"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'm comin' out, so you better get the party started!" Charlotte trilled as she danced around Aurora's room. Aurora and Snow laughed as the she jumped around and tried to imitate P!nk's pouty face (it came off as more of a grimace), continuing the song. "I'm comin' out, you better-!"
Jasmine crossed her arms. "I thought you didn't like P!nk?"
"Ugh, I know... But some of her older stuff is growing on me." Then Charlotte disappeared into the bathroom, which echoed her already bad singing in an even more unflattering way. "Get the party started on a Saturday night..."
As she continued to sing, all the girls shared a look and tried to stifle a laugh. Ariel couldn't control her giggle. Someone really had to tell Charlotte how bad she was. Everyone knew it wouldn't keep her from auditioning for the musical, like every year.
"Lottie, do you have to get ready now? The party doesn't start for another eight hours." Aurora called after her tone-deaf friend.
Charlotte poked her head out of the door. "I'm just so excited! Couldn't we girls go out to the mall or something? Get lunch, maybe some party outfits?"
Aurora shrugged. "I could certainly ask dad. Does everyone have spending money?"
When all of the girls nodded, Aurora hopped off the bed and skipped out to the living room. Ariel strolled over to the bathroom door. Charlotte was fussing over her makeup.
"Lottie? You planning on doing the musical this year?"
"Of course! Chorus needs some stronger voices."
Ariel couldn't keep the surprised look off her face. "You don't want a lead?"
"Nah. I've never gotten one before; doubt this year will be any different. Some people just aren't meant for the spotlight, I guess..." Charlotte sighed.
Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Says co-captain of the cheer squad."
Charlotte giggled. "Ooh, that reminds me! I've already got a new routine thought up! I was gonna bring it up to Rorie- Oh! There she is!"
Aurora had just returned and now had her eyes fixed on Charlotte in mock suspicion. "What is it?"
"I was just telling the girls about this routine I thought up."
"For cheer?" Aurora's voice was muffled as she changed her shirt.
"Yeah!"
Aurora pulled on a pink V-neck and sighed. "Let's talk about it later. I don't want to think about any kind of work right now."
"Kk, Rorie." Charlotte came from the bathroom with one of Aurora's t-shirts. It was black with a purple dragon printed on the front. "Can I borrow this?"
Aurora flushed at the sight of the shirt and snatched it. "No. Uh..." She traded it out with another tee, which was bubblegum pink with an owl on it. "Take that one."
"Ooh, yay!" Charlotte didn't even seem phased by Aurora's weird behavior.
The other girls studied her though. And she felt their eyes on her, and they knew this because she was focusing on her shoes as she headed to the bathroom to change into some jeans. Jasmine was the first to speak up.
"Where's that shirt from, Rorie?"
Aurora rolled her eyes. Jasmine could be so nosy.
"Yeah, I've never seen it before..." Ariel added.
Damn it, so could Ariel…Aurora took a deep breath before exiting the bathroom in a pair of faded blue high-waisted jeans. "It's old; it was a gift."
Jasmine raised one elegant eyebrow. "Looks a bit big for you..."
Everyone waited for a reply. Aurora just looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, she said, "Uh...my dad picked it up from some shop, on a business trip. I use it for pajamas."
The others didn't look convinced, but they dropped it. Aurora hid her relief by looking for the car keys in her purse. As the other girls started getting ready for the day, Aurora silently wished Cindy hadn't left so early that morning. Cindy would've sensed trouble and diverted everyone's attention. Now they were all suspicious.
"Rorie?" Snow tapped her shoulder. "Ready?"
Aurora gazed at Snow White as if she didn't recognize her. Then, she smiled in a way that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Of course. Let's go!" Aurora started to lead the girls downstairs to the garage and tried to join in on the excitement of Charlotte, who was babbling in her ear.
Meanwhile, Pocahontas was sitting in her room with Kida and Nakoma. She looked up from her phone and spoke. "John just texted me about a party at Phillip's tonight. You guys wanna go?"
"Oh, yeah! Thomas sent me something about that last night. I'm down." Nakoma replied.
Kida bit her lip. "Do you think Milo would go?"
Pocahontas laughed. "I doubt it. Parties don't really seem like his thing... But you should invite him anyway."
Nakoma cast a doubtful look at Kida. "Do you really like him?"
"I don't know!" Kida covered her face with both of her hands. "I've never felt like this before! You guys know me, I never even look at guys. But something about Milo is so... He's just very sweet and...adorable. And, so smart, you know?"
"But he's...awkward." Nakoma pulled a face. "No, awkward's not even the right word for it…"
Pocahontas rolled her eyes. Nakoma had done this same thing when Pocahontas had started dating John. In fact, almost everyone she knew had. She knew how it felt to have everyone judge who you loved. "I'm sure he'll warm up to us eventually. Remember how Meg was when we first met her? Or Flynn?" Pocahontas pointed out.
Kida smiled gratefully at Pocahontas. Sometimes it really seemed that the two of them were the closer friends, even though Pocahontas and Nakoma had actually grown up together. Nakoma was practically family, so Pocahontas treated her as such. But when she needed some judgment-free support, Kida and Mulan were who she typically leaned on.
Nakoma shrugged and fidgeted with her crop top, unconvinced. Pocahontas rolled her eyes again and turned to Kida.
"It's open invite. Go ahead and ask him."
Kida grinned and reached for her phone. As she typed rapidly, Pocahontas felt her own phone start buzzing and looked at it. Mulan was calling her. She smiled and picked it up.
"Hey, Mu. You going tonight?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Yup. Are you coming over here or what?"
"On my way now… Trying not to die before I get to you..." There was a soft murmuring in the background and Mulan sighed. "Of course I believe in the lucky cricket, gramma..."
Pocahontas chuckled. "See you soon."
"Maybe." Mulan replied morbidly.
About two hours later, Phoebus and Aladdin were bugging Flynn while they strolled through downtown.
"When are you gonna give in and join track?" Phoebus asked.
"We could really use you, man!" Aladdin joined in. "You're the fastest guy we know."
"Guys, organized sports aren't really my thing. Hell, I don't like anything that's organized. Why would I want to join in when I can just lay low?" He snagged an apple from a fruit cart as they passed it. Phoebus rolled his eyes and Aladdin chuckled as they slipped away.
They turned down an alley and kept walking until they came to a dumpster. Above the dumpster was a small window that was half-shaded. Aladdin hopped up onto the dumpster and glanced at the old, rusted fire escape. He grinned down at his two friends before leaping up to grip the bottom of the destroyed ladder. It shook violently with his weight.
"Be careful!" Phoebus hissed.
Aladdin shot him a reassuring grin as he pulled himself up. (The fire escape was so rusted that the ladder never opened any more. The thing didn't get a lot of use any way; half of it was missing.) He scurried up the rest of the structure till he was level with the window. Then he leaned over and started trying to push the window open. Phoebus felt anxiety creep into his chest as half of Aladdin's body hung in the air. Why couldn't Aladdin ever just remember to grab his keys?
Eventually, (mercifully), the window popped open. Aladdin carefully pulled himself up onto the sill. From his seat there, he sent them a thumbs-up. Flynn laughed as he and Phoebus went to the front door of the complex.
"What's so funny?" Phoebus asked.
"Your face..." Flynn giggled.
Phoebus shook his head and smirked as they headed up the dimly lit stairs to the right of the lobby. Everything in this place was dimly lit, and very old. Phoebus didn't want to know what stories the shag carpet could tell.
They reached the door to Aladdin's apartment and performed their secret knock. Aladdin laughed as he let them in. He locked the door after them and they all headed to the kitchen. Flynn already had the Oreos out. Phoebus and Aladdin went for the first bag of chips they could find.
"Your dad's not home?" Flynn asked Aladdin.
"Nah. He's not gonna be till, like..." Aladdin thought about it. "Wednesday? Yeah, Wednesday."
"Ah."
Phoebus took a seat on the couch, which was pulled out into a bed. The wall opposite him would open up to reveal a cramped bathroom.
Aladdin lived in a studio apartment, provided by his dad. It was kind of big for a studio, but that was only because when this side of the apartment complex burned down years ago, renovations were made. So, the kitchen was added.
Aladdin's relationship with his father- Cassim- was strained. Aladdin didn't even know who the man was until high school had started. Cassim had vanished shortly after Aladdin was born, and didn't learn for many years that Aladdin's mother had died when he was very little. Aladdin bounced around in the system for most of his life, until- out of nowhere- Cassim swooped back in with a suspicious amount of money, wanting to do better by his son. Of course, Aladdin didn't trust the guy as far as he could throw him. But Cassim paid for Aladdin to live in this apartment- he'd tried to push Aladdin to live in a nicer part of town, but Aladdin refused to take more from his dad than he was comfortable with- and for him to attend Disney Academy, where he became fast friends with Flynn, and then eventually merged into his current group of friends (via Phoebus). To this day, Aladdin didn't seek much of a relationship with his father, as he was still absent most of the time.
Phoebus didn't have many nice words to say about the man, but at least Aladdin's life wasn't what it had been.
Aladdin turned on the radio before joining Flynn and Phoebus on the couch. Phoebus was laughing and tossing chips at Flynn. Flynn acted wounded by this before returning fire dramatically with an Oreo.
"Hey, did John text you guys last night about Phillip's party?" Phoebus asked.
They both nodded in response.
"Well, are we going?"
Aladdin shrugged and nodded. "Sure."
"I don't see why not." Flynn said.
"Cool. I'll text Esmeralda..."
"She already knows."
Phoebus looked at Aladdin in confusion. "She does?"
"Yeah. I texted her last night to let her know, and she said one of the guys already told her."
"One of the guys...?"
"It doesn't matter any way." Flynn cut in. "She has work tonight, remember?"
"Oh. Right." Phoebus stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "Well, what time do you guys wanna go?"
"Let's head out at ten, I guess." Aladdin said after a moment.
"Cool." Pheobus replied, distracted by the radio.
"Cool..." Flynn echoed, stuffing another cookie into his mouth.
At this moment, Aurora was looking at Jasmine disapprovingly. Jasmine had picked another cropped top, but this one was a deep purple color, and had off-the shoulder straps. She also picked out some matching pants. Jasmine put her hands on her hips and returned Aurora's look.
"What?" Jasmine asked with mock sass.
Aurora made a big show of rolling her eyes, earning a laugh from Jasmine, then turned to Ariel. The redhead had found some jeans that were tie-dyed with blues and greens and had big rips all around, as well as an oversized purple sweatshirt, which looked cozy and, frankly, adorable on her. She'd also grabbed a purple cropped tank and some matching flats. She was examining a teal beanie, and clearly struggling to decide if it matched her vibe for the night. It wasn't Ariel's usual style, but it suited her any way.
Aurora's gaze wandered to Charlotte, who had seemed to find something outlandish and pink enough to suit her needs. She was looking into another pair of pink heels.
Snow had decided on a bright yellow blouse, which had been tucked into a deep blue skirt. She'd also found some yellow patent-leather flats. Aurora laughed as Snow twirled around in front of a mirror before looking at necklaces. She watched Snow pick one up with a bright red pendant shaped like an apple.
"It's cute." Aurora spoke up.
Snow sighed. "The irony..."
Aurora herself had picked out a nice powder blue dress, which bared her shoulders and had 3/4 sleeves. The pleated skirt brushed against her knees. She'd also found some nice blue suede pumps that matched.
Jasmine slipped on her same shimmery gold flats from before. She didn't seem interested in accessories today. Then again, Aurora couldn't remember a time when Jasmine wasn't wearing her signature headband and gold jewelry.
Charlotte squealed. "You guys look so beautiful! Who are we all trying to impress tonight?"
Jasmine laughed. "No one."
"Well..." Ariel trailed off guiltily.
Everyone stared at her.
"Okay!" She burst out. "Eric. It's Eric."
No one was surprised.
"That explains the outfit." Aurora smirked.
Ariel looked down at herself, her head hidden by the beanie. "Yeah... I actually do like the clothes, though..."
Aurora's gaze traveled to Snow, whose eyes were downcast. "What about you, Snow?"
Snow looked up, trying not to smile. "Well...there is one boy..."
"Ferdinand." Aurora stated plainly.
"Is it that obvious?" Snow looked scared. "Do you think he noticed?"
"I'm sure he did. But I'm also sure he likes you too, so you're fine." Aurora smirked.
Snow beamed. "Really? But he's so much older..."
"He's only a junior. He's also a very sweet, hopeless romantic. Don't be intimidated. Take tonight as a chance to get close to him."
Snow smiled.
"And what about you, Rorie?" Charlotte grinned. "Is tonight the night to get close to Phillip?"
"Oooooooh...!" Everyone chorused.
Aurora shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe."
"Oh, please!" Charlotte scoffed. "None of us can take the suspense anymore!"
Aurora laughed. "Well, it's not that simple, you know? I mean…we've never really talked about it. How we feel…" Aurora's stomach was turning, and she hoped none of them could sense her unease.
"Because you have this unspoken bond!" Charlotte gushed. "So cute."
"Come on, Rorie. We can all see how much you mean to each other." Jasmine spoke up. "Maybe tonight is the night you finally have that talk."
Aurora turned away so that they couldn't see her face, pretending to look over some tops on the rack behind her.
"And Eric always tells me how fun he is! And how caring and devoted he is..." Ariel sighed. "Just like Eric..."
Aurora rolled her eyes before her mind traveled. She liked Phillip. She really did. He was one of the people she trusted the most, one of the few people allowed to know her truest self. He was probably the one of her friends that she felt the safest with. And for a while, she did believe he was the only boy she could imagine being with, had imagined a future with…
There was only one other person she could say that about…
She shook her head. Half of her thought, It doesn't matter now, let it go… But the other half would never let her forget... And she knew that if Phillip were to find out, he wouldn't be able to forget it either. It would change everything. She could lose him…
So yeah, she liked Phillip. But did she like him enough to risk another heartbreak? She wasn't sure. If something went wrong, she didn't think she could handle a life without him around…
"Let's grab dinner before we head back to your place, Rorie." Charlotte brought her out of her reverie.
Aurora nodded. "Let's go to one of the restaurants, though. I don't want any more crap from the food court."
They bought their clothes and wore them out of the store. They hurried out to Aurora's car and she drove them through town.
"There's that new place, Hatter 'n' Hare's... Heard they have good tea." Jasmine suggested.
"And I heard the place is a nightmare and the owner's an absolute whackadoodle." Charlotte said in response.
"There's De Vil's..." Snow chimed in.
"No. I'm not interested in supporting that awful woman." Aurora stopped herself there, but she could certainly keep going if she was of the mind to.
Cruella De Vil was an unbelievably rich woman with properties all over the city- the restaurant, a salon, clothing boutiques, and even a modeling agency. It was impossible to avoid seeing her name if you were in Buena Vista. Most of the girls in town had experienced the mortification of being gifted a cheaply manufactured De Vil-brand tchotchke by a clueless partner or family member at least once.
Aurora sighed when she spotted Snow's face in the rearview mirror. Of course she hadn't meant anything by it.
"I'm sorry. I just don't support her or any of the things she stands for." Animal cruelty and eating disorders, just to name a few…
"It's okay." Snow chirped.
"Well, there's Mushu's..." Ariel started.
"We ordered from there last night." Jasmine cut her off. When everyone groaned, she added, "Hey, we could've gotten sushi. But noooooo."
Aurora laughed. Suddenly, Charlotte bounced forward. "We could go to where Tia works! It's a diner, they have all kinds of stuff! Also, I wanna try to convince her to come to the party."
"Any objections?" When everyone shook their heads, Aurora went in the direction of Duke's Diner. "Can Tiana drive herself, Lottie? 'Cause the car's already packed and we still have to pick up Giselle."
"Yeah, I think she can."
"I thought Edward was driving Giselle?" Jasmine asked.
Aurora shook her head. "He's helping the guys with set-up."
Naveen was trying not to drop a crate of beer as he traversed his way across the cluttered living room floor. He managed to make it to the kitchen with no trouble and carefully set the crate on the counter. He opened it up and started to pile the bottles into the cooler next to him. Then he buried them in ice. Hercules rushed past him, his arms loaded with boxes of soda and bags of chips. While he was handling that, Charming was bustling around cleaning up after everyone else's preparation efforts.
When Charming came into the living room, he glanced over at Edward and Phillip, who were handling decorations. Edward was up on a ladder papering the walls while Phillip put in colored lightbulbs and adjusted the intensity of the lights.
"How's it going up there?" Charming grinned.
"Great! This is gonna look awesome!" Phillip returned the grin.
Eric came rushing in from the backyard. "Pool and patio are all set up. Herc, we need snacks out on the patio tables." As Hercules hurried outside, Eric turned his attention to Charming. "Your cousin is really brilliant with the tech stuff."
"Yeah? Ferdinand's always been good with wires and things. Did he set up the audio to reach through the whole house?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna head back out and help him with tonight's playlist. The dude knows great music, too." Eric strolled back out just as Hercules sped his way back in and through to the kitchen.
Phillip looked up from his phone, which he'd been checking. "Rorie says the girls just left dinner. They're going back to her place to finish getting ready."
"Cool. What time is it?"
"9...0...7." Phillip dragged it out as he fiddled with a lightbulb.
Charming sighed as he started hooking up the Kinect. (He figured it would be fun for a party.) "Awesome." The evening hadn't even begun and he was already exhausted.
Aurora groaned at the sight of herself in the mirror. Snow, who sat at the vanity with her, glanced at her through the glass while she curled her eyelashes.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't think this lipstick's working for me..."
"What do you mean? It's pink. You always wear pink." Ariel was standing behind them and running a brush through her thick waves of hair.
"I know... I'm kind of bored with it."
Snow smirked at the gleam in Aurora's eyes. "Maybe a red would work better?"
"You think?"
"Here. I picked this out for you today. As a surprise." Snow pulled an elegant gold tube from her purse and held it out to Aurora.
Aurora stared at it, then looked doubtfully at Snow.
Snow laughed. "It'll be perfect. Clean your lips up and I'll show you a technique to help it last all night."
Aurora squeaked and excitedly scrubbed her lips clean. Jasmine and Ariel kept messing with their hair and applying lip gloss. Charlotte was in the bathroom doing God-knows-what. Snow was finishing with her mascara. After helping Aurora with her lipstick, she quickly did her own.
Aurora stared at herself for a moment. It was a daring shade of red (in Aurora's opinion). Next to her, Snow squealed excitedly.
"You look like Marylin Monroe..." Snow chirped as she fidgeted with her hair ribbon.
A smile teased Aurora's ruby lips. She totally did.
"Charlotte! It's 9:45! We have to pick up Giselle!" Ariel called to the bathroom door.
As if on cue, Charlotte came bursting out, face painted and hair stacked on top of her head. Everyone clapped daintily in response.
Charlotte curtsied. "Why, thank you."
"Can we head out?" Ariel asked as she pulled her beanie over her head.
"Sure." Aurora snatched the keys out of her purse, handing her phone to the redhead. Ariel had pockets and she didn't.
Ariel stashed both of their phones as the group headed downstairs. As they pulled out of the driveway, Charlotte stood up through the sunroof and threw up her arms with a scream.
"FIRST PARTY OF THE YEAR! WHOOOOOOOOO!"
Charlotte continued this for a little too long, and Aurora had to tug on her skirt to let her know to get down. After Charlotte was seated and the sunroof was closed, Aurora turned around and said, "Which we won't get to if we're dead."
They arrived at Giselle's house and pulled up the driveway. Aurora honked twice, giving Giselle the signal. The auburn-haired girl came skipping down the driveway and climbed into the car. After some adjustments, Aurora drove off to Phillip's. She tried to focus on driving while everyone around her shrieked and giggled. Someone kept kicking her seat.
She tried not to sigh out loud when they reached Phillip's driveway. She headed down the long stretch of cobblestones and stopped in the courtyard. The guys all had their cars parked in a line near the ornate fountain. She pulled up to continue the line.
Charlotte clapped. "I'd almost forgotten how amazing this place is!"
"Wow..." Snow kept mumbling.
"I know. We haven't been here since his party at the end of last year!" Ariel felt ashamed.
They all clambered out of the car. A couple of the girls were tripping over themselves and Snow all but fell. They all screeched with laughter as they approached the front door, which was grand and intricate like everything else surrounding them. The door opened just as Aurora was trying to shush the others while also struggling to stifle her own laughter. She looked up and was greeted by Phillip's warm smile.
"Hey, Rorie..."
"Hey..." She couldn't keep the big, dumb grin off her face.
They smiled at each other for a few seconds. Charlotte cleared her throat behind Aurora.
"Oh! Hey guys!" He looked back at the others. "Come on in! You're the first ones here."
"Snacks are in here!" Hercules called from the kitchen, which is where the girls gravitated to.
Phillip shut the door and followed them. Hercules was showing them the tables full of various snack foods. Charlotte clapped.
"Ooh, Herc! It all looks great!"
"Yeah? I've been organizing for the last, like, hour..."
"And re-organizing, and re-re-organizing..." Phillip added as he appeared behind Aurora. Everyone laughed. "But, seriously, dude. It looks great. Quit stressing."
"Heh...okay."
"Is Eric around?" Ariel asked.
"He's outside with Ferdinand." Phillip replied.
"Great!" Ariel cried, grabbing Snow's hand and dragging her out back.
Aurora rolled her eyes. She heard Phillip chuckle and realized he was next to her now. She turned to share a smile with him.
"Oh! Herc, can your biceps get any bigger?" Charlotte trilled as she gripped at one of his arms.
He tried to hide his discomfort by laughing. "Thanks, Lottie... You know, Charlie might need help with set-up... I'm gonna go check." He slipped out of the room.
Charlotte watched him go and sighed. Aurora took a step toward her friend.
"Since when are you into Hercules?"
"What? He's cute, and a total sweetheart. Besides, I'm just wanting to have a little fun tonight..." Charlotte shrugged mildly.
Aurora shook her head, but couldn't contain her smirk. Charlotte was definitely not a relationship person, as much as she would like to be.
She turned toward the living room to see Phillip, Hercules and Charming fussing around with some cables to start the music up. Edward and Giselle were seated on the couch, snuggling. Jasmine had disappeared to the backyard. Charlotte brushed past Aurora and joined the lovebirds on the couch to laugh at the boys. Charming looked up at Phillip.
"Where's Naveen?"
"I think he's outside..."
"I thought he was ordering the pizzas?"
"He is."
"Why did he go outside to-?"
An explosion of rock music shook the house to its foundation and made everyone violently jump. They all clapped their hands over their ears except for Ferdinand, who had just rushed inside and was now adjusting the volume. He was also apologizing profusely, though no one could hear him.
It was 10:39 when Pocahontas was rushed out to her car by Nakoma and Kida. Mulan was already standing next to the vehicle. While the other three climbed in, Pocahontas whirled around and called to her father, who was sitting on the porch with someone.
"What time should I be home, dad?"
"About 1, I suppose."
"Really?"
"Sure! It's a Saturday!"
"Thank you, dad!" She skipped over to the car and hopped into the driver's seat. As she shut the door, Nakoma leaned over from the front passenger seat.
"Who's that guy with your dad?"
"Some intern for the company."
"He's handsome." Nakoma winked.
Pocahontas rolled her eyes. "He also takes himself way too seriously."
The other girls laughed as they buckled up. Pocahontas sent her dad a quick wave before pulling out of the slim driveway and taking off down the dirt road.
"Kida, are we picking Milo up, too?"
"Yes, please."
"You got his address?"
Kida directed Pocahontas to Milo's. When they found their way to the simple apartment complex, Kida texted Milo to let him know they were there. After a few moments, he came rushing out. Kida opened the door for him and he slid in next to her and Mulan.
"We ready to go?" Pocahontas asked.
"Yeah!" Everyone chimed.
The drive was a little long, since Pocahontas had to go pretty far out of her way to get Milo. But along the way there was plenty of interesting conversation.
"So, Milo, I didn't know you lived downtown." Mulan said. He actually didn't live too far from her place.
"Yeah. I live with my grandpa."
"Not with your parents?" Nakoma asked. Then she caught Kida's murderous glare. "What?"
Milo softly chuckled. "It's okay, Kida." He looked at Nakoma. "My parents died when I was really little."
"Oh."
"Yeah... I don't really remember them."
A heavy silence settled in the car. Pocahontas slowly reached over and turned the radio on. They still had a way to go...
Meg also happened to be driving.
"Phoebus, I'm on my way right now!"
"Oh shit, are you driving?!"
"Yes! I have the phone on speaker."
"Oh, okay. How far are you?"
"I'll be there in five minutes!" She hit the "End" button and sighed. She was speeding her way down the back roads, turning dangerously in her beat-up old Chevy. When her phone started ringing again, she groaned and all but smashed the "Pick Up" button.
"What?"
"Hello to you too!" Esmeralda cheered.
"Aren't you at work?"
"I'm on a break. I get back to it in 20 minutes."
"What time do you get off?"
"One."
"So I'll come get you around...?"
"1:30."
"Alright. See you then."
"Wait!"
"What?!"
"You can't talk to me for a bit?"
"Esme, I'm driving!"
"Oh, shit. Sorry! I'll leave you alone. See you!"
Meg hung up quickly and rolled her eyes. All her friends were crazy.
When Pocahontas parked outside Phillip's house, she saw John and Thomas waiting for them by the fountain. She followed the others away from the car and walked into John's open arms.
As their group headed toward the house (or rather, mansion), John reached over and gripped her hand. She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. When she looked toward him, she saw that he was staring at her and felt her face flush. John always stared at her, even if she was dressed casually like right now. Her hair was loosely braided and draped over her shoulder. She hadn't even bothered with makeup tonight.
She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't shake the feeling of his eyes blatantly roaming over her body. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling, by any means. It only surprised her that she wasn't used to it by now; how John would make it so obvious how much he wanted her, no matter where they were or who they were with.
She felt someone tap her shoulder and turned her head vaguely to signal that she was listening.
"What was the name of the guy at your house?" Nakoma asked.
"Um... Kocoum? I think."
"There's a guy at your house?" John demanded, withdrawing his hand.
Unfortunately, this she was entirely used to.
"He was having a meeting or something with my dad. He's an intern."
John nodded, but didn't reach for her again. She tried not to roll her eyes.
Phoebus, along with Flynn, John, Aladdin, and Edward, was enjoying himself a little too much on the Kinect playing Dance Riot. The five of them were doing a good job at destroying the synchronization to "We Are Family". Everyone had gathered in the living room to watch and laugh. Ferdinand had even stopped the music temporarily in honor of the sight. Right now he and Snow were chatting. Snow's giggles were a good indication that the conversation was going well, and Aurora grinned at this.
Aurora kept catching Phillip staring at her, and she couldn't help but smile at him. He was so cute, and sweet...and honest... No. Aurora shook her head. Don't give in so easily…
Meg was greeted outside by Pocahontas, who dragged her in to where the guys were putting on their show. Even Meg had to laugh as they fumbled and sang along as horribly as possible. She felt her smile melt away as she became very aware of eyes on her. But, oddly enough, not on her outfit or her body. On her face. She glanced over at Hercules, who smiled and waved timidly, with those bright blue eyes. She knew her heart was beating too fast.
The big lug... She playfully rolled her eyes before sending him a short, firm salute and a smirk. He laughed and looked down at his feet. She fought a smile as she made her way across the room to him. When she tapped his shoulder, he looked surprised. Then he just smiled.
"Hey, Meg..."
"Hey. You wanna lead me to these snacks people keep going on about?"
"Sure!" He beamed as he led her to the kitchen. She almost lost control of her grin.
The guys had finished their song and everyone was cheering. Ferdinand's voice filled the air as he took up a microphone. "All right, the Kinect will be open all night. But I'm gonna get the music playing again!"
Everyone cheered again in approval as the music started back up. Aurora checked her watch. Almost eleven. She'd have to leave to pick up Cindy in about fifteen minutes. She heard a shriek and looked up to see Edward lifting Giselle up in the air and spinning with her. Giselle continued to screech but she was also laughing, so Aurora figured she was alright.
Aurora took the opportunity to glance around. Ariel was leading Eric back outside, followed by Charlotte and Naveen. Jasmine was chatting with Nakoma and Thomas. Aladdin was giving Jasmine a love-struck look, but most boys did. Flynn and Phoebus were debating whether or not they should do another song. John and Pocahontas were settled near her, with him in a chair and Pocahontas sitting on his lap. Kida was dragging Milo around everywhere with lighted eyes. Milo seemed to be humoring her, but he also seemed anxious.
It's probably his first party... She realized. She had to smile. He and Kida would be cute together.
She glanced toward the door. Phillip was welcoming other guests. Gaston strolled in with his bimbo entourage. They were followed by a girl with wild, carrot-colored curls and another girl with giant green eyes and a thick, golden braid that reached almost to her ankles. The blonde looked familiar...she was a new student. She also looked very excited. Aurora grinned. Then she saw Flynn start making his way over to the girl and felt her stomach clench.
Without thinking, she jumped up and almost ran over to the girl before Flynn could get within arm's reach.
"Hi. I'm Aurora." She held her hand out to the girl.
"Oh! I've heard about you! I'm Rapunzel." Rapunzel shook Aurora's hand vigorously.
Aurora grinned, ignoring Flynn as she and Rapunzel brushed past him. The red-headed girl followed them out to the backyard. Rapunzel stopped on the patio and gestured to her.
"This is Merida. We've been best friends for years!"
"Hiya." The girl with the ginger curls waved shortly.
"Nice to meet you, Merida. You know I haven't seen you two around before this year..."
"I just transferred from Pixar High." Merida replied.
"And I've actually been home-schooled my whole life!" Rapunzel added.
Aurora's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"
"Yeah. My mom's, like, way over-protective. But her business started really taking off over the summer, sooo...here I am."
"What grade are you guys in?"
"I'm a sophomore." Merida answered.
"Oh, me too!" Aurora smiled.
"I'm a senior." Rapunzel said.
Aurora was surprised once again. "Really? Wow."
"I know. I look a lot younger." Rapunzel laughed.
This was correct. She was quite petite, and obviously energetic, with rounded features and a youthful, girly style. Aurora would have assumed she was a sophomore as well, but no older than that.
"Well, you picked a good year to join the world." Aurora joked, then inwardly cringed.
"I know! I'm so excited! I wanna join the cheer team so bad!" Rapunzel was oblivious to the awkwardness.
"Well, coincidentally, I'm co-captain of cheer."
"No way!"
"Yeah!"
Merida rolled her eyes and excused herself to get a drink.
When she entered, she was immediately greeted by Mulan, who grinned.
"Hey, Merida!"
"Oh, hi!" Merida gave her a quick hug. "Do you know where I can get a drink?"
"Like, a soda? Or, like, a beer?"
"What do you think?"
Mulan laughed and led Merida into the kitchen. She reached into an ice bucket and pulled a bottle out for Merida. The redhead took it gratefully and twisted the cap right off, taking a deep gulp. Mulan laughed again.
"You Scotts really like to drink, huh?"
Merida sighed in satisfaction and set her bottle on the counter. She turned to Mulan in mock seriousness. "No, it's the Irish who like to drink. We Scotts like to fight."
Mulan shook her head. "So glad to see that sarcasm isn't lost on you."
The two girls laughed, drawing attention from around the room. John and Pocahontas appeared behind Mulan. John clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Mu."
"Oh, hey guys! This is Merida; She's joining the soccer team. She's really good. Merida, this is Pocahontas and John."
"Hiya." Merida said with a crooked smile.
"Hey." Pocahontas grinned back, then looked up at John. "Why don't you go find Shang? I'm gonna chill here."
"Okay..." John disappeared outside.
Pocahontas took a seat with the other two at the counter and sighed. "I thought he'd never leave me alone." She turned to Mulan. "He's finding Shang for you, by the way."
"Oh, cool. But what's going on with you two?"
"He's all upset about Kocoum being at the house because Nakoma can't keep her mouth shut. Now he's pouting."
Mulan shook her head. "And I guess talking about it is out of the question?"
Pocahontas shrugged. "It's…not likely."
"You two can't keep going on like this, you know."
"Mu…"
"What? It's like he keeps trying to…tame you, or whatever. And then gets upset when you don't fit his rigid ideals of what a woman should be!"
"Yikes…" Merida muttered, sipping her drink.
"So, Merida, you're joining soccer?" Pocahontas asked, desperate for a subject change.
"Yeah." Merida grinned. "I play with my dad and brothers all the time."
"Do you run pretty fast?"
"I suppose... Why?"
"We could use more people for track and field. Would you be interested?"
"Trying to steal my recruits, huh?"
Pocahontas gave Mulan a little shove. "Maybe. Try not to be so selfish, Mu." They both laughed. "Whattaya say, Merida?"
Merida shrugged and grinned. "I dunno. I'll think about it."
Out in the backyard, a bunch of kids had stripped down and were either running around with water guns or messing around in the pool. Ariel was sitting on the steps, grinning as Eric swam up to her.
"What are you doing over here?" He laughed, settling next to her.
She leaned back against the side and smiled. "Relaxing."
"Come swim with me."
She laughed. "Why? You're doing fine without me."
He grinned devilishly. "Well, what if I get knocked out and go under? I could die!"
She sighed, theatrically throwing her arms up to feign exasperation. "Well, I can't save you all the time!"
He pretended to look frightened. "But I could die!"
"Well, that's a risk you'll have to take!"
He looked shocked and she laughed. He smiled up at her. "Come on, Ariel. You're my lucky charm."
She smirked down at him for a moment. God, he was sweet. She sighed and eased herself off the step. "Okay."
He grinned before following her. They made it to the center of the pool when she felt him grab her ankle. She turned over to see the devious look on his face.
"What are you doing?"
He slowly pulled himself up to her, until their faces were about an inch apart. She pulled her leg out of his grasp and stood up so she could face him better. He grinned down at her, cupping her face with both of his hands. Then he slowly reached down and kissed her softly. She wrapped both of her arms around his neck and pressed herself firmly against him, not even questioning the change of pace. They kissed for a while, until a wayward beachball found its way to Eric's head. He turned quickly to see it had been thrown by Aladdin, standing on the patio with Flynn cackling at his side.
"Get a room, you two!" Aladdin called.
Eric grinned as he offered them his middle finger, sending everyone around into a fit of laughter. Then he turned back to her.
"Maybe later." He winked jokingly.
But Ariel felt herself melt, realizing that there was nothing she wanted more than to have Eric right at that moment. She stood on the tips of her toes and threw her arms around him, kissing him more forcefully than before. This time he was the one to melt.
They didn't seem to notice when they slowly sunk under the water.
"Aren't they cute?" Snow sighed.
Ferdinand laughed. "Yeah. Adorable."
Snow beamed up at him. She loved hearing him talk… with his soft German accent…
They smiled at each other for a moment. Then Aurora walked up to them.
"I'm gonna go get Cindy. Be back in about half an hour."
"Kay." Ferdinand and Snow said simultaneously, not taking their eyes off each other. Aurora nodded and walked away. She passed by Phillip on the way out.
"I have to go pick Cindy up. Let Charlie know she'll be here in the next half hour."
"Okay."
She started heading for the door.
"Uh... Rorie!" He called suddenly, stopping her.
She turned. "Yeah?"
"Can I, uh... Talk to you when you get back?"
She felt her stomach flip, but managed to keep her expression pleasant. "Uh... Sure. Be back soon."
"Okay..."
She took off without turning back.
Cindy sat by her window anxiously, constantly checking the time. She wore her hair down, the soft waves resting on her shoulders. She'd decided to wear her pink sundress again, with flat shoes.
When she saw Aurora's car pull up, she eased the window open and climbed out onto the sill, closing it carefully behind her. She then took a moment to look at the tree she was supposed to climb down.
It looked sturdy enough; The limbs were thick. She stretched out one leg until her foot found the closest limb, then the other. She began an agonizingly slow descent down the tree, which was a lot taller than she or Aurora had calculated.
Aurora watched from her car, keeping an eye on Cindy's feet. She knew that if Cindy fell, it would be her fault for even thinking that climbing the tree was a good plan. She silently prayed that her best friend wouldn't get hurt.
Cindy was halfway down when her foot slipped. She stifled a cry as she went down, throwing up her hands and just barely saving her face from smacking into the tree, though her vision blurred from involuntary tears after her chin made shocking contact with her own knuckles. Her hands were shredded by the gnarled bark as she tried to cling to the body of the tree.
Her fall was stopped within seconds when her torso slammed into a limb only a few feet off the ground. Her legs dangled painfully below her, and her arms were pinned under her chest. She gasped for air and lowered herself so that she hung from the tree limb by her hands. She was only a few feet off the ground now. Without a second thought, she dropped down.
She stumbled and fell to her knees. She tried to catch her breath. Spots swam through her vision as she wrapped her arms around her ribs.
As soon as Cindy had slipped out of her vision, Aurora threw her car door open and rushed across the street. Her legs felt heavy as she hurdled herself across the wide expanse of grass that was Cindy's front lawn. The only thing she heard was her own heart thumping as she neared the tree. When she turned to find Cindy kneeling on the ground, she didn't stop herself from throwing herself down next to her friend.
"Are you okay?" She whispered.
Cindy grunted. "I think so... Nothing's broken, at least."
"What happened?"
"I slipped." Cindy mumbled.
"Can you make it?"
Cindy rolled her eyes up at her theatrical friend. "No. You're gonna have to go on without me."
It took Aurora a moment to figure out Cindy was joking. She scoffed and Cindy grinned at her.
Aurora rolled her eyes. "Well, can you walk?"
Cindy stood up slowly, trying to take steady breaths. When she didn't keel over, she nodded. "Yeah."
Aurora had stood up with her, prepared to catch her if she fell. When Cindy proved to be fine, Aurora turned her face toward the top of the tree.
"It's amazing that they didn't wake up..."
Cindy laughed shortly. "Please. When the three of them fall asleep, nothing can wake them up. Even if they did, they probably thought I was a raccoon or something."
Aurora nodded as they headed over to the car. "Your stepmom won't come to check on you, right?"
"Nah. After she goes to bed, I'm on my own. And if she does, I stuck a chair under the doorknob. Just in case. She'll think the door's jammed and check back later."
"Cindy, that's horrible."
Cindy shrugged as she adjusted her dress.
They climbed into the car and Aurora started it up. As soon as it was running, she took off. She glanced over at Cindy, who was fiddling with her hem.
"I just love that dress on you." Aurora grinned.
"Aw, thanks…" She looked over her scratched palms, forearms and knees, flushed with embarrassment. "God, what will Charles think?"
"Don't worry. We'll clean you up at Phillip's. My phone's in the glove box; Pull it out and send him a text telling him we're on our way but he has to keep Charming toward the back until I've fixed you up. We'll find them afterward."
Cindy was already typing. "Thanks, Rorie."
Aurora grinned again. "No problem. Tonight's going to be awesome, I swear."
Phillip felt his phone buzz. He opened it and frowned at the message. He sent a quick "Okay" back and immediately went looking for Charming. He found him talking to Snow and Ferdinand and quickly joined them.
Merida and Rapunzel were sitting with Mulan and chatting. Pocahontas had been dragged away by John and Shang would be showing up for Mulan soon. Rapunzel sipped at an orange soda and glanced around. A few freshmen- Peter Pan and his little girlfriends, Tinkerbell and Wendy- had crashed the party but seemed to fit in well enough.
Rapunzel's gaze wandered until it rested on a quiet boy who was sitting in a corner with Meg and Hercules, smoking a cigarette and listening to Meg complain about some teacher while Hercules laughed. He had dark hair that was undercut, the top layers long enough to pull into a small ponytail, his bangs hanging near his pale blue eyes. And he was continually smirking at the story being told to him.
He's kinda cute... Rapunzel watched him for a few seconds. When his gaze flitted toward her, she ducked. When she realized he wasn't turning away, she slowly looked back up. But he wasn't looking at her. She followed his gaze until she was looking at Merida.
She looked down at her drink and smiled. He has a crush on Merida! They would be so cute! She bounced a little in her seat and Merida shot her a weird look. She just grinned at the redhead.
Then a tall guy with broad shoulders, shaggy black hair, and almond-shaped eyes showed up behind Mulan, asking for her.
She looked up at him and smiled. She stood up and extended her hand. "Shang?"
He shook it with a polite smile. "John said you wanted to talk?"
"Yeah. Wanna go outside?"
"Sure."
They disappeared. Rapunzel suddenly turned toward Merida with a grin. Merida stared at her.
"Whaaaat? Why are you...looking at me like that?"
"See that guy in the corner? With the ponytail?"
"The one who's smoking?"
"Yeah!"
"What about him?" Merida was suspicious now.
"He was totally looking at you."
"Good for him?"
"Merida!"
"Whaaat?!"
"Go talk to him!"
"Nope. No way."
"But whyyy?!"
"You know I don't date."
"You should, though! I mean, this is high school!"
"Exactly. Not a good time to date. Guys are immature and lame. Besides, I'm about to be busy with sports! I don't have time for boys." She practically spat out the last word.
Rapunzel groaned. "You are impossible!"
"If it's so important to you, then you go out with him."
"What? No, Merida that's..." She laughed. "That isn't how it works! And he's not really my type."
"What, you don't like bad boys?" Merida scoffed playfully.
"Definitely not." She wrinkled her nose. "And definitely not ones who smoke..."
Phoebus and John were putting on another show with the Kinect, drawing a big crowd. Meg and Hercules were among the crowd, laughing and cheering while the guys failed honorably. Meg's phone started buzzing. She pulled it out of her pocket and answered it.
"Yeah."
"Meg?"
"Yeah, Esme, what's up?"
"I'm off a little early and I'm changing right now. Can you be here in about twenty minutes?"
"With the way I drive? I'll be there in ten."
Esmeralda groaned. "Please be careful."
"Yeah, yeah. See you soon." She hung up and looked up at Hercules. She answered his curious look with, "Gotta go get Esme. Be back in 20 minutes."
"Twenty?"
"Count 'em." She smirked as she strolled away. "And record this for me, will you? I don't wanna miss it."
Hercules smiled and shook his head, pulling out his phone.
Esmeralda was pulling on her high-waisted jeans when she heard someone clear her throat behind her. She turned to see Maleficent standing in the doorway regally, her head held high. She was a tall, sleek woman, with elegantly angled features painted with dramatic colors, her black hair always pulled away from her face. Her clothes, usually in dark or earthy tones, often hung from her slim frame like robes. She reminded Esmeralda of images of wicked witches and evil queens from old storybooks… And also happened to be one of the meanest women Esmeralda had ever met.
It made sense that she would be a co-owner of a strip club... Sorry, "Gentlemen's Club"…
Esmeralda met Maleficent's derisive sneer head on, standing straight. Dignity was a strange thing to find when she was only half-dressed and locked under this woman's oppressive gaze. Maleficent sauntered to the center of the room, staring Esmeralda down the whole way. Esmeralda held her gaze without flinching. When Maleficent stopped, she smiled. It almost seemed genuine.
"You did great tonight, dear. We get a lot of comments about you from the clients."
Esmeralda relaxed and went back to changing. "Glad I'm a favorite."
"We're actually considering giving you more stage time."
Esmeralda turned back to her. "Can't do it. Sorry. I still have school and then there's dance team. Maybe over the summer."
"Mmm. Well, I just wanted to congratulate you. We haven't had a dancer like you in ages. You have a bright future ahead of you."
Esmeralda laughed. "I'm freshly 18 and I'm already a stripper. Does that sound like it promises a bright future?"
Maleficent's eyes gleamed in amusement, then turned icy. The woman had a gaze like a viper. "That's more than I had going for me, child." And she left.
Esmeralda sighed and pulled on her flip-flops. She didn't always enjoy this job, she could admit that. But she could dance, and the money was good. Her mom wasn't really working, (and wasn't really able to), and they needed money by any means necessary. Her mom would just pretend not to know how her daughter was getting paid and handle the bills like any other mother would.
Like everything was fine.
Esmeralda's phone buzzed and she checked her messages. Meg had just pulled up. Esmeralda stuffed her phone into her purse, and quickly counted her tips from that night. Esmeralda smirked as she folded the bills up and stored them in her wallet. She slung her purse over her shoulder and headed out.
She couldn't avoid Ursula on the way out though. A lot of people were threatened by Ursula, but Esmeralda liked her a hell of a lot more than she liked Maleficent. Ursula was much more personable; She could make the employees feel like she really cared.
"Esme! Great job tonight, sweetie! You scheduled in the morning? The sad morning drunks really appreciate you."
"Can't. Dance team practice." Truthfully, practice was in the early evening, but she knew she would need all morning and afternoon to recuperate from the party.
"Oh! Too bad, darling. See you Friday?"
"Yup. A little earlier than usual."
"At what, nine?"
"Yup."
Ursula grinned as she put out her cigarette. "See you then, sweetheart."
"See you!" Esmeralda rushed outside. She all but ran to Meg's car and threw herself into the front seat, slamming the door after her.
Meg gave her an eye roll. "Hey, sweetie. How was work?"
"Same as usual." Esmeralda sighed.
"You know, the guys are gonna catch onto you eventually. And they will flip the fuck out."
Esmeralda rolled her eyes now. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Besides, if they haven't found out by now, I'm sure that it's a long way off."
Meg quirked an eyebrow. "Not if you keep wearing your make up like that." She muttered as she started to drive.
"Shit. Did I not wash my face?" She looked at herself in the mirror.
"Want me to drive slow so you can fix yourself up?"
Esmeralda was already digging through her make up kit. "That would be great."
Meg drove in silence for a while as Esmeralda scrubbed at her face. When Esmeralda had broken her make up down to smudged liner, mascara and a little lipstick, she sighed. As she adjusted her hair scarf, she asked, "So, who's there, anyway?"
"The usual crowd. Plus two new girls and a couple of freshmen."
"Freshmen?" Esme wrinkled her nose instinctively.
"Yeah. They're okay, as far as I can tell... You know, Phoebus is pretty excited to see you."
"Really? That's sweet."
Meg rolled her eyes, knowing that Esmeralda had tuned out. They'd reached the gate and were now traveling down the driveway. Esmeralda was taking it all in with a grin.
"It's beautiful. Even at night. When was the last time we came here?"
Meg scoffed. "Last spring break, I think."
Meg parked haphazardly in the courtyard and got out. Esmeralda followed, and when the doors were closed, Meg locked the car and stuffed the keys into her jacket pocket. Her hands remained in her pockets as she led Esmeralda inside.
When Phoebus saw Esmeralda walk in, he smiled. She grinned back and waved. He swiftly walked over to her.
"Hey, Esme."
"Hey, Pheebs. What's up?"
"Not much. The guys and I were about to do another song. Wanna watch?"
She was already laughing. The image that sprang up in her mind made the offer hard to pass up. "Sure."
Meg disappeared into the kitchen, where Hercules had rejoined Jim.
"Hey, Jimmy, Wonder Boy."
"You're back!" Hercules smiled.
"Yeah. I said I would be." She took her seat next to him and sent Jim a half-hearted glare. "When are you gonna get off your ass? It's a party."
Jim laughed. "I was just gonna go get a drink." He stood up and walked away.
Meg shook her head and sighed, and Hercules laughed at her. She gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Watch it, Wonder Boy." He just smiled at her.
Merida was digging another beer out of the ice bucket when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned slightly to see the boy that Rapunzel had been talking about. He smirked and gestured toward the bucket. She nodded and pulled out a second bottle. She turned fully and held it out to him. He accepted it, and they both twisted off the caps and started gulping down the liquid.
When she caught the challenging look in his eye, she started to chug faster. Somehow it had become a contest, and whoever finished first would be the winner. A few agonizing moments passed before Merida finished. She gasped as she clapped the bottle down on the counter.
"Ha!"
The boy faltered and almost spat up his drink as he put down his own bottle. They stared at each other for a minute, then simultaneously started snickering. Merida ran a hand through her mass of hair, pulling the curls away from her face. Of course, when she let go, the hair bounced back to its original place, a stray strand hanging in front of her eye. She beamed up at him. He grinned.
"I'm Jim."
"I'm Merida."
Hearing her accent made him smile. "Where are you from?" He asked sarcastically.
She laughed. "Pakistan."
"Oh, how exotic."
She nodded with another cackle. He chuckled. She was quite a sight. Her untamed hair, pale, freckled skin, and bright blue eyes were all intriguing features. She was dressed in loose, 90's-style blue jeans and black combat boots with a baggy plaid shirt, hanging open to reveal a dark, faded band tee. She stood out, alright.
It was then that Merida caught Rapunzel smirking at them from her seat at the counter. Merida shook her head and looked up at him firmly.
"Listen. I did not come here to flirt."
He looked amused. "Oh?"
"I don't think I need a boyfriend in order to be happy. So whatever funny thoughts ya have runnin' through your head, you just- Just clear them out!" She gestured with both arms for emphasis.
He held in a chuckle and ducked his head. Biting his lip, he looked back up at her. "So...you don't want a boyfriend."
"Nope." She crossed her arms.
"Well... Do you want a friend?" He took a step forward.
She stared up at him. "Uh..."
"I'm pretty sure friends can help you be happy." He smirked.
After a moment, she laughed. "I would love to be friends with you." She crinkled her nose in a grimace. "And I'm sorry for snapping at ya'."
He shook his head. "I dunno... I might not be able to get over it."
She caught the gleam in his eye and shoved him. "Shut up, you!" They both laughed.
Aurora grinned as she watched Cindy and Charming walk together around the backyard. She'd cleaned Cindy up quickly and thoroughly. The last thing her friend needed was an infection. As she watched the couple pass by the pool, her attention was caught by another friend. Eric was seated on a pool step, holding a content Ariel on his lap. They were surrounded by Pocahontas, John, Nakoma and Thomas. Kida was trying to coax Milo into the water. Aurora's gaze flitted over to a patio table where Snow and Ferdinand were just chatting and giggling up a storm. At the table next to them, Naveen and Charlotte were flirting like there was no tomorrow. The two of them had been inseparable all night. And even at the next table, Jasmine was chatting with Aladdin while Flynn aimed another beachball at John's head. Typical, idiot. Meanwhile, Aladdin seemed to hang on every word Jasmine said, like there was nothing more important in the whole world. Though he was the last person Aurora would have expected Jasmine to take any interest in, it was a precious sight.
Suddenly, the deeply-ingrained desire to have someone look at her that way nagged at her.
Aurora was sort of old-fashioned. She'd thought she'd be happy staying single, until the right guy came along... But apparently there was no telling who the "right guy" was; a notion that none of her lucky, love-struck friends had to wrestle with. They all thought they had the answer for her, but she secretly had her doubts. She silently wished she could return to a time where she was blissfully unaware and self-assured.
When Mulan and Shang walked past her and Mulan sent her a smile and a wave, Aurora could barely fake a smile in reply.
"I just don't think it's a good idea, Mulan." Shang was saying with a shake of his head. "I mean, we play against big guys. Like, monster-sized guys!"
She looked up at him pleadingly. "Please, Shang?"
"I have to say no."
"But-!"
"No! I'm putting my foot down! It's on me to lead us to victory this year, and I can't have you getting yourself hurt or distracting anyone." He spoke harshly, but at the sight of her face, he instantly regretted that and softened. "I'm sorry..."
She shook her head and stormed away. He sighed.
It was 1:45 when it started.
Aurora turned sharply at the behemoth of a senior who'd taken the seat next to her. Gaston was leering over her, with an acidic reek of musk and beer.
"Hey, beautiful."
She stood up abruptly to leave the patio. No girl on her own stood a chance of scaring Gaston away. Best to take off and find some company. "I'm not in the mood for this."
"Oh, don't be like that..." His tongue was lazy in his mouth. "Just relax... Hey!"
He was obviously outraged that she was disappearing into the dark, heading in the same direction that she'd seen Shang go. The easiest way that Aurora could think to make him back off was to seek aid from his team captain. All Gaston had going for him was football, after all. And she didn't want to run to her friends to save her while they were having a good time at the pool.
Unfortunately, even a drunk, uncoordinated Gaston could move very fast.
Aurora could hear his approaching footfalls and mildly panicked, ducking quickly behind a tree to avoid him. He stumbled forward and turned suddenly toward her, and when she tried to scurry away, he grabbed her by the wrist. Caught in his vice-like grip, Aurora's initial irritation started to transform into dread. She tried to seem brave any way.
"I said I don't feel like dealing with you right now." Aurora warned him, using her free hand to try to pry his thick fingers off of her. "Let go!"
When he just laughed at her, she tried kicking him in the shin. Now he was really unhappy. He pulled her over and pinned her to the tree with one burly arm across her chest. Aurora wriggled stubbornly underneath him, and he pressed harder, came closer. Aurora panted with the fruitless effort of escaping.
"What's wrong with you? Let me go!"
She was gripped by fear when his other hand came up and wrapped around her jaw, silencing and practically smothering her. She kept squirming and kicking, desperate to get out from under him.
"I'm so tired of you and your little friends always acting like you're better than me…" He grumbled, leaning down toward her. "And of seeing you all alone. A girl as pretty as you deserves company…"
His lips started attacking her neck. She struggled violently against him and tried to scream.
With one hand still covering her mouth and effectively holding her in place, he clumsily reached down with the other. As it started fumbling its way up her leg and under her skirt, she shrieked and started to beat at him with her tiny fists. They had very little effect.
"What the-?! Hey!"
Aurora's eyes widened in shock at the sound of that familiar voice. A pair of quick footsteps came out of nowhere and Gaston was suddenly hurled backward, having been tackled from each side by Flynn and Aladdin. Aurora inhaled in relief, shaking and leaning against the tree for support as she watched the two- much smaller- seniors drag Gaston down to the ground with much effort. The brutish football player fumbled around and awkwardly threw up his arms to fight them off, but the other two were known for being quick…and really good at avoiding getting punched.
Eric and John ran over to help, and Aurora felt a dainty hand land on her shoulder. She turned to see Ariel and Jasmine looking at her with great concern.
"You okay?!" Ariel was asking her.
"What happened?! Did he hurt you?!" Jasmine demanded.
Aurora's ears started ringing. "I—No, I—"
"What the hell's going on?" A new voice suddenly demanded, and Aurora felt her heart sink. She turned to see Phillip stepping out of the dark, with Naveen and Edward in tow. Giselle and Charlotte ran over from behind them to get to Aurora. She was starting to feel crowded, her head was spinning…
"A little help!" Aladdin suddenly cried, while he and Flynn were struggling to keep Gaston pinned. Eric had been shoved away at some point and Naveen was helping him up.
"Let's kick his ass." John said to Edward, and the two of them ran over to help deal with the situation.
"Come on, guys, give her some space." Phillip was saying to the girls surrounding Aurora, who was still cornered against the tree. She couldn't really absorb what was happening immediately around her; her eyes were fixed on where Gaston lay on the ground, persistently trying to fight off the group of boys that were subduing him. Out of the fray came Flynn, who was trying to pull Aladdin out as well, since he could recognize that the two other football players, Eric and Naveen seemed to have it covered. Flynn turned briefly and for a few seconds, his eyes met Aurora's. All the air might have rushed from her lungs again when she saw the look on his face.
Phillip tentatively stepped into her view, and she snapped out of her stupor and peered up at him, appearing winded.
"Rorie, you okay?" He asked softly, his brown eyes filled with worry.
"I think so…" She whispered back, running a trembling hand through her hair. "I just… Maybe need to sit down. Somewhere private?"
He nodded. "Let's go to the library. I'll get you some water. Okay?"
She nodded. When he held out his hand for her to take, she slowly did so, slightly self-conscious.
"Hercules! Some help would be appreciated!" John shouted toward where the only person as big as Gaston had stepped out onto the patio. Hercules hopped over the railing and sprinted over without a second thought in response, eager to help.
Aurora and Phillip passed him as he went. Aurora turned to glance over her shoulder and make sure Gaston hadn't somehow gotten up to follow. Her eyes briefly landed on Flynn- who was no longer looking at her, focused now on dragging the stubbornly valiant Aladdin out of there- before she turned and allowed Phillip to lead her away.
Inside, Meg was mildly surprised to see Flynn and Aladdin rushing into the kitchen in their current state.
"What the hell happened to you?" She asked flatly.
"Just had a bit of a scuffle, no big deal…" Flynn said casually, then winced. "Oh, by the way…"
"Where's Hercules?" Shang suddenly demanded, having just appeared out of nowhere and seeming alarmed about something.
"He went outside to make a song request." Meg replied with mild suspicion in her tone.
"Wrong." Aladdin sighed. "He's outside beating Gaston to a pulp…hopefully."
"What? Wonder Boy? Really?" Meg asked in disbelief. She could remember a few times throughout elementary school and junior high when Gaston had dealt Hercules some notable bruisings. Growing up, Hercules had been a sweet, scrawny kid, and a pacifist to boot; so Gaston had taken advantage. But when Hercules had his growth spurt and started bulking up in the summer before sophomore year, the dynamic changed a bit. Still, everyone knew Hercules didn't like to fight, unless it was really necessary.
"What did Gaston do this time?" Jim frowned. Shang had already hurried away, with Mulan following close behind.
"He assaulted the Cheer Queen." Flynn responded in a low, uncharacteristically somber tone.
Now they all sat at attention, clearly worried.
"Is she okay?!" Esmeralda asked.
Flynn nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I think her friends are taking care of her. A bunch of guys are working on getting Gaston outta here."
"I'm gonna go help." Phoebus said, already standing up to head out the door.
Esmeralda smirked and leaned over to murmur "Pheebs to the rescue," to Meg.
"That poor girl… Are you sure she's alright?" Rapunzel asked Flynn with wide eyes. Merida was angrily shaking her head as she sipped her drink next to the blonde.
Flynn looked at her earnest expression for a moment, then calmly replied, "Yeah, I mean… I saw a friend of hers take her away somewhere to catch her breath. I think physically, she's fine. But… Well, ya' know…"
"Yeah. We know." Meg said darkly in response. Esmeralda was grinding her teeth.
Meanwhile, outside, Hercules had managed to practically knock Gaston senseless. While he, Edward and John heaved the drunk boy off the ground, Shang and Mulan were walking up to the scene. Shang shot her a look, as if to tell her to stay back, and went on to join the other football players. Mulan sighed and walked over to Pocahontas, who was standing nearby with Nakoma, Thomas, Kida and Milo. A cluster of Aurora's friends were also standing nearby, pretty much freaking out.
"Everything okay?" Mulan asked.
"Amazingly enough…" Pocahontas muttered. "I think Gaston was the only one who really got hurt."
"Good." Kida practically growled. Milo patted her bare shoulder in a way that was meant to be soothing and she gave him a grateful look.
As Shang approached, John asked him, "Okay, are you driving his stupid ass home, or do I have to do it?"
Shang sighed deeply, obviously beyond irritated. "I guess it'll be me…"
"I got the keys from him, I can follow in his car and then you and I can come back together." John said.
"Sounds like a plan."
Gaston suddenly bellowed in rage, apparently having caught a second wind, and wrestled his way out of the grips of Hercules and Edward. He tumbled forward, apparently with the intent to tackle either John or Shang to the ground. John easily side-stepped him, but Shang took a defensive position, prepared to make Gaston regret this course of action.
A dainty figure leapt forward from somewhere behind Shang, and it took him a few seconds too long to realize who it was.
"Mulan, no!"
Mulan somersaulted forward, narrowly missing Gaston's extended fist, and rolled into the brute's legs like a cannonball, tripping him up. Gaston flipped forward, flailing ungracefully, and plummeted into a nearby rose bush. Mulan made a sturdy landing and bounced up to her feet immediately, seeming unharmed. Shang and John both gaped at her while her friends nearby cheered and whooped in approval.
Hercules helped Shang get Gaston into his car, while John let himself into Gaston's car nearby and got ready to follow. Edward was excitedly chattering with Mulan, and Shang managed to catch her eye as he walked around to the driver's side of his car.
"I'd like to revisit our conversation from earlier, when you have the time." Shang told her, with a note of amusement in his voice.
Her eyebrows popped up in mild surprise, then her expression turned to one of quiet pride. "Sounds good to me."
Shang nodded, smiling slightly as he got into the car and started it up.
Aurora sighed shakily and ran her hands over her face and through her hair, trying to steady herself.
It was all Phillip could do not to wrap his arms around her, to try to console her somehow. But he knew better. If there was anything Aurora needed after what just happened, it was space.
"I'm going to go get you some water. Okay? Do you want anything else? I'll get you whatever you need."
Her smile was wavering and tired. "Water's fine, Phillip. And maybe…just a little peace and quiet."
He nodded. "We can manage that." He offered her a short smile before leaving the room, quietly shutting the door behind him.
Aurora sat in the library, in a pocket of relative silence, as the walls were thick enough to obscure most of the party noise beyond the door. She hung her head in her hands and focused on breathing deeply, as the ringing in her ears and the anxious queasiness that had rolled over her slowly subsided.
When Aurora eventually glanced up at the clock on the wall, she saw that it was 1:49.