That Friday, there was an assembly that took up their whole first three periods. It was basically Principal Disney explaining all the school policies to the incoming freshman, and announcing things like pep rallies, musicals, clubs, electives and, of course, games. By the end of this, the entire student body was so riled up, lunch hour was a blessing.

Pheobus, Flynn, and Aladdin raced each other to the lunch line. Poor Pheobus came in last, and he knew the other two would snatch the good food before he could. Meg, Esmeralda and Mulan hung back at the tree and lounged there. They were soon joined by Kida, Pocahontas, and the others. Everyone except Meg, Esmeralda and Thomas were up in the tree in less than 10 seconds. Then the boys returned with their conquests. Pheobus had somehow managed to snag a pudding cup.

Esmeralda laughed at Pheobus's expression and Meg rolled her eyes at Esmeralda. Then Naveen strolled up to them, his dimples on full display.

"Hey, Esme."

"Oh, hey!" She jumped up and hugged him. "What's up?"

"Can I, uh...talk to you?"

"Of course." They shared a secret smile as they wandered off.

Meg rolled her eyes again, her gaze wandering lazily to Pheobus, who was trying not to look angry. Aladdin clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I don't see why you don't just ask her out, man."

"Because of..." he sighed and gestured up ahead, "...that."

They all followed his gaze to see Esmeralda playfully touching Naveen's arm and laughing while he smiled down at her.

Meg shook her head. "They're just friends with benefits. You know it means nothing to her. Sex never does."

"Exactly!" Pheobus ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "So who's to say it wouldn't be any different with me? I don't just want...that." He sighed.

Meg focused on her apple with a frown. This whole situation was exceedingly awkward and increasingly stupid. The whole reason behind Pheobus's frustration was that he'd basically been in love with Esmeralda since grade five. And he, Esmeralda and Naveen had been best friends since, like, birth. So, when Esmeralda and Naveen began their little "arrangement" in sophomore year, Pheobus and Naveen's friendship had been summarily ruined. And Esmeralda somehow remained clueless about the whole thing.

"I still think you should just talk to her." Meg stated plainly. "It's obvious that she likes you too."

"Well then why is she still sleeping with Naveen?" Pheobus frowned.

Meg raised a brow. "Do you not know her by now? I mean, look at her mom, Pheebs." Sadness tinted her tone.

"But her mom and your mom are almost exactly alike, and you're not just sleeping around." Flynn spoke quietly.

Meg shrugged. "Esmeralda and I are very different people."

No one got to extend that conversation because now Esmeralda and Naveen were coming back. Pheobus barely heard Esmeralda say something about seeing Naveen that night before his jaw locked and he tried to block out Naveen's reply in the affirmative. God, he'd like to punch that smile off Naveen's face...

Esmeralda was taking her seat as Naveen casually nodded to the rest of the group. They welcomed him except for Pheobus, Meg and Flynn. Then Naveen's gaze was set on Pheobus.

"Hey, Pheobus."

Pheobus looked up, and they just stared at each other. Meg and Flynn watched in anticipation, and now Pocahontas, John and Kida were interested as well. Pheobus was about to reply when Aladdin suddenly pointed toward the center of the quad. "Guys, look!"

Milo Thatch was being stopped by Gaston in the middle of the quad, where the whole school could see. When Gaston, who towered over poor Milo, knocked the books out of Milo's hands and then placed a foot on top of them to keep Milo from retrieving them, Flynn started cackling. Naveen glanced back at the group with wide eyes. "Shouldn't we help?"

"Well, yeah!" Aladdin had to yell over the crowd that was cheering now.

"On it." They all heard Kida say it, but when they looked toward her spot in the tree, she was already gone. They returned their gaze the crowd to see her slipping through the mass of bodies, unnoticed by any of the patrons.

Milo was in the middle of blocking the inevitable blow from Gaston's raised fist when the crowd grew quiet. He lowered his arms to see that the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen had thrown herself into the path of Gaston's hit. Gaston looked shocked and barely managed to stop his fist in time. He laughed nervously at this weird girl who was facing him fearlessly, her face bemused and her stance straight-on. She wasn't much shorter than the football player.

"You might wanna step aside...uh..." Gaston trailed off.

"Kidakakash." She said with a smirk.

He just stared at her. "Uh..."

She sighed. "Kida. My name is Kida."

"Oh. Pretty name." He smiled devilishly. At her lack of expression, he shook his head and stepped forward. "Step aside, will you?"

"Why? So you can torment this boy for no reason?"

Gaston rolled his eyes. "Not for no reason."

"Oh? Explain." Now she stepped forward, and crossed her arms.

Gaston almost retreated. To regain some confidence, he smiled around at the expecting crowd. "Well, look at him!"

She glanced back at Milo, who had been staring at her. His eyes snapped down to his shoes and he blushed. Gaston continued, "He's such a nerd!"

Kida glanced back at Gaston blankly before stepping toward Milo. He looks so young... He can't be more than 16. Kida thought. She smiled at him.

"You are alright?" She asked softly.

He nodded, avoiding her eyes. Her smile grew bigger. He was kind of adorable... "Have you done anything to deserve a beating?"

He glanced nervously at Gaston for about a second, then back down at his scuffed shoes. "No... I don't think so."

She watched him push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. She stepped closer to him. "How old are you, Milo?"

He looked surprised by her question. "Um... I'm sixteen."

She turned back to Gaston with satisfaction. "Can't even pick on someone your own age? He's not a freshman, you know."

"What are you talking about? He's a senior!" Gaston bellowed.

Kida turned a confused glance on Milo, who was looking down again.

"I skipped a few grade levels..." His voice was barely above a whisper.

Kida mulled this over for a few seconds, then turned back to Gaston. "So...this is about jealousy?"

Gaston sputtered. "What?!"

"Well, he should be a sophomore, but he's a senior. And you are supposed to be a senior, but instead you're in your third year as a sophomore..." Kida trailed off, trying to hide her smile.

Gaston shook his head and laughed ruefully. Then, he just stared her down menacingly. "Are you calling me dumb?"

She shrugged. "If I were you, I'd try to figure it out for myself. Also I would wonder how someone with my GPA could be allowed on the football team, especially since I can't even play. Also, I would keep in mind that smart people don't usually feel the need to hunt down and humiliate really smart kids just because they feel threatened."

Their audience laughed and slowly dispersed. Gaston stormed off, followed by three blond sophomore girls. Kida chuckled and turned to find Milo staring at her in amazement. Then he blushed and glanced down again. She held her hand out to him.

"I'm Kida."

He gently shook the offered hand. "Milo. Thanks for saving me."

She laughed. "No problem. Don't let any one get to you like that, okay?"

He gave her a small nod, looked at a spot on the pavement. She gave him an inquisitive look. "How come I've never aeen you before now?"

"I just transferred here." He mumbled.

"Ah. Well, are you eating with anyone?"

He shook his head sheepishly, blushing again. She smiled, which seemed to grab his attention. "Do you want to join me and my friends?"

His face seemed to light up. "Sure."

She giggled. "Great. Come with me."

"Tiiiaaaaaannnnaaaaaaaaa!" Charlotte moaned.

Tiana glanced tiredly up from her book. "Yes?"

"Help me decide what to wear!"

Tiana placed the book next to her on her best friend's very pink quilt. Charlotte was giving her puppy dog eyes from her seat in front of the vanity, a few feet from Tiana's perch on the bed. Tiana sighed. "Why don't you just wear what you did for school today?"

"Nooooo! Not for hanging out with my girls! I need to look extra pretty!" Charlotte pouted.

Tiana rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back her smile. "Okay, Lottie."

Charlotte squealed and leapt up from her seat. She skipped over to her closet while Tiana walked over to meet her there. Tiana and Charlotte had been friends since childhood, so Tiana knew that the best way to keep Charlotte from throwing a tantrum was to just give her what she wanted. Right now Charlotte was excitedly searching through her shirts, pulling a few out and holding them up to her torso. She shook her head and tossed them over her shoulder. Tiana carefully retrieved them and lay them on the bed.

"Oooooooh, Tia! What about this one?"

Tiana glanced back at the shirt, which was obviously pink, and brand new. "I like it."

"I know! I just bought it last Friday!" Charlotte hurriedly changed from one pink blouse to the other. Then she moved on to bottoms. "Pants or a skirt?"

"Pants. It's unusually cold out tonight." Tiana stated as she hung up the shirts that Charlotte had cast aside. Charlotte handed her the outfit from before and Tiana tossed the blouse and skirt into the hamper by the closet. When she looked up, Charlotte had on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans that were holding on for dear life. Tiana joined her friend at the opening of the walk in closet; the floor of the thing was completely covered by shoes, which Charlotte was inspecting.

"Heels?" Charlotte asked.

"Well, if we're just sitting in Aurora's room..."

Charlotte was already pulling her favorite pair of bright pink stillettos onto her feet. Then she moved over to her vanity and sat down to fix her hair and make up. Tiana retook her seat on the bed.

"Who all is gonna be there?" Tiana asked.

"Well, Aurora and Cindy, obviously. And their little freshman friend, Snow White. Also, Ariel and Jasmine."

"Jasmine?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"She doesn't like me, I think..."

Charlotte sighed. "Jasmine doesn't like a lot of people. Have you heard that girl's standards for dating? The guy has to be older than her, have perfect grades, play some kind of sport..."

"She's probably trying to protect herself from the idiots at our school." Tiana interjected. "She seems nice enough. She just doesn't seem to like me. I don't really fit in with your group, Lottie."

Charlotte whirled around in her chair. "Are you sure you can't sleep over at Rorie's with me tonight, Tia?" She pouted.

Tia laughed. "I told you I can't. I've got to be at the diner by 10 tonight. I got the graveyard shift."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and turned back to the mirror.

"So who else is coming?" Snow asked as she stretched out on Aurora's bed. Cindy was looking through the movies and Jasmine was searching on the laptop for local restaurants that would deliver. Aurora emerged from her adjoining bathroom in pink sweats and a blue tank top, fluffing up her blond curls with both hands.

"Uh... Ariel and Lottie. And Lottie's bringing Tiana."

"Ugh. Tiana's coming?" Jasmine rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. Why? Tiana's cool." Aurora did a quick make-up check in the little mirror hanging by her door.

"She's such a downer." Jasmine clicked furiously at the keyboard.

"Well, she's not sleeping over." Aurora stated.

"I thought Giselle was coming?" Cindy broke in.

Aurora laughed. "She backed out. She has, uh...plans with Edward."

Cindy rolled her eyes and laughed. Giselle was a sophomore, and her boyfriend, Edward, was a senior. They were a picture-perfect high school couple, both being beautiful and kind, but not too bright. Also, Giselle was a cheerleader and Edward was a football player. He was also on basketball, soccer, and baseball, but none of those got nearly as much attention as the football team.

At the mention of Giselle and Edward, a silent worry had permeated the room. The couple had been together for exactly a year now, but there still didn't seem to be any actual love there. Of course, this was high school and that was hard to find, but it had been a whole year. At this point, their relationship seemed to be just for show, and neither of them seemed to realize it. They were all anticipating the day when the couple broke up and it turned into such a big deal.

Jasmine spoke up suddenly. "Chinese or Indian? Ooh, or sushi?"

"Chinese." Everyone chimed simultaneously.

Jasmine huffed playfully and shook her head. "Cowards." She muttered. Cindy laughed.

Then Ariel came bursting in. "Hello, all!"

"Hey! There's our Little Mermaid!" Aurora laughed as she gave the redhead a hug. "How was the swim meet?"

"No actual swimming happened. But I think we're in good shape."

"Well, yeah. You still have two of your sisters on the team." Cindy pointed out.

Ariel nodded with a smile. "I know, right. We're gonna be in such bad shape when they're gone." She glanced around. "Where can I put my bag?"

"Right by the bed." Aurora said.

"Cool." Ariel dropped the bag, then seemed to see Snow White for the first time. She grinned and extended a hand. "You must be Snow White. Can I call you Snow?"

"Sure. Everyone does." Snow smiled back as she shook Ariel's hand.

"Snow went to Andalasia Junior High with me and Rorie." Cindy said.

"So I've heard. How's the academy treating you?" Ariel asked Snow.

"Well, I like it so far. It's way different than I expected."

"I bet. You were probably expecting some stuffy old school with uniforms and a serious academic reputation, huh?" Ariel said.

"Well, yeah. But it's so relaxed, and there's so much emphasis on sports and extra-curriculars and stuff. It's awesome." Snow smiled.

"Yeah. We're pretty well off." Aurora had disappeared back into her bathroom. "I can't remember the last time I had homework."

"And the campus is huge for such a small amount of students." Jasmine added distractedly.

"It's because the other schools visit so much." Cindy replied. She turned to Snow. "A lot of the other schools aren't as well funded. Things break down a lot, so they come to our campus temporarily."

"Oh, that's cool. It's not an inconveniance at all?"

"Nah." Ariel shook her head. "They get their own section of the campus, so we hardly ever see them. They're pretty cool, actually. Definitely good competitors."

"But!" Aurora sprang back into the room. "We are undefeated! Do not let our name fool you! We Disney Mice are a fierce and unrelenting people!" Her dramatic speech drew laughter from the others.

"Okay, guys." Jasmine turned to them. "Come look at this menu, will you?"

"Was that good?" Esmeralda called toward Naveen, who was preparing a shower in the bathroom adjoined to his bedroom.

"Wonderful, as always." He leaned in the doorway, completely naked. "Wanna join me?" He winked.

"Nah, I'm good. I barely worked up a sweat." She bragged playfully, returning his wink.

He laughed, exposing his dimples. He turned and went to the shower, leaving the door wide open.

Esmeralda chuckled to herself and relaxed on Naveen's bed, enjoying the feeling of the silk on her skin. She pushed a strand of hair off her face and reached for her phone, which had been sitting on the nightstand next to the bed. She replied to a couple of texts from Meg and her mother, then saw that she had a text from Jasmine.

She frowned. She and Jasmine hadn't talked in a while. They'd been best friends through elementary school and junior high, but since Esmeralda was a year older, she went on to high school a year earlier than Jasmine and they talked a lot less. By the time Jasmine came into high school, Esmeralda had a completely new group of friends and the two girls ended up travelling in different social circles. The pair of them had really changed over the years and almost never talked.

She opened the text and read it with furrowed brows.

Hey :)

Esmeralda figured that Jasmine must have wanted something. She sighed, deciding to respond.

Hey Jazz. What's up?

Sleepover with my buddies. How are you doing?

Good. You?

Same old, same old.

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. Jasmine made it sound like her life was boring or lame in some way. It definitely is not, Esmeralda thought.

Then she heard the shower stop and turned her phone off before placing it back on the nightstand. Naveen wandered back in, a towel wrapped around his slim hips. Esmeralda had to bite her lip to keep from saying anything. It wasn't that she considered Naveen as anything more than a friend, but she did catch herself under his spell at times. He was definitely romantic, as well as being gorgeous and a huge flirt. But he was also self-interested and, at times, an idiot. She'd known him long enough to know that he was inconsiderate, irresponsible and unfaithful; definitely not boyfriend material. But he was one hell of a lover.

"You aren't dressed." He was surprised. Usually she was getting ready to leave by now.

She gave him a cheeky grin. "I thought maybe you could make me dinner?"

He laughed. "Sure thing, beautiful. Let me go see what I have to work with." He headed downstairs.

Esmeralda dawdled over getting dressed and cleaning up. She didn't notice her phone buzzing as she fixed her hair.

"You dudes sure you don't want some." Eric offered his blunt for the third time.

Charles and Ferdinand shook their heads, Ferdinand making a face. Phillip shrugged.

"What the hell. Sure." He snagged the blunt and took a long drag. As he exhaled, he gave Eric an inquisitive look. "Hey, this smell will be gone soon right?"

"What time does your dad get home?" Eric asked.

"Like, two in the morning." Phillip's dad were pretty huge movie producer; he was gone a lot. Right now the four guys were sitting on the living room floor. Ferdinand and Charles were looking for a movie to watch.

Eric thought on it, then nodded. "Yeah, it'll be gone by then."

"Okay, cool."

Charles shook his head and coughed. "How can you stand the smell?"

Eric shrugged. "I dunno, bro. You get used to it."

Ferdinand laughed. "I bet."

Phillip took a couple more drags before returning the blunt to Eric. Charles was zoning out, and Ferdinand laughed again.

"Contact high, Charlie?"

"Huh? Oh, no... Just thinking."

"About Cindy?" Phillip asked sympathetically.

Charles sighed. "Yeah." He looked very tired and sad all of a sudden.

Eric shook his head. "Just get back with her, man."

"I can't. Not until we're sure her step-family isn't gonna be a problem."

"Who cares about them?" Phillip said. "Those girls are just gonna move on any way. They know you'll never get with either of them." Usually Phillip's voice was low and calm, but the mixture of the pot and his anger made his words grow in volume.

"Exactly. They think that if they can't have me, Cindy definitely can't." Charles rubbed a hand over his face.

"Don't worry, cousin." Ferdinand clapped a hand on Charles's shoulder. "She's a loyal girl. She'll wait for you."

Charles almost smiled. "Yeah, I know." Then his jaw locked and his expression was hard. "But I don't want her to. We should be together now."

Phillip clapped suddenly. "I have an idea. I'll throw a party here, tomorrow night. My dad has some dinner to go to, and he'll be gone all night. I'll make sure Anastasia and Drizzella have no clue about it, and you and Cindy can have plenty of time together."

"A party? Tomorrow night?" Eric was skeptical.

"Kinda last minute..." Ferdinand added.

"I'll say it's to celebrate surviving the first week of school. First big party of the year; everyone'll go for it." Phillip said, accepting the blunt from Eric again.

"It does sound like a good idea..." Charles spoke up. "Better than anything I've thought of."

"I'll start texting everyone. Cindy's sleeping over at Aurora's, so I'll just text her right now." Phillip returned the blunt after one last inhale and whipped out his smartphone.

Eric laughed as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "This'll be great. Hey, what time is Naveen getting here?"

"Probably in the next hour. He's got some girl at his place." Ferdinand said.

"I'll let him know about the party now, then. Before I forget..." Phillip's sentence died off and his eyes grew wide. "Whoa... My keyboard looks fuckin' weird..."

Mulan had been texting Meg when she fell asleep. Her mom wandered in through the open door and smiled at her daughter sleeping in the chair on the opposite side of the room. She grabbed a quilt from the hall closet and covered Mulan with it. She pushed a strand of hair off Mulan's face and smiled. Then she saw a flyer on the table next to her. She picked it up and frowned. It was a flyer for boys' football try-outs. She glanced back at her daughter and sighed, setting the paper back on the table.

At first, she was worried. But then she remembered the numerous times she'd seen Mulan hurt in a game, and how quickly her daughter had come back from it. Mulan played almost every sport available to her, and she was excellent at them. She was a tough girl.

She cast her nervousness aside and decided to trust in her daughter's abilities. She also knew that she would be fully supportive of her little princess.

Aurora felt her phone buzz and immediately checked her messages. When she squealed, everyone turned toward her.

"Phillip texted me!"

Cindy smiled and the others laughed. Tiana tried not to roll her eyes. Charlotte squeaked and leapt onto the bed with Aurora and Cindy.

"What did he say?" Charlotte demanded.

Aurora squinted at the tiny print. Then she grinned and bounced on the mattress. "He's throwing a party tomorrow night!"

Charlotte shrieked and jumped around. The other girls other than Tiana immediately crowded onto the bed.

"Who's gonna be there?" Ariel asked.

"Says that everyone is invited except for a couple of..." Aurora stopped and glanced at Cindy. Charlotte had been reading over her shoulder and now gasped.

"What is it?" Cindy asked.

"It says that Anastasia and Drizzella are not allowed to even be told about the party." Charlotte said.

Cindy felt her eyes widen in realization. "Oh, my God..."

Aurora grinned. "They're trying to bring you and Charming back together!"

"Aww!" Ariel and Jasmine both sang.

Snow wrapped an arm around Cindy. "Will you be able to go?"

"I doubt it. If Anastasia and Drizzella aren't going..."

Tiana cleared her throat as she stood and retrieved her bag. "I gotta go, guys. Thanks for having me."

"I'll text you tomorrow, Tia!" Charlotte waved good bye.

Tiana left as the others murmured good byes. Then they all turned back to the matter at hand.

"I don't think I can go... My step mom will probably have company during the day, and Saturday nights are important for keeping the place clean..." Cindy bit her lip.

Aurora rolled her eyes. Then, a mischievous look crossed her features. "You know...they don't have to know you're gone."

"What?"

"Well, your room is in the attic, right?" Aurora hadn't been inside Cindy's house since her dad's funeral, but she remembered hearing about it.

"Yeah..."

"Well, the window's big enough to pull yourself through... And there's that big tree right there. It would be an easy climb..."

Cindy shook her head. "I dunno about that..."

"Come on! I could pick you up in my car, text you when I get there, and you can climb down and we'll leave!" Aurora explained.

"You kinda have to go..." Jasmine said.

"Yeah. You're the reason why this party's happening." Ariel added.

"Charming must be pretty miserable without you..." Snow chimed.

Cindy bit her lip. They all waited for her to say something. Finally, she asked, "What time does the party start?"

"Ten."

"We can't get there till, like, 12."

"Fine by me." Aurora was already typing furiously fast. The other girls cheered and bounced around and clapped. Cindy shook her head and laughed, but inside, her heart was racing and her mind reeled with excitement and anxiety.

Naveen was checking his messages while Esmeralda washed her dishes. He looked up at her. "Wanna go to a party tomorrow night?"

"What?" She frowned as she dried her hands.

"Phillip's throwing a party tomorrow at his place. Wanna go?"

"Uh... I doubt I can. I've got, uh...work tomorrow night."

"You have a job?"

She laughed. "Yeah."

"Where?"

"What time is the party?"

"Uh...ten."

She shook her head. "And what time does it end?"

"Says people have to be gone before four a.m."

She moved to the front door and picked up her purse. "I'll try to make it by two."

"Can you get a ride?"

"Probably from Meg or Pheobus. Otherwise, I'll just call you." She smiled at him. "Speaking of which, you driving me home?"

He smiled back, grabbing the keys. "Of course. Will your mom be mad? It's kind of late."

"She won't care." Her mom probably wasn't even home.

They talked about things like school and friends on the way home, laughing at each other's little anecdotes about exes and evil teachers and various dramas. As they pulled up to her house, Naveen noticed no car in the driveway, and all the lights were out.

"Are you gonna be able to get in?" He asked, trying not to seem too concerned.

"Yeah. There's a busted window in the back." She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned toward him with a smirk. "Thanks for dinner."

He grinned. "Thanks for the sex."

They reached over and hugged each other. He pressed a soft kiss into her hair. As she pulled away, she felt his arms tighten around her. She looked up at him questioningly, and froze when she saw his lips hovering over hers. They stared at each other for a long time. It was when he started rubbing his thumb back and forth on her shoulder that she was snapped back to reality.

She smiled and pulled away fully. This time he let her. "Bye, Naveen."

"Bye."

She hurried out of the car and up the driveway. He watched her disappear around the back before he started driving to Phillip's house.

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Thinking of incorporating singing into this fic, cuz you know, is Diznee.

Also, the person who can tell me the names of all of Ariel's sisters in order of age will recieve a virtual cookie.

Repunzal and Quadimido will be coming soon; probably around chapter 4 or 5...

Also, gonna start focusing on the students' home lives!