When Phillip came back into the room, he was carrying a red plastic cup. Aurora raised her eyebrows in a silent gesture of confusion, since she knew she'd seen water bottles in the ice chests.
Phillip quietly laughed as he came toward her. "Lottie caught me while I was out there and insisted that I bring you an orange soda."
Aurora nodded in understanding, smiling a little as she took the cup from him. "She knows me well."
"She does." Phillip took a seat in the armchair opposite her, tiredly hanging his head.
"Are they all losing it out there?" She asked.
Phillip nodded. "Yeah… Jazz and Cindy are doing their best to keep them all calm. But, I mean, everyone's kinda—"
He heard a sniffle and stopped short, looking up to see Aurora wiping away a stray tear. His expression softened considerably and he moved to sit beside her on the little sofa. "Hey… Hey, it's okay…"
"It's so…embarrassing." Aurora muttered, biting her lip. Her watery eyes continued to spill over. "Ugh… I ruined everything."
"No, you didn't." Phillip quickly reassured her.
"But your party—"
"If I hadn't thrown the party, this wouldn't have happened to you."
"You couldn't have predicted it."
"No, but I should have done more to stop it." He sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. "I didn't even invite that jackass… I wasn't expecting him to be here tonight. I should have kept an eye on him. I should have…" He turned to see her looking sadly up at him. Phillip gazed hopelessly back at her. "I should have been with you."
Aurora took a shaky sip from her cup. "There's only one person to blame for what happened tonight. And it's not you."
"I should have beat his face in."
"That would have been fun to watch."
Phillip turned to her, obviously surprised, and the two of them quickly burst with laughter.
Phillip took her hand, and thoughtfully looked down at their briefly interlaced fingers. "You gonna be alright?"
"I think so…"
"I want to fix this…"
"That's not your job. And, short of never having to see his face again, I'm not sure there is a fix."
"Well, consider me your bodyguard from now on." Phillip smirked. "I'll keep him away from you. You'll never have to see him again."
"I don't want a bodyguard…"
"Then what do you want?"
Damn it.
"I don't…know…" Aurora said timidly, withdrawing her hand.
"Okay. We don't have to talk about it now."
"I know you want to…"
"After what you've been through tonight? It can wait."
"Phillip—"
"It's really fine." He carefully patted her shoulder, brushed a lock of golden hair off of it. "I've waited this long."
Eventually, they did have to leave the library. Aurora steeled herself for what might come next as she and Phillip re-entered the party. Her friends pretty much immediately swarmed her, mostly with the intent of keeping the other kids away.
"Oh, honey, are you alright?" Charlotte cried, wrapping Aurora up in her arms.
"I'm fine…"
"What do you wanna do now, Rorie?" Cindy cut in.
"What do you mean?" Aurora blinked, lost.
"We figured you might want to head out, considering…" Jasmine explained.
"Oh, no, I don't want to ruin your night, guys… I'm okay, really."
But they could all tell she was lying, obviously nervous with everyone's eyes on her.
"You're not ruining a thing, hon." Charlotte insisted. "Not a thing."
"We're all pretty beat, Rorie. It's really fine." Giselle said. Snow nodded in agreement, then gently reached over and used her thumb to wipe away the lipstick that had been smeared across Aurora's chin.
Ariel clapped and cheered, "Impromptu sleepover time!"
Aurora hesitated for a moment, then laughed in relief and gratitude. "Thanks, guys…" She turned to Cindy with a sudden realization. "But I'll need to get you home soon!"
Cindy shrugged. "Don't worry about that. My stepfamily sleeps in on Sundays. Like, really sleeps in."
"You sure?"
"Mm-hm." Cindy wasn't about to leave Aurora in this state, anyway.
"Let's go then, girls!" Charlotte cheered. "Phillip, honey, it's been a lovely time. Aside from the—Well, you know. Ooh!" She leaned in and hissed, "Do me a favor and text Naveen's number my way, hm? Thank you!" She turned to lead her friends to the door, cheerfully addressing the rest of the party, "Night, everyone! See ya' on Monday!"
Aurora cast one last look at Phillip, who was doing his best to smile for her, and gave him a tiny wave before letting Cindy and Jasmine lead her away. Giselle, Cindy and Snow paused in the living room to say quick goodbyes to their dates. Charlotte took over getting Aurora out of the house safely while Ariel and Jasmine both disappeared to say their own goodbyes. While Ariel easily found Eric, Jasmine had to search around a bit to find who she was looking for.
Aladdin felt the shy tap at his back and turned to see a lean, regal face with wide amber eyes. He grinned back at Jasmine. "Oh, hey."
"Hey… I just wanted to thank you. For what you did for Aurora."
"Oh, it was nothing."
"No, really. She's one of my best friends. And… Well, I don't even want to think about what might have happened if you guys hadn't stepped in."
"I wasn't about to let it get that far. It was really just lucky that Flynn and I were nearby."
"Is she alright?" Meg suddenly asked.
Jasmine turned to see her and Esme both expectantly staring at her. A little taken aback, Jasmine coolly responded. "She will be." She turned back to Aladdin. "Thanks again. I hope I'll see you around?"
"Yeah! Yeah, definitely." Aladdin replied enthusiastically.
Jasmine smiled coyly at him, nodded politely at his friends, and turned to leave.
After Jasmine was gone, Pocahontas suddenly realized something.
"What time is it?" She asked her friends.
"Uh..." Phoebus checked his watch. "2:15."
"Shit! I should have been home like, an hour ago!"
"Just tell your dad you're sleeping at Nakoma's house." Kida said. "Or, actually mine. Our fathers don't have any way to contact each other."
Kida's dad didn't believe in "modern technology". He'd let her have a cell phone for emergencies, but didn't have one of his own. And he'd stopped paying attention to the landline or the household computer ages ago.
"Oh, Kida, thank you!" Pocahontas started dialing her dad's number.
John, who had been back for only a few minutes from dropping off Gaston's car, looked at her deviously.
"You know... My parents aren't home." He winked.
She smirked. "Business trip?"
He nodded. "They'll be gone till tomorrow night."
She grinned. "Okay, then." She hurried outside to call her dad in peace. Kida followed her for back-up. Phoebus shook his head at John.
"You sly dog." Phoebus chuckled. John joined in the laughter and gave Phoebus a push. Milo smiled awkwardly.
"Whatever, asshole. Hey, wanna get to that game again?" John pointed to where Hercules was trying to get Merida, Jim, Meg and Rapunzel to dance to a Britney Spears song.
Phoebus laughed. "Sure. We should find Flynn first, though. He's seriously funny when he plays." Phoebus looked at Milo. "You wanna play, too, dude?"
Milo looked surprised, then smiled uneasily. "No thanks. I'm fine watching."
John chuckled and stood up. "Okay, man." Then he and Phoebus walked away.
Esmeralda smirked. "Well, I'm gonna play." She headed over to Hercules and they started the song, Esmeralda throwing playful glances Meg's way until the reluctant brunette finally jumped in. She was followed by Rapunzel and then Merida. Jim shook his head, smirking and joining Milo on the couch.
"Interesting people at our school, huh?" Jim asked him.
Milo nodded. "Uh-huh."
"So. I hear you get beat up a lot."
Milo stared at him. Jim smiled and held up a hand.
"You don't have to tell me."
"But how did you know?" Milo asked.
"By looking at you."
"Oh." Milo looked down again.
"It's okay. You've turned out better than I have."
Milo looked back up at him. "Did you get beat up, too?"
Jim nodded. "In grade school. But in junior high, I changed myself up a bit. Now no one messes with me."
"Do you think I should do that?"
"Nah." Jim pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "You're good."
Kida appeared again, sitting next to Milo and leaning against him, prompting him to wrap an arm around her. Jim turned away and watched Merida dance, sharing a smile with her when she caught him staring.
Rapunzel and Merida were pretty close to getting the dance moves to "Single Ladies" down. When Rapunzel felt someone bump into her, she turned to see Flynn. She gave him a shy smile. He responded with a feral grin and she giggled, turning back around. He smirked while he and his friends joined in the dance with no shame.
Tiana was just slipping in through the front door. She'd promised Charlotte she would drop in. As she was walking through the living room, she heard two girls trill her name from the kitchen. She turned to wave at Adella and Andrina, but continued to move forward. She didn't turn around in time to stop.
Naveen had been pretending to dance along when he turned and elbowed Tiana in the nose, then dumped his beer all over her. She groaned and gripped her nose, then stared down at her drenched t-shirt. When she looked up, he was staring at her chest. She groaned again and turned to walk away, but nearly ran into someone else.
"Nice going, Naveen." Phillip sharply admonished his friend. He looked down at her with a sympathetic look. "Tiana, are you okay?"
"I'm fine... I think I'm gonna head home, though..."
"Oh, but you just got here!" Naveen said, still fairly fixated on the outline of her bra. "Here, I will give you the shirt off of my back if it will make amends." He started to unbutton his fancy collared shirt.
"That won't be necessary!" Tiana cried, looking at Phillip for help.
"Naveen, I got it." Phillip cut in. "I'll go look upstairs for a sweatshirt or something you can borrow. Okay?"
Tiana nodded gratefully. When Phillip walked away, she turned back to Naveen in clear annoyance.
"Have you seen Lottie?"
"Hm? Oh, she left."
"What?"
"Yes, something happened to Aurora and all the girls left with her a while ago. I think they're staying over at her place tonight."
Tiana pinched the bridge of her nose, wincing slightly. "Typical."
"She didn't tell you?"
Tiana sighed as Phillip came back, holding an old sweatshirt of his out to her. She raised her hand to stop him. "Thanks, Phil. But I really think I'm just gonna go. I came here to hang with Lottie, and she isn't even here."
"Oh. Well, you know, you could stick around. Hang out. None of us bite." Phillip said light-heartedly.
"Much." Naveen added with a wolfish grin. When they both glared at him, he slipped away into the crowd.
"Really, Tiana. Why not stay?" Phillip said, holding out the sweatshirt again. "You might actually have fun! That's not illegal, you know."
She hesitated for a moment, giving him a guarded look. Then, she slowly reached over and took the sweatshirt. "You know what? Alright. Let me go change."
Meg and Esmeralda were cackling at the crowd that was chaotically moving to a Katy Perry song. Meg didn't even think about how bad this game's songs were; she was having too much fun and Hercules was way too interesting to watch. Esmeralda and Phoebus were intermittently talking and giggling about something, and Flynn was trying to chat up that perky blonde. At some point, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell had joined in the tumult while Wendy sat by silently and pouted.
Tiana sat near Jim, Milo and Merida. She would sometimes send a glare at Naveen when she caught him looking at her. He would just grin and continue to act a fool. Tiana would roll her eyes and turn her attention back to the dancing. Phillip and Charming, who had stepped away to talk in private for a bit, came back downstairs eventually, and Phillip sat with Tiana to plan their first student council meeting. Phillip was senior class president and Tiana was his vice-president, lucky for him.
It was only when a pair of headlights shown through the front room windows that everyone fell silent. Then the front door crashed open and Phillip's dad, Hubert, came tumbling in, a stout white-haired man, accompanied by Aurora's dad- Stephen- a tall, lean man with jet-black hair. They were laughing uproariously, and completely drunk, accompanied by Hubert's driver, who carried most of their things. When they recognized a room full of teenagers in a similar state, they froze. Both sides looked equally guilty and terrified.
Hubert straightened his jacket and met the eyes of his pale son. Then he started laughing again, making Phillip frown in confusion. Everyone stared at the two giggling, intoxicated adults uneasily. Somehow, Hubert pulled himself together and said through his chuckles, "Oh, don't stop the party on our account! The night's still young! Stephen and I'll be in the parlor, son." He clapped Phillip on the shoulder cheerfully as he and Stephen headed to the stairs, stumbling up the steps and falling into another fit of roaring laughter. The driver shot Phillip a short look as he followed them. Everyone stared at Phillip and he stared back. After a moment, the whole room broke out in laughter. When it quieted down, Flynn spoke up.
"Your dad's pretty cool, man."
Phillip nodded as Ferdinand started the music back up, and everyone got back to dancing either with the game or just to what played overhead.
"He's…interesting." Tiana commented.
Phillip raised an eyebrow. "You don't approve?"
She shrugged. "It's none of my business."
"You wanna dance?" He asked.
She stared up at him. "With you?"
"Well, not romantically or anything..."
"I know."
He laughed. "Then what's the problem?"
She smirked. "You are a notoriously bad dancer."
He gasped and stepped back, clutching his chest. "How dare you!"
"Me and everyone else who's ever witnessed it!" She exclaimed, laughing.
"Well, I'll make you look pretty great out there."
She stared up at him, and he gave her a look that was supposed to be coercive. She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Alright..." She followed him out to the dance floor. After about a minute of dancing, she started laughing. He smirked at her and yelled over the music: "Hey, I'm doing better than Hercules!"
Aurora's room was silent, and lit only by the blue light from the TV. Most of the girls were asleep, save for Aurora, Cindy and Snow, who were altogether on her bed. Aurora lay between two of her oldest friends, seeming dazed as she stared up at the ceiling. Cindy and Snow were both looking at her in worry.
"I really don't want to talk about it, guys. Not now."
"We understand." Cindy whispered back to her.
"Did you ever talk to Phillip?" Snow chirped.
"Not really. Managed to put that off for a bit longer." Aurora murmured back.
"Put it off?" Cindy frowned. She propped herself up on an elbow to look down at her friend. "Rorie, are you alright? You've been acting weird lately, especially when it comes to Phillip. I thought you two really liked each other?"
"I thought so too… Everything's just…all screwed up now."
"Because of Gaston?"
"No."
"What is it you don't want to tell me?"
Aurora sighed and pulled another pillow over to hide her face.
Snow nodded sadly. "Another time, then."
"Okay, but… Rorie, when you guys do have that conversation… What are you going to tell him?" Cindy asked in a hush.
Muffled by the pillow, Aurora mumbled, "I don't know."
It was nearly 5 a.m. when everyone started clearing out, slowly but surely. Phillip walked Tiana out to her car.
"I'll wash this and get it back to you on Monday." Tiana was telling him, gesturing to the sweatshirt she was wearing.
He shook his head. "Nah, keep it." He caught the look on her face and continued before she could argue, "Honestly. It doesn't even fit me anymore."
He knew she wanted to push it, but she refrained. He smiled a little.
"So, your mom doesn't mind you being out all night partying?" He teased.
Tiana laughed lightly. "Nah. To her it's better than being out all night working. She thinks I push myself too hard."
"Huh."
"What?"
"Nothing. I mean… I guess I would have expected your folks to be pretty strict."
"Nah. I'm just strict with myself. My mama tells me I need to learn to let loose. Just a little. Now that I'm a senior."
"A senior in the top of your class, captain of girls' tennis, regular player in the school musicals, vice-president of the student body, working two jobs…"
"Actually, I cut it back to one job. Thank you very much."
"Whoa."
Tiana grinned and sarcastically said, "Yeah, that's how I let loose, I guess. I get my work ethic from my parents. Especially my dad."
"And he's not strict?"
"Well, he wasn't, when he was alive."
Phillip stopped short and Tiana slowly turned to look at him.
"Tia, I'm so sorry."
She shrugged. "Happened when I was 14."
"I can't believe I've known you this long without knowing that."
"We don't usually talk about things like that."
"Well… I get it, you know. We lost mom when I was 10."
"Oh, I'm sorry…"
There really wasn't much to say after that. The two of them shared a quiet moment of understanding. Phillip eventually said he needed to go inside and start cleaning up. Tiana thanked him again for the sweatshirt and waved goodbye, climbing into her beat-up car.
He watched her go before heading inside. Ferdinand and Charming had each fallen asleep on a sofa. Naveen was crashed in the middle of the floor. Hercules and Eric had already started cleaning up.
Later that day, Merida was playing soccer with her dad and her brothers when her mom ran out from the house, calling to her:
"Merida! Rapunzel's calling for you on the landline!"
Merida rushed inside and picked it up. "Yes?"
"My mom's still on her business trip. Wanna meet me at the mall?"
"Mum! Can I go to the mall?"
"Yes!"
"On my way, El."
Flynn, Phoebus and Aladdin were roaming the mall, (Phoebus being the only one actually paying for things), when Flynn saw the perky green-eyed blonde sitting alone in the food court.
"Be right back, guys." Flynn snuck over to her table and took the seat across from her. She stared at him for a second, then smiled.
"Oh, hi."
"Hello there." He grinned. "Couldn't help but notice you sitting all alone."
"Just waiting for a friend."
"Oh. Do you want me to leave?"
"No, no. You can stay. If you want."
"Well, why wouldn't I?"
She giggled at him and glanced around.
"So where are you from?" He asked.
"Oh, I've always lived around here. I've just been homeschooled until now."
"Oh."
"Yeah..."
"Why?"
"My mom." She said vaguely, looking at her nails.
"Ah. I see."
"Yup. Have you always lived around here?"
"Yup. Pretty much my whole life. I know my way around."
She laughed quietly.
"So... What's your name?"
"Rapunzel."
"Interesting."
She giggled. "I know. I think it's a type of lettuce..."
"Oh, wow..." He laughed with her.
"Yeah... What's your name?"
"Flynn. Flynn Rider." He said suavely.
"Wow. Cool name!"
"Why thank you." He grinned.
She giggled again, biting her lip.
"Ahem."
They both looked up at Merida. Neither of them had noticed her appearance. She was smirking at them.
"Hiya." She saluted lazily.
"Hey..." Flynn looked from her to Rapunzel. "I'll leave you guys alone. I think my friends are getting impatient any way." He stood up, waving at Rapunzel. "See you around."
"See you." She waved back more eagerly.
He slunk away, Merida taking his seat. Merida looked at Rapunzel in amusement. "I thought ya' didn't like bad boys?"
"I don't..." Rapunzel looked confused.
"Well, word is that he's a womanizer and a thief."
"What?!" Rapunzel's eyes grew wide.
Merida shrugged. "I'm just saying watch out..."
John dropped Pocahontas off at her place with a quick kiss. As he drove away, she saw Mulan and Nakoma waiting on the front porch. She hurried up to them.
"Hey guys." She quickly unlocked the front door, letting them in. Her dad was at work.
"How's John?" Nakoma teased.
Pocahontas rolled her eyes and started making some tea. "He's fine."
"Uh-oh. Doesn't sound fine. What's up?" Mulan asked.
Pocahontas sighed. "I've just been thinking lately... I'm not sure anymore if John and I are right for each other. I mean… I love him. I do. But he's virtually unchanged since we started dating over a year ago. We're fighting more and more, over the same stupid little shit, and I'm just…tired."
"Well, it's never too late for a change of heart." Nakoma chimed in.
Mulan glared at her, then turned a comforting gaze on Pocahontas. "Maybe you guys just need a break?"
Pocahontas frowned, crossing her arms. "Try telling John that. I swear, he's the most stubborn person I've ever met."
"He says the same thing about you." Mulan pointed out with a playful poke. "Ah, I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Pocahontas and Mulan hugged while Nakoma thoughtfully munched on a celery stick.
After a few moments, Pocahontas pulled away and asked Mulan, "How did your conversation with Shang go?"
Mulan became very excited. "Things are looking up."
A few days passed before Phillip's dad even brought up the party.
"Stephen and I had an interesting conversation yesterday."
"Oh?" Phillip asked, picking at his dinner.
"Yes… Apparently Aurora's pretty shaken up after what happened at the party…that you were in charge of."
"Dad, I—"
Hubert sighed. "Look, son… I know you're young and you think you and your buddies are invincible. But what happened to that girl? It's unacceptable."
"I know, dad. Trust me, I do. I should have been there to protect her." Phillip glumly hung his head. Even though Aurora had made it clear she didn't blame him, the guilt had continued to gnaw at him for days. If things had gone any worse… He wasn't sure what he would have done. And to have two rejects like Flynn and Aladdin be the ones to stop Gaston, when he should have been keeping an eye out… Ugh.
Hubert studied his son's face, softening a little. "Look… It's just very lucky that things didn't go as badly as they could have. But that won't always be the case. You understand?"
"Of course."
"This is still my house, after all. I can't have terrible things being done to young ladies under my roof. Or you or any of your friends getting hurt, for that matter."
"I'll be more responsible, I swear. No more wild parties."
"I'm not outlawing parties, by any means! What kind of hypocrite would I be then?"
Phillip chuckled. "Dad…"
"Just…pay better attention, son. No more incidents. You're practically a man, now. Time to start acting like one."
"Got it… So… Aurora… Is she okay?"
Hubert nodded slightly. "As good as she can be, I think. Stephen and Leah are worried, naturally. What happened… It will stay with the girl for a long time. You must know that."
"Yeah…"
"It's something you can never really understand. But… You can still be there for her, when she wants you to."
Phillip side-eyed the old man. "You're still rooting for us to get together, huh?"
Hubert groaned theatrically. "Stephen and I both are! We have a bet going on how soon it'll be."
"Dad!"
"What?! It's been a long time coming, if you ask me. Say, son… If you could give me an estimate, you know—"
"I just lost my appetite." Phillip laughed, pushing away from the table and hopping out of his seat.
"But, Phillip—"
"Night, dad!" Phillip replied hastily, already heading up the stairs.
Gaston had been suspended for a few weeks, and kicked off the football team indefinitely. For the first time in a long time, the meek who roamed the halls of Disney Academy knew peace.
"I just wish it was under better circumstances." Milo was saying to Kida as they sat to lunch with their friends.
"I do, too…" Kida said regretfully, taking his hand.
"Any word on how she's doing?" Meg asked.
Esme shrugged. "She seems okay… I don't think she's really talked to anyone about it yet."
Flynn rolled his eyes. "Can everybody just give the girl a little space?"
"What's your problem?" Meg snapped.
"I'm just tired of hearing about it." Flynn muttered.
Phoebus scoffed. "More likely you're irritated that you're not getting any clout for helping Aurora."
Flynn truly looked hurt by this implication.
With a sigh, Phoebus added, "That wasn't right. Sorry, dude."
"Whatever."
"So, Phillip. When do we start basketball practice?" Eric asked.
"Oh. Uh...two weeks? I think." Phillip said, biting into his sandwich.
Eric nodded. "Sounds good. Feel like joining this year, Charlie?"
Charming scoffed dramatically. "No."
"What, we're not good enough for you?" Eric accused playfully.
"Nope." Charming spoke bluntly, but he smiled. "Besides, I'm busy with tennis."
"Oh, sorry." Eric held up his hands. Then he looked at Ferdinand. "How about you?"
Ferdinand nodded slowly. "Sure. I'll join. When are try-outs?"
Eric looked at Phillip and shrugged. Phillip finished chewing and swallowed before answering, "Two weeks… Like I said earlier."
"Right, right…" Eric nodded enthusiastically in response. A hush fell over the table after that. It had been an honest effort to maintain a conversation, but as with all other attempts, it fizzled.
"Aurora, you're not eating." Cindy said quietly to her friend.
"I ate earlier."
"Ah, damn." Phillip suddenly murmured, standing up with his bag.
"What's up?" Charles asked.
"I have a student council thing." He looked around at everyone at the table. "I'll see you guys later." He caught Aurora's eye and waved to her before taking off.
"You two still haven't talked?" Ariel whispered to Aurora.
"No… He wants to after school today."
Ariel nodded and Cindy patted her shoulder. Snow and Giselle silently shared a look.
Tiana was also on her way to the student council meeting when she ran into Charlotte…and someone else.
"Oh, Tia! Come here and meet Naveen!" Charlotte squealed excitedly, grabbing Tiana by the hand and practically dragging her to where Naveen stood with his most charming grin. "My boyfriend!"
Tiana's eyebrows shot upward. "Since when?"
"Why, just last night, officially!" Charlotte said, throwing her arms around Naveen's waist. "Aren't I the luckiest?"
"No, I think that would be me." Naveen said cheesily.
"Tia, come say hi!" Lottie urged.
"We've met." Tiana said flatly.
"It was a pleasure." Naveen said with a wink.
Ugh. "Lottie, I'm happy for you, but I gotta go. Okay?"
"Alright, well, you and Naveen better get to know each other! 'Cause if this is gonna work, I'm gonna need the two of you to be the best of friends. Okay?" Charlotte said emphatically.
"I'm sure we can manage that." Naveen said with a smirk.
Tiana turned away, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure…"
"See ya' later, Tia!" Lottie cluelessly responded as she led Naveen away toward where the rest of their friends were sitting.
"See ya'…"
"Hey, Andy!"
Andy turned to see Merida waving at him. He grinned and headed over to her table, his friends following.
"Hey Merida!"
"Jim, El, this is an old friend from junior high: Andy. Andy, this is Jim Hawkins, and... Actually, I think you've met Rapunzel before."
"Once or twice, I think. Nice to see you. And hey, Jim." Andy waved awkwardly. "These are my buddies: Christopher Robin, Taran and Arthur."
"Hiya!" Merida waved at the quiet group. She looked back at Andy. "I see ya' didn't move on to the high school."
"Nah. After you left, I didn't have any friends over there. Then I met these guys, and they said they were coming here, so...yeah."
"Cool. You guys have anywhere to sit?"
"We were actually looking for our friends..."
Andy was cut off when a petite Indian boy with shaggy black hair showed up and asked, "You guys couldn't find the girls?"
"We got sidetracked." Taran motioned toward the people at the table. He had a subtle English accent, softened by many years in the states. "Mowgli, this is Merida, a friend of Andy's. And these are her friends, Rapunzel and Jim."
"Hi." Mowgli waved.
Rapunzel eagerly waved back. "Are you all freshmen?"
"Yeah." Arthur spoke up. "We all came from Disney's junior high. The place is so tiny, we all kinda stuck together."
"Except Peter." Christopher Robin interjected. "Social butterfly he may be, but he's kind of a lone wolf." He, like Taran, also had a British accent.
Rapunzel gasped. "Your accents are so freaking cute! I love accents!"
Christopher Robin blushed. "Why, thank you..."
Jim caught Merida's hopeful look, laughed and scooted over. "Don't worry, guys. I don't bite. You can sit."
The boys looked at Andy, who shrugged.
"Lunch is an hour long. The girls can find us."
They all nodded and squeezed in.
"So! How you liking it here so far?" Merida asked.
Arthur shrugged, his too-large sweatshirt slipping off one shoulder.
Taran said, "It seems okay. Eilwony's loving it."
"Oh! She's a sweet girl. Really smart, too. She's in my chemistry class." Rapunzel grinned. "We're both so excited for cheer try-outs!"
Merida rolled her eyes as her blonde friend squealed. Then, Rapunzel pointed over Andy's head. "There she is!"
Merida looked up to see a pretty but plain-looking girl with dishwater-blonde hair walking up to them, with two other girls accompanying her. On her left, there was a dainty girl with glossy blonde waves of hair draped over her shoulders, pulled away from her face with a black headband. She wore a cutesy blue dress with black flats. On the right side was a girl with pale brown hair pulled into low pigtails. She was dressed casually, kind of like a skater, and she had pensive eyes.
The three girls reached the table, and the one in the middle grinned while the other two looked on; the brunette shyly and the blonde curiously.
"Hey guys. Who have you found now to bother?" The leading girl, who Merida assumed was Eilonwy, teased the boys.
Andy rolled his eyes at her playfully. "Lonnie, this is my buddy Merida, and her friends, Jim and Rapunzel..."
"Oh, I know Ellie." She grinned at the perky blonde.
Andy looked at Merida and Jim. "Guys, this is Eilonwy, Alice and Penny." He looked up at Eilonwy. "Where's Lilo?"
Eilonwy sighed and shook her head, taking a seat. The other two girls followed suit. "We have no idea. She'll find us eventually."
Andy nodded and bit into his apple.
"So. Eilonwy's a cheerleader. What about you two?" Merida looked between Penny and Alice.
Penny shook her head meekly. Alice played with a strand of her hair idly and answered, in a sweet little British accent, "Nah. We're more the artsy types..."
"Ah! So many accents! And I love art! Painting is my favorite past-time, and I have a lot of those." Rapunzel jumped in.
Eilonwy laughed. "Well cheerleading's going to take some of that time away, you know."
"I hope so. I need time out of the house like, desperately."
Merida nodded. "Yeah, you do."
Suddenly, a tiny, curvy girl with cinnamon-colored skin and sleek black hair ran up to the table, her deep brown eyes focused. She probably had the cutest nose Merida had ever seen.
"Hey, Lilo!" The freshmen group welcomed her cheerfully.
She smiled and took a seat on the end of the table. "Hey guys."
They went through all the introductions again. Merida shared a look with the bemused Jim. Their usually remote table was being taken over. But neither of them really seemed to mind… At least, Merida didn't.
"Where's Wendy?" Lilo asked.
Alice rolled her eyes. "With Peter and Tink."
"Has Tink decided if she's trying out for cheer?" Eilonwy asked generally.
Taran answered, "I think so. Why?"
Eilonwy groaned. "She's only doing it because I am. She thinks it'll impress Peter."
Lilo grunted. "Is she still upset over how he used to like you? That was, like, seventh grade."
"And he didn't even like me! He just thought I was cute." Eilonwy rolled her eyes before continuing, "But yeah. I guess she is. She's so annoying."
"I think she's getting a bunch of her friends to try out, too." Mowgli added.
"Ugh!" Eilonwy replied dramatically.
Rapunzel giggled. "Don't worry, I'm sure you're better than all of them."
Eilonwy smiled. "Thanks, El."
Merida tried not to cringe. I thought I was the only one who called her that...
It was the last period of the day. The middle of the last period of the day. Another half-hour, and everyone could go home.
Peter and Tink were enjoying the free time in P.E. while Wendy followed them around like a kicked puppy. They had Coach Tarzan, who was fairly lenient.
Right now, Flynn and his group were using a beachball to play some silly variation of volleyball. Peter joined in while Tink and Wendy stood on the side and laughed. Then a crowd of Tink's friends showed up and Wendy stood by awkwardly and, strangely, alone. None of Tink's friends liked her, and Peter was busy playing. Wendy silently wished that one of her other friends was in her class this period, but since she'd been ditching them for Peter, they'd kind of been giving her the cold shoulder. Especially Eilonwy.
She was brought out of her thoughts by Peter tapping on her shoulder.
"Come on, Wendy! Let's go on the climbing wall!"
While he led her over, they passed by the other P.E. class. Coach Sinclaire was hollering at Milo, who was having trouble with his push-ups. This led to Kida arguing with the coach, and then benched for the rest of class and threatened with a phone call home. All the while, Esmeralda and Meg were giggling at their protective friend and the embarrassed Milo.
When the bell rang, everyone literally ran to the locker rooms. Coach Sinclaire rolled her eyes, making Coach Tarzan laugh.
"They're kids, Helga."
"That's the only time they're ever motivated to run." She said sarcastically.
He shrugged and headed to his office.
Lilo came into her kitchen, expecting to be greeted by Stitch at the door. When that didn't happen, she frowned and called to her older sister, "Nani? Where's Stitch?"
"He went down to the beach with Jumba and Pleakely!"
"What? Why?"
"They're testing out something Jumba's been working on! Now come in here, stop being rude to our guest."
"Guest?" Lilo replied excitedly, heading into the living room. When she saw the familiar face grinning back at her, she squealed and ran over for a hug. "Moana!"
"Come here, little one!" Moana cried, gladly taking the other girl in her arms. "Oh, not so little anymore, though."
"You know you're only three years older than me." Lilo said, playfully punching Moana's arm.
"Ah, well…"
"You staying for a snack, Moana? There's lemonade." Nani said warmly, smiling at each girl and giving Lilo's shoulder a pat as she passed them to go into the kitchen.
"How could I say no to that?" Moana replied as she and Lilo took a seat on the couch.
"Where have you been, anyway?" Lilo demanded.
Moana laughed. "My family took me on a cruise. We just got back last night."
"Ugh, you're so lucky."
Nani came back in with a tray holding three glasses of lemonade and a plate of cookies. "You being a bad influence again, Moana?"
"Not on purpose!"
"Nani, why can't I be home-schooled like Moana is?" Lilo asked petulantly.
"Because it wouldn't work for you, Lilo, and you know that." Nani said plainly. "Take your lemonade."
"It's just not fair… Moana getting to pick up and leave with her family whenever they want, traveling the world… Meanwhile I'm stuck in Algebra?! It's crap!"
Nani rolled her eyes. "Lilo…"
"Unless!" Lilo cut in, pointing a finger toward the ceiling as though she'd been struck by a brilliant thought. She turned to Moana mischievously. "Unless you start going to my school. Huh? Wouldn't that be fun?!"
Moana stared back at her in response, seeming thoroughly unenthused.
Lilo sighed. "Yeah, I knew it would be a hard sell…"
Meg was waiting by her car while Esmeralda stood a few yards away chatting with Kida and Nakoma about dance practices. Pocahontas was probably with her study group tonight.
She saw Hercules walking to his car across the parking lot. He caught sight of her and smiled, waving. She waved back with a softened smirk, her eyes shining. She watched him climb into his car and drive away. Then she was made aware of three girls giggling as they approached her. She turned to see her friends grinning like idiots.
"What?"
"You liiiiiiike him!" Nakoma poked her and they all broke out into giggles again.
Meg rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. "I do not."
"Meg, it's fine. He's cute! And, by all accounts, really nice." Esmeralda said.
"Yeah, sure, he seems nice." Meg crossed her arms and turned her head away.
Esmeralda smiled at her best friend. "Not all guys are alike, you know."
Meg gave Esmeralda a defeated look. "Guys who like me are. I mean, if there's a prize for rotten judgment…" She chuckled coldly and walked around to get into the car, "…I've won it by now."
The other three girls shared a look before Esmeralda waved goodbye and started to climb into the passenger's seat.
Aurora paced feverishly across her room, distractedly chewing her nails. She was surrounded by silence, save for the sounds coming through her open window. A mild breeze wafted into the room, softly carrying the sheer curtains with it.
She heard the familiar footsteps coming across her lawn outside and felt her heart drop. She sighed and headed down the stairs. She was sure her nerves showed plainly on her face. She made it to the front door before Phillip had even reached the porch, quickly slipping outside and quietly shutting it after her. She didn't want her mom or her aunts, who were all sitting to tea in the parlor, to have any idea what was going on.
Phillip shoved his hands in his pockets, having to recover from preparing to knock. He was obviously surprised to be met by her on the porch, but smiled in spite of the uneasy feeling this stirred in him.
"Hey, Rorie."
"Hey…" She replied softly, walking toward him. He was tempted to offer her his hand to hold, but as she swept past him and started to lead the way back down the steps, he thought better of it. She nodded toward the private road and said, "Let's walk." He obediently followed, feeling more and more insecure but wearing a brave face any way.
They walked in silence for a while, oddly comfortable. They'd taken this walk a thousand times before, been side-by-side through every season of their lives. Phillip lived nearby, on the other end of the small, rich community of winding lanes and cul-de-sacs, and the pair often wandered this road between one another's houses. Though the silence was heavy, and the circumstances uncertain, the familiar surroundings helped them both to relax.
"So, Rorie…" Phillip finally started, scratching his earlobe nervously. "I've been meaning to talk to you…about… Well, I've been meaning to tell you…" He sighed and stopped walking. Aurora tentatively followed suit, turning to look up at him. He nearly ran a hand through his perfectly coiffed hair, but stopped short, letting the hand drop and hang by his side instead. His other hand was still in his pocket. "I just want to say… Well, you know, everyone says—"
"I know."
He blanked for a moment. I know. The words echoed painfully in his head for a moment, and he wasn't sure how to respond, even as the words escaped him. "And they're all expecting—"
She sighed. "Yeah, I know."
He gaped at her, and the words kept bubbling out in a boiling tide of anxiety. "Well, then you probably know that I—I mean, for awhile now, I…" He trailed off, gaze lost on her expression.
Dread.
She bit her lip. Her violet eyes were shining. "I know."
He took a step back, dazed. "Yeah… Yeah, you know."
"Phillip…"
"You don't feel the same way."
"That's not true!" She panicked, her lip quivering. "Not exactly. I just…" She hung her head. "It's complicated."
"What do you mean?" For him, it wasn't complicated at all. For years he'd known.
She rolled her head back to glare up at the sky, then slowly lowered her face to meet his eyes. "I've been with someone else."
He didn't quite understand for a moment. He stared back at her as though perplexed by what the words were supposed to mean. Then, it slowly dawned on him. "You've…been with…" He took another step back, looking away toward the trees. "Been with…? Huh."
"Yeah."
"So…that changes things."
"Does it?" Tears spilled over onto her cheeks, flushed with embarrassment. That last sentence was exactly what she'd worried she would hear. He recognized the break in her voice and quickly turned to look at her again. She shrugged and asked, "What things? How you think of me? Who I am to you?"
Phillip was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. "No. No. Just… I mean… You have feelings for him?"
She sighed and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "It's over between us… But… I guess I'm not over it. It ended so…" She shook her head. "But yes. I do. In a way."
"Oh…"
"It just wouldn't feel right to—"
"No, I know." Phillip crossed his arms and looked down at his feet. "I know."
Aurora bitterly laughed, and more tears fell. "I never imagined this is how this conversation would go…" She wiped at her face again, hopelessly. "But, if this were to happen… I'd just want to do it right. And right now, it's just—it's not."
He slowly nodded. "Right…"
"Phillip."
He sighed quietly and stood straight, looking at her again. She was clearly miserable, in a way he'd never recognized before. He uncrossed his arms, softened his expression. "Did he at least treat you right? The guy?"
Aurora's smile was overwhelmingly sad, and she had to bite down on her lower lip to keep it from twitching. Her voice sounded so broken. "No. Not really." She raised a hand to her face and began to sob.
Phillip rushed over and took her in his arms, and she eagerly hugged him back, crying into his sweater. He rested his chin atop her head and gently stroked her back with one hand.
"Well, don't ever let me find out who he is, then." Phillip muttered after a moment. Despite herself, Aurora laughed. Phillip smiled to himself.
"Still friends?" She asked quietly.
He nodded. "Always."
Jasmine was doing the pre-calculus worksheet she'd received for homework when her phone buzzed. She checked it to see that it was Aladdin texting her. They'd been texting regularly since the party. She smiled and opened the message, then furrowed her eyebrows.
Look outside ;)
She strode cautiously to the bay doors that led to her balcony and peeked through the curtains. He waved at her from his perch on the edge of the balcony. She grinned and opened the door, stepping outside and quietly shutting it after her. He got up and met her in the middle of the balcony. She hugged him with a giggle.
"Hey, gorgeous." He grinned.
"Hey. What are you doing here? How did you know where I live?"
He shrugged as they pulled apart. "Flynn knows the area pretty well. And I figured it had to be the nicest place around."
"Oh..." she played awkwardly with her hair, feeling self-conscious. It was no secret that Aladdin wasn't so well-off; She hadn't thought of how he might react to her house... She was silently thankful that her dad wasn't home, so his limo was absent from the driveway.
"Hey." He said softly. She looked up at him. "I could care less whether you live in a palace or in a little shack off the interstate. It doesn't change how I feel about you."
She grinned. "Ditto."
He smiled back, a sweet, crooked smile. "On that note, let me take you away from here."
"What?"
"I wanna take you somewhere. But you have to trust me."
"Aladdin-"
"Do you trust me?"
After a moment, she grinned and nodded. "I do."
He smirked and turned his back to her, kneeling down. "Get on my back."
She did so, and he waited until she was securely latched to him to stand up. Then he swung over the edge of the balcony and dangled there. She squeaked and held on tighter to him, making him laugh. Then he dropped down onto the top of the garage.
She sighed, ashamed of herself. She'd totally known that was there. She relaxed against him as he climbed off the side of the garage, balancing on a trash bin. He carefully lowered himself to the ground. Once down safely, he strolled away across the lawn and disappeared through the security gate with Jasmine still on his back. She giggled and snuggled against him, nestling her face against his shoulder. He turned to smile at her, their foreheads brushing together.
"So where are we going?" She stage-whispered.
He chuckled. "Well, it's kind of a long walk. We can go anywhere you want along the way."
"Really? And you'll carry me the whole way?" She laughed.
"Of course!"
He wasn't kidding. To her surprise, he carried her for a good half-hour, effortlessly chatting and joking around as they went. Jasmine was fairly petite, and Aladdin was a very athletic guy, but she wasn't expecting him to actually carry her so far. She was sure he'd make it maybe ten minutes and drop her unceremoniously on the sidewalk.
Eventually, they made it downtown. She never came downtown.
"Oh! Can we stop there?" She pointed to a cute little store.
"Sure." He answered enthusiastically.
She hopped off of his back as they approached the store. It was like a little booth really. The front was completely open, and the place was only lit by one over-hanging lantern. It was still light enough outside to see easily. Jasmine admired the ornate carpet strewn over the concrete as she stepped over it. She looked around at the other carpets and rugs hanging on all sides. Then she approached the little table at the front. It was covered in intricately made necklaces and earrings. One necklace in particular caught her eye; a simple gold chain with a turquoise pendant hanging from it. She silently wished she had brought her wallet. She'd have to hope she could come back soon enough to buy it.
As they walked away, Aladdin nudged her. She looked up to see his devilish smile.
"What...?"
"Look what I got you." He held out the very necklace she'd been looking at.
Her eyes went wide. "Did you steal that?"
He shrugged and smirked.
She shook her head. "You shouldn't have done that..."
"Ah, it was nothing."
"No, I mean because it was wrong." Jasmine forcefully tapped his arm.
"Ow! Okay, so the manicure does serve a purpose…"
"Aladdin, that shop is that person's livelihood! It's probably how they're supporting their family… You can't just steal from people like that…"
"Okay, next time I'll steal you a necklace from a department store."
The look on her face swiftly let him know that wasn't funny.
"Please take it back." Jasmine said.
"Right, yeah, sure…" Aladdin turned and discretely slipped through the crowd, disappearing momentarily from her view. Jasmine avoided the gazes of the men who passed by her as she waited for him to come back. Thankfully, it didn't take very long.
"Sorry about that…" Aladdin sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I just…wasn't thinking."
"Why would you do that?"
Aladdin sighed. "For a long time, I had to steal to survive. Hard habit to break, I guess."
Jasmine was taken aback by this. She knew that Aladdin's life had been tumultuous, but she didn't know the extent of it. She gently took his hand in hers, and he looked at her hopefully.
"Just…never steal for me again. Okay?"
"Okay."
She smirked and leaned into him. "We'll break that habit together."
He grinned down at her and lightly pressed his forehead against hers. "Sounds good to me." He wrapped an arm around her and led her down a busier street.
She gasped and gawked at all the various booths and street performers. They'd stumbled upon a fair of some kind. He smirked at her and gripped her hand, pushing through the crowd. They passed by various little shops and games, children rushing past them and shrieking with laughter. Jasmine grinned as she took it all in. She'd never done this type of thing before.
While Aladdin played at a dunk booth to win her a stuffed animal, she beamed up at him. He handed her a stuffed tiger. She hugged it, and then grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a dance group performing in the street. Now it was darker and, while all the street lamps were off, there were torches and lanterns strung up everywhere to illuminate the dancers' fiery-colored satin costumes.
Eventually, Aladdin led her away from the crowd and down a dark alley. She hesitantly followed, suddenly remembering every warning she'd received in her life about being alone with a boy. She watched in awe as he expertly scaled a decrepit building and wrangled down the rusted fire escape. When he gestured for her to climb up after him, her curiosity was piqued.
"Where are we going?"
He smiled over his shoulder at her. "One of my favorite places in the world."
They kept climbing until they reached the roof, then walked hand-in-hand toward the edge of it. He turned to Jasmine.
"Still trust me?"
"Yes..." She replied warily.
He pulled her up into his arms so that he held her bridal style. Then, without a second thought, he leapt off of the roof and somehow made it to the next one. He grunted and rolled, protecting her head. It all happened so fast she didn't have time to scream. He rose back up to his feet and gently let her down. She gaped up at him.
"A little warning?"
He laughed. "Sorry." He started to lead her toward the edge of this roof now.
"You're quite the acrobat." She mused.
"Yeah, well…"
Without another word, Jasmine took off in a sprint. Aladdin instinctively yelled in alarm as he watched her fling herself off the roof, flip through the air, and land on the next rooftop in a deft somersault. He stared at her in shock as she bounced back up to her feet and turned to smile at him.
"The flip? Really?" Aladdin called.
"Gymnastics! Five years!" She replied coolly.
He shook his head and gave himself a running start before leaping across to join her. She waited with her hands on her hips, obviously proud of herself.
He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're full of surprises."
Jasmine rested her hands on his biceps, and suddenly became very aware of his hands resting against the bare skin of her lower back, since she was wearing another crop top. She tried to wrap her head around the fact that she was roof-jumping with a boy she barely knew but completely trusted for whatever reason... She felt like such a different person with him.
Aladdin pulled away and took her hand, leading her toward an abandoned campsite sprawled across one corner of the roof.
"What is this place?" She asked, though she had a suspicion.
He walked toward the haphazard seating arrangement that had been left behind. "This was one of my spots growing up."
Jasmine couldn't help the pity that welled up within her when she heard that. She couldn't begin to understand what he'd had to go through growing up. And imagining a young Aladdin scaling buildings and traversing rooftops just to have a place to rest his head at night formed a pit in her stomach.
He turned to look at her and quietly laughed. "What, is it that bad?"
"No! No, not at all."
He gestured for her to join him. "Well, come here. You'll never get a better view, I promise."
He was right about that. It was the closest to the stars Jasmine had ever been. She gasped at the sight of it. He wrapped an arm around her and led her to an old sofa that had been abandoned there. They sat together and snuggled close. It was warm out tonight, but the breeze was picking up and the nearness of him was not going to be passed up. Jasmine got as close as she could to Aladdin, and together they sat and watched the stars.
"Who else have you brought up here?" She whispered after a while, as though worried about disturbing the stars.
"Flynn and Phoebus." He whispered back. "That's it."
"Why bring me, then? You barely know me."
He turned so that he could speak more directly to her. "Guess I trust you, too."
The next day, Aurora took a walk on her own. She got up early in the morning, dressed in light layers of muted colors, with her favorite purple scarf, and quietly slipped out of her home. She walked across the backyard and through the back gate, and off she went down the narrow, secluded path that led into the forest. She followed the path along the river to a spot that had become somewhat of a haven to her since her childhood, and nestled herself among the uplifted roots that created a sort of cradle above a deep pond. She slipped off her flats and lowered her bare feet into the water, leaned back against the old tree and sighed. She gazed thoughtfully up through the limbs and watched the clouds crawl across the pale sky. Animals made sounds all around her, but it was still and peaceful.
She heard a set of footsteps coming down the path, from the direction of her house, and frowned, sitting at attention. Within a moment, Cindy appeared from behind the bushes, offering her a shy smile. Aurora smiled back and waved her friend over. Cindy came and sat in the grass by the pond, following Aurora's lead and dipping her feet in as well. The two sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments.
"It's always been so magical out here." Cindy eventually commented, throwing her head back to look at the sky. "I wish there was a spot like this by my house. My stepfamily would never see me." All Cindy had to take shelter in to escape them was the attic.
Aurora smiled faintly as she watched the soft ripples dance across the surface of the pond each time one of them moved their feet. "Remember when we used to play out here? To hide from everything? Like we were in our own little world…"
Cindy laughed. "Yeah… Us, Snow, Giselle, and…" She faltered for a moment. "All the boys."
Phillip.
They both felt the sting, but said nothing about it.
"What are you doing out here? Saturday's one of your only opportunities to sleep in a little." Aurora realized aloud.
"We wanted to surprise you with some donuts."
"We?"
"Yeah, Giselle and Snow are waiting in the kitchen with them."
"Well, that was sweet of you guys. Thanks."
Cindy nodded. "Of course. We were worried about you, after yesterday. When I never heard from you last night, I figured something was wrong."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. Wanna talk about it?"
Aurora sighed. "Maybe later?"
"Okay."
"Phillip and I are still friends, you know. It's not gonna be weird."
"I'm not worried about that." Cindy assured her.
They sat in silence again, this time for longer. Cindy laid back on the grass and closed her eyes. She was a picture of pure bliss, reveling in the rare serenity. Aurora herself was like a vision out of a painting: golden hair cascading over her shoulders and she gazed sleepily down at the water's surface, casually swinging one foot.
She heard rustling in the limbs overhead, followed by the abrupt and grating call of a bird. She and Cindy both looked up at the big, ghastly crows that had claimed the tree limbs above them.
"The birds have been so obnoxious lately." Cindy remarked. "And that's coming from someone who loves birds."
Aurora laughed at her friend. "Yeah, you know, it seems like every year there are more murders around town."
Cindy smiled in amusement at her friend's morbid quip and sat up. "Donut time?"
Aurora nodded. "I think so."
"Good. And you know what? I think we should call all the girls together for another sleepover tonight. If you're up for it."
The two girls stood up and started to walk away with their arms around each other. Aurora responded, "That does sound great."
They weren't aware that the black, glistening eyes of the crows were fixated on them as they waltzed away down the path.