Beauty Loves the Beast

Chapter One: Tardy

Lana Hart ♡

The California sun kissed at my vanilla colored skin as I jumped over the small cracks of the pavement path that lead to school, a path I now knew my heart. "One. Two. Three." I counted, for every time I didn't touch the cracks. "Four. Five. Six. Se-"

"You are such a child- ahh-ow, why are you hitting me?" Keighty asked me as I softly punched at her shoulders.

I stopped punching her, narrowing my eyes enough to let her know I wasn't upset over anything serious. "Because you scared me to the point where I thought I was going to get my period again this month!" I bellowed playfully at her, keeping my legs crossed a little longer until I was sure my white skinny jeans and I were safe.

Keighty rolled her eyes at me, rubbing rapidly at her shoulders as to get rid of the pain. "It's not my fault you're feeling guilty about something," she muttered. "Besides, it's Tuesday which means I walk with you today." She reminded me.

"I don't feel guilty about anything because I haven't done anything wrong, and today is Monday which means you ride the bus and that you woke up late so you missed the bus and Deacon left for college already, and your parents are already at work, and I was your last option." I said knowingly, this wasn't the first time Keighty did this. In fact, this has been happening since the first day of freshman year.

Yes, that long.

Keighty shrugged, "hashtag no shame, hashtag white girl!" She laughed, knowing she was bothering me. Lately, this girl in my math class has been using the word 'hashtag' before and after every sentence that comes outbof her mouth. "Don't hate me 'cause you're stuck in a regular math class because it's the only subject you suck at, getting you stuck with all the underachievers." She said, raising her brows at me.

"Shut up, just shut up now, Keighty, I freakin hate you and this stupid school." I laughed as we walked into the building of Remington High. "Hey, have you seen Mr. Mick lately?" I asked Keighty, sighing when she shook her head no.

"Why?" She asked.

I shook my head, "it's nothing, just had a couple questions for him about the project he assigned last week." I explained, following Keighty to her locker like I knew she'd want me to do. She's been seeing this guy, Adam Taylor, total poop head if you ask me but apparently he's really nice to Keighty so, I deal with it. I mean, he's not necessarily rude, he's just kind of a jerk when he's around his friends. Makes me wonder about how genuine his intentions with Keighty really are.

I rested my feet a couple inches away from Keighty's locker as she began switching out her binders and text books when suddenly, I could feel a pair of eyes on me and a warm scent that stood out from the regular sweat smelling hallways. "Are you wearing men's cologne?" I asked Keighty, trying to figure out where the smell was coming from.

Keighty stared at me curiously and like I had just said that Aquaman was the best superhero out there. "Do you not smell that?"

She shook her head at me, taking a whiff of air. "If you're reffering to the smell of someone having sex or a lot of horny teenagers waisting their life away, then yes-"

I looked at her in disbelief, slapping at her arm. "No you idiot, it's a nice scent. Like-we're going to be tardy!" I yelled at her, my lungs knotting up in alarm.

"It smells like we're going to be tardy?" Keighty asked, clearly confused. "Lana, Babe, are you feeling okay? Being tardy does not have a scent, that's not-"

"No," I interrupted her. "The tardy bell's about to ring, we're going to be tardy! Oh God, I'm not prepared for this! C'mon, move those cheerleader legs or so help you God, I will brake them myself!" I shouted, panicked as I slammed her locker closed and dragged her away to our first period.

"Lana? Lana? Lana, Honey relax." Keighty spoke, trying to calm me from my nervous rage.

"Lana, relax! We are not going to be late, we still have tree minutes until class begins, so take a breath, and relax." She said, holding me by my arms as she guided me through learning how to breathe again.

I stopped, taking a deep breath and "relaxing" since Keighty had said we still had three minutes when-

Riiiing!

Keighty blinked rapidly as my glare darkened and I lost all control. "This is all your fault!" I said, my pointer finger towards her accusingly.

She gasped, a hand on her chest in disbelieve. "My fault? How is this my fault?!"

"You were the one who came up with the whole 'stop walking and relax' plan after all 'we still have three minutes' until Lana ruins all her chances of going to a good college so I can get a good job, so she can afford to support a family, and-"

Apparently, Keighty had had enough with my ranting because next thing I knew, her hand had intoduced itself to my cheek. "Lana, get a hold of yourslef! Its only one tardy-not to mention your first, this will not effect whether or not you get into college, therefore, ruining your life like you so dramatically put." Keighty let out, her eyes wide.

"You can't possibly know that without proper research."

She exhaled, "I did my research, at a website called commonsense.com" she laughed, as I rolled my eyes.

"I do have commonsense. I just-I really didn't want to be late."

Keighty sighed, clearly seeing how much this had upset me. "What if I get you a whole 12 pack of CocaCola after school?" She asked me, knowing I'd forgive and do anything for even just one of those cans sent from heaven.

"Will you let me keep them all?" I asked.

"Sure, and we can even make our way to class right now and come up with some excuse, surely Mrs. Ria will believe you since you're her star student and all that shit." Keighty spoke, ignoring the disapproving look I gave her for her word choice. "What? I'm young, It's my tongue, I can curse if I want to-geez Lana, have you not heard Miley's Won't Stop?"

"I thought it was Can't Stop?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it's Won't Stop. Besides, it doesn't really matter as long as you get the point."