In a Different Life

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Everything belongs to their respective owners which is Disney.

Author's Note: Looking back, I realized it's been what? Almost 3 years? I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER. I was pretty sure I wrote the 6th chapter a year ago. Anyways, without further ado, here is the next chapter! I have introduced some new characters here and I hope, you will send me your thoughts. THANK YOU!

Rapunzel approached the blonde with a friendly smile. Briar looked up to see Rapunzel smiling at her, this made her nervous. She rarely talks to anyone and it made her socially anxious. With a chirpy "hello" from the absurdly long haired teenager, Rapunzel reached out her hand towards Briar, her smile never fading.

"Hello! My name is Rapunzel! My friends call me 'Punzie'."

Briar stared at the hand in front of her and hesitantly shook it. This was new to her, everyone she knew weren't fond of her, mostly because they hated that a poor girl like her was such a beauty and has an elegant poise. Briar couldn't help it, ever since her aunts took her in, she has always been on her best behaviour and was taught with everything she needed to become a proper lady. Although her aunts meant well, there was a flaw in the way that took care of her, and that was hiding her from the world.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Briar Rose," she replied as she shook her hand.

"Do you mind if I sit here? I already ate but it wasn't fun being alone," Rapunzel gave a small smile. Briar felt comfortable with the way that Rapunzel smiled and cleared her stuff from the other side of the booth. The energetic teenager quickly got settled after helping her newfound friend put her stuff away.

"I really do hope, I'm too overwhelming," Rapunzel said. Briar shook her head and gave her a small reassuring smile.

"It's alright, I don't mind it at all," she replied. She had already finished eating her pancakes, so she pushed them to the side so that either Tiana or Cinderella wouldn't have a hard time dishing it out. Rapunzel opened her worn out bag -since her new one was stolen- and took out her sketchpad and pencil.

Briar admired how Rapunzel creatively drew on her sketchpad. It would start out as a simple shape and then a few stroked later, it became something more elaborate and abstract. She was intrigued and amazed as the artwork that her new friend created seemed to come to life. She could feel Rapunzel's imagination and emotions for every stroke of her pencil. The girl in front of her was going places and she was glad. The world could use some color.

The longer haired teenager felt eyes on her and broke the trance that she was in when she let her creativity flow. Briar was staring at her while she drew and she couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Her friend looked up at her with a raised brow.

"I'm sorry. It's just amusing to see someone so interested in my mediocre art," she said as she regained her composure. Briar couldn't help but smile, how can someone be uninterested in her artwork? It was delightful to look at especially how the artist's emotions were portrayed in it.

"Well, you shouldn't belittle yourself. It's very unique and creative," she replied.

"Hehe, thanks, I've been practicing ever since I was little. It was something that I had control over."

"How old did you start?"

"Pretty young, maybe around the age of 4? Or was it 5? I wouldn't have gone far if it wasn't for the support of my mother," Rapunzel said with a smile as she packed her things.

"Your mother sounds like a very nice person," Briar commented as she put her books inside her bag. She left out a small pocket book, deciding that she would read off of it later.

"She can be over protective at times though, what about your mother?" Rapunzel asked and realized what she had asked and apologized. It slipped her mouth and she felt awful for bringing her mother up.

"I never knew my mother. My aunts told me that she died with my father in a car accident when I was a baby…" Briar commented as she gazed at the window with a forlorn look on her face. Turning back to look at the girl in front of her, she gave her a sad smile. "My aunts have been there for me since, they are the best mothers I could ever have."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It was indifferent of me to-"

"It's alright Rapunzel. There is no harm done," she reassured her as she stood and dusted off the crumbs from her clothes. She gave her a small smile and a wave before walking out of the cafe.

Rapunzel reprimanded herself and sent a text to Ariel about how stupid she was. She was about to leave when something caught her eye. A small pink pocketbook with blue pages was on the table. It must have been Briar's, she thought. She took the book and placed it inside her bag. She would have to give it to her in school. She waved goodbye to Cinderella and Tiana as she exited the cafe and started the tiring walk towards her school.

A seventeen year old brunette was walking towards Corona High School with her face buried to her book. It's quite odd how she was able to multitask between being mindful of her surroundings and being indulged in the world of her book. She bumped into something hard which caused her to look up from her book. Belle was surprised to see someone from the University in their High School.

The handsome brunet looked down at her with disgust, his hand still wrapped around a high schooler's waist. If looks could kill, she would have been dead by now. He was looking at her as if she was dirt that stuck on his shoes. Belle rolled her eyes and swerved past him. Everyone knew who he was and she knew that he was someone she would not associate herself with. Little did she know that she was going to be a part of his life just like how she will be a part of his.

Walking away and not looking back, she decided to put her book in her bag. Dorian Gray would have to wait another day. Preparing herself for another day at school, she took a deep breath and entered the high school building.

Corona High School was your average public high school. It is home to many people. Some seek refuge from their homes, some attend to merely socialize, while others came to make a better future for themselves. Belle saw Rapunzel walking down the halls and waved at her. Rapunzel was a senior at high school while Belle was a junior who excelled in all of her classes. They would talk sometimes during their creative writing elective or sometimes during lunch.

Rapunzel is the president of their school's Art Club. Some students from Die Krone Prep School attend the Art Club at Corona High School mainly because the prep school doesn't support the Arts Department. That is how Ariel and Rapunzel met. The long haired blonde asked Belle to join the club but she insisted that the arts wasn't meant for her. So instead she makes time to go to the public library and bask in its splendor.

The went by smoothly for Belle, she participated in Gym class, she turned in her journal for AP English 3. She was assigned to create a love poem for Creative Writing which hit a block for Belle. She didn't have any experience with love aside from the books that she kept on reading. That kind of love was stereotypical; the hero/heroine falls in love with the protagonist. There was no complexity, passion -maybe- but that wasn't her. Although she would feel giddy about coming across it the feeling of being in love was something she thought was a far off dream. Who could find a prince charming nowadays? Certainly not she, so Belle opted to go to the library for research. Maybe the books would give her inspiration for her task.

As she walked along the aisles of the library, she wondered what type of love poem she would make. Angst would need background, maybe she could get some inspiration from Shakespeare for a Tragic-Love poem, but that would seem like she didn't have a sense of originality. She could try making a typical love poem that people make to profess their love for someone, but then again, that's a bit cliche.

Sighing in defeat, Belle looked at the books in front of her. If only they could show her what to write. She grazed her fingertips gently on their hardcover spines as she walked along the aisle. The brunette was about to turn until she heard a strange gruntled noise coming from the back of the aisle. Curiosity filled her and her legs moved on their own accord towards the noise. What she saw caught her by surprise, her hand flew to her mouth and she backed away slowly in order to keep her presence hidden.

"Mon...Dieu…" Belle let out as she tried to erase the burning image from her mind. She let out a shaky sigh as she packed her things and decided to call it a night -or should we say afternoon- until someone stopped her.

She turned around to find the annoyingly handsome man from this morning. He was lazily holding her bag's strap between his fingers. Belle was shocked to seem initiating anything with her and she remembered the scene from earlier. Her blank expression caused him to tug on the strag again, breaking her from her trance. After regaining her composure, she looked up to him with a questioning gaze.

"Yes?" She asked with her arms crossed. What do you want?

"Tell your father that if he doesn't come up with an invention that actually works, we will be forced to cut him off the program."

Shocked, Belle opened her mouth to retort but was silenced when he held up a business card and handed it towards her. She hesitantly took the card and eyed him for an answer. Just as she suspected, he gave her none. He walked towards the exit of the library but stopped in his tracks.

"Also, if he does fail, he will have to pay what he owed to the company. In any means possible," He smirked, leaving the girl dumbfounded.

WHAT?

With a heavy sigh, she looked down at the card and her eyes widened. She looked at where the man had left and back again at the card. What did her father get himself into?

Bellerose Innovations

Adam Bête

XXX-XXX-XXXX

She rushed out of the library and headed straight towards her house. Questions piling inside her mind.