Chapter 2

"What's wrong with you two?" Isabella asked as she came out of her closet. "Damn, girl, get some clothes on!" she exclaimed with a laugh. I quickly looked away from Andrew and hurried into the closet, pushing Izzy inside and shutting the door. "What's your deal?" she asked with a slight laugh.

"Only that your brother saw more then I'd let anyone see!" I shot back.

"Girl, relax!" she exclaimed, laughing harder, blue eyes sparkling. "It's just Andrew. Now what can you wear?" she flipped through her many racks of clothing.

"No that was the point!" I wanted to wail back but knew to keep my mouth shut. "You saw him in his boxers, it's only fair," a small voice nagged in my head. "SCREW FAIR!" I yelped back… in my head of course, Izzy would have thought I'd gone mad.

"Hmmm…" she was thankfully still engrossed with her clothing and too busy noticing my mental argument. She grabbed hangers, held the clothes together, and eyed them with an experienced eye. "No…" she muttered, hanging them back up. Five tries later, she handed me my clothes with a satisfied look on her face.

"Iz?" I asked then asked dryly, "I'm not your Barbie doll."

"I know… it's just so fun, dressing other people!" she replied, looking gleeful. "Plus it's a cute outfit and you know it," she winked, walking past me and opening the door. "Oh…" she turned around. "Lucy's here for the laundry," she lunged suddenly, grabbed the end of my towel, and yanked it off, shutting the door with a smooth movement.

"ISABELLA!" I shouted, thanking God that Andrew hadn't seen.

"She needed the towel!" Iz replied nonchalantly though I could hear suppressed laughter in her voice. I rolled my eyes as I put on her clothes.

And damn her for being right. I stared at the V-neck dark blue t-shirt and just above the knee tan skirt. I looked cute. Red faced and very blue eyed but cute.

"I'm gonna kill you." I announced as I walked out of the closet but found only Andrew again.

He raised an eyebrow. "I think I could take you," he told me nonchalantly. "Isabella's is in the bathroom."

"Thanks." I mumbled, hurrying into the bathroom.

Izzy was eyeing her eyebrows with a trained eye, looking for stray hairs. She glanced at me then sighed overdramatically. "Oh relax; no one saw your nudeness."

"Shut up." I snarled back, grabbing her brush out of her drawer.

"Are we leaving in this lifetime?" Andrew asked in a bored tone of voice as he slunk carelessly into the bathroom. He slumped down onto the white marble steps into her sunken in Jacuzzi tub.

"Am I dressed?" Isabella asked him impatiently. "Then no," she stormed out.

"She's always cranky right after she's been dumped," he sighed.

"I HEARD THAT." Isabella shouted from the other room.

"IT'S TRUE." Andrew shouted back.

"You guys are hopeless." I sighed as I finished brushing my wet hair.

Our eyes met for a moment in the bathroom mirror. "What?" I asked quietly after an unusually quiet moment from Andrew.

"Iz?" he finally broke our stare to shout as he got up. "Where are we going?" he asked as he walked out of the bathroom.

I grabbed her blow dryer and flipped my head over.

When I popped back up, Isabella was back in the bathroom putting on her makeup as Andrew leaned against the counter. "I thought big hair was out," she teased me.

"I know, very 80s." I smirked as I ran the brush through, restoring my hair back to its dry self. "Where are we going?" I asked Iz.

"I was thinking Gucci," she replied, curling her eyelashes.

"Good plan." I replied, staring at the dark circles under my eyes and then sighing. "Oh damn, I gotta call my mom." I walked out of the bathroom.

"Is she still giving you a hard time?" Izzy asked from the bathroom.

"Yeah." I grumbled, grabbing my phone. One missed call… damn. I dialed home.

"Hello?" Mom answered, sounding slightly panicked.

"Mom, I told you I was at Izzy's." I said wearily.

"But when will you be home?" she demanded.

"Later this afternoon. We're going shopping." I replied quietly.

"Where?" she demanded in the same panicked voice.

"Gucci." I replied. "We're shopping for Izzy."

"And you too!" Izzy yelled from the bathroom. What? We'd talk about that after I got off the phone with my mom.

"Okay." Mom sounded relieved. "Call me later."

"I will." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Bye Mom."

"Bye," we hung up.

"That woman has got to relax." Isabella swept into the room.

"She's been through a lot." I said quietly, tossing my cell and wallet into one of Izzy's purses I'd borrowed.

"The Marc Jacobs?" Izzy asked, eyeing the white slouchy bag. "Good choice!"

"I thought so too." I smiled back.

"Are you girls FINALLY ready?" Andrew breezed into the room.

"You really need to learn how to knock." I told him as Isabella unaffectedly sprayed on her perfume. He shrugged incorrigibly, of course.

"Let's go." Isabella said in a bored voice, walking out the door.

I looked at Andrew, who gestured for me to go first, and nodded as we walked out the door. We walked outside and down to the limo that had been called for us. The chauffer held the door open for Isabella as she hopped in. I followed and sat down next to us. Andrew sat down across from us as the chauffer shut the door.

"Where to, Miss Walters?" the driver asked.

"Gucci." Isabella replied.

"Oh hey, what were you telling me when I was on the phone with my mom?" I asked as the limo began to roll down the driveway. She frowned in confusion so I elaborated with, "About shopping for me?"

"Of course we're gonna get you a dress too," she replied, giving me the, "You're crazy," look. "My dad's throwing a party tonight so naturally you're going to be there and you can't very well just wear your Macy's prom dress."

"Of course not." Andrew rolled his eyes.

"You're just pissed off because you have to wear a tux." Izzy taunted.

"Shut up," he scowled out the window.

"Iz, I'm fine with my Macy's prom dress." I reminded her.

"Yeah but Bridgette's not," she replied grimly. Andrew shifted at Bridgette's name. "And she'll gladly throw you out on your ass, my best friend or not."

"True." I muttered as we waited for the gate to open. I sneaked a tiny peak at Andrew, who was being uncharacteristically quiet, and found him scowling darkly out the window.

Iz folded her arms, undoubtedly thinking of the dreaded Bridgette, their father's twenty-six year old girlfriend. Or, as Iz was fond of calling her, Bridgette the Big Bad Bitch. Bridgette the Big Bad Bitch had Mr. Walters completely wrapped around her finger and loved to terrorize his kids. I didn't dare bring up Iz and Andrew's mom… Iz always ended up crying and Andrew usually ended up leaving the room in silence.

Andrew's cell phone interrupted the silence as we rode. He pulled it out, flipped it open, looked at the caller ID, and flipped it shut without answering.

"Well that was secretive." Izzy leaned forward, animated again.

"It was no one." Andrew snapped back.

"Who was it?" Izzy asked innocently, eyes glittering with the prospective gossip.

"Yeah, Andrew… fill us in." I joined in, leaning forward as well.

"Brittany? Jennifer? Rebecca?" Isabella tried.

"No one." Andrew smirked, folding his arms across his broad chest.

"Cheater." Iz leaned back, sulking.

"We're gonna find out." I told him wisely.

"How?" he demanded.

"You know Iz." I pointed out. Iz nodded smugly. "She's got ways."

"How very descriptive and yet remarkably un-terrifying." Andrew shot back dryly.

"We've arrived," the driver announced before climbing out.

"I'll be finding out soon." Isabella warned Andrew, who merely rolled his eyes in reply.

We climbed out into the beautiful California sunshine only to be quickly whisked into Gucci. "Isabella!" her personal shopper Charlotte exclaimed, air kissing her quickly.

"Hey Charlotte." Isabella replied with a smile.

"Hello Ana!" Charlotte beamed at me.

"Hey Charlotte." I smiled back.

"Good to see you too." Andrew was shaking the hand of his personal shopper (though Andrew will never admit that he has one) Daniel.

"Well, we'll leave you ladies to it." Daniel said formally with a little bow. "Good to see you Isabella, Ana," they walked off together.

"I thought Gucci didn't do tuxes." I commented as we walked further into the store.

"He's getting an Armani, I think." Isabella replied. I knew better then to ask why he would be getting an Armani tux in a Gucci store… Mr. Walter's credit card would take the extra hit.

It always did when it came to Izzy and Andrew.

Because while money can't buy love, it buys at least temporary happiness for his two children. Personally I'd prefer the man himself but Iz has never complained… and why should she?

It's one of the several reasons as to why we're different. She wants the clothes. I'd want the father.

"What do you think?" Isabella ran out a half hour later in a black full length gown that dipped down to her navel and exposed a little more then necessary of her chest.

"Working the corner again?" I asked dryly.

"Come on, I don't look like a whore!" she exclaimed, turning to look in the mirror.

"You keep telling yourself that tonight as old men check out your boobs every time you turn to the side." I replied with a wince, quickly looking away at the eyeful I'd just gotten.

"Not uh," she turned and then jumped as she got her own eyeful of herself. "Oh ewww, forget it! CHARLOTTE!" she yelped, jumping off and running back into the dressing room.

"How about this?" she asked, coming out in a simple floor length strapless black dress. She could have easily gotten that at Macy's but did I dare open my mouth?

"You look great, Iz." I said sincerely. She beamed at me then turned around to look in the mirror. "DAMN GIRL!" I exclaimed at the sight of her bare back down to almost her butt.

"Gotta show some skin!" she threw her blond hair over her shoulder with a wink only Izzy could get away with.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. Iz looked great in everything.

She came out of the dressing room, a saleswoman in tow holding her dress. "Okay, now you," she said as the woman boxed up her dress.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Come on!" she exclaimed, pulling me up from my chair. "Can I choose?"

"I'm not your Barbie!" I exclaimed for the second time that day.

"I know but it's just so much fun!" she shot back gleefully. "Controlling someone else's hotness.… seeing how hot they look and knowing that I was in charge of it."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes. "But I better be completely covered in all the.… right spots."

"What are you, a nun?" she asked distractedly as she critically eyed all the dresses.

"I'm just not a hoochie." I sniped back.

"You calling me one?" she demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course not, Iz." I looped my arm through hers.

"Good," she went quiet for a moment. "That one!" she pointed.

"Wow." I muttered. It was a sapphire blue dress, simple, strapless, elegant, made from some sort of light material, most likely silk. I picked it up gently and walked into the dressing room. It slid on effortlessly after I unzipped it.

"Come out!" Izzy sang.

I picked up the long skirt and came out. "Could you zip me up?" I asked her.

Her jaw dropped as she got up. "Damn Ana, you look gorgeous!"

"Really?" I asked, trying not to sound insecure as she zipped me up. I walked over to the pedestal and jumped up in front of the mirror. It tightly hugged my upper body then flowed over my feet and trailed behind me a foot. "You like it?"

"Try these." Charlotte handed me low heeled black shoes.

I slid them on.

"Now if you just pull back your hair.…" Isabella jumped up and twisted my hair back into a bun. "And you look definitely hot. You can borrow my diamond drop earrings."

"Are you-" I began.

"Quit being insecure! You're hot!" she exclaimed, hugging me around the middle. "And your dress feels nice too," she teased as she rubbed her arm up and down my dress.

"That's creepy." I picked up the dress and walked back into the dressing room.

"And of course, Greg and Laura will be coming over later to do our hair and makeup." Isabella said as she leaned against my dressing room door. "So you'll definitely look hot."

"How do you think I should do my hair?" I asked her as I carefully slid off the dress.

"A loose bun maybe?" she asked.

"Good idea." I muttered as I pulled on my jeans.

"Hey Ana?" she said after a moment.

"Yeah." I answered, grabbing my t-shirt.

"Do you think that Nick will be there tonight?" she asked.

"Iz, you're impossible." I sighed.

"Well I mean, I'm gonna look hot!" she pointed out and then added, "He'll see what he's missing."

Nick… perhaps the one guy that Iz couldn't get.

"I can't wait to see what his excuse for not going out with you is this time." I commented dryly through the door.

"Shut up," she pouted outside.