N-701124 {b. barnes}

III

Belle spent the beginning of the next week unpacking her things in her dorm. She had a room to herself, which was more than what she asked for. She received a warning from the school saying that there would be men who would doubt her and try to make her fail.

She wasn't too worried about them. She was used to being doubted and talked down to. Thankfully, she grew immune to it over time. 

Her room itself wasn't the biggest, but it was more than enough for one person. She had her own bathroom, plus a nice sized living room and bedroom. There was room for her to set up a desk in a corner and put a small table in the living room. The kitchen itself was small, but she didn't mind. She'd be the only one using it, anyway. 

There wasn't much for Belle to unpack. Most of her things were clothes or personal things. There were barely any decorations, which left the walls blank. 

"I really should get something to fill the walls." Belle muttered. "I'll be in here a lot." 

She sighed. A decent lamp would be nice. Something I can use at night while I'm studying. 

Classes started soon, and while Belle was looking forward to them, she was also nervous. Most of her classes would be with men - men who doubted her. While she was used to the doubt, she wasn't used to being in a room alone with men, and only men, for hours upon end. 

The doubt was normal. Belle even had doubts about herself, so she expected it from others too. It was too late to turn back now, though. Most of her money was gone. 

There was no going back now. 

"Hey, Belle!" Ruth ran up to her as Belle walked to her first day of class. "Morning." 

"Morning." Belle tightened her grip on her books. "You excited?"

"Of course I am! Are you?" 

Belle pressed her lips together. "I guess." 

"What's wrong?" Ruth asked, noticing the expression on her friend's face. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"It is. But the boys...."

"Ignore the boys." Ruth shrugged. "Like you always do. I never thought you'd be one to get so worked up over a group of boys." 

"What if ma and father were right? What if this was a foolish idea? What if I-"

"Belle." Ruth cut her off. "You do realize that they're only making you think like this because they want you to fail, right? They want you to go home. They want you be the ones to make your life choices. They want a life for you, but it's different than what you want for yourself." 

She sighed. "I know, but what if they're right?"

"Belle." Her friend said sternly. "Stop that. They're wrong. This is what you want, isn't it?"

"Of course it is." 

"Then stop thinking about them. This is your life, not theirs. They shouldn't have a say in it." 

"You're lucky your parents support you." Belle muttered.

"They don't support me - they just don't care what I do as long as I'm happy." 

"It's nearly the same thing. They're not telling you not to go to school, like mine did. They're more understanding than my parents." She frowned. "I'll see you. I'm going to go before I'm late." 

Belle walked to the first of her classes. She wasn't shocked to find that the others were male. Everyone looked at her when she walked in. Shocked murmurs spread around the room.