"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Bella, happy birthday to you!" Isabella Stanly's family sang to her on her 21st birthday.
"Blow out the candles and make a wish!" her sister older sister,Joleen (who was nicknamed Joelie), yelled to Isabella. She smiled before blowing out the candles and wishing she didn't have to live with the painful secret she had to deal with everyday. She knew the wish wouldn't come true, but she wished anyway.
'Don't make me eat the cake,'Isabella pleaded to herself,'Don't make me eat the cake...'
"Ok Bell, cut the cake, you get the first piece!" her father,Robert, said.
Isabella put on a fake smile and pretended she was happy. She took the cake knife from her smiling mother, Grace, and cut a slice in the large, frosted cake. Everyone clapped. She took the piece and placed it on one of her mother's beautiful china dishes and kept it for herself reluctantly.
"Hey kiddo, let me do that so you can enjoy your cake," her dad said referring to cutting the cake. Isabella slid the cake towards her father. She picked at her cake, taking tiny pieces out of it.
"Isabella, we are so going partying tonight,"Joelie said with a large smile."I'm figuring the casinos then the clubs, we'll stay out all night and get totally plastered."
"Ok,"Isabella said quietly.
"HEY! My little girls aren't getting totally plastered! You know men would easily take advantage of pretty blonds like yourselves if they knew you were drunk," Mr. Stanly lectured sternly.
"We know the drill dad I was just joking...are you alright, Bella" Joelie asked, the concern in her deep blue eyes.
"Yeah, fine, why wouldn't I be,"Isabella said putting on another one of her false smiles, she was good at convincing people she really was with that smile.
Joelie sighed from relief,"Ok good I'm glad. How's the cake? Good?"
"Yeah it's great,"Isabella replied looking down at her barely touched cake.
"Did you like the outfit I got you? It's pretty hot isn't it? I figured you could wear it on your night out in the city with me,"Joelie said.
Isabella thought back to the short black leather skirt and the bright blue tank top that came above her naval with the sequences lining the bottom, neckline, and sleaves,"Yeah it's cute."
"I know, you know how Joshua modeled for Guess? Well, he got it for a really really good deal when I told him I wanted to get you a great birthday present. He got you something too, and he told me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't be here tonight."
"Oh that's ok." Isabella replied. Josh was Joelie's gorgeous model boyfriend and her sister was equally as beautiful.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yes! Why is everyone so concerned? I'm fine!" Isabella yelled, and noticed everyone had gotten quiet and was staring at her. "I'm sorry everyone. I'm just tired I'm going to go lay down for a while. Is that ok?"
Everyone nodded and Isabella rose elegantly from the table, and walked to the beautiful staircase in the large mansion she lived in. Her family was very wealthy and owned a house in Manhattan. Her parents were both very successful. Grace was a former Broadway star, and Robert was an extremely famous and popular lawyer. Isabella dragged herself up the stairway and headed straight for the bathroom in her room. She locked the door and ran her perfectly manicured fingers through her long, straight pure blond hair. Everytime she did this, she hated herself. Hated herself for being so weak. Isabella put the the seat to the toilet up and leaned over it, sticking her fingers down her throat. As she vomited up her whole meal, she cried. When she was finished, she flushed and fell to the floor, crying hysterically. She couln't believe she did this mostly every time she ate a meal. Her parents would be so ashamed of her if they found out. Her elegant picture perfect parents would be ashamed of their bulimic daughter. Isabella didn't want to do this to herself, but she didn't want to gain weight and be fat if she stopped. She had to be as perfect as her beautiful mother, her good looking father, her gorgeous sister, and her handsome 17 year old brother, Ethan. She had to live up to the standards everyone expected of the Stanlys. 'What a beautiful family you have here, Robert'everyone would say when they visited. Her father would smile proudly and say 'Thank you, I know.'
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door, "Isabella open up!"
Isabella almost felt her heart stop. What had Ethan heard? Would he go down and tell everyone her secret? She cleared her throat,"Ok just a minute." She wiped the fresh tears from her eyes and glanced in the mirror before opening the door.
"Bella are you ok? It sounded like you were throwing up,"Ethan said suspiciously, studying her face.
"Um yeah I was. I feel much better now, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore. It must've been a one time thing because. The food or something,"Isabella lied, with a smile.
Ethan didn't look convinced,"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
"Ok, since you're alright, I'm going back down,"Ethan said, still looking unconvinced.
"Yeah I'll be down in a few minutes, I'm just going to lie down in my room for a few minutes,"Isabella replied,then tried to reassure her brother,"I'm fine Ethan, really."
"Ok, later Bella,"he said then left.
"Wait...Ethan, don't tell them I threw up,I don't want them to worry about me. I'm fine now,"Isabella said, calling to him.
Ethan turned around,"Ok your secret's safe with me," he then turned and left again.
Isabella closed the bathroom door. She slid down onto the cold tile floor as tears escaped her deep blue eyes. What was she doing this?
"Nick what are you doing tonight?" Brian Littrell asked his best friend, sittind down in his posh, Plaza hotel room.
Nick looked up from the TV and said,"Chilling here."
"Now there's a shocker,"Brian said, with a smile.
"Well then why did you ask?" Nick snapped, irritated, turning his attention back to the Springer episode he was watching.
"I thought you might surprise me,"Brian said,"Listen Nick, we're all going to see the city tonight, why don't you come? It'll be fun."
"I'd rather not,"Nick said.
"Turn this crap off and join the rest of us in the real world,"Brian pursuaded.
"I dunno."
"It'll be good to get out."
"Fine, I'll go."
"Good, maybe you'll find yourself a nice, pretty girl. You've needed one since you broke up with Mandy, or is it Willa now? I keep forgetting,"Brian rolled his eyes, he never like Nick's ex girlfriend.
"Brian, I already told you I'd go ok? Let's not make fun of my ex girlfriend, even if she did deserve it,"Nick said.
"Alright, sorry, I'm gonna get going. Leighanne wanted to go over the color napkins and stuff for the wedding,"Brian smiled.
Nick looked over and smirked,"Whipped."
"Not whipped, in love. It'll happen to you too someday Nick. You'll find the one who turns your world upside down, and the one you can't live without,"Brian said.
"I doubt it, I'm not very good in that department,"Nick muttered.
"It'll happen buddy, trust me,"Brian said with a smile.
"I suck at least things!" Joelie yelled frustrated. The two were at a crowded, Manhattan casino.
Isabella shrugged,"I'm doing pretty well."
"Sure rub it in,"Joelie said.
"Here! Take some of mine, now don't complain anymore,"Isabella said, placing a handful of her winnings into her sister's cup.
"No I don't want yours...I was just kidding, I'm glad you're winning, it's your birthday and maybe you won't be moody now,"Joelie smiled, dumping Isabella tokens back into her cup.
"I was not moody, I just wasn't feeling good that's all,"Isabella said, winning another handful of tokens.
"It's your machine that's what it is...are you sure you weren't just moody. That time of the month?" Joelie said glancing from Isabella's machine back to her.
"It's not the machine coz I was at the other one and I won on that one too. Yes I'm sure I wasn't moody, and no it's not that time of the month,"Isabella said.
"Ok well maybe you'll meet a hot guy tonight. You need a man,"Joelie said,"In fact, there's some fine looking guys over there checking you out."
"It's probably you they're checking out,"Isabella said. There was 5 great looking guys, 2 pretty blond girls with 2 of the guys, and 3 big,burly black men and they were all definately heading over were Isabella and Joelie were.
"Blondie's cute, and he doesn't have a girl with him," Joelie said giving the guys the once over.
Once the guys got over, the brunette with all the tattoos spoke up, "Hello beautiful ladies, how are you this evening."
"Well aren't you quite the charmer...we're good, how are you,"Joelie spoke up with a flirtacious smile.
"Great, I'm AJ, that's Nick, Brian and his fiancee Leighanne, Kevin and his fiancee Kristin, and Howie. The big guys back there are our body guards."
"I'm Isabella and that's my sister Joelie, nice to meet you all,"Isabella said, smiling directly at the blond who gave her a smile back. The rest of them said hello. Maybe Joelie was right, maybe she did need a man.
"Beautiful names for beautiful women," AJ said.
"Thanks, you have bodyguards? Are you famous?" Joelie asked.
"We're the Backstreet Boys,"Brian said.
"Ohh you're the Backstreet Boys? I've heard your music and stuff, you're really talented but neither of us are fans. No offense,"Joelie said.
"None taken,"AJ smiled,"Are you two single and legal or did you just charm your way into here?"
"I'm single and legal. I turned 21 today," Isabella said.
"Happy birthday,"all the guys said in unison.
Isabella laughed,"Thanks."
"I'm just legal...I took her out for a night in the city since she's old enough to gamble and drink,"Joelie explained.
"How old are you?" AJ asked Joelie.
"23,"Joelie replied.
"Well damn, since you're taken and Nick over here is eyeing your sister and practically drooling over her, I can't have either of you,"AJ said looking at Nick then at Isabella. Both of them had turned a bright crimson.
Howie leaned in and whispered to Nick,"Talk to her. She's pretty and seems nice."
"I dunno,"Nick replied,uneasily.
"Just do it,"Kevin whispered.
Nick cleared his throat then said,"Would you two like to join us tonight?" He was looking at Isabella who smiled at him. All his friends looked at him in shock that he had spoken up.
"We'd love to,"Isabella said sending Nick a heart-stopping smile. He smiled widely back. This was going to be a good night...
Chapter Two
