I hate Eric. And double jobs. But especially Eric.

-Ariel

"Ariel?"
Ariel stopped just before she reached the door. "Yes…Daddy?"
Triton stared back at her, sipping his tea. "Where are you going dressed like that?"
Ariel looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a lacy white tank top with the sleeves adorned with silky ribbons. And below it, she was wearing a light blue miniskirt that flared out.

"I can see your underwear, Ariel," Attina said.

"And I can see boogers up your nose," Ariel snapped back.

"Attina is right, Ariel!" Triton hissed. "No need to mock her."
"I wasn't—"

Triton held up a hand. "Change your skirt. You know I don't allow this kind of fashions."

"Fashions? Daddy—"

"Ariel."
Ariel shook her head. "Daddy, it's boiling out there today—"
"Ariel!" Triton raised his voice.

Attina smirked; Andrina swirled her oatmeal around her bowl, bored; Alana applied lip gloss in front of a mirror; Aquata popped a bubble; Arista sat at the table staring, a hand protectively over her tummy; Adella stared, wide-eyed around at Ariel and Triton.

"Stop—talking!" hissed Adella.

Ariel balled her hands. "What, Daddy, you want me to be a nun and wear a floor-length gown and a headveil all the time? What is so wrong with wearing a little skirt once in a while?"
"Ariel, that's enough!" yelled Triton. Ariel's bottom lip quivered, and her eyes narrowed.

Triton softened his voice. "Go change, Ariel. Go."
Ariel returned a few minutes later wearing a pair of skinny jeans. "Is this good enough for you, Daddy?" she asked sarcastically.

Triton smiled. "It'll suffice."
Ariel opened the door to head out.

"Ariel!"
Ariel turned, seeing Arista standing in the doorway, still holding her tummy. Ariel stared at Arista's hand. "Well, why don't you just glue a big neon sign that says, 'I'm Pregnant!' to your stomach while you're at it?"
Arista guiltily averted her eyes. "So you'll be working those extra jobs today?"
Ariel sighed. "Yeah."
Arista gave Ariel a quick hug. "Thanks. Love you."
Ariel noticed as Arista walked back into the house that her hand was still over her tummy.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ariel went to her classes, the assembly, and eagerly waited till school would open and she'd be able to speak to her boyfriend, Eric Douglas.

Eric was going to have a sailboat competition that weekend, and Ariel was looking forward to attending.

When the dismissal bell rang and she spotted him leaning against the brick wall of Disney High, smoking a cigarette with a few friends, she hurried over.

She greeted him with a full-on kiss on the lips. Eric smiled, but there was something in that smile that gave Ariel a bad feeling.

"Guys, a little privacy?" Eric asked his friends. Slowly, they began to move away.

Ariel grabbed Eric's hands. "Soooo." She said, giggling flirtatiously. "What're we doin' this weekend? Partying? Dancing? Ohhh, and your race, right? Can't wait till you win it!"
Eric raked a hand through his hair. "Uh, Ariel."
Ariel looked up, pulling her hair over one shoulder.

Eric stared at her for a long time.

"What?" Ariel asked, feeling uncomfortable.

Eric bit his lip. "I just—"

"Just what?"
Eric ran his hands through his hair again, looking up at the ceiling. "Ariel, this is going to be so hard."
"What's going to be so hard?" Ariel demanded, feeling dread tugging at her gut.

Eric sighed. "Ariel—I just think it would be best if we just—"

Ariel inhaled sharply. "Eric, would you stop your mumbling? I hate when you mumble. Just tell me what you need to say!"
Eric looked her right in her eye. "I think it'd be best if we started seeing other people."
Ariel's mouth fell open. "What?"
Eric chuckled lightly. "What, Ariel, you didn't think we'd be together forever, did you?"
Tears ran down Ariel's cheeks. "Eric….Eric…."
"Ariel, people are staring…" Eric muttered, smiling and waving at one of his friends.
"Who CARES?" Ariel exploded. "You jerk!"
"Calm down." Eric hissed.

"You son of a—"

Eric pushed Ariel's hair out of her eyes. "We can still be friends."
"Friends?" Ariel shrieked.

Eric nodded. "See, I think now is the right time to to tell you; I've already started seeing someone else."
Ariel was too busy crying to ask who, but Eric told her anyway. "Vanessa Vasquez," he said. Ariel looked up, mascara running.

Eric shook his head. "She's been real nice, Ariel."
"And what, I've been bad?" Ariel yelled. "I've been nothing but devoted to you!"
"Jeez, Ariel," said Eric. "Give me a break."
Ariel's mouth fell open again.

"I have to go have dinner with Vanessa in an hour," Eric told her. "I have to pick up a rental tuxedo and buy some new shoes and everything."
"New shoes?" Ariel sobbed. "You never did that for me!"
"Why are things always about you?" Eric asked her, frustrated.

Ariel pressed up against the wall. "Why? Why, why, why, why?"

"Listen," Eric enunciated slowly. "I am sick and tired of life with you."
"But…but we had a—"

"A what?" Eric almost roared. "A spark? We had it? Something special? Ariel, maybe we did. But it faded away, whatever it was."
"So…." Ariel whispered. "You're breaking up with me?"
Eric shrugged. "Yeah. I hope we can still be friends and whatever?"
Ariel glared at him. "You make me sick, you know that? Get out of my sight."
Eric shook his head and began to walk away.

"How long were you seeing her before you broke up with me?" Ariel yelled.

"A week." He called over his shoulder.

"You're sick, you asshole, sick!" Ariel screamed.

But her words bounced off his protective armor like mere arrows. They meant nothing to him.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ariel mopped floors at Dinitia's Dance Studio all afternoon, earning twenty crisp dollars going towards Arista's apartment fund.

After the dance studio mopping, Ariel collected cans off the streets till the sky glowed pink and orange. She turned the cans in for about five dollars, and then went to her next job, as a waittress at a little diner called the Benbow.

She marched in, tied on the customary apron, and waited on people till nighttime. The huge pile of homework in her backpack haunted her, thoughts of Eric haunted her, and she cried in the bathroom while she was on break.

She was like a ghost gliding through every duty thrown aboard her.

Halfway through waiting, her cell phone rang. "Hello?" Ariel asked weakly.

It was Aquata. "What would you say," she asked. "If you knew Daddy was going to Rome tomorrow for a business trip?"
Ariel blinked. "I'd say okay. Daddy always goes on business trips."
"Yeah…but while he's away , we're gonna throw a party."
Ariel didn't smile. "I'm not in the mood for a party."
"Why?"
Ariel whimpered. "Eric broke up with me."
Aquata gasped. "OMG! You poor thing!"

Ariel sniffled.

Aquata laughed. "But you don't expect us to call off the party, right, Ariel?"
Ariel closed her eyes. "No, Aqua, of course not."
Aquata laughed again. "Great! It's gonna be the smashingest party that ever hit NYC. And that's saying something." Then she hung up the phone.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

I never thought good wealthy girls with high standards like Wendy Darling would stoop so low as to talk to me.

-Peter

Peter just kept staring at Wendy.

She had caught him reading the note!

"Th-this isn't my locker," he stammered, letting the note fly to the ground.

"It isn't?" Wendy asked, raising her eyebrows. "You seemed to know the combination just fine. And you seemed to be enjoying reading your…sorry, their…personal stuff."
Peter kicked the note away.

Wendy smiled. "Is it yours, Peter?"
Peter glanced away.

"I like you, Peter," said Wendy. Her voice hitched. "But—I'm not ready for a relationship right now. I hope we can be friends."
Peter looked at her, almost horrified. He never expected it to go this way.

"Really good friends," Wendy corrected.

Peter scratched the back of his head. "Uh, great," he said. His eyes felt wet.

Wendy looked down at her shoes. "Thanks for the note. It was beautiful."
Peter didn't reply.

Wendy turned and began walking away.

Peter felt sadness and rage welling up inside him. He grabbed his stuff, ran down the hallway and out of the exit. A hot pink Convertible was parked at the curb, and a gorgeous sexy blonde girl was sitting in the passenger side front seat, while a girl with a black ponytail decked out with gleaming beads was driving and chewing gum at the same time.

"Hey, Ginger boy!" she called. "Yoo-hoo!"
Yoo-hoo? Peter turned around. The blonde was waving to him. She stuck out a French manicured hand through the window. Peter shook it warily.

"I'm Andrina." The girl smiled. "You're so cute."
Peter managed a weak smile. He had loved Wendy, wasted time on her. And when he finally got the courage to admit it to her through a note, she had rejected him.

She said she wasn't ready, Peter. She will be. Later. Get a grip.

"What's your name?" Andrina was asking.

"Peter."
"Cuuuute," Andrina sang. "Pe-ter, you're coming to my party."
"Eh-xcuse me," said the black haired girl next to her. "Our party, Andrina."

Andrina rolled her eyes. "Sure, Adella," she said. She grinned at Peter. "Care to come?"
"When is it?" Peter asked. He wanted to escape his troubles. Maybe he could bring Cindy too.

"Tomorrow night. The address is on the invite." Andrina handed him a cream colored envelope with gold edging. Peter tore it open to reveal heavy white cardstock inside with cursive print.

Come to a Smash Par-tay!

75 Ocean View Avenue

Bring as many friends as you want.

We will be serving refreshments

Calling all party people!

-The Triton Girls

"Who are the Triton girls?" Peter asked Andrina. "Are they some kind of band?"
Andrina looked at her sister Adella for a second, and they burst out laughing.
"Did you hear him?" Andrina shrieked. "Peter, honey, we're the Triton girls. Ever heard of our dad? He owns all those Save The Environment corporations and all the YMCAs across the United States of America. The swimmer girls?"
Peter pretended he did and nodded.
Andrina smirked and smiled. "So, you're coming, right?"
"Sure. I can bring people, right?"
Andrina slid back into the seat. "It says so on the card."
"Okay," Peter said.

"Okay," Andrina echoed. "See you tomorrow night, Peter."
"Wait!" Peter yelled. "Is it formal?"
"Wear whatever the hell you want!" Andrina yelled back. "Shorts, t-shirts, those tuxedo things, come naked if that's what you want. Party world, Peter."
Peter nodded. "Okay. Bye."
"Laaaaaaaater!" Andrina sang as Adella drove the car off into the distance.

Peter grinned. He had a party to go to.