The Beast and the Beauty

Chapter One

"Elliot!" I shout and quickly shove another piece of bread into the beat up old toaster, which seemed to be around since I was a small child. I was officially going to be late to work, again. For the fourth time this week, and its Thursday. But it didn't surprise me and I don't think it ever will again. Me and Eli, but mostly him, we're probably the most unorganized people on the planet and it's been that way as long as I can remember. "Eli, I'll be late!" I shout and hear him groan from the small living area beside the snug kitchen before his head peaks around the corner.

"What?" He mumbles and scratches his head like a confused monkey, an action is seen hundreds of times.

"I have to go to work. You know so I can pay our bills and keep us alive." I lift an eyebrow and he rolls his eyes at my words before taking my spot at the stove where some bacon and eggs sat cooking. "Can you handle being alone for an entire few hours? I'll be home for lunch. Leftovers?" I question as I quickly pull on my dusty old converse which have not failed me this far and I doubt they ever will.

"Is there anything else on the menu?" He offers me a look that tells me he knows there isn't and I can't help but feel a small pang in my chest at the fact that there really wasn't anything else on the menu.

"Last weeks leftovers? The ones you don't eat because you're basically anorexic." He chuckles and flips the bacon as I scramble to find my purse.

"You're something else, Safia-May." I nod in agreement and pull him into a quick him before making my way towards the door of our small home. "I'll call you!" I ignore his words, deciding it be best to not reply and make my way out into the bright morning where the sun aggressively shines against my skin.

"Hello, Safia." My neighbor, Mrs. Tran greets me with a grin and a wave which I return happily. This was basically routine for us.

"Hello, Mrs. Tran." She looks behind me and I watch as her smile leaves her face. The same way it did each morning when she saw no one trailing behind me.

"No Eli today either? You should have a talk with him." She rolls her eyes at the thought of Eli and his inventions, which most people in the small town though were idiotic and pointless. But I supported Eli and his dream, no matter how idiotic it is.

"Nothing to talk about, Mrs. Tran," I assure her and offer her a smile as I continue on my way to work the library which was still a good 5-minute walk from where I'm currently at.

Hoping to find something to slightly lift my mood from the confusing one I'm feeling right now I scroll through my social media pages but they prove to be no help. All they were filled with was beautiful women and trolls making them feel bad about themselves. The negativity never ceases to shock me.

But I can't change how people do things on the internet, as much as I wish I could, it doesn't work that way and I'm sure it never will. It's just, you would think that something as powerful as social media would have a good outcome. But it truly almost never does.

I'm quickly snapped out of my thoughts when I see a pair of very clean white vans and new jeans standing in front of me, successfully blocking my way and preventing me from moving any closer to my workplace.

"Hello, beautiful." A smooth voice greets and I look up to see Ansel, the most attractive man in town.

Ansel has had a thing for me for as long as I can remember, but being with him was the last thing I wanted. He was self-centered and entitled, and those are the two things I probably find most unattractive in men. Ansel was obsessed with himself in every way possible. In all honesty, I think it's disgusting. It didn't help that he's filthy rich and try's throwing money at me whenever he can. Almost every girl in town throws themselves at him and it's disgusting.

"Ansel, Hello." I Greet and smile up at the tall attractive man as I make my way past him slowly. "How are you?" I try to make light conversation as I make my way towards the library, which was closer now than it was before.

"I'm good, baby. I just got my teeth whitened. You like?" He asks and flashes me a grin showing off his perfectly white smile and amazing set of teeth which he's been blessed with since we were children.

"Oh-uhm. Yes. They suit you. Very nice." I fold my arms over my chest and continue walking and silently hoping that he would see his most recent girlfriend and break off from my side, but it seemed like it wouldn't be happening today.

"How's your brother?" He questions and lifts an eyebrow as if he actually cares, which I knew he didn't. No one really did but they ask out of kindness even though their true colors would shine brightly at some point. That usually happened the next time they saw Eli out of the house which rarely happened.

"He's great. We're doing great, Ansel." He nods and his lips make a thin line as if he's thinking very deeply about it but he probably isn't.

"Have you thought about my offer yet?" I sigh deeply and begin walking slightly faster. I can see the library now, but it's probably still 2 minutes away. And that was 2 minutes too long to be stuck in this pointless conversation with Ansel.

"The one where I ditch my brother to come live in New York with you?" I question with a roll of my eyes. Leaving my brother and moving hours away from him is not what I wanted to do. Even if my brother wasn't around, moving in with Ansel was probably the last thing I that would happen. If he wasn't so self-centered he might have been tolerable to live with but he is. Even if I did accept one of his thousand requests to take me on a date I'm sure he'd cheat on me the moment I'm not around him. It's in his genes and being his 'friend' for so long, I've seen it happen to just about every girl he's dated so far, which was almost every girl in town.

"Yeah, that sounds like the right one." He hums and throws an arm around my shoulder. The smell of his overpriced cologne wafting into my face, making me slightly uncomfortable. "I won't leave until you agree to come with me." he gives me a hopeful look and sticks out his bottom lip with wide eyes, which would have been slightly cute if he didn't milk it so much.

"Don't you have someplace to be? Oh-look!" I motion in front of me and chuckle as we arrive at the front door. "It has been absolutely lovely talking to you, as it always is. But I have to go. I guess I'll see you sometime later." I begin unlocking the door and I can hear him shuffling nervously behind me.

"Can we get lunch?" He questions quickly and I shake my head as I turn back to face him.

"No, we can't." I offer him a smile. "I'm eating with Eli today."

"Oh, well ill text you." He waves as I pull the door closed and ignore him. His offer to let me move to new york with him fresh in my mind and making me slightly angry.