Mankind and the Three classes

You know, Benjamin Franklin once said; 'All mankind is divided into three classes; those who are immoveable, those who are moveable and those who move.' Honestly, I understand this, and I agree whole-heartedly, but what about those just don't clearly define themselves to fit into a category. The old Lady down my street is a widow; she won't pay any mind to being taken away from her home of fifty years and being transported to permanently live in an Aged Care home. Her pets, she no longer takes note of and she is contented to be moved. She is moveable.

My Father is another story altogether; he's a drinker, racist, homophobic moron who won't accept the changing world around him. He, instead, opts to working as a manual labourer, believing it's the only 'manly' way to work. I believe he exemplifies the immoveable. He never sees reason.

You may be wondering who I am, and I will gladly introduce myself, but not before I give you a plausible example of the 'movers' in my opinion. My mother is indeed that, with her budding career in music and film. She had the guts to get up and leave my father, though leaving me behind in the process. I guess a crying seven year old isn't enough to pay attention to.

Here I am, a seventeen year old female student, outside the gates of a great complex of high-class apartments. My name is Beth Crimean. Yes, like the war. I was here for tutoring and I wasn't looking forward to it. I was good in English, and this kid, whoever it was, was failing in that subject. I leaned back on my flats and peered up at the numbers, frowning in concentration until I finally found the door I was looking for. I let myself in the gates and began to trudge up the stairs, cautious as I held my bag still so it wouldn't keep hitting my side. 'Just keep swimming… swimming… swimming… just keep swimming, just like a fish!' I hummed under my breath. I had a mild, check that; enormous, obsession with Disney and I still held the collection I'd built up over the years close to my heart by the way. In my Mp3, I had uploaded all the soundtracks, but Jodie Benson was my favourite so far in the 'Little Mermaid.' Anyway, to get back onto the subject of my paying job, I had reached the door of the person I was to tutor and bit my lip, my hands feeling unbearably dry and I clenched my fists as I raised my left hand to touch the door. I knocked three times, shifting my weight from one foot to the other as I heard the audible grumbling of my new pupil. A second later, the door was wrenched open and revealed a shirtless boy, whom I instantly recognised as a classmate.

"It took you long enough, Your Highness," a slow voice drawled and I could feel my jaw drop in astonishment.

"No! But Richard… You're good at English!"

Those jade green eyes rolled and my teeth were set on edge, "My test results would say otherwise. Now, get in, idiot, before the neighbours think you found me cheating on you or something!"

I was pulled into the doorway, a messy hall greeting me. "Y… You live here alone, then?"

The front door slammed shut and I jumped, hearing his bored tones answer, "Yeah. Sorry, but the maid doesn't come until Sunday." I could hear the obvious sneer in his tone and couldn't repress a slight shiver as he came nearer. He was a difficult person to read, even more so when his shaggy blonde hair fell over his eyes. I had known him since Year 9, and three years of barely talking, unless he was being sarcastic to me, didn't tell me if he hated me or what. I wasn't too good with people skills, and he had initiated our first conversation with a simple question of where a room was, and then teased me about the Disney pictures on my folder. It had actually really hurt, but I would never have let him see that.

"Um… so, how about we start… studying, then?" I said, almost begging him to put me out of misery and show me the way to the place we would study. He shrugged and I almost thanked him out loud for relieving the awkward silence that had settled over us. I held my bag close to my side and when we entered a decently clean lounge room, I visibly relaxed.

He grunted as he turned to the right and kept walking, forcing me to follow and I watched his back with wide, confused eyes. I had to ask, "Um… where are we going?"

He grunted again and cocked his head, throwing open a door and I caught a glimpse of a big king sized bed, the covers thrown back. "My room to study, Your Highness. Or would you prefer the royal bed chambers I prepared for your arrival?"

I blushed and followed him inside. Honestly, I really think he hated me. Why else would he be so bitingly sarcastic? Give me a Disney Prince any day. "B… But the Living area looked comfortable enough, don't you thin…" My voice faltered as he settled a benevolent stare on me, looking down to my feet. He smirked.

"I have all my stuff in my room. I can't be bothered moving them all into the lounge room just so we can write stupid essays and crap like that," he answered with a dismissive wave of his hand.

I wasn't a timid person by nature, I had learnt to be that way. But the way he dismissed the thought that sounded completely logical, it made my skin prickle. I was ready to say that I hated him, and I wouldn't care if I didn't get paid, but I would quit being his tutor. He teased me, he was sardonic to me, he always wore that bored, dull look. I don't know how I could ever harbour a little bit of feelings for him. Maybe I was an idiot, as he called me so often.

Instead of voicing my growing agitation, I kept my head bowed and followed, as quietly as possible. I really just wanted this to be over with and it would only get done if I swallowed the rising taste of metal in my throat and complied with his wishes of working in the room. As soon as he opened the door, I saw that it was a clean room, with no stray clothes and a tidy white desk, bare. But, this also meant that we would have to sit quite close to sit at it. I glanced up to Richards' disinterested expression and swallowed. He seemed to be indifferent to it, as he sat down on the first chair and patted the softer seat beside him with a smirk, "A comfortable cushion for your royal seating, your Highness."

I blushed deeply, bowing my head and walking over to take the seat offered. "Thank you…" I murmured softly and began to take my books out of my bag.

I could feel his disdainful stare on me and peeked up quickly, "I… I've brought some t… topics for practise. I… uh… thought I could help you work through them…"

He shrugged and I blew a small breath through my pursed lips. 'Fine, you can be uncaring,' I thought with an unconscious shake of my head, 'but as long as I'm here, I will try my best to teach you something… Even if that is respect!'

"Is her Highness angry?" He queried.

I bristled, "No." My curt answer only made him smirk. "Which topic would you like to start with?"

He ignored my question, "Do I really make you feel so passionately? Your Highness must forgive me if I do so."

I breathed in through my nose and kept my eyes on the desk, "Which topic?" I grated.

I knew he was smirking, "You."

"I'm not one of these topics. Choose one that is written on the sheets," I pressed and he chuckled. Reaching over, he took the list and a pen, writing something down. Handing it back to me, he raised a brow at me. 'Beth Crimean' was scribbled in at the bottom and I frowned.

He sat back, "Now it is. How about we begin with the fact that you always suppress what you're thinking."

I opened my mouth to reprove it, but he leant forward and placed his index finger against my lips. "You're also easily provoked. Something that only makes me laugh more than when you openly ignore me."

I felt my expression change to one of incredulity. He removed the finger pressing my lips closed and he continued on with a serious expression, "The fact that you are quite gullible and unobservant also is brought to my attantion and has its own charm."

"GULLIBLE? UNOBSERVANT?" I stood up and huffed, "Really?" I crossed my arms and he stood as well, circling me with a wide grin.

"Yes. Quite," he mused. "You believed that that girl… what was it? Oh, Brittany, was pregnant."

"But! They were so convincing!" I answered vehemently.

"My point exactly! You are quite cute when you take time to get things. Especially now, when I score highly in exams and tests, yet I requested a tutor; you. You believed I needed help. Not academics… No; you're fast to catch onto that!" He got closer. "As for the unobservant part… You still haven't figured out that that Disney prince you always dream about…"

I leaned further away from him as he stopped in front of me. I'd been backed up against a wall. He threw an arm over my shoulder, his palm against the wall and allowing him to lean forward, smiling. He brushed my cheek with his finger tips and his lips hovered near my ear as he continued, "Has always been… right… here. All. Along."

I blinked in shock and he drew his head back to smirk down to me, "What does little Beth have to say to this?"

The creeping blush burnt my cheeks and I gawked up to him, "You're joking!"

He shook his head. "I think I bear a close resemblance to maybe… hm… Prince Charming."

It was my turn to shake my head, "Beast!" I slipped out from under his arm and grabbed my bag, "You're cruel!"

Tears began to fall down my cheeks and he froze, shock replacing his previously joking one. "Beth, I'm not joking."

I stood rooted to the spot and swallowed heavily, my eyes closing on their own. "Yes… you have to be!"

He laughed shortly and almost in agitation. "In your eyes, Beauty. But I'm different to what you thought I'd be. I don't tease you for the sake of it! As it is; this is the most emotional I've been in ages! I thought that if I acted like this at the door, you'd run before I even got to talk to you."

I leant against the bedpost and kept my tear-filled eyes on the ground. I heard him move nearer and instinctively scuttled away, but he persistently followed, trapping me against the wall and him again. "Beth!" I winced at his coarse tone, "You are an idiot! I said I don't tease you for the sake of it; only to see your reactions. Do you think you aren't worth loving? Worth being thought of?" He raised my chin and smiled a little, "It looks like this will take some time to correct those wrongs, then."

My eyes widened and he chuckled, "You deserve to be treated like royalty. I'll see to that!" He leaned closer, until our foreheads were touching. "What is your long-awaited reply, Beauty?"

Still blushing, my cheeks puffy and red from the brief crying session I'd had, I breathed in slowly, then out. "If… If you're teasing me… I swear, I'll…!"

He kissed my cheek, "Snuggle me to death, right? You didn't think I'd see those longing stares you directed at me unknowingly?" If possible, my blush was covered by another. "Hmm, yes indeed. I love the fact that you're speechless. However, I need your consent."

"My consent… to what…" I asked in a small voice.

He brought his arms around me, "Your consent to let me kiss you… and then maybe be able to say officially that we're going out."

"W…what do you mean 'officially'?"

Richard shrugged, "The whole school has suspected for quite some time. After all, they noticed how forlorn and heart-broken I was. I was unable to move on after first seeing your beautiful smoky grey eyes, long auburn locks in that side plait and sweet smile."

I elbowed him and he huffed, "Oh right! You're British! You only show affection to your horses, dogs and p—" I silenced him by kissing him lightly on the lips, flushing as I pulled back and looked down to my feet.

Richard beamed widely, taking a step to close the distance again, "So which am I, Beauty?"

I looked up to him with a smile, "Beast."

Richard bowed, his jade green eyes shining. "Well, now. I think that fits!" He kissed my chin, then the tip of my nose. "So… what'd you say?" His pointed stare at my lips told me what he was implying and I laughed.

"No!" I rested my head in his chest and he sighed.

"So, you're going to be difficult now, are you Beauty?" He asked, raising his voice a little louder and picking me up, "I think I know the remedy to this." He began to walk out of the room and I frowned back to the bookwork.

"What about studying?"

Richard continued out of the room, "Oh, I failed a few tests and said I needed help with it. They recommended a lot of people, but then I brought up your name and said I wanted you to help me. It was kind of a ploy to get you here and then… gradually tell you my feelings. I guess that went out the window."

I laughed, "What is this 'remedy', anyway, Richard?"

Richard shivered and shook his head, "I love it when you say my name in your 'English accent'!" He mimicked my accent and I flushed as he winked, "Disney therapy!"

Entering the lounge area, he set me down on the couch and grinned as he went over and pulled out the tape to 'Beauty and the Beast'. "Let the persuasion began!" I remarked and laughed. As soon as Richard sat down next to me and pulled me into his side, I cuddled into him.

Yes, I was moveable… and immoveable. He wouldn't be able to kiss me, yet. Not until he'd done an essay to revise for the test. That I wouldn't budge on. But that didn't include kisses on the cheek. He grinned as I said this out loud.