Familia De La Rosa

3

       My bed is the comfiest place on earth. I can lay here all day. But I can't. Soon enough, several stylists burst into my room and I sit up, inwardly groaning.
My mother follows after them and so does my spoiled sister, Elise. Celine is nowhere to be found.
"What are you still doing in bed, Bella?" Mother shakes her head at me before pointing to the vanity. "Sit. Your stylists are here and we have to leave in two hours."
I notice that Elise is looking through my closet and holding my dresses to her body.
"Hey!" I shout. "You have your own clothes!"
She pretends not to hear me before turning to Mother. "How about this one, Mom?"
Mother rubs her temples and shakes her head. "Your sister is right. Those are her dresses. Your stylists have prepared a gown much more suited for you."
Elise rolles her eyes and heads out of the room mumbling, "Must be nice being the favorite."
I am not the favorite. I am the eldest daughter so I have a reputation to carry meaning Mother just takes care of me more. Wow. That does sound entitled, though.
With a sigh, I plop down on the vanity chair and Mother places my hair over my shoulders and smiles at me. "Don't give me that face. People love seeing you in front of cameras."
"And I feel pressured to not make any mistakes," I admit to her.
"What are you talking about?" She brushes it off as a stylist lays a gown down on my bed. "You're Isbaella De La Rosa. You are the heiress of your father's company. Everybody loves you, Dear. Your father and I..." She squeezes my shoulder. "are very proud of you."
I try to mirror her smile before I am whisked off to get my hair and makeup done.
Being in this family meant you had to be perfect. Every move we do is scrutinized by the press and can be twisted into something false. We were trained to be careful—to be aware of everything around us.
One wrong move and you were done. Your fame you had a few hours ago could disappear just like that.

When I go to the limo, Alex and Kai are the only ones in there.
"Ah, my eyes..." Kai says, covering them with his hands as if he was seeing the sun. "They never want to see this phenomenon again."
"Shut up," I say lifting a fist in his direction.
He shrugs and laughs. "You look decent."
"And you look half decent," I reply back in a deadpan.
Alex is on his phone, texting someone.
"Kuya (older brother)," I nudge him with my clutch. "Who's the girl?" I flash him a smile.
He looks up at me, his face twisted into confusion. "What girl?"
"The girl you're texting," I reply.
"This is work, Bella. What girl?" He informs me as he shakes his head.
"Girls are a foreign concept to Kuya," Kai tells me.
"At least, they're not my whole life," Alex shoots back.
"Hey, hey, hey," Kai shakes his head. "Let's not go there."
I grab his ear and pull it hard. "You're sixteen and you have had more relationships than Taylor Swift. Do you know that? You're half her age!"
"Wouldn't mind dating Taylor, too," He flashes me a goofy grin.
"Oh, Gosh," Alex groans and shakes his head.
Soon, the rest of my family comes into the car. I smile at Celine who smiles back as she climbs into the car. She looks radiant in her white evening gown.
"You look pretty," I say in a sing-songy voice. "Who are you trying to impress?" I nudge her.
She blushes. "No one."
Elise crosses her arms over her chest. "You're not going to impress someone with uneven brows. Who did your brows, anyways?"
I kick her leg. "Oh, my gosh. Just be quiet for once."
"I had two stylists. I think they did pretty well," Celine snaps back at her, giving her a glare.
"Oh, yeah? Well, you know Bella?" Elise turns her attention to me. "She had seven stylists to herself. And the attention's gonna be on her just like always," She sneers.
"I didn't ask for any of them," I protest.
"Oh, yeah? We all know the camera loves you the best. Celine and I barely get any screen time," Elise scoffs.
"Elise," Alex gives her a hint of warning in his voice. "Don't start."
"Is everything alright there, children?" Father asks from the front of the limo.
"Everything's under control, Father!" I shout back before closing the window separating the two areas of the limo.
I turn my attention to Elise and point a finger at her. "You need to learn respect for me. It doesn't mean that since you're fifteen you can talk to me any way you want. I'm your older sister and I demand that you behave so you don't ruin my night."
Celine nods her head in agreement. "And I don't care that Bella has more stylists. She's the eldest Dela Rosa daughter. Everyone's attention is on her. She has a reputation."
I give Celine a half-smile and she nods.
"Yeah, sis, don't be a brat right now," Kai ruffles Elise's hair. "I know you're the baby but...."
Elise pulls away from him and lets out a groan. She takes out a compact mirror from her purse. "Gosh, you're messing up my hair!"
In a couple of minutes or so, we arrive at the venue. Dozens of cameras are stationed at every corner.
"Ready?" I ask everyone in the car.
They all nod and we step out after Mother and Father head out of the car. I am greeted by a flash of lights.
"Miss De La Rosa, over here!" One photographer calls.
"Isabella, strike a pose for me!"
"Miss Isabella, please face this way!"
I try to give my best smile and do various poses as I walk by the camera.
Everybody's watching you. Don't screw up.
We make it to the main red carpet and we pose as a family. Elise, done with her temper tantrum, gives a genuine smile. She loves the camera.
From the corner of my eye, I see a familiar face. Archer with his mother. They are just finishing posing for the cameras.
Mrs. De Guzman was scolding her son while pointing to her cellphone. I instantly know what she is talking.
He stands there ashamed as he looks for a camera to make sure that no one is watching. But I am. I'm watching up.
He meets my gaze and his shameful face turns into a small glare. One of the photographers notice our little eye exchange.
"Miss De La Rosa! Mr. De Guzman! A pose for the cameras, will you?" He says.
Mrs. De Guzman smiles at me before turning to her son. She fixes his suit and pushes him towards the front.
"Ah, how nice of you to join me," I say, giving him a plastic smile.
"Glad to know you want me here," He shoots back before crossing over to be closer to me.
Nobody knows that we hate each other. In social media, we were friends. We followed each other on every single platform just for our PR.
We were as fake as fake could be. If word got out that we despised each other, our careers would both be doomed. We'd be ruled as snobbish, petty individuals.
"Your mother was giving you an earful," I say through a smile as I pose for the camera. "Was it about the phone call?"
"She wants me to apologize," He whispers before giving a grin to one of the photographers.
"Okay, then. Go on. Let me hear it."
"I have nothing to apologize for."
"The library is for studying. It's not love island," I cover up my frustration, pretending to laugh as if Archer made a joke.
"You're just jealous because you're single, Angel-Face."
"Trust me. I'd rather be single than all up in your face, Archer," I tell him.
His hand suddenly hooks around my waist and he pulls me closer, his face merely inches away from me.
My eyes widen. "What are you-"
Some photographers cheer and camera flashes double in size.
"Trust me, you'll like it."
"Like what?"
He holds on to my waist a bit longer before letting go. "The dating rumors that stir up after tonight. It'll make you feel less single, you know," He winks before exiting the red carpet.
I ball my hands into fists before I remember where I was. I unclench my fists and gesture towards the way he walked out. "Isn't he just lovely?"