Beauty & the Beast

The next day was hell for Ronnie. The only thing that kept her from leaving school early was her art class. It was the elective that she chose. Ronnie had been able to paint and draw ever since she was a little girl, it was her passion. She couldn't wait to go in there and paint, but right now she was stuck in the hall, in the middle of a huge circle of people. Yes, that group had Brian and his friends.

"I heard you fainted because you have an eating disorder!" Some random girl yelled, everyone laughed.

"That's gross!"

"Bitch!"

"Whore!"

"Cunt!"

Any insult that you can think of, they shouted it. Ronnie gritted her teeth and tried to push through the crowd but they only stood their ground and threw her back. Ronnie hit the floor with a loud smack and everyone laughed again. Her fingertips went numb and she was dizzy. She was getting angry. Her shoulder reared it's ugly head and started hurting. She found out yesterday at the hospital that the muscle was torn all the way down to the middle of her back.

Ronnie stood up and ran her hand through her hair. How was she going to get out of this? Becca wasn't at school and Joel was being a ghost. She needed to figure this one out for herself. She took a minute and tried to push through again only to get knocked down again, this time she fell on her shoulder. She let out a small scream of pain and tried to grab her back and shoulder. No one cared, they just laughed at her.

"Hey! Break it up!" A loud deep voice rang through the halls and Ronnie felt immediate relief. It was Joel. She would recognize his voice anywhere. The crowd dispersed and Ronnie pushed herself up slowly. Joel came over and helped her up.

"Are you okay?" He asked, brushing his fingers through her hair to get it out of her face. He noticed that it wasn't in a ponytail like it normally was. Ronnie nodded her head despite the burning and throbbing in her shoulder. There wasn't much they could do about a torn shoulder. Just pain killers and physical therapy.

"I'm fine. I should have expected that after yesterday."

♏♏♏

The rest of the day, Joel walked Ronnie to class. He didn't want her to get hurt anymore than she already was. Ronnie didn't care much anymore. She just had to get through the rest of the year then she wouldn't have to worry about any of it anymore. She just let it roll off like sweat. Ronnie walked to her locker and was shocked to see that the lock wasn't completely latched together. She sighed and opened the door, expecting to see things missing. Instead, she found another rose similar to the one she got in the hospital.

Hang in there -R Who the hell was sending these? First 'B', now 'R'? Ronnie gathered her things, rose included, and went out to her car. When she got to the car and got inside, she somehow maneuvered herself around so that she could change her clothes. She wriggled out of her jeans then pulled on shorts. Next came her shirt which soon became a bandeau top with a cropped sweatshirt over it. She pulled her boots back on then started the car. She was meeting Becca for lunch but it was hot outside and she didn't want to wear jeans the rest of the day.

After a few minutes, Ronnie saw the sign for Applebee's. She switched on her turn signal and changed lanes. Instead of turning off the signal, she left it on; she had to turn anyway once the light turned green. It didn't take long to turn green and Ronnie turned into the parking lot. She quickly found a spot, shut off the car, and ran inside.

"Welcome to Applebee's. Can I help you?" The hostess said in bright voice with a smile that matched. She must love her job.

"I'm meeting my friend here. Rebecca Roberts." The hostess checked the log then gestured for Ronnie to follow her. They weaved in and out of a few people and tables before they got to Becca's table. Ronnie sat down and thanks the hostess.

Ronnie was glad to be there finally, she was starving from not eating breakfast or lunch that day.

"Where were you? I noticed you weren't in school today." Ronnie asked, flipping through her menu. Becca shrugged her shoulders as she looked through her own menu.

"I dunno, I kinda needed to take a day for myself. I woke up this morning feeling sorta icky so I just stayed home." Becca wouldn't admit it but she felt bad. She left her best friend all alone at school. Well, she had Joel but he's been acting funny.

"So, I've got some news for you. The doctors told me that open heart surgery will 100% help me...you know, if I make it through." Ronnie said taking a sip from the water that had been brought out a few minutes before she got there. Becca sat straight up with wide eyes.

"You're kidding! That's great! Are you gonna do it?" She asked. Ronnie nodded her head yes.

"I think so, I just need a lot of support cause I'm a chicken shit when it comes to these kinds of things." Ronnie said with a laugh. Becca chuckled and grabbed her best friend's hand.

"You can do this, Ronnie. I know you can. Joel and I will be behind you all the way."

"I'm sorry but that sounds so wrong." The girls started giggling which earned them a few stares from some people but they didn't care. They settled down after a minute and ordered their food when their waitress came. Maybe Ronnie could do this. She really just needed her friends to stand by her.

Ronnie's and Becca's food came out fifteen minutes later and they dug in.