Trust In Advertising (Inc 2 Outtakes) by VJGM Complete.pdf

Trust In Advertising

By VJGM

Summary: Bella Swan hasn't had an easy life. Just when she gets a chance to go to college and spread her

wings, her life abruptly gets put on hold. Eight years later, she steps back into the real world and starts over.

When she moves to San Francisco, she snags an entry level job with an advertising firm and crosses paths with

the one person from her past she never expected to see again. Will it be everything she ever dreamed of or will

it be her worst nightmare?

Chapter 1 – Graduation Day

Bella sat quietly in the second row of metal folding chairs that were lined up on the stage, looking out at the

audience before her. The auditorium was filled with the smiling, happy faces of parents, grandparents, aunt,

uncles and siblings. Today was not only about endings but also about new beginnings. Flashbulbs went off

constantly, hands waved from the crowd, and tears of pride were shed.

She looked out and saw her dad, Charlie, sitting proudly down in front, his eyes glancing to Bella, full of respect

and a touch of sadness knowing that his little girl was growing up. Uncomfortably dressed in a shirt and tie,

Charlie fidgeted with the collar of his shirt and then fanned himself with his program from the increasing

temperature of the small room. He gave her a small wink when she looked his way and Bella couldn‟t help but

smile.

Life hadn‟t been easy for them since Renee died six years ago, but they held on tight to each other and

together had made it through the worst of it. They had come out on the other side, a piece of them missing, but

able to embrace life again. Two years ago, with no other family left, Charlie moved them from Phoenix to the

small town of Forks where he had lived when he was a boy. Many of his old friends had moved on, but for

Charlie, it was a comfort to get away from the memories of Phoenix and go back to his hometown.

The voice of Angela Weber, the class valedictorian, rang loudly from the podium, breaking Bella from her

thoughts. “…And so my fellow classmates, I encourage you to leave this place, and find yourselves. Become the

person you are destined to be. Find that which truly makes you happy and have the courage to go after it, fight for

it, and attain it. Let nothing stop you because each one of us is special and we have something unique to offer the

world. Never forget to be true to yourself and go after your dreams for dreams really do come true.

Congratulations to the class of ‟98!”

Thunderous applause rose from the crowd and filled the auditorium. Mr. Barnes, the principal, came up onto the

stage and stood next to the tall stack of diplomas on the table near to the podium. He slipped the top one from the

stack as Mrs. Carter took her place behind the microphone and began calling names.

On cue, the front row of students stood up from their chairs and began walking over to the podium, and lining up

from their big walk across stage. As they did, it allowed Bella an unobstructed view of the stage.

“Martin Alexander……” A tall boy with red hair sprang across the stage, gave a triumphant bow to the crowd and

held his diploma high over his head before returning to his seat.

Bella tried her best to look out at the audience and keep her promise to herself to let it go, but she couldn‟t. Her

eyes briefly darted to her left and she caught a glimpse of bronze hair, then forced herself to immediately look

away.

“Denise Banks…..” The six foot tall basketball star lumbered across the stage and shook the hand of the

principal before walking past Bella to return to her seat.

Bella took a deep breath and lowered her head, knowing it would be over soon.

“Ben Cheney….” Bella glanced a few seats over at Angela who was clapping furiously as her boyfriend Ben

strode across the stage, accepted his diploma and then turned and winked at her before waving to his family in the

audience. They had been dating for two years and were voted cutest couple by the senior class.

“Edward Cullen…”

Bella‟s heart started pounding in her chest, but she refused to look up. She heard loud laughter erupt and she knew

he probably had done something funny or dashing because that‟s just the kind of guy he was.

Most popular, most likely to succeed, best body, nicest eyes, you name it; he had been voted „it‟ by the graduating

class. She could hear Jessica Stanley who was sitting on her right clapping loudly for Edward, her boyfriend.

Bella‟s eyes stayed firmly planted on her hands that were clutched together in her lap, her nails digging into her

skin as she fought the urge to look up at him. She smelled his cologne as he walked past her and returned to his

seat in the front row.

“Michael Fitch…”

From her first day at Forks High two years ago, she had a crush on Edward Cullen. In a school as small as Forks

High, it seemed impossible not to know everyone in your class and yet somehow, Edward didn‟t even know her

name. The closest they ever got to a conversation was when he would cheat off of her in Government during

senior year. Unless it was test day, he probably never would have even noticed if the ground opened up and

swallowed her whole.

Edward and Jessica had been dating for almost a year and they were the face of Forks High. They were invited to

every party, and for every event at school, one of them was on the planning committee. He was the star football

player, she the head cheerleader. They lived up to every high school stereotype of the perfect couple beautifully.

Bella tried her best to ignore Edward, tried to date other guys, but the only time her heart did that crazy flip flop

thing was when she would look at Edward. Every day, when Bella went to her locker, she would see him standing

there, leaning against the locker right next to hers, waiting for Jessica and never uttering a single word to Bella.

As Tommy Jameson made his way across the stage, it was time for the second row to rise from their seats and

make their way over to the front of the stage and receive their diplomas. Bella stood up and smoothed her

graduation gown down, taking careful steps, not wanting to trip on her big day. A few deep breaths later, Jessica

Stanley stepped forward and eagerly took her diploma, hugging the principal and creating a spectacle as usual.

Bella saw Charlie with his camera poised and ready to catch the big moment on film and a small smile crept

across her face.

“Isabella Swan…”

Her name hung in the air and she forced her numb feet to move across the stage. Out of the corner of her eyes she

saw the flash from Charlie‟s camera and heard his loud cheers of encouragement. Before she had time to blink,

she was settling herself back into the metal chair she had been occupying earlier, clutching the large, rectangular,

leather bound folder that held her diploma, her parole document as she liked to think of it, from the prison of

Forks High.

Her fingers ran over the cool leather surface as she heard Mrs. Carter say, “I present you with the class of 1998!”

Hats flew into the air as the graduates cheered, their high school days officially completed. Bella looked around to

see friends hugging, hands shaking and kisses being exchanged all around her. She quickly grabbed her diploma

and stepped off the stage into Charlie‟s awaiting arms.

“Congratulations Bella! I am so proud of you honey…… and you know mom is too.” He swept her into his arms

and squeezed her tightly against his chest.

“Thanks dad.” Bella smiled and choked back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes for a multitude of

reasons. “Can we go?” she asked Charlie, anxious to close this pathetic chapter of her life as soon as humanly

possible.

“Did you get a chance to say goodbye to all your friends? Some of these people you might never see again,

Bella.” Charlie scanned the crowd and saw a friend of his. “I‟m going to go say hello to Mr. Mallory, say your

goodbyes and meet me by the car, OK?” He gave her a quick peck on the head, and then made his way through

the crowd.

Bella stood, alone in the sea of people, glancing at all the familiar and unfamiliar faces around her. Students were

posing for pictures with teachers and Mr. Barnes, parents were handing gifts to the graduates, and groups of

friends were huddling together for even more pictures. Distracted by the things going on around her, Bella‟s

graduation cap slipped from her hand, falling onto the floor. She quickly scooped it up off the ground and turned

toward the door to make a swift exit from all the reverie, when someone crashed into her shoulder, nearly

knocking her down.

A large arm saved her from a nasty fall. “I‟m so sorry. I wasn‟t looking,” a deep voice apologized in her ear.

Bella didn‟t need to open her eyes or look up to know who it was; she‟d know that voice anywhere. It was

Edward Cullen.

“Are you alright?” He leaned his head even closer to her, making sure she could hear his question over all the

noise around them.

Bella‟s heart fluttered in her chest when she realized he was still holding her arm. She could smell the spice of his

cologne and feel the heat coming off his body having him standing so close to her. Her head started to swim and

finally he gave her arm a gentle squeeze because she wasn‟t answering his question. Determined to leave this

place with one iota of her dignity intact, she opened her yes, raised her chin confidently and said, “Yes, I‟m fine.

Thank you Edward.” As his name passed through her lips, Bella‟s stomach flipped one last time.

“Congratulations.”

Before he could say anything, before she saw him try and remember who she was, before he „pretended‟ to know

her name, she simply collected herself and walked away from him without another word spoken, her heart

however, was thundering in her chest.

Bella made her way through the slowly dispersing crowd, mentally wished her classmates well, then walked out

of the auditorium, her head held high, and never once looked back at any of them. “Goodbye….” she whispered

as she stepped out of the doors of the school, and into the bright June sunshine.

~*~

Chapter 2

Bella opened the door to her apartment, and in her arms, she carried two, overflowing grocery bags. She balanced

the precarious load then gently set it down on the counter as quickly as possible, kicking the door shut behind

her. As Bella emptied the groceries into their proper places in either her stainless steel refrigerator or pantry, she

turned on the radio, filling the apartment with flowery pop music as she went about the job at hand.

Dancing her way around the kitchen, she made quick work of the bags. When everything was put away, Bella

grabbed a large frying pan from underneath the cook top and started browning the ground beef for her dinner. As

the taco seasoning hit the meat, the savory smell of chili powder filled the apartment. Next to the frying pan on

the stove, Bella warmed a can of refried beans, and began the messy job of chopping the lettuce, tomatoes and

onions. Just as the last bit of onion was diced and scooped in a bowl, there was a sharp knock on the door.

Bella put down the knife, and with a knowing smile on her face, she opened the door wide. "Hi Rosalie, hungry?"

She smirked at the beautiful blonde standing in the hallway in her baggy, grease smeared, navy blue coveralls.

"Tacos? You know they're my favorite, Bella. I could smell them across the hall. I didn't come empty handed,

don't worry." From behind her back Rosalie pulled out a bottle of tequila and margarita mix. "I brought the

drinks." She grinned and strode into Bella's apartment, setting the bottles down on the counter. "You have no idea

how glad I am you moved in across the hall from me. You're a great friend don't get me wrong, but you're an

amazing cook." Rose laughed as she unzipped her blue jumper and stepped out of the greasy mess, revealing her

shapely form in your basic jeans and a white t-shirt, before making herself comfortable on one of the stools at the

counter.

Bella had moved to San Francisco five months ago, just after her father, Charlie, died. At 18, she left her

hometown of Forks, Washington following her graduation from High School to attend NYU on a full scholarship.

When Bella opened her acceptance letter, it had been the proudest moment of her life. She may not have finished

first in her graduating class, but second apparently wasn't too shabby in the eyes of NYU. Unfortunately, mid way

through her sophomore year, she got the call that changed everything and put her life on hold for the next 8 years.

She remembered every word of the conversation that day when one of the deputies from the police station in

Forks called and told her that over the last two months, Charlie had become more and more confused and they

were becoming concerned. He couldn't remember phone numbers or codes, they had even found him standing

next to his car, unsure of how to open the door. He rattled on about other incidents, but Bella stopped listening,

she hung up the phone and booked the next flight back to Forks. Two weeks after she arrived home, Charlie was

diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Bella still remembered the look on his face when she told

him she was dropping out of school so she could stay in Forks and help him, he was devastated and begged her to

go back to school, but she refused. They had no other family, it was just the two of them, as it had been since

Renee died all those years ago.

"Bella?" Rosalie's voice broke her from her gloomy trip down memory lane. The knowing look on her face told

Bella that she understood completely. Rosalie's dad had passed away a few years ago and it was one of the things

that made them such fast friends, they really understood each other in a way most people couldn't. "Today's your

dad's birthday isn't it?" Rosalie's hand reached out to meet Bella's and gave a comforting squeeze.

A single tear rolled down Bella's cheek, "Yep, he would have been 60 years old today." She brushed the tear from

her face. "But he's spending this birthday with my mom, so that makes me feel better. He missed her so much

after she died." Bella took a deep breath and raised the margarita that Rosalie had poured her. "Happy birthday,

Charlie."

"Happy birthday, Charlie!" Rosalie raised her glass as well, tapping it against the side of Bella's.

The tacos were delicious as the girls dug into their dinner. Bella heaped jalapeños onto hers, making Rosalie's

eyes nearly bulge out of her head.

"You aren't going to eat those are you?" She shook her head in disbelief. "You'll burn the tonsils right out of your

mouth!"

Bella laughed out loud. "Mark my words, I'm going to get you to come to that Indian restaurant on High Street

with me one of these days, Rose, then you'll have a whole new appreciation for spicy foods." Bella crammed two

more peppers onto the taco before taking a huge bite out of it. "So, how was work?" she mumbled, her mouth full

of taco.

Rosalie owned one of the busiest custom body shops in the bay area. Crowbar was known in all car circles, and

she did everything from restorations, to custom paint jobs, interiors, and body work. She had 8 male employees

and every single one of the burly guys that worked at Crowbar , were scared to death of her.

Rosalie's dad, big Al, had taught her very early on, not to take crap from anyone and Rose learned that lesson to a

„T.' She had inherited the shop from him when he passed away two years ago.

"Work wasn't too bad. This guy came in and wanted this custom, two-tone, paint job with these elaborate,

freehand flames painted down the length of the car and had the nerve to get pissed when I told him how much it

would cost. He actually accused me of ripping him off and made some rude comment about women having no

business working on cars, so I had Max show him the door." Rose shook her head in disgust. "I mean, come on,

just because I'm a woman they think they can push me around and I'll change my mind or back down? Please.

And I'm sorry, I don't mean to be cocky, but no one in town but me can do what he's asking. Mark my words, he'll

be back, and soon."

"How can you be so sure?" Bella asked as she wiped the sour cream from the corner of her mouth.

"Because he's one of those „street club racers' and he wants that car to be all badass for his next race. Of course

when he comes back," Rose confidently flipped her hair over her shoulder and leaned back in her chair, "I'm

jacking the price up another five hundred dollars, and I think I'll make him beg me to do it, in front of all the guys.

That should teach the little prick some manners."

"Will these guys ever learn to not mess with you, Rose?" Bella shook her head, laughing.

"If they're smart, they will." Rose followed Bella into the kitchen with her empty plate and began rinsing it off in

the sink. "So how was your day? Any luck on the job hunt?" She bent over and placed her plate in the dishwasher

then began gathering up the bowls and putting the leftovers into Tupperware.

For the last two and a half months Bella had been working as a cashier in a vintage record store. She was able to

listen to all kinds of music during the day, but it was hardly a career. She was 28 years old, and it was time to start

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