“Wait and see. I think that you are going to love it.” Alice said enthusiastically.

I was still confused but I decided to trust her. When she measured me, she was really close by. I could smell her deodorant which smelled like a waterfall warmed by the spring sun. I also noticed that my hands were a bit shaky. Feeling the warmth coming from her body felt wonderful.

I looked over to Mary who still looked confused but I could also see a little smile on her face. Mary noticed that I was looking at her. I was able to see the warmth in her eyes. I could feel her love which never ceased to amaze me.

“Done.” Alice said, smiling at me while holding up a notepad where she recorded my measurements.

“And what exactly are we done with?” I wanted to know.

“Here is the thing. I am part of the musical crew and responsible for costumes. As you might know, our school is rather small and we always kind of struggle with having enough people who want to do it. We have the full crew almost together but our director, Miss Taylor said that we can’t have it if we don’t have a backup Belle. Long story short, we are showing Beauty and the Beast this year. So you would be Isabelle. I’m not sure if Miss Taylor will be convinced but I bet we have a good chance. What do you think, Riley?” Alice said while looking at me with the most adorable puppy dog eyes.

“Well, it sounds kind of intriguing.”

“Hold on a minute. Don’t you have to know how to sing and act and all that stuff?” Mary inquired.

“Well, technically yes. Riley could learn some of those things quickly. She will just be the backup and while learning it, Miss Taylor probably will have something else for her to do so she can be a part of the musical no matter what.” Alice almost pleaded.

“I do like the name Belle.” I said more to myself.

“Is that a yes?” Alice asked with a big smile on her face.

“Why not? It sounds like fun.”

Alice started screaming and jumping up and down while running towards me trying to give me a big hug.

I embraced her hug and loved to feel her warmth again. My knees felt a bit weak.

After a short while, I looked at Mary who smiled but at the same time looked a bit lost in thoughts.

“Babe looks like you are going to have to learn a lot if the director lets you be a backup Belle. I have to say that I would be happy for you to be able to have this experience. I don’t want to be a Debby Downer, but please make sure you know what you are signing up for. On the other hand, I think that you will look super cute in that yellow dress.” Mary shared with me.

Alice and I were standing close together. I was holding hands with her which I just noticed when I carefully considered her words.

“You are right, big sister! I know that you are telling me this from a place of love, care, and consideration.”

“Your big sister is so wise.” Alice added.

“Yes, she is!” I agreed.

Mary looked a little like she was blushing. I decided it was time to start organizing my things and getting set up for my new life at Cherry Blossom Hill and my cute new roommate Alice.

Alice and Mary helped me with this daring task. My new friend graciously offered some room in her closet for items that had to be hung up.

After a while of organizing, I felt tired. We decided to take a break. It was already past 9 PM. Mary decided to go back to the Princess room and I changed into a pair of cute girly pajamas.

Alice and I decided to sit on the couch a little bit and talk.

“Oh, I was supposed to give you this. It’s your class schedule and a welcome package with all of the important information you might need. I believe it even has a map of the school. Also, this bag contains your school uniform. There are several of them in there.”

“Thanks so much. I can’t wait to wear that cute uniform. Should I just start with my first class in the morning?” I inquired.

“I would say so. We have a longer time for lunch. I would like to introduce you to some of my friends and we should go see Mrs. Taylor and ask her about the musical.” Alice suggested.

“Great idea. I really hope that I can be a backup Belle.”

“Yes, that would be perfect. It would be great to have you!”

Alice and I hang out a bit more. We were planning on going to bed soon but ended up talking a whole lot more. It felt so good to know that my new roommate and I will after a bit of a bumpy start get along and hopefully become friends.

I fell into a deep sleep and soon enough my alarm went off. I didn’t mind because I was eager to start classes at my new school. I went to the bathroom and got myself ready. I put on the school uniform which looked fantastic. The skirt was so cute and I loved to wear it with black tights or pantyhose. I also kind of liked the tie. Alice got herself ready too and soon we were on our way to my homeroom which fortunately Alice had at the same location.

I got to meet some of the other students and my homeroom teacher, Mr. Daniels. Alice introduced me and everyone was super nice.

My first class was Biology. Alice had Math first period. She promised to pick me back up after my last period before lunch which I was looking forward to. My last class before lunch was going to be Philosophy 101, which was not offered at my old school. I was told that this class involved a lot of reading, so I was definitely interested.

Biology and History class were interesting and every teacher introduced me warmly to the other students. Both classes went by quickly and I started feeling more comfortable and confident. Then it was time to go to Philosophy class. Fortunately, the different classrooms were not far apart from one another, so I had no problem finding my next class.

I walked into the classroom and looked around trying to find an empty seat. When I approached my chosen seat, I heard a voice behind me.

“You must be the new girl?” this mysterious voice said softly.

I turned around and could not believe that I was looking into the eyes of a stunning red-headed girl smiling at me.

“Ah….yes. I…I..I am Riley.” I said not sure what to think.

“Well, hello Riley. I am Liliana. Nice to meet you.” this drop-dead beautiful girl responded while holding out her hand to me.

I nervously shook it. Liliana looked super cute in that uniform. I wondered what she would look like in normal clothes. I bet she had a lot of elegant designer clothes.

“You can sit next to me if you want. I will gladly help you get caught up on the current assignments. I am assuming they didn’t offer Philosophy at your old school, right?”

“No, they did not. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

“Not a problem. We are reading Sokrates right now. I like so many of his ideas.” Liliana told me enthusiastically.

I nodded and smiled. I tried to listen but I paid more attention to her gorgeous face. The teacher, Miss Howard, asked me to stay after class so that she can get me caught up with all of the assignments. The class started with a brief review of the last class and then was followed by a lively discussion about some of Sokrates’ writings and ideas.

I was hastily taking good notes to make sure I wouldn’t miss anything. It was hard to keep up for many reasons. I didn’t know anything about Philosophy, the class was moving kind of fast, and oh yeah, there was this stunning red-headed angel named Liliana sitting right next to me. Sometimes I moved my head slightly to the left and glanced at her. Every now and then she noticed and smiled at me briefly which I reciprocated.

Just like I promised to Miss Howard, I stayed after class. So did Liliana for some reason. My new Philosophy teacher handed me a few books and papers. The papers included some handouts and reading assignments. Oh boy! This class will not be easy was my first thought.

“Don’t worry, Miss. H.! I will take good care of Riley. I can tutor her a little bit if she is okay with that?” Liliana told the teacher while smiling at me.

“That sounds great. What do you think, Riley? Would that be acceptable?” Miss Howard asked me. Both were looking at me directly.

“Are you kidding me? Oh, I mean..I guess it’s okay. Thank you, Liliana. That would be great.” I said in a bit calmer voice to erase the over-enthusiasm I had at the beginning of my answer.

“Fantastic. Let’s meet tomorrow at the end of the day in the library. I can show you around a bit if you want, Riley?” Lilly offered.

“Great. I am looking forward to it. I will see you then.”

Liliana and I walked out of the classroom together. This was so exciting. I must have had a huge smile on my face. When I turned my head, I saw Mary and Alice standing in the hallway, waiting for me.

When Liliana was just about to leave, I decided to introduce Lilly to my big sister and new roommate.

“Everyone, this is Liliana. She is a classmate in my Philosophy class. Liliana, this is my big sister Mary and my new roommate Alice.”

“It is so nice to meet you!” Liliana said to both of them.

“Likewise!” Mary and Alice said both at the same time which made all of us laugh.

“The three of us are going to lunch now. Riley, Mary, and I have a lot to discuss. I’ll see you around. Maybe you can join us for lunch tomorrow? Mary is just visiting and won’t be here for a whole lot longer” Alice said trying to sound friendly.

“I see. Yeah, that sounds great. I offered Riley to tutor her a bit in Philosophy after school tomorrow in the library. So I get to hang out with her twice outside of class. How exciting!” Lilly said while turning around and leaving.

Mary and Alice turned towards me their jaws dropping.

“Babe, how do you do it? You are making new friends so fast it makes me dizzy.” Mary commented.

All three of us giggly girls laughed.

“I guess I am just a natural.” I replied confidently.

“You sure are! Soon everyone in the school knows who Riley is.” Alice added to our silly conversation.

“Alright, you two. Let’s go to lunch. We have some stuff to discuss.” Alice almost commanded us.
Amazingly we made it to the cafeteria without me making any more new friends. We found a nice booth and settled down a bit.

“Oh Mary, what did you do this morning?” I asked my big sister.

“I got to visit a few 10th and 11th-grade classes to talk about College. They were so excited that a College student who goes to a College on the west coast was talking to them. I learned that some of the students that I met are planning on going to Stanford, UCLA, or USC.” Mary told us.

“That sounds like fun. Did you have a good time?” I wanted to know.

“Yes, absolutely. I am glad I came here for a few days. That way I can also keep an eye on our lover girl here.” Mary said while looking at me intensively.

All three of us laughed again.

“Alright, alright. I will tone it down. Just for the two of you.” I promised. Well, sort of.

“Now ladies. We have to talk about the important things. The musical. You still want to do it?” Alice asked me looking a bit concerned.

“Yes! Totally!” I said without a doubt in my voice.

“Great. We are going to meet with Mrs. Taylor right after lunch is over.” Alice informed us.

“So soon? Alright. That should be interesting. I can’t wait to try on that yellow dress.”

“Babe, remember?! You have to learn how to sing and dance quickly. At least somewhat.” Mary added to our conversation.

“I know and I will. How difficult can it be?”

“I’m afraid it is very difficult.” Mary pointed out sounding serious.

“Don’t worry big sis! I got this!”

“Ladies! We got to go soon. Mrs. Taylor is waiting for us.” Alice demanded.

We finished our lunch and soon were on our way. I was starting to feel a bit nervous. Maybe I was a bit too confident a few minutes ago?

When we arrived at her classroom, Alice introduced us. All four of us found a table to sit down and after a little bit of chit chat she came right down to business.

“Riley. Are you really okay with all the demands this role has? No offense, normally I would not take in someone who doesn’t have any acting or singing experience. I’m sure like Alice already told you, we are a bit desperate here. If you are going to commit, you have to show up and work hard for this. Is that understood?” Mrs. Taylor said sounding dead serious.

“Yes! I won’t let you down. I promise.” I responded.

“Welcome on board, Riley! Mrs. Taylor said while shaking my hand.

All of us cheered. Alice squeezed my hand and hugged me tightly. This felt wonderful. My whole body felt like it has been tickled.

“What do we do now?” I wanted to know.

“I suggest you better learn how to sing and dance quickly. Not that we are really going to need you but I guess it won’t hurt.” A voice coming from the classroom door stated sounding a bit harsh.

All four of us turned our heads towards the classroom door. A beautiful blonde girl was standing there looking at us rather skeptically. She did not seem friendly at all.

“Riley and Mary, this is Madison. She is our original Belle.” Mrs. Taylor introduced us.

I felt intimidated. She seemed like a person you would not want to make angry.

“Hi Madison! It’s nice to meet you!” I said while getting up and reaching out my hand for a handshake.

Madison rolled her eyes and ignored me. Fantastic! I looked like a total fool. I slowly retreated and went back to my seat. My first rejection at my new school did not feel good.

“Okay, now Riley. I am going to need you to meet with and work with Madison over the next few weeks so she can tell you all about the role of Belle. Listen to her! She will teach you a thing or two about singing and dancing.” Mrs. Taylor told me as if the rejection I just received did not happen at all.

“Sure. I just thought that Alice was going to work with me.” I replied feeling a bit dizzy.

The thought of working with Madison was not attractive at all. Unless she is someone who simply needs time to get to know new people. Let’s hope that this was the case.

“Alice will work with you regarding the costume. Madison will take care of the acting and dancing since she is our best actress and the lead in our musical.” the teacher said matter of factly.

“Then it is settled. Why don’t you girls talk to each other a bit more and set up some future after-school meetings so that Riley can learn acting and singing. Of course, Riley is required to come to musical during after-school hours as well.” Mrs. Taylor told us while pushing us out the door.

I felt overwhelmed. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea anymore. I decided to try to talk to Madison again.

“Hey Madison. When is a good time for you to meet?” I inquired while trying to sound friendly.

Madison rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Whenever. I will find you!” was her response. With that she left us three standing in the hallway.

I looked at my big sis and Alice who both looked perplexed.

What on earth did I get myself into?