Chapter Four: Extra-Curricular and Extra Pressure
The first week of school flew by for the students of Disney High. Freshmen were learning to navigate the building, squeeze by tall seniors and to not annoy Mr Jafar to much. For the seniors however, first week seemed to be never-ending. Teachers were stricter, work was harder and the pressure was on. After Tuesday's history lesson, Elsa had been too frightened to go back and had been sadly hiding out in the common room whenever she had it for the rest of the week. Besides from that, she was getting used to everything and now Hercules said hi to her in the corridors. Luckily, Friday had arrived and there was a major drop in atmosphere as everyone moved about. It was like laziness had consumed everyone. Flynn and Hercules continued back to lesson on Thursday earning a devilish glare from Hades but nothing more. Unfairly however, Esmeralda and Phoebus' light comments about Hades were not taken as such. They were scheduled to see the principal that Friday who would punish them as he saw fit.
Esmeralda and Phoebus sat uncomfortably on the plastic chairs outside the headmaster office, their arms were folded sulkily across their chests. "You, Flynn and Al will be the death of me!" Esmeralda spat, "you got me and Pocahontas in trouble all of last year and now this year too!"
"Stop moaning! You giggled, you made a comment! You take partial blame!" he scolded her.
"Yes, Sir!" she mimicked angrily, saluting him sarcastically.
"Esmeralda, seriously... shut up" he turned, staring her dead in the eye.
Esmeralda pouted, hating being told what to do, but her stomach also lurched in a way that she liked and her ears reddened.
"I'll see you two now" Walt Disney strode out and glared at his pupils, though there was a hint of laughter in his eyes. They had to admit, even Flynn would admit, that the principal was a good guy. He was fair, he would become strict where necessary but certainly wasn't evil like most of the teachers. He was kind.
"so... you were making rude comments about Mr Gray" Walt said with a sigh, taking a seat behind his desk. He looked up at them through his glasses "Oh, you two. It's senior year. When are you going to give all this up?"
"With all due respect, Sir, Mr Gray seemed fairly ill... and perhaps we may say it seemed as though he'd been heavy drinking the night before. Now do you want a teacher like that in school? It's such a terrible influence on students" Esmeralda said persuasively.
"I doubt very much he had a hangover, Miss Hugo, if that's what you're suggesting" Walt said "but considering your twin, troublesome behaviours last year I'm afraid your records are against you. Expulsion looks... reasonable at this point"
"Expulsion?" Phoebus cried "No sir! No! You don't understand, my father will kill me!" Phoebus certainly didn't shy away from causing trouble sometimes. Playing a few tricks, skipping some homework but he did in fact come from a good, strict home. His father was a well-respected navy hero and made sure that he ran his household, including his only child, as though they were his men. Phoebus was raised with respect, appreciation and above all, money.
"I know we fooled around last year, but my works always done, my GPA's average! I can improve!" he tried. Walt stared intensly at the two. Esmeralda didn't bother arguing her case, her psychic eye told her that Walt wasn't serious. If he had wanted them out he would have done it years ago.
"You've got to try to prove to me otherwise" Walt said sternly, "No more oiled handlebars"
"That was dangerous" Phoebus nodded, "never again"
"No more tricking the freshmen? Telling them to sing to lunch ladies for free food?"
"That wasn't even funny" Esmeralda said with a smirk.
"And adding chilli powder to the soap in the bathrooms?"
"Rookie prank"
"Laxatives in Yzma's coffee?"
"That was Flynn!" the two students cried simultaneously. Walt began a small chuckle before straightening up again, "Alright I believe you but..."
Phoebus sighed, "there's always a 'but'"
"I need you both to improve your attendance. I mean it. You two could make homeroom if you tried, and stop skipping your last period"
They nodded in agreement.
"And... to show you're really trying I want you both to join some curricular"
"What? Like... extracurricular? Like clubs?" Phoebus grimaced,
"Like... cheerleading and stuff?"
"If you want" Walt said and he handed them a long list of school activities.
"Cheerleading, too preppy... athletics, boring... chess, ugh... football, no... arts and crafts? How old are we? Sir! These are all terrible" Esmeralda read aloud, commenting on each.
Walt chuckled again, "well you two take that list and have a look, I expect you both to have picked by next week"
Phoebus and Esmeralda exchanged looks, imagining the other atop a pyramid in a ridiculous cheerleader uniform.
Ugh.
Tiana stood by the billboard, her hands were full and she was attempting to pin up the 'Prom Committee' flyer she'd made. It was bright yellow, A3 and decorated with gel pen fireworks and bubble writing. She'd hoped fellow students would see it and want to join but couldn't help the awful doubt in her mind. Yearbook committee was so far being run by just her and Charlotte and even though they were managing, they would need way more for Prom. As Tiana turned to admire her flyer she caught contact with Esmeralda who was headed down the corridor, looking agitated.
"Esmeralda" she called her quickly, "everything OK?"
Esmeralda groaned in response but then spotted Tiana's bright flyer, "Hey... prom committee? Does that count as an extracurricular?"
Tiana nodded, not entirely sure, but assuming it was. Besides, she needed numbers.
"Then sign me up" Esmeralda grinned. Thinking just how easy it was, ten minutes from the principal's office and she'd already found a club.
Esmeralda and Tiana walked over to the senior common room together, Tiana discussed her ideas for Prom and Esmeralda just nodded, not entirely listening. As they entered, Tiana parted to join Lottie and Adella while Esmeralda spotted her friends draped around the best seats in the common room that they had 'claimed' on Monday. Flynn and Pocahontas were sharing a mini box of donuts, Phoebus was sulking from the meeting with Walt and Aladdin was glued to his phone. Hercules had subtly been joining them too, proving good company over the past few days but today he had his headphones in and was watching an episode of 'The Flash' on his iPhone. Esmeralda fell into a beanbag with a proud smile.
"What are you so happy about?" Phoebus huffed.
"I already found an extracurricular" Esmeralda said smugly,
"Me too" said Phoebus, but he didn't seem smug at all "big deal"
Esmeralda was a little annoyed that her news didn't agitate him, but it seemed something else was bothering Phoebus.
"Prom committee" she continued, "what did you sign up for?"
"Why didn't I think of that?" he cried out, slapping his own forehead dramatically.
"What... what did you pick?" Esmeralda asked, leaning forward curiously and everybody, even Hercules, looked up expectantly.
Phoebus mumbled and everybody leaned in again, "Huh?"
Phoebus rolled his eyes, "School play" he mumbled again, "I have to audition on Wednesday"
Flynn and Aladdin began cackling loudly, "you are joking?"
"Shut up, Eugene" Phoebus hissed and Flynn's laughing came to a sheepish halt.
Esmeralda giggled a little, "Oh Phoebus, what were you thinking?"
"I don't know! I'm such a douche!"
Esmeralda felt a surge of guilt for Phoebus suddenly, it was only one audition after all, and who knew? He could be good. She gritted her teeth and sighed.
"I'll audition too" she said, helping a friend "it's only one audition and you could do with the support"
Phoebus smiled a bit, "thanks" he said quietly,
"Me too" Pocahontas joined "I rather enjoyed doing the school play last year" she said, not unfamiliar with extracurricular.
"Hey, Al! You've been on that girl's Instagram twice today already. Just ask her out!"
"Hey!" Aladdin cried as Flynn snatched his phone from him, "Stop!"
"She's pretty" Pocahontas noted,
"Oh, Jasmine. Surprise, surprise" Phoebus looked over at the phone.
"Leave him be, it's just a crush" Esmeralda cooed,
"He's like her for years" Flynn pointed out
"I don't see the problem" Hercules yanked one of his earphones out, "why not just ask her out?"
"He thinks she's too good for him" Pocahontas explained
"She is! She's beautiful and rich and popular! And look! Who even has that many followers?"
"Let me see that" Esmeralda grabbed the phone, "3.5k! Wow!"
Now it was Flynn's turn again, he took the phone and began scrolling
"DO NOT LIKE ANY!" Aladdin cried,
"Hey! Relax! I won't!" Flynn assured his friend, still scrolling. The group gathered around a bit to see Jasmine's Instagram. There were flawless selfies with sharp eyeliner, pristine red lipsticks. There were full body, glam photos of her in lilac gowns or gold, shiny trousers. There were selfies of her in cat-eye sunglasses on the beach, images of her Vogue magazines and smoothies on crisp white backgrounds and some scenic shots of Agrabah from Summer.
"I like it" Esmeralda admitted "her life just happens to be fancier than ours, so what?"
Aladdin sighed and left his phone in the hands of his friends, "It's not as simple as that"
Everyone moved away from Jasmine's Instagram and whipped out their own phones, Flynn, however, scrolled back up double tapping every single photo. He'll thank me later, he thought.
Mulan stood by the billboard looking over at the extracurricular that had been pinned up over the week. She jotted her name down for auditions, remembering what Mr Crab had said.
"You're really going to audition?" Anna asked, "in front of all those people?"
Mulan frowned a little, "it's fine... it'll be over and done with before I know it"
"You'll be great" Jasmine encouraged.
"Hey, I might sign up too, Mr Crab's always saying I should audition for these things" Ariel considered, jotting her name down.
"Good idea" Mulan said, but suddenly she felt discouraged. Ariel was ten times more engaging and bubbly than her. She could handle a crowd, entertain and she needed no help dramatizing things (Mulan recalled a time in freshmen year when Ariel caught a glimpse of a cool, older senior called Wilbur Robinson and claimed she was totally in love with him). Ariel would be way more likely to land a role.
"I better sign up for more stuff, just in case" she sighed sensibly,
"Chess?"
"Do not sign up for chess!" Jasmine said, "not even the geeks go to chess club!"
"Soccer?" Ariel suggested. Mulan considered this for a moment, "I guess I can put my name down... just for try-outs"
"Just sign up for loads and at least then you can't say you never tried" Jasmine reasoned, Mulan nodded and then scribbled her name down for soccer, cheerleading and of course, auditions.
"Good, now let's grab some lunch" Anna said as she, Ariel and Rapunzel trotted off towards the cafeteria.
"Ugh" Jasmine muttered as she pulled her phone out.
"What's up?" Mulan asked as the two lingered slightly,
"Nothing just... that senior guy, Aladdin, just liked about thirty of my photos"
"Wow, subtle" Mulan tutted,
"Tell me about it" Jasmine said, clearing her notifications and heading off to lunch.
Cinderella headed to her next lesson. Science with Yzma which consisted of Yzma cackling at jokes that aren't funny and mixing funny concoctions. So far school had been relatively easy, her step sisters had been chasing down boys in their year and had relatively left her alone at home. Her step mother was being a handful but nothing she couldn't take care of. Cindy had even signed up for the cheer squad and yearbook committee. She was determined this year to enjoy her senior year and not let her family ruin it.
Cinderella took a seat at the back of the class and got her work books out,
"hey, Cinderella' Tiana said, approaching her "thanks for signing up for yearbook committee! I didn't know that was your sort of thing"
"oh, it's not...usually' Cindy admitted "thought I'd try something new"
"Well that's wonderful!" Tiana grinned, "we'll need prom photos in there, freshmen photos, quotes...!"
Cindy smiled at Tiana's enthusiasm, maybe this was the friend she'd been looking for!