Disney High

Belle

"Belle, don't tap your foot like that! You're shaking the table!"

"Sorry, Papa." Belle apologized and stopped shaking her leg. "It's just a nervous habit."

Belle's father, Maurice smiled gently. "Yes, you get it from your mother." The smile turned to confusion. "But... Why are you so nervous anyway?"

Belle groaned. "Papa, don't tell me you forgot that boy is coming over."

Maurice laughed. "Of course not! But what reason is there to be nervous! Unless..." He cocked his eyebrows up. "Do you like this boy?"

Belle gasped. "NO! If it were up to me, I wouldn't have anything to do with him. Can I have some more potatoes, please?"

Maurice pushed a button on the table next to him. "Well why?"

The button caused mashed potatoes to shoot out of a nozzle on the blue wall. "Well..." As it flew over her head, Belle lifted up her plate and stopped it in midair. She put her now full plate back on the table. "He's distant and rude, he doesn't even seem to care about the people around him, he seemed totally ok with letting me do all the work... Um..." She looked up at her father.

"Oh..." He says slowly. "He sounds..." At that moment there was a knock at the door. Belle looked up at the clocked and was shocked to find that it was, in fact, 5:00. She jumped out of her chair and put her plate into the sink, which immediately started so fill with soap and water.

She then ran back to the dinner table where her confused Papa sat. "I'm sorry Papa, I love you, but you have to go upstairs ok?"

Maurice looked confused. "But I'd like to meet this boy."

"No, I really doubt that. Please?"

Maurice looked up at her daughter for a few seconds before sighing and turning towards the stairs. Belle exhaled in relief that her father obeyed before hearing another knock at the door. She took a deep breath, ran to the door, and opened it. She was surprised to see Beast and a child. "Hi!" The child said in a happy, sing-song voice.

Belle confused, turned to Beast. "Who's this?"

Beast looked down at the ground. "Sorry. This is Mrs. Potts son. I babysit him a couple times a week."

Belle looked down at the child. Maybe Beast does care about the people around him. Just a little at least. 'I still hate him.' She tells herself. The child looks up at Belle and introduces himself. "I'm Charlie. But you can call me Chip. It's what my friends have called me since I fell and chipped my tooth a couple years ago. See?" He opens his mouth wide and points, with a surprising amount of pride, to a chipped tooth.

Belle smiled and bent down to his size. "Wow, that's a pretty nice dent you got there. You know what? I think I've got some toys for you. Come on in."

The child bounded into the home, his face aglow and excited for the toys. Beast followed after him. Belle walks over to a closet and pulls out a bin filled with old toys. Chip runs over to it. "Thanks so much!" He reaches into the bin and pulls out a dinosaur toy.

Belle smiles. "You're very welcome." She then reluctantly turns her attention to Beast. "So, this is the place." Belle pushes a few buttons on a dash on the wall. "Do you want anything to drink? Oh, by the way, duck."

Beast confused, turns around just in time to duck out of the way of a log flying from a machine in the corner into the fireplace. He stands back up and slowly says, "No." Belle sits on the couch and Beast follows suit.

Belle pulls a notebook out from under a stack of books and crosses her legs. "Alright so first things first. What food are we doing?"

Beast shrugs. "I don't know."