Jessie approached Beauty's house and rang the doorbell. She hadn't seen her best friend, Beauty, since their Puerto Rico vacation, and she couldn't wait to hear all about her romance with Bruno.
She dialed her number, but it wasn't going through, so she rang the bell again.
"Beauty, open up!"
A few minutes later the door opened, and standing before her was... Beauty? But not quite. A slimmed-down, different version of her friend stared back at her.
Jessie's jaw dropped so dramatically it might as well have hit the ground.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF GREEN SMOOTHIES HAPPENED TO YOU?"
Jessie shrieked, clutching her chest as though she'd just seen a ghost.
"Um, excuse me?"
Shelley blinked, confused.
Jessie's eyes widened further, as if they might pop out of her head
"Oh... my... God, Beauty! WHAT. DID. YOU. DO? What happened to the Beauty I know? Where's my thick-thighed ride-or-die?"
"Uh-"
Shelley replied.
"No, don't you 'uh' me! Where's the rest of you? Did you... did you get surgery?! How is this even possible in a day?"
Jessie leaned in, squinting suspiciously, "Tell me, was it lipo? Did Bruno body-shame you again? I swear, I will-"
Shelley interrupted her.
"Wait, I think you've mistaken me for ....."
But Jessie wasn't having it and refused to listen.
"Puerto Rico! I knew something was up when you two didn't follow the team and decided to stay a day after we left!" Jessie paced wildly, pointing a dramatic finger in Shelley's face.
"You better spill, Beauty."
"I'm not-"
Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Hills appeared in the doorway, alarmed by the commotion.
"Oh, it's you, Jessie."
Mrs. Hills put her hands on her hips, smiling at Jessie.
"What on earth is going on here? Your daughter! She's not your daughter anymore!"
Jessie blurted out.
Mr. Hills pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Jessie, calm down."
"Calm down? How can you support this, Mr. Hills? I know it's her choice, but come on! She was fine! It's like I don't even know my best friend anymore. I don't feel our connection... She looks like an American top model-good too-but I need my best friend back!"
Jessie replied sadly, looking at Shelley, who shook her head at the drama queen.
"I want my chubby friend!"
Jessie continued.
Mrs. Hills sighed.
"This isn't Beauty. This is her twin sister, Shelley."
Jessie froze mid-rant, her face morphing into pure bewilderment.
"Twin? TWIN? She has a twin?!"
"Yes," Shelley said, folding her arms with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "And if you'd let me get a word in, I would've told you that five minutes ago."
"Is this some kind of joke?"
Jessie scoffed in disbelief.
"Beauty left the house with Bruno, but she is also not aware of this, well that's by the way. Her mother is the one in the right position to answer her questions when she returns"
Mr. Hills said, sighing.
"Okay, I'm confused." Jessie announced.
"Why not come inside I will tell you all about it".
Mrs Hills replied her.
Shelley offered her a handshake.
Jessie reluctantly accepted it.
"You mean to tell me that she is not Beauty, and there are TWO of her? And Beauty is not aware of this?"
Mr. and Mrs. Hills nodded.
"What!"
---------
A maid was about to clean up the broken glass, that Beauty dropped, but Bruno stopped her. He stood up and quickly picked up the expensive diamond ring before it was lost. It was too valuable to be careless with.
"What happened?" Abigail asked, distracting Beauty.
Beauty leaned in and whispered to her, explaining how she saw the shiny object in her drink. Meanwhile, Bruno knelt down to retrieve the ring.
"What's he doing?" his uncle asked.
Mr. Hathaway glanced at him but didn't say anything. His face said it all-he was furious.
"Bruno..."
His mother gasped, shocked.
His cousins pulled out their phones and began recording, eager not to miss anything. The maids gathered too.
The room buzzed with murmurs and side conversations, but Bruno didn't care.
Beauty's mouth dropped open, her eyes widening in shock. She looked tense and uncomfortable, which worried him.
Bruno swallowed hard before continuing with his proposal.
"I was born on this day 26 years ago, but today I want to be reborn with you. Will you please take this journey with me and be my one and only until death? Please marry me, Beauty. I don't care if it's too early. When you're ready, I'm ready. For me, I'm very sure you're the one I need. It all depends on you..."
"Enough of the long speech, dude. Beauty, will you please marry my brother Bruno? Just say yes or no to the idiot. Remember, I'm available," Abigail cut in.
Bruno frowned at her but smiled back at Beauty, still kneeling with the ring.
Beauty sat motionless.
"It's a yes, of course. My dancing shoes are on!" Grandma chimed in supportively.
Bruno looked at Beauty, still waiting.
Beauty couldn't believe it. Bruno was proposing-right here, right now.
So many thoughts ran through her head. What if the ring wasn't the right size? Steven was watching, desperate to see her embarrassed. What was she supposed to do?
She closed her eyes and let her lips move.
"Yes," she mumbled.
"She said yes!" Bruno screamed, hugging her so tightly she could barely breathe.
His mom looked happy, but his father, uncle, cousin sister, and her husband Steven didn't seem so thrilled. At least his younger cousins, sister, and Grandma were all genuinely happy.
Bruno went back on his knees to put the ring on her finger.
"You don't have to kneel again," she whispered, amused.
"I don't know, I'm just too excited!" he laughed.
Beauty bit her lip nervously, silently panicking. She quickly stretched out her hand, but her fingers trembled.
Suddenly, Bruno stopped. Her heart leapt, and her breath quickened.
"What happened? Oh no! Is it not her size?" his sister asked curiously.
Everyone was watching them closely, and Beauty felt extremely uncomfortable.
Nathan smirked.
"Tada!"
Unknown to Nathan, it was planned for Aby to ask such a question.
Bruno smiled.
"Oh, it's nothing. It should fit. It's the perfect ring size. I just wanted to give her a choice," Bruno replied.
He pulled out a box from his pocket and opened it. Inside were three different diamond rings.
Nathan rolled his tongue and forced a smile. He met his wife's gaze. She looked quite angry, suspicious that her husband was still not over his ex.
"Pick whichever one you love to be our engagement ring, baby," Bruno said, calling their attention back.
Beauty, her face flushed, made a choice, and Bruno slipped it on her finger. It was a perfect fit.
She hugged him, tears in her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Thanks for accepting me," he replied and kissed her forehead.
They stared at each other, their noses touching, as if waiting for the push to kiss. Beauty stared at his lips as he smiled softly, showing his white teeth.
His younger cousins started chanting,
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
In front of Mr. Hathaway?