“I knew I’d like it here!”
Belle felt herself blushing. “Yes,” she admitted. After being just Marafiki with Adam for so long, in spite of her growing feelings for him, she still felt a tingling of excitement when she remembered that they were now an official couple. “His name’s Adam.” She felt the need to explain to the newcomer. “We didn’t used to get along very well, but then, after a couple of incidents, we became Marafiki and then fell in love. He asked me out at our school dance.”
“Aw!” Lottie smiled. “That’s so romantic!” She sighed. “Pity I missed the dance! I just upendo dancing!” She made a twirl in the middle of the maktaba floor.
“Well, we have the Summer tamasha coming up,” Belle ventured. “Maybe wewe could do something there.”
“Concert? Cool!” Lottie beamed. “I knew I’d like it here!”
Belle smiled. “Here,” she said, handing down a copy of Gone With The Wind.
“Aw, fantastic! Thanks, honey!” Lottie beamed. “This is my favourite book! What’s yours?”
“It’s hard to choose,” Belle replied. “I read a lot, and just when I think “Oh, no, this is definitely my favourite book of all time,” I’ll read another and change my mind completely.”
Lottie laughed. “My Daddy can be like that too. He always says “Lottie, this is my favourite book” about just every book he reads!”
Belle laughed too. “So, um, no brothers and sisters, then?”
“No.” Lottie looked slightly wistful. “That’s why I wanted to come to a real school, instead of being tutored. I wanted to mix with people my own age, ya know. I read about sleepovers and stuff and I imagine that must be what it’s like sharing a room with girls, right?”
“Something like that,” Belle agreed. She bit her lip. She didn’t want to talk about Adam’s brush with death, as she thought of his being attacked kwa Gaston, nor did she want to frighten the new girl with stories of students attacking each other with knives, but she felt somehow obligated to. “Recently, we had an incident here, quite a horrific one, where, um, my boyfriend got attacked kwa another student. Oh, don’t worry, that guy’s been expelled,” she added at Lottie’s look of alarm. “But there was a point where I really thought Adam was going to die. He’s fine now, of course, but everyone was there for me and they were all really supportive. That’s what it’s like here. Like I said, we’re kind of a family.”
“Wow, this sounds like one of those dramatic TV soaps!” Lottie made a gesture like a film producer making their pitch. “Disney High; what secrets lurk beyond these stone walls?”
“Lottie!” Belle felt comfortable enough to say that as if she were speaking to Meg, jimmy, hunitumia au Snow White, and she couldn’t help laughing.
Lottie giggled. “Sorry, bad joke, I know!”
“No, no, it was pretty funny,” Belle insisted. “And don’t worry, stuff like that doesn’t happen every siku here.”
Lottie grinned. “Well, lucky your boyfriend’s ok.”
Belle nodded. “Although we were all worried that we’d have to forfeit the race against Dreamworks High.”
“You’re having a race against Dreamworks High?”
“Yeah. wewe know them?”
“Well, kinda.” Lottie shook her head. “My Daddy’s pretty friendly with Moses Niles’ father; they’re in the same line of business. He and his Marafiki are such jerks.”
Belle smiled. “According to the others, Disney High and Dreamworks High have been at war with each other for years.”
“Well, all I can say is “Go Disney High!” Lottie grinned.
Belle nodded. “Because Adam can’t run now, Merrida’s having to run for him.”
“Seriously? Her against Dreamworks High?”
“Well, she’s the best athlete in the school.”
“She’d better be if she’s going to take down that lot.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the maktaba talking about books. Belle knew in her moyo that her Marafiki were wrong about Lottie. Heiress she might be, but air-head she most certainly wasn’t. The trick would be convincing her Marafiki of that.
“Hey, guys,” sighed Jasmine, breezing into the bedroom. Meg was reapplying her purple nail varnish on her toes whilst Snow White poured over Maths problems. Rapunzel and Ariel were present too. Ariel was plaiting Rapunzel’s long hair. As for Jasmine, she’d just got out of the pool. She looked around the room. “Hey, where’s Belle?”
“Probably spending some time with her boyfriend,” smiled Meg.
“Aw!” Rapunzel cooed. “They’re such a sweet couple! It’s unbelievable!”
“Belle?” Ariel looked up. “I saw her heading into the library.”
“Obviously!” laughed Snow White.
“Yeah, the new girl was there too,” Ariel continued, airily. “They were talking about books.”
Meg whipped around, her nails forgotten. “The air-head’s trying to take our friend now?”
“Oh no she didn’t!” jimmy, hunitumia exclaimed, snapping her fingers.
“Relax, guys,” sighed Rapunzel, shaking her head and accidently tugging her braid. “Ow! Belle’s got zaidi sense than to make Marafiki with someone like that!”
How little she knew. “So, don’t be afraid to come sit at our meza, jedwali at lunch,” Belle told Lottie as she made her way back to her room. “The girls are alright; they just need to get to know you. Meg can be a little tough but she’s got a marshmallow moyo really; they all do.”
“Cool, so I’ll see ya there!” Lottie gushed, before trotting off to her own room.
Belle smiled. Lottie was nice, she decided, in no way like the others imagined. She felt like she might have found a best friend. Still smiling to herself, she made her way into her room.
“Hey, there wewe are!” Meg said, sounding relieved. “So, you’ve not been brainwashed, then?”
“Brainwashed?” Belle repeated. “What are wewe guys talking about?”
“By Little Miss Air-head,” jimmy, hunitumia said. “I mean, you’re not wearing pink au talking like a snob.”
“Lottie’s not a snob,” Belle began. “She’s nice.”
“Please,” sighed Snow White. “That’s just a front. She’ll be all nice to wewe at first and then when wewe least expect it...”
“Boyfriend stealing,” Meg put in.
“Talking about wewe behind your back,” added Jasmine.
“Stealing your stuff,” Ariel nodded.
“Making wewe look bad in front of others,” Rapunzel agreed.
“They’re all the same,” sighed Meg. “Air-heads!”
Something inside Belle snapped, and so did she. “She’s not an air-head! I can’t believe wewe guys just make those assumptions about her without even getting to know her first!”
“Hey, Belle, sweetie,” began Meg. “We’re just looking out for you...”
“Well, would someone who’s supposedly an air-head, a bitch, a backstabber, a boyfriend stealer, and everything else wewe say she is, care about classic books?” Belle held up her own to emphasise her point. “She was looking for Gone With The Wind, not Twilight au the Hunger Games, au all those other stupid vitabu people read these days! Just because she’s rich doesn’t mean she’s not nice! wewe guys are so shallow! Lottie’s a nice girl; she’s sweet and bubbly and she’s really supportive of us beating Dreamworks High in the relay race! And if wewe continue thinking she’s a bitch, kahaba just based on what you’ve seen on her from the outside, then wewe guys are just being mean!”
Feeling her rage was now at boiling point, Belle tossed her book down onto the kitanda and stormed off, leaving her Marafiki blinking, gobsmacked. “Gee,” muttered Jasmine. “Never thought she’d get that wound up.”
“I guess it’s just Adam, Lottie and me for dinner, then,” Belle muttered to herself as she made her way to Adam’s room.
“Never thought she’d get that wound up.”
