Once Upon A Time High

Chapter Two

---Nothing's changed; I still don't own Disney. *sob sob, sniffle sniffle*----

CHARMING

Damon Charm was never completely relaxed; he had too many responsibilities and impossible expectations to live up to. However, there were two people who made him feel like a normal teenager: Esmeralda Courageux and Naveen Grenouille. They were two of the best friends anyone could hope to acquire and he was eternally grateful to have them in his life. Especially when they came up with ideas for cutting loose and acting their age, after all, they weren't even eighteen yet.

It was the first night of the school year and Charming could already feel himself losing motivation to be the person everyone hoped he would be when he received a text from Naveen.

Meet us at the park in fifteen minutes. Pick up Belle first.

Charming read the text and was immediately curious. He wanted to know what Naveen had planned, why he needed to bring the new French transfer student, and where she lived so that he could fulfill his friend's orders.

Address?

Moments later, he had a text from Naveen and got up to pick up Bell Spirituel for what would, without a doubt, be a very fun night. He was surprised to discover that Belle lived only a couple of blocks away from him. When he reached the cozy, little home, he saw the girl seated on a worn down porch swing with her cell phone in hand, talking animatedly to someone.

He decided to wait, giving her a moment to finish her conversation. She was undeniably gorgeous, a fact which she appeared completely oblivious to.

She had beautiful brown hair that extended a couple inches past her shoulder, inquisitive hazel eyes that asked all the questions her lips were too shy to form. And her smile seemed to radiate sincerity. To top it all off, she was a petite little thing that carried herself with the grace of a queen.

He simply wanted to be near her and learn about her life and assist her in dealing with the probable culture shock that she was experiencing.

While he wanted to give her time to talk to the person who made her light up so, he also feared the wrath of Esmeralda if he took too long so, when Belle failed to notice him after several minutes, he honked the horn of his car, alerting her of his presence. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she rushed towards the car and hopped into the passenger seat.

"I can't believe we're going on a scavenger hunt," She exclaimed excitedly and Charming felt slightly jealous.

"He told you what we're doing?" He asked incredulously. He had been friends with the guy since the second week of their sophomore year and was still left in the dark, which was understandable if one knew Naveen. What puzzled the handsome senior was his friend's sudden change in personality. The Maldonian took great pleasure in shrouding activities with mystery; he believed that it increased the excitement and enjoyment. Naveen believed that every outing carried with it the possibility of adventure but that adventure could never present itself obviously. A philosophy that meant that even a trip to the corner store had to be a surprise.

"He? Esmeralda called and invited me," She explained and, suddenly, it all made sense. His nickname-detesting friend was a more reasonable person who understood that most people needed a little information before jumping into something headfirst. Of course, the anticipation that had been building as he tried to figure out what they would be doing had given Damon a charm so, perhaps, his eccentric friend knew what he was doing.

"Did she say who else was coming?" He inquired, but Belle simply shook her head and placed her cell in a ratty messenger bag, which was covered in an assortment of patches. He had noticed her with it at school and decided that, while it wasn't in the best condition, he liked it. It seemed like it was loved and served its purpose, which—as far as he was concerned—were the only two requirements something needed to be special.