hadn't started it until this past week. After spending the past two years with his own apartment, he was used to muttering things to himself. It didn't even phase him as odd anymore.
"It took me months to find a girl I could stand for more than a couple hours at a time. And it takes her a couple hours. Sometimes I wonder if she got the better genes from dad."
CH 13
"Belle! We are back!" Chloe yelled into the dorm suite as she entered it. Abby was following along, loaded down with bags from a sale at a local boutique.
"Hey guys! I see the shopping trip was successful!" she said, looking them over.
"Yeah, you said it." Abby looked at her, "Nice outfit, by the way, is that what you are wearing?"
"Yeah. You think it looks good?" Belle did a little spin for them.
"You look terrific. Now, you want to see what we got?" Chloe said. The girls looked over the clothes. They unanimously decided that they were all going to go again the next day, because Belle needed clothes she could wear in California, most of hers were slightly wintery.
By the time they were done looking through the clothes, it was 6:20. "Shawn should be here soon." Belle said to herself.
"I think you two are going to have a great time." Abby said with a confident smile.
"Yeah, it is about time Shawn finds a perfect girl for himself." Chloe added.
Just then the doorbell rang. It looked like Belle's date was finally there.
CH 14
"Is my date ready?" Shawn asked as Abby opened the door. She had insisted on doing it. Belle and Chloe sat on the couch.
"Well, yes, but first we have another matter to take care of."
"And what would that be Abby?" Shawn asked patiently.
"Well, seeing as how Belle's dad-or brother-isn't here to interrogate you, I'm going to take the honors."
"Abby!" Belle protested from the couch, but she made no move to stop her.
"What? Somebody has to protect you from the weirdoes around here." She turned back to Shawn and gave him a stern look. "So, my boy, do you have a criminal record?"
"What? Abby!" Shawn looked at her exasperatedly.
"Answer in a yes or no fashion please." Abby said.
"No! I do not have a criminal record!"
"And what have been your past sexual relations with people. Oh, that isn't a yes or no question."
Shawn turned beet red. "Abby, I am not answering that question in front of everyone."
"Fine. Belle, you sure you want to go out with this juvenile delinquent?"
"Yeah, somehow I think I'll manage." CH 15
After Belle and Shawn got away from Abby, they walked down to his car. "That wasn't as bad as my dad would have been." Belle told him.
"Yeah, I figured. I don't want to know what your dad is going to do to me." He told her. Belle smiled slightly. He was already thinking about what to do around her dad.
"So you think the diner choice will be good?" Belle asked him. Brady had suggested it as a fun place to go to her, so she hoped it would be.
Shawn strided ahead to the door, opening it for her. "Mademoiselle." He said, making a grand hand motion. She laughed, getting in. She studied his face as he was walking around the car. She was definitely going to have to relate this whole night to Mimi.
"So you know how to get there?" Belle asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Yeah. Got directions off the internet. Abby was amazed by it." He said with a laugh, "I think she needs to take some computer classes."
"I know, she was telling me how inept she is with technical stuff when I was setting up the computer. I mean, I know very little about computers, but it is way more than what Abby can do!"
"Okay, so now that we've done an ice breaker in the car conversation, what should we move onto?" Shawn asked.
"Was I that obvious?" Belle said, blushing slightly.
"Oh yeah. But that's okay, because now I have something to tease you about." Shawn said with a smile. Belle smacked his arm playfully.
"And after all the stories that Ab and Chloe told me, I have plenty to tease you about!" she shot back.
"Oh, do not remind me. I can't believe that they told you all of that!" Shawn replied, groaning, "And I have no one to get stories from about you!"
"But that is a good thing! For me anyway." For the rest of the ride they chatted about things of no importance. They thought it was fun to be able to joke with someone new. Belle was glad she had already found friends, seeing as how she only knew her brother when she got there.
CH 16
They sat down in the diner, looking around. Belle sighed, "Sorry. Brady still thinks I'm a kid." The place was decorated like a 50s diner, and all of the people were in character.
"That's alright. This ought to be fun, and we'll have stories to tell Abby."
"True. Maybe we can recommend this place for her next date."
"Or we could recommend it to Chloe." Shawn mused.
"No way! My brother picked out this place, so I know there is no way he would come here." Belle said.
Someone laughed behind them. "You want to bet?" Shawn's face went blank. Slowly Belle turned around. Brady and Chloe were standing behind them.
"I'm sorry about this Belle, he asked me on a date, but he didn't say we would be trailing you." Chloe explained quickly.
"Brady!" Belle yelled at him exasperatedly. A few people turned their heads, but most just ignored the commotion. "I cannot believe you! First you set me up at a kiddie diner, then you follow me here?"
"I didn't follow you. I just happened to remember what a cool place this was and decided to come here myself. Besides, I didn't know when you would be here." He shot back at her defensively.
"Fine. Stay, just go on the other side of the diner!" she told him.
"What, I don't get to meet your date first." Brady said with a smirk. So that was his plan. He had to play meet the parents too.
"Brady, this is Shawn. Shawn, this is my annoying sociopath of a brother, Brady." She turned back to her brother, "Happy?"
"Actually, I think I'll get to know him a little better. And I'm not a sociopath." "Brady, leave, please." Belle begged him. "Nope. First off, I want to say if you aver hurt my sister I will hunt you down and kill you. Now, Scoot over Belle."
Belle jumped out of the booth. "I don't think so." She said, grabbing Shawn's hand and pulling him out of the restaurant, "Let's go before they try to follow us again!"
CH 17
Belle looked over at Shawn once they got into the car. He still had the deer caught in the headlights look on his face.
"You okay?" Belle asked, grabbing his hand.
"I seriously think he could kill me if he wanted to." Shawn said, "And that would not be a good thing."
"He won't kill you. Unless I tell him to. So be a good boy and I won't have to sic him on you." Belle told him playfully. He was starting to relax. He started up the car and backed out of the drive.
"Now where too?" he asked.
"I have no clue. Should we drive around a bit to find a place?" she replied. She honestly had no back up plan, because she hadn't expected her brother to show up. He was going to pay for this.
"Sure. That'll work." He looked over to her, "You know, you are cute when your mad." He said.
"Yeah, well, I'm not cute to the person I'm mad at. Brady is going to pay for this one." Belle thought out loud, "What would be best? Telling Chloe embarrassing secrets? Calling home and telling them that he has been going to parties and getting completely smashed? Take his car keys like I did in 10th grade?"
"Geez, remind me to never get you upset." Shawn said, listening to all of her ideas.
"If you get me upset, you won't have time to wonder what punishment I'll give you, because you'll already have felt death by Brady." She teased him.
"Don't say that!"
CH 18
After driving around aimlessly for almost 20 minutes, they decided on an Italian restaurant. After they ate, they headed out to the terrace where music was playing. Many couples were already on the makeshift dance floor, swaying along to the slow beat.
"You want to dance?" Shawn asked her. She nodded, and they walked to the outskirts of the dancefloor. Shawn wrapped his arms around her waist, while she brought hers up to rest on his shoulders. As they danced Belle closed her eyes, thinking over the time they had spent together in the last two days. As the song ended, she pulled away, looking up at Shawn. He bent his head down slightly. Closing her eyes, she met his lips with a soft and gentle kiss. After a moment they pulled away, walking towards the railing so they could talk.
"I can't believe college is really this way." Belle said, looking out over the starry night, "I never thought I would be able to go out on a date and not worry about being home by a certain time, or the interrogation by my dad, or any of this. Here it is more, I don't know, free. I feel like I can go out and have a good time without worrying about what daddy is going to say."
"Yeah, well, welcome to college Isabella Black." Shawn said, kissing her again softly, "It looks like we're both in this new experience together."
College Days.
Belle Black sat on a chair in her room of the dorm, typing away to Mimi on the computer.
GossipGoddes: So how was your date last night? TinkerBelle: Okay, after we got rid of Brady GossipGoddes: He didn't! TinkerBelle: he did. And he totally scared the crap out of Shawn I think. GossipGoddes: Poor guy. I remember how bad Brady was years ago, I can only imagine now TinkerBelle: Yeah, it was pretty bad. GossipGoddes: So what did you do? To get rid of him, I mean TinkerBelle: I yelled at him in the middle of the restaurant than stormed out. GossipGoddes: Drama Queen TinkerBelle: :-P GossipGoddes: Lol. So where did you go after that? TinkerBelle: This Italian resturaunt. It was nice. GossipGoddes: And was their any Lady & the Tramp spaghetti scenes going on? TinkerBelle: LMAO. No! You know that I would never do something like that. GossipGoddes: Okay, okay, but tell me there was kissing. TinkerBelle: yeah.
Belle smiled to herself as she remembered the night. After they had left the dance floor at the restaurant, they had gone for a walk on the boardwalk, where there had been a lot of kissing and handholding going on.
GossipGoddes: oooh.hehe, you are gonna have to send me a picture of this guy sometime soon. Cause I know you have good taste. TinkerBelle: I'll try. But I have to go, I think I'm supposed to meet Brady for dinner today, and I'm going to call him and cancel. GossipGoddes: Uh oh, he's gonna feel your wrath, ain't he? TinkerBelle: You know it.
Ch 2
Shawn Brady sat in his dormroom, getting ready for his first class. This was going to be fun.not. Most everyone didn't have classes their second day there. Actually, hardly anyone was "lucky" enough to get classes during the first week. But of course his criminal law class started today. And on a Saturday, for crying out loud. It wasn't even a day for classes. It was just an intro day, and he had to be there to learn about the lab where they were going to be studying forensics. In some ways it was exciting, because he found the stuff interesting. But, still. It was a Saturday. And he was not looking forward to listening to a teacher on a Saturday.
His phone rang from across the room, and he slowly got out of his chair and walked across the room to get it. "'Ello?" he said.
"Guess who?"
Belle Black was so excited. She was finally moving away to college. The past year had been tough to get through, with all the applications and such. But she had, in the end, been admitted to her top choice: UCLA. Her parents had hoped she would go to an Ivy League school, but she had her heart set, and they didn't want to upset their princess. So there she was, in California, joining Brady.
She couldn't believe she would be joining her brother. When they were little they had been quite close but she hadn't seen him in almost 2 years. He had gotten in a fight with their father and just left, never to return.
As Belle got off the plane, she looked for him. He was supposed to pick her up. Suddenly, she heard a voice from the right. "Tink?" she whipped her head around.
"Brady!" she said, running towards him. "Oh my gosh.it's been so long. I've missed you!"
"I missed you too Belle." He said, hugging her. "Come on, let's go get your luggage. You need to get to your dorm for orientation tonight."
"Oh that's right. Let's go."
CH 1
Belle entered her new apartment, and much to her surprise, her two other roommates were already there. "Hi." She said, smiling at them. They were in the middle of unpacking things in the living room and kitchen. The one stopped and smiled.
"Oh, hi. You must be Belle. My names Chloe, and the girl ignoring you over there is Abby." One of the girls said. She was really pretty, long brown hair and bright blue eyes, almost crystal-like Belle's.
The other girl looked up from her box. "What?" she said to Chloe, then looked at Belle. "oh, hi. Didn't see you come in."
"It's nice to meet you both." She said, then turned around, grabbing the suitcases from Brady. "Meet you for dinner tomorrow night?" she asked.
"Yeah, see you then." He turned and left.
"Who was that?" Chloe asked curiously. "Your boyfriend?"
"Um. No. Try my brother." Belle said, laughing.
"Oh, well he's cute." Chloe said.
"Yeah, but no cuter than Shawn, right?" Abby said, rolling her eyes.
"Who's Shawn?" Belle asked, slightly confused.
"My cousin that all the girls drool over. "Remember the first time you met him Chloe?"
"Yeah. I remember. I said he was the cutest guy on earth. Happy?" she shot back, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, you said it, not me." Abby replied smugly, then turned to Belle, "Don't worry, she doesn't obsess over him anymore. He'll be coming by later, he's in the next dorm."
"Cool. So, which room is mine?"
"The one to the left."
"Ok. Thanks. I'm gonna put my stuff up."
As Belle put her clothes away in the closet, she thought about her roommates. Obviously they had known each other for a long time. But they seemed nice and welcoming, so that was ok.
Also, she was interested in this Shawn character. Chloe looked like she would be a girl with good taste, so he was probably cute.
CH. 2
Shawn Brady sat in his dorm, staring aimlessly around. He had already put all of his clothes away and covered the bulletin board with notices from classes, advertisements for parties, and submission forms for clubs. He even made himself a wholesome dinner.
And he still had 30 minutes to spare before heading over to Chloe and Abby's dorm.
He got up and went to the phone. He was going to call and see if they minded if he came early.
"Hello?" a feminine voice answered the phone. He didn't recognize it, and deduced it was the roomate.
"Hi. This is Shawn Brady. I was wondering if Abby and Chloe would mind me coming over a bit early." He said. Hmmm, maybe she was cute. That would be a bonus, cause he knew he would be spending a lot of time at that dorm room.
"Actually, they just stepped out to go to the store. Something about cheese doodles. But you can come over now. I don't mind."
"Alright. I'll be there in five minutes."
"M'Kay."
CH. 3
Belle laid down across the couch, pulling out a sketchbook. She was already working on designs for her fashion class. Had to stay ahead of the game and all. As she sketched, she thought about Shawn. He was coming over. Even though the people he knew here weren't around. This could provide interesting entertainment she mused to herself.
A knock sounded on the door. She jumped up, looking through the peephole. Yes, this could be very interesting.
"Hi. I'm Belle." The girl said. She was cute all right. Her blond hair was pulled back, and she wore tattered boot cut jeans and a tight black fox tank top. "sorry about the clothes. Plane ride was a killer."
"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, gesturing to his own clothes, which were looking pretty wrinkled themselves, "I'm not exactly dressed to impress either."
She smiled. "Come on in. I'm guessing Chloe and Abby will be back soon."
"Well, I guess we'll have to figure out some way to keep ourselves entertained until then." He said suggestively.
"Oh really?" Belle said, taken aback for a moment. Then she smirked. "And how do you think we should occupy our time?"
"With the get to know you game, of course." He replied. Belle cracked up. "What, something I said?" he asked. He hadn't expected that reaction.
"No, no. You saying that reminded me of the last time I played the get to know you game." She walked over and sat down on the couch, motioning for him to join her.
"And when was the last time you played it?" he sat down next to her.
"Freshman year of high school. My friend Mimi had her new boyfriend Chris sat with us at lunch and we played the game. He dumped her the next day because he thought we were all crazy!" she smiled at the memory. "Anyway, what kind of questions would you plan on asking me?"
"Well, we could start out with what's your full name?"
"Isabella Grace Black. And if I remember correctly, you have to answer anything you ask."
"Yup. And I am Shawn Douglas Brady. So what are you majoring in?"
"Fashion Design. My dad owns Basic Black."
"Impressive." Shawn replied with a nod. "I'm majoring in criminal law."
"Cool. So, my turn to ask a question. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Nope. What about you?"
"No. Of course I don't have a girlfriend." She replied with a wink.
Shawn rolled his eyes at her. "You know what I meant." He said. Even after less than 5 minutes talking to her, he felt an attraction.
"Yeah, I know." She replied smiling. "And no, I don't have a boyfriend."
"Really. Do you realize by telling me this you have cleared me to ask you more. interesting. questions?"
"I have, have I? And what would those interesting questions be?"
CH. 4
"I'm waiting." Belle said as she watched Shawn think. What was he going to ask her?
"Okay. Easy one first." He finally said. "What do you think of me?"
"Well." Belle pretended to think hard. "You seem cute, nice, swe-"
"Don't say it." He always hated it when people called him that.
"okay. Not-sweet. And you have good manners from what I can tell."
"Yeah. That's what everyone says."
"Should I add concieded too?" Belle replied with a laugh, then "So, your turn. What do you think of me?"
"Well, you are cute, even though you are suffering from a severe case of jetlag." He replied matter-of-factly.
Just as Belle was throwing a pillow at him Abby and Chloe walked in. Chloe laughed, saying, "Well, I guess you two are getting along well if you are already throwing things at him."
"Yeah Shawn." Abby piped in, "What did you say to deserve that?"
"Nothing. I said she was cute."
Belle laughed. "Yeah, and then you said I looked like I was suffering from a severe case of jetlag!"
"You could have done without the last phrase, my friend." Abby said, putting some bags of chips into the cabinets in their small kitchen.
"Whatever Abs. Now, why did you guys leave? Something about Cheese Doodles?"
"We had to stock up the kitchen with all the college essentials." Chloe told him, "You know, chips, dip, coke, frozen pizzas." she looked over at Belle, "Tell me you are not a health food nut or something. Cause if you are."
"Don't worry. I'm not."
CH. 5
A few hours earlier they were all sitting around on the couch, watching tv and eating pizza. "So when does orientation begin, anyway?"
"In about a half hour." Abby replied, checking her watch.
"What? Only half an hour? I gotta go change." She hopped up off the couch and ran to her room. Chloe and Abby looked at Shawn expectantly.
He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Okay, are you going to do an in quesition now or whatever?"
"Cute Brady. Now, spill. What do you think of Belle?" Chloe asked him. Abby nodded in agreement, seconding the question.
"She's cute and sweet and I think I like her. Happy?" he said. It wouldn't work to beat around the bush, the two girls could get any information from him.
"I knew it!" Abby said triumphantly. "I knew you two would like each other!"
"Oh no. Are you going to give me a 'you two were destined' speech or something? Cause if you are, I'm leaving."
"I won't. I promise. You should ask her out."
"Why? I'm going to see her over here all the time."
"Yeah, but it'll be more romantic!" Chloe said, as Abby nodded with agreement, "and you won't have to deal with us."
"Well, that would be a bonus." He said. Abby smacked him with a pillow.
"Wow Shawn, you've gotten hit twice in one day. What did you do to deserve this one." Belle said, coming out of her room. She had changed into a pair of tight khakis and a light blue tank top.
"Hey, I was right! You do look better when you aren't suffering from as much jetlag."
"Trying for three?"
"No. Actually, they were trying to talk me into asking you out."
"They were, were they?" she smirked. "And just why would they think I would go out on a date with you."
Shawn's mouth fell open and Belle couldn't help but laugh. "I was joking." She reassured him.
"Oh. Well, in that case you want to go out Saturday night?"
CH. 6
Belle pretended to think about it. "Well, let me see. What did I have planned that night." Finally she laughed and looked up at Shawn, "Eh, who am I kidding? I just got here 4 hours ago, of course I don't have any plans. Sure I'll go out with you."
"Great. Now, if I only knew something about this town, I could pick a killer restaurant to go to."
"I can ask my brother." Belle offered. "He's been going to UCLA for 2 years now. Actually, maybe that wouldn't be a good idea."
"Why?" Shawn asked, confused.
"Brady is the overprotective type. He would hunt you down and check out your family background before letting me go out with you." She explained.
"Okay then. I guess we are on our own for the pick a restaurant thing."
"Yeah, guess so."
"Okay, so should we head over to orientation now?" Chloe asked, hopping off the couch, "It is probably going to be supremely crowded."
"Yeah. Belle, you coming with us? We were going to take Chloe's car." Abby said.
"We were?" she asked.
"Yeah, we were." Abby told her, "I just didn't let you know that."
"Sure, I'll come." They headed out the door.
CH 7
After the orientation, they all piled back into Chloe's car. Abby took the passenger's seat, while Belle and Shawn climbed into the back.
Belle looked at her watch. "I'm going to have to get used to this time difference thing. It's only 10:30 here, but it is after midnight back home."
"So I'm going to assume you aren't a night owl?" Shawn teased her.
Belle shook her head, "Not when I got up at 5 this morning to pack, visit some people before I left and then catch the plane out here. I just want to go to sleep." She yawned, then looked at Shawn, "You aren't even tired, are you?"
"Nope. But, then again, I didn't get up until 10."
Belle shook her head then looked out the window. Leaning back against her head rest, she fell asleep.
When they got to the dorm, Abby turned around to wake Belle up. Shawn motioned for her not to. "Let her sleep. I'll carry her up." Shawn said. Abby just shook her head, amused. She was going to rib on Shawn for being mister gentleman, but decided not to. Or, at least wait till tomorrow so Belle could enjoy the story too.
Shawn picked her up carefully and carried her up to her room, setting her down on the bed. After taking off her shoes for her he looked around. She had a few framed pictures and a lap top on the desk, and a few boxes laying unopened in the corner. He walked over to the pictures, looking them over. He stopped at one that looked like it was from her high school graduation. She was standing with a tall blonde guy, also in a graduation gown. They were both holding up their diplomas and smiling. The guys arm was wrapped around Belle's shoulders. Shawn wanted to know who this guy was. In the picture they looked close. Could it be that Belle was actually in a relationship even though she denied it?
CH 8
The next morning Belle woke up, slightly disoriented. She knew she was in her dorm room, but why was she still wearing her clothes? The last thing she remembered was driving home from orientation.
Getting up she grabbed some new clothes and her shower caddy, going to the communal showers. Passing through the kitchen area of the dorm, she looked at the clock. It was only 9.
When she came back she found Abby and Chloe sitting on the couch, drinking coffee and talking. They were both still in their robes.
"Morning!" Belle said, setting her stuff down on a chair, "You two sleep good?"
"Yeah." Chloe mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "What about you?"
"Okay, but I was wondering. Why was I still in my clothes when I woke up this morning?" Belle sat down in another chair.
"You don't remember?" Abby said. When Belle shook her head she continued, "You fell asleep in the car, so Shawn carried you up here and put you in bed."
"Oh. Ok. Well, I'm going to get some things done on the computer. My parents just gave it to me and I have to try my best to program it." Belle said, making a face, "Hope I don't break it."
"Have fun!" Abby said sarcastically. She couldn't stand computers.
CH 9 Later that morning Belle was still on the computer. Somehow, she had managed to get it up and working. She had even installed the internet.
GossipGoddes: Belle! How are you? TinkerBelle: Hey Meems. I'm good. Cali is good. How is Salem surviving without me? GossipGoddes: Haha. Salem's fine. Somehow we are managing to keep going on with our lives! TinkerBelle: That's good. So what have you been up to? GossipGoddes: Not much. I'm trying to talk Phillip into going to the lake. He doesn't want to. TinkerBelle: Leave him! GossipGoddes: Cute. How can I when it is his lakehouse?
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Belle called. Shawn entered the room.
"Sleep good?" he asked.
"Yeah. Pull up a chair. I'm talking to my best friend from back home."
TinkerBelle: Good point. Tell him he has to go because I say so! GossipGoddes: Yeah, he's going to go for that. TinkerBelle: You never know.
"Whose Phillip?" Shawn asked. "Oh, one of our friends." Belle pointed to the picture on her desk. It was the same one Shawn had been looking at the night before. "There we are at graduation. I've known him since I was little." "Oh, I saw that picture last night when I brought you up here and thought you were hiding a secret boyfriend from me." Shawn said with a laugh. Belle looked at him and shook her head.
GossipGoddes: So, anyway, what's been going on in the past 24 hr with you? TinkerBelle: Not much, had orientation and met my roomates.
Shawn leaned over Belle and typed something in. "What are you doing?" Belle asked him.
"Saying hello." He entered his message.
TinkerBelle: And I got to meet my roomates totally hot cousin who I'm now in love with! GossipGoddes: What? TinkerBelle: That wasn't me, that was Shawn. He has ego issues.
Belle looked at Shawn with a glare. "You do realize now I'm going to have to explain to her who you are."
"Yeah, well, I think I already summed it up." Belle smacked him in the arm, then turned back to the computer.
GossipGoddes: I see. So is he as hot as he thinks he is. TinkerBelle: Yeah, I guess. Lol, we are going for dinner tomorrow, so I'll fill you in after that. GossipGoddes: Ah. Only you would be in a new state for less than 24 hrs and already have a date. TinkerBelle: Yeah, well, what can I say, it's a gift? GossipGoddes: lol. Phillip just called. I told him what you said and he agreed to go up to the lakehouse. TinkerBelle: Told ya. Now you go have fun. I'll talk to you later. GossipGoddes: Alright. TinkerBelle: Oh, and tell Phillip that I expect him to use that private jet and bring you to visit me sometime! GossipGoddes: I'll tell him. Talk to ya later. TinkerBelle: Bye.
"Private Jet?" Shawn said, his eyebrows raised.
"Yeah. Phil is a rich daddy's boy."
CH 10
Later that evening Belle sat in a booth across from her brother. "So how's college life so far?"
"Okay. My roommates seem nice. I think Chloe likes you." She told him with a smile. When he had shown up Chloe had tried to flirt with him, and Brady seemed pretty okay with it.
"Really. Well, she is hot. I may have to look into that."
"Yeah. So, are you still going to be as protective of me as you were back in high school?" Belle asked him. After talking with Shawn that afternoon she had decided the best thing to do was be up front with her brother. If she and Shawn started dating, Brady was sure to find out.
"You know it. You are still my little tink." Brady's face got serious, "Why?"
"Well, you know that guy that was over this afternoon?"
"Yeah." Brady did not like where this was going.
"Well, I talked to him a lot yesterday, and some this afternoon, and he asked me out on a date."
"Belle, you don't even know him. He may be some serial killer, or-"
"Brady! Please. He is Chloe's friend and Abby's cousin! If he was a freak they would have told me, trust me. They've already gone through all of his embarrassing childhood memories with me!" she said smiling, remembering how they had been filling her in earlier that afternoon.
"Still, I don't know if it's a good idea."
"Brady. Come on, the only reason I even told you was because I thought if you found out from me it would stop you from freaking out." She told him, rolling her eyes, "Obviously I was wrong about that point."
"What?" he said defensively, "I'm not freaking out."
"Yeah, you are. Just say 'yeah, Belle, you can go out with him' and leave it at that."
"Fine." He said, "Yeah, Belle, you can go out with him, but if he ever hurts you, I'll physically impale him."
"I know you will. Now, I need your help. What's a good restaurant?"
CH 11
The next day Belle was sitting in front of her computer, once again talking to Mimi. It was about 4:30, and Shawn was going to pick her up at 6 for dinner. Abby and Chloe had gone to check out the shopping scene. They had asked Belle to go with them, but she had declined, telling them she needed to talk to one of her friends and read a book for her English Composition class. They told her they would report back on the good shops, and then went on their merry way.
TinkerBelle: Mimi, you know my wardrobe, what should I wear? GossipGoddes: What is the style of the place you are going? TinkerBelle: Casual. It is this little diner place in downtown. GossipGoddes: What about your black pants and blue scoop neck shirt? TinkerBelle: No, I wore the shirt yesterday. GossipGoddes: Geez, I don't know Belle. I don't know what this guy likes. TinkerBelle: Meems, Please, HELP! GossipGoddes: Okay, okay. I don't think I've ever dealt with you freaking out about a date. TinkerBelle: I'm not freaking. GossipGoddes: Sure you aren't. Okay. What about those dark denim jeans and the white lace top. TinkerBelle: That could work. GossipGoddes: Well there you go. And curl your hair. That always looks cute. TinkerBelle: Okay. Thank you Meems. You are a lifesaver. GossipGoddes: I know! Now, you go get ready and report back to me later, okay! TinkerBelle: Alright. Love ya!
She signed off the computer and went over to her closet. "White top, white top, come out come out wherever you are!" she said, looking through her closed. Grabbing it off the hanger, she looked at it. "Let the games begin!"
CH 12
Abby and Chloe walked along the street, window shopping, "So you think Belle is really reading?" Chloe asked.
"Probably not. She's running around her room trying to figure out what to wear in my opinion."
"Yeah. Though she could probably wear a paper bag and Shawn would still think she looked gorgeous."
"I know. She's been here for two days and he's already wrapped around his little finger."
"Well, I think it's a good thing personally." Chloe said.
"I agree. He needs a girlfriend."
Meanwhile.
"Belle is going out on a date already. This is unbelievable." Brady said, shaking his head as he worked on his computer. He had a paper due for his English class, an over the summer assignment. Of course, he hadn't started it until this past week. After spending the past two years with his own apartment, he was used to muttering things to himself. It didn't even phase him as odd anymore.
"It took me months to find a girl I could stand for more than a couple hours at a time. And it takes her a couple hours. Sometimes I wonder if she got the better genes from dad."
CH 13
"Belle! We are back!" Chloe yelled into the dorm suite as she entered it. Abby was following along, loaded down with bags from a sale at a local boutique.
"Hey guys! I see the shopping trip was successful!" she said, looking them over.
"Yeah, you said it." Abby looked at her, "Nice outfit, by the way, is that what you are wearing?"
"Yeah. You think it looks good?" Belle did a little spin for them.
"You look terrific. Now, you want to see what we got?" Chloe said. The girls looked over the clothes. They unanimously decided that they were all going to go again the next day, because Belle needed clothes she could wear in California, most of hers were slightly wintery.
By the time they were done looking through the clothes, it was 6:20. "Shawn should be here soon." Belle said to herself.
"I think you two are going to have a great time." Abby said with a confident smile.
"Yeah, it is about time Shawn finds a perfect girl for himself." Chloe added.
Just then the doorbell rang. It looked like Belle's date was finally there.
CH 14
"Is my date ready?" Shawn asked as Abby opened the door. She had insisted on doing it. Belle and Chloe sat on the couch.
"Well, yes, but first we have another matter to take care of."
"And what would that be Abby?" Shawn asked patiently.
"Well, seeing as how Belle's dad-or brother-isn't here to interrogate you, I'm going to take the honors."
"Abby!" Belle protested from the couch, but she made no move to stop her.
"What? Somebody has to protect you from the weirdoes around here." She turned back to Shawn and gave him a stern look. "So, my boy, do you have a criminal record?"
"What? Abby!" Shawn looked at her exasperatedly.
"Answer in a yes or no fashion please." Abby said.
"No! I do not have a criminal record!"
"And what have been your past sexual relations with people. Oh, that isn't a yes or no question."
Shawn turned beet red. "Abby, I am not answering that question in front of everyone."
"Fine. Belle, you sure you want to go out with this juvenile delinquent?"
"Yeah, somehow I think I'll manage." CH 15
After Belle and Shawn got away from Abby, they walked down to his car. "That wasn't as bad as my dad would have been." Belle told him.
"Yeah, I figured. I don't want to know what your dad is going to do to me." He told her. Belle smiled slightly. He was already thinking about what to do around her dad.
"So you think the diner choice will be good?" Belle asked him. Brady had suggested it as a fun place to go to her, so she hoped it would be.
Shawn strided ahead to the door, opening it for her. "Mademoiselle." He said, making a grand hand motion. She laughed, getting in. She studied his face as he was walking around the car. She was definitely going to have to relate this whole night to Mimi.
"So you know how to get there?" Belle asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Yeah. Got directions off the internet. Abby was amazed by it." He said with a laugh, "I think she needs to take some computer classes."
"I know, she was telling me how inept she is with technical stuff when I was setting up the computer. I mean, I know very little about computers, but it is way more than what Abby can do!"
"Okay, so now that we've done an ice breaker in the car conversation, what should we move onto?" Shawn asked.
"Was I that obvious?" Belle said, blushing slightly.
"Oh yeah. But that's okay, because now I have something to tease you about." Shawn said with a smile. Belle smacked his arm playfully.
"And after all the stories that Ab and Chloe told me, I have plenty to tease you about!" she shot back.
"Oh, do not remind me. I can't believe that they told you all of that!" Shawn replied, groaning, "And I have no one to get stories from about you!"
"But that is a good thing! For me anyway." For the rest of the ride they chatted about things of no importance. They thought it was fun to be able to joke with someone new. Belle was glad she had already found friends, seeing as how she only knew her brother when she got there.
CH 16
They sat down in the diner, looking around. Belle sighed, "Sorry. Brady still thinks I'm a kid." The place was decorated like a 50s diner, and all of the people were in character.
"That's alright. This ought to be fun, and we'll have stories to tell Abby."
"True. Maybe we can recommend this place for her next date."
"Or we could recommend it to Chloe." Shawn mused.
"No way! My brother picked out this place, so I know there is no way he would come here." Belle said.
Someone laughed behind them. "You want to bet?" Shawn's face went blank. Slowly Belle turned around. Brady and Chloe were standing behind them.
"I'm sorry about this Belle, he asked me on a date, but he didn't say we would be trailing you." Chloe explained quickly.
"Brady!" Belle yelled at him exasperatedly. A few people turned their heads, but most just ignored the commotion. "I cannot believe you! First you set me up at a kiddie diner, then you follow me here?"
"I didn't follow you. I just happened to remember what a cool place this was and decided to come here myself. Besides, I didn't know when you would be here." He shot back at her defensively.
"Fine. Stay, just go on the other side of the diner!" she told him.
"What, I don't get to meet your date first." Brady said with a smirk. So that was his plan. He had to play meet the parents too.
"Brady, this is Shawn. Shawn, this is my annoying sociopath of a brother, Brady." She turned back to her brother, "Happy?"
"Actually, I think I'll get to know him a little better. And I'm not a sociopath." "Brady, leave, please." Belle begged him. "Nope. First off, I want to say if you aver hurt my sister I will hunt you down and kill you. Now, Scoot over Belle."
Belle jumped out of the booth. "I don't think so." She said, grabbing Shawn's hand and pulling him out of the restaurant, "Let's go before they try to follow us again!"
CH 17
Belle looked over at Shawn once they got into the car. He still had the deer caught in the headlights look on his face.
"You okay?" Belle asked, grabbing his hand.
"I seriously think he could kill me if he wanted to." Shawn said, "And that would not be a good thing."
"He won't kill you. Unless I tell him to. So be a good boy and I won't have to sic him on you." Belle told him playfully. He was starting to relax. He started up the car and backed out of the drive.
"Now where too?" he asked.
"I have no clue. Should we drive around a bit to find a place?" she replied. She honestly had no back up plan, because she hadn't expected her brother to show up. He was going to pay for this.
"Sure. That'll work." He looked over to her, "You know, you are cute when your mad." He said.
"Yeah, well, I'm not cute to the person I'm mad at. Brady is going to pay for this one." Belle thought out loud, "What would be best? Telling Chloe embarrassing secrets? Calling home and telling them that he has been going to parties and getting completely smashed? Take his car keys like I did in 10th grade?"
"Geez, remind me to never get you upset." Shawn said, listening to all of her ideas.
"If you get me upset, you won't have time to wonder what punishment I'll give you, because you'll already have felt death by Brady." She teased him.
"Don't say that!"
CH 18
After driving around aimlessly for almost 20 minutes, they decided on an Italian restaurant. After they ate, they headed out to the terrace where music was playing. Many couples were already on the makeshift dance floor, swaying along to the slow beat.
"You want to dance?" Shawn asked her. She nodded, and they walked to the outskirts of the dancefloor. Shawn wrapped his arms around her waist, while she brought hers up to rest on his shoulders. As they danced Belle closed her eyes, thinking over the time they had spent together in the last two days. As the song ended, she pulled away, looking up at Shawn. He bent his head down slightly. Closing her eyes, she met his lips with a soft and gentle kiss. After a moment they pulled away, walking towards the railing so they could talk.
"I can't believe college is really this way." Belle said, looking out over the starry night, "I never thought I would be able to go out on a date and not worry about being home by a certain time, or the interrogation by my dad, or any of this. Here it is more, I don't know, free. I feel like I can go out and have a good time without worrying about what daddy is going to say."
"Yeah, well, welcome to college Isabella Black." Shawn said, kissing her again softly, "It looks like we're both in this new experience together."
College Days.
Belle Black sat on a chair in her room of the dorm, typing away to Mimi on the computer.
GossipGoddes: So how was your date last night? TinkerBelle: Okay, after we got rid of Brady GossipGoddes: He didn't! TinkerBelle: he did. And he totally scared the crap out of Shawn I think. GossipGoddes: Poor guy. I remember how bad Brady was years ago, I can only imagine now TinkerBelle: Yeah, it was pretty bad. GossipGoddes: So what did you do? To get rid of him, I mean TinkerBelle: I yelled at him in the middle of the restaurant than stormed out. GossipGoddes: Drama Queen TinkerBelle: :-P GossipGoddes: Lol. So where did you go after that? TinkerBelle: This Italian resturaunt. It was nice. GossipGoddes: And was their any Lady & the Tramp spaghetti scenes going on? TinkerBelle: LMAO. No! You know that I would never do something like that. GossipGoddes: Okay, okay, but tell me there was kissing. TinkerBelle: yeah.
Belle smiled to herself as she remembered the night. After they had left the dance floor at the restaurant, they had gone for a walk on the boardwalk, where there had been a lot of kissing and handholding going on.
GossipGoddes: oooh.hehe, you are gonna have to send me a picture of this guy sometime soon. Cause I know you have good taste. TinkerBelle: I'll try. But I have to go, I think I'm supposed to meet Brady for dinner today, and I'm going to call him and cancel. GossipGoddes: Uh oh, he's gonna feel your wrath, ain't he? TinkerBelle: You know it.
Ch 2
Shawn Brady sat in his dormroom, getting ready for his first class. This was going to be fun.not. Most everyone didn't have classes their second day there. Actually, hardly anyone was "lucky" enough to get classes during the first week. But of course his criminal law class started today. And on a Saturday, for crying out loud. It wasn't even a day for classes. It was just an intro day, and he had to be there to learn about the lab where they were going to be studying forensics. In some ways it was exciting, because he found the stuff interesting. But, still. It was a Saturday. And he was not looking forward to listening to a teacher on a Saturday.
His phone rang from across the room, and he slowly got out of his chair and walked across the room to get it. "'Ello?" he said.
"Guess who?"
