Beauty and the Beast: High School AU

Hi guys! I know this isn't the most original idea, but I'm procrastinating on studying for finals so I figured I might as well give it a shot. Feel free to leave me comments letting me know if I should continue or not, as well as any constructive criticism you may have. Thanks and enjoy!


Beep. Beep. Beep. Immediately I turn off my alarm and wake up. For once, my alarm makes me feel excited and energized instead of tired and annoyed. No, I didn't suddenly become a morning person and I still kind of regret staying up late reading. This alarm is waking me up for the first day of senior year.

Senior year. The final year I have left here in this town. I can do this. I hope. I mean there are college applications left to finish and I am definitely a better reader than I am a writer, but maybe if I just put off reading another book until I'm finished or maybe I can- Ok be realistic, Belle. You're not actually going to put off reading. You'll end up relapsing and reading for 3 days straight. Maybe you can slack on math, just a little bit. Yeah. That's what you'll do. Spend an hour maximum on calculus, then work on your applications for an hour, and then spend however long necessary to finish A Tale of Two Cities. Perfect.

Content with my foolproof study plan, I get out of bed and start to get ready for my day. I throw on a pair of white jeans, a dark blue sweater, and my converse. I contemplate changing and putting on a nice blouse since it is the first day of school, but decide against it. The faster I get to school, the better my chances to avoid Gaston. I quickly tie my hair back in a low ponytail and head downstairs.

"Morning Belle," Papa says as he sees me walking into the kitchen. He's already setting a plate of pancakes on the table. "You excited for your final year?"

"I guess. I'm just glad this time next year I'll hopefully be around people who love English as much as I do."

"Don't you have that private school joining you guys? Maybe you'll find a friend from that bunch."

I smile. My dad has a point. The nearby private school's building burned down over the summer so a lot of students are joining Beaumont High this year. A lot of students who haven't known me since kindergarten. There's bound to be someone who doesn't think I'm weird.

After breakfast, my dad leaves to go to work and I catch a ride.

"Do you want me to drop you off a few blocks back or in front of the school?" My dad asks. I'm not going to lie, part of me really wants to ask him to drop me off and I walk the last few blocks, but I promised myself I would stop doing that once middle school was over and I kept it so far. Besides, the new students will find out I'm the daughter of a mechanic sooner or later. All it would take is talking to anyone else who's been going to the school for years.

"The front of the school is fine. We're still early enough to avoid the buses coming in."

My dad pulls up to the sidewalk and I get out. Suddenly, my enthusiasm for starting senior year drops. Gaston is nearby, showing off his new Mercedes Benz to a group of girls. I don't think he's spotted me so I quickly look down and scurry inside the school. The longer I can avoid him, the better. I head towards my homeroom classroom, only to find the teacher still hasn't arrived. I sit down on the floor by the door, pull out my book, and wait. Not long after, a guy I've never seen before walks towards the door, notices it's dark and locked, and sits down next to me. Since it's only the two of us, and we have another fifteen minutes, I decide to introduce myself.

"Hi, I'm Belle."

He looks at me and I immediately regret my decision. He seems pissed and like he didn't want to talk to anyone. I turn back to my book, but hear him at least tell me his name.

"Adam," he mumbles.