5th Chapter and still going! Thank you mscleveland1397, sammansonrepilica, and shanaecampbell for favoriting my story, and I would also like to thank MusicLover51096, ShanTV Broadway, Suzerenma, The Dish, dispix208, irisgoddess, pyrogirl23, and swisslindtchclte for following it.
Chapter 5: A Beauty, But a Funny Girl
While Eric thought about Ariel's proposal and Rose pondered over the raven at the window in the lunch-room, the brunette girl from French Class was seated in the library, reading her textbook for Math Class next period. She had a fair complex, with doe-like eyes, and her hair was tied back into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. When her stomach growled unexpectedly, she closed her book and left the library. However, her path was intercepted by a tall boy with bulging muscles made visible by his rolled-up sleeves, and a strongly defined chin.
"Hello, Belle," the boy said.
After an annoyed sigh, Belle replied, "Hello, Gaston."
She tried to walk past him, but Gaston immediately grabbed her textbook from her hands, and started inspecting it.
"May I have my book back?" Belle said, holding her hand out.
"Aren't you a top student or something?" Gaston replied, flipping through the pages.
Belle folded her arms. "Well some of us care more about our grades than others."
At that moment Gaston stopped, and for a second, he glared at her. "Belle, you worry too much about your studies."
Then Gaston threw the textbook over his shoulder, which landed in a trashcan near one of the classrooms. Immediately, Belle walked towards it, but she was blocked by Gaston. She tried to side-step him, but he followed her, back and forth.
"You need to start socializing more, like hang out with friends or go to parties," Gaston said, moving backwards unintentionally.
"I don't have friends, nor am I interested in parties. They're too loud and distracting." Belle drove Gaston into the trashcan, where they both stopped.
"All that nonsense about studying hard and getting good grades makes people like you completely boring! You're missing out on all fun things, Belle, and I'm here to fix that."
While Gaston was talking, Belle reached around his side, and pulled the book out of trashcan. He didn't notice, but as soon as he did, she walked away from him, cleaning the textbook with her sleeve. Luckily, the book wasn't badly damaged, just a few drops of soda on the back, and nothing else. She heard his footsteps behind her, so she quickly walked to the nearest stairs, but she was met by a short boy with a big nose and pudgy hands. He tried to prevent her from going down, but she managed to get past him by sliding down the hand-rails to the bottom. No one saw her, and she continued onto the lunch-room as the whistle from the hall-monitor blew above her.
Later, after an uneventful lunch, much to Belle's relief, she headed down the hallway across from the lunch-room and into Classroom 1992, where she and the other students were greeted by a tall man of Arabic ethnicity standing by the teacher's desk. He had a curly chin-beard, wore a long dark crimson jacket, and carried a golden cane with a cobra-head on it. Belle was initially surprised, but she obediently took her seat, and so did the others.
The Arabic man then stretched his skinny hands across the small desk, and spoke in a sly, menacing voice. "Greetings. I am your substitute teacher, Jeff Arum-Baugh, but you may call me Jeff. Mr. Cogsworth was sick today, but he told me to keep an eye on you during the test."
"Aw, come on, teach! Can't we just do something fun in this class for once?" asked a boy near the back, who was also Arabic, with short black hair and an unbuttoned dress-shirt.
"Don't take that tone with me, boy, and please button up your dress-shirt! This is a classroom, not a photography studio!" Jeff said, gritting his teeth.
When the boy refused, Jeff picked up his cane, and pointed it at him. A crimson lightning bolt leapt out of the cane and hit the boy, causing him to fly backwards and hit the concrete floor with his head. The class was astonished, and then they looked at Jeff with fearful looks.
As Jeff put the staff down, he said, "If any of you report this incident to the principal, I will make sure that every one of you is expelled! After all, I am the school secretary when I'm not substituting for other teachers. Are we clear?"
No one said a word as Jeff handed out tests, even Belle, who tried to forget the whole thing. She finished the test with quick efficiency, but just as she was about to leave the classroom, Jeff called her to the desk. Averting his eyes, she walked up to him and stared down at the papers he held in his hands.
"Do you know a student by the name of Adam Bête?" Jeff inquired.
"Well, sort of. My father and I live at the base of the hill where he lives. Why do you ask?"
"Mr. Cogsworth has asked me to hand these homework assignments that Mr. Bête has missed to you, so that you may drop them off at his house on the way home."
"Oh, sure, I could do that," Belle replied, and took the papers from Jeff's hands.
Later that day, Belle was walking home when she saw Gaston standing at the front door. Irritated, she took a detour up the hill to Adam's house to drop the homework assignments in his mailbox. But when she got there, she was astonished to find no mailbox near the large driveway. All that was left of it was a wooden stump that looked like it had been torn by a large animal. Ignoring it, she timidly approached the large front doors of the two-story mansion, and pressed a voice-box next to them.
"Hello? Adam Bête?"
On the other end, a deep, thunderous voice responded, "Who is this?"
The angry tone caught Belle off-guard, causing her to hesitate before speaking again. "I-I'm Belle Maurice, one of your classmates and-
"What is your business with me? I do not wish to be disturbed by anyone!"
"Well, Mr. Cogsworth has noticed you've been gone for a while, and since we're neighbors, he asked me to deliver some of the homework assignments you missed."
"Leave the papers by the door, and then walk away. If I catch you looking back, I'll tear your throat out!"
Belle gasped. In fear, she did as Adam asked, and left without saying another word. To avoid Gaston, she entered through the garden gate and opened the back door with a key hidden underneath a small log. The house was brightly-lit by the sunset, but unusually quiet. She called out for her father several times, until she came across a note posted on his bedside table. It said:
My Dearest Belle,
By the time you get this note, I will probably be on my way to the Science Fair in the next town over. There are leftovers in the fridge. You may invite one or two friends over, but no parties. I will see you in a couple of days.
Love,
Papa Maurice
End of Chapter 5
