Beauty and the Beast

Isabelle's POV

Maurice had held me through my bout of sobbing. My friend rocked me as the tears welled out in droves, pouring down my face in a steady stream of uselessness. I don’t know how long we had sat there, me in his arms. We skipped class, something we have never done before. It seemed right that we did it together.
He tried to cheer me up, as best friends should. Bored me with mindless chatter, made me smile with stupid inside jokes we had when we were in kindergarten.
It helped I guess you could say, all of his antics. Seeing him do the monkey impression I haven’t seen since second grade lifted some of the dark fog that had encompassed my brain. Listening to him do a rather good impression of Elvis Presley had me giggling.
We did talk about what happened. His indignant fury on my behalf made me feel a bit better. Especially when he went on a small rant, calling Garreth and Ryan names like “butt-face” and “anal orifice”. He went on and on, pacing in front of me, muttering to himself. I watched him as he walked back and forth, wearing down the grass as he went.
But as his fury abated, my anger grew. Garreth had no right to kiss me, and Ryan had no right to treat me like he did.
Maurice, sensing my dangerous mood, started to smile. And then he dropped the bomb.
“I’m going to Japan.” My first thought was; “not you too!” How dare he do this to me? How could he? First my dad abandons me, and as dramatic as that sounds its got some shred of truth, now he's leaving, and Ryan… I couldn’t decide what pissed me off more, the fact that he treated me that way, or that fact that I actually cared.
Nevertheless, when just the mention of his name brought a new onslaught of tears, Maurice hit me with yet another verbal grand slam with enough force to shut me up mid-sob.
“Come with me to Japan. Leave this place. You don’t need Ry—that bastard.” He quickly rectified as my eyes welled up again. “Come with me Bells. I’m going to be there, your dad’s going to be there. What more do you need?”
He had given me an out. I could leave Rose High, could leave all this mess, and be happy with him and my dad. True we’d be across the world. I wouldn’t be able to walk across the stage for graduation, and that by itself seemed like a small price to pay for happiness. But what about Ryan?
Could I do that to him? Did I really have it in me to ruin his life like that? I envisioned myself doing it. Telling Ryan to go screw himself, getting on that plane and fly into the sunset with my best friend right next to me.
It was perfect. I felt every cell inside of me clambering for the affirmative, I felt my mouth open, and then shut again when nothing came out. I was torn, split in half by an invisible line. Part of me was screaming to leave, that part was practically rabid for freedom. But the other part of me was whispering, more effective in its delivery, telling me that I couldn’t do that to Ryan, that I wouldn’t do that to Ryan. But the screaming overpowered the fevered whispering, and I stumbled for words.
Maurice noticed my struggle, and his face grew hard. “Belle. Why are you even pondering the notion of staying in this hellhole—“ He paused as he realized the reason for my internal battle. “What, you’re having trouble deciding because of him?”
When I stayed silent, he jumped up angrily. Our little haven just off the soccer field was well hidden, but the tree branches created a low ceiling, and he was inches from smacking his head on a branch. “You have got to be kidding.”
His indignant screech was well deserved. “He treated you like you were some… some gutter slut!” I jerked back as his words hit me like a slap in the face. Cringing at the truth in his statement, I could only stare at him and listen to his rant. “He let that stupid fart face Garreth kiss you! He just STOOD there, Bells!” He towered over me, his hair a wild halo around his face. Which was red with anger. “He yelled at you, he pushed you, he made you feel like CRAP!”
His raging mingled in with the vicious inner battle I was facing. I looked down, as if the blades of grass I was sitting on held the answer to yet another problem I was faced with.
Maurice’s tirade faded out until it was nothing but an angry buzz in my ear.
Why did I have to be torn like this? I was angry with Ryan, furious even. But I was even madder at myself. I shouldn’t even be considering staying, not with what Ryan just pulled. But then why, why do I feel sick just thinking about leaving him.
That jerk doesn’t deserve one stitch of compassion from me, and yet, here I am, debating with myself whether to leave or to stay.
To leave or not to leave, that’s the freaking question of the hour, isn’t it?
“Belle!” My head jerked up at Maurice’s shriek. “He doesn’t deserve you!”
Only one word rang out clearer than the others. Just one.
Deserve.
He doesn’t deserve a damn thing from me. Not with the way he treated me. Or with the things he made me feel. The memory of his icy blue eyes boring into mine, his fury that ripped through me. His words that cut through my control that felt like he had stabbed me. No, he didn’t deserve for me to stay, to help him.
I smiled up at Maurice. I knew my answer now.

Ryan’s POV

I couldn’t find her.
Panicking I searched through the crowds in the hallways, only mildly aware of the people bustling around me. Maurice, after he had happily told me of Isabelle’s decision, had patted my check and walked away, whistling a happy tune.
I couldn’t dredge up enough energy to get up and chase after him. Hell, all of my energy, all of my concentration, my whole soul was fixated on one thing.
Isabelle leaving.
Practically running through the twisting hallways of Rose High, I ignored the shouts and mumblings of the students going through their school day. My shoes pounded on the linoleum, the sound muffled against the chaotic rumblings of my self-hating thoughts.
Fate, or something close to it seemed to haunt me in every decision I made. As if someone was watching every move I made, and if I were getting too happy, then that someone would force me to do something stupid, something to ruin my happiness. And as much as I wanted to blame this inane urge to destroy on Fate, or some other evil presence, I knew it was all on me.
I was the one to blame.
Which, Maurice had pointed out to me several times after he had stunned me into silence. I can’t believe I actually thought that guy was a pushover. God, the dude had punched me, made me bleed. And he had defended Isabelle. When he was yelling at me, blaming everything but the rain on me, and I’m not saying I didn’t deserve that, he actually scared me. And he humbled me.
So, I searched for her. And I wouldn’t beg her to stay. No matter how much I wanted to, no matter how much it was going to hurt I am going to let her go. She deserved to be happy.
I just wanted to apologize to her. I couldn’t let her leave thinking that I was such a prick. That I still believed those things about her.
Maurice wouldn’t tell me where she was; he said something about me needing to work for her attention. I guess I deserved that. Which is why I was currently, and frantically, running through the halls, looking for the familiar golden green eyes.
The school day was ending; you could sense the excitement in the air. It was Friday; the weekend was almost here, an hour and a half and counting.
That explains my franticness. If I didn’t find her before the school day ends, I’ll lose my chance to explain everything.
With growing desperation, I ran out of the school. Rain pounded down all around me as I sprinted to the soccer fields. The ground was slippery and I went down a couple of times. My gaze swept over the fields looking for her, and I felt my heart stop when I saw a flash of red in the trees.
I held my breath as I ran towards the spot. A million thoughts flew through my head like an angry swarm of bees when I saw her tiny figure sitting down under a small canopy of branches. Relief, so palpable in its brevity, hit me like a ton of bricks.
My feet pounded on the wet grass and kicked up drops of rain.
She turned when I reached her, and her face lost all color and she stood up quickly.
“Ryan?” She garbled out. “What--- what are you doing here?” I didn’t enter her small haven, but stayed out in the rain.
My plan was to apologize, to get her forgiveness and then to get the hell away. But when I opened my mouth to say sorry I dimly heard, “Why are you leaving me?” come out.
Her eyes widened with shock, and her pale face quickly heated up. I couldn’t decide if it was with anger or embarrassment.
She stuttered around for a few seconds, and I just stood there like an idiot. “You…I…. but…Oh…” The last word was screamed, and I jumped in surprise. She raised her fist, and I flinched. I really, really hoped I wouldn't get punched again, no matter how much I deserved it, I really don't think my mouth could take another hit Remembering Maurice's quick and hard punch, I raised my hand to my mouth, gently prodding it. Pain exploded as I touched the tender cut“You asshole!” She yelled at me.
My mouth fell open at the vehemence in her shout. I expected hurt, I expected angry, but this went way past any of my expectations.
She was beyond freaking pissed.
“Isabelle—“ She held up a hand. I shut my mouth. It seemed to be the safest thing to do at the moment. A few raindrops fell from the ceiling of branches and landed on her face. She ignored them, but I watched as they made a slow track down her face. Glistening wet tracks.
“Ryan. You are singularly the most infuriating, stupid, arrogant person I have ever met.”