Scheduled for Friday
by Anton M.

11: Pinky Promise


Friday, January 20

Kissing anyone did not feel like that.

Not by a long shot.

I was forever thankful that Mike wasn't my first kiss because I may have gone home asexual.

Kissing Mike was an unpleasant, carefully choreographed affair. His taste was all wrong. His smell was all wrong. I felt no buzzing anticipation and no butterflies. I couldn't blame him for how mechanical and planned our kiss felt, but making it look like I enjoyed the kiss required acting. It blew my mind that his Marvel costar had said that Mike had been the best onscreen kiss she'd ever had… I did not share the sentiment, and at the end of the day, it was work.

When I first got the part of Nala, a part of me was worried that I couldn't separate reality from acting where intimacy was concerned, and while I didn't want kissing Mike to feel as mechanical as it did, I was frankly relieved that I didn't have to give up a personal part of myself for the screen. Of course, it was incredibly personal, kissing a coworker, and he was getting a part of me that I didn't share with just anyone (in spite of what it looked like), but I felt a sense of freedom in my realization that I could give up the physical without the emotional.

I was also relieved that my inexperience was not the reason for any extra rehearsals, and that (hopefully) only our VFX supervisor Lou and animation archive assistant Percy had gotten sick with the stomach bug Tim was spreading the other day.

So it was unpleasant, we weren't naturally in sync and Mike kept whining about his clothes being too tight and not having drank enough water and if anyone knew if his precious jacket had arrived back from the dry-cleaners. His dragging it out made the whole thing worse than it had to be. Had I been the whiny bitch he was being, I would've gotten a firm talking to from Tanya and my parents. But as my parents and I had discussed a year ago, Mike was a much-admired celebrity, so he got away with more than I would've, and I tried to keep in mind how incredibly annoying an actor could get if they forgot that everyone else just wanted to get the Martini shot and go home.

It didn't help that our kiss took place in front of fifty people. Funny how I didn't mind the audience of other students with Edward (in fact, I never thought about the fact that most of the school was released after the eighth class), but I didn't like the audience on set. Maybe it was the fact that both of my parents were there (they wanted to come and tease—I mean support—me on my big day), and who ever wanted to have a (seemingly) passionate kiss in front of their parents?

But it was not just them.

Everyone was perfectly professional, staying still and quiet as we shot the scene, but it felt too still and too quiet, and when the Martini shot was finally called and didn't actually end up being the Abby shot, the relief was palpable. My dad had sat facing a hallway but my mom watched what was happening with me to make sure I didn't signal anything to her, and together we returned to my trailer. Dad and I locked eyes, and he opened his mouth to tease me but instead just sighed and put his arm around my shoulders. He was relieved, just like I was, and Mike's whining had drained even his endless energy.

It was two PM. Dad left for a work meeting. Mom stayed, and my makeup artist Thiago carefully removed some of my scars to leave them intact for the filming of season 2. It was a true rarity, finishing filming before sunset, and I was over the moon when my tutor Mrs. Haisley offered to send me home with more homework rather than tutor me on set. It made sense, too—I was not needed for the rest of the day, and to stay on set for school on a Friday felt silly.

Sitting in front of the mirror as Thiago did his job, I discovered Edward's message from hours ago and three unanswered calls from Alice.

'Good morning, Bella. Is it safe to say that you forgot to mention to your best friend that we agreed on what happened yesterday?'

'What, why?'

He didn't reply, and I almost called Alice but realized the class was still on.

'Alice… what happened?'

'I didn't mean to! I didn't know Edward still thinks you're not into him, and wtf are you doing kissing boys who're not into you?! And wtf was HE doing kissing you when HE'S into Lauren?!'

'Still confused. What, exactly, did you do?'

'I saw him all cutesy with Lauren and kneed him where it hurts the most. We both have detention with Mrs. Washington after four.'

A laugh escaped me before I could help it.

'You… kicked him in the balls because he was all cutesy with Lauren?'

'Yes! And you better tell me the full fucking story tomorrow because I do NOT understand why you are okay getting your FIRST kiss from a guy who is NOT into you? And why tf did HE agree to it? And how is Lauren now MORE interested in him after knowing he kissed YOU? Seriously, Bee-Bee. You owe me.'

'Tomorrow, promise. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll explain. Is Edward okay?'

'Half of the school kind of hates him right now but Lauren is all starry-eyed, so I don't think he cares about the rest. Jasper thinks he's a massive idiot. I think LAUREN is the idiot. What kind of girl wants a guy who JUST put his tongue down someone else's throat?! This girl MYSTIFIES me.'

'You and me, both. Tomorrow. Promise.'

The bell had probably rang because I received a reply from Edward, too, totally ignoring my previous message to him.

'How's your onscreen kiss going?'

Awful. Dreadful. But, weirdly, I was grateful that it was bad? My feelings made no sense.

'It's fine. Done now. Carefully choreographed and all that, but I'm still relieved it wasn't my first. (Thank you!) Heard Alice put her knee where it hurts the most—I'm sorry. My fault, I should've told her, but I… I've had so much on my plate, lately. I didn't even consider any of the repercussions. I'm sorry you were hurt.'

'You're sweet. I'm fine. My ego is more bruised than anything. I think we were quite the spectacle yesterday, everyone's all whispery around me, and—are you related to Mr. Needham? World History? I 100% aced my last essay and the dude just slammed my paper on my table, looked at me like I was the scum of the earth and gave me an A- for going fifty words over the word count.'

Two years ago, when my mom, dad and I had a bout of food insecurity, Blaise Needham was the teacher I confided in, and as he, too, had a multiracial background, we bonded over never getting to belong in any single group, and he helped me and my parents find resources to help us.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

'I'm sorry. He's… a family friend, now. Maybe he heard. I'll clear it up with him.'

'I'd appreciate it. I'm not used to being hated by my favorite teacher. I'd go study History just for him if the subject wasn't so wretchedly useless for any kind of income.'

I wanted to ask him about Lauren, but it felt so nice just texting him, getting to know pieces of him, and so I didn't ask. Our kiss sounded like a roaring success from what Alice was saying, and I didn't need any further confirmation that I was the last thing on his mind.

Alice arrived just before seven PM on Saturday, and my parents, as always, met with her mom by the front door. Alice's mom was convinced that Alice was only faking a sleepover with me to sneak out with boys, and it was funny because if she actually wanted to do that, my parents would've been the perfect alibi (provided that Alice was willing to sit down for a lesson on condoms, first). Also, it was too late, but neither Linda nor my parents knew that.

It's funny because, of the two of us, I was the one who looked much more likely to have had sex. Alice was (usually) prim and proper around teachers and parents. She was shy around strangers (which was why she dragged me through all the corridors with Jasper in it, I bet). I had a much more outgoing personality, I had no problems approaching strangers for anything, and yet… Alice lost her v-card first.

My parents were super blasé about sex and genitals and taught me everything as early as I asked. Boys had a penis, girls had a vagina, and the two could make babies when they were old enough. They never used any kiddy words for genitals, always answered my stupid questions without shame, and when I got my first period at twelve, I was naturally freaked out but I would've never considered not going directly to my mom.

Alice never even told her mom when she got her period. Like, not a sentence. And, she lost her virginity the first chance she got at fourteen. She was freaked out and came to me, and my thirteen-year-old self wasn't even interested in boys yet, so I ended up being more shocked than she was. She hadn't been ready, it was far from a good experience, and while I swore to take the knowledge to my grave, she made me think, too.

Maybe it was the secrecy surrounding sex at home that made it such a forbidden fruit for her, but I just… I didn't really feel like seeking out those experiences with just anyone. I wasn't not curious, but I had a lot going on and seeing just how disappointed Alice had been, it made me feel underwhelmed about the whole thing. My mom had definitely thought I'd be more like her and need the pill she put me on when I turned fifteen, but… the need for it never happened. It's not like I was waiting for someone special, but finding a guy at a party just to lose my v-card? Meh. Too much hassle for something that, by the sound of it, would end up disappointing me anyway.

We did the whole song and dance with my parents and Linda at the doorway before having dinner with Alice. My parents teased me about how badly my salad turned out but I teased them right back, and Alice watched the whole thing with wonder. She envied the teasing I got (she could have it all for all I care) but, at the same time, she wasn't used to receiving it, so when I told my parents Alice liked it, they tried teasing her, and… Alice got visibly uncomfortable. She didn't know how to receive teasing from adults, so it felt more like bullying to her, and my parents never teased her after their first attempt. She appreciated it, and yet, she loved watching my parents rib me without participating. We had a different dynamic than her family.

We shut ourselves in my room and watched Knives Out on my laptop. I held her phone hostage under my pillow because Alice had the annoying habit of scrolling on her phone whenever she was even mildly disinterested in a movie, but she actually watched through this one without begging to get it back. After it was over and we lay side-by-side on my double bed, I turned on my little star projector and told Alice the truth about my crush—how it started off fake but turned real, how I wanted to have my first kiss before my first onscreen kiss, and how Edward felt that Lauren was always more interested in him when I was around.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," I whispered after I got it all off my chest.

"I think I get why you did it," she replied.

We stayed silent for a while before Alice turned. Her smile seemed to glow in the blue starry light. "So how was it?"

"What?"

"Your first kiss. Sounds like it was quite… an experience."

I grinned and covered my face as blood rushed to my skin. I'd inherited my mom's blushing and probably learned her reaction, but it was really only my reaction that gave me away—and Alice knew me so well she could probably tell I was blushing just by my expression alone.

"That good, huh," she replied, smiling. "I wish mine had been like that."

Alice had always been in a rush to grow up, to get her first kiss, to lose her virginity, to move out, to go to college.

"You only got your first kiss because you wanted to get it over with," I answered. "What did you expect?"

"Pot," Alice said before she poked me. "Kettle."

I laughed.

"I deserve that."

"But who was the gruesome actor you wanted to avoid being your first kiss?"

I grinned, and she knew just as well as I did that I couldn't tell her (yet), so instead, I listened to her vent about her overprotective mom, her annoying little brother, and how smitten she was with Jasper. They weren't dating (yet), but I was glad that at least her crush, unlike mine, seemed to be reciprocated.

"It's not fair how Edward's treating you after giving you your first kiss," Alice said. "He's such an asshole."

"He's not, though. He was very clear about his feelings from the beginning. Or lack thereof. In his world, I'm not into him, either, we just had a… mutually beneficial arrangement or whatever." I hesitated as I tried to figure out if I really wanted to know the answer to my next question. "Are they an item now?"

"I think so," Alice replied, squeezing my knuckles. I ignored how low that knowledge made me feel. "I'm sorry," Alice continued. "It still blows my mind that your kiss with him is what landed Lauren in his lap. What kind of girl wants to be just another notch in a guy's bedpost?"

"Have you seen her Instagram profile?" I asked.

"No, why?"

"She likes good food and traveling."

"That bitch," Alice replied dryly. "How dare she."

Grinning, I smacked her arm. "Saying that you enjoy good food and traveling is like saying you enjoy breathing. Have you ever met someone who'd rather lock themselves in their pantry and chew on grass for the rest of time?"

Alice laughed.

"Never change, Bee-Bee," she answered. "Besides, Lauren's not even that pretty."

That was a lie. Lauren was beautiful and smart and probably had more in common with Edward than I did. Alice was being supportive, and I was just venting. I, too, would've loved to love traveling, but since we'd never really had the money or the time, the furthest I'd ever been from Atlanta was Savannah. I knew that this would change during summer when we had a month-long press tour coming up in LA and New York and some capital cities around the world, but it was an unfathomable change from my everyday life, so beyond having to get a passport, I didn't want to think about it yet.

Maybe then, I would also write on my Instagram profile how much I liked good food and travel, like the other exceptionally unique several billion people in the world who wished they could afford either.

"I'm sorry I told Jasper about Edward," Alice said after a lengthy pause. "I just… I didn't know what else to talk about with Jasper, and you came up, and I—I don't have an excuse. I shouldn't have told him."

"Thank you." Sitting up and wrapping my arms around my knees, I returned her bittersweet smile in the darkness. "But I don't appreciate you getting your mom involved."

"What?"

"Your mother, calling me about this. Not my favorite time ever."

Alice's snapped back her head. "You're kidding me."

I took out my phone and showed her 'Linda Brandon-Reid' in my calling history.

"I'm gonna kill her," Alice muttered.

"You didn't set her up to do it?"

"Hell no."

"Thank you." Relieved, I blew air on my face. "Murder is a bit much, but… I'd appreciate if not every little thing goes through your mother. It was tough enough when we were kids, but… she's not doing you any favors by continuing."

"I'm so fucking sorry, Jesus," Alice replied, eyes wide. "I would've never asked her to call you for me. Please believe me."

"I believe you." I reached out to hug her, and she sank into my hug and sighed in relief.

"I never meant to hurt you," she repeated, softly.

"I know," I replied. "It's not like I'm one to talk, making up a crush and lying to you about it."

My phone slipped through my hands, and Alice picked it up from under her feet when we pulled back. A huge grin spread across her face, and her eyes were glistening.

"You don't know how relieved—" Her smile disappeared as she blinked at my phone and stopped talking. Slowly, mouth open and eyes wide, she turned the screen towards me.

My photo gallery had opened at my most recent picture, Mike Newton's face after Tim vomited on his shoes.

Motherfucker.

I shut my eyes, focusing on how my chest constricted and expanded as I breathed.

"Bella," Alice near-squeaked, tapping my knee with my phone. Unable to look at her, I took it. "How big is the series you're filming?" she asked, her scared voice barely audible.

Only the biggest series since Game of Thrones was released.

Feeling my heartbeat in my ears, I rubbed my face, switched on the bedside lamp and finally gathered the guts to look at her. Her eyes were full of fear, and we stared at each other in silence.

I couldn't lie. Alice, being a huge fan of Mike Newton, knew every current detail of his haircut and his state of facial hair. Not only did she know he was filming in Atlanta, she also knew that I was not as taken with him as she was, which was why it would've been incredibly unlikely of me to have downloaded a photo of him that looked recent in clothes that made him look like a handsome, fantasy-world warrior.

A photo taken on set.

A photo she hadn't seen.

Heart thumping in my chest, I observed her in silence, waiting.

"Oh my God," Alice whispered, getting up. She gave me a look full of disbelief and accusation, and started pacing the small length of my room. "Oh my God."

"Alice…"

She stopped pacing, her eyes a little bit wild. "Wait, is this a test? To see if I'd keep this a secret?"

If only.

"Alice…"

"Show me all the photos on your phone and prove that this is a test," Alice pleaded.

"It's not a test, and I could prove it's not but—I can't. You know I can't."

"The NDA," she whispered, like it was Voldemort and she couldn't say it too loud. "But there's just no way Mike Newton is doing a small indie series, no way. He turned down Christopher Nolan to do this… undisclosed project, and, and—you're in the same thing? You said you'd almost wrapped up the first season, which means your first kiss yesterday must've been for some kind of second season preview, and the way Mike Newton looks in that photo, his age would fit, but that would make you—"

"Don't say it and I won't lie to you."

I felt like the air was sucked out of the room when Alice stared at me. She sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed my knuckles, her wide eyes searching mine like she was memorizing me. "You kissed—"

"Alice," I warned. "I cannot confirm or deny anything, okay? Don't make me lie to you."

Nodding, Alice swallowed, and she had that nervous, jittery energy to her voice as she spoke. "This is like Tom Holland going undercover in that high school in New York, except it's Willie W. Smith, and you're not undercover, and it's, it's you. My best friend. Oh my God."

"Alice," I warned, softly. "Please stop freaking out."

"And it's coming out in March?"

"Unless it leaks."

"But this means I only have a few months of being friends with you and then…" She looked at me, eyes glistening. "Then all hell will break loose, won't it?"

"I'm not going to stop being friends with you, Alice. You'll always be my best friend."

Alice crushed me in a hug, and I couldn't help the exhausted, relieved, disbelieving laugh that escaped me. "Oh my God," Alice whispered, pulling back and squeezing my upper arms. Her grin was wild and full of disbelief. "I can't believe it. I have so many questions you can't answer. Everyone's going to look back and realize they went to school with, with, you. Edward can tell his grandchildren he gave Bella Swan her first kiss. You're going to be so big."

Alice looked at my mismatched, old furniture in boring colors in my totally unremarkable room in a tiny, unprotected house of a low-income subdivision that didn't even have its own name.

"But that doesn't make any sense if you live here."

I hesitated, wondering if it was right to dump so much information in her lap after her freak-out, but I didn't want to lie. "We're… checking out other houses. We'll have to move quite soon."

"Good," Alice replied. "I mean, nothing wrong with this place, but anyone can come up to your front door and, that can't possibly be safe if, if… you know. And if anyone deserves to have their own fancy master bedroom with its own bathroom, it's your parents. You are still giving them the master bedroom, right?"

I grinned. "Of course."

"Will you stay in Willie W. Smith?"

"If at all possible."

Alice observed every lock of hair on my head and every acne scar on my face with disbelief and wonder, her elated smile lighting up her face as she pulled me into another hug.

"You cannot tell anyone," I whispered. "Whatever you suspect, please, please don't speculate around anyone. Let us move quietly and… we need time. My parents, too. It's not just that I'd be upset, or that my career would be on the line, it would mess up lots of people's plans and it wouldn't be safe for me if it came out too early."

Alice curled her pinky finger in front of me when she pulled back, and I nearly laughed. We were much too old for that shit, but nevertheless, I curled my pinky around hers and squeezed. I hoped I could trust her this time since my safety could've depended on it, but as much hassle as any slip-up could've brought, I didn't think I'd actually get fired for it. (Everything she believed of my role was pure speculation.)

But Alice's joy was contagious and I couldn't wait to tell her the whole story.

"I promise," Alice whispered. "But when this, this—thing, comes out, I want to hear about every single hair on Mike Newton's head, okay?"

I laughed. "Okay."

"Good." Alice hopped on the bed and sat on her legs, letting out a nervous, high-pitched squeal. She raised her arms. "Sorry! Sorry. I'm just so excited for you but I promise that was the first and last squeal until I'm free to say things. But there's no way I can sleep a wink after this. Can we watch Emily in Paris all night and rank her outfits and choose the best ones for your extra fancy, extra expensive future wardrobe?"

Abby shot – (also "Abby Singer shot") is the second-to-last shot of the day on set, named after a famous assistant film director and production manager Abby Singer due to the particular importance he put into the penultimate shot

Martini shot – (also "Window shot" or a "Martini") is the final shot of the day on set, presumably named so because the next shot would be taken "out of a glass" (post-wrap drinking)