The Heaven I Found In Hell
Ashley Andrews
Ashley Andrews
Copyright © 2012
AshleyAndrewsBlog.com
[email protected]
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
____________________________________________
Other Books by Ashley Andrews
Bleeding Love
Breaking the Arm, Healing the Heart
Contents
Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: Roommates and Model Material Guys
Chapter 3: Supermodels Aren't Porn Stars
Chapter 4: No One Can Perfect Calculus
Chapter 5: Playing Fashionista
Chapter 6: Committed to being Uncommitted
Chapter 7: Making Deals
Chapter 8: Playing Matchmakers
Chapter 9: Learning, Arguing, Bonding
Chapter 10: His, Her, Their Crazy Hearts
Chapter 11: The Jogging Stalkers
Chapter 12: The Worst of the Best
Chapter 13: Confusing Complications
Chapter 14: Mind Games of the Foolish Hearted
Chapter 15: Attack of the Cameras
Chapter 16: Scoring Goals Winning Kisses
Chapter 17: Messed Up
Chapter 18: Not So Messed Up My Ass
Chapter 19: Arguing Is The Best Thing Couples Can Do
Chapter 20: In Need of a Dress for my Big Size
Chapter 21: Meet The Parents
Chapter 22: I'm a Porn Star and He's an Ass
Chapter 23: Since
Chapter 24: Know the Steps
Chapter 25: Epilogue
MORE
* * *
Chapter 1: Prologue
* * *
The curtains were drawn, as the lights centered on the middle of the runway. I heard a 'go' from behind me, and took it as a cue to start moving. Stopping from time to time to pose, I strutted down the elevated platform, as photographers working for different magazines started taking pictures, their flashes blinding me.
I stopped at the end of the runway and showed off the silver Calvin Klein dress I wore. The garment had a very low V-shaped neckline that almost fully exposed my chest. The dress was something you'd normally see in red carpet events, and wearing a gown that was probably going to be bought by some Hollywood actress gave me a good feeling, not a particularly great feeling since I was used to this kind of stuff. I was a Victoria's Secret model, and I also did runways for a lot of top designers, like what I was doing at the moment, posing in a Calvin Klein creation.
After a couple of seconds, I turned back and headed backstage, as I ended my walk with a sharp turn of my head before I joined the other models waiting to walk on the white platform I had just strutted down on.
"Lexy, are you going to the party?" My fellow model, Rebecca, asked the moment the show ended.
She was in the process of removing her dress and changing into a comfortable pair of jeans and a halter silk top, while I on the other hand, took out my Blackberry Pearl, and checked my schedule, just to make sure I hadn't planned anything for tonight.
"Just wait a minute…" I said with my eyes still on my mobile.
I unlocked it and checked my organizer, and when I found the date, I frowned. I forgot about the dinner I was having with my parents. They had planned this a week ago, and I just couldn't cancel on them for the sake of going to a party that was probably going to have most of the same things every event I've been to have.
Damn…
"I can't Becca. I'm having dinner with my parents."
She looked at me disappointedly, before she took a long stride over to my place. She pulled me in for a hug, before she said, "That's sad…" with an added gesture that showed mock-sympathy.”You'll miss a lot of gorgeous male models, and when I say a lot, I made sure they're a lot." She said with a small laugh.
I laughed too, before I put my mobile, wallet, and iPod back into my bag, and slapped her teasingly on the arm. I slung my Balenciaga over my shoulder, as I made my way outside to my car. I got in my white BMW and headed over to this Japanese restaurant called 'Masa' for some fine dining. Before entering the building and heading over to the fourth floor, I had to find a place to park. When I finally had, I entered the restaurant, and considering that it was a small, but very luxurious place, I immediately found my parents. I went over to where they were, and kissed their cheeks before I took my place on the seat across from them.
A tall Japanese man went over to our place, and greeted us with a simple 'Hello' spoken in Japanese, before he took out a piece of paper and a pen. In English, and with a very good American accent, as if he hadn't spoken Japanese for a while, asked us for our orders.
"We'll have one plate of assorted sushi, one order of teriyaki, another order of teppanyaki…" My mom trailed off, knowing full-well their menu since she enjoyed eating at this place with her socialite friends.
I rolled my eyes unnoticeably at the person who brought me into this world. We were only three, and I especially didn't have a big appetite. My dad hadn't even ordered yet, and here she was rambling random orders like we were her pets who couldn't make decisions for ourselves, with relation to food.
"How about you two? Do you want to add anything else?" My mother asked, finally taking notice of us.
Being the follower between the two of them, my dad simply shook his head at my mom, while I ordered a simple salad.
"I'll have a shrimp salad only." I said to the man serving us.
He smiled and nodded his head at me, before he wrote my order down. From the corner of my eye, I saw my mom shaking my head, before she turned and looked at my father. My mama-dear then placed her attention to me before telling the waiter, "That's all. Thank you."
The waiter left, and when I sideways glanced to my beloved parents, I saw my mother look at me disappointedly and worriedly, while my father had an expression of nonchalance on his face.
"Why? What's wrong?" I asked my parents.
As usual, my mom was the one who opened her mouth, while daddy dearest just listened to her, nodding his head at every sentence she finished.
"Your father and I have been talking…" She said. She looked like she wasn't quite sure of the things she was going to say. She opened, closed, opened, and closed her mouth repeatedly, and I was getting annoyed. Both of them knew I was stubborn, but like they cared.
"Just say it, mom." I said to her. Mentally, I smacked myself on the head.
I missed a hot party full of gorgeous models to be reprimanded for something I had no idea why? This sucks…
"You say it Jack." My mom told my father. My father let out a deep sigh before he started to explain the end of me.
"Your mother and I have decided to put you in boarding school. Because -…" I immediately cut my dad off.
"Boarding school? But I get home-schooled…" I reasoned out to them as I stabbed the placemat with my chopstick.
"Honey, your home-schooling isn't even consistent…you get home-schooled whenever you're in the U.S., but what happens to your brain when you're in Europe or in Asia?"
"But I'm earning a lot of money…"
I know. I absolutely suck at defending myself...
"Honey, you're seventeen and with your beauty a lot of designers are getting you to be their 'First Face' in their shows, but what happens after a decade?" My mom asked. I noticed my dad h
ad stopped talking, and apparently, I guessed sooner that it was my mother who wanted all of this, and my dad, being a good husband, was just going along.
"I'll be twenty-seven. That's not bad…"
"Think long-term, honey. What will happen to you when your skin starts to age? It's not just about beauty, and money...you have to think of yourself...your mind...girls your age are probably studying Trigonometry while you're out here learning about the 'What's hot's and 'What not's of the world."
Maybe she had a point, but I definitely wasn't going to tell her that. I'm a girl, but I still had pride in myself, and I wasn't going to allow my mom to tell me to do 'this,' 'that,' and whatever she wanted. She was being totally unfair, and she knew it, but she was my mom who grew up living the easy life because of her large bank account courtesy of the President of some technology company, a.k.a. her dad, my grandfather.
"Mom, is that the only reason why you're sending me far, far away? Just because after how-ever-many-years I'm not going to be doing the same thing? And please mom...it's not like I’m going to do all that complicated addition and stuff on the streets..."
I wasn't liking this. I was actually hating it. My dad, who apparently was getting tired of us talking and reasoning out non-stop, decided to play a game on his cell phone. Yep…he was blocking us out.
"No. There are other reasons why your dad and I decided that this is the best for you…" She said in a motherly voice that was annoyingly shitty.
Our orders arrived, and the only one who touched the food was my dad. My mom and I were busy burning each other with our gazes and words. I knew she was starting to get irritated by my persistence of not following her, but I couldn't help myself. I didn't like her idea one bit.
"Then what are the other reasons?"
She let out a sigh. "Another concern of ours is your eating habits."
"Mom, I need to eat like that. It's needed in this industry." I explained. I wasn't anorexic, bulimic, or anything. I stood 5'9", and I weighed 115 pounds. That wasn't so bad, compared to some of the other models. I met one who had a height of 5'9", but she weighed 100 pounds. See…I'm healthy!
"I know, and this industry is bad for you. Did you hear the news recently about a Brazilian model that died because of anorexia?"
I nodded my head, before I started to defend myself again. "Mom, she was like 80-something pounds. I'm a 115."
"Do you know what your BMI is?"
I could already foresee it…she was going to win this…
I nodded my head at her, and she asked me what it was.
"17. Last time I checked." I said, giving her a scowl.
"See, you're underweight."
"But I'm not anorexic."
She let out another deep sigh, and by the frown and the rolling of eyes, I sensed that she was getting irritated already. She exhaled again before she told me that I needed to stop reasoning out, because all the words coming out from my mouth were useless.
"Mom…" I groaned out, clenching my fists.
"No, honey. Stop it." My mom said, avoiding eye contact. She turned to her teriyaki and started to eat it with etiquette, just exactly the way she was, proper, confident, independent, and in-control.
I turned to my dad this time, who was busy with a plate of assorted sushi. He looked up from his plate and turned to me. "I'm sorry honey. I'm just in charge of earning money, and your mom has the rest…"
That was helpful…not…
"I never even got a say in this…" I said to the both of them, probably sounding like a ten-year old child.
"I said stop it, Alexandra." My mom said forcefully.
Okay, she's pissed. She just used my complete first name.
She pounded her fists on her table, and mouthed out an 'Enough' when I scowled.
By this time, a few tears had rolled down my cheeks, and I couldn't stop them from leaving my eyes anymore. My mom, who became even more frustrated because of my crying, raised her voice at me. She didn't care if other people were watching, and especially didn't give a damn about embarrassing me; all she cared about was herself, and the good image she had been trying to maintain all these years.
"Alex, you're going to boarding school whether you like it or not. You're seventeen, and a career isn't a must for you yet. While you're there, I also expect you to gain a few pounds, and I don't want you to be skin and bones just like you are now when you get back for Winter Break."
I continued to sob, and she just went on reprimanding me.
"Ridgeway is a much respected school with such high standards full of students who come from dignified families, a few of them we know and are friends with, so don't humiliate yourself and the family name. You hear me?"
Shut up…
"Alex, do you hear me?"
"I fucking hear you, alright!" And with that, I walked away, and left them to finish the rest of the food. I exited the building and got in my car and drove to the hotel I was staying in. I was going to pack up, go to the airport, and go to California.
That was where Ridgeway was. In California.
* * *
Chapter 2: Roommates and Model Material Guys
* * *
Ridgeway looked totally different from what you would expect a normal boarding school to look like. Unlike the usual red brick walls, and fields full of willowy and leafy trees, Ridgeway had a very modern design. It had panoramic glass windows that were lightly tinted, and the buildings in the school property had metal staircases with glass railings, while the fields had cemented walkways with decorative fountains.
I was inside the building where the dormitories were, and learned that apparently the girl's dorms were in the same building where the boys were. The only separation that couldn't actually be considered a division was the name East Wing, and another one called the West Wing. The East was where the boys' rooms were and the West was where the girls' dorms were.
Room W407…where was it…here you go!
I stood in front of a door with the letter W and the numbers 407 engraved on a circular piece of glass that was attached to the door. I took out my key, which was apparently a card just like the one found in hotels, and inserted it into the slot, unlocking the door, before I entered my room. The whole dorm was absolutely big. Just how big was it? Well...the room had separate bedrooms, and each room had its own bathroom. There was even a living room and a tiny kitchen, making it like a small apartment. After surveying the place, I noticed a figure of a woman my age sitting on a couch while she watched Entertainment Tonight on the LCD screen. The brunette lowered the volume and turned her gaze to me.
"Are you Alexandra?" She asked with a small smile as she crossed her legs on the couch.
She looked friendly, but for some unknown reason she intimidated me. I didn't know why. Maybe because I felt a little bit obligated to be close to her considering she was my roommate. I cut my train of thoughts short when I noticed her looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Oh great...she must think that I’m weird now for not talking.
"Yup, and my new roommate is…?" I asked her, also retuning the smile.
She stood up from the couch and went over to where I was, before she bent down and helped me carry my bags.
"No, it's okay!" I immediately told her when she picked up my heaviest luggage and started carrying it to my room.
"Don't worry about it." She said with nonchalance, the smile still on her face. "I'm Riley by the way."
Riley, as I now knew her was a brunette, and her chocolate brown eyes almost-perfectly matched her dark hair color. She was a few inches shorter than me, but nonetheless she could be considered tall. Also, her skin was darkly tanned, which indicated that she played some kind of outdoor sport.
"Oh, okay. Hey!" I said with a small awkward laugh.
She turned to me, and did a small hand gesture, before she cocked an eyebrow up at me.
"Are you nervous?"
I laughed. For a person who barely knew me, she instantly got me. "Just a little bit."
&nb
sp; "I think I'm the one who should be nervous. Rooming with Alexandra Levi? World-renowned Victoria's Secret model?" She said with a tiny hint of amusement in her voice.
"No need to be." I said with a laugh. "Call me Alex, or even Lexy."
"Okay then Alex, what do supermodels like you do in their spare time?" She said, as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for an answer.
I laughed at what she said, before I started to explain to her that there was no so-called 'break' in the fashion industry. "Oh God…spare time? That's like non-existent."
She arched one of her eyebrows up at me. "No kidding? Is the modeling life that busy?"
The Heaven I Found In Hell Page 1
