Quasimodo's house was small and in a run-down neighborhood. The house's gray paint was chipping off in chunks and the yard was overrun by tall, dead grass. There was another car parked in the driveway that had more rust than paint on it.
Esmeralda sighed and got out of her car. Her high-heeled sandals clicked against the cement driveway and she did her best to avoid the cracks. This was the last place she wanted to be tonight, but she had to pick up her homework so she could turn it tomorrow. Normally she met with Quasimodo behind the library, but today he told her she had to meet him at his house. He didn't give a reason, which only annoyed Esmeralda more. Still, she needed her homework, so she didn't have any other choice but to meet him here.
When she knocked on the screen door, she heard dogs start barking in the house. A few moments later, the door opened and Quasimodo appeared on the other side of the screen door.
"Oh. Hello, Esmeralda," he greeted.
Three dogs flanked him and started barking at Esmeralda. She took a step back and they jumped at the screen.
"I'm so sorry," Quasimodo muttered. He grabbed two of the dogs by the collar and pulled them away from the door. "Hugo! Victor! Get back! You, too, Laverne!" The dogs listened to him and wandered back inside the house. Quasimodo opened the screen door. "Won't you come in?"
Esmeralda took another step back. "I can't. I'm allergic to dogs." That was a lie, but she'd take any excuse not to have to go into his house. She just wanted to get her homework and leave.
"Oh." Quasimodo let the door close between them. "I didn't know that, I'm sorry. I'll just go get your homework."
"Thanks."
Quasimodo disappeared into the house. He returned a couple minutes later with her binder. He opened the screen door a crack and handed her the binder.
"Thanks a lot, Quasi," she told him.
Quasimodo blushed. "It's no problem at all."
They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Esmeralda cleared her throat. "Well, I should get going. My mom will worry if I'm out too late."
Quasimodo nodded. "Of course. Good night, Esmeralda."
"Good night." Esmeralda hurried back to her car. Once inside, she tossed her binder in the backseat and backed out of the driveway.
She didn't actually have to be home by any certain time, even though it was a school night. But, she didn't really have anywhere else to go, either. There were no parties on Thursday nights and no one went to clubs during the week. She thought about going to Jasmine's, but she kind of remembered Jasmine saying she was hanging out with Aladdin tonight. She briefly thought about meeting up with Phoebus, but then remembered she was still mad at him for ditching her the other night. She hasn't really even talked to him since Monday night. She decided to drag this out a couple more days, until Phoebus felt bad enough to apologize to her for leaving her stranded at the diner.
Esmeralda slowed to a stop at a red light and tapped her fingers against her steering wheel. Now what? She was a celebrity and famous, but she didn't have anyone to hang out with for a night? How did that happen? How can so many people love her, but at the end of the day she had no one to spend time with?
XXX
Friday morning before school, Aurora and Phillip met up with Proteus and Ramses at a little café in Camelot. Since their meeting on Tuesday, Phillip and Proteus had been talking a lot about their plans for the lock-in. As far as Aurora knew, though, they hadn't actually told anyone else about the plan.
When they arrived at the café, they found Proteus and Ramses sitting at a table outside. There were a few other people at the café; most of them looked like they were probably students at Camelot High.
"Good morning," Phillip greeted them.
Proteus smiled up at them. "Good morning. I'm glad you made it."
Phillip and Aurora sat down across from them. "Of course."
"We weren't sure what you guys like, so we got you egg sandwiches," Proteus said, pointing at two steaming sandwiches on plates. "We just got them, so they should still be hot."
"Thank you," Aurora said. She took a bite of the sandwich and couldn't help letting out a small mmmm of approval. "This is delicious."
Proteus laughed. "Those are Ramses' favorite. He swears by them."
Aurora nodded. "I can see why. I vote we start having all of our meetings here."
"Speaking of which: we should get started so none of us are late for school," Ramses reminded them.
Phillip nodded. "So, Proteus and I may have finally agreed on a date for the lock-in." He exchanged a look with Proteus. "We've decided to make it part of our Homecoming activities. Since Homecoming is the same week for Andalasia and Camelot."
"Right," Proteus agreed. "We play each other on Saturday and then each school has their dance that night. So, we've decided to do the lock-in Friday night."
Aurora bit her lip. "Are you sure about that? School spirit is pretty high during Homecoming week. And the rival between our schools is even more intense during then."
"Exactly," Proteus stated, with a smile. "More people will show up represent their school and show off their school spirit. Plus, everyone always participates in Homecoming activities. I guarantee most, if not all, of both senior classes will show up."
"That makes sense," Ramses admitted.
"Proteus and I will talk to our principals today and solidify the plans," Phillip said. "Then we'll make the announcement to our schools Tuesday morning."
"Sounds like a good plan," Ramses told them.
"I have to admit, this actually sounds like it might be fun," Aurora agreed.
Phillip put his arm around her shoulders. "That's the spirit, Aurora. We're gonna need that enthusiasm to get everyone in our class on board."
Aurora pulled out her phone and checked the calendar. "Homecoming Week starts on October fifth. So, the lock-in will be on the ninth." She counted out the weeks. "Five weeks from today."
"If we pull this off, this could become a Homecoming tradition for both schools every year," Proteus said.
"If?" Phillip repeated. "Of course we'll pull this off. What could possibly go wrong?"
Aurora laughed. "Famous last words."