AN: No Beta...as usual.

Tiny Smiles

Chapter One

Cars lined the paved street of the private road. Music and peals of feminine laughter emanated from the grand opened door of the grand sprawling estate.

Reine and Jean hesitated as they entered the long path towards the entrance. Jean was nervous. Nervous she wouldn't have the opportunity to talk to Scott. There would be a lot of other girls, competition, vying for his attention. She was hell bent on getting his attention and keeping it.

Reine however was nervous for a totally different reason. She'd lied to her grandmother. She'd taken advantage of her grandmother's advanced age and inability to verify her whereabouts. She'd said she had to work the closing shift of her job at the neighborhood corner store. After she'd cooked dinner and made sure her grandmother had everything she needed for the night, for the second time that day she'd boarded two busses to take her to the opposite side of town. Reine calculated that she would only be able to stay for two hours, and that was pushing it if she wanted to get home by 12:30.

"Now or never," Jean said.

"I vote for never. I shouldn't have come…"

"Don't you dare chicken out on me now, Reine Meriwether! I'll hate you for the rest of my life if you do," Jean said through clenched teeth. "Besides," she said, her tone changing to saccharine sweet. "We'll stay together," grabbing Reine by the arm and dragging her towards the entrance. "We were personally invited. It's not like we're just showing up."

The two girls eased their way around a group blocking the entryway. Though they were eyed warily the teens didn't stop their conversation. Once inside Reine marveled at the vastness. The foyer could have easily encased half of her grandmother's home.

She scanned the room for a place to hide. Which shouldn't have been a difficult feat due to the enormity of the house. But there seemed to be people everywhere. Some she recognized from school but most she did not. They probably attended the public schools in the area.

"Look Reine. There's Scott. I'm going to go talk to him." Two steps towards her destination Jean stopped. Someone had beaten her to him. The girl had her arms thrown around Scott's neck. "Damn it."

Fifteen minutes later Reine found herself sitting on a couch nursing a tangy alcoholic concoction Jean had handed to her. The taste was horrific, however Jean had downed a cup like it was water and was working on her second. Jean was perched on the arm of the chair next to her, in prime viewing vantage of Scott.

Reine only slightly surprised by the way Jean was acting. She'd only known Jean for a little over a year bit it only took a handful of conversations to realize she was a bit boy crazy. If the guy was cute then Jean was in love. Any male attention would send her into a hysterical bought of delusions. Maybe because her pale freckled skin, bone straight red hair and braced smile wasn't the traditional idea of feminine beauty. Something Reine could relate to. Jean had been called ugly on a daily basis for as long as she could remember, starting with her mother and ending with the kids at school. Ugly was all Jean saw too…the flaws that were readily pointed out. But the fact that Scott Summers, someone Jean considered to be the epitome of perfection, knew her name made her feel good, really good.

Glancing down at her watch, Reine sighed. If Jean weren't her friend, her only friend, she would have never came. The noise was almost unbearable to Reine's ears. She was use to quiet. Both she and her grandmother preferred reading to watching television. And while at school she preferred the solace of the library during lunch or any other time she wasn't in class.

Jean suddenly stood tearing Reine away from her musings. Scott was standing in front of Jean talking into her ear. Her head nodded enthusiastically at everything Scott said before she walked away with him.

What the...? Reine had half a mind to leave. So much for not leaving her by herself. Reine watched as Jean and Scott exited the room through a pair of French doors. "Great," Reine grumbled to herself. Now she looked like even more of an idiot sitting on the couch by herself. Lord forbid if someone sat next to the freak. A couple moved when she'd initially sat down. She was use to it.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind a body crashed next to her, spilling a portion of the contents of the red plastic cup as it did so. "Oops, sorry!" a blond girl who obviously had too much to drink wiped at the spilled liquid on Reine skirt clad legs.

"It's okay. It's fine," Reine said trying to stop the girl's hands from pawing at her.

"Hey! I know you! We went to junior high together!" Reine looked at the girl trying to recognize her. No one came to her. "You always wore the same dirty clothes every day," the girl laughed. "Are you still poor?"

Reine didn't have to recognize her for her to bring back memories. Memories of the ridiculing and taunting she'd endured. If it wasn't how she looked it was how she dressed…or rather how she didn't dress. Her grandmother couldn't afford much more than to pay bills and buy food with the money she received from social security and food stamps. Reine's mother had run off to New York a couple of years after she was born. N'Dare sent money twice a year…birthday and Christmas. And usually it was only enough to replace worn pieces of under garments or a pair of shoes.

This was why Reine was skeptical of going to such a prestigious private school on scholarship she'd earned. She didn't know how much of the taunting she'd be able to take from people who probably didn't know which president was on the one-dollar bill. Fortunately, the uniforms made her just the same as everyone else…for the most part. Even though, it still seemed everyone knew she was the poor charity case. Maybe it was because she was one of the very few dark faces in a sea of white. Or maybe it was because her Mary Jane's weren't as shiny as the other girls'.

Reine didn't have to answer the girl's question. Apparently being drunk made for short attention spans. The girl curled up on the opposite end of the couch and appeared to be sleeping. How can she sleep with all of this noise?

Jean had been gone at least thirty minutes and somehow the crowd had grown considerably thicker and louder. Reine was ready to leave, with her friend or without her. Fighting her way through the crowd she exited the doors she saw Jean and Scott disappear through.

There were people outside, mostly couples lounging on the outdoor furniture. It was hard to see who was who even with the two post lamps lighting the garden. Reine walked by each but didn't see her friend. Where could she be?

Maybe Jean had passed her and she'd missed her. Reine turned to go back inside and almost walked directly into Remy's chest. "Oh," she said startled then quickly regrouped. "Sorry." Remy gave her a curt nod then stepped aside to allow her access to the path. Reine began to walk then stopped and faced him, "Have you seen my friend Jean? We were invited yesterday…by Scott," she stammered in case he didn't remember who they were. "She was with Scott but now I can't find them," she trailed off and looked away. It was so difficult to look at him. She felt foolish talking to him.

"Follow me," Remy ordered and began walking through a path that wandered through the grounds. Reine obeyed and about fifty yards later they stood outside a small cottage…a guesthouse. Reine peered through the door after Remy opened it. Her eyes widened and her hands flew went to her mouth to muffle the gasp that was on the verge of escaping. The sounds of Jean's moans assaulted her ears and the sight of her and Scott's naked flesh filled her vision. As Reine stepped back from the threshold her eyes finally landed on Anna-Marie's smirking face sitting in the corner. Their eyes locked for a brief second before Remy closed the door. "She seems to be busy," Remy said as he looked down at her.

Still looking at the now closed door Reine was speechless. She couldn't wrap her head around what she'd just seen. Jean…Scott…Anna-Marie… Reine blinked slowly and looked at Remy. "What…" her words died.

"What does it look like? They're having a good time."

Reine turned and made her way back up the path not knowing quite else what to do. Jean was a virgin. Or so she'd always said she was. She had always said she wanted to wait until she was married. The scene played back in her head. Why was Anna-Marie there? What were they doing?

"Where are you going?"

Reine startled. She hadn't realized Remy was behind her. "Home," Reine said as she rounded the corner of the house, making her way to the front yard.

"I'll take you," Remy gripped her elbow and began to steer her across the topiary decorated lawn towards the street and his car. He opened the door and waited for her to slide into his shiny convertible Saab.

"Um…you don't have to leave the party. I can catch the bus." His inconvenience was only part of her hesitance. The foremost of her issues was being in such close perimeters with Remy. She was scared to death of him, any boy really but him especially. He didn't act like regular teenage boys. He was leagues above her. He made her feel like an adolescent. Which wasn't something she was use to. Most people said she seemed older than her sixteen years of age.

Reine shifted her weight back and forth on her feet waiting…to be dismissed. She watched him as his head tilted slightly regarding her. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Reine."

"Reine what?" He seemed a bit annoyed.

"Reine Meriwether," she said feeling even more like a child in response to his silent chiding.

"Reine Meriwether, get in." She did as she was told. He closed the car door after she'd settled. She struggled to keep her eyes focused forward and not watch him round the back of the car. He slid in and started the engine. He didn't look at her but she stole glances at him. She couldn't believe she was sitting in Remy LeBeau's car. He was taking her home. He had bothered to talk to her.

Reine thought it strange he didn't ask her which way to turn when he'd reached the stop sign at the end of the street but he made the correct choice anyway. Did he know where she lived? The unasked question was answered when he made another turn that led them in the opposite direction of where she lived.

"You're going the wrong way," she said. He didn't answer. He only glanced at her briefly before training his eyes back on the road ahead. She didn't recognize her surroundings and with each turn and road they crossed panic built in her stomach. He was driving away from the city. Not getting into cars with strangers was a basic rule taught to children. And even though she knew Remy's name he was still a stranger nonetheless.

Remy took a curve and turned onto a long narrow road. The Saabs headlights cut through the pitch black of the wooded area. Finally he stopped when the trees thinned and the meadow opened. Reine looked around as he pressed a button and the top of the convertible slowly receded to reveal an illuminated night sky. She'd never seen so many stars in her life. They seemed to be piled one on top of the other.

Reine stared up at the brilliant sky then turned to him brandished a smile to rival it. All of the nervousness that had her stomach tied up in knots dissolved. "This is beautiful," she breathed then looked back to the sky.

Her head snapped back towards him when she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist. Then the unexpected happened. His lips were on hers. Reine's eyes stretched in surprise. His tongue pushed its way inside her mouth and he took the kiss. Reine put her hands between them and pushed him away but could only manage by a few inches. He was still close enough for her to feel his breath on her lips. And for a brief moment she was scared.

What seemed to be anger in place of his usual stoic expression was at second glance a look of confusion. His brows dipped and his lips folded into a hard thin line. Then the look slowly softened and he leaned towards her again. This time he kissed her tenderly. The hand that once gripped her wrist lifted to her face, cradling it like she was a delicate flower. His thumb stroked the apple of her cheek and she melted. Relaxing into the buttery leather of the seat. Everything and everyone residing outside of that car disappeared. Only she and Remy remained. Beautiful Remy LeBeau was kissing ugly, poor old her in his expensive car underneath a blanket of stars. If she died right then she'd die happy.

Remy entered his home through a side door. After only a couple of steps in he could hear his father's bellowing voice. He was yelling at his mother again. Absently, he wondered what had set Jean-Luc off this time. He was sure it was something simple. Maybe his mother hadn't noticed the housekeeper had set the table wrong.

They were in the sitting room. Remy blew out a breath and braced himself as he rounded the corner to stand in the entryway. He saw his mother sitting in a wing-armed chair, head bowed slightly, taking her tongue lashing. Her head lifted slightly and she looked at him and quickly looked back to her lap.

Jean-Luc stood over her, finger pointing accusingly at her, "I swear to God in heaven, Martha, you make it your lot in life to embarrass my family name."

Remy almost rolled his eyes. The only real concern his father had in his life was maintaining the LeBeau name. No shame could be brought upon it. It held a primary place in his father's mind. The LeBeau name, then money, followed closely by his own needs, sometimes God almighty would find a place pending on who he was talking to and finally his family.

Remy relished the idea of not being under his father's roof anymore. Soon. He was in his last year of high school then he'd be off to college. He'd go to university far, far away like his older brother had. Although Remy didn't think Claude had too much of a choice. Once his older brother who was attending Louisiana State University at the time told their father he was gay Jean-Luc almost disowned him. Something about dishonoring the family name… That was three years ago. Claude didn't even come home for Christmas anymore. Remy missed his brother.

Unable to listen to his mother being berated he turned and exited as quietly as he had come. She deserved the treatment. She was foolish and accepted her role with a blind eye, willing to carry on the façade of being the perfect society lady. But she was no different than most women. He'd learned they could be bought and sold to whoever was the highest bidder and not even realize it. He'd seen enough of Jean-Luc's mistresses to know they only cared about shiny trinkets and golden baubles.

He saw it every day in the halls of his school. Girls pining away over both him and Scott? Why? Because they came from old money and lots of it. There was nothing overly special about them in comparison with the other males their age. The little red head proved that tonight. Stupid. The way she pined over Scott was nauseating. But her friend, Reine. He'd known her name since that first day even though he pretended not to. Somehow he felt like she'd have the upper hand had she known he'd found out about her. He had too…she intrigued him…everything about her from her odd features to her meekness.

He'd noticed her the moment she'd set foot in the school almost three years ago. At first he'd just assumed she was a daughter of any other well to do family that sent their child to the elite private school. But after a while of observing her he realized she wasn't like the other girls at his school. She wasn't a snob to everyone. While being vapid sixteen year olds already getting breast implants and nose jobs. She was there on scholarship. That could only mean she was smart. But tonight she was dumb enough to let him kiss her.

The weekend seemed to have dragged by. Usually it was a speedy two days filled with working at the store, church and taking care of her grandmother. She couldn't wait for Monday to come so she could see Remy. Would he talk to her? Or take her to, what she now thought of as their special place? She silently chided herself for being overly romantic about what had happened but her heart swelled with hope that it was.

Reine dabbed her lips with a small amount of petroleum jelly. She didn't have lipstick or lip gloss so it would have to do. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. She thought she looked older, more mature. She'd experienced a milestone…a sort of coming of age event.

She and Remy didn't stay parked in the car long but the minutes they'd spent there was the most exhilarating experience of her life. She'd never had anyone look at her the way he had, like he saw who she really was and not just a shy, strange looking, poverty stricken girl. He made her feel…worthy.

"Reine, baby!" her grandmother called from the front room. "I left my bible in my bedroom. Can you get it for me?"

"Yes, ma'am," she said entering her grandmother's room and easily finding the bible on the nightstand next to the bed. Reine also grabbed the tabloid magazines her grandmother was so fund of.

"Here you go, Granny. Anything else before I leave?"

Her grandmother took her hand as she gave her the books. "You're such a sweet girl and I thank God for you every day."

"Oh Granny, I love you too," Reine said as she bent down and kissed her.

As soon as Reine stepped off the bus she saw Jean's bright red hair bounding towards her, weaving through the students and other pedestrians. She was sure if her skin tone were even a shade lighter her face would be bright red with embarrassment. She never thought she'd find Jean with Scott and Anna-Marie. Reine just couldn't wrap her head around what they were doing.

"Hey Reine!" Jean said using her usual perky tone. Nothing as far as she was concerned had changed. But to Reine everything had changed. She didn't know what to do with this new information about her friend.

"Hey," Reine returned the greeting as she began to walk towards the school, Jean next to her.

"Why'd you leave me the other night? I had to walk home by myself," Jean said.

Reine was taken aback by Jean's accusation. "I didn't leave you. I went looking for you and…" Reine's voice trailed off when she looked at Jean's wide-eyed expression, "I couldn't find you," she finished. Reine noted Jean's small sigh of relief.

"Oh yeah…sorry about that. Scott and I got to talking and I just lost track of the time. We're a couple now! Can you believe it?" Reine could only assume they were a couple after what she'd seen. "I mean…I'm going on with the one and only Scott Summers!" Jean said excitedly as they stopped at their lockers. Reine busied herself with turning the combination of the dial. "Oh my god," Jean said. "Here he comes."

Reine's eye slid away from her task to where Jean was looking down the corridor. Remy and Scott walked side by side. Scott as usual was greeting fellow classmates and giving and receiving high fives. Remy on the other hand kept his usual indifferent demeanor as they moved through the throng of students.

Jean's grin grew wider as the boys approached. "Hey Scott!" she called out once they finally reached her. And to both Jean's and Reine's dismay Scott didn't even acknowledge her presence. He didn't even look in the girl's direction. Remy on the other hand spared a subtle glance. And in that glance he acknowledged her and the moment they'd shared in his car. It wasn't a lot and Reine wasn't expecting too much but it was something...more than Scott had given to Jean.

Reine watched the smile fade from Jean's face. "I don't think he heard me," Jean mumbled, disappointment evident in her voice as she watched the back of Scott saunter down the rest of the hallway and turn a corner.

"Yeah, it's pretty noisy. He probably didn't see you either," Reine lied. There was no way he didn't see Jean. Jean with her fiery red hair and her with her pigmentless tresses were hard to overlook.

She could only imagine how humiliated Jean would be if she knew that she'd seen what she'd done. Jean was the only person she had besides her grandmother, even if the friendship was a one-sided it was better than nothing. Reine finished exchanging her books from her locker and closed it. "I'm sure he'll talk to you later once everything settles down."

"Yeah…" she heard Jean mumble. "I'll see you later, Reine," then she was gone without even a backwards glance. Reine watched her go.

Reine stared out the window of the bus reflecting on the days that had passed. The school week slowly came to an end. Jean watched Scott walk by her everyday without so much as a hello. She'd finally gotten the message after the second attempt of trying to get his attention. But Reine did see the lopsided smirks Anna-Marie would cast Jean's way; she'd been used and discarded. She hadn't uttered a word about Scott to Reine and Reine decided to keep it that way. The conversation would be embarrassing for both of them.

Reine's heart ached for her friend. It was obvious that Jean thought there would be a relationship. She couldn't blame her for thinking that way. Deep down she hoped the same for her and Remy. However, Reine wasn't delusional. There was no way possible Remy would want anymore to do with her than Scott had to do with Jean.

Reine's stop came into view. Once she was close enough she reached over and pressed the "stop" button to notify the driver that she'd need to get off. She had twenty minutes to walk the two blocks to her next bus stop before the second bus she had to take came. Reine began to walk and out of the corner of her eye she saw a car slow next to her. Her heart sped up and her stomach flipped when she realized it was Remy. She slowed her steps but kept walking. She didn't want to assume he was there for her but she couldn't think of any other reasons why else he would be on that street, so far out away from the nice houses and shops on the other side of town.

She stopped and turned towards the vehicle when she heard him say, "Reine Meriwether." He leaned over and peered at her through the opening of the rolled down passenger side window. "Get in." Even though all she wanted to do was be with him again, she hesitated to think about how it wasn't a good idea to go with him. She still didn't know him. And she actually did have to work that night and didn't have time to diddle.

"I can't," she said. "I have to get home then go to my job."

She watched him as he processed her words before he finally spoke, "I'll only keep you for a minute."

Reine bit her lip and struggled with the decision of what to do for less than a couple of seconds before she opened the car door and slid in. Remy drove a few yards then turned into a small parking lot. He didn't turn the ignition to the "off" position but he did put the car in park and pull up the emergency brake.

Reine sat waiting with her head slightly bowed looking at the books that rest in her lap. She felt his eye on her and she dared a glance. He had that look again…confusion, like he was trying to sort something out. His hand lifted and touched the long braid of her ponytail. She watched out of the corner of her eye as his long index finger brushed over the texture of her hair. His hand slid up to the back of her neck and his other hand went to her cheek and turned her head towards him. He stared at her not moving. Searching her face from her blue eyes to her perky button nose down to the fullness of her lips. "You are…" he said, his words trailing off.

"I'm what?" Reine asked in a shaky breathy voice.

"Beautiful," he said. That word then his lips on hers took her by surprise. She settled into his gentle but persistent kisses. He reluctantly pulled back and moved his hands away placing them on the steering wheel. "I won't keep you."

Reine wanted to say something. She wanted to ask him what he was doing. Why was he seeking her out? But didn't. Instead she adjusted her books and opened the car door. She was about to get out when she heard him speak. "Tomorrow. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I have work all afternoon tomorrow. I won't be able to get away," she said answering a question he didn't even ask. He nodded then looked forward.

Reine exited the car and walked out of the parking lot. She dared a glance behind her when she heard his cars engine rev and leave the parking lot going in the opposite direction. She took deep breaths in and out trying her best to calm her flustered nerves. She didn't know what was going on but she liked it. She liked it a lot. She liked the way he looked at her. In the light of day she could she his dark eyes shining with bemusement and awe when he looked at her.

She smiled to herself and quickened her pace.