Hello again! Here's chapter 2, and it's been a few months since Fantasia started at WDW. I just fast forwarded a little. Squishy Hatter makes an appearance in this chapter (he also does not actually work at Disney World). Also I'm sorry the chapters are so short...I'll try and change that. Anyways, Fantasia makes the first move here...so enjoy! :D
Months had gone by since I'd met the Hatter, and our characters got closer all the time. Mandy told me that he still didn't know who I was, but that whoever played Merida played Pinocchio too, which wasn't so bad. All I knew about him was that he had a lot of fans who had given him the nickname 'Grasshopper Hatter'. We'd had a lot of interactions including him carrying me around during a parade, and causing havoc around the park. Every day got better and better.
In a nutshell, we were becoming best friends even though he only knew me by the characters I was playing. I didn't want to tell him yet I was Fantasia Rivera, the Disney nerd that no one likes. I mean, he seemed unbelievably nice, but what if that was only an act he put on like Celeste did? He could have been the nicest and funniest person in the world as the Mad Hatter, but as soon as he stepped foot out of the Disney World gates, he was a complete jackass. Somewhere in my starved little heart told me to trust him though, and go ahead and deepen our relationship. I deserved love just as much as the next girl. I would go around the park when I was off duty and see various couples, old and young, holding hands and kissing in front of Cinderella's castle. I wanted that kind of relationship so bad, but I was always too afraid to make it happen. Now was my chance.
One day in November, I was backstage changing costumes, and I felt it was finally time to stop hiding inside my shell and make the first move. I wished I didn't have to do it in a Pinocchio costume, but I guess I had to. I wandered the backstage halls looking for someone dressed as the Mad Hatter, and finally found one in the break room. I tapped him on the shoulder, but when he turned around I realized it wasn't my Hatter. I recognized him as the one they called 'Squishy Hatter'. He was really cute, and had a warm smile on his face. "Oh, Squishy! It's you!" I said in embarrassment, one because I got the wrong Hatter, and also because I didn't know his name. "Hi." He chuckled. "Um, have you seen…um…Grasshopper Hatter?" I couldn't believe I'd referred to him as that. "Oh, you mean Josh Abbiate? Yeah, last I saw him he was talking with Celeste Montgomery outside the dressing room." I felt my face go red underneath the Pinocchio mask, "Okay…well, thank you." I took off out of the room, glad that Squishy didn't know who he was talking to, and calmly made my way to the dressing room. 'So, his name's Josh…' I thought. It suited him.
When I made it to the dressing room, I saw him in that famous green top hat outside the room chatting with Celeste, dangerously close to her face because she had hold of his bowtie. I clenched my fist in utter anger, which must have looked hilarious considering I was in a Pinocchio costume. I'd never experienced this kind of sluttery besides on the Jerry Springer show. "Josh!" I called out. He turned around and smiled when he saw it was me, but Celeste pulled on his bowtie and tried to get his attention back on her. "Excuse me, Celeste." I butted in, not caring if she fell over and broke her ankle in those high heels she wore. "Hi." He grinned at me. I looked at him passionately through the holes in Pinocchio's plastic eyes and took a deep breath. It was time. "Josh, we've become really good friends throughout the previous weeks. You've made my job here absolutely amazing and I feel like I'm on top of the world when I'm with you. I started here without any friends, and I never expected to befriend someone as fantastic as you in the first two months. I didn't think I could be any happier at the happiest place on earth, but I know now that I was wrong, and I need to tell you something that I may regret…"
I took another deep breath and closed my eyes, "I'm-" "FANTAAA!" I heard someone call me from the end of the hall. Without looking I knew it was Mandy by the croak she let out. My eyes shot open and I spun around to see Mandy stood there in her Anastasia costume, "Fanta, we're gonna be late for the parade! It starts in seven minutes! Come on!" I turned back around to Josh and sighed, "I'm sorry…I'll tell you later." "Tell me what?" Josh asked with an extremely confused look on his face. "I'm sorry, I've got to go. I will give you this, though." Without thinking, I pulled my mask up to my nose and kissed him on the cheek, and ran with Mandy to the backstage float warehouse.
I couldn't believe what had come over me; I had finally made a move on the Hatter, now known as Josh, and life was just awesome. In front of me in the parade was Leticia with Prince Naveen, and Mandy and Drizella and Cinderella were in front of them. I looked behind me and what I saw nearly made me feint. Josh was on the float behind me with Alice, the white rabbit, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and the Queen of Hearts. He kept glancing at me every so often, and I just pretended I wasn't looking. I danced around on my float without a care until the parade was over.
That night, Mandy and I changed out of our costumes and decided to stay in the park a little longer. We sat together on the balcony of the Main Street railroad station and watched the fireworks go off behind the castle in the night sky. I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my life. "I still can't get over how you kissed him." Mandy smiled and shook her head in disbelief, "That is so unlike the Fanta I know." "I know," I sighed, "…I wish I didn't do that…" "What? Why?" Mandy asked in a defensive way. "Well, it's gonna be really awkward between us now." I watched a green firework explode in the sky. "I saw him staring at me during the parade…" "So? He was probably in awe of your gorgeousness!" "…In a Pinocchio costume?" Mandy groaned, "Listen, Fanta, you and Josh are meant for each other. Fate brought you together here in Disney World." "Ha ha, if you had a chance to change your fate, would you?" I recited one of Merida's lines from 'Brave'. Mandy giggled, "I'm serious! You and him are perfect for each other, and if you let someone else get to him first, you'll spend your lifetime regretting it. I won't let that bitch Celeste ruin this for you like she does everything else. You deserve this." I smiled a little bit and leaned back in my chair, "If you say so."