Chapter Twelve
"It's going to be a breeze, Bella, don't worry about it, okay?" Sam continued tapping out a message on his phone. Making sure that everything was in place, Bella presumed.
"What if they ask me something horrid?"
"Just divert their line of questioning." He looked up briefly. "Smile and they'll be putty in your hands. They shouldn't ask you too much anyway. It'll just be basic questions, about the film, that sort of thing."
Edward snorted from the couch beside her.
They were waiting in the green room for Bella's first appearance on national television, promoting the film even though it was nowhere near completed.
"Come off it, Sam," he said. "No one knows anything about her. The questions will be probing and invasive."
Sam shot Edward a glare as Bella felt her whole body tense.
"You don't have to answer anything you're uncomfortable with," Sam assured her as a gentle knock sounded at the door. He stood up and went to open it, calling over his shoulder. "Edward will do everything he can to make sure that you're not put on the spot.
"Like hell I will," Edward responded as he stood up and followed Sam out of the room.
Bella took a deep, calming breath as she stood up.
She'd been excited about this interview when she first woke up. She'd had a few people recognize her in the streets but this was really the first time she'd be introduced to the world. She was the girl everyone would need to watch out for. After this film was finished, Bella planned to be a household name, the first person to come to mind for any casting director.
That was the plan anyway.
But right now, Bella didn't want to leave the security of the green room.
She wanted to head back to the hotel, drop out of the movie and hope they found someone to replace her quickly.
Bella was sure that this interview was going to go downhill…fast, especially if she was relying on Edward to run interference.
Her hands shook as she stood up and ran her hands down her knee length pencil skirt. She didn't think she'd been this nervous on her first day on set but she was sure that Edward was going to ruin her career before it had even started.
She really didn't want to go out there. She wanted to go home, back to Forks. Maybe she'd get her summer job back at the Newton's camping store.
She shook her head and muttered under her breath. She wasn't going to be a failure; she'd made this promise to her parents. She'd always told them that one day, she'd be an actress and now was the time to prove it.
The door opened quietly and Bella spun around to see who was interrupting.
Jake smiled sheepishly at her as his head peeked around the door.
"Hey, Bella, Sam is screaming for you."
Bella nodded quickly and rushed to the door. This was exactly what she needed- now that Jake had been sent after her, she had no choice when it came to escaping.
"You okay? You're looking a little green," he commented.
"I'm going to be fine." She smiled brightly up at him and came to an abrupt halt as she was met with the sight of Edward sitting on a couch, onstage, a space left for her beside him. She watched as he joked with the host, as if they were old friends, and took a deep, steeling breath.
She could do this.