(New A.N. I was informed of a repeated sentence in this chapter, so I fixed it and reuploaded it. :) )
Yes, this is a new story. I want to start out with making a few things clear.
1. I already have this entire story planned out. Despite what your opinions are, while I do want to hear them, I will have you know that I already know exactly what I plan on doing for every aspect of this story.
2. I'm writing this because I want to. It's being written to please me. Bear that in mind.
3. My other story; A Poor Spinner, Her Children, and the King; is still being written. I have two more chapters left to write and then it will be finished. That is the only reason I am going ahead and posting this.
4. I've had this written for awhile. Not all of it, but a good chunk of it.
5. As you will very early on notice, it is based on the movie John Tucker Must Die. However, at the same time it is not. It began as that, but morphed into something so much more. So bear with me. It is very, very different, especially after the first few chapters.
6. There may be a few things that seem unrealistic. I understand. That's because it made sense to me when I was writing it, and I wasn't sure how to tweak it just right to make it make perfect sense. So some things may not make perfect sense.
7. Both updates and lengths of chapters will be sporatic. You've been warned.
If you've read all that, congrats. On with the story. :) -Andi
Rumplestiltskin Must Die
I was in seventh grade when I realized I was invisible.
Not the kind of invisibly you're thinking of. No, people could see me. But no one really did. I was more or less…anonymous. I was the seventh grader with no friends, the one who was smart but not quite smart enough to hang out with the brainiacs. I was just…there.
However, I never really bothered worrying about things like that. It never bothered me.
At least, I pretended it didn't.
My name is Belle French, and this is my story.
Seventh grade was vital to me. It was the year my mother died. It was the year I got a new cousin/brother. It was when I reached enlightenment about my existence. And it was the year my father began his new life.
My mother died of cancer. I guess she must've had it for years, but I never noticed anything was wrong. Not until she was put in the hospital all the time. It was a nightmare. Every spare second, we were at the hospital. She lasted maybe six months before dying. She died the day I started seventh grade.
If that didn't make things worse, before she died, she told my father that she needed him to take care of her nephew. Her baby nephew who had just been born, whose parents didn't want him. She made him promise and even made sure he signed adoption papers alongside her. It just so happened that her death coincided with the day we got to bring my newest baby brother/cousin home with us.
My father wanted nothing to do with little Henry. He never did from the moment he laid eyes on Henry. But it was more than just that. Sometime within the first month after Mom died, my father started drinking. He drank heavily. But on top of drinking, he started dating. My father had always been a handsome man, and the fact that he had two children who needed a mommy had the women flocking to him.
He dated anywhere from two to six women at a time. One was always taking care of Henry and me for him. When Henry started getting old enough that I could take care of him at nights, Father stopped bothering to bring women over at nights. Instead, he started taking his anger about life out on me. It was on one of those nights that I learned about how I was a mistake.
He'd slurred on about how I was never meant to be born. How my mother had had cancer years ago, and that it had destroyed her reproductive organs, but somehow I happened. And how I would have had a new sibling. How the new sibling caused the cancer to reappear.
The words were burnt into my mind. I never forgot those words.
Every time the women found out about my father's cheating ways, he was forced to skip town. This happened so often that there were times I didn't even unpack all of my things from the boxes. Henry and I were constantly uprooted.
I guess that it was a good thing I never made friends. If I had, I wouldn't have kept them.
But this isn't supposed to be my sob story. No. This story is about the move that changed my life.
The move to Storybrooke, Maine.
My father made good money. I wasn't sure exactly how he made all of his money, but he always had plenty of money. Not that it was spent on us. Most of it was spent on booze.
However, we always got a furbished house. Father learned early on that Henry was terrified of him, of the dark, of many things, and refused to sleep anywhere but in the same room as me. As soon as that had been established, he stopped buying houses with rooms for all of us. He got a bedroom, and Henry and I shared a bedroom.
I was seventeen, and a senior in high school. It was December, and the Maine winter was harsh. The house we had this time was slightly bigger than most of our houses. It had two floors, but there was little on both. The top floor consisted of our bedroom and a bathroom, and the downstairs had a kitchen, living room, the master bedroom, and the master bathroom. We got there and Father gave me money to buy groceries.
He usually did this. He had a jar he would deposit money in for groceries and other essentials, but it was vital that I always bought what he wanted to eat. I could buy whatever else I wanted with the rest of it, as long as Father got the food he wanted. Food that was generally expensive.
He also left information on the table. He'd registered us both for school. Henry's school was at a convent, it appeared. A convent that was far out of town. I knew I'd have to walk him there and back. My school, according to Google Maps, was in town.
We decided to visit Henry's school first. It was a Saturday, but since it was a convent I assumed someone would be there at all times. We walked the six miles to the convent. By we, I mean we walked about two of it and then I carried Henry on my back for the last four. It was much too cold for our meager coats. I knew I'd have to dip into my savings and buy me and Henry winter coats for this place.
We arrived there and someone was, indeed, there. A nun by the name of Astrid led us inside to the office where the head nun was.
"Ah. Are you the mother of the new student?" the nun asked. I didn't bother correcting her, simply nodded. She motioned for the seats.
"My name is Mother Superior. Your husband came in and filled out all the paperwork. Is there anything else needed?" Mother Superior asked kindly, but I had a feeling she didn't like me. It wouldn't be too hard to see why, considering she thought I was his mother. But I acted more like a mother to Henry than anyone else could, and I had no problem letting her think I was his mother if it meant I would be informed of anything happening to him.
"Actually, that was my father who came in. I wanted to make sure that the contact information was correct. I'm attending the high school in town, and I am looking for a job. If there is an emergency, please call the high school and ask for me," I told her smoothly. Her frown increased but she nodded.
"Very well. And your father?" she asked.
"Don't bother him. He's extremely busy with his work. We don't like being a burden to him," I told her smoothly. She nodded and I stood.
"Very well. There are no buses. School starts at seven-thirty and ends at three," she told us. I nodded and we left.
We made it to town and did shopping. We didn't have the ability to carry too much to the house, so we got Father's stuff first and walked it back to the house. I decided to look for a job before we got stuff for me and Henry. I had a few copies of my resumes with me since I always needed a job. Despite our short stays, I always got a job when I could. I was saving my money so that, one day, I could leave and take Henry with me. I turned eighteen soon, and hoped that when I did we'd be free of Father.
I stopped in at every shop we saw. We got lucky on our third stop, a diner. When we entered, and elderly lady was bustling around. The place was packed.
"Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for a job," I told her politely when I saw her relax a bit. Her eyes found me instantly and she scanned me. Her eyes landed on Henry and narrowed slightly before they relaxed.
"Do you have a resume?" she asked. I nodded and handed it to her. She looked over it quickly before handing it back to me. She reached under the counter and grabbed an apron, tossing it at me.
"You're hired if you can work right now. My other waitress is swamped since my granddaughter took the night off. Your son can doodle with crayons in the back booth," the lady told me swiftly. My eyes widened.
"Henry, can you wait on me?" I asked him. The five year old stuck his thumb in his mouth and nodded solemnly. I took the proffered crayons and paper and led him to the back, sitting him down. Then, after kissing him on the forehead, I tied the apron on.
"My name's Widow Lucas, but you can call me Granny. We'll discuss details when things slow down in about five hours. Does that sound good?" she asked. I nodded quickly.
"Kathryn will explain how things work. It'll take a minute," Granny promised, motioning for a girl to come over. She smiled shyly at me.
"Hi. I'm Kathryn," she said.
"Belle," I told her.
"It's pretty self-explanatory. Have you been a waitress before?" Kathryn asked. I nodded.
"Good. You'll be fine. Just…if you happen to see a guy in here with multiple dates, don't say anything," Kathryn warned. My eyebrow shot up. Had my father already been here?
"What?" I asked.
"He's a senior in high school. His name's Rumplestiltskin. At least, that's what we all THINK it is. He's a major player. Tonight's one of his favorite date nights. Don't say anything though. He can ruin you," she warned. Then stopped.
"Are you still in high school?" she asked. I nodded, which made her sigh in relief.
"Good. I was afraid I'd made a fool of myself. Is he your son?" she asked, pointing to Henry. I shook my head.
"He's my brother," I told her. That was all we got out before Granny yelled at us to get moving.
It didn't take me long to meet the infamous Rumplestiltskin. He was hard to miss. He put off this aura to him, one that told you he was dangerous. It was an attractive aura, one that pulled you in. I knew it was him without being told. Kathryn nodded to him and pointed at the table.
Without a word, I made my way to his table. I stopped there and he looked up at me, one eyebrow quirking. He was impeccably dressed.
"What can I get you?" I asked him politely. His eyes scanned me up and down, taking me in. When his eyes hit mine once more, he licked his lips.
"Are you on the menu?" he asked. It was the first time any boy had tried flirting with me. If I hadn't already been warned, I might've blushed and blubbered on like a fool. I was, instead, able to keep my cool. When I didn't respond, he sat the menu down.
"I'm not ready to order yet," he said, sighing. He flicked his wrist at me, a very obvious dismissal. The gesture infuriated me, but I sucked it up and walked away. When I got back to the counter, Kathryn was wiping up a spill.
"I gave the kid some hot chocolate with cinnamon. Hope that's okay," Kathryn said. I nodded, my attention caught. A girl had entered the diner and was making her way over to Rumplestiltskin. She was incredibly pale and had black hair cut real short. She reminded me of Snow White. And much too innocent to be caught up with Rumplestiltskin. He snapped his fingers the moment she sat down.
I made my way to his table. The girl was talking.
"…and then I had to finish wrapping up the student council meeting. Everyone was freaking out because the school video cameras had broken. I was just glad I'm the head of that too, or there would have been panic," she was saying. He nodded. He ordered for himself and she ordered for herself. I tripped over something as I started walking away. His foot. I glanced back to see a smug grin on Rumplestiltskin's face. Yep. Definitely his foot. It took all of my self control to not stomp back to the bar.
"That's Mary Margaret Blanchard. She's only a freshman, but she's already in charge of half the school. She's president of student council, she runs the video program, she started three different charity outreach programs which she heads as well, and she's some sort of smart genius," Kathryn stated quietly.
When he left, the only thing he left on the table was a napkin with a phone number on it. I trashed that immediately. He wasn't gone but maybe ten minutes when he walked back in, this time holding another girl's arm. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I hurried to wait on the other people in my section. This girl had blonde hair and an air to her that told me she wasn't to be messed with.
I didn't wait for him snap for me this time.
"How's the dance looking?" Rumplestiltskin was asking her.
"Beautiful. Damn August is way too handsy though. I wish you'd just tell people I was your girl so I wouldn't have to deal with him," she complained.
"Now, we both know I can't do that. Mom doesn't want me dating while I'm in high school. Something about focusing on school. That's why we're a secret. Working on a history project," he said with a wink. I was disgusted. Of course.
"What would you like?" I asked, trying to mask my rudeness. The girl turned to look at me. She examined me for a moment before smiling.
"Hot chocolate with cinnamon. And a cheeseburger," she said decisively. Rumplestiltskin ordered a cheeseburger as well, although I knew for a fact he'd just eaten a chicken salad. When I went to leave this time, his hand smacked my butt. I nearly yelped but continued walking. Apparently the girl hadn't noticed.
"That's Emma Swan. Emma's the captain of the dance squad," Kathryn explained as she grabbed food for another table.
I was able to go over to Henry at that time, thank goodness. He had drawn three pictures already and broken his green crayon. He had a chocolate mustache, which I cleaned off him and took his empty cup. I grabbed another green crayon and a few more sheets of paper and brought them to him.
"I'm hungry," Henry said.
"Give me awhile and I'll see about getting you some food," I told him, ruffling his hair affectionately.
I didn't get the chance.
Before I could blink, Emma was gone and replaced with another girl. Kathryn saw my pained expression and made her way over, taking their order. As she did, Rumplestiltskin glared over at me.
When Kathryn came back, she sighed.
"That's Regina Mills. She's the head cheerleader. Real bitch," Kathryn added. I glanced back over at Henry to see that Granny had given him a plate of fries and chicken. When she came back over, she shrugged.
"Don't worry about it. He's been better than my granddaughter did when my daughter brought her here," Granny said dismissively before I could even say anything.
The next time Rumplestiltskin came in, Kathryn was busy. I sighed and made my way to him, knowing it was what would have to happen. This girl had a red streak in her hair and wore all red.
"…and Granny was all like, 'I can't stop making meat. Get over yourself,'" she complained. Rumplestiltskin opened the menu.
"What do they have that's vegan?" he asked her.
"We want two vegan salads," she said, taking the menu from him.
"That's my granddaughter, Ruby," Granny said, irritated, when I made it back to the counter.
"She's a vegan teen activist," added Kathryn, rolling her eyes as she spoke.
"I try telling her he's cheating on her, but she doesn't believe me," Granny added.
When I brought the check to them, Rumplestiltskin tucked money into my pocket. Not my apron pocket. My jeans pocket.
"Keep the change," he told me, waving me off. I stormed off, fuming. I pulled it out to ring up their meal. He'd given me a hundred dollar bill. It was probably to buy my silence. That in itself infuriated me, but I said nothing. Fine. If I had to put up with him, I'd keep his stupid money. I could use it to buy Henry a coat.
Right before closing, he came back in with another girl.
"That's Milah. She's the school slut," Kathryn said. The two sat down at the same table Rumplestiltskin had sat at all night. Only, they didn't even stay long enough for Kathryn to make her way over to them before they were making out. They left quickly.
"Please tell me he's done for the night," I groaned the moment the door closed. A drunk man at the bar left.
"Five's a low number for him. I'd be happy with one," he grumbled, taking another shot of some kind of alcohol.
"Closing time, Leroy. I'll call you a taxi," Granny told him gently. The man grumbled and stumbled his way out.
The phone started ringing. Granny picked it up and frowned as she listened.
"Belle, there's someone calling for you. Says his name is Jefferson?" Granny asked. I shook my head.
"Tell him you don't know a Belle," I told her. She did. And hung up.
"If he ever calls again, unless he mentions something about a Grace being hurt, tell him you don't know me. He's my…for lack of a better word, uncle. He abandoned his son but kept his daughter and he's always asking us for money without letting us see Grace," I told Granny. Granny nodded at my words.
"Is his son…" Granny drifted off, nodding towards Henry. I nodded.
"They were twins. My aunt didn't want either, from what I gathered. I've never met her. But he said he'd take the girl. He didn't even bother looking at the boy. I'm not sure who exactly named Henry. It wasn't him, though. He's never been interested in Henry. We don't even tell him where we are. He just…finds us," I told her awkwardly.
Granny nodded sympathetically at me.
"Let's talk now," she said, motioning for me to sit down at a booth with her.
Granny and I discussed everything from pay to past employers. When it was time to leave, I carried Henry to the grocery store to pick up things for him and me to both eat and our essentials. We got home late and, luckily, Father wasn't there so we were able to go straight to sleep.
Sunday came and went. I worked. And we went to sleep early, preparing for our first day of school.
There was chapter one. You can review and let me know what you thought. But I would ask that you please don't point out everything that doesn't make sense. I already know a lot of it may not. And I'm sorry for that. But it is fanfiction. And I personally like how it is, so I'm leaving it.
Sorry if that seems harsh. I'm not meaning for it to be harsh! :)
Andi