Reading Between the Lines
by Erin Salvatore
Disclaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast. I'm just borrowing. Only the story is mine.
Note: This story comes to me as a request by FeralGen3. It is an AU Vincat story taking place in high school and the plot goes like this: Catherine Chandler is a good girl who is verbally abused by her mother and stepfather. Vincent Keller is the bad boy with a heart of gold. Catherine falls in love with him as they spend time together but is afraid to tell him because she isn't sure he loves her.
HERE WE GO!
CHAPTER 1
Fenton High School, 2001
Catherine Chandler walked into school with her head down. She wanted to keep the others from seeing she had been crying. She had endured yet another round of verbal abuse from her mother and stepfather. Although she was grateful Heather stood up for her, it didn't change the fact she had been blamed constantly for her father's death.
I don't get why they keep blaming me, she thought. I had nothing to do with Dad's death and yet they tell me it was my fault. Thank God I've got two more years with their bullshit and then I'll be off to Princeton. It's one of the only things that keep me going besides the friends I have here.
"Hey, Cat."
Catherine was brought back to reality somewhat by the voice belonging to her best friend, Tess Vargas, whom she had known since middle school. Catherine looked at the other girl and gave her a smile, even if she was still hurting on the inside from her emotional assault.
"Hey, Tess."
Tess saw the tear stains on her friend's face. "You know, you really should stand up for yourself. I don't like what I see when you come to school every day."
"It's not like I don't try," said Catherine. "I tell Mom that Dad's death isn't my fault and yet, she still says I'm the reason her husband is in the ground, among other things I won't repeat." She sighed. "The best consolation is Heather doesn't join in the bullshit they give me. She doesn't blame me for what happened to Dad and I love her to pieces for it."
"I agree with her," said Tess. "You are innocent in the whole thing." She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Cat, I'm worried about you, and so are Alex and Evan. As I said, you should stand up for yourself."
Elsewhere…
Vincent Keller tapped his foot impatiently as he sat in the principal's office. He was new to Fenton High, having just enrolled last week. As usual, the principal was running behind and it wasn't helping his nerves any. He was tempted to go over to the desk and demand to know what the hold-up was, but losing his temper would only make things worse instead of better.
He was still waiting when the door to the office opened and a stocky kid with glasses walked in, his clothes all disheveled. Vincent got up from his chair, his concern overtaking his impatience, and approached the kid.
"What happened to you?"
"I'll tell you what happened to me," he said. "The assholes on the football team jumped me. My laptop was destroyed and my books and papers were thrown all over the place."
"What?" said Vincent. "But, why would they attack you like that?"
"I'm a nerd," said the kid. "And if you've watched 80s movies like I have, you'd know that guys like them target guys like me. I'm fair game to them." He sighed. "Look, let me start over. I'm JT Forbes."
"Nice to meet you, JT, I'm Vincent Keller. I was just enrolled and I'm waiting to see the principal," said Vincent. "As you can see, I'm more than a little impatient. Are things around here always like this?"
"Not usually," said JT. "The office sometimes doesn't have as many delays as it's experiencing at the moment." He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. "Since it seems like I'm not going anywhere any time soon, maybe I can stick around and wait with you."
Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Are you offering to wait with me because you really want to or are you offering because you don't want to leave the office because of those nerd-hating jocks that broke your laptop?"
JT sighed. "Both, I guess. Plus, I could really use a bodyguard." He nodded pointedly at the scar on Vincent's cheek. "You look like you can definitely kick some ass, judging from the scar on your face. How'd you get it, by the way?"
"It's a souvenir from my last school," said Vincent. "This kid said something about my mom to my face and, to defend her honor, I got into a fight with him, during which he grabbed a knife and cut me with it."
"Who won?"
"Nobody, because the principal broke it up after my face got cut," said Vincent. "About a week later, I was thrown out of school because they accused me of being an instigator when it was really the other guy who started it."
"It was still pretty badass that you defended your mom's honor, man," said JT. "I mean, what gave him the right to say those things about her to your face? No son wants to hear his mom being bad-mouthed to his face. I know I wouldn't."
Vincent smiled slightly at JT's praise. Truth be told, he was actually grateful for his company even though they just met. He didn't have many friends at the schools he attended before he came to Fenton and it was good to know he had at least one new friend here.
"So you say you need a bodyguard?"
JT sighed again. "Oh God, yes. As I said, I'm fair game to those jocks. As soon as they see me, they go right for me like pit bulls to a piece of meat. The laptop they destroyed? It was my third laptop in two months, and I'd hate to ask my parents to get me another one because we're not exactly the British Royal Family."
"You don't have to ask them," said Vincent. "I can buy you a new laptop if you want."
"Dude, you really don't have to do that," said JT. "You barely know me."
"I want to," said Vincent. "JT, you're the first new friend I've made here and I want to help you in any way I can. I'll be your bodyguard and I'll replace whatever those assholes broke or stole from you."
JT smiled. "Thanks, Vincent. You're a great guy. And I'm honored to be your first new friend at Fenton High School."
Note: Thus begins the new AU. I was originally going to introduce Vincent in Chapter 2, but I decided to bring him in here, as well as have him and JT meet. Oh, and he and Tess are going to be the secondary couple. Anyway, stay tuned.