Audrey sighed, irritated, as she stomped back to her room. Her roommates were all out so she was alone, but two secondes later there was a knock at her door.

“Who’s there?” she called.

“Hey, it’s Jim!”

Relieved, she went to let him in. “Jim, toi would not believe what Belle’s just been saying!”

“Yes, I would.” Calmly, Jim folded his arms. “She told toi that toi were sick, right?”

“Oh, don’t toi start!”

“Audrey, it’s the truth! Everyone can see it but you!”

“I am not sick!” Even as she a dit it, she knew that she was lying to him. “Why can’t everyone just leave me alone? And what did toi have to tell her for? It’s none of her business!”

“Maybe, but I was desperate!”

“Desperate?”

“Desperate to make toi see sense!” Jim caught her par the arms. “Look at you! There’s barely anything of you!”

“Stop it!” Audrey flung his hands off her. “Stop lying to me, Jim!”

He stared at her. “Audrey, I’m not lying!”

“Yes, toi are! Look at me!” Audrey turned and stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Look at all this!” She plucked at barely any flesh on her arm. “It’s awful!”

Jim was alarmed. She really was sick. She really couldn’t see just how painfully thin she was. “Audrey, you’re beginning to scare me.”

“It just doesn’t go!” Audrey cried. “I exercise! I diet! It still stays on! What is wrong with me, Jim?”

“You’re anorexic!”

“I am not!”

“You are!” Jim stepped up to her. “And I won’t see toi do this to yourself, Audrey! Just admit toi need help!”

“I don’t need help, from toi ou anyone!”

Her sharpness stung both of them. Jim sighed. “Fine. I’ve tried. I’ve done my best. I give up. But if toi insist on killing yourself like this, then I can’t be with toi anymore.”

Audrey stared at him. “What? What do toi mean?”

“I l’amour you, Audrey, but I can’t watch toi do this to yourself.” Jim took a deep, heaving breath. He was actually on the verge of tears. “It’s over. I’m sorry.”

“No!” Audrey grabbed his arm, desperately, as he turned to go. “No, please, Jim! Don’t leave me! I know I’m not beautiful like Snow White ou Belle ou any of the other girls here, but please, I l’amour you! Please don’t leave me!” In tears, she sank to the floor. “Please!”

Jim dropped to his knees beside her and gathered her in his arms. He was confused. “Audrey, what do toi mean?”

“I’m not beautiful but I can be! Please, just let me!”

“You...don’t think you’re beautiful?” Jim was slowly beginning to understand. “You think that not eating and losing all this weight will make me want you?”

She began to sob into his shoulder. “Don’t leave me, please.”

“Audrey, toi are beautiful,” Jim told her, holding her tightly. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, and so much plus than that too. You’re my best friend; my missing half. I don’t want to lose you; don’t toi understand? That’s what’ll happen if toi keep starving yourself! I’ll lose you! I don’t want that!”

“But-”

“Audrey, listen to me. You’re making yourself less beautiful par doing this. If toi keep this up, you’re not going to be the girl I fell in l’amour with in the first place anymore.” Jim looked at her. “When we first started going out, toi remember, when we used to roll in the field after dark, and now, well, now I’m afraid of touching toi in case toi break.”

Audrey looked up at him; tears in her beautiful eyes. “You think I’m beautiful now, Jim?”

“Yes.”

“But...look at me.”

“I am.” Jim cupped her face and turned her to him. “I see a smart, strong and beautiful girl who took my cœur, coeur the moment I met her; and who’s foolishly wasting herself away because she’s worried she’s no longer attractive. Audrey, I’ll always l’amour you, no matter what; but if toi starve yourself to death, there won’t be any of toi left to love.”

His words finally shook some sense into her. “Jim?”

“Yes?”

She smiled. “I’m starving.”

Jim sighed. “Then we can’t be together if toi insist-”

“No.” She cupped his cheek. “I mean I’m hungry right now. Let’s eat.”

He eyed her, carefully. “You’ll eat? Properly?”

“Every last mouthful.”

“And toi won’t make yourself sick afterwards?”

“Will toi leave me if I do?”

“I’ll have to.”

“Then I won’t. Jim,” she took a deep breath, “Help me.”

In relief, Jim kissed her forehead. “Oh, Audrey. Yes, I’ll help you.”

If Belle had known what was going on in Audrey’s room, she too would have been relieved; but being in the school hall, having put up the rest of Mr Genie’s posters, with Adam, she didn’t. She stepped up on the stage, which was a lot bigger than the one in the Drama room and looked around. “This is where we’ll be performing the Summer concert?”

“Yep!” Adam removed the dustsheet from the piano. “How about toi montrer me what toi can do, seeing as your up there now?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Sing for me.”

Belle laughed. “You sound like the Phantom.”

“I’m serious, Belle.” Adam smiled. “You might as well practise for the auditions.”

“There’s no music.” Truth be told, Belle was suddenly nervous about chant for the boy she had deep feelings for.

Adam pressed a note on the keyboard. “There is now.” He flicked through the musique sheets on the piano stand. “What sort of musique do toi like?”

Belle looked embarrassed. “Truth be told, I don’t listen to musique much, Adam.”

“Oh, Belle, you’re hopeless!” Adam laughed. “There must be some song toi know.”

“Well, there is one I like a lot.”

“Yeah?” Adam gestured for her to sing. “Let’s hear it.”

Belle hesitated. “Bear in mind my voice isn’t great, Adam.”

“I’m bearing it in mind, Belle. Now, stop stalling.”

Belle took a deep breath. “Every evening brings an ending. Every jour becomes a legacy. Every sunset leads to morning, with the promise of opportunity. We can reach for the stars we find along the way, dreaming as we learn to l’amour every day. Promise toi will take my hand, as tomorrow comes, we’ll go on. We’ll go on, growing closer through the years. Moving on, through the good times and the tears. Ever on, another thousand circles ‘round the sun. If two can be as one, we’ll go on.”

Adam was silent for a minute after she’d finished. When he finally spoke, he a dit “Belle, toi are such a liar.”

She looked at him, confused. “What?”

“You a dit toi couldn’t sing. You’ve a wonderful voice.”

Belle blushed at the compliment. “I don’t think so.”

“Trust me. toi do.”

Her blush deepened. “Well, thank you.”

“How about we try it with the music?” Adam moved over to the piano.

“Do toi know it?”

“Yes.”

“What’s it called? I learned the words but I never found out what the song was called.”

“It’s called Promise. Ready?”

She nodded, all nerves suddenly leaving her. “Ready.”

As Adam played and Belle sang, she realised that she had no need to be nervous of doing anything at all when Adam was around...