A/N - here we go, chap 5. A few changes from the original, tighter writing, a bit more leaning towards that M rating. Enjoy!

Previously on Girls of Forks HS:

"Wow, Bella!" Angela said. "He's really cute!"

I nodded, my cheeks reddening. "Yes, he is."

Lauren looked at me appraisingly before she gave me a big grin. "Nice work, Bella! You've learned from the best!"

We all laughed and we all chatted and caught-up, but my eyes never strayed too far from the back of the house and my mind never wandered far from the main attraction of my night.

Chapter 5

"Seriously, Bella," said Angela, "he seems to really like you. Did he ask you for your phone number?"

I nodded, the smile never quite leaving my face. "He said he wants to see me again, and said he will call me tomorrow to set a date to take me out," I answered quietly., looking at my feet to hide my goofy embarrassment.

"Woohoo!" said Lauren. "Finally, Bella! This is just what the doctor ordered!"

Peering back up at her, I saw her smiling almost as widely as I was.

I heard Jessica giggle, and I looked over at her. She seemed a bit more sober now, and I was thankful to see she had a glass of water in her hands, instead of more vodka. "Good...good for you, Bella," she said, smiling at me. Her borderline jealousy from earlier was gone, and her dimples were huge and her eyes crinkly. "I know this was a hard year for you," she continued, "and I think Andrew liked you too, Bella. I saw you exchange numbers with him too, right? So if Josh turns out to be a no-show or a stuck-up snooty, you have other options!"

Angela laughed. "A stuck up snooty?"

Jessica shrugged. "It sounded good, right?" And then she turned to me, assessing.

I shrugged, thinking about what she'd said about Andrew. "Maybe you're right, but I think he only wanted to be friends. He seemed really casual about it."

Jessica and Lauren - and maybe Angela too if I was honest - gave me a look like I was out of touch with reality, and Lauren just shook her head, smiling fondly. "Oh Bella, when will you get it..."

Embarrassed again, I wanted to change the subject, so I moved closer to Lauren and took offensive action. "So? What's the lowdown on the ex? I saw you two off and talking together."

She tried to play it cool, and gave a small shrug; but a smile played on her lips, and her eyes were bright. "We talked for a bit, but it got a little awkward if something serious came up. Mostly we kept it light; I mean, I haven't spoken with him in months."

But then her eyes took on a mischievous look, and she gave me a true, cunning Lauren smile. Leaning in, she spoke close to my ear. "I definitely saw him checking me out, several times. And when I was flirting with some of the other boys, I could tell he was really jealous."

Backing up, she looked around and saw that there was still a pretty large crowd near us. "I'll tell you more on the way home."

I nodded, happy for her and I smiled in return; and for the next little while we laughed and giggled while we discussed what each of his words and looks could mean. It was silly, tipsy girl gossip, and just what I needed to distract me right then.

After a while, I realized it had gotten colder out, and when I came out of my Lauren bubble I noticed the party was thinning out. The band has announced their last song a few minutes earlier, and when they finished a lot of the guests began to meander towards the house. Music was still playing from a stereo, but it was much quieter than the band had been and the party's energy seemed to have flagged.

We all agreed it was getting late and was time to go. We said goodbye to a few people we'd spoken with, and began walking towards the house. On the way, we saw Andrew and he smiled at me, and came over to us and began to walk with us towards the house.

"I am heading back to Seattle," he said. "I have long drive and I need to be up by 8." He seemed to know lot of people, as he either waved or said goodbye to almost everyone we passed before turning back to me. "But, you should definitely let me know if you come back this way, and you should absolutely come to one of the campus visits. Even if you don't end up going there, it's worth checking out, and Seattle is amazing! There is so much to do, and some of the parties are great. I promise you'll have fun." He was so enthusiastic, he made my friends laugh, and Angela nudged me with her elbow, smirking at me.

Ignoring her little jibe, I smiled at Andrew. "I will definitely come to the campus with my friends, I'd like to spend some time in Seattle. I've only been up there a couple of times." I was able to promise this easily, as I had already told my friends I would go on at least one campus weekend visit, and Andrew seemed like a nice enough guy; I was thinking we could definitely be friends.

I turned to the girls, and they all agreed. It would be a fun trip.

"Bring some cute guys with yooouuu," Jessica said, a bit of slur to her speech. "The boys in Forks are lame."

Angela and Lauren laughed at her, and I blushed, unable to really disagree.

Andrew just smiled, leaned in and gave me a very quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye Bella, it was nice to meet you." He looked at my friends and smiled. "Girls, until next time." He nodded his head towards them, and then he stepped back and walked away with a couple of his friends that I hadn't even realized were walking with us.

"I like him," said Jessica, watching as he walked off. "He's got a great ass."

Chuckling at Jessica's antics, my friends and I made our way into to the house to retrieve our coats. It was nearing 1am, and the stereo has stopped, which seemed to indicate the party was winding down and there was a bunch of people waiting to get their coats.

When we finally got our coats, a pair of hands was suddenly helping me by holding my coat so I could slip my arm into the sleeve. I looked over my shoulder, and was not surprised that Josh was there, smiling widely at me.

I couldn't help smiling back, and my telltale blush made my cheeks very warm. I was very aware of my friends - and perhaps a dozen other people - watching us, and I could see Lauren's cheeky smile out of the corner of my eye as he smoothed some imaginary lint off my shoulders once the coat was on.

I looked up at him, and was amazed that in the bright light of the entryway he looked even better than he did outside. His eyes were an mysterious, dark azure; like the color of a clear, deep blue sky in summer just before sundown, with grey or silver speckles surrounding the pupil When he smiled at me and slowly leaned down, slowly kissing the corner of my mouth, my heart thudded in my chest for the first time in months. He left his warm lips on my skin for a few moments, drawing it out so that I had to fight to turn my head and kiss him properly.

When he finally lifted away, he spoke softly, in a husky voice. "Goodnight, Isabella. I'll speak with you tomorrow." I caught my breath as he said goodnight to my friends, before he stepped away to say goodnight to the other guests who were leaving.

I wasn't quite sure how we got out the front door, and my giggling friends had to hold me up as I almost tripped over the curb on the driveway. My head felt cottony, stuffed with Josh, and it didn't even bother me that some of the girls had been giving me unfriendly stares.

My giddiness lasted a while, and I was not really paying attention to my feet. Of course I ended up stumbling a few times, but luckily Angela kept me on my feet while Jessica made some lewd remarks and Lauren looked thrilled for me.

Finally, we flopped ourselves into the car, and I ended up in the back next to Jessica who was looking torn between wanting to gossip and wanting to pass out. Angela - the designated driver tonight - backed out of her space, and in moments we were on our way home, the silence of the car somewhat startling after the loud music we'd listened to all night.

Jessica, however, suddenly yawned and burped at the same time before closing her eyes. "We'll talk tomorrow, Bella. I'm just too tired now."

We all seemed to pause for a moment before laughing at her, and I was happy to see Jessica smiling too. "No problem, Jess. I promise you can grill me tomorrow."

"You better believe it," she grunted. "Mr. McHottie definitely wants in your pants. You better take him up on his offer!"

A few minutes later, Jessica's soft snores made us all giggle, and Lauren fiddled with the radio until she found some soft music. I lay back in my seat, my mind replaying the night in vivid detail, and I realized I had a really great night. Certainly the best party I've ever been to.

Once we were back on the 101 and Angela got us up to 55, she looked at me in the rearview mirror, her eyes dancing with mirth. "So, Josh definitely likes you, Bella. So, spill girl."

Lauren turned in her seat, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I looked between them, laughing when I pictured them as hungry sharks, looking for any nibble they could get.

I took a deep breath, allowing myself to drop my usual high walls that was repelled at the idea of this kind of gossip.

These were my friends, and I trusted them.

"Well," I said, thinking about what to say, "He seems really great, and I definitely like him."

When Angela gave a very un-Angela like squeal, we all startled, including Jessica who was woken from her nap. "Oh Bella," Angela gushed, "that's great! I don't think I've seen you look this happy in ages!"

Lauren nodded in agreement. "Good for you, Bella," Lauren answered. "He seems really cool, and he's so hot. And he definitely was into you. You should definitely go for it!"

I turned to look at her. "Really? You really thought he liked me?" I thought he certainly did, but old insecurities were making themselves known.

"Sure," she laughed. "Come on, he spent like half the party with you," she said, waving a hand as she exaggerated a bit. "He seemed totally into you."

Angela nodded in agreement. "It's true, Bella. You guys had some real chemistry."

I bit my lip. "Lauren, what did you think about him?"

She smirked at me. "Come on, Bella," she said, rolling her eyes. "First off, he's really hot." She lifted her index finger to her lips and kissed it, and raised her thumb, using her fingers to mimic a gun. "He was smoking," she added, blowing imaginary smoke off of her fingertip. I giggled at her, and I heard Angela laugh too, and even half asleep I heard Jessica grunt something before she too began to giggle in her half stupor, making her sound like some sort of wheezing animal.

Lauren ignored Jessica, and kept on speaking, raising a second finger. "Secondly, he's rich."

When she saw me shrug, she gave me a patented Lauren stare, her eyes narrowed like twin blue lasers. "Trust me, rich is good."

Jessica piped up with more giggles and another burp. "Yep, rich is good!"

I shrugged, not really caring about that, but laughing at their antics while Angela shook her head, also fighting a smile.

Lauren huffed at my blasé' reaction. "And third, I guess he seems nice enough," she finished with a shrug and a smile, and leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, now that she had made her point.

Angela and I laughed at her. "I can see that your priorities are in order," Angela teased.

"Damn straight, girlfriend," Lauren huffed, sticking her tongue out at Angela, making us chuckle.

"Wait, wait," added Jessica. "You forgot the most important part! He's so tall, I bet you he is really well hung!"

To my chagrin, all three of them began to nod their heads. "Totally," Lauren said. "Did you see his feet? Definitely at least a size 12, maybe a 13. And his hands, they were big too. And you know what they say, right?"

Besides this being a bit TMI, I couldn't help being curious, and deep down wondered if they were right and if this was something I'd maybe one day find out. Certainly, the guys from the rez - with their bulging muscles and incredible height - were very well endowed. Paul was not shy in displaying his 'assets', and Quill seemed to always make sure I got a good, long look at him...

I giggled to myself, realizing I must have been pretty tipsy to be thinking like this.

When Jessica began to babble about some of the tall guys from our school, however, and how that correlated to the sizes of their tackle, and then Lauren interjected how length wasn't quite as important as girth, I decided we had discussed the boys at school enough. I had no desire to hear about how well endowed - or not - Tyler or Mike or Connor were, no thank you.

We all chatted quietly about other things for a little while, but we were tired and we got back to Jessica's around 2am. We trudged up with a stumbling Jessica to Jessica's room, and after my bathroom routine was done and I lay down in my sleeping bag, I slowly drifted off, thoughts of Josh's brilliant blue eyes the last thing I remembered.

In the morning, we ate breakfast in a sort of dull trance, as all of us save Angela had hangovers to one degree or another. We talked about the party a little more, but we each finally made our way to the shower, and a few hours later I was at home doing my homework, reflecting on my night.

The day flew by, and before I knew it, it was late Sunday afternoon. I was mindlessly doing chores, trying to keep my mind off of a certain blue eyed hunk, when my phone buzzed, startling me. When I suddenly realized who might be calling, I hesitated only a moment before answering, my heart thudding in my chest; and when I heard Josh's voice on the call, I couldn't help the smile that split my face.

It was definite: I was a hopeless pushover.

"Hello, Bella," Josh said, his voice as deep and enticing as I had remembered it. "How are you doing today?"

I could not help the blush that covered my face as I pictured him. "I'm doing surprisingly well, thank you," I replied, and I was surprised how bright my voice sounded; it was almost like new life had been injected into it since last night.

He laughed quietly, and just like that, we immediately fell into an effortless conversation, like we had never even left each other's company from the night before, picking right up where we left off.

After a couple of minutes I realized I was laying on my bed, on my belly with my ankles crossed up in the air, idly twirling a lock of hair through my fingers. I had no recollection at all of even laying down, and had to suppress a giggle as to how 'girly' I was acting. And even stranger - at least for me - I felt no compunction at all to try and act or behave 'maturely.'

It was a surprisingly freeing feeling.

As we chatted on, I was vaguely aware that it was getting dark outside, and that Charlie would probably soon be home from fishing. I glanced up at the clock, realizing we had been on the phone for over an hour, though I was enjoying our chat so much it felt like a much shorter time. Unfortunately, I knew I needed to start on dinner, and had to end our call.

"Josh, sorry but I've got to get off the phone. My dad will be home soon and I usually make dinner for us, and need to get started."

He chuckled. "Yes, you mentioned that you took care of your parents, maybe one day we can make dinner together? I love to cook."

This was something he hadn't mentioned, and I smiled at the thought of cooking with him, rubbing elbows and laughing in the kitchen. "I would love that," I answered, now eager for it. He would probably look so sexy in a chef's apron...

I stammered for a minute, surprised at how enticing that image was, and Josh had to repeat a question twice before I could answer him.

We finally finished our call, but not before making plans for the following weekend. When we hung up, my smile was so wide I felt like my face might crack, and I had to work hard to restrain myself from immediately texting my friends to tell them the news.

As I thought about our plans, I shook my head in amazement; he had offered to come and Forks to get me - an hour out of his way from Port Angelas! - but I told him I would be fine meeting him there. Better to not subject him to Charlie just yet.

But what guy offered to do that? The only ones that I knew of were the Cullen men; certainly not the boys from Forks High...

As I sat back on the kitchen chair, running over our planned date in my head, I squealed and bounded to the fridge, humming to myself as I prepared dinner for Charlie and myself, not even wondering why thinking of the Cullen's did not bring me any stress or pain.

When my dad sat down for dinner, he noticed - despite being a fairly taciturn person - immediately that I was excited about something. When I hesitatingly told him I met a boy that I liked, and we were going out the following weekend, he didn't say anything for a while. Finally, though, he gave me a small smile and his eyes looked happy. "I'm glad for you, Bells. I've seen that you've been better these last couple of months, but now you finally have a sparkle in your eyes again. It's nice to see it - to see the real you - sitting here with me."

My eyes watered a bit, and I knew I'd put my dad through some tough times. I gave him a shaky smile and leaned over and gave him a small hug, which he slowly returned. "I love you, kiddo."

Nothing else needed to be said, and we both ate our mean in silenced, a touch embarrassed by our display of affection.

Like father like daughter, I guess.

The next day, my friends immediately caught on to my distracted and happy mood, and I blushingly told them about my plans with Josh for next weekend. And despite playing at being upset that I didn't let them know last night when I got off the phone with him, they were all very happy for me. I did think that Jessica especially liked this news, as that would mean that I wouldn't want to date any of the Forks boys - not like I had ever done so anyway, save for Edward - but I knew she often worried about that.

The rest of the week flew by, and I spoke to Josh several times, as well as texting him. I was also surprised but pleased to receive a text from Andrew on Wednesday, and I really thought maybe we could in fact become friends. When I called him back that night, we had a fun conversation. He was very easygoing and was fun to talk with, and though there was no immediate attraction like I had with Josh, I could now admit to myself that had Josh not been in the picture I could see myself going on a date with him, he was funny and made me laugh. Thankfully, though, our conversation had no romantic undertones to it, just two friends chatting and getting to know each other, no innuendos or hidden agendas.

Josh and I solidified our plans for Saturday night, and my friends helped me plan my outfit. I felt a brief pang at this, as memories of Barbie Bella sessions with Alice flitted across my mind; but it was brief and I soon was distracted by Jessica's chatter and Lauren and Angela's commentary on my various clothing choices in my admittedly meagre closet, as most of the clothes Alice had bought for me had been purchased during the summer after my cast came off, and the floaty skirts or crop tops were not suitable for Washington winters.

When I casually mentioned that Josh offered me the chance to stay overnight - he had said his house had plenty of spare bedrooms and since I didn't want him to pick me up in Forks, he was worried about me driving home late at night, alone - there was a brief moment of silence before my friends whooped for joy. Silly innuendos were flung about, and our outfit planning session devolved into a mass pillow fight, until we were all soon panting and laughing on the floor of my bedroom.

When they wanted details, I explained that he also offered a driver that could take me home if I chose not to stay, and I could leave my truck at his house and get it whenever I wanted.

Needless to say, they were absolutely floored.

"Wow, Bella, just...wow!" was Jessica's inspired reply.

As we discussed his offer further, I reflected that he really seemed to be a great guy, though I also knew that, like any guy, me staying overnight at his home wouldn't be much of a hardship for him!

And then Angela pointed out something obvious. "Bella, if you stay overnight, you'll be sending him a message, you do realize that, right?"

Jessica sat up, her grin almost manic. "Hell yes! She'll be telling him she wants him to sex her up!" And then she looked at me, her knees bouncing her body off my bed. "Go for it, Bella! You've GOT to stay over!"

Everyone laughed at Jessica's exuberance, and I secretly thought she might have the right idea.

On Thursday, after school, I got a rather frantic message from my mom.

After dinner, I opened my phone and saw four additional voicemails from my mom. Deciding on if I should call her back or do my homework first, I decided on the latter. I wasn't going out until later, and I had a couple of hours to kill. So I opened my computer, ready to start my English essay, but saw there were five emails from her as well.

I sighed, resigned to getting this over with, and listened to the most recent voice mail.

Beep. "ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!" My mom's voice blasted through the tinny speaker. "CALL ME BACK RIGHT NOW!" With no further reason to delay except for maybe keeping my hearing intact, I dialed my mom's number.

To my surprise, she answered on the first ring - usually, she took five or six rings as she so often misplaces her phone. "Bella? Bella? Oh my GOD! I just got your calendar today, why didn't you tell me!" She was positively shrieking now.

I laughed at her childlike exuberance, and for the next forty minutes I had to fend off my mom's questions, insinuations, suggestions, and demands. She had advice about everything: from what to wear in future photo shoots, dieting ideas, shaving suggestions for my bikini line and more 'private' areas, ideas for modeling careers: anything and everything she could think of was fair game to discuss. I was fondly exasperated, until she finally crossed the line with her last bit of advice, when she proceeded to tell me that, since I must have clearly been excited by the sinful lingerie I was wearing, that she had some ideas about how I could seduce the photographer so we could have a 'hot encounter' after the next photo shoot.

"Come on, Bella! That's the stuff of fantasies, you'll remember and savor it for years and years! Trust me, if it's private enough, you should go for it!" And then she started to share some of her own 'experiences', and I'd had enough. Wanting to hustle her off the phone, I managed to say a hurried goodbye.

Laying back on my bed, I was so mentally exhausted that the thought of doing English or differential equation problems for my calculus class seemed as distant a possibility for me as walking on the moon. Instead, I gathered my toiletries bag, stripped in the bathroom, and let the day wash off of me with a hot shower.

When I shaved for my upcoming date, I tried hard not to think about some of my mom's suggestions.

Friday came quickly, and I was so excited that I honestly could say this was the best week of high school I had remembered in the whole Senior year. The only spanner in the works was an unplanned meeting for the calendar group - the 'fundraising' committee was the official name for it - scheduled for Friday immediately after school.

The meeting agenda was for all committee members and the Directors to review the final proceeds from the calendar sale, and to "look into additional revenue baskets," whatever that actually meant.

Friday was typically rainy, so myself and the twelve other girls who were in the calendar, plus a few others who had helped with planning and the website, trudged into the gym with our muddy boots and coats, wanting to get home and start our weekends.

We saw several tables set out on the gym floor, with about twenty folding chairs arrayed in a semi-circle. Several chairs were occupied by the committee directors, most of them teachers in the school. On the smallest table in the corner, there was a large cooler with water and some cups, and on the largest table - right in the center and where all the adults were seated - was a large ledger that sat open in front of Mrs. Gerson, the chemistry teacher who was also the committee chairwoman.

When the door closed behind Angela, who was the last of us in the door, Mrs. Gerson cleared her throat. "Hello everyone, please take a seat." She was a large woman, but had a kind smile that contrasted with her gravelly voice. She peered at us over the top of her black, thick framed glasses, her blue eyes peering at us like the eyes of an owl as they shifted back and forth.

She cleared her throat again, while briefly looking down at a sheet of paper in front of her. "Thank you everyone for coming, and I apologize for the short notice. Today's meeting should be short and simple, we just want to review the numbers, and decide about follow-up."

I fidgeted in my seat, not wanting to be here right now. I still had a lot of homework to do, knowing I would be in Port Angelas on Saturday, though I had not yet decided if I would stay overnight. Charlie had reluctantly given me permission to stay there overnight if I chose to without me even having to pull the 'I'm an adult card.' Nevertheless, he was very uneasy about it, and asked me for Josh's full name (I was sure he was going to look his police record up) and get his address and contact info. But, deep down, Charlie knew I was a legal adult, and that he couldn't really stop me. He did say he appreciated me asking him even though I technically didn't have to, and urged me to be careful, make good decisions, and bring my pepper spray.

As I sat there listening to Mrs. Gerston drone, I began to daydream about what I'd be doing - and where I'd be living - come September. Over the past few months, I became very determined to keep my grades as high as I could, knowing I needed a scholarship to go to college full-time.

And while it was true almost all my applications had already been sent in, my grades this semester might still matter if I got wait-listed at some of my choices. I only had a few weeks more until I started getting my replies from most of the schools I had applied to, and didn't want to let up now. I knew I didn't have a chance for Valedictorian - a few A minuses in Math nixed that chance - but my class ranking was top 5, and I'd already heard back from some of my 'safety' schools that had rolling admissions, though none of those schools - most of them in the south or southwest - really appealed to me anymore, despite some of their generous offers.

Josh and I had touched on the topic of my college choice quite frequently this week. When I learned that he was almost certainly moving to New York later this year, he teased me that I should make sure I applied to 'lots of schools on the East Coast.'

I had hesitated a moment before answering him, sensing more than just teasing in his comment. I didn't want to believe that he could have a vested interest where I went to school, it was too soon for that, right?

We'd not even gone on one date!

Nonetheless, when I told him I had applied to several east coast schools - including Columbia in New York City itself - he was quite pleased.

At some level, I knew our fledgling relationship was far, far too new for me to be thinking this way, but the thought of possibly living in a place as exciting as New York and actually knowing someone there that I liked, or have a relationship with...well, it made my heart beat a little faster and Columbia creeped higher in my list of '1st choice' college.

I hadn't paid any attention to anything Mrs. Gerson said, and had to blink several times as there was suddenly half-hearted clapping coming from everyone save the 'calendar girls.' I looked around, bewildered for a moment, determined to re-focus on what was going on.

This was important.

When the room quieted, Mrs. Gerson was speaking again. "So, the numbers don't reflect the last two weeks of sales, but so far revenue for the fund-raising currently stand at ninety-seven thousand dollars, and we are now planning on a third print run for the calendar, as the second run has already sold out. "

This time, the applause was much louder, and I joined in. Ninety-Seven Thousand! That was amazing! We had an initial target of twenty-five thousand only!

I missed a question someone asked as the applause faded, but I heard Mr. Warner, the Physics teacher and one of the committee members, speak up. "We are undecided on that. We had thought to do another run of five thousand, like the second run; but there are a lot of advance orders, so we might do seventy-five hundred. We thought about ten thousand, but if they suddenly stop selling we will be sitting on a lot of unsold units."

I did the math in my head, and realized if we sold just another five thousand units, at twenty bucks a pop, we would raise another hundred thousand! Wow!

I looked over at Angela and Lauren, and they too looked impressed, and excited whispers broke out amongst different groups.

Mrs. Gerson brought the meeting back to order. "At this point, the committee chairs are looking for input from the members," - and here she gestured to the students-," for other possible revenue sources for us, or other ways to broaden our base for the calendar. Clearly there is widespread demand for it, and I've heard from administrators in other school districts that the success of our calendar is quite unusual." There were happy murmurs at this, and even old Mrs. Gerson couldn't help the look of pride that tugged at her lips. "Plus, there are several other worthy charities in the area that we may be able to help, and I would like you all to think about this over the next week or so."

There was more excited chatter, and Mrs. Gerson made one last point. "Also, we are probably going to issue a limited edition version of the Calendar as well - using alternate prints that we didn't use in the first run - and we may make it oversize. We are still talking with the printers about it, but we will let you know."

Her statement resulted in more excited whispering, but the sound of chairs moving and the Directors standing was the signal that the meeting was over. As I stood and stretched, I saw Jessica and Lauren already walking out the door with Katie. I picked up my backpack, and saw that Angela had waited for me. As we walked towards the door, a throat cleared behind me. "Isabella? May we have a word?"

I turned to see Mrs. Gerson and Mr. Warner standing politely and clearly wanting to talk with me. "Isabella? We'd like to speak with you about a matter of some importance."

I nodded, not bothering to correct her on my name. I had done so on several previous occasions, but it never seemed to stick, and she always called me Isabella.

Mr. Warner took the reins. "Isabella, there has been some local interest in our fund-raising efforts from both the Peninsula Daily newspaper, and from two television stations in Port Angelas. They would like to interview someone about the calendar, and about our fund-raising efforts."

My face must have conveyed my shock, as they looked at me patiently while my jaw practically unhinged. It took a few moments, but I finally got my face back under control, and I smiled at them tentatively. "That's great news, I'm sure this will help raise awareness, and there should be plenty of people who can really represent us well."

Mrs. Gerson smiled kindly at me, her eyes twinkling. "Isabella, as you said, it would be great for the community to get this kind of exposure. If we can raise awareness of these charities and raise money for them, we all will benefit."

I nodded, not liking the way she and Mr Warner were looking at me with smug little smiles, and had a sinking feeling in my gut.

Mr. Warner spoke up again, looking at me kindly. "Isabella, we would like you to be the representative that gets interviewed. You are our clear choice."

My inkling had been correct, and I felt a bit queasy. My kneejerk reaction was to immediately refuse; I hated this sort of attention and had been uncomfortable with it since the Calendar came out.

However, once they this whopper on me about 'helping the community,' I felt guilty. How could I refuse? I knew Forks was not a wealthy town with big homes and a wealthy tax base. I had heard my father complain about his paltry budget often enough, and how he and his deputy had to work ridiculous hours because there was not enough money to hire more people.

Now, I just felt bad, and I knew that someone had to do this. Taking a breath, I asked the first question that came to mind. "Why me? I.. I mean, I'm pretty shy, I'm not sure I would be the best one to represent us." My voice sounded shaky, and I became aware of several people now gathering around us to listen, several of them with wide eyes and open mouths.

Drat that they couldn't do this privately!

Mrs. Gerston's same soft smile hit me again, and I cursed my weakness for falling prey to it. "Well, we did consider some of the other girls. In fact, we even took a vote on it."

Mr. Warner nodded. "It was almost unanimous, Isabella. Just about everyone wanted you, and not just because you were on the cover, though admittedly that does help. For publicity purposes, you are the logical choice. But there were other reasons as well, and...well, you are our choice."

I let myself imagine the interview, and ended up cringing at that thought, just picturing myself sitting in a newscaster chair while they flash pictures of me in that nurses outfit on TV!

How mortifying!

I needed to discuss this with Charlie, he might have an egg! He got mad enough when a few deputies were looking at the calendar! "Well, can I think about it? My father might have something to say about it, and I won't do this without his approval."

They both nodded. "Of course, that would be very sensible." Mrs. Gerson gave me another one of her smiles. "Please just let us know by Monday. We have been invited to tape the interview early next week. They want it to air while interest is still high, and we want to see how many more pre-orders we might get after you do a TV spot, and before we place the order for the third print run."

I finally sighed and nodded, knowing in my heart I would do it unless Charlie objected. With my shoulders tense, I started walking towards the door, not quite believing what just happened. I cringed when I saw Jessica darting over to me; clearly, even when she was on the other side of a room she somehow knew when juicy gossip was in the air.

"Oh my God! Bella that's so out there! I can't believe you are going to be on TV!" She reminded me of Alice Cullen at that moment, bouncing in place like she was getting ready to blast off into orbit.

Angela saw me grimace, and had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. When Lauren joined us, and the rest of the girls walked back in, all telling me how great it was and how I had to do it and how the publicity would be great for everyone, I threw my hands up in defeat, stomping away.

Angela couldn't hold her laughter in after that, and I cursed my friends under my breath as I reached my truck.

Friday night I ate dinner with my dad at the Lodge, did some homework, and hung out with my friends for a couple of hours until they all went to Austin's for a small get-together. They whined at me to come, but I was nervous about my date and about my potential interview disaster, so decided to stay in and deal with my stress and worry.

I was very excited on Saturday, and left my house at about 5pm to go to Laurens for a quick makeover. I again told Charlie I might be staying over at his house, and after a few awkward seconds of him staring at me, he just shook his head in resignation and said 'be safe, Bells, and if you are staying there call and let me know so I don't worry.'

"I promise, Dad," I said, surprising him with a kiss on the cheek.

Lauren had convinced me to wear a skirt with warm stockings - and she knew I generally disliked skirts - but found a sexy but sensible black one that I hadn't even realized I owned. The tags were still on it, and I almost fainted at the price - Alice's doing no doubt! - but after much needling from her and Jessica, I finally agreed. It was jet black, a good length and a bit loose, plaited, and going just past my knees. I wore a tight fitting red cashmere sweater, and my hair was slightly curled and pinned up on one side. They helped me with makeup, acceding my demands of 'just a touch', and I ended-up with light red lipstick on and a hint of mascara and eye-liner.

When everything was done, I peered at myself in the mirror, with Lauren and Jessica each looking over one of my shoulders. They waited for my reaction with wide smiles, and my lips slowly morphed into a wide grin.

The girl in the mirror - no, scratch that, the woman in the mirror - was, I had to admit it, very hot!

Lauren leaned down, her hands on my shoulders and her face next to mine, smiling at me in the mirror. "Go get him, girlfriend."

A/N - LMK what you think!