Paparazzi

Save you from yourself before you start to deal with everyone else
You should've kept it to yourself now we're looking to fight
This isn't alright
Alright you better hold your scriptive tongue
If you ever plan to use those words again
The future doesn't make much sense

~Crowded Room-The Academy Is…

BPOV:

Edward seemed to be more of a jackass than I thought. I looked down at the Rolling Stones magazine, and studied his crooked grin. He seemed happy to be where he was.

Alice was really pissed. I personally felt a bit guilty. I had walked out on the Rolling Stones magazine because Alice wanted to see her old friend, and that seemed more important to her. So I followed her, it was time I met my best friend's close friends almost family anyways.

I set this high standard for Edward to follow.

It turned out that they loved me a lot. I sighed, they thought I was plain hilarious. Esme had a heart attack when she saw what I was wearing.

I had flown in straight from a concert in Alaska so I was still wearing my concert clothes. It was a tight black leather leotard. I had on round black glasses as shades and straightened my hair out. I made a hair bow out of it.

Literally a hair bow, I tied my hair around so it had the shape of a bow on my head. I topped off my look with a metal chain around my neck and my leather gloves.

Esme however was a sweetheart and complimented my heels. She got used to my strange clothes and thought I was hilarious, as I said before.

But then Carlisle got home. I thought his reaction was the best I ever had.

"Sweetie, I'm home!"

"In the kitchen, Alice came over and brought a friend!"

Carlisle entered the room. So picture this:

Alice is designing a dress on a cake using white frosting. Esme is stirring a pot of lobster with her right foot lifted off the floor as she leaned in.

I was in my black shades, tight leotard, 5-inch platform heels, and gloves and standing on the counter trying to reach for a can at the back of the top cabin.

I froze not sure how to make this less awkward. I understood that people had a hard time adapting to me and in the position I was, didn't make it any smoother.

He stared at us. He chuckled as he saw Alice. He smiled warmly and lovingly at Esme and then he saw me. His eyes widened.

They were huge, no joke! So there I am trying to make this less awkward.

"Good afternoon?"I asked.

"Do you sing Just Dance?" he asked seriously. I gulped.

"Yes sir," I responded. My voice shook.

"I LOVE THAT SONG!" He exclaimed. He reached over and shook my hand eagerly. I chuckled. I liked him quickly.

He told me a bunch of gross hospital stories, but stopped midway of a tapeworm story when he saw me turn green.

"Sorry, I get carried away." He apologized. I nodded weakly.

"I understand." I responded trying to distract myself. "I get like that with music and my songs."

"So it's true you write you songs?"

"Yes, sir, 100% legit," I announced proudly. "Including Just Dance," I winked.

He chuckled. "It is incredibly catchy. I tend to go for old people music like Bon Jovi but that one caught me off guard I suppose."

I nodded eagerly. "Bon Jovi, oh I'm in love with Living on a Prayer!"

He choked on his glass of wine. "Really?" He asked.

"HOW CAN I NOT BE?" I exclaimed. "IT'S CLASSIC ROCK, NEED I SAY MORE?"

"Exactly," He agreed. So we began to gush over the singer. Esme and Alice wrinkled their nose, but agreed with an occasional song that popped up.

I spent a good 3 days at L.A. adapting like a fish in the ocean.

The phone rang on Sunday. Esme saw the caller and sighed.

"Hello?"

I heard a loud buss on the other side showing that they had shouted their announcement.

"Edward, sweetie, my birthday was 3 days ago. Alice and Bella visited but my own son forgot to ring?" Esme sounded terribly heavy in her voice. It seemed like there was this huge weight of disappointment on her shoulders.

Edward, answered her. She responded, "Yes, Edward-"

Edward interrupted her with something.

"Excuse me?"She asked incredulously. Carlisle had been close enough to hear his loud voice and let out an angry hiss. He pried the phone gently from Esme.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, you don't order your mother around like if she's a dog." He scolded. I felt a dripping of anger at whatever Edward said.

Edward answered and Carlisle frowned at what he said. "Edward you've changed."

I heard a protest on the other line as the phone was passed to Alice. Alice took on an angry tone with him.

I decided it was time for me to step in and cheer them up.

I got up on my feet and took on Edward's slight British accent and began to sing one of his songs as low as I could go.

Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma? I've seen those English dramas too! They're group! So if there's any other way to spell another way its fine by me!

Esme giggled as I added little dance moves to the song. Carlisle was in full blown laughter.

"Bella, that's genius!"Carlisle exclaimed as I mussed my hair to match Edward's sex hair. Esme was laughing as hard as Carlisle now. I chuckled in the middle of a word.

We fell in laughter as Alice hung up with a small grin.

We were going to go into town to a Star bucks just to see Edward. He had promised to come over and visit. I felt a bit uncomfortable of seeing him.

Alice noted it and told me that everything would work out. But I could tell from her face she was also doubtful of Edward.

He didn't disappoint. He called back to cancel on us. So here I was outside my music company with the magazine in my hands. He had filled in for me.

Idiot.

I marched through the doors making sense of the long hallways decorated with large portraits. James had a thing for overdoing the decoration.

Once again, I repeat, idiot.

I let out a screech as I saw my image going up right next to Edward Cullen's portrait. His was decorated with a green background and a deep purple rim. He was walking in a leather jacket and wore converse. That was so hot.

I studied his Adonis features.

I turned awkwardly to my portrait. It was a deep blue and a green that matched Edward's. It was me in a deep gold dress with high silver stilettos.

I had been going through a phase where I stubbornly refused that gold and silver didn't match. So I mixed diamonds with pearls, silver with gold bangles, gold makeup and silver hoop earrings.

I looked so tiny next to Edward. He looked grand, beautiful, and special. I was so ordinary.

I remembered back to my mother's way of putting it.

"Why do you bother?" She hovered over my bed and the smell of alcohol wasn't hard to detect. I had been writing down the song I wanted to sing against Brandy.

I was kind of glad she was talking to me. I was invisible to her. "What do you mean, why do I bother?" I asked.

"Why do you bother writing music? It's a waste of time. You'll probably end up like me: drunk, stuck with a weird kid, and alone." She let out a big sigh. "I always wanted to be a star too. But here I am." She took a drag of her cigarette.

I stared at her with tears in my eyes. "This is all I have."

"Than sooner or later, you'll have nothing." She started to walk away.

"Mom, is the glass half-empty or half-full?" I asked, I yanked the small cup of brandy from her fingers.

"It's half-empty." She stated.

"You want to know why?" I said.

"Because I drank half of it."

"Exactly," I responded. "Because you want to be who you are right now." I took a step forward and said the motto that never left me, "I'm going to make my own person, and I'm not YOU."

I glared at my portrait. My mother was still down in Forks, getting customers to use her body, and buying alcohol.

I was this big hero down in Forks, this amazing small-town girl who made it far. It ashamed me to see that my hate to Brandy had landed me this job.

But I wouldn't change it for the world. I continued down the hallway.

"Hello, Mrs. Swan," Jackie called from the desk. I smiled at her.

"James called, could you tell him I'm here?" I asked politely. She nodded and began to dial his office. I waited careful to not dump my coffee on myself.

"He said he'll be right out. He wants to show you something?" Her statement made it clear she was as clueless as me about everything.

"Thanks, Jackie," I grinned. I turned to note the red waiting room. No one really hanged around there and I refused to be one of the few. I examined a sculpture in the corner for a bit before becoming bored.

I realized I still had the magazine in my purse so I set my coffee on the desk. I pulled it out and walked around the desk to the waste basket.

I looked down at the empty waste basket. I dropped it in with a simple separation of my thumb and pointing finger.

"I could sign it and its value sky-rockets; no need to throw it."

I jumped a mile at the sound of his voice. He leaned against the counter studying me. I could hear my heart pound.

I wanted to muster the dignity to get furious at his disdain towards me. I felt my fingers twitch to reach up and either a) slap him or b) run my fingers through his messy locks.

I was hoping for option a.

"I don't need the money." I muttered.

"I'm Edward Cullen, but then again I'm sure you know more about me than I do." he smirked. There it was. The anger I had been wanting finally came. I was happy to feel its power course through me.

"No, I didn't know how much of a jack ass you are." I smiled innocently. "I'm Bella Swan, the girl who thought you were a musical god. I have all of your C.D.'s and know all your songs by heart. I've never been to one of your concerts, I was too poor."

He tilted his head to the side, his mouth set in a firm line."You don't know me."

I narrowed my eyes. "I just said that."

He walked around me and his eyes trailed over my body like a hot sun ray. "I think you do not understand what I said. You've never talked to me but I'm sure you think you know me."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Alice said you didn't like me." He leaned in to put his head right above my shoulder. "Why?"

I felt the urgency to throw him over my shoulder like they do in the movies. But I didn't have the skill or strength.

"Edward, you should not be such a hypocrite. You hate me too. I'm the enemy, remember?" I turned my head so my lips lingered over his earlobe. It was surprisingly hard not to touch his skin.

"Don't push me. You already rub me the wrong way." I muttered.

He chuckled. "Bella, you're simply a newbie with more sass than a person can stand."

My mouth fell open with a pop. Oh, no he did not! "You're a celebrity who thinks so much of himself his ego takes up all the room in a room! THAT'S WHY NO ONE CAN STAND TO BE NEXT TO YOU!"

He glared at me as I stood on my toes to look him in the eye. "Really, at least I don't stalk PEOPLE!"

I hissed. "I DIDN'T STALK YOU! I SIMPLY THOUGHT YOU ACTUALLY MEANT WHAT YOU WROTE IN YOUR SONGS!" I felt myself grow tiny. "But I was wrong. You're just like everybody else."

He put his hands on the edges of the table next to me."Bella, you should get to know me. I might be the bad guy sometimes, but you don't get where I'm coming from."

I looked down to my pumps. "Stop lying to me. It feels like you were just this big liar from the beginning."

"Edward, Bella, my top money makers!" James called out happily.

"James," Edward called out retrieving himself off me. They hugged in a brotherly manner but I didn't miss Edward's stiffness toward him.

I couldn't blame him. I was pretty sure James would sell me off for a reasonable amount of money.

"Bella, oh sweet, sweet, Bella," He called out. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

"James, so long," I responded. I pulled off my leather gloves. He noted them.

"Why do you always wear gloves," he asked. I shrugged.

"I like them," I lied brightly. Edward noted my awkward expression. I resented his ability to easily read me.

A phone rang and James pulled his out, and started chatting. He gestured for us to follow him. James took off walking briskly to the back of the building. We followed.

"Why do you always wear gloves?" Edward asked. I felt the same anger rise.

"What do you care?" I shrugged.

"It's weird. You're weird." He simply replied.

I sighed at his tone. I already felt like in high school."I don't like to touch things anymore. It creeps me out. I feel weird about it."

He noted my uncomfortable tone. "When did that start?"

I stared off trying to remember when. "It started halfway through an interview. I was shaking this man's hand and I felt disgusted."

He nodded. "Was it a fan?"

I grimaced. "What is that supposed to mean? It was the guy interviewing me. I respect only my fans, not the reporters. I love my fans. Without them, how am I famous? I'm grateful for them. Who am I without their support?"

He looked off into distance as we turned a corner. "I suppose so."

"Here we are!" James announced as we entered an old conference room. An old lady sat down on a leather seat, looking like evil mermaid chick from The Little Mermaid.

There was a large poster sitting on a stand next to her. It was a perfume linked to cologne. I could see where this was going.

"Edward, Bella, as the two newest, hottest artists, Rose Bud has asked to have you two to sponsor it!" He clapped eagerly. "Isn't that great?"

We met eyes. "Do we have to have a photo shoot?" Edward drawled.

"Yeah," James gushed. "It's going to be great."

Evil Mermaid chick called out in a surprisingly commercial-like voice," You would have to do this in tomorrow. Jacob Black will be flying in tomorrow to join you. James insisted we launch it as soon as get your photos done."

"Why does Black have to be in it?" Edward hissed.

James shrugged. "Girls dig him."

I frowned up at Edward. "What do you have against him?"

He ignored me. "Can't you take him out?" He asked James.

"I already signed the contracts!" He announced, pleased.

I frowned. "I hate Edward, and I have to have a photo session with him! Oh, sunshine, lollipops," I muttered.

Edward glared. "Right back at you, doll face," He sneered.

James glowered at us. "I own you two. Get over it and take a couple of snap shots, that's it."

We glowered back at him. "Whatever," we chorused together.

We looked up and met eyes. No one would back down. We were apparently both the innocent ones.

Thank you for reading, and I'd really love a review. Just a quick comment to inspire me, I'm having a bit of a writer's block with Whose that Girl? So if you could read that and leave me some advice it would be great. Thank you again. =)