Hello friends. I hope everyone is doing alright in this really weird time. Here is the third chapter for Painfully Beautiful. Please tell me how y'all are liking the story. So, review, favorite, and follow for further updates. I'll see you guys next month. *fist bump*
CHAPTER 3
"Alright, so I'm thinking after I dominate the tourney field later today, that you and I can go to dinner together. Maybe do a little bit of Chinese food? What do you think?" Antoinette looked over at Chad with a lazy grin.
"As fun as that sounds, you know that there's a big media conference coming up," Antoinette explained while walking backwards. Chad rolled his eyes.
"Of course you do." Antoinette paused. She screwed her eyebrows together and her mouth twisted in confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked. Chad caught up to her, and she turned the right way as they walked down the hall.
"Come on. You're always so focused on Ben, and I know that your relationship with him is important, but you know you don't always have to focus on his schedule. You're plenty busy yourself," Chad commented. Antoinette glanced at the blonde boy beside her. She found herself sighing. Many thought Chad Charming was an arrogant, dimwitted boy, and sometimes he grew to those expectations, but what many didn't often see was that Chad Charming was one of the most caring individuals that ever walked the grounds of Auradon Prep, especially to those he loved.
"I know. I know. Chad, I really don't need a lecture right now about my career choices. Ben-"
"You know, I remember you wanting to be something very different from the HR personnel for the royal family," Chad said, cutting her off. Antoinette let out a heavy sigh, she bit her bottom lip and looked down at her shoes. Chad glanced back at her when he realized she wasn't by him. He bit the inside of the cheek, letting out a gust of air from his nose, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Antoinette rested her head on his shoulder and the two continued down the hall.
Jay and Carlos were walking to class when they saw the redhead who had been with Ben and Audrey. She was walking through the hall carrying her books, eyes glued to her phone. As Jay and Carlos got to their lockers, Antoinette passed by them.
She was so focused on the screen in front of her, she seemed to hardly notice another girl coming up to her. Antoinette, although distracted, was aware and moved out of the girl's path. However, that hadn't been good enough for the other female. Carlos and Jay hadn't seen it, but they heard a thud and when they looked up saw Antoinette's book scattered on the floor. Antoinette said something to the girl, and the other walked away in annoyance. Jay watched as Antoinette bent down to her knees and began picking the books up one at a time. People passed by her without a word, and only a few glanced at her.
Before Jay could say or do anything Carlos went over and started helping her pick up her books. She said something again and Carlos grinned, but didn't blush.
Antoinette was walking through the halls, and for once she wasn't looking at her phone, instead she was simply walking. Her heels clicked throughout the hall, but her shoes were drowned out by the hundreds of other heels that weren't bought on the clearance rack with pride. Why should she spend the full price when she could get them for half?
She saw Jane walking the opposite way, but didn't think much about it. Jane and her had grown up together and were relatively close. Jane's blunt bob floated closer towards Antoinette.
"Antoinette, hey, can you come with me?" Jane asked with a mousy squeak.
"Depends. Where are you going?"
"I have to drop these papers off to my mother, and she's in with the villain students!" Jane practically panicked. Antoinette raised an eyebrow.
"No."
"Please," Jane squeaked. Her face transformed so her eyes became larger, giving her a similar look to puppy eyes. Antoinette chewed on her lip, trying to resist.
"Fine!" Antoinette said. The two started walking down the hall together, close to the library.
"Yes! Thanks, I really appreciate it. I just don't think I would be able to handle all of them in one room. They freak me out! I mean can you imagine being the daughter of a villain? Like they're probably super mean and I bet they're trying to take over Aurad-" Jane cut herself off once she realized what she said. Antoinette didn't say anything, and was simply staring ahead as they walked. Her hands had tightened around her books, and there was a small twitch in her temple.
"I'm sorry, I forgot who I was-"
"Talking to?" Antoinette muttered. She glanced at the short girl. "Don't worry about it. You're the only one who seems to forget."
"I really am sorr-"
"Just drop it, Jane," Antoinette interrupted her friend once more.
They walked into the classroom in the back of the library where the four students sat dutifully, all trying to understand what Fairy Godmother was teaching. Only one seemed to get it.
"You are on fire, girl!" Carlos said to Mal. Antoinette and Jane approached carefully, trying not to distract the students. However, it didn't work that well. As Jane walked past the four students she let out a startled cry. Antoinette rolled her eyes and stood in the aisle by the students waiting for her friend. She placed a hand on her hip.
Jane handed over the papers telling her mother she needed her signature for coronation. Fairy Godmother signed the papers and began to turn her daughter around to the four students. Antoinette glanced at them. Mal, who was watching the interaction between mother and daughter, had been doodling. Looking closer, Antoinette recognized what it was, pretty hard not to, seeing as how it was Fairy Godmother's wand.
"Jane, this is everyone," Fairy Godmother said. Antoinette heard Jane beg her mother not to, but it was too late.
"Hi, that's okay. Don't mind me," Jane said. Antoinette raised an eyebrow at her, encouraging her to hurry up the awkward moment. "As you were."
Antoinette held out a hand for Jane to take. Jane did so, and they walked out of the classroom.
Shortly after Antoinette Baker reached into her pocket to pull a dollar out for the vending machine, when her hand found something else. Pulling the item out, she was confused as to why a torn piece of paper was in her pocket. She opened it, and couldn't help the small smile that formed with a lovely blush.
"You look pretty today," had been written on the piece of paper in a messy scrawl. Folding it carefully, she tucked it back into her pocket. Her snack from the vending machine long forgotten as she walked away humming.
"Didn't Antoinette say that she was going to get us tickets into the Museum?" Evie asked, putting lipgloss on.
"Can we trust her though?" Mal replied. The two girls were in their room. Evie was fixing any makeup mishaps, not that she'd ever admit to it. Afterall, she was the fairest of them, and never had any makeup mishaps of any kind. Mal was flipping through her spellbook for something, anything which would help. Briefly a possession spell that was next to a love potion recipe caught her attention, but she decided it was too risky.
"We don't really need to trust her. She seems oblivious to everything unless it involves the paparazzi or news," Evie pointed out. Mal had to agree with her blue haired friend. The red headed girl seemed to keep her mind on anything other than how the world viewed Ben and the proclamation.
"I wonder why she's so dedicated to this proclamation," Mal murmured to herself. Evie glanced at her from her mirror. The two girls had settled well into their new living quarters. Evie had set out all of her makeup pieces on what was meant to be her studying desk, and she had found an old sewing machine in the garbage. Evie was trying to understand why someone threw it out, it worked perfectly. Mal, however, kept her stuff still packed, ready to leave at any moment, but even she, the daughter of the Mistress of Evil, could not help but get her paints and pens out to create when she hit a roadblock with her plan.
"Well, her and Ben seem to be close, like siblings or something. Maybe we could ask him."
"No. I don't think it's a good idea to get him involved unless we absolutely have to. We're going to have to figure it out on our own. So, the question is, who should try to get the information from her?" Mal mused out loud. She rubbed her chin.
"I could do it," Evie suggested.
"No, it has to be someone who she wants to talk to. Even though Antoinette is interested in helping Ben, she doesn't seem interested in making friends or enemies with us. At least, you and me, so that leaves the boys," Mal explained, while she started pacing.
"What about Carlos?"
"No, something about her intimates Carlos. I haven't seen him not turn red in the ears from even her glancing at him."
"Well, she certainly seems interested in Jay," Evie snickered. Mal paused. She turned to Evie and rested a hand on her hip while smiling. Evie stopped giggling when she saw Mal looking at her.
"She sure does, doesn't she?" Mal said. A plan starting to twist in her mind.
Antoinette sat at one of the picnic tables going over both her and Ben's upcoming schedule for the next month. She had a biology test on the 22nd, and Ben had a private meeting with his advisors on the 28th. Antoinette would have to remind him to turn on the notifications for his news apps on his phone. Sometimes Antoinette did wish that her planner didn't always have the blue pen, which marked Ben's schedule, on it. Pulling out a purple pen, she made a note to herself that her ten page paper had miraculously been moved to five days from it's original due date due to an error from the assignments instruction paper. Antoinette smiled at the one event that would happen in a week's time. Coronation. She had written it in big-blue-blocky letters and had little purple lines similar to fireworks behind it.
"Watcha doin'?"
Antoinette started. Turning around in her seat, she saw Jay staring back at her.
"Please don't do that," she asked politely. Jay took the opportunity to move around the table and sit across from her. His eyes danced with amusement.
"So, are you going to answer my question?"
"Probably not." Jay leaned forward on his arms, piling his arms on top of one another and setting his head on top. Antoinette glanced at him. He shifted from his chin to his cheek, staring at her. She shifted in her seat, and tried to go back to her work. Jay tapped on the table. Antoinette glanced at him, but didn't say anything. He tapped out a gentle rhythm on the table. A soft thud began in her temple.
"Okay, what are you doing?" Antoinette asked. Jay smiled at her and shifted his arm back under his chin.
"Looking at a beautiful face," he said. Antoinette glared at him in annoyance.
"Is that your best pick-up line?" She asked him. Jay startled back, and Antoinette was briefly reminded of when a cat is sprayed with a spray bottle filled with water.
"Ouch, that hurts."
"Well, don't think that I'm just some girl who you can pick up," Antoinette said with a grin. Jay smiled back at her. He lifted his head and leaned it on one of his fists.
"You're funny," he said.
"Not really," she said, with a smile still gliding across her lips.
"Can I ask you a question?" He said. She glanced at him, and then shifted to look at her planner.
"You just did." Jay snorted.
"See you're funny." Anotinette rolled her eyes. Jay continued what he was saying. "What's your deal?"
Antoinette slowly looked up at him.
"My deal?" She set down one of her pretty pens.
"Yeah, people around here, they don't seem to treat you the same way." Antoinette gazed over at the trees and watched for a moment the sun shining through the leaves. Licking her lips, she knew that the Isle students would find out eventually. Why hide the truth?
"I told you earlier that my mother relinquished her title?" Jay nodded in understanding.
"My mother was an awful human. She was mean to her step sister and went so far as to steal Fairy Godmother's wand."
"You're mom took the wand?" Jay asked in astonishment. Antoinette nodded with pursed lips.
"She messed with time, and tried to live as her step sister to get the boy. However, something in her changed, or maybe she was always good. My mother is Lady Tremaine's youngest daughter. I am the daughter of Anastasia Baker, originally known as Anastasia Tremaine." Antoinette released a deep sigh. Jay stared at her with wide eyes.
"Your mother is Anastasia?" Antoinette nodded.
"A lot of people on the Isle always wondered how she never had a trial or was forced to come to the Isle. Whenever someone brings it up to Lady Tremaine or Drizella they scream at them to go away," Jay paused. "How come she never came to the Isle?"
Antoinette giggled.
"It's my favorite story. My mother was an awful person before she messed with time. She was spoiled, and selfish, and just a simple brat. But one day, after Aunt Cinderella had left, she was convinced she could get her happily ever after. To some extent it worked, but not the way she expected."
"So, then who met your mother?"
"Oh that's the good part. See my mother stole Fairy Godmother's wand and tried to impersonate Cinderella. A whole lot of stuff happened, but basically, my mother couldn't go through with it. So, after the truth got out Aunt Cinderella and my mother let the past stay in the past."
"...You'll miss the future," Jay said, echoing the words from Fairy Godmother. Antoinette smiled and nodded.
"So, my grandmother and Aunt Drizella were meant to work in the castle, as this was before the union of Auradon. About a year later, during the trials and after the union, Uncle Henry, Prince Charming, asked my mother to testify against her family. She did, as she felt Cinderella and she had become more like a family in a few months then she ever felt with her own sister and mother. Mom got the house, and stayed in what is now known as Cinderellasburg, but many people didn't trust her, especially with all the family secrets coming out in the trial.
"So, one day she was walking through town and smelled something wonderful. She was just passing the bakery, and the baker was pulling fresh bread out of the oven, and Maman and Papa always say it was love at first sight. However, my maman was very much so ashamed of her past and felt no one could possibly love her.
"However, Papa pursued her. He was friends with Aunt Cinderella before this and knew that Maman lived in the estate by herself. However, he's awfully shy, but he decided he had to at least try. So, he made her a dozen cupcakes, and as he was walking along the road he saw Maman sitting on the bench in the garden. My papa went into the estate, but had tripped, and lost most of the cupcakes. All except for one. He offered Maman a single cupcake, and with it his heart." Antoinette let out a loving sigh. Jay smiled at her even though he knew she wasn't looking at him. Instead she was looking at the table with a happy smile allowing the thoughts of the past to carry her. Antoinette looked up sharply and Jay stared at her in bewilderment at being startled with the sudden movement.
"A year later my parents married, and another year later they had me." She said with a little smile. Jay rested his head on his fist. This was the first time he had seen her so peacefully happy. The girl in front of him he felt was always looking at something on her phone to address, always stressed about something, but here in that one moment she seemed like someone else completely. As if she were a normal teenage girl. Something in his chest made his heart beat just a little faster when she smiled at him.
"So, that's the story. My maman was able to gain immunity by testifying against my grandmother and aunt, even though Aunt Cinderella would never even entertain the idea of my maman going to the Isle. And it's also the story of how my father met my mother."
"So, what's your story?" Jay asked. Antoinette looked at him in confusion.
"My story?" She asked. Jay nodded.
"Yeah, what's your story?" Antoinette smiled and shook her head.
"I don't have a story. I have my parents' story and part of Ben's story, but I don't have my own story. I'm more of a supporting character in other people's stories," she said. Antoinette noticed that her headache was gone as she played with one of her ringlets. Jay reached across the table and gently took Antoinette's hand
"Everyone has a story." Antoinette shook her head.
"Not me." She paused for a moment as she took her hand away from his. "Can you tell me about grand-mѐre and Aunt Drizella?"
Jay looked over at her. He nodded.
"Well, your grandmother owns a hair salon," he said, trying to think of more information. Evie had hung out with the Tremaines more than anyone. However, she looked at him with such hopeful eyes and such a pleasing smile. He had to tell her something.
"Drizella had a daughter named Dizzy," he said through an awkward smile. Antoinette brightened in excitement.
"What's she like? How old is she? Does she have any hobbies? What's her fav-" a beeping noise from her phone effectively cut her off. Picking up her phone, she saw the notification. Jay watched as she read through it quickly. Sighing, she started to pack everything on the table into her school bag.
"I'm sorry. I have to go talk to Ben about a media conference," Antoinette complained, standing up. Jay went to stand up, but she had already left without a word.
Later that day, after crushing the first tourney practice, Jay was changing back into his clothing in the locker room. He hadn't been thinking about anything in particular, when Ben came over.
"Hey man, great job on the field today," Ben commented as he opened his locker. His hair darker from the shower that he just took. Jay glanced at him.
"Yeah, you too." Jay hated it. He hated how he had to pretend to be nice to people at Auradon, and he hated how with being there only a day he already had words like "Thank you", and "You're welcome" on the tip of his tongue.
A buzzing caught his attention. Jay watched carefully as Ben read through a notification. Ben sighed deeply before returning the message.
"Antoinette?" Jay asked, trying not to sound so sensitive. A lazy grin flicked it's way on to his face as Ben not only nodded, but also snorted.
"Yeah. There's this press conference coming up, and with it being so close to Coronation, she's a little stressed. Asked if we could meet tonight, and is trying to bribe me with pizza," Ben commented as he continued to dress himself.
"I'll have to admit. I'm a little surprised." Jay mentioned as he shouldered his bag. Ben glanced at him. Tugging on his suit jacket, Ben cocked his head at Jay in confusion. Jay had crossed his arms across his chest closing off the world, and the people in it, but hoping to get some information to come in somehow.
"I'm sure. Auradon has a lot to offer." Ben leaned up against the locker behind him.
"Oh, not about Auradon. See, Antoinette had told me about her mother being Anastasia Tremaine."
"Mrs. Baker is a kind woman. What are you trying to say, Jay?" Ben's tone had turned cold, so cold that someone may have briefly wondered if he had been to Arendelle in the past winter. His tone was very much so as Queen Elsa's castle in the mountains, cold and unrelenting to specific people. Something whispered in Jay's ear saying this wasn't the first time something of the sort came up on the topic.
"I'm just saying, it's a little surprising. Your parents are as goody-two-shoes as they come, and Anastasia's betrayal followed her around, even going to the Isle without her."
"Mrs. Baker made a difficult decision. Antoinette is a friend before she is an employee of the royal family. We both understand that," Ben calmly said. His own barriers up, however, unlike Jay's they were not physical, but rather mental. Ben's stance was open to the world, but his stare was enough to halt anyone from trying to trespass.
"That may be true, but you know, the granddaughter of a woman so evil she had to be sent to the Isle for her acts. Sounds a little weird that she's so willing to help the son of those who sent her family to the Isle in the first place." Ben let a rush of air out through his nostrils at Jay as the words came from his lips.
"I appreciate the, er, sensitivity, but understand this Antoinette has nothing to gain with revenge," Ben said, his tone casual, his voice firm, and his glare prominent.
"Are you sure about that? I mean her grandmother-"
"Made her choices," Ben said, effectively cutting the young thief off. "Lady Tremaine made her choices. Antoinette is not her mother or her grandmother. She has the right to choose her own choice in life."
