Beauty and the Beast

Ryan's POV

The blood drained out of her face, turning her glowing skin waxy and drawn. Her short intake of air together with the widening of her eyes, spoke volumes when she stayed silent. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good. She wouldn’t meet my gaze, and so I waited. Not patiently, because, hey, I’m not the most patient person in the world. But I did wait. She was speechless, that much I could tell. And there was this light, almost fear, in her eyes. My eyes narrowed in response to the wild panic in hers.
The wind picked up, and she moved closer to me, shivering. The day got cold, the sky grew darker, and it seemed to be in rejoinder to whatever her father was telling her.
“But dad, Garreth White lives with them!”
She listened for a moment, and raised her face, finally meeting my eyes. And then understanding hit me. I staggered back a bit as the full force of it hit me.
She was going to have to stay with Garreth.
“Dad. Listen to me. I cannot under absolutely no circumstances, stay with him!” A pause, then: “I don’t give a damn how nice his parents are.”
She blushed, and lowered her head so her hair fell in her face. “Sorry.”
I know it wasn’t her fault, and I tried people, I seriously tried not to be mad at her. But I couldn’t help it. Resentment bubbled up inside of me. I looked away from her, ashamed, and angry with her and with myself.
Leaves blew in the strengthening winds, people walked by shivering in their light coats, cursing this sudden change in weather. Winter was coming, and it was coming fast.
Suddenly, she grabbed my arm. I looked down to see tears running down her face, and I felt my breath leave me in one fell swoop. It was like a punch to the gut, seeing those somber brown eyes shining with tears. She didn’t brush at them, just let them slide down her face, leaving silvery, glittery tracks on her cheeks.
“I’d rather die than stay with him!” She proclaimed stubbornly. Her father was yelling now, his words an angry buzz. Shaking her head no, she stayed silent through his tirade. “I’m not staying with them.” She wiped at her face, and blushed when she realized she was crying. “Damn it. Dad, I don’t know who I’ll stay with. But I am not, NOT, staying with them.”
It started to rain. The drops were like icy needles falling down on us. Isabelle was oblivious, so I took my jacket off and raised it above her, trying to keep her from getting wet. Still unawares of the cold, of the wet, and keeping the jacket above her, I pushed her with my chest towards a covered section of the walkway. She walked mechanically, still arguing with her father.
It was cold, and well, wet. My shirt and hair was soaked in seconds, and people all around us started to shout and curse, running for safety.
“Damn cold rain.” A boy muttered to himself, running towards the school.
“Dad, for someone smart, you’re being really stupid right now.” She snapped into the phone. I rolled my eyes, and shook the wet out of my hair.
“There has to be someone I can stay with…”
Yeah like someone besides Garreth White. I wrung the water out of my shirt, trying to get all of the blistering cold rain off of it. “How about I stay with Uncle Phillipe?”
Another round of angry buzz came.
“I don’t give a flying fuc-“ I covered her mouth. She blinked up at me, as if she had forgotten I was there. Pushing my hand off her mouth, she gave me a weak smile. “I don’t care if Uncle Phil is on his sabbatical. I can still bunk with—What do you mean him and—dad, this is stupid. Why can’t I just stay at home—?”
And then, the clichéd light bulb turned on. “Belle,” I said, grinning. “Stay with me.”
“Stay with… Of course!” She screamed, making me jump. Throwing her stuff on the ground, including her phone, she threw her arms around me, and gave me the best hug I have ever gotten in my life. She attacked my senses, there is seriously no other way to describe it.
My brain was in temporary fart-age, and I stood there in stunned silence, my hands still by my side. Her arms were wrapped around my neck, and they were soft, silky. Her hair smelled of pineapples. Finally regaining my wayward senses, I wrapped my arms around her waist, and pulled her closer.
The result had her feet dangling off the ground.
“Thank you.” She whispered. Then, “Oh, crap. Dad.” She struggled down. I reluctantly let her go.
She looked at me one more time, delighted, relieved and picked up her phone. “Dad great news I found someone to stay with.”
I fought the urge to grin, to scream in delight, to do all the embarrassing things my body and soul was practically scrambling to do. To get all these pent up emotions out
Like my happy dance, which is way up there on the scale of embarrassing things to do in front of the girl of your dreams.
“Dad, I’m going to stay with Ryan.” Her face clouded over, and anger flames shot out of her eyes. “Don’t you dare say that about him.” He is a hell of a lot better than Garreth White. And you know it. Just because you’ve heard stories… I don’t care if you don’t trust him. I do…. Oh, and because I’m young and a girl means I have no common sense? Is that what you’re trying to say, dad?” She paused, and I continued to stand there like an idiot, my mouth hanging wide open as she defended me. “Dad, Ryan isn’t like that. You don’t trust him, I get that. Oh, whatever, father.” She said sarcastically. I distantly heard the bell ring, the first bell, signaling that we have fifteen minutes before class. I could barely make out the ringing through the whirling of my brain. “Ryan is right here. You want to talk to him?”
I blanched, and took a step back. With escape and evade first and foremost on my mind, I held out my hands, palms forward and shook my head. “No, Belle, trust me you don’t want me to talk to him. I’ll just make things worse. I’m not good with talking to parents. Hell, you know I’m not good talking period. Belle… Isabelle Paige, don’t you dare give me that phone and hello, Sir.”
“Tier.” Her father growled into my ear. Isabelle was watching me stuttering like a fool with a small, knowing smile on her face. I glared at her, but she just blinked back, the picture of innocence. I hunched my shoulders, and stuffed my free hand into my pocket.
“Yes?”
“Are your parents home?” The familiar pang of lonfing at the mention of my parents came, followed by the plaguing stab of resentment.
“They’re gone.” I said, unable to keep the scorn out of my tone. Isabelle narrowed her eyes at me and poked my shoulder.
Her father took a deep breath, as if he was fighting down his temper. “Where are they?”
I had to remind myself that he was just concerned for his daughter, and all that, so I sucked in any attitude that wanted to bubble to the surface, and I gritted my teeth against the pain.
“They’re dead.”
Isabelle gasped, and covered her mouth. Her father fell into a shocked silence. Then he cleared his throat, “Um, well, I’m sorry—,” He cleared his throat again. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yes, sir.” I pushed the pain down, way, way down.
“Well,” he paused, struggling for words. “Damn it, Tier. I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit. I don’t know you. I’m not even sure I’m going to like you. You have no parental supervision, and your reputation isn’t shall we say, spotless?”
I winced, sensing defeat. Isabelle seemed to catch on to the drastic change in conversation, and started to frown dejectedly.
Still not knowing what to say, I let him continue.
“Belle seems to trust you though. And even though that’s way beyond my comprehension, my Isabelle is not stupid.”
“No, sir.” I wanted to smack myself. I sounded so pathetic it was humiliating. And it didn’t help that Isabelle was staring at me. No, that just made me squirm more.
“God, so, against my better judgment, and fatherly instinct, I’m going to let her stay with you. But I swear to God Tier, if you lay one finger on her, I’ll hunt you down and peel your skin off…” My mind trailed off, and his threats grew softer and softer in my ear. She is staying. She isn’t leaving.
She’s staying with me. The truth, the reality of this situation hit me like a Mack truck, and I almost staggered back at the brevity of it.
My face must have looked alarming, because Isabelle ripped the phone out of my hand, and immediately started yelling at her dad.
“Dad why can’t you just listen to me! I trust him! He won’t hurt me. Stop being stupid! What? You said…” Her gaze flew to my still stunned face. And then her fierce, angry flush quickly turned to embarrassed. “Oh, sorry… Sorry, dad.”
My legs felt rubbery, weak almost. And I controlled the urge to laugh like a lunatic.
“Right, OK. We’ll be there right after school dad. I promise. Yeah, love you too. Oh, and dad…. Thank you.”
She hung up the phone, and put it in her purse on the ground. We stood there, facing each other, grinning.
The five-minute bell rang, but I barely registered its incessant beeping when she threw herself into my arms for the second time today.
“God, Ryan. Thank you! Thank you! Oh, dear Jesus, thank you! How can I ever repay you?” And suddenly, it just dawned on me. And heaven help me, it just made me like the girl even more. God, I wanted to kiss her. And just hold her. But I was content with just listening to her thank me. “And Ryan, you don’t know how grateful I am---“
A warm glow spread through me, bringing a full smile on my face. “No, Belle. Thank you.”
Confusion came into her eyes, and she cocked her head at me questioningly. “For what?”
The warning bell came on, and people everywhere were dashing through the rain, hurrying to class.
“For calling me by my name.” I held my hand up when she opened her mouth to talk “Not Tier. Not beast. Just Ryan.”
And leaving my jacket with her so she could stay dry and warm, I turned around and walked away.