I Won't Fall For You
Love VS Reputation
Chapter 1
“Willow, you’re braid’s coming undone. Let me fix it” I pointed out.
“Oh my gosh! Hurry, we’re almost there!” She squealed nervously. My little sister’s long blonde hair had been braided into an intricate bun for the evening. I took the loose strand I had spotted in my fingers and gently tucked it beneath the barely visible elastic holding the structure together.
“There. All better,” I cooed, trying to ease her nerves. No matter how many times we did these things, she never could relax.
“Thanks,” she replied. Willow drew in a sharp breath, exhaled slowly and smoothed out her pink lace dress.
“You look beautiful,” I assured her.
She gave an uneasy smile. “Thanks. You do too, Aspen.”
Willow always had a hard time with red carpet outings, but I could see why. There was a lot of pressure on her to come off a certain way. After all, the role of Prim in the Hunger Games wasn’t always easy to fill. With Catching Fire to be soon released, it seemed as though she had the whole world on her shoulders. Our Dad (and manager) was always reminding her to “think innocently.” That’s one of the downsides of being an actress. They didn’t want to see Willow Shields. They wanted to see Primrose Everdeen. Her outfit for the night was a simple lace dress in a subtle pale pink and plain white ballet flats. They wanted her to seem like a baby.
Dad had me dressed in something completely different. My long dark hair was left down, and I wore a tight, revealing red party dress and strappy black heels. Smoky grey eye shadow and dramatic mascara enhanced my pale green eyes. They wanted me to seem sexy. I was the main character on a popular TV show- Dead Zone. My character was independent and seductive, and I had to act the part.
When we rounded the corner to the venue, we could already see the flashing camera lights of the press ready to snap our pictures. Our limo pulled up, and our chauffer helped us out of the car.
“Have fun, little duck,” I teased her. She smiled at me, and nervously went on her way.
Now I had work to do. I put on a sultry half smile, strutted onto the red carpet, and posed for the cameras just like my dad had taught me.
I was signing a few autographs when my worst nightmare showed up- the paparazzi. Aggressively, they pushed their way through the crowd and shoved a microphone in my face. No, no, no! Please don’t let this be about- I couldn’t even form a thought before they started the interrogation.
“Aspen! Is it true that you’ve called it off with Chris Nightingale?” “Are you and Chris ending things?” “Did you really break Chris’s heart?” Great. So now the whole world knows.
I didn’t know what to say. The last thing I wanted was to talk about Chris. I wasn’t ready. My wounds were still raw. I really, really loved him. He was my whole world and I was his. I loved everything about him- the way he held me and whispered things in my ear that made me feel special. The way he kissed me. The way he held my hand. His mysteriousness.
The mystery turned out to be the worst part, because when I finally figured out what it was, I hated what I saw. So I ended things. Things had been quiet for almost two weeks up until now.
“I-I… I.” I sucked in a breath full of sorrow and remorse. “Yes.” With that, I walked away, found Willow, and headed back to the limo. It felt like the breakup had just begun all over again.
***
“How’d it go, love?” My Mother said in her familiar, soothing voice.
“Good,” I said, as if the paparazzi had never showed up. “Willow got quite a bit of attention tonight,” I proclaimed, desperate to not have to talk about what happened.
“Oh? Tell me all about it, Willow.” The whole ordeal had me exhausted, and I was glad to turn the attention over to her.
“The boys are in the kitchen, love, so please be polite.” My mom informed me. By “The Boys”, she meant the five ever glorious members of One Direction. I had forgotten about their meeting with my dad. He was one of the main producers of This Is Us and he was getting together with them to discuss the possibility of a sequel. I honestly hated having them all over. They were my dad’s most popular “product” and therefore got all of his attention. One Direction were practically his sons.
“Yes Ma’am.” I curtsied to her before entering the kitchen. I walked in confidently past the group of boys and pecked my dad on the cheek.
“How’d it go?” He asked, really meaning, How’d Willow do?
“Willow looked beautiful, and as innocent as ever.” I replied. “Am I interrupting anything?” I inquired, trying my best to sound sincere.
“No.” My Dad started. “We were just finishing up. Actually, I was about to call you and your sister in any way to talk to you guys about something important. Would you go get her so we can all chat?” Uh-oh. Dad is probably going to publicly embarrass me about Chris. I thought. He knew about the whole thing, and all he could think of was for me to move on to someone else as quickly as possible so my reputation wouldn’t be ruined. I’m sure he thought this would be good motivation.
I called Willow in and all of us, including the guys and my mom gathered around the kitchen counter.
“So,” My dad began, “I’m sure you all know how I’m going to be away for six weeks to produce The Fault In Our Stars.” I was starting to get nervous. One by one, smirks appeared on the boy’s faces. They knew something I didn’t, and it was making me anxious.
“Just tell them already!” Niall burst out, grinning from ear to ear.
“I was getting to that,” Dad said, flashing him an irritated look. He didn’t put up with anything. Just like me. “I needed someone to watch over you guys, so Zayne volunteered himself and Perrie Edwards to stay with you girls, and I accepted. The rest of the boys asked to come as well, and so, they will all be staying here to look after you while I’m away.” Dad looked proud of himself, and One Direction looked expectant of adoration.
“Dad!” I protested, wiping grins off everyone’s faces. I could see right through this little babysitting act. He was practically picking suitors for me. “They’re practically strangers! How do you expect me to sleep under the same roof as six people that I barely know? And besides, what about mom? She can handle watching Willow and I for a few weeks.”
“Be polite, Aspen!” My father retorted. “Your mother will be going with me. I picked these boys because I know that they will be sure to get you both to all your events on time. They know what this kind of lifestyle is like! My word is final, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.” With that, I shot him a livid look and walked proudly upstairs to my room. Couldn’t he understand that I needed time to heal?
I could hear talking and giggling downstairs. I crouched down and pressed my ear to a vent on the floor so I could hear what everyone was saying.
“My sister could care less about you guys,” Willow explained.
“No kidding.” Niall replied.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” suggested Zayne. “She’s probably under a lot of stress right now. I wouldn’t want to force anything.”
“Maybe Zayne’s right,” My mother agreed. “Aspen’s really stressed out and-“
Dad cut her off. “No. I won’t tolerate that kind of behavior in my house. What would the press say if they found out? This would ruin her reputation.”
You mean YOUR reputation, I thought to myself. My dad was always so selfish. The only thing that mattered to him was money.
“She’s just being dramatic. I’m super happy you guys are staying with us,” Willow added. “She’ll get over it in a few days.” That was the end of that. Everyone said their goodbyes and left.
It’s going to be a long six weeks.
“Willow, you’re braid’s coming undone. Let me fix it” I pointed out.
“Oh my gosh! Hurry, we’re almost there!” She squealed nervously. My little sister’s long blonde hair had been braided into an intricate bun for the evening. I took the loose strand I had spotted in my fingers and gently tucked it beneath the barely visible elastic holding the structure together.
“There. All better,” I cooed, trying to ease her nerves. No matter how many times we did these things, she never could relax.
“Thanks,” she replied. Willow drew in a sharp breath, exhaled slowly and smoothed out her pink lace dress.
“You look beautiful,” I assured her.
She gave an uneasy smile. “Thanks. You do too, Aspen.”
Willow always had a hard time with red carpet outings, but I could see why. There was a lot of pressure on her to come off a certain way. After all, the role of Prim in the Hunger Games wasn’t always easy to fill. With Catching Fire to be soon released, it seemed as though she had the whole world on her shoulders. Our Dad (and manager) was always reminding her to “think innocently.” That’s one of the downsides of being an actress. They didn’t want to see Willow Shields. They wanted to see Primrose Everdeen. Her outfit for the night was a simple lace dress in a subtle pale pink and plain white ballet flats. They wanted her to seem like a baby.
Dad had me dressed in something completely different. My long dark hair was left down, and I wore a tight, revealing red party dress and strappy black heels. Smoky grey eye shadow and dramatic mascara enhanced my pale green eyes. They wanted me to seem sexy. I was the main character on a popular TV show- Dead Zone. My character was independent and seductive, and I had to act the part.
When we rounded the corner to the venue, we could already see the flashing camera lights of the press ready to snap our pictures. Our limo pulled up, and our chauffer helped us out of the car.
“Have fun, little duck,” I teased her. She smiled at me, and nervously went on her way.
Now I had work to do. I put on a sultry half smile, strutted onto the red carpet, and posed for the cameras just like my dad had taught me.
I was signing a few autographs when my worst nightmare showed up- the paparazzi. Aggressively, they pushed their way through the crowd and shoved a microphone in my face. No, no, no! Please don’t let this be about- I couldn’t even form a thought before they started the interrogation.
“Aspen! Is it true that you’ve called it off with Chris Nightingale?” “Are you and Chris ending things?” “Did you really break Chris’s heart?” Great. So now the whole world knows.
I didn’t know what to say. The last thing I wanted was to talk about Chris. I wasn’t ready. My wounds were still raw. I really, really loved him. He was my whole world and I was his. I loved everything about him- the way he held me and whispered things in my ear that made me feel special. The way he kissed me. The way he held my hand. His mysteriousness.
The mystery turned out to be the worst part, because when I finally figured out what it was, I hated what I saw. So I ended things. Things had been quiet for almost two weeks up until now.
“I-I… I.” I sucked in a breath full of sorrow and remorse. “Yes.” With that, I walked away, found Willow, and headed back to the limo. It felt like the breakup had just begun all over again.
***
“How’d it go, love?” My Mother said in her familiar, soothing voice.
“Good,” I said, as if the paparazzi had never showed up. “Willow got quite a bit of attention tonight,” I proclaimed, desperate to not have to talk about what happened.
“Oh? Tell me all about it, Willow.” The whole ordeal had me exhausted, and I was glad to turn the attention over to her.
“The boys are in the kitchen, love, so please be polite.” My mom informed me. By “The Boys”, she meant the five ever glorious members of One Direction. I had forgotten about their meeting with my dad. He was one of the main producers of This Is Us and he was getting together with them to discuss the possibility of a sequel. I honestly hated having them all over. They were my dad’s most popular “product” and therefore got all of his attention. One Direction were practically his sons.
“Yes Ma’am.” I curtsied to her before entering the kitchen. I walked in confidently past the group of boys and pecked my dad on the cheek.
“How’d it go?” He asked, really meaning, How’d Willow do?
“Willow looked beautiful, and as innocent as ever.” I replied. “Am I interrupting anything?” I inquired, trying my best to sound sincere.
“No.” My Dad started. “We were just finishing up. Actually, I was about to call you and your sister in any way to talk to you guys about something important. Would you go get her so we can all chat?” Uh-oh. Dad is probably going to publicly embarrass me about Chris. I thought. He knew about the whole thing, and all he could think of was for me to move on to someone else as quickly as possible so my reputation wouldn’t be ruined. I’m sure he thought this would be good motivation.
I called Willow in and all of us, including the guys and my mom gathered around the kitchen counter.
“So,” My dad began, “I’m sure you all know how I’m going to be away for six weeks to produce The Fault In Our Stars.” I was starting to get nervous. One by one, smirks appeared on the boy’s faces. They knew something I didn’t, and it was making me anxious.
“Just tell them already!” Niall burst out, grinning from ear to ear.
“I was getting to that,” Dad said, flashing him an irritated look. He didn’t put up with anything. Just like me. “I needed someone to watch over you guys, so Zayne volunteered himself and Perrie Edwards to stay with you girls, and I accepted. The rest of the boys asked to come as well, and so, they will all be staying here to look after you while I’m away.” Dad looked proud of himself, and One Direction looked expectant of adoration.
“Dad!” I protested, wiping grins off everyone’s faces. I could see right through this little babysitting act. He was practically picking suitors for me. “They’re practically strangers! How do you expect me to sleep under the same roof as six people that I barely know? And besides, what about mom? She can handle watching Willow and I for a few weeks.”
“Be polite, Aspen!” My father retorted. “Your mother will be going with me. I picked these boys because I know that they will be sure to get you both to all your events on time. They know what this kind of lifestyle is like! My word is final, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.” With that, I shot him a livid look and walked proudly upstairs to my room. Couldn’t he understand that I needed time to heal?
I could hear talking and giggling downstairs. I crouched down and pressed my ear to a vent on the floor so I could hear what everyone was saying.
“My sister could care less about you guys,” Willow explained.
“No kidding.” Niall replied.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” suggested Zayne. “She’s probably under a lot of stress right now. I wouldn’t want to force anything.”
“Maybe Zayne’s right,” My mother agreed. “Aspen’s really stressed out and-“
Dad cut her off. “No. I won’t tolerate that kind of behavior in my house. What would the press say if they found out? This would ruin her reputation.”
You mean YOUR reputation, I thought to myself. My dad was always so selfish. The only thing that mattered to him was money.
“She’s just being dramatic. I’m super happy you guys are staying with us,” Willow added. “She’ll get over it in a few days.” That was the end of that. Everyone said their goodbyes and left.
It’s going to be a long six weeks.
Notes
Hey, everybody!I hope you enjoyed it! This is my first piece, so I'm pretty nervous to find out what you guys think. I worked really hard on this. It took a few weeks to establish the initial ideas for the story, so here it is! Am I wasting my time, or should I keep writing? What do you think??
PLEASE comment your thoughts and suggestions. Constructive criticism is helpful, but please be nice:)
Enjoy:) I don't know when I'll be updating. Hopefully soon if I get good feedback.
XOXO
-lovetowrite13
11/24/13