Belle

Chapter 3 (REVISED)

"Bella! How nice it is to finally work with you." I took his hand in mine and shook it, showing a forced friendly smile.

Rex Tawn, a photographer for main-stream magazines like People. My mother had been trying for weeks to set up a shoot with him, even if it meant I had to work naked. She didn't care, she just wanted the fame and fortune that came with it.

"Hi, Mr. Tawn." He smiled brightly at me, his grey eyes shining
with kindness as he shook my hand.

There were a couple gray hairs in his slick back hair and his jawline began to grow stubble.

"Please, call me Rex." He turned to my left to shake my mother's hand, to which she was already beaming from just being in his presence.

The sounds of cameras snapping and flashes go off around us as he walked us through the studio. We maneuvered our way through the other photographers and models before he finally led us into an office. My mother and I took the two seats that sat in front of the desk as Rex took the seat behind it. The walls were painted grey and hung black and white photos of random places I've never seen.

"Okay, so before we get into business I need you to sign a couple things." He opens his desk drawer and pulls out a packet of papers and pulls a pen from his shirt pocket.

They started talking about whatever business they need to before I could start modeling. I stared out the window behind Rex, letting my thoughts get the best of me.

~ ~ ~

The music boomed out of the house. There were cars lined up around the block. The front door was wide open and people spilled out onto the front yard.

"I'm having second thoughts." I said, turning in the passenger seat
to look at Megan in the driver's seat.

"I promise Bella, I won't let anything bad happen to you." She said, giving me a reassuring smile.

I turned around and looked at James in the back seat. His button up grey shirt hugged his body nicely and his black jeans matched well. I took a deep breath before opening the car door and stepping out. The warm July air greeted me, blowing my hair slightly to the left. I patted down my black sleeveless dress that reached a little past my mid thigh, accompanied by a leather jacket.

Megan came to my side and hooked her arm around mine before pulling us towards the house. The music got louder and louder the closer we got before opening the door and to enter once and for all. The smell of alcohol and smoke reeked through the house, which was an experience in itself. Megan dragged me through the crowd of people until we ended up by the bar in the kitchen.

"Two shots of vodka, please." She yelled over the music to a guy
that seemed only two years older than us. He placed two small cups on the counter and we picked them up.

"To our first party." Megan said before we clicked our cups together and swallowed the drink whole.

The liquid stung my throat and I winced. I turned around to complain to Megan, but she had already disappeared.

Great.

I suddenly felt a firm hand on my shoulder, causing me to jump slightly.

"Two beers please." James said to the kid-bartender, giving him
thankful smile. "Where'd Megan go?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"She already bailed on us." I smiled jokingly as the kid-bartender placed two beer bottles on the counter in front of us. I gratefully took one and took a sip, then another, then another before I started to feel the tingling of my skin.

~ ~ ~

"Bella?" I heard Rex ask me, bringing me back from my flashback.

"Huh?" He chuckled before repeating himself.

"We're about to go take the photos." He said, standing up from
his chair to open the door of his office, gesturing to let us leave first.

~~~

"Pizza's here!" Megan yelled from the living room.

"Don't keep us waiting, bring it up here." James yelled back and I
heard Megan laugh before her footsteps grew louder up the stairs.

She swung my bedroom door open and placed the pizza box on the floor between the three of us. I quickly grabbed a slice of the veggie half and stuffed my face. I've been craving something greasy all day.

"This sleepover is much needed." Megan saaid. James nodded his head in agreement.

I groaned with join as I chewed on my pizza.

"Whoa slow down, we don't want you choking on us." James
chuckled.

"Sorry, I'm just really hungry." I told him after swallowing.

"You should be, you've been throwing up all day." Megan said and I bit my lip nervously before taking another bite from my pizza.

"Yeah, are you sure you're okay?" James asked with furrowed eyebrows and a frown.

"I told you I'm fine. Don't worry about me. It's probably just a
stomach bug." I lied.

"Speaking of throwing up, before we were rudely interrupted by your disgusting vomit, you were telling me who the guy at the party last month was." Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, and I suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore.

"No I wasn't." I said, placing my pizza on a paper plate in front of
me. I noticed James shift uncomfortably on my bedroom floor.

"Come on, we're your best friends. You can tell us, we won't judge." Of course. I trust Megan but I couldn't tell her it was James. I didn't know if she'd feel uncomfortable or would even want to hang out with me anymore.

"Yes, you guys are but it's not important."

"Of course it's important. You lost your virginity for God's sake. It's a huge deal." I didn't reply, but I noticed James staring at me from the corner of my eye. "Is he in our school?" Megan asked. I nodded.

"Do I know him?" I glanced at James, pleading with my eyes for help.

"Megan, it's obviously making her uncomfortable." He snapped, surprising us both.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" She asked sarcastically.

"Nothing, it's just obvious Belle doesn't want to talk about it." Megan raised her eyebrow at James and he blushed slightly.

"Okay whatever you say, James." I raised my eyebrows at her knowing tone.

"Anyways, what movie should we watch?" Megan asks, finally changing the subject.

"Can we please remember that I am of the male species, and movies like Mean Girls kill my manhood." James said, which makes me laugh.

"Awe, poor baby. Suck it up." Megan says, trying to hide her own smile. I opened my laptop to Netflix and found Mean Girls in my recently watched and hit play.