Although Belle wasn't used to all the attention, and actually didn't care for it very much, she couldn't turn down the opportunity to make new friends. No one would tell just by looking at her, but she was actually kind of lonely. It wasn't like she was ostracized or anything; People were actually pretty kind to her regularly. It was just that she had different opinions from most people... Okay, nearly all people. Other kids had always found her odd, and no one really hid what they thought from her. There were the occasional few who embraced her "strangeness" and loved it, like Tiana or Mulan (who were also quite the free thinkers), or even Merida (who was usually pretty quick to judge). But, while she got along fine with them, she was still different enough that they didn't hang out much. They all had their own groups; They'd all found their own ways.
She had not.
But maybe these new friends could help pave that path. They weren't even as insufferable as she'd originally suspected. She'd actually enjoyed sitting with Aurora, Ariel and Jasmine during physics. She'd known Ariel since grade school, but they'd never been close. (Although Ariel liked to act as if they were.) And she'd only ever seen the other two around school and heard rumors. She had to say, Aurora and Jasmine were nothing like what their reputations suggested. Jasmine seemed cold and dense, but she was actually kind, funny, and incredibly intelligent. She understood physics a hell of a lot better than Belle did. She was just a bit if a skeptic; Her cynical nature probably turned a lot of people off.
As for Aurora... Well, she was a bit more of a puzzle. She didn't exactly seem like the perky, glowing cheerleader/starlette everyone saw her as in previous years; She also wasn't the possessed lunatic recent rumors had suggested. Of course, Belle knew what had happened at the party; Everyone did. The subsequent scandals surrounding Gaston in the last few weeks (including his and Vanessa's violent break up) were practically all any one talked about. Belle had stayed out of it, distracting herself from how screwed up her school was by being excited by Tiana's new relationship with Phillip and supporting Mulan and her football drama. But now, with Aurora back to herself, (more or less), everyone was chattering deafeningly over the events of the last couple weeks. Belle doubted that Aurora was deaf to all the whispers and murmurs echoing through the halls. (There was actually a rumor that Gaston's attack on Aurora had been...successful.) And how Aurora could stand it, Belle couldn't really understand. Aurora had always appeared to care about public opinion. Of course, Belle figured that Aurora had changed a bit since the party.
Belle mentally shivered. She didn't really know Gaston, which only made him seem more threatening to her. She was usually open-minded and treated everyone like a friend. But hearing all these stories about him from nearly every girl in school made her sick. She would think of those blond girls and Vanessa and fear for them or pity them, but also wonder why, why, why they practically worshipped a guy like Gaston. Sure, everyone had their own reasons to love who they loved and it wasn't any one else's business. But any girl who loved a guy like that had to have some serious issues.
Little did she know that she was going to be on the recieving end of those affections from the very boy who made her cringe; Which, by the way, were affections that she'd never faced before in her entire life. And, also, little did she know that Aurora, (who'd been pretending to be distracted by her physics worksheet), was working to protect her from those affections.
I won't let him get to her. She's too sweet and innocent... Aurora was thinking. She barely knew Belle, but she felt an overwhelming need to protect her. She'd decided that Belle needed someone there for her to prevent any harm. Like how no one had been there for Aurora...
Enough. It's all over.
Something bounced off her head. She turned to glare at Peter Pan and Flynn Rider. Peter was laughing with Tinkerbell while Wendy looked disapproving and tried to scold Peter. This turned Peter and Tink's wrath on Wendy. Meanwhile, Flynn was giving Aurora an uneasy smile. Aurora rolled her eyes and turned back to her friends, who looked just as annoyed. Belle was even frowning.
"Well, that was rude of them." Belle stated plainly, sharing a look with Jasmine, who was sending Flynn and his group a nice, icy glare. Ariel was smirking at how Flynn squirmed in his seat.
Aurora shook her head, grinning easily at her friends. "Oh, they're just kids." She said it loud enough for Flynn and Peter to hear, knowing it would hit both of them hard enough that it would feel like a good retaliation. She heard Tink make a nasty noise with her throat, and a shuffling of chairs, but never turned to look at the group behind her. They simply weren't worth her time. There was more shuffling. Jasmine was staring warily over Aurora's head. Tink was probably about to try and pick a fight.
Try it. Pick a fight with the school psycho. That's a great plan. Aurora thought this bitterly, but kept her expression light and focused her eyes on her worksheet. She heard Peter mumbling something. Tink huffed. Then there was the sound of a chair creaking as Tink sat back down. Jasmine relaxed visibly and smirked at Aurora.
"Because fighting with the head cheerleader would definitely get you on the team..." Ariel was muttering after sending Tink a quick sneer. Ariel wasn't really mean. She was just protective of her friends. (Also, it was no secret that she disliked Tink.) And she did have a point. Aurora inwardly groaned. Try-outs were this Wednesday. Lottie was absolutely ecstatic, of course. But somehow, the thought of having to judge the other girls filled her with dread. It was a quick way to make people hate you, and that was not what Aurora needed right now. Especially since the majority of the girls trying out were caddy gossips.
Thinking of the girls she would be stuck with all year made her suddenly very tired. After this year, Lottie would be gone and Aurora would be the only captain. Junior year would be hard enough without all the chearleader drama.
Well, just look at how this year started out, and cheer practices haven't even begun... She thought glumly.
Her stress must have been showing on her face, because Ariel's hand was on her arm. She looked up and they were all looking at her. Ariel looked concerned, Jasmine wary, and Belle comforting. The brunette's eyes were soft and she smiled faintly, encouraging Aurora to speak. Aurora suddenly realized that Jasmine had asked her something.
"I'm sorry. What was that?"
"I asked if you were okay?" Jasmine repeated carefully.
Aurora smiled and nodded. "Just worried about cheer."
Jasmine nodded, understanding suddenly. Everyone relaxed and went back to work, feeling at peace. Aurora stared down at her worksheet, feeling empty.
The first three periods flew by for Tiana, since Phillip and his friends were in all of her classes. Now they were sitting at their lunch table, revelling in the autumn weather. They went through the usual rounds: While everyone started digging into their home-packed lunches, Charles ignored Anastasia and Drizella as they walked by and tried to flirt. (He'd given up on being polite a while ago.) After the sisters moved on to sit at a nearby table, Ferdinand and Naveen teased Charles about it. Charlotte giggled at Naveen's jokes and then they made out. Tiana and Phillip rolled their eyes but suddenly gripped each other's hand a little tighter. Snow and Cindy showed up, with Snow immediately snuggling into Ferdinand's side. He chuckled and held her firmly with one strong arm. Cindy sat next to Charles, keeping it platonic since her stepsisters were watching them like hawks.
And where exactly do they get off? Tiana thought, discretely shaking her head. Luckily for Cindy, both of her step-sisters were seniors, so after this year, their mother could buy their way into college and hopefully Cindy's life could be easier...
Giselle and Edward joined in next, hand in hand and practically joined at the hip. They were pretty cute, and both way nicer than Tiana had thought before really meeting them. Maybe not too bright, but nice. Ariel and Eric showed up, probably after a seriously hot make-out session judging by their flushed skin and dazed smiles. They were followed by Aurora, who looked incredibly uncomfortable, and (to Tiana's surprise) Belle. Belle grinned at Tiana and sat next to her while Aurora took a seat next to Ariel. Tiana tried to smile at Aurora, but Aurora was too focused on her sandwich to look Tiana's way.
Poor girl. I figured the Gaston incident would affect her for a while... I hope she finds peace soon. Tiana really liked Aurora. Aside from Lottie, Aurora was the only cheerleader who'd been friendly toward her. In fact, Aurora and Tiana had helped each other a lot over the years. Tiana considered Aurora as a friend. She didn't know if Aurora felt the same way, but Tiana would continue to help the blond regardless. Tiana helped everyone; It was a trait she'd picked up from her father.
Tiana realized that Phillip was squeezing her hand awfully tight. She looked up at him in concern. His expression was as tight as his grip on her hand.
"What's got you all wound up?" She murmured so low that only he could hear her.
He looked down at her in surprise, then relaxed considerably. She wrapped her free hand around his so that it was blanketed by both of hers. Her warm skin seemed to make him more calm and he smiled down at her, melted by her confused eyes. They were the perfect shade of brown; a paler, kind of chocolatey nuance that stood out compared to her richer colored skin and dark brown hair.
"I'm fine, babe."
She raised a brow at this. "Babe?"
It took everything in her power not to laugh outright at his startled expression.
"Is...is that not okay?" He faltered.
She chuckled and leaned up, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "It's fine."
He smiled sheepishly while his cheeks burned bright red. She grinned at him before turning back to the group, coily avoiding his wonderstruck gaze.
"Hey, where's Jasmine?" Cindy asked the table just as Hercules joined them.
Giselle and Snow giggled while Ariel smiled cheekily and Charlotte and Aurora rolled their eyes. Charlotte was the one to answer, "She's hangin' around with Aladdin and the outcasts at the pothead tree." She jerked an uncaring thumb toward the tree.
"Hey, now. I know most of those kids and they're very kind. In fact, a lot of them don't even smoke." Tiana scolded Charlotte without thinking. It was a habit since childhood.
Belle laughed at the faces of the rest of tge table. Sure, not a lot of people argued with Lottie. But Belle knew that one person was more than brave enough to, and that was Tiana. In fact, Tiana was probably the only person who could win an arguement with Lottie.
Charlotte just rolled her eyes at Tiana and munched on a carrot stick. Naveen chuckled and held Charlotte close to his side, looking at Tiana from under his thick eyelashes. Tiana just glared at him and looked up at Phillip, knowing him to be the jealous type. But Phillip was oblivious to the whole exchange, and was staring at Aurora. Tiana smiled sadly. Phillip and Aurora had known each other since preschool; Their parents had known each other since their own high school years. It was probably harder for him to see her like this than it was for any one else...
Tiana suddenly felt like an inadequate girlfriend. She'd never really had a boyfriend before, but she knew how to read people. And Phillip seemed to be in as much need for help as Aurora. The problem was that Tiana had no idea how to help him...
Flynn sat by restlessly, pouting as he watched Repunzal sit at her table with Merida and Jim and all those freshmen. She'd been giving him the cold shoulder recently, and now there was word going around that she was planning to try out for cheer.
I really hope she's not like the others... Ugh, who am I kidding? She's too naive. They'll ruin her.
For some reason, this one had stuck with him. He'd never really seen much in any girl past her personal assets. But Repunzal had gotten to him; She was sweet and naive, but smart enough that she didn't fall for his tricks so easily. She dressed modestly, kept her hair tamed in a thick braid, wore very little make up... It was amazing that he'd even looked at her in the first place. Of course, the circumstances they'd met under weren't exactly normal.
Flynn had been feeling kind of lonely lately. He looked around at his friends. Milo and Kida were working on math homework (Since when did she do homework?), Pocahontas and John were resting in the tree and doing...stuff, Nakoma and Thomas were having some conversation with Aladdin and Jasmine, and Esmeralda and Pheobus were talking awkwardly while Meg sat by and rolled her eyes. Meg would occasionally look at Hercules' table and wave at him. Flynn saw Esmeralda look toward that table too, but she seemed more focused on Naveen and Charlotte. Pheobus noticed this too, and was obviously upset by it.
And Mulan wasn't even there. She was hanging around with some football players. Flynn sighed and continued to stare hopelessly at Repunzal's table. He hoped he'd be out of his funk soon. But he figured that wouldn't happen until the loneliness was fixed... And hopefully the loneliness would take the guilt nagging at him away with it.
At 4:00 p.m., Charlotte was squealing as she spun excitedly in her desk chair. Aurora, Ariel, Giselle, Tiana, and Belle were sitting around her in various spots around Charlotte's bedroom. Jasmine was once again ditching them for Aladdin, (but apparently it was important this time), and Cindy and Snow were both coming later on.
"What are we all gonna be for Halloween?" Charlotte asked the group.
"I think we should be Batman characters..." Ariel said.
"Yeah! It would be cool! And it's different than any costumes we've done before." Giselle agreed.
"I love it! So, what should I be?" Charlotte asked. She didn't know anything about Batman.
"You should be Harley Quinn and Naveen should be the Joker." Ariel said, grinning. The girls didn't usually agree with her costume ideas.
"Would it count if I went as Wonder Woman?" Aurora asked.
They thought on it for a moment, then said in unison. "Yeah."
Aurora nodded, pleased.
"On that note, let's expand the theme to comic characters in general. I could be Black Widow, and Edward could be Captain America." Giselle smirked.
"Oh, that's so cute!" Ariel squealed, clapping. "Ooh! Dibs on Poison Ivy!"
"I bet we could get Kida to be storm..." Aurora spoke up.
"That is just too perfect!" Ariel cheered.
"Yeah! And Milo could be Cyclops!" Charlotte cackled.
"I don't think Milo does Halloween, really." Belle frowned.
"Party pooper." Giselle pouted.
"Do you do Halloween, Belle?" Ariel asked.
"I've always helped dad pass out candy. But I've never really dressed up... I'll try it, though."
"Girl, we've got you covered." Charlotte assured her.
"OMG! You should totally be Rogue!" Ariel shrieked, then added in a more serious tone, "The cartoon version, though. Not the Anna Paquin version. Ugh."
Belle laughed. "I'll look into it."
"And guys, I can totally make way good quality costumes for all of us. Completely free of charge." Giselle bragged.
"You sew?" Belle asked, impressed.
"Only my whole life!"
"Giselle works with my mom on costuming for school plays and the dance team." Tiana spoke up.
"Oh, Tiana's mom is the best!" Giselle gushed.
"Tiana! You have to be Catwoman for Halloween! And Phillip has to be Batman. I've decided." Charlotte said firmly.
"I actually think it would be kinda funny if Phillip was Robin, Charles was Batman, Cindy was Batgirl, and Tiana was Catwoman." Ariel said. "Oh! And Ferdinand and Snow should be Superman and Supergirl!"
Charlotte shrieked. "I've gotta text everyone right now! This is so excitin'!"
While Charlotte typed furiously, Ariel and Aurora turned to Giselle and Tiana.
"What do we have planned for the school's Haunted House Fundraiser so far?" Aurora asked.
Giselle thought about it. "So far, we only have the zombie graveyard for in front of the entrance. Oh, and we're gonna have bowls of candy at the entrance."
"Well, we already know we want fog machines, strobe lights, glow sticks..." Ariel drifted off.
"And spider webs!" Giselle grinned.
"And spider webs..." Ariel added. "We need a creepy music playlist..."
"Got it covered." Aurora said.
"What volunteers do we have for the creatures?" Giselle asked.
"Phillip said he would be the werewolf. And I think Charming and Ferdinand wanna be vampires. But that's all I've heard about it." Tiana shrugged.
"Aww, we should get Snow to be a vampire! She would be so cute." Ariel beamed.
"I'll talk to her about it." Aurora smirked.
"We know we want the forest room with the werewolf, and the creepy crypt with the vampires. We've been thinking on a sarcophagus with a mummy in the center room... And someone mentioned a room with a Hitchcock theme." Tiana listed.
"Okay... We need some 80's movie theme..." Aurora said.
"I vote Nightmare on Elm Street! Gives us more to work with." Ariel exclaimed, holding up a hand.
"I think they did that a couple years back... We should do a slasher, like Friday the 13th." Giselle said.
"Or, we could go further back, to the 70's, and do something like Halloween." Ariel countered. "Friday's too obvious, and you know Gaston's gonna wanna be Jason."
"Gross." Belle murmured from her seat, making Aurora smirk.
"We could get Hercules to be Jason..." Giselle thought aloud.
"Let's get back to it later." Tiana said. "What's gonna be the theme for the big room at the end?"
"Exorcist!" Ariel cheered.
"No. Stop voting for that. It scares too many people and the school could get sued. We're already pushing it with knife-weilding psycho murderers..." Tiana said.
Ariel thought about it. "Rosemary's Baby!"
"No." Giselle shook her head, making a face.
"Children of the Corn!"
"Hell no!" Aurora cried.
"Virgin sacrifice?"
"NO!" The other three chorused.
Ariel pouted.
They all thought about it for a while.
"We could be creepy ghost brides... Like, undead gold-diggers..." Giselle mumbled.
Tiana shook her head. "I dunno..."
"You could do a Tim Burton Room."
They all turned to Belle, who was the one who had just spoken. After a moment of consideration, they all grinned.
"Belle, you are a genius!" Ariel praised the hazel-eyed girl, who just shrugged and smirked.
"I have my moments." Belle joked, making everyone laugh.
"Lottie, get off your phone and join the conversation!" Tiana scolded the bouncing blond.
AUTHOR'S NOTES-DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T CARE!
This one's kinda short; I wanna stretch out the month of October, cuz Halloween's my favorite holiday and I miss it. :p Also, because a lot of planning will go into the Halloween festivities. The reason? It's Disney, and Disney never does anything half-way. Also, other schools might be involved. DUN DUN DUN...!
Also! The winter musical will be announced in October, and auditions will happen before Halloween! So much to do, so little time.
Try to guess what the winter musical is! Once it's announced, the spring musical choice will probably be obvious. Remember, the clue is a color!