Hello guys! So it's happily Christmas holidays this chapter! It's going to be pretty big yay
Really hope you enjoy it because some serious work goes into these, and carbs lol, every time I sit and write a chapter I have to have a snack (which equates to like 10000000 calories for me)
The last day of term at Disney High was filled with Christmas songs and happiness. Mr Walt loved Christmas more than any and insisted it played in the corridors. The students filed out that day excited and cold, but mostly just relieved they had made it far. Esmeralda had passed Mr Frollo's class much to her delight. Phoebus' tutoring had paid off and she even did better than him, not that he was bitter. In fact, he was hugely proud of her.
So with good grades, (or scraped passes in Flynn's case) the group headed for the Phoebus', a small tradition between them was that every last day of Christmas term they'd head to Phoebus' for some Christmas snacks and songs and one year, they even ended up having a sleepover. Pocahontas, however, had been pretty lacking the past few days and was proving distant company. Esmeralda of course, noticed.
When they got to Phoebus', a rather large and wealthy house, his mum had prepared mince pies on a little silver Santa Claus tray which the teenagers happily grabbed along with some hot chocolate (or for Esmeralda, coffee) and headed for the living room. Aladdin and Flynn headed straight to the TV and switched on the PS4, whereas Phoebus fell onto the biggest sofa and began tapping at his phone,
"Oh" Esmeralda teased, "Who are you texting?"
"No one" Phoebus yawned, "playing piano tiles"
Esmeralda rolled her eyes and sat beside him, texting away and sipping her coffee at the same time,
the guys sprawled on the couch and over the foot rest, remotes in one hand and mince pies in the other and Esmeralda tapped away to the Prom group chat about one of Charlotte's terrible ideas
"Hey Pocahontas did you see the group chat?" she asked with a giggle, "Charlotte is still trying to make it pink themed"
Pocahontas slumped in an arm chair, clutching her hot chocolate close to her and staring aimlessly,
"Pocahontas?" Esmeralda repeated,
"Hmm.. what?"
"What's up with you?" she tilted her head,
Pocahontas glanced at Aladdin, Flynn and Phoebus and then shook her head,
Esmeralda nodded understandingly, "I expect a detailed account at some point, you can't ignore me forever"
Pocahontas smiled, "Agreed"
"Yo Es, get some water will ya these mince pies are dry" Flynn said, shooting at people on the video games
Esmeralda swatted his head, "you get it, do I look like a slave?"
"Ouch!- Gerrof!" Flynn complained loudly
Esmeralda locked her phone and dropped it on the coffee table, she flopped her head backwards and sighed,
"It's good to have a break"
"Here here" Flynn said and everyone muttered words of agreement.
Later on, after Phoebus' mum had gladly filled them up on meatloaf and vegetables (or for Pocahontas, stuffed mushrooms) Aladdin, Flynn and Phoebus switched up the PS4 for the Xbox and Esmeralda and Pocahontas began taking their stroll back to Esmeralda's for a pre-planned sleepover, one that Pocahontas really wasn't in the mood for.
They fell through Esmeralda's door and the bohemian little home smelled like incense and wine. Esmeralda's parents were on the sofa, her father had his glasses on and was going over some work on his laptop, he was a history professor at the Pixar University, he dressed in baggy trousers and collarless shirts and his hair was always in a thick ponytail. Beside him, Esmeralda's mother cuddled into him slightly, a huge red poncho on and a glass of wine in her hand and the two were watching the news,
"Esmeralda my darling" she cooed, "how was Phoebus'?"
"Have you eaten?" Her father asked,
"Oh hello, Pocahontas dear!"
"I didn't see you there!"
Pocahontas gave the two a quick hug and Esmeralda assured them she was full before they headed upstairs. Admittedly, there was something absorbingly comfortable about Esmeralda's house. Sure she loved her home and loved having Esmeralda there but the smell alone reminded her of her twelve year old self meeting Esmeralda's family and realising they were different too, political and caring. It felt nice to not feel odd. On many occasions Esmeralda's parents, Mala and Hanzi met Powhatan and Grandmother Willow and the four got on really well.
Esmeralda's room was huge, and not in a spoilt only child way, in a cluttered garage way. She had huge big crimson drapes that were layered and dropped, her bed was in the middle. The sheets were polka dot and had been that way since Pocahontas met her, but her bed was covered in throw pillows, different ones from places her gran had been on a cruise and random ones she'd picked up at the mall and blankets cascades at the end, untidy and piled but cosy. Her wooden floor was met with clothes and coat hangers that she instantly began picking up when they got in but they didn't go into one of her wardrobes, instead she piled them on a big orange chair in the corner. That was another thing, her array of furniture. She had a huge bookshelf half of books half of old school stuff and half of clutter, that she 'needed'. Drawers of clothes, two wardrobes one of clothes the other of shoes and bags and random stuff like old pencil cases and lamp shades. Her tambourine sat on her wardrobe handles, jingling and inevitably falling whenever someone opened the doors. Her TV was on the wall and oddly, the remote always sat on the only tidy thing in her room. The bedside table was organised as though a cleaner had done it, a phone charger, headphones, a pen and a notebook and her TV remotes all sat neatly inside the drawer. A lamp on the side that she never used, instead she clicked on her fairy lights that fell across the drapes and hooked around the bed. It was messy, but Pocahontas loved it.
Esmeralda changed into pyjamas and then flipped on the TV, but she immediately muted it and then stared expectantly at Pocahontas who too was in her pyjamas and had crawled under one of Esmeralda's blankets and was on 'her side' of the bed.
"What?" she asked,
Esmeralda just stared,
"Quit it!" she said, throwing a small pillow at her
"Come on!" Esmeralda said, throwing the pillow behind her into an unknown corner of the room, "tell me what the heck's going on"
Pocahontas looked down awkwardly, "I really don't want to talk about it"
"You have to tell me!" Esmeralda cried, "You've been sad all week!"
Pocahontas opened her mouth to argue but closed it again,
"It's John Smith... but you knew that" Pocahontas sighed
"Of course I knew that" Esmeralda said flippantly, "but what's going on?"
Pocahontas didn't cry that time, she didn't feel like that. She wasn't as sad anymore anyway, she was disappointed.
"He left" she shrugged, "He- he went back to London"
Esmeralda gasped, dramatic though she was Pocahontas endured it
"Oh my god!" she cried, "I can't-no- I won't believe this!"
"It's fine I mean-" Pocahontas began
"When did he go? When did you last see him!"
"He left last weekend"
Esmeralda calmed a bit now and moved closer to her friend, "OH Pocahontas, I'm so sorry"
"It's alright" she smiled, "I got to see him before he went and-" she stopped talking,
"I don't know I guess I really felt something with this guy"
Esmeralda tilted her head, "So... has he contacted you or?"
"We've been texting but it's pretty blunt now, there's nothing to say anymore"
"Did you go on one last date?" Esmeralda asked, hopefully
Pocahontas nodded and smiled at the memory, "we went to his, we had dinner"
Esmeralda raised her eyebrow, "Had dinner?" she smirked
"Salmon" Pocahontas confirmed, but her smile grew and her cheeks went pink
"You did it didn't you?" Esmeralda shrieked
"Shh!" Pocahontas cried, "Don't let your parents hear that!"
"So you did!" Esmeralda whispered now
Pocahontas just reddened,
"Pocahontas please the suspense is killing me!"
"OK FINE!" She cried, half chuckling, "We did!"
Esmeralda shrieked into a pillow and then the two began an animated discussion about John Smith's six pack, and Pocahontas forgot for that moment that he was even gone.
Jasmine woke up the first weekend of the holiday to a text message. OK, not that she didn't usually wake up to text messages. She had plenty from the group chat from Mulan and Ariel. Anna had made a point to remove herself and Rapunzel didn't have a modern enough phone to be in it. She had a text from an unknown number and immediately checked it before any other social media,
"Hi Jasmine, I hope you don't mind but one of your friends gave me your phone number. I was wondering if you were still up for one of those three dates with me? Let me know, Aladdin X"
Jasmine's eyes widened at how polite the text was. Usually boys went with 'Hi how u' or 'Wuu2'. He had sent it at 2am which made Jasmine wonder if he had been up thinking about her, she'd always had a strange desire for someone to be up thinking about her- She shook her head at the silly idea. He was probably up playing some video game.
She waited a moment before typing out a reply,
"That's alright, what did you have in mind?"
She stared at the 'Delivered' notification and waited for the 'Seen' to pop up. She sat for about five minutes waiting before finally locking her phone and heading downstairs, where her father was sat in the living room on the white, leather couch. There home was very minimalist, there were lots of whites, golds and glass. Leather couches and tiger ornaments. She fell into the sofa beside him, he had his head in a newspaper.
One of the maids came in and took Sultan's empty breakfast plate away,
"Good morning Miss Jasmine, white omelette?" she smiled,
"With cinnamon not spinach- it's the holidays" Jasmine said,
The maid chuckled and agreed before heading out to the kitchen to give cook the order.
At that moment, a little ginger tabby cat sauntered in, he pounced gracefully up beside her and Jasmine immediately began stroking her little Raja.
"So" her father said, putting his paper down, "any plans for the next two weeks?"
Jasmine yawned, "Nope... actually..." Jasmine remembered the date with Aladdin and thought about telling her father. She didn't see why she couldn't tell him, he'd be delighted
"I have a date" she said plainly,
"Oh!" her father jumped in his seat like a toddler, "tell me more?"
"His name's Aladdin, he's from Agrabah too I think"
"Aladdin" her father repeated, "What a good name, strong name..."
"What do his parents do?" Her father raised an eyebrow
"I.. I'm not sure" she admitted, "But I've met his chauffeur!"
Her father considered this for a moment, "And his academics?"
"He's got good grades" she mimicked what Esmeralda told her,
Sultan Ragbha nodded, "He sounds almost perfect"
Jasmine nodded, he did sound almost perfect.
Esmeralda sat on her phone since she woke up, she could hear the rain pouring outside and whacking the window and agreed with herself that the weather ruled out any activity today and that she would just stay in bed. It was only when her phone dropped out of her hand and whacked her quite hard in the nose, did she discard it and reach for the TV remote instead. Ten minutes into catching up with The Late Late Show with James Corden, however, there was a knock at the door and hoping it was her mum with some coffee, Esmeralda immediately called for her to come in.
"Esmeralda, what are you still doing in bed?" Pocahontas came in, two coffee cups from Duke's in her hand
"What, it's Christmas holidays?" Esmeralda asked, bemused.
"You've forgotten, haven't you" Pocahontas stated, not questioned, passing her friend a cup.
Pocahontas had admittedly cheered quite a bit in the past week since confining in Esmeralda and Skyping a few times a week with John Smith.
"What plans have I agreed to?" Esmeralda groaned,
"Oh you're going to love this" Pocahontas smirked slightly, and Esmeralda groaned even more
"Sugarcoat it" Esmeralda said,
"Prom shopping with some of the girls from the committee"
Esmeralda let out a long moan, "I remember now"
"Come on, we've got to be at the mall in an hour"
Pocahontas dragged her friend kicking and screaming and full of caffeine as usual to the mall, dressed and with a relative smile on her face now. She had perked up a bit and was even going over some dress ideas. The top floor of the mall was full of more prestigious stores and dress stores, bridal stores and designers. The two girls headed up the escalators and lounging about on a cream sofa in the mall centre, lined with shops, was Aurora, Cinderella, Tiana and Charlotte.
"Hey girls!" Charlotte smiled and gave them a quick hug,
"Have you been here long?" Esmeralda asked, hugging them one after another
"No, Lottie and I got stuck in traffic" Tiana assured them,
"And Cindy and I were running late" Aurora said,
"Yeah, I was stuck doing Anastasia's science report" Cinderella said awkwardly,
"I don't know how you put up with those two" Charlotte said with a sigh,
"Right girls time to find dresses!" Aurora said chirpily,
Charlotte squealed a bit and Cinderella grinned and Aurora led the way into the first store,
"God I've been waiting to shop for a prom dress since I was a freshman" Charlotte giggled,
"So do you guys have any ideas on the dresses you want?" Cinderella asked curiously,
"Pink, definitely!" Charlotte said and everyone chuckled, expecting nothing less
"Short or long?" Tiana asked,
"Oh I want a ball gown" Lottie practically swooned, "I want to feel like a princess, I'll need a tiara and everything!"
"We can go into the jewellery store at some point then" Esmeralda nodded, "you'll find a gold tiara I'm sure"
Lottie giggled and then asked what dresses the others wanted,
"Something short and flowy" Pocahontas said, "I don't suit big formal gowns"
"Something with lace would look nice" Cinderella smiled,
"I'm just looking for something relatively cheap" Tiana admitted, pulling at a $110 price tag on a coat,
"A dress doesn't have to be expensive to be pretty" Aurora said firmly and everyone nodded in agreement,
"It's OK" Tiana said, "I'm sure I'll find something"
"Tia, you know I don't mind paying" Lottie said quietly,
Tiana shook her head, "It's fine, Charlotte but thank you"
"OK ladies, I'm completely clueless so let's all have a look and try some stuff on and meet by the fitting room in ten minutes, agreed?"
Everyone nodded their heads as if like businessmen and all set off in different directions,
The store was quite empty, being a Monday afternoon, so the girls took to the changing rooms with two-three dresses each and then tried them on.
"OK everyone ready?" Charlotte called through the curtains?
Everyone stepped out in their first chosen dress. Lottie's was a fishtail and sparkly cherry pink and she looked like Barbie meets Marilyn Monroe- curvy and pink.
Tiana had a very simple and seemingly cheap little dress, a yellow skater dress.
Cinderella was in a simple dress too, it was turquoise, long and long sleeved. It looked a tiny bit outdated but she suited it a lot.
Aurora had chosen a royal blue dress. It was sparkly at the bodice and chiffon on the gown and did wonders for her complexion,
Esmeralda had a corset dress on, it was black and looked more like a party dress.
Pocahontas had on a short, burnt orange dress. It had long puffy sleeves and was tunic-like, falling straight past her figure.
"Oh you look great!" Charlotte said turning towards Tiana next to her,
"I love it Tiana, but it isn't very prom-like" Aurora shrugged,
Tiana frowned, "I know... I didn't think so... I have another one"
"Be honest guys" Esmeralda said, "is it too... party-like?"
"A bit" Cinderella said awkwardly, "Esmeralda you have the most gorgeous figure you should get a gown"
Esmeralda shrugged, "I could do I guess... God prom is so stressful" There were nods and murmurs of agreement,
"Cindy you look amazing" Pocahontas said and Cinderella blushed,
"I really love it" Aurora agreed,
"I don't know" Cinderella said, "It feels a bit boring, but I love having a gown I feel like a princess!"
"Aurora your dress is amazing, I didn't expect blue I'll admit" Pocahontas continued,
"Blue is definitely gorgeous on you" Tiana grinned,
"I can't choose between blue and pink" Aurora's eyebrows furrowed, "Like I really really can't decide"
Everyone just shrugged,
"I guess I'll ask my aunts, they usually have good advice"
"Pocahontas, as your best friend I've got to say I'm not loving it" Esmeralda said,
"God, I knew it" Pocahontas flapped her hands about, "I just can't find the kind of dress I want"
"Here here" Esmeralda said,
Everyone changed into their second dresses, Aurora's was pink this time, Tiana's was similar but in khaki, Esmeralda had a long sparkly black dress, skin tight and low cut. Lottie chose a bright pink dress, it was halter neck. Pocahontas hadn't picked out another one, nor had Cinderella, and Charlotte was the only one with a third choice. Everyone sat and waited for her and she finally came out in a huge, baby pink ball gown like that of a cartoon complete with big sleeves, chiffon detailing and bows.
Everyone grinned and 'oohed' and Charlotte twirled,
"Oh I feel as gorgeous as a rose!" She sighed at her reflection, "Don't ya'll think I should get it?"
"Of course you should Charlotte!" Aurora grinned, getting up and feeling the fabric of the skirt "it's not every day you find the perfect dress"
"Totally, you look like a fairy!" Cinderella smiled and everyone agreed,
"Oh thank you my darlings!" Charlotte said, wiping a tear from her eye.
So Charlotte paid for her dress and Cindy agreed to pulling in the waist for her and bedazzling the skirt layer for her as requested, and they all looked around the jewellery store keen on the idea that Charlotte should at least buy her whole prom outfit now seeing as she already had her dress. Lottie found a little silver tiara, it wasn't rose gold but the decor on it made her overly excited and she purchased it with matching earrings. She decided to order some heels from online and then they continued to browse.
As they passed the elitist designer store, 'Kenneth Branaugh' Cinderella stopped in awe. In the window the most dazzling dress sat in the store window.
It was electric blue on the bodice, the shoulder sash twirled with popping butterflies fluttering around it, their wings chiffon and the silk bodice clung to the mannequins torso. The skirt was the most enchanting part. The electric blue mixed in with different electric blues, light and dark. Hugely layered and breathtakingly sparkly everyone just gawped at it.
"I've never seen anything like it" Pocahontas whispered,
"That's the most incredible dress ever" Aurora stared,
"God, Cinderella you'd look just gorgeous in it" Tiana said, taking in the entirety of the dress and how magical it looked,
The six girls finally drew their eyes away and headed into the store where the found the dress in store, just as beautiful and jaw-dropping.
"Cinderella, please try it on, it looks light as air!" Aurora begged,
Cinderella ran her finger along the swirling butterflies and soft silk, "I can't, I won't be able to afford it"
Tiana took a look at the price tag, but didn't expect much less than what she saw. $600.
"Well... it's cheaper than I expected" Aurora said, trying to sound positive
"It's OK, I can find a dress for less that'll be... slightly less extravagant"
"But-" Aurora tried,
"Guys please, if it looks good it'll only disappoint me"
Tiana rubbed Cinderella's shoulder comfortingly, "I understand"
"It's OK" Esmeralda nodded,
"Come on let's go, there's thousands of dresses out there" Pocahontas said trying to drag them away and stop Cindy feeling upset.
They headed into the last 'good' dress store (according to Charlotte) where they stifled through yet even more dresses. Aurora tried on a short royal blue dress but decided it wasn't for her. As everyone sat in the fitting rooms waiting for Aurora to change back, another girl stepped out from behind a different curtain and started checking herself out modestly in the mirror.
"Meg?" Pocahontas asked,
Megara turned around to face her classmates and smiled incredibly awkwardly. She stood with her hair in it's signature ponytail and her model-like body was fitted in a gorgeous velvet dress in deep purple. It was bardot, showing off her lean shoulders and neck and the long sleeves stuck to her graceful arms. The body of the dress clung to her and only let loose towards the bottom where she wore some black strappy heels.
"Is this your prom outfit?" Esmeralda asked in awe,
Meg nodded, "Yeah, it just came in today- I've got to have it tailored a bit"
Everyone just blinked in part envy part shock.
"Hey guys are we ready to go then?- Whoa Meg!" Aurora stepped out of the changing room with the useless blue dress slung over her shoulder
"Thanks" Meg said bluntly,
"It's gorgeous, velvet wow!" Aurora continued,
"Are you guys prom shopping too then?" Meg asked, still looking in the mirror
"Trying too" Tiana sighed, "Charlotte's the only one who found anything"
"Too bad" Meg said, trying to sound genuine, "I'm sure you guys will find something"
Everyone nodded, feeling somewhat intimidated and they all stood up and headed out, complimenting Meg one more time.
When the six girls were finally out of the store, Meg headed back into the changing room and burst into tears. Awkward and embarrassed, she honestly wished that she had friends to go dress shopping with.
Hercules had Mulan up every day for the first week of the holiday, early. By 8:00am they were at the park, using agility ladders, jogging, practising passing and penalties and using their jackets to make a goal where they'd play one a side, and Mulan was getting better.
That Saturday however, they met at the park as usual but Hercules didn't have any cones or ladders.
"I thought we'd try something different today" he said, "We're going to go gym"
"Gym?" she asked, slightly nervous "but I haven't even got a membership"
"It's fine" he assured her, "the first session is free and if you like it you can get a membership"
They walked a little way down the road and entered the gym. It was very lively in there for a Saturday morning, the decor was all white and glazed blue and pop music played over the speaker. The workers all looked lean and muscled, dressed in ice blue shirts and navy shorts.
"Hi there!" a lean, tall lady at the desk looked at Mulan, "Have you got a membership?"
"Hercules appeared behind her, and the woman looked up and grinned
"Hercules!" she cried, "I didn't see you!"
"Hey Muse" he said, "Just heading in- she's on a free trial"
"No problem, no problem" she giggled, and buzzed them in, "Have fun!"
Mulan followed meekly behind Hercules and heard the woman behind her,
"Oh God, that Hercules is hot!" Muse giggled,
"Honey you mean Hunk-ules!" her friend cried, and they both fell into giggles.
In the gym, Hercules took Mulan around on every machine and showed her settings, ideals, in some case weights, and when to know your limits as well as letting her know social courtesy to not take too long but to never be bullied off a machine either. Mulan took it all in as she ran on the treadmill. They spent a good hour in the gym, Mulan learnt pretty quick and enjoyed it much more than doing laps and sit ups in the muddy park. When they had finished, they headed out, sweaty and hot and strolled home. They popped into Duke's on the way back where Tiana served them both green tea and a croissant each. They sat across each other, Hercules took a phone call from Meg and Mulan awkwardly checked Instagram.
"I think this intense training is working" he said, sipping his drink "in a few weeks we can cut down to three days a week"
"That sounds good, I'll look into joining gym" she agreed,
"Oh yeah definitely! It's $10 for students"
Mulan nodded, "And do you think they'll stop laughing at me?"
Hercules sighed, "Jerks like Gaston and Lyle... they'll always be jerks- but me and Kronk and even Shang we're not bad guys"
He paused before continuing, "If they see how great you're getting they'll be intimidated if anything... take Meg for example, those guys give her a hard time whenever she's sociable, they say its unlike her"
"But Meg's nice?" Mulan asked, shocked that someone as scary as Meg was picked on by Gaston and his cronies,
"Yeah" he said casually, "but it doesn't bother her, bullies respond to strength so you know what you do?"
Mulan smiled, "You get stronger?"
"You get stronger" Hercules confirmed.
Mulan stared at him for a moment and at how he had said he was weak last year, how Meg was picked on and then she thought about the laughter, the comments the team were making about her,
"I'll get stronger" she repeated,
Aladdin had text Jasmine the same day she responded and they arranged to meet for a nice early dinner that Saturday, where they were heading though was a mystery.
Due to arrive at 5:00pm to pick Jasmine up, Aladdin's uncle took him out to buy a nice new shirt and trousers. He decided against a tie deciding it was dinner, not a funeral. He had chosen a posh restaurant uptown, 'Basil's', Genie had a friend there who'd claimed 'I owe you one!' and would make the meal on the house, admittedly, Genie was like a miracle worker. However, when leaving the store with his new shirt and aftershave, Genie commented that he should tell Jasmine the truth and that he was sure she'd like him as he is. Aladdin disagreed.
Jasmine was stood in her walk in wardrobe in her underwear, pondering over her outfits. She called Mulan and Ariel round to ease her nerves and help her get ready.
They sprawled out in the wardrobe, snacking on a bowl of nachos the maid had brought up. Ariel sorted through Jasmine's designer black bag and arranged her purse, makeup bag and phone charger inside. Mulan pulled Jasmine's thick, long hair into a big ponytail and then took the time to curl the ends. Jasmine tried on a few outfits. The first was white, 'Christmas spirit right?' Jasmine said, appearing in a white, ribbed turtle neck and skirt.
"Too 90's" Ariel scrunched up her nose,
"Yeah, you look like Goldie Hawn"
Jasmine agreed, and changed. Her second outfit was her current favourite one, the very outfit her dad had disapproved not long ago. A dark red pair of trousers and crop top, complete with little jacket.
"Jasmine that is the hottest thing!" Ariel cried,
"That's gorgeous!" Mulan agreed, "Why haven't you worn it before?"
"Dad didn't want me to go school showing my midriff" she rolled her eyes, "What shoes?"
Mulan jumped out and peered inside Jasmine's shoe section, "Black like your bag?"
Jasmine nodded and wore some black heeled boots,
"Wear your grey coat" Ariel said, "It'll make the red pop, and then when you take it off he'll be love struck!"
Jasmine laughed, "Love struck, sure"
Jasmine applied some eyeliner and some light red lipstick and a gold necklace with a small dove pendant.
The time drew nearer and Mulan glanced out the window and saw an electric blue car pull up,
"Jasmine, he's here!"
Ariel squealed, and helped Jasmine into her coat, Mulan handed her her bag and the two girls smiled on like proud parents,
"Our Jas, on her first date!" Ariel giggled,
"So grown up!" Mulan cooed,
"Oh shut it!" Jasmine laughed, blushing and they headed downstairs. Ariel and Mulan went out the back door where they headed for Ariel's house and Jasmine got in the car, faking her own confidence.
The car ride with Aladdin and his chauffeur was quite awkward. The chauffeur was sweet and made several jokes, which Jasmine couldn't help but giggle at even if they were 'Dad jokes'. Aladdin chuckled too and tried to keep light conversation, asking how she was and if she was enjoying her holiday. They arrived at the restaurant and Jasmine was somewhat impressed, 'Basil's' a small but very expensive place uptown. Her and her father often came here for her birthday meal or if he had a night off work he wanted to spend with her.
"Ah- have you ever been here?" he asked her as they stepped out of the car,
"Yes, a handful of times" she replied politely, "Have you?"
"Admittedly... no" he sighed, shocked at his own honesty
"It's good" she said,
"Bye kids, I'll pick you up at seven!" the chauffeur said, driving off
"Your chauffeur is... eccentric" Jasmine commented
"He's a right laugh" Aladdin said with a chuckle,
They went into the restaurant and Aladdin spoke to the front of house, who was very happy to see him and took them to a lovely table by the window, looking out over the town.
"What a gorgeous view" he commented, almost forgetting she was there, "Look at all those huge houses"
Jasmine raised an eyebrow, "Yeah... they're pretty nice"
Aladdin looked at her as she pulled off her coat, "you look really lovely by the way"
"Thank you" she smiled, she had to admit to herself, he was incredibly handsome. He had a smile like Tom Cruise,
"So do you live in Pegasus Park?" she tried, "Or Gurgi Manors"
"Uh-neither"
Jasmine looked a tad confused and Aladdin new he had to choose now, the truth, or another lie.
"We-we uh... my mum doesn't want a big flashy house. We have a big house, we live comfortably and spend the money on other things"
Jasmine nodded, "Wow I wish my father did that, he's way too flamboyant"
"Your house looked great" he complimented,
"Thanks, it's so big and it echos so much though- there's only the two of us"
"You're an only child?" he asked,
"Yeah" she said, "it makes the protectiveness thing insane... but he loves me- do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Only child" he shrugged, "me and my parents moved here from Agrabah when I was a kid"
"Do you remember it?" she asked, sitting up in her chair eagerly
"A bit" he shrugged, "stalls and sand- god there's a lot of sand" he chuckled,
"Can I take your order?" Honey Lemon from school came over and Jasmine looked up shocked, she had no idea she worked here,
"Hey, Honey Lemon" she grinned,
"Oh hey Jasmine!"
"I had no idea you worked here" she smiled,
"Saving up for a science project I've been working on" she said excitedly, "So can I get you guys some drinks?"
"A lemonade please" Jasmine said,
"Yeah same" Aladdin requested,
"So are you from Agrabah too?" he asked, pulling his chair in
"We moved here when I was thirteen" she said, "but its no different, always sat in the house"
"How come?" he tilted his head
"My dad was so scared I'd run into trouble or something, we had this huge house over there- even bigger than the one now we had fountains and birds and sure it was pretty but what's the use if its all you have?"
"I understand.. I mean we didn't have much over there so I guess we're on opposite ends of the spectrum"
Jasmine frowned, she wished she could understand that but she just didn't. Even now, Aladdin seemed so free. She loved her friends and Disney High but she still lied to go to parties, still snuck out in short skirts, still spent weekends at home, watching TV, doing homework, on her phone, watching TV, doing homework, on her phone. It all got pretty boring,
"I'm just bored a lot I guess" She shrugged, looking over the menu
"When my mum gets really bored she bakes" he said simply,
Honey Lemon came back with their drinks, and took their orders. A vegetarian penne for Jasmine and a steak for Aladdin,
"I'm vegetarian" she explained, "It's a culture thing, my dads pretty strict about it"
Aladdin looked guilty, "I was a vegetarian until a had a McDonalds, my mums pretty disappointed"
Jasmine half laughed, "so she bakes?"
"Oh yeah she makes the best cakes, I mean not as good as Tiana but-"
"I've never ever made a cake" Jasmine said, with a dry chuckle
"Not even as a kid?"
She shook her head, "my foods just made for me... isn't yours?"
Aladdin went pink, "well yeah but- my mum still made cakes with me didn't yours?"
Jasmine took a sip of her lemonade and then played with the napkin to her right,
"Ah..." she rested her head on her hand, "my mum died before we moved to America"
Aladdin scrunched his face up, "Man I'm so sorry"
"It's OK" she said earnestly, "it was a while ago... she was a good mother"
Aladdin smiled emphatically,
Quite honestly the entire evening went well, Aladdin had to make excuses every now and then and he threw in a maid in a story every now and then but apart from that he was entirely honest. He told her about Phoebus and Esmeralda and Flynn and Pocahontas and she told him about her friends, he said that Flynn was in love with Rapunzel and they giggled at the sweetness of it. He dropped her home, with Genie quieter this time as the two chatted away in the backseat and when she left, she kissed him gently on the lips and Aladdin smiled like a dork and fell backwards, lying flat on the backseat for the rest of the way home.
It was the 19th of December and Christmas was coming around pretty quickly. Anna's favourite time of the year was Christmas and the entire household new it. They decorated the tree and presents slowly formed underneath it over the past few weeks, but one thing was different this year.
Anna and Elsa hadn't spoken properly in months. They used to watch cartoons and sneak into the others rooms for midnight snacks and movies, they'd tend the garden with the gardener and around this time of year they made Christmas cookies and went to the mall to find Christmas sweaters. Anna didn't do any of those things, instead she spoke about wanting to do them with Hans but she never did get round to it. Hans had joined them for dinner one night that week and was very polite, almost like a robot and their parents thought he was respectable enough but when he and Anna went into the kitchen to grab dessert, he was blunt and barely conversed with her. Elsa hated him.
That morning however, something was different. Their parents headed out to work as usual for a weekday and Elsa was up first. She was usually awake pretty early and when the doorbell rang she slumped down the stairs in her navy onesie and answered, not sure who to expect, she raised her eyebrows.
"Can I help you?"
A boy with scruffy blonde hair and an awkward expression just blinked, it wasn't until a loud bark was heard did Elsa look down and see a big old, brown dog with its tongue hanging out.
"Is that Kristoff?" Anna called, running downstairs in a dark blue sweater and jeans,
"Where are you going?" Elsa asked, completely bemused
"We're walking his dog and then going to the post office, I ordered some stuff for a science project"
"Oh.. OK" Elsa shrugged,
"We'll be back to test it out, won't be long!" she called.
Indeed, they weren't long and they came back with the scruffy dog who was admittedly relatively clean and well behaved. He sat in the corner of the kitchen and Anna had given him some cheese as a make-do treat, while her and Kristoff started to make their homemade snow. Elsa sat at the barstool watching, partly interested and partly humoured by the conversation the two were coming out with.
"Don't you think Donald Trump looks like a cat?"
"No don't be silly he looks like the annoying orange"
"What's the annoying orange"
"Are you serious?"
"No I'm Harry"
"That wasn't funny"
"Yes it was!"
Their snow began to come to life as they added the ingredients and Elsa giggled as fake snow filled their kitchen, the tiled floors began to wet with the white foam and Sven looked up eagerly at the falling white, Anna looked giddily up at it and so did Elsa for a moment, until something else caught her eye. It was Kristoff, he wasn't staring at the snow or trying to tame Sven who was attempting to eat it. He was staring blatantly at Anna with a smile of content on his face, a smile Elsa had never seen Hans give her, in fact, Kristoff provided better conversation and company even if he was a bit blunt. Kristoff continued to stare until Elsa cleared her throat and he went pink, but Elsa chuckled and took her cocoa and went upstairs to her room to read.
The night of Adam's fathers Christmas Ball arrived. As usual guests arrived in their driven Mercedes Benz' in gowns and suits and greeted the family at the door. Mrs Potts had helped Adam dress and combed his hair back neatly. In Gurgi Manors, the most expensive part of Disney and possibly side of the country and people came from around the world to see the notorious Pecus family- or rather Mr Nicholas Pecus.
"I wish you'd just chop that mess off" his father commented, but Adam just grunted.
His father had bought a brand new suit and cuff links, he strode into the house foyer, slicked back his grey hair and checked himself in the mirror.
"Antoinette" he called, "hurry up they're arriving"
His mother strode in, her dyed blonde hair in a fancy up-do and a dark red gown flowing past her feet and hanging to low for Adam's liking on her slim figure. She smiled a toothy grin in the mirror, the wrinkles around her eyes powdered. She took her husbands arm and they opened the door with smiles. Admittedly, it was rare for Adam to see his parents, let alone see them together. His father was a plain workaholic and as a child Adam would lie in bed at night, listening to his mothers cries over it. When he turned ten, Antoinette Pecus stopped crying at night and began socialising instead. Now, his mother spent all of her time shopping, at lunches, dinners, the spa and various other places, in particular Paris, spending his fathers earned money. Adam doubted they slept in the same room anymore, he wasn't even sure they loved each other. Not really.
His father turned and gestured for Adam to come, he lingered on the staircase a moment longer before plodding down the stairs and joining his parents at the welcoming committee with a frown.
"I wish you'd smile" his mother muttered, waving as the first few guests arrived and headed through the grand doors and through to the ballroom. Cogsworth stood, politely taking coats.
Adam frowned even harder, at least he tried, but at that moment his face lit up. He had almost forgotten about Belle that evening. She didn't step out of a Mercedes or a Limo like anyone else, it was only a small car, 60's style and white. Her father was driving it and gave her a cheery smile as she meekly entered. Of course, the little beaten up car earned looks from snobbish women, but Belle earned looks from almost every man there. In her gorgeous picked out pink dress and a dazzling red cloak lined in white fur.
Adam smiled and his eyes twinkled. The only crush Adam had ever had was Baby Spice and that faded when he turned twelve. She did look beautiful and he knew she had tried hard to help him tonight and that made it all the worthwhile.
"Now where's this girl of yours, Adam, hmm?" his father enquired, "Please tell me she's real"
Adam ignored him, he stepped out of the porch and down the steps to greet her. Belle stood awkwardly at the bottom and smiled warmly at the sight of a familiar face. She had to admit she was nervous. She'd never been to this a socialite party and she didn't realise just how extravagant this was going to be. She thought there would be a few chairman, stuffie old men and a few women to socialise with. She didn't imagine it to be at this scale.
"Adam" she said as he approached her, "I didn't know it was this fancy and-"
"It's fine" he said soothingly and surprisingly, "you look great"
She smiled and took his arm, allowing him to lead her up the stairs. He stopped in front of his parents and raised one eyebrow. Both stood there for a long moment before grinning commercially,
"Oh this must be the girl!" Antoinette said shocked, "pleased to meet you, my dear" and indeed, it seemed she was shocked.
"My how lovely you are, Miss-?" Nicholas Percus said,
"French, sir" Belle said, "Belle French"
"Belle" Antoinette repeated, "now how fitting"
"You both ought to get inside and out of the cold, Mr Reed is headed this way"
Adam pushed at Belle's lower back and removed her lovely red cloak and handed it to Cogsworth, the butler (who raised his eyebrows at seeing Belle for a second time) before proceeding into the ballroom where only three or four people were in there. It was huge and golden with great chandeliers hanging above them and glass windows allowing the cold, starry sky inside.
"It feels like I'm in a novel!" Belle breathed, "it's beautiful"
Adam had never truly appreciated the house in which he lived, not at least, until he saw Belle do so. There was something so enchanting about everything she did, how passionate she could be.
"You like it?" he asked, "I-I never really appreciated that much"
"Oh if only I had a ballroom like this, I'd throw balls all the time!" she exclaimed with a smile,
"Oh!" she suddenly cried, "I'm sure the library here is incredible!"
Adam scrunched his nose up, "it's alright,"
A small band to the far left were softly playing music and a food table had been set up beside it, full of miniature and posh food. Prawns, prunes and wines, courtesy of Lumiere.
"Lets get a drink" he said, beckoning her through,
"Hey you know your parents said Mr Reed was coming?" Belle asked curiously,
Adam didn't respond,
"Who is he?"
Adam poured Belle a glass,
"Not- Reed from the school football team?" she asked reluctantly,
"Name doesn't ring a bell"
"You know exactly who I mean Adam!-"
"Belle!" a booming voice was heard, "how strapping!"
Gaston strode over in his suit, a red bow tie on his bulging chest and a pretty blonde on his arm with a prominently beautiful willowy figure, she was much taller and even thinner than Belle in a shocking black dress with red detailing. Though surprisingly, nor Belle or Adam recognised her.
"What on earth are you doing here?" Gaston Reed said,
"I was invited" she said sternly, "what are you doing here?
"Didn't Adam tell you?" He smirked, "My father brings me every year, though i can't say I've ever seen Adam looking quite so neat- never with a girl either, your parents must have had a heart attack!"
Belle took Adam's arm, "yes, well do you even remember your dates name?"
Adams mouth opened slightly at how feisty Belle was being,
"Of course I do" Gaston said, but he shifted uncomfortably on his feet,
His date looked up expectantly, "forgive me" Gaston said, "my fathers calling me"
As Gaston and his pretty girlfriend swept away to the call of no one, Belle turned to Adam.
"Why didn't you say this enemy of yours was Gaston?" she cried angrily,
"I knew you wouldn't come" he admitted,
"The one person I truly despise- who harasses me!" she said, "and you don't blink an eye at him at school? What's the problem here?"
"He hasn't harassed you since I stepped in has he?!" Adam half whispered, annoyed "One night. One night of Gaston and then a life time without, that was our deal!"
"No, our deal was one night of help-"
"And that help happens to be enduring his boasts for an evening, just allow me to boast back and then you'll never have to do this again! Just stop being so-" Adam stopped and breathed deeply,
"Sorry" he sighed, "I should have told you but- it's different- here with my parents, he wraps them around his finger. Every snobby jerk in this room has disliked me since I was twelve- he shows me up"
Belle's hazel eyes widened at the control in his temper, and taking his hand said "it's fine, you aren't on your own"
As the night went on Belle and Adam managed to avoid Gaston pretty well although whenever he'd approach and make a comment on how "pretty little Belle looked" or "he didn't even know she had a waistline" or, to Belle's disdain, "how on Earth Adam tricked her into coming as he was usually so beastly looking". Whenever these encounters happened, Gaston would smirk, his date would sigh, and Adam would take a swig of vodka when he thought no one was looking.
At around 10pm, after telling a few ladies where her dress was from and a few more that no, she was only seventeen and wasn't wearing any foundation, Belle spotted Gaston's tall, blonde girlfriend alone by the drinks table.
She gritted her teeth and walked over, faking her own confidence she smiled at her knowing it could only go two ways.
"Hi, I'm Belle"
The girl looked a bit hesitant before smiling kindly and replying, "Odette, nice to meet you"
Belle's jaw could have dropped open. She was half expecting a bitchy answer and half expecting no answer at all, what from a girl who'd put up with Gaston.
"Are you alright? What are you doing over here by yourself?"
Odette grimaced, "Gaston- well he's not all that great"
Belle could have laughed at the understatement, but Odette looked pretty bored and upset. It seemed Gaston had duped her into the evening. Belle couldn't help but wonder how many other girls had come to this night with Gaston and left sad and annoyed,
"So- you don't really know him?"
"I met him at the Don Bluth mall, a few miles from here" she confessed, "I was getting over an argument with my boyfriend- ex boyfriend-" she sighed, and paused before continuing, "- and Gaston came over and he was so kind and flirted and he offered me here- the richest part of Disney and I thought it'd be a nice evening"
she finished, looking over solemnly at Gaston who was animatedly chatting to a woman and what appeared to be her two daughters.
"You ever feel like you're totally used just because you're pretty?" Odette philosophised,
Belle looked at Gaston and scowled and then thought about all those times her aunties, her father and that guy at the bookstore equated her to her appearance, "Yeah- I guess I do"
"Even my stupid ex saw me for nothing more than just, ugh, beautiful" she spat,
"Did you love him?" Belle asked out of curiosity,
Odette's frown turned into a watery smile, "yeah, I really did, so much. He could be a jerk but he was... different - his name was Derrick"
Belle considered this. She looked over at Adam who was in a deep conversation with Cogsworth and shoving shrimp into his mouth,
"If you loved him that much- maybe he's worth a second chance" she said airily, "people can change"
Odette looked down at her drink, "I think you're right Belle. Coming here was a mistake- Gaston's a jerk"
Belle giggled, "Don't be disheartened, all the girls at school fall for him too"
"So what about your Adam?" Odette smiled, "do you love him?"
Belle could have dropped her glass and torn up her dress and broke a window. Love! Like she could ever love Adam he was mean and angry and manipulative- Belle suddenly felt a wave of guilt, looking over at him he was chuckling with Cogsworth, who looked less impressed. He was bored and troubled and his parents hadn't spoken to him all night. And he wasn't mean- not really. In fact, he'd been a perfect gentleman all evening.
"I- I'm not sure" she admitted,
"Well you're very well suited" Odette chuckled, "anyway, it was great meeting you but I'm out of here- God I hate this dress too!"
"Bye Odette, nice meeting you too- and good luck with Derrick" Belle smiled, and watched Odette leave and Gaston fly after her out of the ballroom.
but Belle couldn't stop replaying Odette's words in her head. "Well you're very well suited" Were they? Was there something there that she just hadn't seen? Adam approached her slowly and Belle smiled. She had to admit, there was something sweet- almost kind- he was mean and hoarse and unrefined, but now he was more dear, she wondered why she didn't see it there before.
"Belle" Adam said taking her hand, "you've been great tonight and-you really helped me face up to Gaston, I mean at school it's easy you know I'm a loner and he's scared but here, at home in front of my parents. I can't just threaten him...Well let's just say he knows how to make me look bad"
Belle tilted her head at his confession and fell into him, her head resting on his chest. Adam blinked for a moment, confused, before wrapping his big arms around her and pulling her in.
At midnight, as the house cleared and Gaston left, alone and irritated and without a word to either of them, Adam leaned toward Belle and half whispered,
"Shall I show you the library quickly?"
Belle's eyes lit up, "oh of course!"
Adam took her hand and led her through the house and finally, to two wooden doors.
"It's nothing special" he said, "in fact- we never use it"
The doors swung open eerily and Adam flicked a switch on to a dimly lit light. The curtains were pulled shut, the smell of dust made Belle's nose itch and the furniture had been covered in plastic coverings. In fact, the bookshelves weren't even stacked with books, more like a few had been shoved on. Belle was bitterly disappointed.
"Oh" she said rather unhappily,
"I know, I know, it's the only room in the house not in use, shame really" Adam pondered,
"Maybe we should leave," Belle suggested, "I think I can hear your mum calling"
"That'll be a first" Adam joked, but they left the dusty library in its peace nevertheless.
OK I loved using Odette from 'The Swan Princess' because if any of you have seen it she makes of point of asking her boyfriend if she's more than just pretty and I love that, totally equates with Belle! Anyway back to school next chapter thanks for reading let me know what you thought, especially about the Adam/Belle chapters? :)
ALSO This is my longest chapter so far! WOO praise me!