Gaston's P.O.V.
My name is Gaston Thomas, and I'm head over heels in love with Belle Rose.
I have been since the day I met her in sixth grade Geography. She walked in wearing a pale blue dress with a white cardigan, her hair tied back in a low ponytail. I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the entire school. I sat next to her, and from that moment on, I was smitten with her.
Belle was shy at first, but she grew to be outspoken. She was also smart, confident, and nice to everyone. Even the triplets Amber, Brittany, and Christina, who did not make it a secret that they adored me and hated Belle, she was nice to. I didn't care though that they liked me; they always made fools of themselves to gain my attention. Plus, I preferred brunettes.
The summer we graduated middle school, Belle invited us all to her 14th birthday party. By then, other than Joshua LeFou, Belle was my best friend. We spent the day swimming in the lake and playing water games with our classmates, eating food Belle's father grilled, and by the time dusk rolled around, we had convinced everyone to play flashlight tag. LeFou was it, and Belle and I ran off laughing. I took her hand and led her over to her dad's truck, and we jumped up in the bed and lay down to hide. We heard LeFou shout "Ready or not, here I come!" and a moment later we heard someone run by. I instinctively pulled her closer, trying to protect her. I smiled down at her, trying to show her to not be afraid. She smiled softly back at me, and I couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. I brushed a stray lock of hair off her forehead, and before I knew what I was doing, I was leaning towards her.
And then I kissed her.
I'd wanted to do it for years, and it seemed like the right time. I slid my eyes shut, losing myself in the feel of her lips. I reached across her to the nape of her neck, gently tangling my fingers in her hair, and she took that opportunity to grab my neck and pull me closer. I don't know how long we were kissing, but suddenly we heard Josh call out.
"Gaston? Belle?" We jumped apart, grinning sheepishly at each other, and then sat up. A beam of light shone on our faces, and we raised our hands to shield our eyes. "Found you!" he laughed.
"Good job, LeFou," I chuckled, standing up and brushing off my shorts. I offered Belle my hand, and she took it, smiling gently at me as she stood up. As I helped her down from the truck, we heard her father yell from the front porch that it was time for cake. She grinned at LeFou and me and took off running. We followed suit, and the rest of our group poured into the living room, taking seats here and there. I sat down next to Belle on the fireplace hearth, and smiled at her shining face as everyone sang her happy birthday. This was turning out to be the best day of my life.
"So Belle," Christina started, twirling a strand of curly black hair around her finger. "Where did you and Gaston run off to during flashlight tag?" I looked down at the floor, trying to hide my distaste. Of course the Dubois triplets would ruin this moment too.
"Oh, we, um, hid in my dad's truck," I heard Belle stammer. I felt her staring at me, but I kept my eyes fixed on the floor.
"Oh yeah?" Brittany giggled. "Did you guys do anything else?" The rest of the kids giggled too.
"I, um…" Belle muttered. She looked at me again, her eyes begging, but all I could feel were my ears turning red from embarrassment and anger.
"Oh my God, Belle! Did you kiss him?" Amber stage whispered. The room gasped and turned to look at us.
"I-I mean, we um, we…" she stuttered. That's it.
"No, we didn't," I finally spoke up, glaring at the triplets. I hated that they were always so cruel to her, and I wanted to protect her from their ridicule. "Why would I want to kiss her? Anyone who says I did is lying. And mind your own business you three." I heard Belle gasp, and looked over at her. That's the moment I knew I screwed up. Tears were welling in her eyes.
"Belle," I whispered, so low that only she probably heard me. I tried to reach for her hand, to explain, but she jumped up and ran up the stairs. The other kids stared as she went, a few whispering, but the triplets were giggling behind their hands. I wanted to speak up so badly, to shout at them all to leave her alone and that I loved her, but I had just told them I didn't, so what were they going to believe more was the question – the truth or my lie?
"Belle? Where's Belle everyone?" Maurice asked as he came in, carrying a tray of cake slices.
"She went upstairs," I muttered. "I-I think she was crying."
"What? Why?" he asked. A bunch of the kids mumbled things under their breath, but nobody spoke up, probably for fear of ridicule from the Dubois girls. Maurice put the tray down on the coffee table and went up the stairs. We all heard a knock.
"Belle? Honey, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Please, just leave me be. Send them all home," she shouted through the door, her voice strained. We heard him sigh, and he came back downstairs.
"I don't know what you all said to her, but she would like you all to leave. Please finish your cake and call your parents," he said in a clipped voice. We all slunk forward to grab plates and forks, and spent the next hour eating in silence and texting our parents to come get us. When my mother came to get Josh and I, she asked how the party was, but I didn't say anything other than "Alright."
The next 4 years were torture on my heart and soul. Belle refused to speak to me, and she stopped sitting next to me or hanging out with us at lunch. I tried so hard to explain what happened, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Every time I approached her, she would turn and walk the other way, or, if there was nowhere for her to go, she would pointedly look down at her book and ignore me. If she ever did speak up, it was always something along the lines of "Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?" And that crushed me. I eventually gave up, and two years into college, I took my two year degree and LeFou and I enlisted in the Army. We were deployed pretty soon after to Afghanistan, and I've seen some things now that make me feel way worse than that night with Belle. But I never forgot it, or her.
Years later, LeFou and I returned home, now veterans, and decided to finish school. Once we did, we took it upon ourselves to try and become the physical education teachers at Villeneuve High School.
Mr. Adam Beastly, the principal, was a firm but fair kind of man and he seemed to take a liking to the both of us.
Just as we were wrapping up the interview, the jobs now sealed, the door burst open.
"Mr. Beastly, can I speak to you pl-" and my heart stopped. I knew that voice. I'd heard through the grapevine that she'd become a teacher, I just didn't know where.
I turned to look, and standing there, older but still as beautiful as ever, was Belle Rose, the girl I'd pinned after since I was 12 years old.
"Hello, Belle," I said politely.
And then she glared at me.