Chapter 1: The Most Prestigous School in the Land
Jasmine definitely hated everything right now, except for the music pounding out of her headphones and her cat, Raju, curled up like a little cinnamon bun in her lap.
She hated the stupid boarding school she had to go to-but she also hated the private school she'd previously been attending.
Which one do I hate more, is the question.
A hard question, indeed. She already had a good long list of reasons she hated her current school-a literal list, that was created on the second day and held true till the last. She fished the rumpled paper that was torn out of her science textbook from her bedside table.
Rest in peace, the next kid who needs to learn about advanced cell division. She thought with a smirk, then began to read.
Reasons Why This School Sucks: An Informative List
1: 50% of the students hate me
2: 50% of them want to be my BFF
3: 100% of them talk shit about me
4: These uniforms are horrible.
5: The sleeves way too long.
6: The pants are way too long.
7: Everything is way too long.
8: The teachers hate my hair.
9: They call my braid 'dreads'.
10: Everyone is boring
11: Everyone THINKS they're not boring.
12: The teachers complain when they can "hear my music" even though I don't complain when I can hear their goddamn Mozart piano during an exam.
13: Gym is hard, but I can't admit because all the bitchy girls in my class think it is, too, and I don't want to be associated with them.
14: Everyone hates alternative music.
15: They're all tall and don't abide by the rule, "Tallest to the back, shortest to the fr-
It ended there. She vaguely remembered Mrs. Martinez snapping at her and threatening to take away the paper-which couldn't happen unless Jasmine wanted a trip to the guidance counselor to talk about "her feelings". Jasmine picked up a shiny gel pen and added another heading.
Reasons Why This New School Also Sucks
1: They say it's prestigious, so that means smart AND rich are there. That old school was just a bunch of losers who bought their way in.
2: We're trapped on some campus with a bunch of adults.
3: We have to share a room with a stranger.
4: The name is prissy as hell.
5: That fancy-ass name is worth two reasons, that's how annoying it is.
Granted, the list was much shorter-but she hadn't even been there yet, and she was sure there would be plenty more things to add.
Maybe I should've just gone to public school, everything seems pretty cool there. She thought wistfully.
Actually... She began to write once again.
Reasons Why Public School Sucks As Well
1: Food fights or something. I'm pretty sure those happen all the time.
2: Teachers are bad at everything. Probably.
3: There's a lot of singing, I think.
4: Sports are, like, the most important thing.
5: Ugh, I dunno. Gangs.
It seemed that Jasmine was out of options, so she simply accepted her fate(after twenty minutes of calculations that concluded jumping out of the private jet would result in death).
Suddenly, an insistent knock joined her loud rock music. She slipped off her headphones and settled them on her satin bedspread, then carefully plucked her smartphone out from under her sleeping feline, who only purred in response. She paused the song.
"Come in!"
A maid timidly nudged open the door halfway. "Miss Jasmine, your father requested your presence at the banquet this evening, and proper attire." She relayed in a shy, whispery voice.
"Got it." Jasmine nodded curtly, and was about to place her headphones back around her ears, when the maid spoke again.
"Actually, due to your past-ahem, choices of dress-" Jasmine fondly recalled all of her "interesting" selections of apparel-from PJs to fishnet stockings to a T-shirt with the middle finger on it(which her father promptly attempted to confinscate, even calling in a search squad to check her room, yet to no avail). "-I am to assist you."
Jasmine inwardly groaned. "Okay. Let's head to my closet." She attempted to sound as indifferent as possible, not wanting to take her annoyance out of the poor maid. Jasmine rolled off her bed and into a pair of luxury slippers, then padded to the tall, graceful door. She threw it open lazily, and flicked the light switch to reveal an area the size of a large bedroom, lined with anything and everything any girl-except Jasmine-could ask for.
Jasmine plopped onto the intricately designed bench in the middle of the room, a slouch in her back. She took advantage of the brief moments of the maid gaping to whip out her phone. She'd gotten tired of giving an explanation for the things she owned-she didn't want all this, her dad got it without even asking, she just wanted some normal stuff-in the end, it wouldn't change a thing anyone thought.
"Wow-um, I mean-okay, Miss. Let's begin."
The maid quickly grabbed a ball gown, stating that her father reccomended she select one. "Weird." Jasmine muttered to herself. After a fair amount of time lacing, zipping, and whatever else to make sure it didn't fall apart, they picked out some shoes.
"These flats look good." She was about to reach of a shiny black pair, but the maid stopped her. "Your father has asked that you wear heels for this gala."
Jasmine furrowed her dark eyebrows together. "That's unusual." Nonetheless, she strapped on some decently tall heels.
At least I'm not 4'11 when I'm wearing these.
After the maid did her makeup-which was at least not terribly overdone like the rest of her outfit-she was sent down the elevator.
When she arrived in their ballroom, the banquet was already as wild as it was gonna get-business people chatting in professional tones and forcibly chuckling at each other's jokes as they drank half-full glasses of red wine. There were a few other kids around, most looking bored and sitting far apart around some of the tables. Her father spotted her, and he happily walked over.
"Hello, darling. You look wonderful. Come with me." She reluctantly trailed after him.
"Can't I just go sit down, or-"
Her father interrupted her by jovially greeting another businessman. "Fishman! Oh, how nice to see you! I believe you've met my daughter, Jasmine."
Jasmine knew the drill. With a false smile, she firmly shook his hand. "Hello, sir." He smiled back, fake-white teeth gleaming.
"Hello there, miss. You look quite elegant tonight. Say, have you met my son?" She shook her head slowly. "Really? Well, I must call him over then." He disappeared briefly, reappearing with a raven-haired boy in hand.
"This is Eric. Eric, this is Jasmine." They both smiled politely, shook hands politely, all that-as if they both were meeting another businessman.
"Why don't you two go chat?" Eric's father suggested.
"Yes, I'm sure you two will hit it off!" Her dad said, ushering them away.
Why did it sound like those two were on a script or something? Jasmine wondered, but said nothing to Eric about it. They both took a seat, leaving a chair in between each other. Her father scoffed. "Oh, sit closer. You won't be able to hear a thing!" After several moments, Eric awkwardly shuffled over to the next chair.
"Well, you two have fun!" Eric's father winked.
"What the hell" was essentially Jasmine's expression. She turned her gaze to Eric, who simply looked embarrassed.
"So..." He smiled at her slightly. "How old are you?"
"Fifteen. Sixteen, soon."
"Ah." He nodded. "I'm seventeen. I'll be a junior, soon. And you'll be a sophomore, right?"
"Yup." Jasmine stated, popping the 'P'.
"Cool." They sat in silence for a while. That's kinda how it went for the next few minutes. Someone asked a question(usually Eric). Someone would answer. Silence.
Suddenly, Jasmine's dad slid down next to her. "Hey, darling. I hate to cut this conversation short, but I need to introduce you to someone." He stood up, helping her out of the chair.
"Oh-okay. Bye, Eric. It was nice meeting-oof!" She tripped slightly. "-you."
"You too." They both knew it wasn't really true. Jasmine was led through the throngs of people to a mother-son duo.
"Jasmine, this is..." That's how a good portion of the night went. Her father would randomly cut a conversation short with a teen he'd selected just a bit ago, and introduce her to someone new. Around the fifth boy, she'd had enough, and decided to bring it up.
"Okay, what the hell is going on?" She cut off his ramblings-mostly about himself.
The boy-Naveen-looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"You've seen me;it's happening right now. I talk to a guy for a few minutes, then my dad drags me away to meet another guy. It's weird. Like he's trying to find me a date, or-" She stopped mid-sentence.
Fancy clothes? Heels? It all made sense now.
"You didn't know? This party was for you to find a guy to marry." The teen stared at her strangely.
"To marry?" Jasmine was about ready to explode.
"Uh, yeah. To-"
"Hi there, Naveen." Her dad interrupted, putting a hand on both of their shoulders.
And he's back.
"This conversation looks like it's going splendidly, but Jasmine has to meet someone, unfortunately. Come on, Jasmine." He walked ahead of her. She launched out of her seat, not bothering to bid Naveen farewell.
Her father began to speak when he saw her coming towards him and yet-another suitor. "Jasmine, this is-"
"To marry?! To marry?" She fumed. Her father turned pale, now looking a sickly gray color. "I'm tired of these stupid games. I. Don't. Want to be married! I don't even want you to choose someone I should date!" She glowered at him-at least in her heels, she was slightly taller than her dad.
"Now, dear, I didn't mean to force you into this-"
"Really? Oh, really?" She laughed sarcastically, walking in wide circles now that everyone had backed away from them. The teen boy she was about to be introduced to looked rather flustered, constantly wiping the sweat from his neck. "You forced me to come to this party, you forced me to do some stupid speed-dating, and you forced me to search for a husband without even telling me I was!"
Her father tried to grab her arm, but she thrashed away. "No! I'm not gonna take some quick-and-easy apology to wrap up this shit." She backed away, fire in her eyes.
"You know what? This isn't the eighteen hundreds-oof!"She began to take off the stupid heels. "I'm not some goddamn princess at a ball...I'm-leaving!" She threw them with all her might and heard gasps. Before she turned around, all she saw were people fearfully ducking-but she knew they would go much, much farther.
Then, she heard the shatter of glass.
But it was too late for her. It was impossible to turn back as adrenaline pumped through her system. She sprinted to the stairs, knowing a mechanical elevator with cameras would make her too easy to find.
As the light-footed teen hopped up each marble stair, two at a time, she could easily imagine the crime scene she'd left behind. The tall window, in the very back of the room, with it's perfect arch at the top and perfect designs. That was most likely the victim, based off of the fairly far distance the sound had came from. It probably ledft a big, gaping hole, with piercing, wicked fragments toppling onto the floors and the colorful, groomed garden right outside of it.
And maybe some nice pink marigolds crushed by those strappy pumps. She almost laughed at the idea. If she could throw those shoes out a window, they could be anywhere. She pictured the rediscovery.
"P-put those down!" A mother, decades in the future, gasps. "But why?" Her little boy asks. "T-those are the shoes of the crazed girl who smashed a window by throwing those v-very heels with inhuman strength. She disappeared, never to be seen again."
She wondered if her dad actually thought of her that way now; just an angry teen, more unstable than he could possibly know. Or was he actually sorry? Jasmine couldn't know. Ugh, focus! Her mind reverted back to the matter at hand.
She knew there were cameras everywhere; they probably had guards on her tail now. If I want to get to my room in time, I need to be ahead of them. They usually had one or two guards on each floor, due to the sheer amount of visitors they had, and all the valuable pieces displayed. At this point, she doubted that they had been alerted very long. Or maybe they haven't been alerted at all. She thought hopefully. Maybe no one has a clue of my plan. Jasmine peeked out the stairwell and into the fifth floor.
"Fan out! They haven't located her on the cameras yet, but this next floor houses-"
Or maybe not. She darted out into the hallway and twisted into the first doorway she saw. Once inside, she scanned her surrounds. A guest bedroom. Moving silently, she opened the chest of drawers and found just what she was searching for-a nightgown. She peeled the clinging fabric of the bell-shaped ball gown off, then slipped into the light, silk dress.
Now confident she could move swiftly, Jasmine inched open the door to make sure the coast was clear. With the hallway empty, she sprinted down the million-dollar Persian rug-lined hallway, dashing into her room. She didn't take any breaks, grabbing her already-packed suitcases to boarding school for use.
Boarding school... A devious grin played on her lips, as a new plan dawned on her. "Guess we'll be a little early there, won't we?"
Jasmine dropped off the final branch, then stealthily retrieved her bags from right below the window. The black-haired teen dialed a number, listening to it ring as she trudged across the wet ground, as the grass flicking dew onto her bare feet.
"Jeremy? Hi, Jeremy. Look, we're gonna need to bring that flight date up a few hours-more specifically, to right now. Yes, I know it's one AM, but trust me, you'll be tipped nicely. Be at the jet by two or sooner. I'll be inside. Yes, I'll explain later. Thanks." She ended the call.
"Looks like we're going on a detour."
oOo
"Now remember, dear-"
"Yes, mother, I get it! Don't eat too much, don't go party, get good grades, maintain your hair...you've told me all of this plenty of times!" Rapunzel turned to see her mother no longer brushing her long locks, and shooting daggers at her. Rapunzel shrank in her seat. "Sorry, mother. I'm just...excited, I guess." She mumbled.
With an over dramatic sigh, the woman said, "I suppose you must be. I know how much you must hate living here, with your caring mother." She gazed out the window solemnly.
"Oh, mother, of course not! I'll call you every day, and visit you on the weekends that I'm able. I promise." Her mother slowly turned away from the window.
"I suppose you must catch the taxi soon."
Rapunzel whirled around. "A taxi? I thought you were driving me!"
"Sorry, dear, but I have...business matters, to attend to." Rapunzel deflated. "Oh, quit being so dramatic!" Her mother scolded. "It's a private car, no one else in there."
Beeep!
"There it is now. Take the fire escape, Rapunzel." She planted a quick kiss on her head. "I love you, my flower."
"Love you too!" Rapunzel rushed out the door. Her shoes slapped against each metal stair.
She reached the taxi, throwing open the door and tossing her bags in. She was about to hop in, but just as she ducked, she realized there were three kids giving her bewildered looks. She stood there, frozen, until her mother thundered out.
"What is the meaning of this?!" She bellowed. "I ordered a private car, why is this taxi filled to the brim?"
The driver began to explain. "We're very sorry, ma'm. Our company ran out of cars, so they've been forced to do this. The price will be lower-"
"I don't care! Do I know these people? They could be bad influences, for all I-"
The teens in the car were now watching the spectacle with almost amusement; the girl farthest to the left looked at her pitifully. Rapunzel knew she needed to stop this.
"Mom, mom! It's fine. Calm down, please. It's only a couple hours, okay?" The driver looked relieved. Her mother scanned the mustard-yellow car suspiciously. Eventually, she made her decision, and allowed her daughter in the vehicle.
After a few minutes, they were back on the road again, Rapunzel in the backseat with one other girl. She wanted to strike up conversation with someone, but she was rather nervous, and not many of them looked to be in a conversationalist mood.
Esmerelda stole glances back at the teen every so often. The blonde looked uncomfortable, and kept on opening then closing her mouth, like she wanted to say something, but quickly rethought it.
Eventually, she turned around and flashed her a smile. "Hey. I'm Esmeralda."
The girl's face lit up. "Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Rapunzel."
The girl next to her turned her head from the window(for the first time since Esmerelda got on)and gave her a quizzical look."Rapunzel...like the cabbage?" She said slowly.
The blonde did a breathy laugh. "Uh, yeah. My mother really likes plants-that's what her business is based around."
"What's her business?" Esmerelda asked.
"She makes plant-based products-Gleam And Glow Cosmetics and Hair Care. It's gotten so big, that's why she finally sent me to school." Rapunzel was beginning to warm up to them. "I used to be homeschooled." She added.
"I have a bottle of the thick hair anti-frizz, I think." The Middle Eastern teen girl spoke up. "Works like wonders."
Rapunzel beamed. "That was tested on my hair."
At this point, Esmerelda noticed how long her hair truly was. It looked like it went well past her waist, as it sat next to her, pooling on the leather seat.
The boy next to her-Flynn, she recalled-smirked when he turned around. "Ever got a haircut, blondie?"
A kid with bronze skin and a scruffy poof of black hair rolled his eyes. "Ever flirt, dumbass?" He muttered.
"I wasn't flirting!" The boy protested. "Just asking a question."
At this point, Rapunzel was a rosy red color, her green eyes wide.
Esmeralda shook her head with a chuckle. "Just ignore them, they're stupid."
"Agreed." Stated the Arabian girl, slipping on some expensive-looking sunglasses and a pair of headphones.
When she said this, the black-haired teen gave his friend a glare.
"What? Sorry, dude, I didn't know you liked-"
"Shut up!" Aladdin interrupted him in an anxious whisper whisper. "Phones." They both took out their cheap electronics and began to text
Al:
Why do you yell stuff like that
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.Flynn:
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.like what -_-
Al:
ugh, you know what I mean. I dont like her anyway
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.Flynn:
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.suuuure;)
Al:
mhm. Just like you weren't flirting with blondie back there, eugeeene.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.Flynn:
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.I swear if you call me Eugene ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.even once at school I will ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.whoop your ass
Al:
Maybe I'll just call u eugene rn, with a bunch of other ppl:D
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.Flynn:
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.R u serious
Flynn sent him a real life death glare, and they both began rapidly texting, thumbs moving like the wind.
"Uh...are you guys texting each other?" The girl next to Aladdin ,Esmerelda, on the far left, peered at his screen.
"Actually," Aladdin started, a glint in his eyes, "Flynn here-" Flynn let out a sigh of relief. "Or should I say..."
Flynn:
Shut the fuck up or i will break you
Aladdin took a long, overdone breath. "Euge-"
And that's when all hell broke loose.
oOo
Ariel shoved down her final suitcase, successfully clicking it shut. "Finally! She gasped. Her sister, Aquata, gave her a reprimanding look.
"You shouldn't have packed so much if you knew you had to re-pack it in a hotel." Ariel brushed her off with a shrug. The two of them were shared a hotel room for the night, after their plane landed. In less than an hour, they'd be back on the road again with their family.
"How far is that college, anyhow?" Ariel asked her sister.
"Not super far from us, I think. It's, like, fifteen minutes away from that ice company HQ or something."
Before Ariel could respond, Adella hollered from the hallway, "Move it! We're leaving!" They both grabbed their suitcases and jogged out of their rooms.
Once outside, they saw a limo parked at the front. They didn't need to ask if it were their's-of course their dad rented one of them, especially for an occasion like this. They shoved their bags into the already-overflowing trunk, then hopped in.
Their five other sisters were already piled in. "You're late." Attina tsked.
Ariel rolled her eyes. "Not like you guys were gonna leave without us."
"Wanna bet?" Attina muttered.
Ariel was about to retort, but their father popped his head in. "Hey, girls."
"Hi dad!" All seven of them said.
"I'll be sitting up in the front, since it's pretty cramped back here. Don't get into any trouble, kids!"
His daughters chuckled together. As soon as the door shut, Ariel sprung off the cushions and towards the mini-fridge.
"What the heck are you doing, Ariel?!" Attina hissed.
"Yeah!" Agreed her sister, Arista. "Lock the sliding glass, you dummy." She clicked the lock, so that their father wouldn't be able to open it from the passenger seat.
"Found some!" She moved the sodas aside to reveal several bottles.
"Ariel, if those are alcoholic-" Attina was cut off when Arista and her youngest redhead sister began to read the labels.
"Red wine imported from France? Don't mind if I do!" Arista grabbed a glass.
"Ooh, vodka. I accidentally drank this when I was nine." Ariel reminisced fondly.
"And that's how it'll stay!" Attina grabbed the bottle."All of you are too young to drink, according to the law." She stuck her nose up, attempting to look authoritive.
"Well, how about this." Arista sprawled out on the ground. "We'll form a new government, with the seven of us, and we'll vote, like a true democracy. Sound good?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Good. All in favor of freedom to drink what we please in this free land?" Five of them raised their hands immediately.
"Sorry." Alana timidly put her hand up. Attina glared.
"Looks like you're outnumbered, Hun." Adella winked cheekily, while Arista popped open a wine bottle. "Let's drink!"
"Did you hear about the Agrabagh's party?" Andrina sipped on her champagne.
"No. What happened?" Adella asked, while Ariel listened in.
"The party turned out to be for her to find someone to marry!" A few of the girls gasped. "When she found out, She. Went. Crazy! She threw some heels through a window-not an open window, window glass." By now everyone was listening.
"Eh." Ariel stirred the soda that she'd 'flavored' with a shot of vodka, as Arista said. "I guess I'd be pretty angry, too. And I'm sure she didn't mean to."
"She ran from their mansion, apparently. She was cornered, and jumped out a window!"
Ariel raised her eyebrows. "Where is she now?"
"They're not sure. She called their pilot and took their private jet down to some airport. I didn't hear the rest-dad nearly caught me outside his office door."
As everyone pondered this info, the limo began to slow to a stop. "Put everything back!" Attina squeaked. They swiftly poured their drinks back, closed the bottles, and shoved them into the fridge. The teens got back into their seats, trying to look innocent. The door opened.
"Just stopping for gas. You kids can get out and stretch your legs." They did just that. As they stood around chatting, Alana got their attention.
"Guys, don't look now, but I think the escaped daughter is behind us." Of course, everyone looked then.
She was petite, with a dark braid of hair running down her back. She wore modest, but expensive-looking clothes, with a pair of headphones dangling on her neck and high-end sunglasses adorning her face. Her head snapped to face them. She folded her sunglasses into her shirt, and she had glinting,almost menacing, dark eyes. She looked like she was about to walk on towards them.
"Getinthecargetinthecargetinthecar-" Atiina repeated over and over, with all of them tripping over each other to re-enter.
Once inside, they all caught their breath. Eventually, Aquata made an inquiry for Andrina. "Hey, Rina."
"Yeah?"
"It's pretty weird that she's right where we are-if that really is her."
"Uh, I guess."
"Do you remember anything? About where she was headed?" Ariel caught on to what Aquata meant, and was filled with dread. "Like maybe, oh, I don't know, a school?" She slammed her glass down.
Andrina perked up. "Oh yeah! A boarding school-"
Everyone except Andrina realized what this meant. "Walt Disney's Boarding School for the Gifted and Talented." The all said, then groaned.
Ariel exhaled. This is gonna be a long year.
oOo
Jasmine took off her headphones to find some Hunger Games type shit going on.
Well, at least between Flynn and Aladdin, up in the row ahead. Flynn had one hand around Aladdin's mouth, and the other around his neck. Jasmine couldn't tell is Aladdin was laughing his ass off or suffocating. Aladdin twisted from his grasp and his hand fumbled for the seatbelt release.
Click!
The taxi driver opened the glass between them. "Seatbelts, kids!"
"Got it!" They all yelled in unison. Aladdin snapped it back into place with himself inside, and resumed his fight. Flynn grabbed his head and held him under his arm. Aladdin desperately clawed for Flynn's throat, nearly scathing Rapunzel, who was sitting directly behind Flynn.
Rapunzel sat in her seat, pale and unblinking. She only moved when Aladdin's hand swooped back, close to scathing the tip her nose. Aladdin eventually managed the grab Flynn's ebony hair, diving it into the(luckily padded) back of the passenger seat. He continued doing that, now laughing in between his gasps for air. Flynn threw his legs up in an attempt to thrash out of Aladdin's grasp, eventually hooking one onto Aladdin's headrest and dragging himself up. During all of this, both Jasmine and Esmerelda merely looked humored.
Whoosh! The glass slid open.
"Everyone still in their seatbelts?"
Flynn contemplated his arm tangled in the belt, then nodded in approval, deciding it was good enough. "Yes!" They yelled in unison.
The glass closed, and Flynn used his other leg to kick Aladdin as he dragged himself across the seat, almost upside down.
The taxi halted.
They all froze, looking puzzled. That is, until the door opened.
Esmerelda stared blankly. She wasn't sure what her role was to amend the situation. All she did was shove Flynn's leg off of the second row. He thumped onto the seat with an "Oof!"
"Um, hi." Rapunzel broke the silence with a wave.
"...Hi." He responded finally, straightening his tie. "Where should I..."
"Oh, uh, I guess I'll-just-" Aladdin rolled into the back seat, hastily buckling in.
The large, relatively muscular man did his best to step over Flynn, who'd now returned to his seat. He sat down,fastened his seatbelt and told the driver he was ready to go. The motor started up, and they continued their journey.
Esmerelda quickly looked him over, then questioned, with a sweet smile,"So, what's your name?" Flynn raised an eyebrow at her, but she only smirked.
"Hercules." He responded, settling into the seat. "And you?"
"Esmerelda." She smiled, leaning slightly closer. "Where are you heade-"
"Actually," Flynn interrupted, as though he were realizing something. "Where is everyone headed? I can't believe we haven't asked each other." He saw Esmerelda's narrowed eyes and mouthed "sorry", then continued."Al and I are headed to some boarding school."
Jasmine slipped off her headphones. "You said you're going to a boarding school?" He nodded. "Me too."
"Me three." Rapunzel giggled.
"Me four." Esmeralda said, following suit.
"Me five." Everyone turned to look at Hercules. He shrugged, stating, "I'm the assistant gym coach.
Jasmine sighed. "And let me guess-we're all going to-"
"Walt Disney's Boarding School for the Gifted and Talented." They all chorused.
Jasmine exhaled, put on her sunglasses, and looked out the window toward a limo longingly. "This is gonna be a long year."
oOo
Meg wasn't special. No gifts. No talents. No off-the-chart grades. In fact, she was the exact opposite of that.
The girl's 2.0 GPA matched her résumé-or lack, thereof-well. The only job she had-and will most likely ever have- was the "assistant" to Hades, which was swiftly terminated when he caught wind of her upcoming departure. It was bittersweet news, for too many reasons to count.
But right now, Meg wasn't thinking about grades or applications or college-she had a more current matter nagging at her.
How's mom gonna manage to get me there?
She needs to change the oil. Meg's mind commented.
She needs to change the whole car, another, much more brash, part snapped.
Oh, shut up. She remembered, I bet. How can you forget a four-hour drive? Meg needn't say it out loud to know there was obvious doubt lining her self-reassurance.
Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do now. Merely sit and watch as the movie rolls-everything had been set in stone.
And she found a most unpleasant ending.
The silence was deafening. The dinky car couldn't hold the tension between the two women. Sure, they could try to talk out this dysfunction, but it was probably too late for that.
Several minutes of awkwardness bounced around the enclosed area. Meg's mother cleared her throat. "That's a nice dress." Meg wanted to say something-something sarcastic, cynical, anything but what she really said.
"Thanks. It's soft."
Why? Why did you say that? You added a conversation starter, look what's gonna come your way.
Creeeeeaaaak!
The car howled an ear-splitting shriek, then slowed to a stop. While this happened, the mother and daughter sat in utter shock.
Sit and watch as the movie rolls. Meg quoted herself in something of a daze. Meanwhile, her mother scrambled out of her car in a flurry of panic. Eventually, after several minutes of fiddling under the hood of the busted vehicle, she threw open the door and flopped into her seat, defeat evident on her face.
"Forgot to change the oil?"
"Yeah."
"Forgot you were driving me?"
Hesitation. A short sigh. "Yeah."She drew her phone from an aged purse. "I'll call the towing company. This is gonna be pricy.
"Even worse than changing your oil?" The woman's eyes,identical to Meg's, swept shut.
"I'm sorry, Meg. Just work, and-"
"And going bar hopping till 1AM and forgetting to get your five year old a babysitter?" Sarcasm dripped from each syllable that came out of Meg's mouth.
Her head snapped to face her daughter. "You know what-"
A small limo sidled up next to them, a chauffeur hurrying out and opening the door. First, a broad-shoulder, white-bearded man stepped out, followed by six girls. The door was being closed.
"Wait, wait!" A hand slammed on the inner door and a petite redhead tumbled out. Meg nudged her mom, and the two exited their useless vehicle.
The older man approached, straightening his turquoise dress shirt. "Hi there, folks. I see you have a bit of an issue, here." Meg's mom nodded miserably, while her daughter stood, passive.
A dark haired girl interrupted. "Are you Megara? Are you going to Walt Disney Boarding School?" Meg answered with a reluctant nod.
She squealed. "You're my roommate! Dad, we have to give her a ride!"
"Wait, we have roommates?-"
"I don't see why she can't come. Ma'am, is that okay? I can give you a bit of cash to get yourself and car home."Meg sent a desperate glance her mom's way, but she either didn't notice or care.
"Oh, that would be lovely. I forgot my wallet, so I'd really need that. It's great that Meg is going to make some friends."
"Liar. You're just dead broke." Meg muttered, kicking a rock.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Meg plastered a smile on her face, grinning at the most-likely-wealthy man.
"Well then, let's go."
Within a few minutes, Meg was squeezed in with the chatty sisters, goodies and beverages in front of her-if they weren't enough, she could simply demand a stop from the driver.
And Meg absolutely hated it.
Better than some of my old odd jobs I had to do. She reflected with a light chuckle. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A text from...
Hiya, Nutmeg. You know who it is. Meet me on your balcony, 10:00. Don't be late.
Hades.
