Brandon's POV
I watched as Stella stumbled into her new boyfriend's car. It was a really nice red sports car. It looks like she got everything that she wanted. I should be happy for her, but something seems off about her. I honestly could not tell if she really did change or what. My instincts just told me that something wasn't right about Stella, Ben, and her new lifestyle. I decided to pull out after I heard Ben revving his engine. He past me instantly. It was a douche bag move, but I ignored and started to head back home. The entire drive home the conversation I had with Stella's dad replayed in my head. I really didn't know what to do.
Flashback
"That's none of your business." Stella answered coldly.
"You're right. I don't have the right to know anymore." I said bitterly. I hope she could hear the venom in my voice. I already knew that she came back, but I didn't want her to know that I still check up on her every once and awhile.
Stella glanced at me before she paced back inside the restaurant. When did she get this fast? I couldn't catch up with her. I lost her in the crowd of people waiting for a table. I spend at least fifteens minutes searching for her before I gave up. I decided to head back to the table in hopes that she might be there.
"I can't find Stella anywhere." I told her dad as I took my seat.
"She's probably at the bar. Don't worry about her." Mr. Solaria said nonchalantly. Don't worry about her? She is at the bar? Stella used to never drink unless we were together at a party or it was special occasion.
"Anyways, I have a favor to ask." Stella's dad directed at me, which made me extremely nervous.
"Yes, sir." I answered waiting for him to continue.
"Stella has been acting out lately. You've probably seen the newspapers." He said. I nodded my head. I've actually never read the newspaper, but I heard Riven and Nabu talking about how crazy she was. I just couldn't believe it. I had to hear it from her dad.
"Radius and I were hoping that you could help us guide her in the right direction." Stella's mom said. My parents both glanced at me encouragingly.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked them.
"We just want you in her life." Her parents answered at the same time.
"What do you mean? Are you talking about dating her? I already have a girlfriend." I told them.
"No, we just want you to be her friend. Stella already has a boyfriend. Bentley is a gentlemen, but we feel like she needs more of a friend than a romantic partner." Mr. Solaria answered. Stella has a boyfriend? I guess she moved on.
"I don't understand. She has friends. Bloom and the rest of the girls are great friends. Why do you need me?" I argued.
"We need you, because you can protect her. The media has been negatively portraying her for awhile now. We just need you to make sure that her reputation gets better. Your father has mentioned that you've successfully help some of his clients before." Mr. Solaria said sternly. Is this a business deal now? I can't believe him. Does he even care about Stella?
"Anyways, we're planning on doing a project with your parents very soon. It would be great publicity to have Stella and you be friendly together in the media." Mr. Solaria continued. This was the real reason.
"What do you say, son?" My dad asked me.
"I have to think about it." I said just as Stella stumbled back to the table completely wasted. She was trying so hard to act like she was sober in front of her parents, but I could smell the alcohol a mile away.
End Flashback
I had to drive all the way back to my apartment, because I missed the street. It turns out that Stella and I actually lived really close to each other. I sat in my car for a good hour just thinking about how I was going to respond to everything. I'm guessing my dad has some deal with her dad, because he really seems to be pushing the idea of me being around Stella. I haven't even told Serena that I had dinner with Stella's family today. Serena is my girlfriend. We've been dating for almost a year now. She knew how much Stella used to mean to me, so I didn't want her to interpret the wrong things.
"AHHHHH! I'm so frustrated!" I yelled inside my car. I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a loud sigh. Why did Stella have to come back into my life and make everything complicated? My life was going just fine until today! I have a beautiful girlfriend, great friends, and college was going really well. She just had to come back and turn everything upside. I'm really worried that if I start hanging around her again that it will drive a wedge between me and Serena.
I met Serena at a bar about a year after Stella left to Solaria. She was the designated driver for her friends. She looked so bored. I decided to start a conversation with her, and we hit it off after that. We didn't start dating right away or anything, because I wanted to make sure she was nothing like Stella. Stella shattered my heart. I never realized how selfish and materialistic she was until we broke up. I could never forget all the horrible things she said to me before she left. It was like she wanted me to hate her. After all those hurtful things, it's weird how I still care about her, but not as much as Serena. Serena means the world to me now, but I guess part of me will always care about Stella. I did spend more than 2 years of my life with her. I think I will help her dad out, but the one thing I know is that I could never love Stella again. I'm sure Serena will be fine with it, because I have absolutely no more feeling left for Stella ... or at least that is what I think.
Stella's POV
As usual I woke up with a pounding in my head. Ben was asleep right next to me. For some reason, I wasn't happy seeing him sleeping next to me. I normally would be thrilled that it was him next to me and not some random guy, but I just couldn't stop thinking about Brandon. This was absolutely wrong. I was thinking of stupid Brandon while I'm in bed with Ben.
"Ughhhhh!" I groaned. I was so frustrated. I made sure that all these years that I never crossed paths with Brandon. Four years of all my hard work trying to forget about him just went down the drain. I can't believe it's already been four years since my dad send me away to Solaria. Time really does fly.
I decided to leave before Ben woke up. I really didn't care enough at this point. I just needed to get away from him, because every time Ben kissed me I thought about how much better it felt to be kissed by Brandon. It was driving me crazy! I definetly was not over him, but he already has a new girlfriend. He has moved on with his life, and I should too. I can't keep avoiding him anymore, but at least I won't have to see him anymore. It was just by some weird chance that my dad invited his family to dinner. I called a taxi and frantically grabbed my clothes off the floor. I got dressed and ran out the door with my heels still in my hands.
A few weeks later ...
I'm finally going to have dinner with Ben tonight. I have been avoiding him for awhile now. I just needed time to clear my head. Ben sometimes reminded me too much of Brandon, and that definitely can't be healthy. Although, my lifestyle isn't exactly healthy, haha. I crack myself up. I'm not saying that I have a problem, but let's just say that the only thing keeping my mind off Brandon is partying and drinking. On the bright side, I'm going to be walking in the Fairy's Secret Fashion Show! You're looking at their newest Fairy! I'm so excited. It was actually Ben's idea to celebrate tonight, so why not?
"Stella, Ben is here!" Flora yelled from the downstairs. My room was upstairs along with Bloom and Flora while Musa, Layla, and Tecna had rooms downstairs. I loved our apartment. We had an extremely big backyard and a balcony on the second floor. It was surprisingly nice to find something that had a backyard in the city of Magix. When I'm not out partying or drinking, I like to sit by our pool and soak up as much sunlight as possible. The sun always refreshed me after a really bad hangover.
"Thanks, girls!" I yelled back as I applied some cherry red lip gloss to finish my look.
"You look hot." Ben said leaning against my door.
"I know." I laughed.
"Are you ready for tonight?" He asked me.
"Yes, I am! Let's go!" I said grabbing my purse as we heading towards his car.
The restaurant that Ben picked out was actually one of my favorites. It was a cute, little Italian place with the best wine ever! We took our seats, placed our orders, and sipped on wine. It felt really good going out to restaurant instead of a bar, club, or some random hotel. The only thing that sucked was the fact that the paparazzi still wouldn't leave me alone. I could see them crowding up against the window trying to get pictures of Ben and I. Ben loved the paparazzi, but I absolutely hated them. I feel personally harassed by them, but it did feel really good to embarrass my parents. I haven't even heard from them. I only would get text messages from my dad threatening to cut me off if I didn't stop whoring around, but I ignored them.
"What are you thinking about?" Ben asked me looking a little concerned.
"I'm thinking about how you're staring at that hot girl at the other table." I teased.
"WHAT? No." Ben chuckled. Liar. I could see him from the corner of eye.
"How are you?" I asked.
"I'm doing great! I'm just learning more about the family's car business. This is our last year of college, so I'm taking over pretty soon." He said happily.
"I'm proud of you!" I said smiling.
"Thanks. Do you plan on taking over your family's business too?" He asked. I completely forgot that I've never told him that I have a horrible relationship with my parents.
"Yes. My parents are still young, so I won't be taking over instantly after we graduate." I lied.
"Anyways, I can't wait to watch you walk on stage in lingerie." He said cockily. He wasn't even looking at me, but at that girl at the other table.
"Thanks." I said annoyed. I guess this was the sucky part of an open relationship. He could do whatever he wanted, and I had no right to feel angry.
Our meaningless conversations continued as I pretended to laugh as he acted like he cared. My wine glasses were stacking up, but I didn't even touch my actual food. I wasn't hungry. The only good thing Ben was semi-good at was in bed. I felt obligated to be "with" him, because a year ago my dad forced me to go out to some business dinner with his family. Ben thought I was really pretty, and he convinced his parents to give my dad some type of permission to make sun/moon powered cars. It was actually pretty cool.
"So ...?" I started before turning around to look behind me. I felt like someone was staring at me.
"Brandon?" I asked myself.
"Yes." He answered. I froze. Why was he here? How did I not know he was sitting right behind me? Brandon decided to walk over to our table with a girl next to him. I'm assuming that's his new girlfriend. She was beautiful. She had gorgeous blonde hair with blue eyes. She was extremely slim and wore a sparkly gold dress. She was the definition of perfect. It made me feel absolutely horrible about myself.
"I'm Brandon. I'm one of Stella's old friend." He said shaking Ben's hand. Ben stood up and introduced himself.
"Bentley, but you can call me Ben." He said as he returned the gesture. They were standing right next to each other, and Brandon had Ben beat in every category. Brandon was taller and more muscular than Ben. Ben had emerald eyes, but Brandon had the perfect shade of chocolate brown. The only thing they had in common was the color of their hair. I think Ben felt threaten, because he instantly started stand up a lot straighter than normal. I smirked thinking about how Brandon was able to intimidate Ben without even saying anything.
"Stella, this is Serena. She's my girlfriend." Brandon introduced me. I felt hurt at the thought of Brandon with someone else.
"I'm Stella Solaria. It's nice to meet you." I smiled sweetly. I about to have a mental breakdown any second now.
"I've heard great things about you." She said. I can't believe it. Her voice was even perfect! I always knew Brandon could do way bette than me.
"Do you mind if we join you?" Brandon asked Ben. WHAT. THE. HELL.
"Of course, take a seat!" Ben said. What is Brandon up to? This is so weird. What are the chances? Is he trying to rub the fact that his new girlfriend is perfect in my face?
"I have to take this call. I'll be right back." Ben said suddenly as his phone rang. Great. Leave me with the perfect new girlfriend and my former boyfriend.
"What are you doing here?" I asked threateningly towards Brandon.
"Serena wanted Italian food, so I took her here." He chuckled. He knew he was getting under my skin.
"Yes, I love this place! How did you ever find out about it?" She asked innocently. Wow, she doesn't know.
"I was lucky, I guess." Brandon answered nervously. He was avoiding my eyes. He was literally lying to her. Brandon found this place, because I hated every other Italian restaurant in town. He took me here on our first date together. Why would he lie to her?
"I'm so sorry. Excuse me, I'll be right back." Serena said politely leaving the table as her phone rang as well.
"Good luck, babe!" Brandon said as she smiled walking away to answer her call.
"She's a professional ballerina. That was a call from her agent." Brandon explained. Why was he telling me this? I DON'T CARE!
"I'm going to be very blunt. Why the hell are you here?" I asked anger in my voice. He ruined my night.
"I already answered that. Serena wanted Italian food. You just happened to be here." He answered in a sarcastic tone.
"FINE, but why did you have to join us at OUR table? Why couldn't you two just enjoy your cute little date over there and leave us alone?" I continued my voice raising. I had to take another sip of wine before I exploded on Brandon.
"Do you resent me that much? I just saw an old friend AKA you. Anyways, I wanted to introduce myself to Ben." He said not even flinching at the anger in my eyes.
"YES, I DO. LEAVE ME THE ALONE, BRANDON. I thought you understood this four years ago." I yelled at him. Shit. I messed up. Brandon instantly glared at me. I would be dead now if looks could kill.
"If anything I should be resentful of you. I'm just doing my job." He said coldly.
"What are you talking about?" I asked him confused.
"Oh, you don't know? Our parents are doing business together now, so we have to act like we're really good friends in public. Do you not see the paparazzi waiting for you to scream at me?" He said threateningly. I'm going to lose it any second.
"To be honest, your dad actually wanted me to babysit you, but between me and you I don't care enough about you to do that. Let's just pretend that we don't hate each other, so that our parents can do business in peace." He said insultingly. God, I felt like I was going to cry. Did he really have to be this mean? I chugged down another glass of wine.
"Screw you, Brandon." I said getting up to leave. I was on the verge of tears. I needed to find Ben. I needed to leave. I walked over towards the restrooms to find him.
"Stop it. Someone is going to see us." I heard a girl mumble. I turned the corner to see Ben making out with the hot girl that was sitting across from us earlier. Of course! Why am I not surprised? My tears already starting running down my face. I didn't know if I was hurt from Brandon earlier or if it was because of Ben. I just didn't understand why he had to pull something like this tonight. I already had to deal with the fact that my ex-boyfriend's girlfriend is too perfect, but now Brandon also gets the satisfaction of Ben cheating on me if he ever found out. I turned around to leave, but I ran into someone's chest instead. It was warm and familiar. I looked up to see chocolate brown eyes staring into my teary hazel eyes.
"Let's go. I'll take you home." Brandon almost whispered. His voice was gently unlike earlier. I pushed him away from and ran for it.
"Stella!" Brandon yelled at me, but I ignored it.
"Hey, where are you going? What's wrong?" Serena asked me as I ran past her. I ignored her too and kept going. I headed towards the paparazzi.
"If you give me a ride to the nearest club, I'll let you capture my entire night without any censoring." I negotiated with them. Everybody fought to give me a ride. I basically just did social suicide, but I didn't care enough to think about it any longer. We pulled up to the club. I got blanked out drunk within the first hour. I probably won't remember anything, but I guess I'll read about it tomorrow morning. I laughed as I continued to makeout with some random guy.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading and reviewing! :) We're currently in the middle of a hurricane, so it's been a little hectic. College starts this Monday, but I'll try as hard as I can to update. The next chapter of Cupix is also almost done. It should be up in a couple of days. I'm sorry for not updating as much. Thank you for your support! Also, what do you think? I would love everyone's opinion, whether it be good or bad, lol.