A/N: Okay, the madness has ceased temporarily allowing me to get out the next chapter. Sorry, it's not very good but it needed to be done. This is the last of the background detail chapters.

If I remember correctly, there's a policy on FF about using actors and musicians, meaning that you can't use them. Since my story will revolve around the world of Hollywood I'm going to have to mix things up a bit to avoid violating the policy. Hence, the reference to "Whitney". ;)

I turned the cassette tape over again in my hands, staring down at it. "Isabella Swan" was scrawled across it in thick black marker. I sighed for what must have been the thirtieth time that day.

"I just don't know about this, Angela."

I finally lifted my head to meet her gaze. She appeared very serene and relaxed, much unlike me. I was a nervous, jittery mess. My sweat slicked palms slid across the surface of the tape once more.

"Come on, Bella. Do you have any idea what my aunt had to go through to even get this guy to give you a chance? He's a real big shot in the music industry. It's extremely rare for him to personally consider someone. And he's only doing it for her because he owes her a favor."

Angela's aunt worked as an executive for a radio station in Seattle. Occasionally on weekends Angela and I would drive up and her aunt would let us hang around while she worked. We got to see how the station was run and meet the radio personalities. I had forgotten this but it had slowly dawned on me as Angela drove us up the day after we first started turning my poems into music.

I rolled my eyes. "This is completely insane, Angela. I don't know what ever made you think this would be a good idea."

"It's a great idea," she said confidently.

"Possibly," I said with a hard, bitter laugh. This had to be some kind of sick joke. I couldn't believe she was making me go along with her crazy scheme.

"Your song is amazing, Bella. I think so many people out there will be able to relate to it. You've got a natural talent here. Don't you want to share that with the world?"

I thought about that for a moment. Was this what I wanted? Was it a good plan? Angela certainly seemed to think so. I had been surprised at how intensely she had thrown herself into this whole situation. A few months ago when we had first played "October" in her bedroom, I thought it was all just for fun. I agreed to let her teach me the guitar – for fun. I let her drag me off to the radio station to record my song – for fun. But then she springs the idea on me about getting a recording contract with some producer her aunt knew. It was embarrassing to know that I had been so oblivious to her intentions with the whole music thing.

"Just think about it, Bella," she said frowning. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime. You have to give it a shot. The worst he can do is send your tape back and tell you that he's not interested in your music. Then we can put this whole thing behind us. But you shouldn't ever give up on music. I think it's what you were meant to do."

A few months ago I would have considered that to be a crazy thing for Angela to say, but now I wasn't so sure. Writing the lyrics came easily enough, as did the guitar lessons. And I had to admit, my recorded song did sound good. It was surprising to me, for I never would have seen myself doing something like this before. Maybe it really was the path destined for me. After all, it wasn't as if I was exactly gifted in too many other departments, especially athletics. I shuddered at the memory of today's Gym class. We had started playing kick ball and that game was even more of a nightmare than I could have imagined. Whenever I ran out to kick the ball I'd swing my foot forward and miss completely, landing flat on my back. It was a wonder that I had survived at all.

"All right, already," I rolled my eyes at her overly-eager expression and laughed. "Let's do it." I dropped my tape into the waiting manila envelope Angela was extending towards me. She sealed it excitedly.

"Okay, I'm visiting my aunt this weekend so I'll give it to her then." She chirped happily. "She's hosting some kind of get together for the radio station and he'll be there. Then she can play your tape for him and we'll see what happens." Angela smiled confidently while I felt myself getting nauseous. "Don't worry so much," she continued, snickering, when she saw the look on my face.

Even though I didn't want to admit it to myself, I was a bit excited about the idea. Extremely nervous more than anything, but part of me was curious to see what some music studio bigwig would think of my song. He'd probably cackle wildly and send me back a letter saying, "Thanks for the laugh kid."

I moaned softly and covered my face with my hands.

xXxXx

Nearly another two months had rolled by with no word from the record company. I wondered if the producer had actually heard my song. He could have only said he would listen to it in order to appease Angela's aunt and then neglected to do so. If I was going to be rejected I'd rather than just hear it than never know one way or the other. I would get over the disappointment. In fact, there wouldn't even be much disappointment to begin with since I essentially had no expectations. After all, why would anyone want to give a recording contract to me? Just the thought of performing in front of a large crowd made my cheeks grow hot.

Angela continued giving me guitar lessons and I was happy to see that I was improving so much. I was even beginning to create my own melodies. I would often sit on my bed for hours each night with my legs folded beneath me and the guitar on my lap. Plucking strings at random, I'd go with whatever sounded right and occasionally something that sounded really great would get going. Angela listened and offered encouragement, helping get my melodies onto paper and fixing notes that sounded a bit off or adding ones to improve the song.

Of course, I was still doing a lot of writing. The poems came easily enough as they usually did but I began working on adapting my thoughts into lyrics for songs or I would create some to go along with whatever song was currently floating through my head.

I was sitting on my bed after a particularly long day of school with Charlie's guitar in my lap. A dark, solemn melody drifted throughout the room as I softly mumbled the words to a song I had recently written. It was about Edward, of course. They all seemed to be about him, whether I was conscious of it or not. This one was particularly painful. When writing it, I thought about the struggle he went through every time he was around me, how he fought so hard to go against what he was. I remembered the look of sorrow and grief in his eyes when he came close to losing control. It hurt to watch. I admired the strength and courage he possessed. He was truly the most amazing person I had ever known. Life was such a struggle for him and I wanted nothing more than to take his suffering away, to save him from the pain of his existence. Even after everything that had happened between us, there was nothing I wouldn't do for him.

The tears began to flow freely as I continued playing. I closed my eyes and surrendered to the music, relishing the feeling of letting my pain escape. Besides writing, it was the only way I knew how. There were some things I could never tell anyone, not even Angela.

The sound of the phone ringing downstairs startled me. I wiped my tears away and set the guitar down before hurrying down the steps to the kitchen.

"Hello," I answered, my throat was still groggy from crying.

"Bella?" It was Angela. "Bella, oh my God! Bella!" Her voice was loud and hysterical. I pulled the receiver away from my ear, wincing.

"Angela, calm down. My eardrums are going to explode." I cautiously brought the receiver back to my ear. "Now," I breathed, "what's gotten you so excited?"

She sucked in a deep breath before gushing, "My aunt just called a few minutes ago. She heard from the producer today and he said he likes your song! He thinks you have potential! Bella, do you know what this means?"

"What, exactly?"

"It means he's very likely to sign you! Bella, you're going to be famous!" The loud shrieking tone of her voice was starting to return.

"Whoa, Angela. Wait a minute, okay? I think you might be jumping to conclusions about this." He thought I had potential? Me? Was that even possible? It couldn't be. Even so, what did that mean for me? My music was just a hobby, a bit of an escape. I never had any intentions of pursing some type of career in it.

"What's to jump to? You've got a great voice, you can write your own songs, and you're doing great with the guitar lessons." I was relieved to hear that she was finally starting to calm down, even if what she was saying was insane.

"Yeah, but come on. Me? Famous? Have you seen me? I'm not exactly Whitney, you know." I was absolutely ordinary looking. Nothing about my appearance was glamorous or special.

Angela scoffed. "And what does she have that you don't? Tons of make-up and a bad dye job? It doesn't matter that you don't look like that. Trust me; you wouldn't want to look like that." Part of me had to agree with that. I had seen pictures of Whitney without make-up and it was terrifying. "You have classical beauty, Bella. And besides that, you have genuine talent. That's harder to come by than you might think. People like Whitney may be popular but they don't last long."

"Hmm…" She did have a point, but I still wasn't completely sure if I could really do this or not. I couldn't wrap my mind around the idea of it all. It was too much to take in.

"It'll be fun," the soft, lighthearted tone had returned to Angela's voice. "Now, stop worrying about things that haven't even happened yet. We have to focus on the present. My aunt scheduled a meeting for you with the producer next week. Got a pen?"

"Yeah." I grabbed a pen and scribbled down the time and address onto a notepad.

"I have to go, but I'll see you at school. Good luck!"

"Bye, Angela," I said, hanging up the receiver. I walked out to the dining room and sat in one of the chairs, staring down at the piece of paper in my hands. I blew out my breath loudly.

After that meeting, I knew my life would never be the same.

Reviews would be nice. :) Next chapter we find out what Edward is up to.