Acting Out by EroticFan

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4711015/1/Acting_Out
http://twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=1635
Word Count: 134,761

Official Description: AU-human: Edward, Bella and Jake are juniors in Forks. Very NC-17 with Edward and Jake both bi, but not PWP – there’s plot, angst, humor and romance as these messed-up kids figure out their three-way relationship. You’ll like Jake here – trust me!

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Chicklette says: A while ago a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of Acting Out by eroticfan. I gave it a peek but I was hesitant. An ExBxJacob fic? I don’t think so. But FarDareisMai2 gave it such a glowing recommendation, that I thought, okay, I could at least read the first chapter. Now, I’m not gonna lie – I started this one night and read until I fell asleep with the laptop on my lap. I went to bed, got up, called in sick, and finished reading.

Eroticfan drew me in on the first page, setting the scene with an Edward that I hadn’t read before. Sure, he’s cocky and arrogant, all skinny jeans, guyliner and manwhore ways. But this Edward isn’t just bored and beautiful. He’s also fantasizing about Jasper, who is his sister’s boyfriend, and his best friend. Mmm.

And then he notices new girl Bella Swan, who is beautiful and intriguing in her mystery. In classic player style, he decides he wants her and begins to pursue her. But will she be the easy conquest he desires? Maybe not.

I hadn’t read a Bella quite like this before. She owns her sexuality, yet she retains an innocence, a quality of having grown up too fast and knowing it. Throughout the first few chapters, the author does a great job of dropping hints about Edward and Bella’s pasts and building up some mystery, which, I promise you, comes to a really satisfying conclusion.

Jacob is introduced, and he plays a big role in both Bella and Edward’s lives, both separately and together. The summary is right – you will love Jacob in this story.

Where Eroticfan excels is in her ability to show us the childish vulnerability of these kids, while also showing their world-weariness. She illustrates their complicated relationships with their parents, their siblings and their friends, all within the context of growing and not quite fitting in.

It’s that vulnerability that gives this story heart. Eroticfan traverses the space from some of the most amazing lemons ever, to heartbreaking and sincere emotion with an ease I’ve yet to see rivaled:

I set him to rights again as he did for me, then stand and he pulls me to him, holding me in his arms so tightly, rocking to and fro. He holds my face and kisses me and I feel wetness. I touch his cheek and feel the tracks of tears.

“Edward, you’re…”

“Kiss me…” And I do. It’s soft now, gentle and no tongues, and his lips are on my neck, and at my ear.

“Let me carry your books and hold your hand Bella.”

“Yes.” I whisper it into his mouth.

Oh Edward. What the fuck are we doing?

I’ve read this story a dozen times by now. It never fails to pull me in, so that I’m lost in the world the author weaves for us, one of heartbreak and emotion, of the tenderness of new love, and the trembling, misguided steps that teenagers take when blooming from children into adults. Give it a shot – you won’t be disappointed.

AmeryMarie says: With a cocky, obviously bi, Edward, Acting Out intrigued me from the start. Well, that and because Eroticfan had me laughing…and thinking of Stewie from Family Guy (love that cartoon so fecking much), by the second sentence.

So I’m sitting in the lunchroom, bored out of my mind, surveying the crowd. Had him, had her, had her, had him (makes cute noises when he comes). Really I’ve almost exhausted all the acceptable possibilities in this backwater.

Bored bored bored. I stretch languidly and decide to tease Jazz, just to pass the time. I like teasing Jazz. Want to do more than just tease him, but these days he always draws the line. And he is my best friend – not that that ever stopped me.

I reach out and massage the nape of his neck, above his Strokes T-shirt and below his curling fair hair. He lets me touch him for a moment, arching back into my hand. Hot – he’s almost got me going there. Then he twists gently away, shooting me a sidelong look and shaking his head disapprovingly. Cocktease.

“Hands to yourself, Edward,” he reminds me.

Yeah yeah, I’d promised. “What? You just looked a bit tense there Jazz. Pining for Alice? I’d be happy to tide you over…” I grin suggestively, putting my head down as I stare at him from under my eyelashes and make licking motions with my tongue. Yes kiddies, it’s the Jazz and Edward show.

Acting Out is an Edward/Bella/Jake story, which I didn’t really know until I was already committed to it. I will admit, that I almost didn’t read this fic, because I had a hard time getting over the description of Edward, and I didn’t even know what the term slash meant when I first stumbled on it. I think it may have actually been the first slashy/threesome thing I ever read in the fandom but, despite my doubts, I ended up really liking it.

I love that it is so much more than just pwp. Although it is hot, this story is really the tale of three kids from different backgrounds, each of them with their own problems, forming a bond and helping each other navigate the turbulent waters of adolescence. It’s less about kinky sex, than it is about exploring your sexuality and learning what it means to love. They go through some bad times, they argue, they fight, they make bad choices but, in the end, they always come through for each other.

Each of them saves each of the others – whether literally, or figuratively, or both – and they are all better for it. But, alas, it wasn’t meant to last…or was it…and Jake leaves. They grow up, Bella and Edward get married, years pass, and the story ends with a visit from an old friend…and the promise of a happy future. It is really a sweet tale, just one a bit left of center.

The writing has its technical flaws, and there are spots that could use a betaing, but I can’t think of a fic out there without errors, my own included. Regardless, I never really found the grammatical/punctuation errors to be very distracting. Stylistically, I loved it. It has a flow and a voice all its own that you can’t help but get lost in, and it contains some of the best lemons I have read in the fandom. They are graphic in a way that’s tasteful, and dream-like in a very in-the-moment kind of way, if that makes sense?

Don’t take my word for it. Give it a read and see for yourself.