Friday Morning...
"Hey, pretty girl," Eric said as Ariel walked into the bedroom.
Ariel blushed. "Good morning."
Ariel put her hairbrush and makeup in her suitcase and started packing the rest of her stuff.
"Philip and I are going to play a little game of one-on-one. Do you wanna watch?" Eric asked.
"Yeah." Ariel finished packing, then followed Eric outside to his basketball court.
Philip was warming up and Aurora was sitting on a blanket in the grass, watching him. Ariel walked over to her.
"Mind if I join you?" Ariel asked.
"Of course not." Aurora moved over to make room for Ariel.
Ariel sat down next to her and watched the boys play. Aurora noticed the dreamy look on Ariel's face when she looked at Eric.
"Eric is a great guy," Aurora said.
Ariel turned to look at her. "I know."
Aurora smiled at her. "He really likes you, Ariel. I've never seen him so smitten before."
"Really?"
Aurora nodded. "I'm really glad you came into his life. He deserves to be happy."
"He really is amazing," Ariel said.
Aurora reached over and put her hand over Ariel's. "Don't let the Vanessa thing bother you. They were only together for a month the summer before freshman year and he was the one who ended it. He definitely didn't like her near as much as he likes you."
Belle absentmindedly packed her suitcase. All she could think about was Adam. She loved him and couldn't imagine not being with him. But, she was worried about everything Aurora had said. Belle knew it was possible that Adam could turn into his dad. She shook her head, trying to make that thought go away. Adam would never be that person, but that didn't mean he wouldn't act on impulse if he ever got mad at her. After all, he did almost get into a fight with Hercules the other night. Belle lied down on the bed and started up at the ceiling. She really didn't know what to do. Adam's temper scared her, but losing him scared her even more. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and she quickly got off the bed and headed down the hall. John's door was standing open. She could see him packing, but he appeared to be alone. She knocked on the door frame.
John looked up. "Um... Hi, Belle."
"Hi. I'm sorry to bother you," Belle said. "But, I need to talk to you."
"It's no bother at all. Come in," John said. "What's on your mind?"
"Adam."
John motioned for her to sit on the bed. "Is everything all right?"
Belle sat down. "I don't know."
John nodded. "I heard about what happened on the beach."
"That's kinda what I'm worried about," Belle admitted. "I know he didn't mean to hurt me or anything, but what if this only the start and it gets worse as we go on?"
"You're afraid he's going to turn into his dad," John stated.
"You know about that?" Belle asked.
John nodded. "I know everything about that kid."
"Well, yes, I am afraid of that," Belle said.
"I don't blame you," John said. "But, you really don't have to worry about that. Adam acts out sometimes, but he's not mean."
"Do you think he'll ever hit me?" Belle asked.
John shook his head. "No way. Everything inside that kid wants to protect you, Belle. He loves you. He actually started taking anger management classes when he started dating you."
"He did?"
"Yes. The other day was a set back, but he is gonna get better," John said.
Belle gave John a small smile. "Thank you. I was actually debating whether or not to end things with him."
"Don't give up on him, Belle. He needs you more than you think."
Pocahontas picked up a shell, then threw it back in the water.
"What did you want to talk about?" Thomas asked her.
"Meg."
Thomas frowned. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Yes, there is, Thomas," Pocahontas said. "I think you were too hard on her."
Thomas looked at her like she was crazy. "She cheated on me!"
Pocahontas shook her head. "Think about it, Thomas. Does that really sound like Meg?"
"No. But, she does have a history with Hercules. It's not surprising that she would still have feelings for him," Thomas said.
"You know she doesn't, Thomas. Everyone in the school knows how Meg feels about him."
"I know that. But, I can't just ignore what happened, Pocahontas," Thomas said.
"No one's asking you to."
"Then, what are you getting at?" Thomas asked.
"I think you should give her another chance," Pocahontas replied.
"Why?"
"I know what it's like to be caught in a situation that you had no control over," Pocahontas explained. "That just happened with me and Rolfe."
"But, Meg actually made out with her ex-boyfriend," Thomas stated.
"How do you know?" Pocahontas asked. "She's only going off what Hercules said. You know he wants her back, so what if he just made that up to break you two up?"
"I heard her say she wanted to be with him." Thomas shook his head. "No, things are over between us."
Thomas turned and headed back into the house.
"What should I do?" Meg asked Vanessa.
The two of them had decided to go out for breakfast since they hadn't had any alone time during the week.
"I don't know," Vanessa said. "Why don't you just stop fighting it, and get back with Hercules?"
Meg stared at her friend. I don't want to be with Hercules."
"You want to be with Thomas." Vanessa took a sip of her water.
"Yes."
"Then you need to fight for him," Vanessa said.
"I have a feeling I'm going to lose that fight," Meg said. "He can't even stand to be near me right now."
Vanessa nodded. "Give him a little space, let him cool down, then get your man back."
"What if I can't get him back?" Meg asked. "What if we're not meant to be together?"
"You won't know until you try," Vanessa stated. "And you have to try, Megara. You can't let Hercules kick you down again. Get up and fight back. Win Thomas back and show Hercules that he has no power over you."
