The Gospel Truth (A Disney Fanfic)

Chapter 21. Belle

The weeks passed quickly. Belle and Adam went to the library almost every day. Between this and work in class, the project went a lot quicker than she had originally anticipated. It was as if her entire life revolved around this one project.

For Adam, she thought, maybe it did. Whenever she caught a glimpse of him walking in the hallways, he looked like his own self, moody and distant. But when they were working together, she noticed a new sharpness in his stance, a new sort of fire in his eyes. He was working so hard on learning to read. Of course, he rarely admitted it to her. But still, she caught him sometimes, his neck bowed low over the Medieval Times book, struggling to puzzle out the words. She never said anything, only turned away and continued working.

He was smart, too, she noticed. She had never taught an almost grown man to read before, of course, but he seemed to make connections much faster than she would have. Sometimes, he asked questions about Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table that she hadn't even thought of. Deep, thought-provoking questions that kept her up late at night, wondering.

One day at the library, they finished Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. She closed it and smiled up at him. "So...what did you think?"

He looked thoughtful, maybe, though she couldn't really tell behind his mask of hair. "It was good," he said finally. "Like..." he hesitated. "Nevermind. That's stupid."

"No, tell me!" Belle pleaded.

He looked uncertain, but went on. "It was like...like a movie in my head. Except, I could control what everyone looked like, and I understood them more. Sometimes in movies, I don't understand people, but they just wrote everything out so clearly, and..." he slowed. "Sorry." He turned his head. "That was dumb."

"No..." she replied softly. "That was beautiful. That's exactly how I feel."

He looked back. "Really?" he asked quizzically, an edge of caution to his voice.

She nodded, for some reason not trusting herself to speak. For a moment, she thought she could see his eyes soften.

Then she stood up. "You stay here," she ordered. "I'm going to get another book."

"What book?" he asked, starting to stand.

"Not telling," she replied firmly, motioning for him to sit back down. "Now stay put."

She came back a few minutes later, a slim paperback book in her hand. She sat down. "This is Romeo and Juliet, one of the most famous plays of all time. It's by Shakespeare."

"Oh. I think I've heard of him before."

"Well, Professor Merlin mentions him all the time, so I'd hope so," she teased. "Now." She opened the play and began to read. "Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene..."

***

GASTON

Gaston sat at the local Duke of Smoothies, the most popular place for kids at Disney High to hang out after school. He was surrounded by people who adored him, and on a normal day, he would be sitting amongst them, telling stories of his valiant escapades in football.

But today was not a normal day.

He sat in the corner, alone, brooding. He was still upset by Belle's rejection a few weeks earlier. In fact, he had done little else but brood since it happened. He had tried a few more times, every time met with the same cold response. He couldn't make sense of it. Why didn't she want to go to the dance with the most beautiful boy in school? Surely a girl with her looks saw the sense in that.