Beauty and the Beast

Ryan's POV

I was in a trance, a daze.
Nothing could draw me out of my reverie. A nuclear bomb could go off right on top of the school, and you would find me still walking around amid the destruction like the undead, with a huge, stupid smile on my face.
A smile that hadn't gone away since I left her standing there. A smile that felt so foreign.It was so unusual that people walking past me in the hallway even did a double take. I could hear their whispering, and for the first time since I came to Rose high, I didn't care what they said.
I didn't have to block out their mocking, their gossip just to survive the day. It was as if someone had turned a switch off inside of me. There wasn't the usual tightening of the stomach, the usual coating of dread in my throat.
There was just this small, shiny bubble of happiness, that seemed lodged right beside my heart.
I was happy. More so than I've been in a long, long time. But did I have the right to be happy? Did I actually deserve to be happy?
Do I deserve her?
Does she even deserve to be stuck with a guy like me?
Would she even... think about it?
I knew the answer to that one, without a doubt, there is no way in Hell, Heaven or Earth that Isabelle Paige would even take a second glance at a guy like me.
But, she kind of already did, didn't she? A small voice whispered in my head. She's staying with you, isn't she? She chose you over Garreth White, the most popular guy at the school...
Yeah, I told the voice, she chose me over him because her opinion of Garreth White rivals that of a piece of shi--
"Excuse me, Mr. Tier?" I whirled around, automatically going on the defensive. Usually when someone calls me in this school, its because I'm in trouble.
I relaxed marginally when I saw Ms.Detovenares with her hands clasped in front of her, a serene smile on her lips.
She couldn't expel me, or give me detention or any of that.
At least, I don't think she can.
"Yeah?" I said cautiously, just in case fate was playing a cruel trick on me, and the woman was here to hand me my pink papers.
"I was just wondering how your tutoring is going?"
"Umm... Well.." What should I tell her? That we didnt' get a chance to study last night because I was too busy trying to kill Isabelle, and then she was chased by wolves, and then we were both almost run down by a semi? Or that I had fallen in love with Isabelle, even after knowing her only a day. Is that even possible? One day...
"Mr. Tier?" I jumped, and blushed when she raised her eyebrow. "Daydreaming again?"
"No, I was just... yeah. Um. It went good... I guess. We learned... stuff."
"Stuff." She said slowly, her normally calm eyes starting to go flinty. "Mr. Tier. I don't think I need to remind you that if you scare Ms. Paige away, like you have all your other tutors, that that's it for you. You're done. You can't mess this one up, Ryan. It means too much."
I narrowed my eyes at her, angered by her assumption. "Listen lady, it's none of your business--"
"Au contraire, Mr. Tier. I was the one who told Dr. Wise to give you one more chance." My mouth dropped open. She smiled, and nodded her head. "That's what I thought. Not used to people caring, are you?"
My mouth was still hanging open, and I wasn't able to do a damn thing about it. This woman, this small, boring librarian defended me, helped me. But, why?
I had a bad case of the speechlessness, and she knew it. I watched, completely floored as she took a step closer to me. The final bell rang. I was late for class.
But all I noticed was that this strange woman walking closer to me.
"So, Mr. Tier. We're going to have to agree on the fact that Ms. Paige is special. That Isabelle is special."
I blushed at Isabelle's name. And at the fact that I was so transparent.
"Got a bad case of the butterflies, do we Mr.Tier?" And with that, she turned and walked away. Her perfume lingered in the air. A sweet, unassuming brush of roses.
She was right.
I couldn't mess this up. This is my last chance at humanity, at love, at life.
I walked out of the building, not wanting to deal with my teachers right now. I'll probably get detention for it, but I really couldn't care.
Ms. Detovenares had left a considerable amount of things for me to think about. Life. My life.
Isabelle.
But she was wrong, Isabelle doesn't give me butterflies. The girl practically moves my bowels.
I escaped out of the front door, the wind and rain greeted me.
Letting my feet carry me, I made my way back to the front of the school, to where I had left Isabelle.
I shivered at the cold bite of wind, and told myself I really need to bring two jackets to school if I'm ever going to play hero again.
And thats when I saw it.
It.
Garreth.
Isabelle.
Kissing.