I Want to Be the Prettiest Wreck You've Ever Seen
Chapter Two: Dinner
After a while of sitting at the table with everyone, Kevin came into the cafeteria. He came over behind us and crossed his arms on top of my head.
“Ok, guys. We’re going to do the scene where Bella first sees the Cullens.” He said. “You all have to go change-except for you, you and you.” He instructed, pointing to Cam, Taylor and tapping me in the forehead. He stepped away to instruct the cameras and all the extras. Both Cam and Taylor stood up, I just looked around, confused. I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go. Taylor offered me his hand and I took it, standing up as well.
“Cam’s going to take a nap somewhere. So why don’t we go sit outside and enjoy the nice weather.” He suggested.
“Sure.” I agreed-not exactly caring what I did-the time change was catching up with me and I was starting to get tired. He led me out of the cafeteria and over to a low cement brick wall. He lifted himself onto the wall and patted the spot next to him. I hoisted myself up and positioned myself closer to him as the cool breeze started to pick up. He noticed my shiver and wrapped his long arms around my shoulders, hugging me to him and rubbing my arms.
“Better?” He asked. I nodded and rested my head against his shoulder. His warm scent filled my nose-he smelled like laundry. “You ok?” He asked, resting his cheek against the top of my head.
“Yeah-traveling tires me out, is all.” I mumbled. I heard a shutter click somewhere and he let out a tiny groan. “Fan girl in the tree?” I guessed. He let out a low chuckle.
“How’d you guess?”
“She saw me with Rob earlier. He had saved me from the steriod-a-saurus at the gate.” I said, feeling very comfortable against his warm body.
“Oh.” He said and I could feel him smile. “Yeah-the security guard today was a big dude.” He agreed.
“Humungous.” I added. He chuckled. We were quiet again and just like before I heard the shutter click again. “Your fan girl’s going to think I’m a whore.” I murmured. He shook with silent laughter.
“So now she belongs to us?” He managed to say.
“Well, she’s not taking pictures of me. I can guarantee you-she’s going to look up curses to hex me with so I lose all my teeth and my hair falls out in patches. Because everyone knows patches are uglier than full on baldness.” I said, probably annoying him by now. He started laughing loudly.
“And why would she want to do something like that?” He asked.
“Because now I’ve been seen with Rob’s arm around me and now you’re hugging me and I’m assuming she’s like every other fan girl and is insanely jealous of anybody you talk to.” I said, finally taking a breath at the end.
“You’ve thought about this way too much.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, well...” I said, moving my shoulders up and down. He chortled.
I don’t know how long we sat there before everyone but Kristen headed down towards where we sat. I had my eyes closed and I was slowly drifting into unawareness as I listened to Taylor’s steady breathing. Something hit the side of my leg as I became aware of voices.
“You two look pretty cozy.” I heard a smooth accented voice say. I jumped ever so slightly as pressure was applied to the top of my right leg. I opened my eyes to see Kellan resting his arm on my leg, Rob standing next to him-in front of me and Nikki and Ashley were next to him. They were all standing in an arc around us so we formed a lop-sided circle. I noticed that Jackson was nowhere in sight.
“She was cold.” Taylor said. “I think she fell asleep.” He said quietly. Before I could respond-Rob winked at me. He could see I was awake.
“You’d love that.” A voice chuckled. I saw Jackson enter the group and smile at me, his lusciously green eyes crinkling in the corners as his breath-taking grin reached his eyes.
“Oh shut up.” Taylor sighed. I decided it was best to save him. I gently pushed Kellan’s arm off my leg. He gasped as Taylor quickly let me go and Kellan back up a ways, gripping and re-gripping the football he held in his hands.
“You wouldn’t.” I stated-hoping I was right. He smirked and threw the football at me. I stretched up for it and ended up losing my balance and fell the four feet to the grass behind the wall.
“Oh shit.” Kellan gasped. I stood up and chucked the ball back at him, catching him hard in the chest. I dusted off my pants and straightened out my shirt.
“Work on your aim,” I told him. “That was way over my head.” I said. He just looked at me as Taylor, Jackson and Rob burst out laughing. Nikki clapped and Ashley jumped the wall to hug me.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“Yeah-I’ll probably have a bruise-but oh well.” I shrugged. We climbed back over the wall and I leaned back against it in front of the spot where I was sitting. Rob slung his arm around my shoulders, still laughing.
“That was amazing.” He breathed. I smiled at Kellan.
“You gonna make it?” I asked him. He slowly raised his hand to the spot where the ball had hit him.
“Ow-that actually hurt.” He said. “Awe-huh-some!” He grinned and raised his hand in front of me to give me a high five. I clapped my hand to his.
“Where did you learn to throw like that?” Jackson asked. I bit my lip but remained casual.
“Cousins-they’re all built like Kellan and made me throw it to them like that.” I said-well, it was mostly true. I just left out the part about my dad. “I would throw the ball until I thought my arm was going to fall off. Then they made me throw it right handed.” I said, chuckling and crossing my arms across my chest to keep in the warmth-it had gotten colder.
“So how did you get here today?” Kellan asked randomly. I looked up and saw them all looking at me expectantly.
“What? Oh. I drove.” I said. Taylor laughed a little.
“Your car?” Nikki asked. I nodded.
“I had gotten it last time I was with Kevin-but never gotten around to bringing it back to New York.” I explained. Kellan and Jackson stared at me.
“It isn’t that car that’s been sitting in Kevin’s garage, is it?” Kellan asked cautiously.
“The Impala?” I clarified. They nodded. “Yeah-it is.” I said. I knew the second I saw the car I had to have it.
“Oh my God.” Taylor said. I smiled, tucking my face against Rob’s chest as the wind blew harder. He tightened his arms around me protectively.
“Iiii don’t get it.” Ashley said, looking around for help. I smiled.
“It’s a 1967 Chevy Impala in near perfect condition.” I said into Rob’s chest. “In fact-finding one in such good condition is extremely rare.” I said.
“Oh.” She said, still clearly not understanding. Someone pulled me out of Rob’s arms and crushed me to their muscular chest. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was Kellan.
“I’m in love!” He exclaimed. I laughed-but pushed him away gently.
“So I’m assuming it’s a good car?” Nikki guessed as Kellan released me.
“Extremely good.” Jackson said. “They don’t make cars like that anymore.” He said.
“What color?” Rob asked.
“Black, of course.” Both Jackson and I said in unison. I looked at him and smiled.
“Like I said-in love.” Kellan said. I held up my hands to make him wait.
“Don’t get too excited-I don’t know that much about cars.” I laughed.
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. I nodded.
“So what’s so special about the Impala?” Jackson asked. I shrugged.
“It’s an awesome car and it’s the car Kevin’s best friend is using in his TV show and when he showed us a picture of it like...four or five years ago I knew I wanted one.” I shrugged again.
“It is a sweet car.” Taylor agreed. I remembered what was said about the car to Kevin’s best friend that was the deciding factor. Before I could stop myself a small laugh escaped my lips.
“What?” Rob asked. I shook my head.
“Nothing.” I mumbled, rubbing my chilly arms.
“Tell us.” Nikki encouraged.
“It’s nothing. Just something someone said like...five years ago.” I said. A cold chill raced down my spine, making me shudder. Rob shrugged out of his wool jacket and held it open for me. I shook my head.
“You’ll freeze.” I said stubbornly.
“I wanna know what was said.” Ashley said, siding with Nikki. I sighed.
“’You could fit a dead body in that trunk.’” I quoted. They just looked at me. It was almost comedic that I could honestly hear the crickets chirping. I still didn’t take the jacket.
“It’s true.” Kellan said finally. “It’s a big trunk.” I laughed again. They didn’t really know why I was laughing. I figured, before they threw me in the nut house, I’d better explain as Rob put the black coat around my shoulders. I was instantly warm and his vanilla cologne hit me subtly.
“I only laughed because that was the deciding factor for Kevin’s friend to buy the car. Like he was going to be dealing with a lot of dead bodies.” I said and even as the words left my lips I realized just how morbid they sounded. I blew out a sigh. “Never mind.” I said and then fell silent. Ashley and Nikki laughed at me.
“You’re adorable.” Ashley said. I shook my head in argument. “Yes, I win!” She yelled, laughing. I crinkled my nose and stuck out my tongue.
“I think you guys have another shot to do.” Taylor said, jerking his head to a spot behind me. Kristen was waving her arms, trying to get their attention.
“Come on.” Rob said to the others. I started to shrug out of his jacket so I could give it back. “Keep it. I’ll be back for it.” He said, smiling a crooked smile. I nodded.
They headed over for where Kristen stood, leaving me alone again with Taylor. I looked at him and smiled.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Let’s go inside and we’ll get you something warm to drink.” He said. I nodded.
“Sounds good.”
Finally at around five thirty Kevin announced that everyone was done for the day. I gave Rob back his jacket and waited for Kevin to gather all his stuff. Everyone else was getting changed back into their regular clothes. Taylor, Ashley, Nikki and Cam had to take off wigs.
We were all walking across the set lot, Kevin and I ahead of the others. Kevin looked at me awkwardly.
“What?” I asked nervously.
“Well-I thought you were getting here tomorrow...and...I kinda have a date tonight.” He mumbled. I felt my face fall. “I could cancel.” He rushed. I shook my head, recovering quickly.
“No, no. It’s alright-go on your date. I’m sure I can entertain myself for one night.” I paused-that sounded really dirty. “What I meant was-I’m capable of amusing myself-“ I stopped again. “Forget it. Just go on your date.” I said frustratedly.
“You just got here-I don’t want to leave you alone.” He argued.
“Why doesn’t she come to dinner with us?” I heard a smooth accented voice say. I felt my face flush because I knew they had heard the entire conversation. I turned to glance at them.
“Oh God.” I mumbled. Taylor cocked an eyebrow. “No-just that you heard me...before...” I said and sighed. I seemed to be constantly saying the wrong thing today.
“So-dinner. How bouts it?” Kellan prompted. I looked at Kevin.
“Fine with me.” He said.
“Sweet.” Taylor smiled.
“We’ll give you half an hour?” Nikki offered.
“Is that how long you guys are taking?” I asked, not wanting to hold them up.
“Probably not.” Rob said.
“Well-I really only need five minutes...” I trailed off.
“Then I will pick you up in five minutes.” Kellan said. We had reached the gate.
“Alright.” I smiled. They watched me climb into my Impala as Kevin climbed into his. I felt like I was on parade. I started the car and Swing by Savage started playing extremely loud. I cranked the heat and backed out of the space and accelerated towards the exit. I reached Kevin’s rented house and pulled into the garage. I shut off the car and dashed into the house. I jogged up the stairs and into the bathroom. I re-applied fresh make up and was putting up my long black hair into a pony tail when Kevin entered the kitchen downstairs. I grabbed and jacket and sprayed on a light vanilla perfume-my favorite as he reached the stairs.
“I forgot how fast you drive, Mags.” He said, laughing. I flashed a smile. “So did you have fun today?” He asked. “Sorry I couldn’t spend the day with you.” He apologized.
“Its fine, Kevin. I had a lot of fun-everyone’s really nice.” I smiled.
“Yeah-they’re good kids.” He nodded. There was an awkward silence.
“Have fun on your date.” I said.
“Thanks, have fun at dinner.” He said back. I nodded as the door bell rang.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. I quickly kissed his cheek and booked it down the stairs. I yanked the door open, hitting myself in the leg with both the door and my purse. I bumped into Kellan as I tried to shut the door but my purse was in the way. He smirked, gently moved me and shut the door for me.
“Sorry.” I mumbled.
“In a rush?” He teased.
“That was awkward.” I said, pointing to the house as we headed for his car.
“What’d he do?” He asked, laughing. Jackson started to get out of the front seat so I could sit there. I motioned for him to stay as both Kellan and I walked around to the driver side.
“He tried to be all like...parentally friendly.” I tried to explain. “Just weird.” I said and I climbed into the backseat next to Taylor.
“Yeah-that would be weird.” Kellan agreed. We started driving.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
“Meeting us there. Nikki’s driving.” Jackson said.
“Oh.” Taylor nudged my knee with his and smiled at me. I smiled back and rested my head on his shoulder.
“Still tired?” He guessed. I nodded.
“You look different with shorter hair.” I commented, leaning back and touching his dark locks gently. He smiled.
“Better or worse?” He asked.
“Neither, just different.” I said. He looked a little disappointed. “Same level of good looks-just a different kind.” I added. He grinned and patted his shoulder for me to lean on again. I did and a few minutes later we pulled into a parking lot. I raised my head.
“We’re here already?” I asked, surprised. They all just laughed at me. We all climbed out and I started to lose my balance so Kellan offered me his hand to balance myself as I stumbled out.
“Thanks.” We walked inside and Rob stood up at the table they were seated at, waving us over.
Rob was next to Kristen who was next to Cam who was next to Ashley who was next to Nikki and there were four empty seats between Nikki and Rob. Jackson sat down next to Rob, Kellan sat next to Nikki, Taylor sat next to Kellan and both Taylor and Jackson pulled me into the seat between then.
“Well, alright then.” I said, getting comfortable. They all laughed.
“Maggie, Kristen. Kristen, Maggie.” Rob introduced. I smiled at her. A waitress brought over some menus and even though I knew it wouldn’t be in there-I still looked for it. And even though I knew I wouldn’t find it-I still sighed.
“What?” Kristen asked. I looked up.
“What? Oh-just pointlessly disappointing myself.” I said with a shrug.
“How?” Rob asked.
“Well-I was looking for something-even though I knew for a fact they wouldn’t have it and by not seeing it-which I knew I wouldn’t-it bummed me out a bit.” I explained.
“What were you looking for?” Kellan asked. I knew it was pointless but I still said the name anyways.
“Chicken riggies.” I said. Taylor made a face.
“What’s that?” Nikki asked.
“It’s got chicken, pasta, olives if you want, mushrooms, peppers, onions and it’s got a spicy sauce on it.” I explained, mentally deciding I wanted the chicken and broccoli alfredo.
“I’ve never heard of it.” Jackson said. I smiled.
“I’m not surprised.” I said. “No one outside of central New York has heard of it.” I said.
“So how do we get to try it?” Ashley asked.
“You guys wanna try it?” I asked skeptically. They all nodded. “I’ll make it at some point.” I said.
“Really?” Rob asked. “You can make it?”
“I’m a very good cook.” I said defensively.
“When will you make it?” Nikki asked.
“Soon, probably, now that I’m craving it.” I said.
“Sweet.” Kellan grinned.
We placed our orders and we all talked comfortably as we slowly ate. I got the feeling they ate out like this a lot.
When the check came they wouldn’t let me pay.
“Save it to make us that riggie stuff.” Kellan said. I frowned-I don’t like people paying for me.
“Aw-look-she’s pouting.” Cam laughed.
“Shut up.” I mumbled, unable to stop the smile. They all laughed at me. Everyone slowly drifted into their own conversations except for Taylor, Jackson and me. I looked at the both of them.
“Now what?” I asked quietly. Jackson laughed lightly, the sound was perfect.
“Well, you could always come hang out with us at our place.” Taylor said innocently. “I mean-if you want to.” He amended quickly.
“Of course she wants to.” Kellan interjected. I laughed.
“Sure. It’s not like I’m in a great rush to get back.” I nodded. Taylor beamed. We all stood up and Jackson held up my coat to help me in it. I smiled appreciatively.
“Thanks.” He nodded.
“Who’s riding with who?” Kellan called as we stepped outside. The sudden cold air knocked me breathless and I stopped short in front of Jackson who walked right into me.
“Shit. You ok?” He asked, stepping to the side to see my face, his hand gently on my lower back. I could feel my heart beat racing, but nodded all the same.
“Sorry. The cold just took me by surprise.” I managed to say. He looked amused and he gently led me towards the cars. By the time we got there-there were only one seat left in each car. I mentally frowned as I realized he and I would be separated. I slid into Kellan’s car next to Rob. He grinned at me.
“You and Jackson having a private moment?” He asked. I looked at him, confused. “You’re blushing and slightly out of breath.” He pointed out. I rolled my eyes.
“No. The cold air knocked the wind out of me and my face is red because of the sub zero temperatures out here.” I said. “Mouth.” I muttered. He smirked and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his warm body. I blew out a sigh.
“What?” Nikki asked from the front seat, turning to look at me.
“Rob is always so warm, and I’m always cold-it’s not fair.” I complained. She laughed.
“What’s funny?” Kellan asked.
“You don’t see the irony in that?” Nikki asked, still chuckling. He shook his head.
“Rob plays a guy who’s supposed to be ice cold all the time. Instead he’s toasty warm.” I said. Nikki nodded, smiling at me-glad at least I understood.
“Oh-right.” He said. I rested against Rob comfortably.
“What time is it?” I mumbled. Rob checked his iPhone.
“9:30.” He said quietly.
“Do you guys always go out to dinner?” I asked.
“Usually every night. Usually we have some other people with us-but they had other plans tonight.” Nikki said.
“Oh.” I said. I took Rob’s iPhone and started playing with it. With his arms still around me, he took the phone from me and went to contacts, clicking a new one he typed in my name and handed it back to me. I smiled and added my number.
“Lovely.” He whispered, his lips brushing against my hair. It was very easy to forget I had just met these guys when I got along with them so well. We pulled into a long driveway next to Ashley who had been driving Nikki’s car. It was a large house and there were five other cars parked in the driveway.
“You all live here?” I asked incredulously as we all got out. Rob laughed.
“For now-we’re renting it while we do the movie. Much like what Kevin is doing-only we need more space, seeing as how there are more of us than him.” Rob said.
“Thank God for that-one Kevin is enough.” I said as Cam took my hand, guiding me up the stairs. They all laughed at my comment. “Question.” I said, not thinking to form a complete sentence. It was a bad habit I had gotten into back home. I was about to correct myself when Jackson spoke.
“Answer.” He said from ahead of us, already into the kitchen of the large house.
“Do you all think I’m incapable of walking or something?” I asked. Cam chuckled and let go of my hand as he bent to untie his shoes in the hallway. Rob stepped back into my view. I put my hand on Kellan’s arm for balance as I stood on one foot to kick off my converse.
“Well, love-and don’t take this the wrong way-but you look like the type to fall over a lot.” He smiled apologetically. I felt the blood rush to my face in embarrassment and I dropped my gaze to the floor and let go of Kellan’s strong arm.
“Aw-don’t be mad.” Cam said.
“You all really noticed that?” I asked, still not looking up. Kellan let out a loud laugh and pulled me tightly to his side.
“Jay pointed it out earlier.” Kellan said, leading me into the living room where Taylor, Ashley, Kristen and Nikki were lounging. Jackson wasn’t in sight.
“Jackson did?” I asked, surprised as I sat between Kristen and Ashley.
“Yeah. With the way you measure the distance you have to walk before you actually walk it. And the way you’re extra careful when you step over something like a thresh hold of a door way or something that could trip you.” Taylor said, laughing. If my face got any warmer from embarrassment-I was going to combust. I tucked my knees up to my chest and hid my face.
“Oh God.” I said, my voice muffled by my knees. It was bad enough I was a klutz, but even worse-it was obvious in the way I walked and even more worse was the most gorgeous guy on the planet saw it right away.
“What’s wrong with her?” I heard Jackson’s perfect voice ask.
“She knows we know she’s a klutz.” Kellan said casually. I groaned.
“Oh.” Jackson said simply, like it wasn’t a big deal. Kristen nudged my arm.
“Don’t feel so bad.” She said as I tried to make my face not so red. “Bella, my character, is a major klutz.” She said, trying to cheer me up. I raised my head to look at her and in spite of myself-I smiled.
“You do realize she’s a fictional character, right?” I asked, my tone questioning her sanity. You never know with some people.
“Yes.” She said, rolling her eyes as Rob, Jackson and Ashley laughed.
“I think she’s questioning your sanity.” Rob said, a bemused smile on his face, matching Jackson’s who sat next to him. Once again-he was directly across from me. She gasped jokingly and looked at me.
“Are you?” She asked. I smiled apologetically.
“Well-maybe a little. You can never be sure with some people.” I said.
It was around midnight when I said goodnight to everyone and Jackson brought me back to Kevin’s.
“Thanks for the ride.” I smiled.
“Sure thing.” He grinned. “Sweet dreams.” He said, his mouth-watering eyes meeting mine.
“You, too.” I said, trying to slow my heart down before it exploded.
“See you tomorrow, Maggie.” He said. It took all I had to force myself to function, smile and nod in response as I forced myself to get out of the car. It felt like a million butterflies had attacked my stomach when he said my name. I have a problem.
Kevin was already home from his date so I locked both doors and went up to my new room. I was wide awake now, thanks to Jackson. He had watched me walk into the house and it had been all I could do not to run back and kiss him.
I sighed as I changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a tank top for bed. I turned on my laptop and checked my email There wasn’t much there-just junk mail. I deleted that and decided to do some online shopping. I bought stuff from Hot Topic, Arie, American Eagle and Kohl’s. By the time I was done I was shocked to see it was now three thirty. I shut off my laptop and climbed into bed to try and get some sleep.
Kevin woke me up the next morning, or rather-later that morning at five thirty. Terrific: an hour and a half of sleep. I rolled out of my nice warm bed and got in the shower. I washed my hair, did a half assed job of shaving my legs and was surprised that they came out as smooth as they did. I got out, dried off, got dressed and shoved my glasses on my face. I was too tired to bother with contacts today. I brushed my long hair and flipped my head over and gathered the wet strands, wrapped my hair tie around them and-TADA! My hair was up in a lazy, half assed, messy as hell bun. I grabbed an over sized sweat-shirt, brushed my teeth and slipped on a pair of corona flip flops.
“You look...nice.” Kevin said awkwardly, obviously trying to be nice.
“It’s ok, Kev-I know I look like crap.” I said, barely managing to stifle a yawn.
“Oh-ok. Good.” He said, relieved. I smiled as I got into my car. “I’m driving. We’re doing a location shot first.” He said.
“Can’t you just direct me, director?” I asked. I wanted to drive my car.
“Alright.” He climbed in the passenger seat as I started the car. I made sure the volume was low enough before I turned on my iPod through the adapter and Poppin’ Champagne by the All Time Low came on.
He instructed me towards the location and told me where to park. It was a massive field. We walked the five minutes from where he made me park to the actual field. We entered the large clearing and I grinned, knowing what shot they were doing.
“Ok, guys. We’re going to do the scene where Bella first sees the Cullens.” He said. “You all have to go change-except for you, you and you.” He instructed, pointing to Cam, Taylor and tapping me in the forehead. He stepped away to instruct the cameras and all the extras. Both Cam and Taylor stood up, I just looked around, confused. I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go. Taylor offered me his hand and I took it, standing up as well.
“Cam’s going to take a nap somewhere. So why don’t we go sit outside and enjoy the nice weather.” He suggested.
“Sure.” I agreed-not exactly caring what I did-the time change was catching up with me and I was starting to get tired. He led me out of the cafeteria and over to a low cement brick wall. He lifted himself onto the wall and patted the spot next to him. I hoisted myself up and positioned myself closer to him as the cool breeze started to pick up. He noticed my shiver and wrapped his long arms around my shoulders, hugging me to him and rubbing my arms.
“Better?” He asked. I nodded and rested my head against his shoulder. His warm scent filled my nose-he smelled like laundry. “You ok?” He asked, resting his cheek against the top of my head.
“Yeah-traveling tires me out, is all.” I mumbled. I heard a shutter click somewhere and he let out a tiny groan. “Fan girl in the tree?” I guessed. He let out a low chuckle.
“How’d you guess?”
“She saw me with Rob earlier. He had saved me from the steriod-a-saurus at the gate.” I said, feeling very comfortable against his warm body.
“Oh.” He said and I could feel him smile. “Yeah-the security guard today was a big dude.” He agreed.
“Humungous.” I added. He chuckled. We were quiet again and just like before I heard the shutter click again. “Your fan girl’s going to think I’m a whore.” I murmured. He shook with silent laughter.
“So now she belongs to us?” He managed to say.
“Well, she’s not taking pictures of me. I can guarantee you-she’s going to look up curses to hex me with so I lose all my teeth and my hair falls out in patches. Because everyone knows patches are uglier than full on baldness.” I said, probably annoying him by now. He started laughing loudly.
“And why would she want to do something like that?” He asked.
“Because now I’ve been seen with Rob’s arm around me and now you’re hugging me and I’m assuming she’s like every other fan girl and is insanely jealous of anybody you talk to.” I said, finally taking a breath at the end.
“You’ve thought about this way too much.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, well...” I said, moving my shoulders up and down. He chortled.
I don’t know how long we sat there before everyone but Kristen headed down towards where we sat. I had my eyes closed and I was slowly drifting into unawareness as I listened to Taylor’s steady breathing. Something hit the side of my leg as I became aware of voices.
“You two look pretty cozy.” I heard a smooth accented voice say. I jumped ever so slightly as pressure was applied to the top of my right leg. I opened my eyes to see Kellan resting his arm on my leg, Rob standing next to him-in front of me and Nikki and Ashley were next to him. They were all standing in an arc around us so we formed a lop-sided circle. I noticed that Jackson was nowhere in sight.
“She was cold.” Taylor said. “I think she fell asleep.” He said quietly. Before I could respond-Rob winked at me. He could see I was awake.
“You’d love that.” A voice chuckled. I saw Jackson enter the group and smile at me, his lusciously green eyes crinkling in the corners as his breath-taking grin reached his eyes.
“Oh shut up.” Taylor sighed. I decided it was best to save him. I gently pushed Kellan’s arm off my leg. He gasped as Taylor quickly let me go and Kellan back up a ways, gripping and re-gripping the football he held in his hands.
“You wouldn’t.” I stated-hoping I was right. He smirked and threw the football at me. I stretched up for it and ended up losing my balance and fell the four feet to the grass behind the wall.
“Oh shit.” Kellan gasped. I stood up and chucked the ball back at him, catching him hard in the chest. I dusted off my pants and straightened out my shirt.
“Work on your aim,” I told him. “That was way over my head.” I said. He just looked at me as Taylor, Jackson and Rob burst out laughing. Nikki clapped and Ashley jumped the wall to hug me.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“Yeah-I’ll probably have a bruise-but oh well.” I shrugged. We climbed back over the wall and I leaned back against it in front of the spot where I was sitting. Rob slung his arm around my shoulders, still laughing.
“That was amazing.” He breathed. I smiled at Kellan.
“You gonna make it?” I asked him. He slowly raised his hand to the spot where the ball had hit him.
“Ow-that actually hurt.” He said. “Awe-huh-some!” He grinned and raised his hand in front of me to give me a high five. I clapped my hand to his.
“Where did you learn to throw like that?” Jackson asked. I bit my lip but remained casual.
“Cousins-they’re all built like Kellan and made me throw it to them like that.” I said-well, it was mostly true. I just left out the part about my dad. “I would throw the ball until I thought my arm was going to fall off. Then they made me throw it right handed.” I said, chuckling and crossing my arms across my chest to keep in the warmth-it had gotten colder.
“So how did you get here today?” Kellan asked randomly. I looked up and saw them all looking at me expectantly.
“What? Oh. I drove.” I said. Taylor laughed a little.
“Your car?” Nikki asked. I nodded.
“I had gotten it last time I was with Kevin-but never gotten around to bringing it back to New York.” I explained. Kellan and Jackson stared at me.
“It isn’t that car that’s been sitting in Kevin’s garage, is it?” Kellan asked cautiously.
“The Impala?” I clarified. They nodded. “Yeah-it is.” I said. I knew the second I saw the car I had to have it.
“Oh my God.” Taylor said. I smiled, tucking my face against Rob’s chest as the wind blew harder. He tightened his arms around me protectively.
“Iiii don’t get it.” Ashley said, looking around for help. I smiled.
“It’s a 1967 Chevy Impala in near perfect condition.” I said into Rob’s chest. “In fact-finding one in such good condition is extremely rare.” I said.
“Oh.” She said, still clearly not understanding. Someone pulled me out of Rob’s arms and crushed me to their muscular chest. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was Kellan.
“I’m in love!” He exclaimed. I laughed-but pushed him away gently.
“So I’m assuming it’s a good car?” Nikki guessed as Kellan released me.
“Extremely good.” Jackson said. “They don’t make cars like that anymore.” He said.
“What color?” Rob asked.
“Black, of course.” Both Jackson and I said in unison. I looked at him and smiled.
“Like I said-in love.” Kellan said. I held up my hands to make him wait.
“Don’t get too excited-I don’t know that much about cars.” I laughed.
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. I nodded.
“So what’s so special about the Impala?” Jackson asked. I shrugged.
“It’s an awesome car and it’s the car Kevin’s best friend is using in his TV show and when he showed us a picture of it like...four or five years ago I knew I wanted one.” I shrugged again.
“It is a sweet car.” Taylor agreed. I remembered what was said about the car to Kevin’s best friend that was the deciding factor. Before I could stop myself a small laugh escaped my lips.
“What?” Rob asked. I shook my head.
“Nothing.” I mumbled, rubbing my chilly arms.
“Tell us.” Nikki encouraged.
“It’s nothing. Just something someone said like...five years ago.” I said. A cold chill raced down my spine, making me shudder. Rob shrugged out of his wool jacket and held it open for me. I shook my head.
“You’ll freeze.” I said stubbornly.
“I wanna know what was said.” Ashley said, siding with Nikki. I sighed.
“’You could fit a dead body in that trunk.’” I quoted. They just looked at me. It was almost comedic that I could honestly hear the crickets chirping. I still didn’t take the jacket.
“It’s true.” Kellan said finally. “It’s a big trunk.” I laughed again. They didn’t really know why I was laughing. I figured, before they threw me in the nut house, I’d better explain as Rob put the black coat around my shoulders. I was instantly warm and his vanilla cologne hit me subtly.
“I only laughed because that was the deciding factor for Kevin’s friend to buy the car. Like he was going to be dealing with a lot of dead bodies.” I said and even as the words left my lips I realized just how morbid they sounded. I blew out a sigh. “Never mind.” I said and then fell silent. Ashley and Nikki laughed at me.
“You’re adorable.” Ashley said. I shook my head in argument. “Yes, I win!” She yelled, laughing. I crinkled my nose and stuck out my tongue.
“I think you guys have another shot to do.” Taylor said, jerking his head to a spot behind me. Kristen was waving her arms, trying to get their attention.
“Come on.” Rob said to the others. I started to shrug out of his jacket so I could give it back. “Keep it. I’ll be back for it.” He said, smiling a crooked smile. I nodded.
They headed over for where Kristen stood, leaving me alone again with Taylor. I looked at him and smiled.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Let’s go inside and we’ll get you something warm to drink.” He said. I nodded.
“Sounds good.”
Finally at around five thirty Kevin announced that everyone was done for the day. I gave Rob back his jacket and waited for Kevin to gather all his stuff. Everyone else was getting changed back into their regular clothes. Taylor, Ashley, Nikki and Cam had to take off wigs.
We were all walking across the set lot, Kevin and I ahead of the others. Kevin looked at me awkwardly.
“What?” I asked nervously.
“Well-I thought you were getting here tomorrow...and...I kinda have a date tonight.” He mumbled. I felt my face fall. “I could cancel.” He rushed. I shook my head, recovering quickly.
“No, no. It’s alright-go on your date. I’m sure I can entertain myself for one night.” I paused-that sounded really dirty. “What I meant was-I’m capable of amusing myself-“ I stopped again. “Forget it. Just go on your date.” I said frustratedly.
“You just got here-I don’t want to leave you alone.” He argued.
“Why doesn’t she come to dinner with us?” I heard a smooth accented voice say. I felt my face flush because I knew they had heard the entire conversation. I turned to glance at them.
“Oh God.” I mumbled. Taylor cocked an eyebrow. “No-just that you heard me...before...” I said and sighed. I seemed to be constantly saying the wrong thing today.
“So-dinner. How bouts it?” Kellan prompted. I looked at Kevin.
“Fine with me.” He said.
“Sweet.” Taylor smiled.
“We’ll give you half an hour?” Nikki offered.
“Is that how long you guys are taking?” I asked, not wanting to hold them up.
“Probably not.” Rob said.
“Well-I really only need five minutes...” I trailed off.
“Then I will pick you up in five minutes.” Kellan said. We had reached the gate.
“Alright.” I smiled. They watched me climb into my Impala as Kevin climbed into his. I felt like I was on parade. I started the car and Swing by Savage started playing extremely loud. I cranked the heat and backed out of the space and accelerated towards the exit. I reached Kevin’s rented house and pulled into the garage. I shut off the car and dashed into the house. I jogged up the stairs and into the bathroom. I re-applied fresh make up and was putting up my long black hair into a pony tail when Kevin entered the kitchen downstairs. I grabbed and jacket and sprayed on a light vanilla perfume-my favorite as he reached the stairs.
“I forgot how fast you drive, Mags.” He said, laughing. I flashed a smile. “So did you have fun today?” He asked. “Sorry I couldn’t spend the day with you.” He apologized.
“Its fine, Kevin. I had a lot of fun-everyone’s really nice.” I smiled.
“Yeah-they’re good kids.” He nodded. There was an awkward silence.
“Have fun on your date.” I said.
“Thanks, have fun at dinner.” He said back. I nodded as the door bell rang.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. I quickly kissed his cheek and booked it down the stairs. I yanked the door open, hitting myself in the leg with both the door and my purse. I bumped into Kellan as I tried to shut the door but my purse was in the way. He smirked, gently moved me and shut the door for me.
“Sorry.” I mumbled.
“In a rush?” He teased.
“That was awkward.” I said, pointing to the house as we headed for his car.
“What’d he do?” He asked, laughing. Jackson started to get out of the front seat so I could sit there. I motioned for him to stay as both Kellan and I walked around to the driver side.
“He tried to be all like...parentally friendly.” I tried to explain. “Just weird.” I said and I climbed into the backseat next to Taylor.
“Yeah-that would be weird.” Kellan agreed. We started driving.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
“Meeting us there. Nikki’s driving.” Jackson said.
“Oh.” Taylor nudged my knee with his and smiled at me. I smiled back and rested my head on his shoulder.
“Still tired?” He guessed. I nodded.
“You look different with shorter hair.” I commented, leaning back and touching his dark locks gently. He smiled.
“Better or worse?” He asked.
“Neither, just different.” I said. He looked a little disappointed. “Same level of good looks-just a different kind.” I added. He grinned and patted his shoulder for me to lean on again. I did and a few minutes later we pulled into a parking lot. I raised my head.
“We’re here already?” I asked, surprised. They all just laughed at me. We all climbed out and I started to lose my balance so Kellan offered me his hand to balance myself as I stumbled out.
“Thanks.” We walked inside and Rob stood up at the table they were seated at, waving us over.
Rob was next to Kristen who was next to Cam who was next to Ashley who was next to Nikki and there were four empty seats between Nikki and Rob. Jackson sat down next to Rob, Kellan sat next to Nikki, Taylor sat next to Kellan and both Taylor and Jackson pulled me into the seat between then.
“Well, alright then.” I said, getting comfortable. They all laughed.
“Maggie, Kristen. Kristen, Maggie.” Rob introduced. I smiled at her. A waitress brought over some menus and even though I knew it wouldn’t be in there-I still looked for it. And even though I knew I wouldn’t find it-I still sighed.
“What?” Kristen asked. I looked up.
“What? Oh-just pointlessly disappointing myself.” I said with a shrug.
“How?” Rob asked.
“Well-I was looking for something-even though I knew for a fact they wouldn’t have it and by not seeing it-which I knew I wouldn’t-it bummed me out a bit.” I explained.
“What were you looking for?” Kellan asked. I knew it was pointless but I still said the name anyways.
“Chicken riggies.” I said. Taylor made a face.
“What’s that?” Nikki asked.
“It’s got chicken, pasta, olives if you want, mushrooms, peppers, onions and it’s got a spicy sauce on it.” I explained, mentally deciding I wanted the chicken and broccoli alfredo.
“I’ve never heard of it.” Jackson said. I smiled.
“I’m not surprised.” I said. “No one outside of central New York has heard of it.” I said.
“So how do we get to try it?” Ashley asked.
“You guys wanna try it?” I asked skeptically. They all nodded. “I’ll make it at some point.” I said.
“Really?” Rob asked. “You can make it?”
“I’m a very good cook.” I said defensively.
“When will you make it?” Nikki asked.
“Soon, probably, now that I’m craving it.” I said.
“Sweet.” Kellan grinned.
We placed our orders and we all talked comfortably as we slowly ate. I got the feeling they ate out like this a lot.
When the check came they wouldn’t let me pay.
“Save it to make us that riggie stuff.” Kellan said. I frowned-I don’t like people paying for me.
“Aw-look-she’s pouting.” Cam laughed.
“Shut up.” I mumbled, unable to stop the smile. They all laughed at me. Everyone slowly drifted into their own conversations except for Taylor, Jackson and me. I looked at the both of them.
“Now what?” I asked quietly. Jackson laughed lightly, the sound was perfect.
“Well, you could always come hang out with us at our place.” Taylor said innocently. “I mean-if you want to.” He amended quickly.
“Of course she wants to.” Kellan interjected. I laughed.
“Sure. It’s not like I’m in a great rush to get back.” I nodded. Taylor beamed. We all stood up and Jackson held up my coat to help me in it. I smiled appreciatively.
“Thanks.” He nodded.
“Who’s riding with who?” Kellan called as we stepped outside. The sudden cold air knocked me breathless and I stopped short in front of Jackson who walked right into me.
“Shit. You ok?” He asked, stepping to the side to see my face, his hand gently on my lower back. I could feel my heart beat racing, but nodded all the same.
“Sorry. The cold just took me by surprise.” I managed to say. He looked amused and he gently led me towards the cars. By the time we got there-there were only one seat left in each car. I mentally frowned as I realized he and I would be separated. I slid into Kellan’s car next to Rob. He grinned at me.
“You and Jackson having a private moment?” He asked. I looked at him, confused. “You’re blushing and slightly out of breath.” He pointed out. I rolled my eyes.
“No. The cold air knocked the wind out of me and my face is red because of the sub zero temperatures out here.” I said. “Mouth.” I muttered. He smirked and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his warm body. I blew out a sigh.
“What?” Nikki asked from the front seat, turning to look at me.
“Rob is always so warm, and I’m always cold-it’s not fair.” I complained. She laughed.
“What’s funny?” Kellan asked.
“You don’t see the irony in that?” Nikki asked, still chuckling. He shook his head.
“Rob plays a guy who’s supposed to be ice cold all the time. Instead he’s toasty warm.” I said. Nikki nodded, smiling at me-glad at least I understood.
“Oh-right.” He said. I rested against Rob comfortably.
“What time is it?” I mumbled. Rob checked his iPhone.
“9:30.” He said quietly.
“Do you guys always go out to dinner?” I asked.
“Usually every night. Usually we have some other people with us-but they had other plans tonight.” Nikki said.
“Oh.” I said. I took Rob’s iPhone and started playing with it. With his arms still around me, he took the phone from me and went to contacts, clicking a new one he typed in my name and handed it back to me. I smiled and added my number.
“Lovely.” He whispered, his lips brushing against my hair. It was very easy to forget I had just met these guys when I got along with them so well. We pulled into a long driveway next to Ashley who had been driving Nikki’s car. It was a large house and there were five other cars parked in the driveway.
“You all live here?” I asked incredulously as we all got out. Rob laughed.
“For now-we’re renting it while we do the movie. Much like what Kevin is doing-only we need more space, seeing as how there are more of us than him.” Rob said.
“Thank God for that-one Kevin is enough.” I said as Cam took my hand, guiding me up the stairs. They all laughed at my comment. “Question.” I said, not thinking to form a complete sentence. It was a bad habit I had gotten into back home. I was about to correct myself when Jackson spoke.
“Answer.” He said from ahead of us, already into the kitchen of the large house.
“Do you all think I’m incapable of walking or something?” I asked. Cam chuckled and let go of my hand as he bent to untie his shoes in the hallway. Rob stepped back into my view. I put my hand on Kellan’s arm for balance as I stood on one foot to kick off my converse.
“Well, love-and don’t take this the wrong way-but you look like the type to fall over a lot.” He smiled apologetically. I felt the blood rush to my face in embarrassment and I dropped my gaze to the floor and let go of Kellan’s strong arm.
“Aw-don’t be mad.” Cam said.
“You all really noticed that?” I asked, still not looking up. Kellan let out a loud laugh and pulled me tightly to his side.
“Jay pointed it out earlier.” Kellan said, leading me into the living room where Taylor, Ashley, Kristen and Nikki were lounging. Jackson wasn’t in sight.
“Jackson did?” I asked, surprised as I sat between Kristen and Ashley.
“Yeah. With the way you measure the distance you have to walk before you actually walk it. And the way you’re extra careful when you step over something like a thresh hold of a door way or something that could trip you.” Taylor said, laughing. If my face got any warmer from embarrassment-I was going to combust. I tucked my knees up to my chest and hid my face.
“Oh God.” I said, my voice muffled by my knees. It was bad enough I was a klutz, but even worse-it was obvious in the way I walked and even more worse was the most gorgeous guy on the planet saw it right away.
“What’s wrong with her?” I heard Jackson’s perfect voice ask.
“She knows we know she’s a klutz.” Kellan said casually. I groaned.
“Oh.” Jackson said simply, like it wasn’t a big deal. Kristen nudged my arm.
“Don’t feel so bad.” She said as I tried to make my face not so red. “Bella, my character, is a major klutz.” She said, trying to cheer me up. I raised my head to look at her and in spite of myself-I smiled.
“You do realize she’s a fictional character, right?” I asked, my tone questioning her sanity. You never know with some people.
“Yes.” She said, rolling her eyes as Rob, Jackson and Ashley laughed.
“I think she’s questioning your sanity.” Rob said, a bemused smile on his face, matching Jackson’s who sat next to him. Once again-he was directly across from me. She gasped jokingly and looked at me.
“Are you?” She asked. I smiled apologetically.
“Well-maybe a little. You can never be sure with some people.” I said.
It was around midnight when I said goodnight to everyone and Jackson brought me back to Kevin’s.
“Thanks for the ride.” I smiled.
“Sure thing.” He grinned. “Sweet dreams.” He said, his mouth-watering eyes meeting mine.
“You, too.” I said, trying to slow my heart down before it exploded.
“See you tomorrow, Maggie.” He said. It took all I had to force myself to function, smile and nod in response as I forced myself to get out of the car. It felt like a million butterflies had attacked my stomach when he said my name. I have a problem.
Kevin was already home from his date so I locked both doors and went up to my new room. I was wide awake now, thanks to Jackson. He had watched me walk into the house and it had been all I could do not to run back and kiss him.
I sighed as I changed into a pair of flannel pajama pants and a tank top for bed. I turned on my laptop and checked my email There wasn’t much there-just junk mail. I deleted that and decided to do some online shopping. I bought stuff from Hot Topic, Arie, American Eagle and Kohl’s. By the time I was done I was shocked to see it was now three thirty. I shut off my laptop and climbed into bed to try and get some sleep.
Kevin woke me up the next morning, or rather-later that morning at five thirty. Terrific: an hour and a half of sleep. I rolled out of my nice warm bed and got in the shower. I washed my hair, did a half assed job of shaving my legs and was surprised that they came out as smooth as they did. I got out, dried off, got dressed and shoved my glasses on my face. I was too tired to bother with contacts today. I brushed my long hair and flipped my head over and gathered the wet strands, wrapped my hair tie around them and-TADA! My hair was up in a lazy, half assed, messy as hell bun. I grabbed an over sized sweat-shirt, brushed my teeth and slipped on a pair of corona flip flops.
“You look...nice.” Kevin said awkwardly, obviously trying to be nice.
“It’s ok, Kev-I know I look like crap.” I said, barely managing to stifle a yawn.
“Oh-ok. Good.” He said, relieved. I smiled as I got into my car. “I’m driving. We’re doing a location shot first.” He said.
“Can’t you just direct me, director?” I asked. I wanted to drive my car.
“Alright.” He climbed in the passenger seat as I started the car. I made sure the volume was low enough before I turned on my iPod through the adapter and Poppin’ Champagne by the All Time Low came on.
He instructed me towards the location and told me where to park. It was a massive field. We walked the five minutes from where he made me park to the actual field. We entered the large clearing and I grinned, knowing what shot they were doing.