Walt Disney Academy
is school supposed to be where dreams come true?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story; my take on a Disney high school AU.
Note: Any components that seem copied from another story is completely coincidental.
1. MONDAY
A new school, she thought. A fresh start.
A certain red-haired girl stood before the academy, dazed. She knew that Walt Disney Academy was famous for it's glamorous exterior appearance, but the girl herself had never been right in front of it all. Her mother had described the school and its students as clean, polished, and refined, which were things that Merida Bricken had to work on. The lass let out a long, exasperated sigh, remembering the lecture she was given the night before.
"Make sure to be respectful to your teachers and peers. Oh! And eat with your mouth closed. Don't forget to brush your teeth in the morning as well." Her mother had continued to list a grand number of things she knew her daughter would forget if not reminded. Luckily, her father assured her that Merida would be absolutely fine, and that she knew how to take care of herself, which, of course, was correct.
Merida was convinced that she wasn't nervous about going to a new school at all. She had no problems at her old high school, so what difference would it make if she were here? But she felt the butterflies in her stomach. Maybe it was because she knew she wouldn't surpass her mother's expectations. It's fine, she said to herself. You're fine.
Continuing to walk casually under the September sun, Merida decided to eat an apple from her knapsack. It would fill her stomach and get rid of the nervousness. Just as she pulled out a red delicious apple, she felt someone bump into her from behind, causing her to drop her snack.
"Ack!" said a voice. Merida turned around to see a girl with golden hair that reached her waist. As Merida examined her, the girl's green eyes went frantic as she realized the situation. She quickly picked up Merida's apple and handed it back to her, looking embarrassed. "I am so, so, so, so, so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, and—"
"It ain't yer fault, lass." Merida smiled at the girl. "I'm still eatin' it, anyways."
Before the blonde could protest any further, Merida took a big bite out of the apple. "It ain't like it's rotten."
The girl let out a sigh. "Again, sorry for bumping into you," she said sheepishly. "I'm Rapunzel Holst, a sophomore." She reached out for a handshake.
Merida shook Rapunzel's hand. "Merida Bricken. I'm a junior."
"Ah, are you new here? You don't seem familiar," Rapunzel asked. "Plus, that uniform looks really new," She gestured to her own clothes. "This one's from last year. New students get fresh uniforms."
Merida responded with a warm chuckle. "Yeah. I moved here from Pixar Secondary."
Rapunzel's eyes went wide, as if she had never heard of something like this before. "Really? You're from Pixar? Wow, that's pretty rare."
"Ya don't say?" Merida questioned.
"Well," Rapunzel said. "Even though Walt Disney and Pixar are very close as a community of students and teachers alike, it's improbable for Mr. Mouse to accept any kids from Pixar Secondary," She paused, thinking for a moment. "You might be the first."
Merida didn't know that Walt Disney Academy and Pixar Secondary were close as a district. Even though she had attended Pixar up until now, she never would've guessed that the two schools had a relation at all. One of the reasons being that every one of Walt Disney Academy's students looked absolutely dashing in their uniforms, whereas at Pixar, students could wear what they wanted (as long as it was appropriate) and they would look either good or bad. Merida, however, felt uncomfortable in her current outfit.
"I guess I'm a wee bit honoured to be the first." Merida stated as she finished her apple. The two laughed before the bell chimed.
"Oh, that's the first warning bell. We better get going," Rapunzel said, starting to walk. "What's your first class?"
Merida followed her towards the entrance. "Math." she said, gagging jokingly.
Instead of a laugh or a smile in return, Rapunzel grimaced. "Ouch. Your first class is with Mrs. Tremaine? Good luck with that."
Worry cast upon Merida at Rapunzel's tone. "Is she that bad?"
"Not if you obey."
Merida groaned. "I suck at obeying."
She felt at least a hundred stares when she got out of her car.
It wasn't weird, though. It was normal for her to retrieve a grin or two from her schoolmates. Normally it was because they knew she was rich and pretty.
A smile was immediately plastered onto her face as her eyes wandered around the parking lot. People smiled back at her—mostly people she didn't know—but as she was taught, it was good to be kind. At the moment, though, she did not feel kind at all. She wanted to cry somewhere by herself. The conversation she and her father had this morning made her heart sink. It was odd for her to be this angry at him.
Finally, her eyes caught sight of one of her friends. "Jasmine!" a girl waving enthusiastically called from a few parking spaces away. It was Lottie, with her own chauffeur standing beside her holding a large purse that read Charlotte La Bouff in sequins.
The raven-haired girl was about to leave without saying thank you or goodbye to her driver. Just then, the low voice of her chauffeur and the sound of the window rolling down interrupted her. "Miss Jasmine."
She turned back, raising her eyebrows as she walked to the front side of the car. "Yes, Razoul?"
The chauffeur handed her the purse sitting beside him. "Your bag."
She blinked, realizing she had forgotten it while her mind was elsewhere. "Ah," Jasmine took it from him. "Thank you for reminding me."
"Your welcome, Miss. You seemed out of it earlier. Are you feeling alright?"
Jasmine waved her hand. "Oh, I'm fine. Just been thinking, is all," she reassured. "But thank you for asking. Goodbye now."
When the car backed up and drove out of the parking lot, Jasmine sighed quietly as she met up with Charlotte.
"Jas, it's so good to see you again!" Lottie exclaimed after she too beckoned her chauffeur to leave.
Jasmine giggled. "We met up last week to go shopping. That's wasn't that long ago."
"Mmhm, yes, yes, well, it's still good to see you, darling."
"You too, Lottie."
The two friends chatted on their way to the entrance of the school, Lottie being so engaged in the conversation that she didn't notice that Jasmine wasn't actually paying attention. Her mind was still on the discussion with her father.
"So... The boys are looking rather fetching in their uniforms, yet again." Lottie giggled.
That was when Jasmine's recent thoughts popped.
"Hm? O-oh, yes... I agree." she said with hesitation.
Lottie elbowed her as they passed some boys who were smiling at them. "Well, are you interested in anybody? You are quite the catch," She smirked. "Rich, kind, pretty... Any prince would die for you, Jas."
Jasmine didn't want to show any expression, but she smiled at her friend anyways. "Prince? You're making it sound like I'm a princess, Lottie," she laughed halfheartedly. "I don't think I want to be a princess, though. Sounds like too much of a hassle."
"Say what you want, Jas, but this gal would kill to be a princess!" Lottie let out a small squeal.
Jasmine rose an eyebrow at the sweet blonde. "You know, you're too nice to kill."
"Thank you, sweetie, but I'm just joking. Besides, girls who kill don't become princesses at all!"
Just then, two boys, one with black hair and one with cocoa hair, came sprinting down the hall. Behind them was Mr. Mushu, the school janitor. He was soaking wet.
"Hey! Get back here!" Mr. Mushu yelled through the corridor. "Aladdin Almazan! Flynn Rider! I don't know what your intentions were, but making me trip into my own soapy bucket of water—meant for the already clean floors of this school—is not acceptable!" The sound of Mr. Mushu's heavy breathing and his intense, furious expression made him seem like he wasn't just the simple janitor of the academy anymore. "Dishonour on you, dishonour on your family, dishonour on your cow!"
Before she could move out of the way, the black-haired boy—the one who seemed to be named Aladdin—clumsily bumped into her shoulder. During the process, Jasmine cried out and crashed into Lottie, and they both fell to the floor.
Aladdin swiftly turned and started running backwards. "Sorry!" he called with an apologetic smile, then he proceeded to run with Flynn.
Already irritated with her father, Jasmine didn't want to be mad at anyone anymore. She knew that because of the talk with her father, she wouldn't be able to be as kind as she usually was for the rest of the day. So, she took a breath, and shouted to the boy who caused her to topple.
"Street rat!"
"Dude, did you hear that?" Flynn asked, running behind his childhood friend. "She called you a street rat."
Aladdin shrugged as they turned a corner, surprising other students with their rushed behaviour. No surprise there; he was used to being called things like thief or troublemaker or weirdo. What made "street rat" any different? It was still a name that was supposed to hurt him. Aladdin had no idea why, but people didn't like him in general. Just because of some accidental push or a small, harmless prank, people—mostly schoolmates—still decided to label him something other than his name. People just couldn't take a joke.
All Aladdin was trying to do was have fun. Flynn was the only one who seemed to understand that. Because of this dynamic duo, they had earned the name "Double Trouble" from their peers. Not that it was bothering them; it suited them well, after all. The thing was, when people called out "Double Trouble" it was as if Aladdin and Flynn were the villains.
"A street rat, huh?" Aladdin chuckled. "A rat who hangs out in the streets... Seems accurate."
Flynn stared at him as if he was crazy. "Al, do you know who that was?"
He remembered the fallen girl's face. He smirked. "No, why? Anyone important?"
"That was freaking Jasmine Aryan, daughter of the head of the Aryan company. Of course she's important!"
Daughter of the head of the Aryan company? The name sounded strangely familiar to Aladdin, but he couldn't recall where he had last heard about the Aryan family business. No matter. Being the son of a wealthy business man himself, Aladdin knew nothing about business and would never carry on his father's. Where was the fun in working? It was unlikely that Aladdin would even be accepted to work like them. His grades, so far, were decreasing; and he didn't care. Even if he was succeeding in school, he doubted that Cassim—his dad—would even think about handing the company over to his son. Troublemaker was written on Aladdin's forehead, after all.
It wasn't always like this, though. Before Cassim had been offered the job of a business man, he and Aladdin were barely surviving. Aladdin thought of their old home: old and broken down, but still good for living in. Cassim had worked at a nearby grocery store, which managed to get them food and water. And then, one day, Cassim was leaving six-year-old Aladdin home alone for the first time. He came back home telling his son that he finally got a good job that would make them richer than ever before.
Still, to this very day, Aladdin wasn't happy at home.
He missed his dad. Of course, he would come home at night, but then the next morning he'd be telling Aladdin that he was travelling again. He missed the old days, when Cassim was really there for him, when they'd watch TV and bet on which sports team would win or lose, and when Aladdin lost the bet (which he normally did), Cassim tackled and tickled him until they both couldn't breath. The fun had disappeared years ago.
That was where Flynn came in.
.
Aladdin and Flynn had become friends at a grocery store, when they were both around seven-years-old. Young Flynn Rider had spotted little Aladdin stuffing potato chip bags inside his sweater, making his belly look suspiciously bigger than it should be.
"Hey," Flynn had said, curious. Little Aladdin jumped at the sudden encounter. The brown-haired boy pointed at Aladdin's overly sized stomach. "Did you steal that?"
When Aladdin nodded bashfully, as if he was ashamed of being caught, Flynn smiled. "Cool! Hey, if I help you get away with this, will you share the chips with me?" He gave Aladdin a big, toothy grin. "I'm... I'm Flynn. Thief extraordinaire!"
"...I-I'm Aladdin."
In the end, they ate the chips together. Flynn apparently was so great at running around and causing trouble for other customers that Aladdin managed to leave at the exit.
.
Aladdin turned his head, making sure they weren't being followed. "Flynn, I think we lost him."
The two stopped their little marathon at the courtyard, both panting for air. Earlier, before the chase, Aladdin had suggested to prank Mr. Mushu on the first day, since he had heard that the janitor easily gets mad. Flynn, of course, agreed. Aladdin had tripped Mr. Mushu with the mop, while Flynn made sure the bucket of water was positioned so that he was sure to get wet. Mr. Mushu got angrier than Aladdin had thought.
Flynn sighed heavily, then took another large breath of air. "Oh, well. We were destined to have detention on the first week of school."
Aladdin laughed. "We should be careful around Mr. Mushu from now on, or else he'll be giving us P.E. classes we don't need."
The childhood friends laughed as a sign of agreement. This type of fun was what Aladdin wanted with his father. Flynn was like the brother he never had.
"Well," Flynn sighed. "Let's not skip class today."
That shocked him. Flynn loved skipping class with Aladdin. "Why?" Aladdin asked, questioning his friend's queer demeanor.
Flynn gave him a smug look. "Well, for one, it's the first day of school."
Aladdin laughed. "And that matters to you?"
The smugness never left Flynn's face. He rolled up his sleeves. "It does when you know there are going to be pretty girls in your class."
There was a boy on the other end of the classroom. He was laughing with another boy he just met in class. She couldn't stop looking—this boy was handsome, indeed. Cute auburn hair, delightful brown eyes... Anyone who didn't think this boy was striking was much too crazy for this world.
"Wendy?" a voice called. A hand waved in front of her face.
She blinked. "H-huh?"
Her blonde friend pouted at her. "What are you looking at? A person?"
Wendy laughed nervously. "I-it's nothing, Alice. What were we talking about again?" She felt embarrassed for staring at the boy far too long that Alice had noticed she wasn't even listening.
Her eyes betrayed her and glanced at the handsome boy desks in front of them. She couldn't help it—his face was full of fun and happiness, and it piqued her interest. What it this? she asked herself. She fiddled with the pencil in her hand. Am I in love? No, no... It's just a small affection. I don't even know who he is.
"You're looking at something," Alice said, slightly flustered. Before Wendy could insist that it was nothing, she knew that Alice had already found what—who—she was looking at. Alice gasped with a smile. "A boy?" she questioned. Wendy mentally smacked herself.
"My, my, Wendy Darling," Alice giggled. Wendy blushed when she pointed to the boy. "Him? Were you looking at him?"
"I..." Wendy paused, but she knew that it was no use lying to her friend. "...Yes."
Alice's smile grew wider. "Curiouser and curiouser..."
Wendy and Alice went to the same middle school and became close friends ever since. It was nice to have another girl from England. Alice often came over to her house after school; though John and Michael would quickly join their girl talk. Thankfully, Alice liked hanging out with all the Darlings, especially seven-year-old Michael. Whenever Wendy became stern towards her brothers with Alice around, she'd scold Wendy and tell her that she shouldn't be so harsh on them. These two English girls were still friends, nonetheless.
Wendy's eyes flickered to the boy again. She sighed, twirling a strand from her honey-dipped curls. She watched as he smiled again, then turned back to her friend. "Alice, isn't he dreamy?"
Alice squinted at him. She leaned back. "Of course. But you don't even know him, Wendy."
It wasn't like Wendy wasn't social. Sure, she was unsure about the obstacles of high school, but she already had one friend she knew. It wouldn't be terribly hard to make friends, right? Both Wendy and Alice knew that they didn't have all of their classes together, so they would have to make acquaintances throughout the day, but that was better than not speaking at all.
She shrugged. "Then I'll get to know him. It'll be simple."
Alice didn't reply very quickly. Wendy thought she was just daydreaming, but it became clear that she was alert because of something. "Very." Alice mumbled.
"Hm?" Wendy inquired the sudden change in Alice's voice and expression. "Why do you say that?"
Her friend leaned in a little closer, enough so that Wendy could hear her whisper, "Because he's walking towards us."
How unfair.
Tinkerbell gawked at the sore sight. Behind her, Peter was talking to two girls, paying special attention to the one with brown hair.
She couldn't hear the conversation, but the brown-haired girl was loud enough for her to hear her introduce herself. "I'm Wendy. Nice to meet you, Peter."
She knew that face of his. He was being inquisitive. It wasn't fair! Tinkerbell had known Peter far longer than that girl has, yet he seemed interested in her nonetheless! Tinkerbell always tried so hard to get Peter's attention in a romantic way, but her tactics had never worked. How could he flirt with such a simple girl? They were childhood friends; did Peter forget that?
Tinkerbell and Peter had known each other ever since kindergarten. They would chase each other's shadows, and pretend they were pirates off to find their buried treasure. As they grew, those games proceeded to exist. Peter was still very playful, but he became less interested in his studies and started talking about how he never wanted to grow up. "If I could play every single day and not have any stress in my life, then I don't want to grow up, Tink," he had told Tinkerbell. "You'll be there for me, right?"
He thrived for fun and adventure; and if that was what Peter wanted, she would support him.
She wanted to, but she couldn't look away from Peter and that ugly girl. It hurt. What if he started to rely on Wendy to support him and not Tinkerbell? She shook her head, trying to persuade herself that she was overthinking things. But still...
She's not even that pretty, Tinkerbell thought. He should be falling for me.
"Ohohohoho," a new voice said. "I see how it is."
Tinkerbell tensed at the closeness of an onyx-haired girl. Her chin rested in her hand as she leaned on Tinkerbell's desk. The girl looked at her with a smirk. "Don't mind me. I'm just observing the situation here."
Surprised by the statement, Tinkerbell could only stutter. "T-there's no situation!"
"Really now?" The girl rose an eyebrow at her. "I know that look."
Tinkerbell rose an eyebrow back. "What look?"
"The one that was one your face just now. It was the look of jealousy."
The blonde scoffed and pouted, trying to change her facial manner. "I am not jealous."
The girl beside her only laughed. "Sure, think what you will. But I know better."
Vexed, Tinkerbell glared at her. "You could never understand how I'm feeling."
Another laugh. "Oh, believe me, I don't want to understand how you're feeling. Looks quite grave," The girl pulled out a candy from her uniform pocket and unwrapped it. She tossed something pink into her mouth. "This is why I don't have a significant other. Candy?"
Tinkerbell pushed the girl's hand away, refusing the treat. "No, thank you."
She shrugged. "Suit yourself. Would've made your breath much better smelling if you were to talk to that boy of yours."
Realization sparkled in Tinkerbell's eyes. She reluctantly extended a hand. "Fine. You prove a point."
The mysterious girl chuckled and handed her a piece of candy shaped like a watermelon. "Vanellope von Schweetz." she introduced. "You?"
The candy tasted wonderful in her mouth, but she wouldn't say it. "I'm Tinkerbell."
"Pleasure to meet ya, Tink," Vanellope said coolly. She gazed at the conversation behind them. "So, why don't you tell me about that handsome friend of yours over there?"
A shiver rolled down her spine at her acquaintance's question. "Don't fall in love with my Peter, too." she begged. Tinkerbell didn't even realize she said that.
Vanellope gasped. "Well, by golly," She put a hand on her heart. "Why would you say that, Tink?" Her tone was sarcastic yet sweet. Tinkerbell couldn't tell if she meant well or if there was a scheme behind all of this kindness. "Besides, you already have to dread that girl over there. I'm just here if you wanna talk. I'm not gonna do anything mean for you, though. Don't be selfish."
Mean? Selfish? Why would Vanellope think that she would do something mean to Wendy? She hated to admit it, but Vanellope was right—Tinkerbell was jealous. What if she would be left behind because of this one-sided love? Peter resembled a lady's man—he might not even be with Wendy in the end. It could be some other girl. However, Tinkerbell would still ache inside for the love she would never get. If she did do something to the girl, Peter would be mad if he found out.
If he found out.
She scowled. "I... I'm not going to do anything mean," Tinkerbell objected calmly. "And you don't have to be there when I wanna talk. You shouldn't even know about Peter and I," She looked down at her feet, hating to see the continuous talk desks away from them. "I don't need you. I hardly know you at all."
Quiet. The murmurs of chatter floated through the room as Vanellope and Tinkerbell shared an unfamiliar stillness. Eventually, a sigh came from Vanellope as she frowned. "Fine," she said. "Sheesh. And here I thought you were a decent lovesick girl who needed a little saving." She took out another candy and chewed it as she walked away, hands in her pockets.
"Maybe you need a lot of saving, Tink."
Cinderella was late. She didn't even realize that the clock had struck eleven.
She dashed upstairs to put on her uniform. She cursed at the sight of it. "Stupid sisters," she said to the empty room. The uniform was covered in dirt and ashes. What a lame joke, she thought. Anastasia and Drizella must've taken it down to the fireplace. No wonder she had to clean up those cinders.
It was no use. She would be rebuked if she arrived any later than lunchtime. Cinderella didn't dither to put on the dusty uniform. She'd have to make the best of it.
Earlier, when her sisters were preparing for school, Cinderella's stepmother ordered her to do many chores after she had her breakfast. Now she realized that the purpose of that was to make her late for the first day back at Walt Disney. Cinderella was excited for today—her uniform was even fresh from the laundry, dried and pressed, neatly hanging in her bedroom closet. They probably thought that the filthy clothes would make her even later than twelve o' clock, assuming that Cinderella would want to give it another cleaning.
They're probably laughing right now, she thought. When I get to school, they'll laugh even more.
Wiping of the excess soot off of her white skirt, Cinderella grabbed her bag, ran back down the stairs and clumsily put on her shoes. Once she was out of the house, she raced for the closest bus stop.
.
She quickly glanced around the cafeteria and spotted her friends at their normal table.
"Cinderella!" Snow White and Aurora exclaimed when she sat down. Of course, her best friends looked absolutely stunning on the first day of school. Diamonds hung from their ears and their lips were stained with gloss. Snow's hair was in it's cute bob-cut while Aurora's was curled to perfection. Cinderella silently envied their clean attire. She could've prettied-up her hair in some way, if the time was given, but she kept the lazy blonde bun. "Where were you? After third period, we thought you wouldn't show up." Aurora said.
Snow looked her up and down. "My word, why are your clothes covered in dirt?"
Cinderella rubbed the back of her neck and scanned the area until she spotted two snickering girls on the other end of the lunchroom. She sighed sadly, disappointed. "Let's just say that my sisters play a part in what happened to my uniform."
Aurora scoffed, glaring at Anastasia and Drizella. They were close enough to see that they were eating with their mouths open. "This isn't fair! You always get pushed around," Her arms crossed, giving Cinderella a concerned frown. "You're the eldest; you're the one graduating this year, not them! You deserve better."
"And I do have better, Rose," Cinderella put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I have the you both. So please don't worry about me."
Her two friends smiled, appreciating Cinderella's warm words. Snow White let out a small chuckle. "You're the sweetest, Ella. Just... please let us know if you need someone to talk to. We're always here."
There was a short quietness between the three friends, but they were all smiling. Cinderella rolled up her uniform sleeves and gave a loud sigh. "Thanks."
"Tell you what," Aurora piped up. "Snow and I will ask Mrs. Mouse if you can receive a new uniform today. I'm sure she won't mind it if you have one of the spares." She began cleaning up her table space, readying herself to leave the room.
Snow chirped in, loving the idea. She gathered her own dishes. "And we'll do your hair—you'll look wonderful!" Aurora nodded at her doe-eyed friend in agreement.
"Then Anastasia and Drizella will see that you truly wear an air of queenly grace."
.
Cinderella stared at the girl in the mirror.
"This—" She was speechless. "This is too much! Really, you shouldn't have done this for me."
"Nonsense," said Snow. She applied gloss onto Cinderella's lips from the pink bottle in her hands, then stepped away to study the final outcome. "You're gorgeous! I don't even need to add a lot of make-up on you!"
Aurora finished pinning her hair. "There; pretty as a princess."
Cinderella's strawberry blonde hair was put up in a thick bun atop her head, revealing the sapphires dangling from her ears. As Snow mentioned, she had hardly put any make-up on her; just a touch of blush and mascara and lip gloss. Even though it wasn't much, Cinderella thought she looked so much prettier than before. Luckily Mrs. Mouse felt sympathetic for her and decided to give her a spare uniform meant for new students. Now her appearance was more than what she expected it to be on the first day of school.
Aurora's words echoed in her ears. Pretty as a princess.
As if. Once Cinderella got back home, her sisters would definitely try to ruin her uniform again. She'd be back in her usual rags. She'd be cleaning the whole house again when it was already the cleanest it could be. A princess? No; she was a servant girl.
But she still hoped. There was still hope that one day, she wouldn't be the one cleaning. Faith that her sisters—and maybe even Lady Tremaine—would one day be compassionate enough to at least help her out.
Smiling in the mirror, Cinderella spoke. "You two are simply more than I could ever ask for."
Snow and Aurora giggled, and the three of them came in for a group hug. "Hey," Snow said. "Anything for our Ella."
Shang walked into the boys' locker room and changed into his gym strip. He was ecstatic about the first football game they were having this week. It was all he could think about for the first day back, unlike most boys, who were excited about the clubs or the girls. But Shang wanted the feeling of football practice again. This year was going to be different, though. Coach Li, his father, had announced that Shang was going to be vice-coach for the rest of his days at Walt Disney. That was what Shang was excited for: helping out his dad in training his teammates.
He knew that Coach Li wasn't granting him his wish as vice-coach just because he was his son; it was because he knew that Shang was ready for the job. Shang was, by far, the best football player in Walt Disney Academy. His grades in school were in tip-top shape. Shang personally practiced Martial Arts at home, which gave him extra training for his physical strength. This morning, he was even offered the leadership of a Martial Arts Club by the Student Council. Don't tell me I'm not ready, he said to himself.
Once he finished packing up his stuff into his locker, he strode out the door with a confident aura. Before he made his way to the football field, he noticed an unfamiliar face idling by the fence, looking a little lost. Shang regarded that the boy was wearing his gym strip as well. He must be new to the football team, Shang thought.
He waved a hand at the boy. "Hey," he greeted simply. Even though Shang knew he'd be a great leader, he also knew that he'd have to get better at speaking with people. He was socially awkward, and not the best with words. Helping out this boy would give him the aspect of a leader. "You a part of the football team?"
The boy looked at him with surprise. "Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to try-out."
Shang gave the boy a friendly smile. "Thought so. You can come with me, if you like."
The boy returned the smile. "Thanks."
"I'm Li Shang." he said. He started walking, encouraging the boy the follow.
"Oh," the boy responded, walking alongside him. "So you're the one everyone was talking about. The new vice-coach."
Shang chuckled. So people were talking about him? "Yep, that's me."
"I'm Tarzan Lockwood. One of the 'new kids'."
"So it's your first time at Walt Disney Academy?" Shang inquired.
Tarzan nodded. "Yeah. My family's from England."
With Tarzan beside him, Shang remembered his freshman year at the academy. His dad had just been accepted as the new football team coach. Shang was known as "Pretty Boy", only because Coach Li was always so fond of Shang's dedication to their exercises and never complained about them. Later on, Shang achieved the praise of his father and most of his teammates. Three of them were still quite sassy around him... He didn't let them bother him, though, because he knew that his reaction-less manner would get back at them.
"Cool," Shang said. "You'll like it here. Walt Disney Academy is a great community to be in. Everyone's nice—" He paused, rethinking his sentence. "Well, except for the teachers. I don't know if you agree, but they're pretty nasty."
Tarzan chuckled. "Tell me about it. I had trigonometry with Mrs. Hearts for the last period."
The two of them laughed. Tarzan was actually pretty cool.
"Well, this is where we'll normally meet," Shang said, gesturing to the wide space in front of them. He recognized some of his teammates from last year who were warming up. He grinned when he saw his father scold someone for not doing enough push-ups. "Let's introduce you to my dad. He'll want to check you off on the attendance."
Shang and Tarzan jogged to Coach Li. A pile of footballs lay on his left. "Dad!" Shang called.
The coach spun around at the familiar voice and smiled at the sight of his son. "Coach Shang, good that you're here. I was waiting," It didn't take long for him to notice the boy with dreadlocks beside him. "And who might this be?"
"Dad, this is Tarzan Lockwood. He was hoping to try-out for the team." Shang said. The coach gave him a strange look, but then a smile, impressed that his bashful son took authority in leading the newcomer over.
Tarzan offered to handshake. Coach Li accepted it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Coach."
"No, the pleasure is mine," he chuckled. "But I'm afraid the try-outs are canceled for today."
"What? Why?" Shang asked, clearly confused.
Coach Li let out a sigh. "The footballs are flat, son."
Shang and Tarzan exchanged a worried glance. "Flat? How come?" Shang asked.
The coach shook his head and shrugged. "The Student Council told me that the footballs would be ready by after school today," He picked up one of the footballs beside him. "But they aren't."
"All of them?" Shang asked, picking one up himself.
"All of them."
Tarzan took the airless football from Shang and inspected it. "Couldn't we just pump them ourselves?" he asked, throwing the ball up in the air and catching it.
Shang seemed to agree with the thought, but Coach Li shook his head. "The school pump is broken and being fixed. That's why I visited the Student Council and asked about the footballs. I don't know how they plan on blowing them up again."
Bothered, Shang's confidence grew. He began walking towards the school building. "I'll go talk to the Student Council."
"Shang, wait," The coach insisted. The black-haired boy groaned, but respected his father's command. "I'm sure the Student Council was busy today. It is the first day back," Coach Li said. "Maybe there was a mishap. I'm sure Tarzan won't mind the wait for the try-out."
Shang looked at Tarzan for reassurance. The boy nodded. "I can wait. As long as I can try out, I'm good."
"Fine," Shang sighed. "I guess we'll just work-out for today. Hopefully the footballs will be fully pumped by tomorrow at practice."
"Now that's a good leader," Coach Li said, ruffling his son's hair. "I like your determination, Coach Shang. Very leader-like," He put a hand on both Tarzan and Shang's shoulders. "How about you two go speak with the Student Council tomorrow morning? I know that they arrive at 7:30 every day to organize."
"Sure thing, dad." Shang said, satisfied with the fact. They shared a father-and-son fist bump.
The coach chuckled. "Now you boys go on and train," he said. The two boys shared another glance, this time with smiles. Once Shang and Tarzan joined the others, Coach Li shouted, "ALRIGHT, 100 SIT-UPS, LET'S GO!"
Charming braced himself. This wasn't going to end very well.
"Look," he said to the girls. "I really don't have the time today. Some other time, perhaps."
The one with red hair leaned in, as if to scrutinize him. "Really? That's too bad." She scrunched her nose, and Charming forced his smile.
The one with dark brown hair leaned in even closer than the other one had. "A shame. We really wanted to hang out."
Charming didn't even know their names. Was it Annalise? Or Drucilla? The only thing he knew about these girls was that they gave off an unpleasant atmosphere.
"I'll let you know when I'm free," he lied. "Well, I'll be off to, um... Fence."
"Alright," the sisters said in unison. "Ta-ta! We'll see you next time!"
Charming smiled politely and walked off, feeling their beady black eyes ogling him from behind. Hopefully there will never be a next time, he prayed.
He let out a big sigh. Honestly, Charming really couldn't handle this "girl problem" he had. Sure, his friends joked around about being jealous of his princely attitude that made all the girls love him, but if they were in his shoes, would they really think that? At first, he was flattered with the adoration the girls gave him beginning in his freshman year, but as the years went by, it became annoying. The girls who favoured him didn't even know his likes and dislikes. They didn't know what type of girls he preferred.
Well, neither did he himself.
His father normally asked how Charming's day went, and if he's met any particular girls he was interested with. Every day, he gave his father the same answer, which was "no". He was glad that his father understood the nuisances he had to go through at school. "When the time comes, it comes, my son," His father said to him. "Don't rush love. Once your heart tells you it's true, then it's true!" Charming had laughed at his next sentence. "But once it's true, bring her over for dinner!"
The hallways were empty, but Charming could see students inside their club rooms, busying themselves with their after-school activities. He passed the Art Club room, where he saw students painting something for some-sort of occasion. He passed the Student Council room, where he saw the president studying some papers she was just handed. He passed the Photography Club room, where he saw its members being given their cameras for the yearbook. Then he passed the Choir room, where—
"...A dream is wish your heart makes..."
Charming stopped for a moment, intrigued by the beautiful voice. He backed up and peeked inside the room behind the door.
"...When you're fast asleep..."
Curious, Charming searched the room with his eyes to find the wonderful singer.
"...In dreams, you lose your heartaches..."
And there, he saw, a girl browsing through a folder of music sheets.
"...Whatever you wish for, you keep..."
She was beautiful. Charming knew he had seen her before around the school, but he never payed close attention. Her apricot-coloured hair was in a high, fluffy bun, and her blue eyes twinkled as she skimmed through her papers. The girl seemed like she didn't find what she was looking for, so she put the papers back in the folder and placed them neatly on the shelf. She moved onto the next folder.
It felt like Charming was watching the pretty girl for hours, but he knew it would be impolite to not introduce himself while he was there. He would be late for his fencing class, too. Anyways, she was bound to notice him sooner or later.
He stepped in quietly and cleared his throat. Alert, the girl stopped humming and turned her head. Their eyes locked for a brief and serene moment.
"Good afternoon." Charming said, dipping his head.
The girl looked slightly shocked to see him, but she replied smoothly. Her voice was sweet and kind. "Good afternoon."
He smiled at the girl, happy that they were speaking. "I was just passing by when I heard someone singing," he said. "You have a delightful voice."
The girl's eyes went wide for a second, but she beamed at him. "Thank you. That's very nice of you to say."
"It's only the truth," Charming stated. "What's your name?"
She was quiet for a moment. "Cinderella," she said.
Sounds familiar, he thought. He knew he'd seen her at school. "I'm Charming Leclair."
Cinderella rose an eyebrow with a wondering face. "Charming Leclair?" she repeated. Did she know him too? Her face expressed her thoughts, but her face lit up not long after. "Oh, you must be Florian and Phillip's friend!"
Charming wasn't surprised she knew that—everyone in the school probably knew he hung out with the two other equally popular boys. But how she said it was vaguely unusual. "Oh? Are you an acquaintance of Florian and Phillip?"
She nodded. "My friends are their girlfriends." Cinderella explained.
Now it was clear. He had seen her before! "Cinder... Ella," he said aloud. "You're Snow and Aurora's friend, Ella?"
"Well, yes, that's what they call me."
Charming was happy to have found out her identity. "I'm sorry, I would've known who you were sooner. It's just that they always call you 'Ella'."
"It is my real name." Cinderella mumbled with a cute shrug.
There was a pause. Charming was thinking about what to say next, when he finally decided.
"Say, I have fencing class right now; would you like to come and watch?" Charming invited. "And after... I would love it if we could talk more."
Worry crept into Charming's head, thinking she wasn't interested. They had just officially met—why would she say yes? But Cinderella looked as if she was conflicted. A sigh escaped her lush lips. "I would love to take up on that offer," she said. "But I'm... busy, let's say. I need to do something at home."
Charming frowned, rather upset with the news. If she was busy, then he would respect that. Interfering with her life wasn't his plan. But he didn't want to let her go just yet. There was another silence between the two, but it seemed sadder and awkward. He gave her a little side-grin. "Well, then," he said. "I can wait until you're done whatever you're going to do."
Taken aback by his suggestion, Cinderella thought for a moment. Charming hoped that whatever she needed to do at her house wouldn't take up a lot of time. If she said no, it was no. He'd try again tomorrow. When he looked at the pretty girl again, though, she was smiling. Hope fluttered in Charming's heart. "Actually... Yeah. Yeah, I'll go with you."
He was astonished by the change of thought, but he was overjoyed nonetheless. "Really? What about your job at home?"
She shrugged. "It's not important."
This Cinderella... She had given up her duty at home just to spend time with him.
"I'll be late for practice if we don't go now," Charming said. He couldn't stop smiling. Casually, he lifted his hand to cover his mouth, like he was about to cough. "Unless, of course, you're not done here." He gestured to the folder in her hands.
Cinderella closed it, then returned it to its place on the shelf. "Oh, I was just looking for a certain song. I can find it another day."
And now she was giving up her time to look for a song just to spend time with him... She was too kind. She was probably going to sing that song with her beautiful voice, as well.
This Cinderella... Charming thought to himself. What's this? My heart... Charming had to restrain his cheeks from breaking. He was smiling way too hard.
My heart says that it's true.
.
Note: Updates might come each week. It takes me about an hour to finish one panel.
This was fun to write. Hope you enjoyed!
