Hey you guys! So thanks to everybody that reviewed. I love you all forever! This is kind of short, I believe. But it's kind of the PeterXAlice, JimXWendy fluff that everybody requested. And there's a tiny part at the end that you won't expect, I think. It's not mentioned in the chapter title. Soooo, enjoy you guys!
Keep pestering me and I'll update.
I don't know...maybe 5 reviews and I'll update, I think? So start reading!
Reply to Comments:
Dynashakirkland1068: awwwwwwwwwww glad you liked it
Flying By Wire: Thank youuuuuu!
Avril Lambert: Lol, the Kermit flail! Gotta love that guy.
Whatyousaked: Oh, I get it. The smiley face. Lol, thanks!
Guest: You got your wish! Please don't hate if it's not up to what you desired.
Coral: Thank you! Yeah, me too! I'll try! And the Triton Girls thing is mentioned in the end.
TheLonelyMonstersCompanion: Thank you SO much. That was a beautiful review. You've been so supportive so thank you so much.
Dontsayimaslut: Ik, I really don't like cinderella that much. But anyway, glad you liked it! And yeah, I guess the story is coming to an end. I try to update fast. Keep reading and reviewing!
Loopy: Thank you!
Disclaimer: Okay, seriously. Do I REALLY have to keep doing this? I don't own Disney! Or else I'd be a millionaire and would live in a happy mansion under a rainbow and a smiley faced sun.
Enjoy!
-Crystal
Popcorn and a movie is the best way to wind down after an execution.
-Alice
Peter yawned and wrapped his arm around Alice as they sat in the dark of the movie theater. Alice didn't even know what movie they were watching, but she just wanted to be with Peter for the longest time.
Alice lay there, in Peter's arms.
Suddenly, she picked up Peter's hand and began to climb over the legs of a dozen annoyed people trying to watch the movie.
"Hey," hissed an annoying short guy behind them. "Blondie, we're trying to watch the movie!"
Alice ignored him and continued on with Peter.
"Hey, we bought tickets," Peter panted as they were standing outside in front of the movie theater. "and we're wasting time. It's my favorite part in Ender's Game right now!"
Oh. So that's what the movie was called.
Alice wasn't interested. She just leaned up and cupped Peter's face in her hands. "Can I ask you a question, Peter?"
Peter swallowed, but couldn't nod since Alice was holding his face gently. Instead he grinned, the right side of his mouth curving higher up than the left in an adorable fashion. Alice took that as a yes and stepped forward, her elbows grazing Peter's sturdy chest. "Why did you choose to save Jim today? If Kida hadn't stepped in, you would have died in Jim's place. Why did you do that?"
Peter didn't say a word, but reached up for Alice's wrist to hold them against his flaming cheeks. "I—" he stopped, then looked down at his feet.
Alice had tears in her eyes and she ran her fingers through his reddish hair. "Tell me."
"I was...terrified," Peter began. "I didn't want to. But—" He sucked in a breath. "It was just so wrong. What I did. I mean, it was childish and so immature of me to try and kill Jim to get his girlfriend. Like, I didn't even like Wendy anymore by the day of the Execution. I liked you."
Alice looked startled, but Peter kept talking, ignoring her facial expression. "Then I thought that doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it's always right."
Alice chuckled. "What?"
Peter shrugged. "It's just a saying. And I had a spot scored in hell for me if I didn't stand up for Jim. He was being put to death for something he didn't had a family, a girlfriend, a reason to live. And I was taking all that away, and lying." He stared at Alice. "It took me one moment. One second of insane courage and bravery to yell 'stop.' After that, it was like I had no idea what I was doing. It was automatic."
Alice smiled. "I would've hated it if you had died, but I thought it was very brave of you to save a life like that. And what you said up on the stage about your inner feelings and love and me and was that all true?" Her words were jumbled—she desperately wanted it to be true.
Peter nodded eagerly. "It's true." He paused. "If you don't want it to be—"
"I want it to be true!" Alice bounced up and down. "It better be true," she teased, shoving Peter playfully in the shoulder. She stopped and then traced her thumb along Peter's palm.
Peter looked down at her. "Are you going back later?"
Alice glanced away. "I guess I must." Alice lived with her sister, the most boring person ever, or so she said. Her sister majored in Literature, and worked at a library with some of her friends and was barely ever at the house. Alice felt neglected there.
"No," Peter whispered. "Please—please never go. I want you to stay with me."
"Oh, Peter," said Alice sadly. "You live with Lady Tremaine and—"
"We'll do something," Peter said. "Cindy said she'd help. Maybe an apartment—"
"We're freshmen."
"We can live with Cindy."
"She has a boyfriend, Peter!" Alice bit her lip. She hated shooting down his ideas, but they weren't making sense. And she wanted so desperately to stay.
Tears rested on Peter's short red eyelashes. "We'll think of something."
Alice sighed and gave in. "Okay."
Suddenly, Peter leaned forward. "I love you, okay, Alice? I just wanted to tell you."
Alice looked up in surprise. "Peter, wh—"
He cut her off. He leaned forward and planted his lips firmly onto hers, his face bright pink. His lips tasted like the butter on popcorn, and Alice thought of the fire at the Tremaine house. She laughed as they kissed, because she loved it.
She loved him.
Peter abruptly pulled away. "Sorry!"
Alice shook her head. "No, no, Peter. It's fine, really."
Peter shoved his hands in his pockets. "I wanted my first kiss to be with you. And—I couldn't wait any longer."
Alice grinned. "It was nice. Tasted like popcorn."
Peter blushed fire-engine red. "Yeah."
"Was all that real? About loving me?"
Peter nodded. "I swear. I'm not lying. And sorry about the sudden kiss. I didn't mean to take you aback like that."
Alice leaned against him. "O-kay." Then she grabbed his arm tightly. "Wait, if you were really telling the truth about the love, can we kiss again?"
Peter grinned. "Alright."
Underneath the layers of annoying immaturity, mockery and sarcasm, Peter Tremaine was soft. If you got to know him, which Alice knew she most defenitely had.
She could only hope this love was of the forever kind.
"How do you feel after the Execution?" asked Jane Porter, representative from the Disney High Newspaper club. She was apparently writing a piece for the Walt Disney High Chronicles. "Um," I said. Real nice, Jim. Real nice.
"Don't be shy," she told me, and giggled.
"Relief?" I asked.
"What's the first thing you're going to do now that you're free and out of jail?" she asked, scribbling her pencil against the paper.
"Uh," I said again, smoothly. I spotted Wendy's face. "I'm gonna spend time with my girlfriend," I said. "And I have a few things to talk about with my parents. So, I'm just gonna go."
Wow. The look on her face. She tried to stop me, but once I started running, there was no stopping me.
I became the wind.
-Jim
Jim had come home to his mother.
His mother had changed. Since she was free of Sinbad, and now knew her son was not a felon, she had started wearing her hair down with hairspray. She had even gone so far as to put ribbons in her hair and on her dress.
Jim thought it was a nice change from her usual dirty raggedy clothes and grimy apron. He walked right into her arms and hugged her hard before she could even hug him.
She started sobbing into his shoulder and Jim didn't even mind. He was happy, for the first time in a long while.
His father did not come home. Instead, Jim met him at a Subway to talk, where his dad bought him a Premium Footlong.
Jim couldn't eat it all and he wasn't in the mood to digest food, so he ate a bag of chips and listened to his dad stumble all over his words.
"Marina's in the car so I have to get going," Sinbad was saying. "Tell Sarah I'm sorry for everything. For leaving, for whatever. Tell her she should get herself a good guy, unlike me, that cares for her. Because she deserves one." Sinbad looked embarrassed for admitting his own wrongdoings. He blinked several times, rapidly. "I'm glad you decided to forgive me. I'm really sorry, I was such a jackass it's not even funny."
Jim shrugged. "You weren't the only jackass. I admit my faults too."
Sinbad ran his hands through his hair, and Jim repeated the action. Sinbad chuckled. "Like father, like son, eh, Jimmy?"
Seeing the look Jim gave him, Sinbad flinched and nodded. "Sorry. Jim."
Jim leaned back in his chair. "A while back, if anybody had said I was like you, I would have beat them up and buried them alive."
Sinbad's cheeks flamed. "Isn't that a bit extreme, Jim?"
Jim shook his head. "I hated you, Dad. I hated you so much I didn't know whether I wanted you to come home, or whether I wanted to strangle you with my bare hands. But then I realized that I should forgive. And as long as I changed my future and made sure I didn't walk out on my own family, I wouldn't be like you."
Jim ran his hands through his hair again, without knowing it, then smiled. "But we're like each other a lot."
"When I was young," Sinbad said, scrutinizing Jim. "I looked a lot like you, boy. I think you'll end up sorta lookin' like me."
"Well, then," Jim teased. "I better save up for plastic surgery."
Sinbad looked startled for a moment, then burst out laughing, slapping Jim heartily on the shoulder. "You never change."
They stared at each other for a long time. Jim remember his promise on the stage, all his childhood trying to please his father, and at last, those bonds were mended. He felt better than he did in a long time. The Crystal Thief was forever gone—hopefully—and he had a nice relaxing evening with Wendy to look forward to after his dad went back to Marina.
Sinbad cleared his throat and stood. "I'm gonna get going." He started out the door. "Need a ride, Jim?" he asked. "Can you walk?"
Jim jerked his chin at Joaquin Street. "It's just down there. I'll walk."
Sinbad nodded. "I'll be emailing, Jim. And don't be a hater like last time."
Jim put on his jacket. "Sure. And be nice to Marina." Jim raised his eyebrows. "Don't walk out on her."
Sinbad nodded, pressing his lips together.
They defenitely did not have that father-son bond most people have. They could barely stand each other. But they had a silent understand caused by a promise on the verge of death.
Both had to remember who they was and who they forever would be.
At home, his mother peppered him with questions, as to how and what had happened, why Jim was drenched.
"I walked home in the rain," Jim replied to her. "I'm gonna go out on the porch and wait for Wendy, okay? You can go to bed."
Jim was sitting outside, in the warm night, rain falling gently from the dark sky.
His phone pinged with a text message.
Girl-in-blue-dress: hey jim. Daddy just came home and he is actually sober for once. I'm coming over, ok?
Jim grinned and texted back.
jHawkinsbro, in reply to Girl-in-blue-dress: i'll meet you halfway.
Girl-in-blue-dress, in reply to jHawkinsbro: you dont have to, jim, im almost there
Jim spotted her walking, in the rain, in a pair of white shorts and a fringed pale pink tank top.
jHawkinsbro: nah. Im coming.
Girl-in-blue-dress: If you are, then i have something to tell u.
Jim laughed and ran through the rain. His hair and jacket and clothes were all wet, and his workboots sloshed through wet grass and mud puddles. He swooped her off the street and spun her around in the air.
Wendy's light brown hair was wet and stuck to her face. She smelled like faint soap and flowers, and she leaned forward and kissed him.
He wrapped his arms around her as they began walking down the driveway towards the Benbow Diner's porch.
"So what is it you wanted to tell me?" Jim looked at Wendy.
She grinned in a mysterious way. "Secret. I was just kidding—I wanted you to get your butt over there and kiss me, Jim."
Jim raised an eyebrow. "Tell me!"
Wendy giggled and began to run away from him, slipping and sliding all over the grass. Jim finally caught up to her, knocking her down. His fingers crept to her sides and he tickled her. The two of them lay there, tangled up in each other, in the rain on the ground.
Jim reached down and kissed her so gently Wendy barely felt it.
"Wimp," she teased him.
"I can go harder," Jim told her.
Wendy narrowed her eyes. "Yeah? Bring it on."
They kissed hard, Jim pushing his hands in and out of Wendy's hair, her fingers shoving against his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
She felt the sturdy coldness underneath.
When they finally broke away, Jim buried his face in her neck. "Tell me now?"
"Okay," Wendy breathed. "I love you."
Jim traced the outline of her lips with his fingers. "I love you too." He smirked. "That's a big thing for me—honestly, I've never told a girl I loved her."
"But you've had other girlfriends, right?" Wendy demanded.
"I never loved them like I loved you," Jim responded.
Wendy swallowed. "Oh." She kissed him harder.
Jim pulled her up slowly, off the ground. "Wanna go in? It's getting cold, and wet, and I hate being cold and wet."
Wendy's teeth were chattering from the rain and she pressed up close to him. Jim pulled off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. "That better?"
Wendy smiled and pulled the ends closer in. "You're such a gentleman."
Jim grinned. "I know. And I drink tea with my pinky out."
Wendy burst out laughing. "My, my. You're so cute, you know that? I'm so lucky to have you as my boyfriend."
Jim smiled. "Yeah, you are."
Wendy swatted him.
He held the door open, and the two of them went in.
"Wanna spend the night?" Jim asked her when she handed his coat back. "Like, in my room? Just to stay?"
Wendy smiled. She couldn't think of anything more she wanted to do so bad. "Absolutely."
She kept hearing what Jim said over and over in her head:
Honestly, I've never told a girl I loved her.
But you've had other girlfriends, right?
I never loved them like I love you.
The lights were all I saw.
-Ariel
"Ariel!" Jasmine, one of Ariel's best friends, beckoned to her from the YMCA entrance.
Ariel glanced in that direction. "What the hell...?"
She had climbed out from the pool at her local YMCA dripping with chlorine, arm and leg mucles aching, but feeling great about her laps and her time.
Coach Shang had been very happy with her time, and told her to keep practicing.
Jasmine didn't have a prayer, Ariel thought, her competetiveness kicking in. She was the one going to the Olympics, if Coach Shang believed in her and she practiced hard enough.
She was the most dedicated out of all the sisters to swimming.
Ariel wore her bathing suit under her acid-wash denim shorts and her white off-the-shoulder Adam and the Beasty Boys band t-shirt.
She was headed for her clunky car, parked across the street. But instead, she waited for Jasmine to run to her.
"Ariel, my dad dropped me off and an urgent meeting came up. Could you please give me a ride home?" Jasmine requested.
Ariel nodded. "Sure."
They headed for Ariel's car, and Jasmine climbed into the passenger side. "Let's turn on the radio," Jasmine told Ariel. Ariel obliged.
As they were listening to Pitbull and Avril Lavigne on the radio, they heard the bellow of a truck near the left side as they went down the lonely lane towards Jasmine's isolated mansion owned by her mega-rich father.
The truck was spinning out of control. Ariel just had time to see the yellow lights spread out across the windshield and catch the driver's shocked expression and hear Jasmine's piercing scream next to her before the truck and her car collided and she blacked out.
Uh-oh. What will become of Ariel Triton? The girl who had a chance at the Swimming Olympics? What happened to Jasmine? Will anyone die? How will this affect Arista?
Okay. So, there's that. And I thought the song "Car Crash" by Our Lady Peace would go well with Ariel's accident. Oh well. Mwahahahahah! What wil happen? Review and you'll find out!
And sorry for the long Italics thing I did for Jim. But I hope you guys overall enjoyed this chapter.
Like I said before, 5 more reviews and I'll update.
Bye!
-Crystal