(ISABELLA’S POV) “Oh my-“ “Gosh.” Jeanie completed the sentence for Olivia. I turned to stare at my reflection in the mirror, I froze in disbelief as my perfectly made up face stared back at me. My hair was done in a perfect French plait letting a few strands fall in front of my face. I felt mum’s comforting hands rest on my shoulders and looking at her through the mirror, she had a big, proud smile on her face. “You are so beautiful.” Mum said kissing me on my head. “Yes she is!!” Olivia emphasized. She had the cutest and the proudest smile on. “Can you do me next mummy?” Jeanie asked batting her eyelashes at mum. “No. You’re way too young for make up, Jeanie and you know that.” Mum said sternly and Olivia chuckled before being cut off by her ringtone and she hurried off to answer a call. “I’m so excited.” Mum said clapping her hands I narrowed my eyes with a chuckle. “It’s just a party mum.” I told her. “It’s your first party.” Mum said looking me over. I w
(BRAD’S POV)There seemed to be a strange kind of exchange going on between Bella and Olivia. It was like some strange eye communication. But whatever it was, I simply did not like this jerk who was trying to take Bella away for a drink.“Why don’t we all hang out together?” I suggested stepping forward as well.Olivia chuckled nervously and threw me a glance. Her eyes said. ‘What the hell are you doing?!!’“Actually, we have somewhere to be.” Olivia insisted through gritted teeth.“You guys have fun and we’ll be around.” She said giving Bella a wink. I looked at Bella and she seemed a little uneasy. I really did not want to leave her with this new guy but before I could get the chance to say anything else, Olivia had linked her arms in to mine.She pulled me along quickly.“What the hell? Why would you want to leave your friend alone with that weirdo? Didn’t you see that she looked uneasy?” I said angrilly.“He’s not a weirdo. You are. And Bella isn’t uneasy, she’s just shy.” Olivi
(BRAD’S POV)“Would you like to come with us, Brad?” Hilary Lockhart placed a hand on me with a gentle tug on my shirt.I looked up from my phone which I had just been scrolling through for distraction. I was pointless and Olivia looked at me like she wanted to give me a punch in the stomach. I gave her the stare too. She was the reason why I had spent more than thirty minutes with these girls! “Come with us to the Jacuzzi, Silly.” Hilary said with a giggle and a shrug.I sighed and stood up from my seat in exhaustion. That’s it! None of this bullshit anymore.“No but you guys have fun. I need to find my friends.” I said.I could see Olivia’s eyes sending me a thousand messages but I did not care.I turned around and walked away grateful that neither of them protested. Those girls are really some work!I hurried back to the front room where I had last seen Bella leaving with that dude but they weren’t there. I cursed under my breath and started combing around in search of them.“Yo
(BELLA’S POV)I really don’t know if I have ever seen Brad this angry. He really is not the type to get angry a lot and yet here he was, fuming at me.“It’s none of your business, Bradley.” I said clearly to him pretending like I was unfazed by his behavior. I also knew that he would not like that I called him his full name. I walked around him and stalked off to the car while he followed me.“You don’t know him. You can’t see him tomorrow.” He said as he hurried up to me.“Well as I’ve said, it’s none of your business. Besides, you had no right to come over there like that.” I scolded him.“You were going to let that jerk kiss you?” “It’s none of your business!” I snapped angrilly.Brad halted with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.“You have become so different.” He said watching me in thought.I wanted to say more to him. To tell him that he did not know me and that he didn’t have any right to act like he cared about what was going on in my life.“Bella!!” Olivia’s sharp voice pi
(ISABELLA’S POV)“Excuse me miss, will you be willing to give your order now?” The waitress was giving me a guilty smile.I had been seated at the reserved table in this restaurant for more than an hour now and Dave was yet to show up. It was not just that he had not come, he was not replying my text messages or picking my calls either.It dawned on me that he was definitely not coming and that he stood me up. I wished I could disappear in to thin air at that moment but since I could not, I mustered all the courage in me and gave the waitress a smile.“Actually I don’t think my friend is coming so I’ll be leaving. Can I get the bill for the mock tail please?” The waitress gave me a sad smile and then she leaned forward and said in a whisper.“Don’t worry about it, it’s on the house. You look really beautiful by the way.” She told me.I was grateful to her for being so nice to me and so I said a thank you and hurriedly left the restaurant.Once I was outside, the tears started to flow
(ISABELLA’S POV)“Sup Bella.” A familiar boy nodded with a smirk as he walked past me in the hallway. I know he’s in the senior year but I don’t know his name or how he knew mine. I nodded back at him absentmindedly. “Okay. What’s going on?” Olivia said surprised.“Huh?” I said confused.We had just gotten to school and we were on our way to class.“That’s the third guy who is saying hy to you. ” Olivia said curiously.To be honest, I was very oblivious of what was going on around me this morning. It felt like I was moving around in a daze since I woke up and got up from bed.I had moved past my activities in a breeze.It all had to do with my outburst at Brad last night. My mind didn’t seem to get tired of circulating and replaying the moments . I had not even taken note of the fact that three guys had said hy to me.“I really don’t know.” I said honestly to Olivia. Olivia gave me a sad look and she put an arm around my shoulder.“You’ve been so distracted this morning. I know this
(ISABELLA’S POV)I wanted to speak with Olivia immediately I had the chance. She was the only person I could talk to about what Dave had just spoken about. His words replayed in my head throughout the day during classes and I could not stop thinking of the gravity of what he said. Why would Henry be involved in something like this? Why would anyone be interested in chasing off boys who wanted to ask me out? I texted Olivia telling her that I needed to see her after school but she texted me back to say that she had made it past the first round for cheerleading tryouts and so she had to meet with the others for the second tryouts. That meant she won’t be able to meet with me after school. I texted her back to wish her good luck and went back to being submerged in to my world of thoughts. Could Dave be lying about the things he said? Why would Dave lie to me? If what he was saying was true then there was one other person I could talk to about it. Someone who was in the football te
*FOUR YEARS AGO*(BRAD’S POV)“Everyone is going to fall at your feet. Like always.” Bella said to me.Everyone except you, I wanted to say but instead I said.“You’re really smart. I mean, it makes a lot of sense seeing as you’ve read a thousand books.” I laughed and she smiled shyly.In that moment, she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I always knew it but having her seated so close to me with no one else around and hearing her say such uplifting and encouraging words about me did some things to me. I didn’t care about anything else except the want to kiss her and I gave in leaning over and kissing her lightly.It was wrong. Our parents would kill me if they saw us! My Sister would especially kill me if she saw us but I enjoyed the way her lips felt against mine and I was surprised but overjoyed when she kissed me back gently for a brief moment.That simple action exhilarated my emotions and I wanted to pull her closer to me when the sound of the door opening made us
(BRAD’S POV)I was laid down with my eyes starring blankly at the ceiling. It would be an understatement for me to say that I was feeling drained and emotionally overwhelmed. I felt so weak with a lot that was going on at the moment.I was bothered with the news my father had given to me yesterday but I would be lying if I said that the thought of Bella was not overpowering every other thought in my head. I could not stop thinking of who exactly had done that video compilation and played it. Who could hate Bella so much to do that? The knock on my door interrupted my thinking and I sighed tiredly. Mum had come to knock on my door earlier asking if I would be going to school and I had ignored her. What exactly was the point of even going to school when they were planning on sending me away next weekend?“Brad, honey you have a visitor.” She called softly.My hopes were lifted initially but then my heart sank in disappointment. There was no way Bella would miss school and so I knew t
(ISABELLA’S POV)Monday morning descended like a plague, an unwelcome and inescapable force after a weekend of turmoil.I stayed in bed unmoving as the events of Saturday evening replayed in my head. The humiliation was almost unbearable. So unbearable that I had refused to turn on my cellular data for fear of what I would see on the internet. I wished that I could turn off my phone completely but something in me was too weak to do that. I was hopeful for a call from Brad.The call never came and it worsened my situation shattering my heart even more. I had no more tears to cry and no more words to lament. I wished there was someone I could talk to but the only people I could talk to had abandoned me. How could I explain that I was only a victim of such cruel acts? My Alarm clock rang loudly for the hundredth time blasting me back in to my reality. I struggled to bring myself to my feet but thinking of going to school weakened me greatly, so I dragged myself downstairs instead.Dad
(HILARY’S POV)I screamed loudly the moment i was seated in the car with the door closed behind me. If the car was not sound proof then anyone from outside would have heard me. I rested myself back against the leather seat feeling exhausted but still my veins were throbbing with anger . How could he turn me down?! No one dared to turn me down! No one! What did that damned Fat Nerd have that I did not??I am Hilary Lockhart!! How the hell could he even think of turning me down?!“Miss Lockhart, is everything okay?” The private chauffeur asked looking at me through the mirror.I was very irritated and so I snapped at him.“Don’t you talk to me, you lowlife!” I exploded.“Sorry Miss.” He said politely.I stayed back trying to balance my unsteady breathing as I thought of what next to do. Rejection is something I was not used to. Rejection is something that I don’t take. “I want you to take me to see someone.” I said to the chauffeur and after giving him the address, I rested back aga
(BRAD’S POV)I would have thought that the day after would make me feel better. But it did nothing, in fact I felt worse than ever.The events of the night before kept on replaying in my head. How could such a beautiful night turn out to be so horrible?Thinking of Isabella tore me to pieces and remembering the horrible fight I had with my sister made me feel worse.It was like my head was throbbing intensely and I could get no sleep. Closing my eyes only made me remember the pictures on the screen. On one hand, I felt betrayed and hurt when I remembered her pictures with Dave and on the other, I still could not help but feel sorry for the public humiliation she had felt. I was aware that videos of last night were circulating the internet. I picked up my phone a number of times with the intention of calling her but I never got through with it. I was worried about her despite the fact that I felt hurt by her actions.So I made a call to someone I knew and paid a lot of money to make
(THIRD PERSON’S POV)“I’m so worried, George. I don’t know what to do.” Victoria Martinez announced as she walked in to the kitchen and dropped the breakfast tray she had arranged for Isabella.George Martinez lowered his newspaper and then when he saw that the tray was untouched, he sighed and dropped the now folded newspaper on the table.It was the next morning and falling asleep last night while knowing fully well that something had happened with Bella was not easy for them both. “She still didn’t open up?” He asked.It was a question but he knew the answer already and his wife confirmed by it by nodding her head at him.“She’s crying. I could hear her. She was also crying last night when I checked on her before going to bed and now I can’t help but wonder if she got any sleep at all or if she stayed crying all night.” Victoria said sadly. She was close to tears herself. “Damn it!” George cursed bringing his fist down at the table angrily.He could not handle the thought of hi
(THIRD PERSON’S POV) Brad had never felt so weighed down in his entire life. It was as though his heart was being shattered. He watched Bella leave and it felt like his soul was leaving as well. He staggered in weakness as he rested his back against the wall. “Brad?” He snapped out of his thoughts and straightened his posture immediately. Hilary cat walked towards him and she placed her perfectly manicured nails on her chest in worry. “Oh honey. I’m so sorry for whatever is going on with you.” She said with the sweetest voice she could come up with. Brad didn’t say a word, instead he sighed and started to walk on but Hilary was quick to follow him. “Brad. Come on, please wait up.” She begged. He stopped tiredly, waiting for her to catch on. “What do you want Hilary?” He asked her feeling the exhaustion weighing him down. All he wanted at this point was to get out of here and to go home straight.“Nothing much.” Hilary said still sounding as sweet as she could to him.“I do
(THIRD PERSON’S POV) “Ladies and gentlemen. Let me tell you a little about your homecoming queen.” There was a pin drop silence in the gym as everyone had eyes set on the large projected screen. Isabella and Brad turned as well both dealing with the same confused emotion. There was a sort of piercing sound from the speakers and then the electronic voice went on talking. “Most of you may think you know who Isabella Martinez is. A Nerd,” just then the projected screen started to reveal pictures of Isabella from when she was little and until she changed her dressing sense. She had her braces on, she played soccer, she wore larger clothes. There were giggles round the crowd as an animated picture of Isabella wearing large glasses and heavy braces came on. “Some people think she’s now changed, pretty, hot but guess what? I bet you didn’t know that she’s also a liar and a slut!” Isabella felt her body grow cold and her stomach drop. Brad was shocked as a video of the intimate tim
(THIRD PERSON’S POV)“Oh my gosh!” Tiara exclaimed holding her glass and swirling its contents unconsciously as her eyes followed the new couple who made their way in to the school’s decorated gymnasium. It was not just Tiara or Hilary and Olivia whose eyes followed Brad and Isabella. It was everyone else in the gym.Isabella could feel the heaviness in their eyes and Brad could feel as her grip tightened in his hand.“Are you okay?” He asked lowering his head so he could bring his face closer to hers.She looked up at him with her eyes sheikh her discomfort and panic.“Everyone is watching us.” She whispered at him.Brad smiled then and he brushed her cheek affectionately. “Everyone is watching you.” Bella smiled shyly at his words.“No, they aren’t.” She said back with a giggle. She was already beginning to feel a little bit more relaxed. “Yes they are.” Brad said and he looked down at her beautiful face wishing he could curse out loud. “My goodness Isabella, you have no idea how
(ISABELLA’’S POV)I stared at my reflection, my breath catching in my throat. Mum had outdone herself. The soft, flowing dress, a shade of blush pink, seemed to shimmer in the dim light of my bedroom. It clung to my curves in all the right places, accentuating my figure without being revealing. My long ebony hair, styled in loose waves, cascaded down my back, framing my made up face perfectly. A delicate pearl necklace, a gift from mum , completed the look.“Oh my goodness. My beautiful daughter, you are so beautiful. So gorgeous.” Mum said resting her hands on my shoulders.I looked at my mother through the mirror and saw that she had tears in her eyes. “Mum, are you crying?” I asked turning around to face her.Mum blew a raspberry and quickly wiped her eyes.“No! I’m not.” She lied. I smiled and took her hand in mine.“I’m just so happy. You are such a beautiful girl and I’m glad that you are more confident now. Confidence and change looks so good on you Bella. I am proud of you.”