A/N: Hey guys, hope you are all still enjoying this story as we're only on Chapter 3 and we still have a bit to go..


Chapter 3 - He's Unreal

"Okay so there's this outfit which I think will look good with my skin tone and it won't make me look incredibly pale in-front of Adam but this one makes me look cute and I know Adam likes that... Lay, are you seriously on cloud nine right now?"

I snapped my head up to look at Belle, having only heard my own name and cloud nine being mentioned, since we had met up over two hours ago, I had been zoning out, biting my bottom lip and making funny faces into my camera lens, wondering what I was going to do about Gaston and the picture.

I knew it was stupid to over-think such a thing but on the two sides, one, I sent him the photo and he found out who I was exactly and either a) he hated me and didn't want anything else to do with me, telling me that everything he told me was a lie or b) he fell hopelessly in love with me and we got married and had kids, yeah even I didn't believe that but then there was side two, I could send him the photo of me and have him still not have any idea who I was and either a) he laughed at me and said he didn't want to know someone so ugly or b) he laughed at me and said he didn't want know someone so ugly, there was only two options to that, I knew it.

"Sorry Belle."

I put my phone back into my pocket for the fifth time in the last few seconds, giving me best friend my undivided attention.

"Sparkle me with your choices for Adam again."

"Okay well..."


Another couple of hours later and we were finally finished shopping, Belle ended up buying both of the outfits she had tried on me whilst I had been in my daze but once I assured her they were perfect, she had agreed and we were able to move on.

Despite my over-active brain, I managed to find myself a couple of cute t-shirts and a couple of pairs of jeans, Belle laughing at me when I tried on a pair of bright pink ones that sparkled and I had immediately shoved them off again, they made me look like a five year old girl.

"I'm starved" Belle complained as we sat down on a bench by the water fountain, my aching feet glad for the seat too and I let my head fall backwards slightly, stretching my feet out.

"I'm rather peckish too" I replied, feeling my stomach beginning to rumble and I let my eyes dart around to the food court, wondering what exactly I was in the mood for; McDonalds, Burger King, Cafe Rogue or Chinese?

I looked around at Belle and her smile just seemed to say it all; Cafe Rogue of course.

We laughed slightly at our mind reading and after a few more minutes of sitting comfortably, we stood up again, heading over to stand in the line for Cafe Rogue and deciding between ourselves what we were going to go for this time.

We decided to stick to our usual: Two sandwiches, one with coronation chicken, peppers and a light sprinkling of salad for Belle and the other with roast beef, mayo and lettuce for me, a large sugar doughnut for us to share and two glasses of ice cold lemonade.

Ten minutes later we had our food and had paid and were sitting down at a table near the back of the food court, my eyes hovering over some people from our school, trying to determine if they recognised me or not and if so whether they were going to be a threat or not.

Eventually coming to the decision that they meant me no harm, I turned to my lunch at hand but before I could dig in, Belle placed a hand on my own and cleared her throat softly.

"Lay, I know something's going on with you. Why don't you just tell me?"

I looked up into Belle's chocolate brown eyes, knowing that she was right but at the same time, I couldn't tell her everything without her thinking that I was muchos crazy.

"Okay Belle, there is something going on" I grabbed her hand in my own, feeling butterflies flap hard in my stomach and wondering how I could possibly make this all sound okay without sounding like a crazed lunatic.

"Hey honey" The masculine voice sounded from behind and no more than two seconds later I was glad as Adam sat down next to her, giving Belle a kiss on the cheek to which she blushed and hugged him.

"Adam, hey. I didn't think I was meeting you till later."

"You weren't but I saw you over here eating with Lay and I thought I'd come over and annoy my girl" Adam tickled Belle's side lightly with his fingertips causing Belle to squeal slightly, batting his hand away.

"Adam..."

I laughed, remembering back to Freshmen year only about a year ago when Belle and Adam used to not be able to stand each other, everyone used to call Adam the beast as he would always sit in the back, dark corner of a room, headphones in and sporting a very scruffy face - that had thankfully since been shaved off - and only would only answer questions when asked with a bark of an answer.

Belle and Adam had met properly by accident, Belle had been hurrying to her class, books in her bag and arms - which I had told her many times was a big hazard - when she had tripped and almost fell down the stairs were it not for Adam catching her before she could fall and saving her books too.

It had been love at first sight and the two had gotten together not long after, always inviting me along to Adam's parties and I had grown close to Adam too, he was a nice and sweet guy at heart once you got to know him but most people still just saw the beast like guy who got annoyed at everything and everyone.

"Hey Lay" Adam held his fist out to mine which I returned, laughing slightly to myself, before Adam I never actually ever been given a fist bump before, just had the fist usually used on me to either punch me in the shoulder or have it turn into a hand and push me out of the way so it was nice to have a friend like Adam for sure.

"Hi Adam, still keeping Mr Scruffy away?"

Since I had first met Adam - when he used to be Mr Beast - I had taken to call his scruffy beard, Mr Scruffy, Belle eventually telling Adam this after he had shaved it off and it had just stayed, Adam didn't even seem to mind the name anymore.

"Of course Lay, what about you? Any guys caught your eye lately?"

I blushed again and ducked my head, Adam knew all about my crush, sorry adoration of Gaston and he had always managed to make sure and embarrass the hell out of me about it every time he saw me.

"You know I only have one guy on my mind Adam" I chortled in return, stuffing the last of my sandwich into my mouth and noticing how Adam laughed along, his shoulders shaking slightly with the movement.

"I don't get why you don't just tell the guy" Adam replied off-hand, grabbing up some of the salad that had escaped from Belle's sandwich and popping it into his mouth.

"You know why Adam" I returned, giving him a look and he did, everyone did, myself included, Gaston was a popular jock whilst I was the nerdy loser who no-one cared about, this wasn't High School Musical.

Adam shrugged and started to finish off the rest of the salad on Belle's plate whilst I focused on my sandwich, my eyes downcast and my brain swirling all around like a washing machine on spin once again.

"Adam..." I wasn't too sure what made me decide to ask but I just had to know.

"There's this guy.. not Gaston" I added hastily at Belle's warning look, hating myself for lying.

"I've been talking to him online and he wants to see an actual picture of me but I'm not too sure if I'm ready for him to see me. What do you think I should do?"

If anyone would know what to do in this sort of situation, it would be Adam, before he had became the beast, he had been adored by everyone because of his charming good looks and his wealthy fortune, mostly the fortune and he had started to treat people differently before a sharp slap in the face had awoken him to the fact that money wasn't everything and he had dulled every single one of his profiles down, people beginning to forget who he was just because he had stopped throwing his money around and looking the school hunk.

"Well, it's really up to you Lay but if you don't think you're ready then you need to tell this guy or send the picture and hope that he still likes you for you and not just an invisible face behind a keyboard."

Adam was right, I had to make a stand and be my very own person, I had to either tell Gaston that I wasn't ready to exchange pictures just yet or that I was definitely going to do it and hope he still wanted to talk to me.

I just had to pick the right time to do it.


After Belle and Adam had left to go off on their date to the movies, I had wandered around a mall a little bit, eyeing up a few brightly coloured odd socks but deciding not to go for them in the end and left a couple of hours later, beginning to drive home and wondering what I was going to do about the picture.

When I arrived home a few minutes later, I still hadn't made up my mind as I got out of my car, picking up my bags with all my purchases, quickly and quietly letting myself into the house and running up to my room, stashing my purchases away into a corner, hating that I needed to do this but it was the only way that my parents wouldn't nag on at me about what I wore.

Throwing myself onto my bed with a small thump, I dug my phone out of my pocket again, switching my WIFI on and being pleasantly surprised when the first thing to pop up was a message from Gaston.

GASTONMYOUNG
still waitng on tht pic ;-) x

I picked at my duvet cover, I knew it meant a lot to Gaston to find out who I was and it meant a lot to me too but I was still incredibly scared, what if he didn't like the real me and stopped talking to me because of the way I looked, well then he's not worth it, a nagging little voice in the back of my head that sounded a lot like Belle uttered in my ear but the other little part of my brain was afraid to let go of him.

To let him go, even a fantasy of that life would be enough to destroy me completely but at the same time, did I even know that by showing him the real me it would make a whole lot of a difference, what if he saw it and liked it but still ignored me in school constantly, what if he was too afraid to speak to me in school for fear his social reputation would be ruined, the little nagging voice in the sound of Belle uttered the same words as before to me but I pushed them aside, biting at my lip instead.

Clicking onto my gallery, I ran my finger over the few pictures I had allowed to be taken of me, chuckling slightly at how I was always squished in between Adam and Belle, my two best friends and confidants but yet here I was even lying to them about who I was talking to online.

And yet the feeling of guilt swirling in my gut, I kind of liked it, it made me feel special, like I was included in something that was mine and mine alone and I know it was stupid but it kind of made me feel slightly superior.

Sighing, I clicked off of my gallery and back onto Instagram, staring at the message from Gaston, my eyes beginning to moisten with tears I knew I would never let fall.

I had to do something and I had to do it now or else I was going to regret it forever, I just had to reply in some shape or form.

Starting to type some words into the message box, I felt my breath quicken as I read the words over and over again, it was now or never, there was no going back.

Stuttering over a breath that I hadn't realised I had been holding onto, I quickly added an attachment and hit send, my stomach beginning to flip flop all over again.

After all, a picture was worth a thousand words.


A/N: Oh my god guys, I am so sorry to leave you with this little cliffhanger but this chapter was just such an emotional one to write and I know there wasn't much conversation between Gaston and LeFou in this chapter but don't worry it'll be back and we'll see what happens as LeFou comes to terms with what he sent, do you think he sent a picture of himself? Let me know in the reviews and I'll see you all again soon.

Until next time,

HeyAssbutt21.