Disney Academy

by All My Friends Are Heathens

...I did it. This is a re-write of my original Disney High fic, just because I can. This is not the final title, but for now... Enjoy. (I hope.)

6. Worth The Aggravation

"What are you thinking about, Ariel?"Belle asked.

Belle, Ariel, Tiana, Aurora, Lottie, and Giselle were sitting in Aurora's room, planning for Halloween and making decisions for cheer. They had to have the final list posted before school ended on Friday, and here they were, sitting around the night before with only one definite name: Rapunzel. Tiana was itching to get right to it; She already knew who everyone was picking, any way.

Ariel tapped her pen against her lip distractedly. "I dunno if Eric should be The Riddler or Two-Face..."

"Ariel, for his sake and mine, tell him to be The Riddler." Giselle begged.

Ariel frowned. "Why?"

"It's less expensive and less complicated. Also, Two-Face is too much make up and preparation. He'll be miserable all day." Giselle explained. Ariel nodded along, but still seemed unconvinced. Giselle grinned before finishing with, "Plus, if he's Riddler and you're Ivy, you'll both be in green."

Ariel's eyes lit up in excitement. "That's awesome."

"You guys are gonna be so cute!" Lottie squealed.

"Oh, Lottie, we've almost got both yours and Naveen's costumes done. You guys are gonna look great! And Tia, I started yours." Giselle said proudly. Cindy and Snow had volunteered to help Giselle with the workload, just to take some pressure off her and ensure everyone's costumes were ready in time for Halloween. But Cindy and Snow's sewing skills were more basic than Giselle's, so they did the most they could and left the more intricate details to her (at her insistence).

Tiana grinned and nodded, admiring Giselle's work ethic. She'd caught glimpses of it over the years, but since she'd been getting to know Giselle more recently, she had to admit she hadn't realized the extent of Giselle's productive & efficient nature. "That's great, Giselle. Thank you."

"Which version of Catwoman did you decide to go with, Tia?" Belle asked as she spun around in Aurora's desk chair.

"I went with the cartoon version. You know, the grey one."

Lottie gasped. "Tia! You are gonna look so good!"

Tiana smiled shyly before pointing to a series of sketches. "Here are our ideas for the Haunted House."

Aurora scanned them, impressed. "Wow... These are great!"

Giselle smirked. "Rapunzel and I did some collaborating. She's willing to help in any way she can."

"You know, I just love that girl more and more." Lottie gushed, picking up the sketch of the front graveyard. "Did she draw these?"

"Yeah! I basically gave her our general ideas, and she just brought them to life! She's amazing." Giselle chattered excitedly.

Aurora couldn't help but grin at her friend. Many girls might have felt jealous of their role in a group being taken away by a newcomer, (Giselle had always been the artistic one), but not Giselle. She loved people too much, especially people she had things in common with. And, despite popular misconception, Giselle really didn't care what anyone thought of her; Status was probably the furthest thing from her mind. She had a very simple approach to life, which was: keep yourself busy with enjoying it.

Jasmine and Snow suddenly burst in, with Jasmine looking annoyed and Snow looking sheepish.

"Sorry we're late. Someone ran behind." Jasmine said, sending Snow a look. Snow held up her hands in defense and smiled uneasily.

"It's fine, guys." Aurora laughed.

"No Cindy today?" Giselle asked.

Snow sighed. "No. Her stepmother has her time completely filled with work. Plus, Cindy has to start spending her weekends teaching the twins how to drive."

Jasmine rolled her eyes while everyone else frowned.

"Why?" Ariel asked.

"Because, apparently, they're tired of depending on her for rides." Jasmine said flatly, obviously irked.

"And their mom wants them to be able to actually drive the cars that they're getting as graduation presents. You know, for college." Snow put in.

"Ugh. Those people." Aurora groaned. "I should've gotten Cindy out of there a long time ago."

"Yeah. You should've." Jasmine muttered.

"But you know Cindy would've hated you for it." Giselle said sadly.

"Ugh! That girl can be so prideful, it's ridiculous!" Lottie cried.

"She has her reasons, Lottie. We can't judge her." Tiana lectured. When Lottie rolled her eyes, Tiana smirked and added, "But we can judge the hell out of her step-family."

Lottie grinned at this. "Well, the answer is the same as every other year they've tried for cheer: A big fat no."

"And they definitely aren't getting on dance." Jasmine added. "Esme's made up her mind about that."

Giselle nodded in agreement. "Well, they wouldn't have gotten on any way..."

Snow giggled. "I keep seeing the look Drizella had when she was chasing Anastasia around..."

"That's not as funny as Anastasia's face when she was running away!" Ariel immediately started cracking up.

The whole room started laughing. Even Belle, who never had a mean word to say about anybody. They were interrupted when Aurora's mom walked in, smiling.

"Pizza, girls?"

"Yes, please!" They all sang.

45 minutes later, they were munching on pizza and still making decisions for cheer. Rapunzel was obviously on, and the Tremaine sisters definitely weren't. They were currently focusing on Tink's group.

"We have to let them on. I mean, they were amazing." Lottie stated.

"Yeah, but there are a lot of them..." Aurora said with a frown.

"We could make Vidia an alternate." Giselle offered. "I mean, she was as good as the rest of them, but she seems incapable of smiling. Why make her a definite member if she isn't even, like, cheery?"

"Good point." Lottie agreed.

Aurora nodded and wrote a little "a" next to Vidia's name. After a moment of thought, Aurora nodded. "Okay. How about the triplets?"

"Oh! They have to be on!" Lottie cried. "They were amazing."

"A little too amazing." Ariel muttered, making everyone look at her.

"What are you trying to say?" Lottie pouted.

"Well, you know what they are, right?" Ariel asked with a raised eyebrow. When everyone continued to stare at her blankly without answering, she sighed and said, "They're Vanessa's spies!"

After a few seconds, Snow and Lottie gasped while Jasmine groaned. Belle and Tiana shared a frown.

Aurora sighed and shut her eyes, muttering, "Crap."

Giselle shook her head in shock. "We are so dumb."

"Well, we can't accept them now!" Lottie cried.

"But if we don't, we could get in trouble!" Aurora groaned. "They really were amazing. If we don't put them on the team, they- or even Vanessa- can go to the Principal and make a big deal about it!"

"Of course that witch would plan something like this..." Jasmine mumbled.

"And I guess putting them as alternates isn't an option?" Giselle asked.

Aurora shook her head in defeat. Lottie sighed. "Well. We have to take them. But we need to keep a close eye, alright?"

Giselle and Aurora nodded in agreement while Aurora made little check marks next to the names that were accepted. Aurora sighed when she saw the next name.

"Eilonwy."

"You know, she's a cute little thing. And she was so nervous, but you could really see her potential..." Lottie said.

Aurora was kind of surprised to hear Lottie speak so kindly of a freshman, especially one who had stumbled and then been dismissed so coldly.

"She's a lot like you were, Rorie." Giselle grinned.

Aurora didn't respond. She didn't want to be rude, but everyone knew that even as a freshman, Aurora had more than enough confidence to get through a cheer try-out. Internally, she could have related to Eilonwy's nerves. But no one could have ever guessed that. Performing came naturally to her. For Eilonwy, it would take a bit of practice.

Lottie shrugged. "Make her an alternate. Then she can have time to get over her stage-fright. By next year, she could be like you or Giselle."

Aurora nodded and marked the little "a" by Eilonwy. There was only one name left. "Wendy."

"Ugh. No." Lottie stated.

"Poor girl. Didn't expect a thing." Giselle said sadly, shaking her head.

"You know Tink put her up to it, right?" Belle asked.

Aurora frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah. I was grabbing my bike when I heard Tink talk to her on the phone right before try-outs. After she hung up, she and her friends walked away laughing. Then I heard Wendy talking to Eilonwy and Alice in the library about it this morning." Belle explained.

"Wow." Giselle gasped.

"Should've known... I've heard that Tinkerbell is quite the troublemaker... And a jealous one, at that." Lottie said.

"What a little bitch." Jasmine said plainly, making everyone stare at her. She shrugged at the group. "Well, she is."

After a moment, Snow giggled, which made Tiana and Ariel laugh because Snow sounded so silly. Then, the whole group broke out into a fit of laughter.

Eventually, the laughter died away and Aurora had to ask, "So, what are we gonna do about Wendy?"

Lottie and Giselle shared a look of uncertainty.

The next day, at lunch, Kenaiwas sitting with his brother, Denahi, and their friends: Kuzko, Kronk, and Melina, (who was ignoring Kuzko while he flirted with her). Kronk kept cluelessly trying to direct the conversation to his cooking class, making Denahi yawn.

But Kenai couldn't make himself focus on the conversation. He was too distracted because he was watching Mulan. With her recent victory in making it on the football team, she was all the whole school was talking about.

He'd had a crush on her for a long time, but never knew how to tell her. She wasn't really the type to date; She was already busy with captaincy of the majority of girls' sports teams, as well as doing numerous types of self-defense classes outside of school and helping her parents run their antique shop, which was basically the bottom floor of their house. With all that going on, on top of a full class schedule and her somehow maintaining an above-average GPA, she never had extra time, unless she decided to skip out on something to go to a party with friends, which was rare.

But she's so cool... He sighed. He'd also been reluctant because there had been rumors circulating through the school that Mulan wasn't really...into guys. Then again, people had thought that about Merida, and she seemed to like Jim quite a bit...

He didn't want to risk making Mulan uncomfortable. They'd managed to be friendly over the years, which was the closest he could have gotten to being with her. For a long time, he didn't want to ruin that. But now…

Kenai shook his head. I have to talk to her... Soon. Maybe. Ugh. He buried his face in his hands.

"People think what?!" Mulan cried.

"Yup. Apparently, you're a lesbian. People are funny that way." Meg said as she picked at an orange.

"Oh no…" Mulan was hyperventilating. "If this gets back to my parents, I'll be disowned! Probably! Maybe…"

"Who cares what anyone thinks? They're just trying to entertain themselves since their own lives are so boring. I mean, we know you aren't gay. And you know you're not gay. So, what's the problem?" Esmeralda said.

"I can't just ignore this, guys! I'm not like the rest of you!"

"Mu, so what if you're a tomboy who plays a lot of sports? So what if you don't date? I mean, you're busy. And you've never felt the need to date before, and you definitely shouldn't start now just because of what people think." Pocahontas advised.

"Yeah, Mulan, if you play into this, then they win." Kida added.

Mulan pouted. "But I like guys. I really do... It's just so awkward! And I don't know any that like me..."

"What about Shang?" Esmeralda asked with a devious smirk. "He's hot, and he obviously likes you."

"What?" Mulan obviously didn't believe that, even if the thought did give her butterflies. "I doubt that. Besides, he's my captain now. Kinda weird…"

"How about any of those other guys who obviously like you? Like Ling?" Aladdin asked.

"Not my type." Mulan shook her head.

"Yao?" Flynn asked jokingly.

"Too rough around the edges." Mulan said.

"Chien-Po?" John offered.

"He wants a girl who can cook. Which I definitely can't do." She looked at Pocahontas. "Remember the last time I tried?"

Pocahontas nodded slowly with a mortified expression on her face.

"Well... Kenai's been staring at you this whole time." Milo said, gesturing behind Mulan.

She turned around reluctantly. Her eyes met Kenai's for a split second before he ducked his head in embarrassment. She furrowed her brow as she turned back to her group. "Huh." She'd known Kenai since, like, the fourth grade, and she'd always considered him a good friend. But lately she'd been getting weird vibes from him. Of course, she'd never expect it to be due to romantic feelings, especially with this rumor going around. But he was cute, and athletic, (he played for boys' baseball and soccer), and sweet and funny in a quirky kind of way. Sometimes a little full of himself, but for the most part, he seemed like a good guy.

"Maybe I'll go, uh...visit him at soccer practice on Monday." Mulan said.

"Glad you got that figured out." Aladdin said as he stood up, grabbing his stuff.

"And where are you going?" Phoebus asked.

"I'm eating lunch with Jasmine and her friends. See you guys around!" Aladdin replied as he took off.

Flynn sighed. "He's all grown up."

Eilonwy and Alice raced toward where the cheer team names were posted, with a reluctant Wendy and an uninterested Penny following far behind. It was 2:31; The bell had only rung a minute earlier and the girls had already gone to their lockers to drop off their books. Now they were about to scan the bright pink paper for Eilonwy's name. (Wendy had assured them that her name wasn't on it.) The two bouncing blondes skidded to a stop in front of the school's newsboard, where the names were posted, while the two brunettes slowly came up behind them.

Eilonwy quickly scanned for her name and nearly squealed when she saw that hers was actually on the paper! But her face fell a little when she saw the heading above her name did not read "Cheerleaders".

"I'm an alternate." Eilonwy said quietly.

"Oh, Lonnie..." Wendy said, hugging her friend.

Alice shook her head at the paper, frowning. Then, a specific name jumped out at her, and her frown became a look of confusion. "Wendy, your name's here, too."

Wendy and Eilonwy stared at her in shock. Even Penny looked up, suddenly interested.

"What?" Wendy asked, her face blank. Eilonwy and Penny were both openly wearing their shock on their faces.

"Come look for yourself!" Alice pointed at the paper. She was suddenly crowded by both Eilonwy and Wendy. They all stared at Wendy's name, completely dumbfounded.

"Oh. My. God." Eilonwy said, pulling out her phone.

Taran was walking to Merlin's store with the guys and Lilo when his phone buzzed. He looked at the text distractedly before announcing, "They made Lonnie an alternate."

"Oh..." The guys chorused with disappointed looks. Lilo just grumbled, "Assholes."

"Hold on..." Taran frowned. "Says that Wendy's an alternate, too."

"What?" The guys all said at alternating times. Now, Lilo exploded, "Assholes!", and a dog started frantically barking somewhere in the distance.

Wendy and Eilonwy continued to stare at the paper, as if they were waiting for the words to change. Penny sat nearby impatiently, listening to a podcast through her earbuds. Alice just looked confused.

"I don't understand... Isn't this a good thing? I thought you said you positively blew it?" Alice asked Wendy.

"I did." Wendy replied robotically.

"She really did." A voice said behind them. They all turned to look at Tink and her group. Tink was looking up at Wendy (who was a good foot taller than her) with icy blue eyes. Her friends all stood around her, looking variously annoyed and threatening. Vidia, being the meanest and the tallest, (by about two inches on Silvermist), was definitely the scariest. But she also seemed incredibly uncaring about cheerleading, so she stood behind Tink and the others.

"Could you move? Other people wanna see the paper, too." Tink grouched before pushing through Eilonwy and Wendy. The two girls moved aside before Tink's friends could touch them. Alice and Penny joined them and the four of them scurried away under Vidia's heavy gaze.

"Why? Why would they do this to me?" Wendy asked the universe, burying her face in her hands.

"Maybe you did better than you thought?" Alice offered.

"No." Eilonwy and Wendy both answered at the same time.

Then Eilonwy said, "Maybe they felt bad for you?"

"Maybe they find your suffering as funny as Tink and her friends do." Penny murmured.

"Ugh. Why me?" Wendy cried.

"Because you let yourself be the victim! Listen, we'll go in and tell them you want off." Alice said.

Eilonwy shook her head. "No. You are meant to be on this team, Wendy."

"Are you crazy?" Wendy asked her.

"Listen! You went in there and you tried. And you were terrible. Completely, absolutely, utterly terrible. But they still decided to put you in... Technically. And, no matter what their reasoning was, you have to prove yourself now. So, you and I are going to train together all this year, and by next year, we'll run the squad ourselves." Eilonwy beamed.

"I don't know..." Wendy shook her head.

Eilonwy merely grinned. "Just imagine the looks on Tink's- and her petty friends'- faces when you're the one calling the shots because you're so much better than them."

Wendy perked up. "Well, that is intriguing..."

"And just imagine how Peter will react." Alice added with a smirk.

Wendy shook her head. "Oh, I'm over him..."

"Still." Eilonwy cut in. "Think about it."

About five seconds later, Wendy grinned. "Okay. I'll do it."

"Rorie, I really can't talk right now." Cindy was telling her friend over the phone. She'd just come in from tending the chickens and was currently feeding the house mice that her step-family thought had been killed awhile back. But Cindy couldn't bring herself to kill them, and over time they'd become like little friends to her.

"I know, I know. I just wanted to know how you're holding up." Aurora replied, twirling a lock of golden hair around her delicate forefinger.

Cindy sighed. "It's actually no worse than usual..."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They're just…louder."

"How can you stand it?" Aurora had never been yelled at or bossed around in her entire life; She'd only need one hand to count how many times she'd been asked to do a chore (all of them by one of her aunts during a stay at their cottage).

"I think I've just conditioned myself to it over the years..."

"CINDERELLA!" The twins shrieked from upstairs.

Cindy sighed. "I have to go. See you on Monday."

"See you, Cind."

Cindy quickly hung up and ran upstairs.

Aurora shook her head and turned to face her friends. Jasmine, Giselle, Ariel, and Snow were all sitting around her room.

"How is she?" Snow asked.

Aurora shrugged. "She's holding up."

The next morning, Eilonwy sat up in bed and grinned at Alice and Wendy, who were sleeping on an air mattress in the middle of the room. They'd had a bit of an impromptu slumber party the night before. She reached over to her bedside table, where her phone had been charging all night. She saw that she had just gotten a message and realized that that must have woken her up. She excitedly opened the message and felt her heart flutter when she saw it was from Taran.

Hey beautiful :)

She almost giggled. He was so sweet!

She and Taran had barely been friends for a month when they'd started secretly dating in the 8th grade. They were kind of the reason why the group had even come together, but as far as the others knew, Eilonwy and Taran were just very close and instant friends. Which was kind of true; They'd immediately taken to each other upon meeting for the first time. They both knew that their friends would have to find out eventually, but they enjoyed the secrecy and privacy too much. It was kind of exciting, really.

Eilonwy smiled and quickly replied: Hey handsome :)

Aurora hopped down the stairs after her starving friends, who'd slept over the night before, begged her to see what was for breakfast. She was surprised to see her parents sitting in the dining room with three of her aunts.

They weren't her aunts by blood; they were three sisters who had been friends with Aurora's mom's mom. When Aurora's grandmother died, (Aurora never really knew her; She was still a toddler at the time), her friends Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather stepped in to help raise Aurora. They adored her as if she were their own child. Some of Aurora's favorite memories were from summer visits to their cottage deep in the woods, hidden far beyond the grand old Victorian homes and the fairytale-like mansions with ornate gates and mile-long cobblestone driveways and large courtyards. It was a sweet, simple little place. Quiet and isolated, but pleasant. You could basically get anything you need from the forest around you.

"Hey, guys!" Aurora greeted cheerily, hugging all three of her aunts.

"There's our little Briar Rose!" Merriweather cheered. That was their special nickname for her; They'd called her that her entire life. She wasn't sure what inspired it, but always forgot to ask.

"How long have you three been here?"

"We just got here about a half-hour ago." Flora said, glancing at her watch.

"But you and your friends were still sleeping, so we decided to visit with your dear parents." Fauna said with a sweet smile.

"Oh, well we're up now. And the girls are absolutely starving!" Aurora said dramatically.

"We are, we really are!" Ariel called as she and the others came skipping down the stairs.

"Ooh! Let me make some pancakes!" Fauna cried excitedly, hopping up from the table and heading to the kitchen.

"Oh, Fauna, I don't know if-" Flora began while Merriweather exclaimed, "Don't let her do it!"

"Oh, please? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease!" Fauna begged.

Flora and Merriweather shared a look before Merriweather sighed in defeat and sat back in her chair. Flora nodded at Fauna and said, "Fine, dear."

Fauna squealed and skipped into the kitchen. Flora shook her head and shared a look with Aurora's mother, Leah, who was smiling in amusement. Leah herself had been raised with the antics of the three women.

Aurora turned to her friends and whispered, "Be careful. Aunt Fauna's cooking can be...treacherous."

Snow giggled while the others looked scared. She'd bitten into enough shell-littered eggs to know that Aurora was speaking truthfully.

"So. Rose, how's school treating you?" Merriweather asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Uh, good. Yeah, we just had cheer try-outs on Wednesday. Got a great new line-up." Aurora answered with a soft smile.

"Oh, how exciting! And Jasmine, Giselle, how is dance team?" Flora asked.

"Good so far. We're having try-outs next week, but so far it only seems like we have one new member. But she's good, so we should be in pretty great shape this year, too." Jasmine answered while Giselle nodded along.

"That's wonderful, dear." Flora grinned.

"Oh, Ariel! We haven't seen you since last spring's musical! How are you?" Merriweather asked the redhead.

"I'm good! How are you guys doing?"

Flora rolled her eyes. "Oh, Merriweather's still grumpy and Fauna still has the mind of a child."

"And Flora's still stuck-up and bossy." Merriweather added.

This made everyone at the table laugh. The small talk continued for a while until Fauna came back in with stacks of fresh pancakes...Or, stiff, burnt disks. Flora and Merriweather shared a look before turning to address the others.

"Well, Fauna tried." Merriweather said.

"Who wants to go out for breakfast?" Flora suggested.

"What time does your dad get home?" Naveen asked Phillip. Phillip's father had just left for a business lunch.

"Probably, like, two in the morning. Why?"

"Wanna help us re-unite Charming and Cindy?" Edward asked with a convincing grin.

Phillip laughed. "You guys don't have to make up excuses to throw a party. Start texting people."

"Whoo-hoo!" Eric cheered.

"BUT we need to make sure there are no incidents this time. Got it?"

"Got it!" The other guys chorused.

Lottie and Tiana had arrived at Aurora's house around lunchtime. The group was eating sandwiches that Tiana happily prepared for them, and they were absolutely delicious. Lottie was chattering a mile a minute.

"And do you know who had the nerve to message me last night? Tony Stark! After he's been living it up in New York, ignoring me for almost a year! Ugh, what a loser. You know, I doubt he's gonna ever amount to anything. And then Han Solo messages me on Facebook, all flirty! But I know he's just trying to make Leia jealous." Lottie stopped to sigh. "I'm so lucky to have found such a prince as Naveen! He's just too perfect, isn't he?"

"He's something..." Tiana mumbled. But her comment went unnoticed by the whole room. Except for Ariel, who smirked.

"Ooh! Speaking of Naveen, he just texted meeee...!" Lottie quickly opened the message on her phone, then squealed. "Party tonight, at Phillip's. Who's up?"

"I'll text Aladdin." Jasmine said as she pulled out her phone.

"Text Esme and Mulan while you're at it. Tell them to tell their friends!" Giselle said.

"Naveen says that as long as Vanessa and the Tremaine sisters don't know, we're in the clear." Lottie added. "Oh, and, uh, Gaston. Obviously." She gently patted Aurora's knee. There was brief, awkward beat before someone else spoke.

"Oh! Someone tell Cindy!" Snow chirped.

"I'll call her." Aurora replied eagerly, already standing up and dialing. She really just wanted to leave the room after hearing Gaston's name, but hoped no one would guess that.

"Is it okay if I tell my stepmother I'm staying over again tonight?" Snow called after her.

Aurora nodded. "As long as she doesn't mind."

Snow nodded and smiled, knowing that her stepmom didn't care what she did.

"Should I call Belle?" Ariel asked excitedly.

"OMG, yes! Her first party! She is gonna have so much fun!" Lottie squealed.

"Someone should get ahold of Rapunzel!" Aurora hissed, momentarily turning away from her call with Cindy.

"On it!" Giselle cheered.

"On the subject of parties, do we know who's throwing this year's Halloween festivities?" Jasmine asked.

"Phillip's already done two parties now." Tiana pointed out.

"Ooh! Me and Naveen could do it! Like a joint-couple-y thing! AH! So much fun!" Lottie screeched.

Tiana rolled her eyes as she grabbed her bag. "I gotta go to work. You good here, Lottie?"

"Uh-huh. See you tonight!" Lottie didn't even look up from her phone.

"I'll try to drop in..."

"Be there or be square, favorite person!" Lottie called cheerfully as Tiana left.

Flynn, Aladdin, Phoebus and John had just arrived at Phillip's house to hang out before the party, and Flynn was still going on about Rapunzel.

Aladdin groaned. "Just talk to her!"

"She's avoiding me like the plague! You know, I bet those cheerleaders gave her the wrong idea about me!" Flynn moped.

Phoebus raised an eyebrow and smirked. "The wrong idea? Seriously?"

Flynn waved his hand dismissively at Phoebus. "Whatever!"

Phoebus and Aladdin shared in an eyeroll. Flynn grinned deviously and pointed at Hercules.

"What about you, Herc? You finally gonna make a move on our dear Megara?"

Hercules blushed and looked down at his shoes. "I dunno... I don't think she's into me."

"Dude, she's been dragging you along with her whenever she ditches class. She always ditches alone." Aladdin said.

"Yeah. She likes to pretend she doesn't have wonderful, caring friends like us!" Flynn joked.

"And she's been luring you away from football practice." John said in a way that seemed disapproving.

"Yup. If she thinks your time is better spent with her than with sports or school, she's into you." Phoebus added.

Hercules looked embarrassed. "But... I've never really... I mean, I... Ugh."

"Dude. Have you never kissed a girl before?" Flynn asked in shock.

Hercules turned bright red and turned away while his friends broke out in laughter.

"Oh... Oh, that's so sweet, Herc!" Aladdin said between giggles, fighting to breathe.

"Shut up!" Hercules laughed self-consciously.

"Well, what's taken you so long?" Phoebus asked.

"Just...waiting for the right girl. And I think it could be Meg." Hercules smiled.

"Then make a move, man!" Flynn cried.

"Yeah. She won't wait forever." John pointed out.

"She won't?" Hercules asked.

"No!" Aladdin scoffed.

"What do I do?" Hercules panicked.

"Just kiss her, dude! Get the mood all set, some romantic shit, and kiss the girl!" Flynn explained.

"It's that easy?" Hercules asked in surprise.

"Yeah, dude. You'll know when the moment's right." John said.

"Any moment can be the right moment!" Naveen cheered as he and the other guys came to join them in the kitchen. "Just pay attention to her signals, you know?"

John screwed up his face for a moment in thought, then said, "Yeah…maybe don't take Naveen's advice on this one."

Naveen frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just… I mean, how did you end up with Lottie, man?" John asked, sipping his drink.

Naveen scoffed. "Uncalled for! Lottie is wonderful!"

"Yeah, right. Has she picked out your kids' names yet?" Flynn teased.

John rolled his eyes. "Lottie isn't the problem, Naveen. You are."

"You guys have it all wrong." Naveen said, leaning against the counter. "Things with Charlotte are casual. We haven't committed to anything. I mean, I think she knows me too well to expect that."

"And there it is." John said matter-of-factly, pointing at him. "The problem. Is you. Specifically, you not knowing her well enough, and getting her hopes up for nothing."

"What? No! I mean…" Naveen trailed off, and the horrible truth seemed to dawn on him. "Oh… You really think-? Oh, no…" He ran a hand over his face. He had a reputation for being careless, but this was a new level that even he wasn't expecting.

"Just think about how the other girls will react if you break Lottie's heart." Edward pointed out.

Naveen sighed. "I suppose I should talk to her."

Phillip cut in, "Okay, okay... Edward, Naveen, you guys are on snack duty tonight. Hercules and Eric, do me a favor and clean the pool up a bit."

Charming turned to his cousin. "You got the audio covered, Ferdi?"

Ferdinand nodded and grinned before going to fidget with a speaker in the main room. Charming turned to Phillip. "Decorations?"

Phillip nodded, then turned to the two blonds in the room. "Phoebus, John. Wanna help?"

"Sure." Both boys said before following Charming to the main room.

Phillip smirked at Aladdin and Flynn. "I'm sure you guys can find some way to entertain yourselves?"

"What's your scary movie selection look like?" Aladdin asked with a devious smile.

Lottie squealed suddenly. "Oh, my lord! You know who's comin' to town for a bit? My cousin Katrina!"

"Really?" Aurora grinned.

"Yeah! Her parents are thinkin' of movin' here, and if they do, she'll be goin' to school with us! Isn't that so excitin'?!"

"That's great, Lottie."

"Guys! We have to go pick up Belle 'cause she has absolutely no party clothes!" Ariel cried.

Lottie gasped. "Tell her we're on our way!"

Belle sighed when she saw the car pull up out front. She'd told them over the phone that she had no issue riding her bike to the mall, but they'd insisted on picking her up. She sent her dad a short smile and a wave, which he proudly returned, before heading out. She piled into the back with Giselle, Snow, Jasmine and Ariel. Aurora and Lottie were in the front. Aurora had borrowed her mom's SUV since there were too many of them to fit in her car.

Belle hated every store the girls dragged her into. She felt as though the employees were closely watching her, scrutinizing her. Being in the dressing room area made her want to crawl out of her own skin. The photoshopped models on the walls grinning down at her made her viscerally uncomfortable. Though she was quite a bit taller than most of the girls around her, Belle had never felt so small in her life. Trapped in these stores, with the invasive pop music playing overhead and the nosy employees, she couldn't help feeling out of place. She looked at how much fun the other girls were having, trying to dress her like a doll, and wondered what the world must be like in their minds.

Belle had patiently tried on and modeled everything the girls tossed her way. They'd been in this particular store for nearly an hour, and the management seemed annoyed with their dressing room being usurped by a gaggle of teenage girls. Belle looked up at the ceiling or down at her bare feet for most of the time.

Lottie sighed. "I think it's hopeless. Belle, how can you be so pretty and have nothing look good on you?!"

Belle smiled coolly. "Maybe I'm not trying hard enough?"

The others worked to stifle their laughter while Lottie looked thoroughly unamused.

"Look. Obviously, these styles aren't working." Aurora said.

"Ooh, look! There's a cute little store across the way. It looks like a surf-y kind of place." Snow pointed over at a place called Nani's.

"Oh, I know the people there." Ariel said. "I shop there a lot for swimsuits and sundresses. I think Lilo's big sister owns the place..."

"Really?" Jasmine asked.

"Yeah... I mean, her sister's name is Nani, and the manager looks kinda like Lilo."

"It's worth a shot." Giselle said.

Lottie rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Belle hurried to change and they went to the little store. Belle and Aurora searched around for clothing; She immediately liked it here a lot more. The music was chill, the materials were tasteful and simple but cute, and the colors were bright but not shimmery with glitter, sequins, or studs. And something about the atmosphere was just so warm and welcoming.

Plus, they were the only ones in there.

Belle modeled a series of outfits for them, taking her time since they basically had the store to themselves and Nani was more than happy to have them. Belle was surprised at how good the clothes looked; She couldn't remember the last time she'd owned clothes that fit her. Everything in her closet was handed down to her or thrifted. She knew people at school made jokes about her always dressing like a hipster or a librarian.

"Ooh! Hang on!" Giselle cried before running away. She hurried back with a cheery yellow sundress that made Belle's eyes go wide. Giselle grinned guiltily. "I saw the dress a while back and thought it would look amazing with your eyes..." She shrugged.

Belle carefully took the dress of her, obviously hesitant. She was sure this would show more of her legs than she really cared to.

"Well, try it on! Don't keep us in suspense!" Lottie cheered.

Belle laughed nervously before stepping back into the dressing room. She took her time slipping into the dress and examining herself in the mirror before tentatively stepping out for everyone to see. Their reaction wasn't what she'd been expecting.

"Oh. My. Lord. Belle! You have to wear that tonight!" Lottie cried.

"You think?" Belle smiled shyly, looking down at herself. "I mean... It's not really my style."

"It looks like it was made for you." Aurora grinned encouragingly.

"Get it! Get it! Get it!" Lottie, Ariel, Snow, Giselle and Jasmine all chanted.

"Okay, okay!" Belle gave in, laughing. Everyone cheered in glee.

"Wait here!" Aurora said as she slipped away. She came back with a modest pair of low, yellow heels to match.

"And heels?!" Belle asked in mock-disbelief, making them all laugh. "What are you guys trying to do to me?"

"We want you to feel pretty, but comfortable, for your first party!" Ariel said excitedly. "It's a big deal!"

"Come back soon!" Nani called to them as they left, seeming genuinely glad that they had shopped in her little store.

"We definitely will!" Aurora called back with a grin.

"What a great little place! Good eye, Snow." Lottie cheered.

Snow beamed, feeling accomplished. They'd actually learned while they were there that Nani had a second shop right on the boardwalk, with a heavier focus on aquatic sporting gear, which they'd seen a little of in this location.

"All right. Back to your place for prep, Rorie?" Ariel asked.

Aurora nodded as she dug the car keys from her purse. "Sure."

"Oooooh! Tonight is gonna be so wonderful!" Lottie squealed.

Belle smiled with them, but couldn't fight the butterflies in her stomach. She hadn't been to a party since she was about eight, and that had been an old friend's Hello Kitty-themed birthday party. She didn't know what to expect, and of course she was excited. She was an adventurous spirit at heart, always wanting to break away from a bleak future that seemed inevitable, always wanting to get out of her small town. Still, she rarely got the opportunity to. And now that she had it...

Well, frankly, she was terrified.

John frowned at his phone with such focus that Phoebus had to ask, "Are you and Poca fighting or something?"

"No..." John drew the word out and shook his head, looking absolutely confused. "Adam just texted me."

"What?" Everyone aside from Ferdinand chorused.

"Who's Adam?" Ferdinand asked, feeling left out.

"An old friend..." Charming answered distractedly.

"Went kinda AWOL." Eric added, as if that would explain everything. Ferdinand just nodded slowly and went back to adjusting a speaker.

"I haven't talked to him in forever!" Hercules said.

"I know... Not since his whole...episode. You know, when he left football." Phillip spoke up.

John nodded. "Oh, I know."

"Me and Flynn have first period with him, but he never tries to talk to us or anything. Just goes and sits by himself." Aladdin said.

"What's up with him? How's he doing?" Flynn asked, serious for a change.

John looked at them as if to ask for help. "He's wondering if he can come to the party."

"Wow. How'd he find out?" Phoebus frowned.

"He probably heard about it from somebody..." Edward said sheepishly.

Phillip smirked. "Edward?"

Edward was quiet for a moment. "Or maybe he saw it on my Instagram story… I never had the heart to block him, you know?"

"I don't think that would have been necessary." Hercules assured him, although there were mixed responses around the room. "I mean, I never blocked him either."

John spoke up again. "Uh... So, what do I tell him?"

The guys all looked around at each other curiously.

Belle was riding with the girls, all freshly dolled up, in the SUV. She gawked at all the sights outside her window; She'd never spent much time on this side of town. The drive between Aurora and Phillip's homes was like driving through another world; A road of cobblestones lead into an elaborate courtyard, with grass and trees on both sides as far as the eye could see. And in the center of the courtyard was a grand, ornate fountain, and on all sides were pristinely maintained rose bushes, a popular choice for gardens in this area, it seemed.

The mansion was, of course, massive. As nice as Aurora's home was, Phillip's was simply breath-taking. Belle really felt out of sorts now. Like an imposter in a world she couldn't understand.

Before getting out of the car, she took a deep breath and told herself to stay calm. They were just a group of kids her age, most of which she had class with. She smiled as she hopped out of the car, fidgeting with the skirt of the yellow dress and treading lightly on her new heels. Her face wasn't heavily made up, and her hair was in its usual style, but Belle was having doubts now as to whether that was good or bad. She followed them up to the tall, wooden front door that had tinted glass on all sides and music blasting from within. When Lottie knocked, Belle took one last deep breath before a figure appeared on the other side, distorted by the glass, to let them in.

Phillip opened the door, unleashing the loud music and the ambient chatter of the crowd inside. He grinned at each of them. "Hey, guys, come on in!" He stepped aside to grant them entry. Aurora came in last, lingering by the door as he shut it. She peered up at him shyly, feeling as though they hadn't spoken in ages.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey…" He replied, leaning against the door and looking awkwardly down at her.

"Nice party." She said, gesturing vaguely around the room.

"Yeah, hopefully better than the last one." He caught the look on her face and immediately regretted his words. "Gaston has no idea there's anything going on tonight. You won't be seeing him here, I promise."

She nodded. "I know. Thank you." Though silently, she did wonder if Vanessa would show up. She looked down at her feet, swallowing the bitter lump in her throat. "I'm really just glad to see you." She glanced up at his perplexed expression. "It feels like we've been avoiding each other."

"Oh… No, I, uh…" He trailed off. There were no better words to say. "I mean… I guess. I didn't mean to, though."

"Neither did I."

Phillip wanted so badly to take her hand. He leaned down a little to whisper instead, "I'm really glad you're here."

She smiled up at him. "Me, too."

Merida had just escaped from the crowd of dancers in Phillip's living room. Kida, who had been the one to drag her into the throng, didn't seem to notice her absence and continued to dance with Pocahontas and Nakoma. Merida spotted Mulan sitting on a nearby sofa with Milo and Jim, and hurried to sit with them.

"Hey, Merida!" Mulan greeted her with a grin. "I see you finally got away."

"Yes, thankfully."

"Got you a beer." Jim said as he passed a bottle to her.

"My hero!" Merida cheered and immediately opened it.

Meanwhile, Jim was lighting a cigarette. "Any one mind if I smoke?"

Milo shook his head, distracted by Kida's dancing. Mulan just rolled her eyes and stood up. "Oh, I won't mind. I'll just leave. Coming, Merida?"

Merida smirked at Jim, who was shrugging off Mulan's comment, before replying. "Sure." And the two girls took off for the backyard.

"Eric! Do not! I swear to-" Giselle's protests were cut off by a water balloon bursting against her face. She was suddenly very glad that she'd decided not to wear make-up tonight. Meanwhile, Eric and Edward were howling with laughter. Jasmine and Ariel came rushing to Giselle's aid.

"Are you okay, Elle?" Jasmine was asking the redhead.

Meanwhile, Ariel had caught the mischievous smirk on Eric's face and immediately began to warn him, "Don't you dare!"

But he and Edward were already unleashing a storm of rubber projectiles at their new targets. Jasmine and Giselle shrieked while Ariel tried to shield herself. Aladdin, who had heard Jasmine screaming, came running to the patio. When he saw what was happening, he just grinned.

Jasmine stared at him in shock. "Why are you smiling like that? Do something!"

"Aladdin! We need more people for our team, man!" Eric called to him.

Aladdin sent Jasmine an apologetic look before running over to his friends. Jasmine's mouth hung open in shock while Ariel giggled. Jasmine narrowed her eyes while the guys set the balloons in the middle of the yard for a fair battle.

"So that's how it's gonna be..." Jasmine growled.

Ariel was recruiting Merida and Mulan while the guys called over John and Flynn.

Giselle nodded in grim determination. "We ought to build a fort."

Aurora really had to fight to keep from looking at Phillip all night. She pretended to listen to the cutesy story Snow and Ferdinand were telling her, but all she could think of was him.

"You know what? I'm gonna get a soda. Excuse me for a minute?" She said as politely as possible before slipping away from the table.

"Oh, okay..." Snow watched her friend disappear without hearing her words. She sighed and looked up at Ferdinand, who looked concerned. She shook her head. "I'm worried about her."

Ferdinand wrapped a comforting arm around her slim shoulders and spoke softly. "She's a tough girl. She will be fine. And everything will work out the way it's supposed to."

"Mind if I sit with you guys?" Charming asked.

They both looked up at him in surprise, not noticing him before.

"Of course, cousin." Ferdinand smiled and gestured toward the seat next to Aurora's. "Sit."

"Thanks, 'cous." Charming grinned and gratefully sat down.

Snow smiled sweetly at him. "Excited to see Cindy?"

He laughed. "Yeah. I can't wait."

"Neither can she."

Aurora stepped outside to take abreath on her way to the kitchen. She went around to the side of the house to avoid the water balloon war happening in the back yard, and reveled in the relative quiet that rested with her in the shadow of the house.

She heard a familiar voice coming near and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the owner of the voice would pass by and head inside. No such luck. A set of slippery feet stopped ungracefully a few feet away, and a pair of hazel eyes took a few seconds to assess the situation before the voice spoke up again, much clearer now.

"You don't need saving again, do you?"

Aurora opened her eyes just to roll them. "Oh, please…"

Flynn laughed, propping one elbow up on a nearby tree to lean on. "Just messing with you…" He caught the irritated look on her face. "Sorry."

She shook her head a little. After a few seconds, she hastily said, "I realized I never said thank you…for that night. What you did—"

"No 'thank you' necessary." He said flatly, not looking at her.

"No, it is." She insisted. "I really… Well, I don't know, I…"

"You don't owe me anything, alright?" He said now, his eyes snapping up to hers. "I mean it."

She pursed her lips for a moment in thought. "Well, I guess neither of us owes the other anything, anyway."

"I just…didn't want you hurt. That's all."

"Right. Right…"

"Listen—"

"About Rapunzel." She cut in, overwhelmed suddenly.

He stared at her for a moment, thoroughly confused. "Yeah?"

Aurora's heart was racing. "I don't want her hurt, either. So… Be good to her? At least try."

He watched her for a moment, as though unsure what he'd just heard, or like he was waiting for her to say more. But she didn't. Her face flushed as she stared back at him, and they just stood like that for a moment, equally firm yet unsure.

He almost imperceptibly nodded. "Right."

She felt like she could collapse. "Right… Now, quit wasting your time with me. It's a party."

He laughed quietly and started to withdraw. "Yeah, sure… Don't just keep sitting here by yourself, though."

She laughed now too. They shared one more look before he turned away, and Aurora watched him go, silently exhaling. The way his eyes had lingered on her- and the vision of him standing there in his wet t-shirt- would stick with her for awhile…

What the hell?! Now she really needed something to drink…

"Jim! There's a water balloon fight outside!" Kida cried as she and Pocahontas were running out the back door.

"Awesome!" Jim cheered as he led Milo after them.

Hercules gave Meg a puppy-dog look and she rolled her eyes.

"You go ahead, Wonder Boy. I'm not getting involved."

He grinned and took off for the back yard. She shook her head, unable to contain her smirk. Then she decided to go scavenge for food. She had to occupy her time somehow, since she had a good six and a half hours till she had to go pick Esme up from work. And the alternative would be to hang out with Thomas and Nakoma. As nice as Thomas was, conversation didn't really happen with him. And Meg and Nakoma actually didn't get along too well. (Really, Nakoma didn't get along with most people. How Thomas and Pocahontas dealt with her was beyond Meg.)

Meg found a bag of chips and proudly snatched it, then began digging through an ice chest to find a soda.

"Hey, Meg." A cheerful voice with a light French accent said from above her.

Meg looked up in surprise, then straightened up with an expression that she hoped was pleasant. "Oh. Hi, Belle. Haven't seen you in a while."

Belle pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. It was the same unruly strand that always fell from her ponytail, hanging by her left eye. "Yeah, I know..."

Meg smirked. "You got contacts?"

"Yeah..." Belle laughed.

"And you got a new look, huh?"

"I know. It's a new thing I'm trying out..."

Meg nodded. "Well. You look great."

Belle smiled. "Thank you."

"So, uh... How are you? Never mind. You're obviously doing pretty good."

Belle laughed. "Yeah, I guess... How are you?"

Meg shrugged. "Same old, same old..."

Belle frowned a bit. "Oh, I hope not."

Meg laughed shortly. "No, no. Not like that... I'm just...me."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah... You know, it would be cool if you and I could, uh...hang out again. Right?"

"Right!" Belle nodded with a grin. "I've really missed you."

Meg nodded. "So, uh... Just come by the tree. Any time, you know..."

"That would be great."

"Belle!" A new voice reached them from the kitchen door.

Both Belle and Meg looked over to see Aurora approaching them. The blonde wore a wide, plastic smile on her face, and her violet gaze was focused only on Belle. And Belle was obliviously returning the smile. And Meg could only watch this surreal scene with one eyebrow raised.

"Come dance with me! I love this song!" Aurora said as she gripped Belle's hand and started leading her from the kitchen.

"Oh, I can't really dance..."

"Nonsense! Come on!"

"Oh, okay... Well, see you, Meg!"

Meg waved uncaringly as the two girls disappeared. Belle was a pretty girl. Meg should have known that eventually the other pretty girls would hook their claws into her. But Belle was smarter and nicer than them; She'd eventually get out of their grasp.

Belle had been her best friend two years back; She'd helped Meg through the most devastating point in her life. She'd seen Meg at her weakest. And now Meg knew that when all the popular girls realized that Belle wasn't one of them, and they betrayed her and dropped her, Meg would have to be there to help Belle back up. And probably beat up a few cheerleaders...

It's your own fault, you know. For pushing her away. Meg groaned and sat at the kitchen counter with her chips and her soda, feeling more alone in this crowded house than if she were trapped at home with her dear mother.

"I wouldn't hang around with her if I were you." Aurora murmured as she and Belle sat next to the dance floor.

Belle looked confused. "Meg? Oh, she's an old friend. She's really nice, actually... Just takes some warming up."

"Belle. You're one of us now. A role model of sorts... In fact, you're one step ahead of most of us with your brains." Aurora joked. "I figured you would understand how being friends with Meg and her group could affect your reputation..."

"Reputation? I don't understand-"

Aurora sighed impatiently. "It's too late for Hercules, but I'm letting you know now, just stay away from her. And that group, in general. They'll ruin you."

"Would you be saying any of this to Rapunzel or Jasmine?" Belle asked, crossing her arms. She couldn't help feeling like Aurora was being a bit condescending, as though she thought Belle couldn't trust her own judgment.

"Rapunzel has Merida looking out for her. And Jasmine… Well, she's stubborn. She thinks she knows Aladdin and what he's capable of, but she doesn't. And, when she learns the hard way, I'll be there to pick up the pieces. Like always."

"You seem so sure that she'll get hurt…" Belle said carefully. She had a feeling that Aurora's seemingly snobbish opinions were founded in a personal experience she wasn't keen to share.

"Have you heard about the antics some of them get up to?" Aurora scoffed. "Have you seen the way they are around school?"

Belle frowned. "I've never been one to judge a book by its cover... You could all stand to learn that, I think."

Aurora was quiet for a moment, and Belle wondered briefly if maybe she'd pissed her off. Then, Aurora somberly said, "Covers have summaries."

The water balloon fight was forced to end shortly after six, when even Ariel had to admit that "it was too freaking cold". But everyone still wanted to have some watery fun, so they moved to the hot tub room inside the house. With squirt guns.

"Eric, if you spray me with that toy, you'll never get to sleep with me." Ariel told her boyfriend with fake seriousness, making her own friends laugh and Eric's friends whoop and howl. Eric held his hands up in defeat, handing the squirt gun to Edward and joining his girlfriend in the hot tub.

Aladdin gave Jasmine a mischievous look, making her watch him suspiciously. "What, Aladdin?"

"You don't have a similar threat to make?" He asked with a devious smile.

"I'll let you figure that out on your own. But you better really think about it before you spray me." She replied.

He looked her over for a minute, secretly glad that no one ever thought to bring a swimsuit to Phillip's parties- despite the fact that everyone usually ended up in the pool- and all the girls had to strip down to their underwear at some point. You'd think that a girl like Jasmine wouldn't casually strip down in front of nearly all the student body, but dating Aladdin had begun to make her a significantly more adventurous. Besides, she figured that the dance team's uniforms were hardly less scandalous than her lacy teal lingerie. And Aladdin would have agreed with her if he wasn't sure she would get on him for probably checking out her other team members in said uniforms.

He grinned and slid down into the water next to her, leaving the squirt gun behind. Edward laughed as he picked it up and tossed it to Giselle. The couple was now running around the room in an epic water fight. Shang and Mulan joined in shortly, and after a long debate, Pocahontas got John to join the battle with her. Kida, meanwhile, was trying to get a remarkably stubborn Milo to take off his pants and "get in the damn hot tub". Naveen and Lottie were having much the same argument.

"But, Naveen, my makeup!" Charlotte was whining, crossing her arms.

"You don't have to get your face wet, dear..."

"Yeah, well the air in here is enough to ruin hours of hard work on my hair and face. You know what, I think I'll just go find the others. Dance a little. You have fun."

"Okay... Could you be so kind as to bring me a beer?"

She giggled. "Of course, handsome." And she skipped away.

Phillip laughed at the exchange from his spot in the hot tub. He was the only person in an actual swimsuit- living in the house did work in his favor- so he looked a little less ridiculous than the others. Tiana wandered in a few minutes later, looking fairly uncomfortable. She visibly relaxed when she saw Phillip and came over to greet him when he waved at her.

"Hey. Just passed Lottie on my way in. I'm gonna go join her on the dance floor, but I wanted to come say hi to the host first." Tiana explained. "Didn't want to be rude."

"I would call you a lot of things, but never rude." Phillip joked.

Tiana laughed. "Good to know."

He looked up at her with a smile. "You don't wanna get in, huh?"

She shook her head with a smirk. "Absolutely not."

He laughed and shrugged. "Fine, fine. Go have fun. I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"You know what? Me, too." She grinned and turned to leave. Phillip watched her go, a smile lingering on his lips. Then he noticed Naveen watching Tiana leaving in much the same way…though less innocent.

"Dude, really?"

"Come on, Rorie! Use your hips!" Lottie giggled while she watched Aurora try to dance to a Rihanna song.

"What hips?!" Aurora replied.

"Remember the belly dance lessons we took last year!"

"I failed that class!"

"There were no letter grades!"

"It was a pass/fail class, Lottie!"

Belle laughed as she watched from her seat on the sofa nearby. Aurora sent her a pointed look.

"You know, you could try to dance, too!"

"No thanks!" Belle grinned. "Not the dancing type."

Lottie laughed. Usually, she'd be forcing Belle to dance, but Aurora's frustration was too amusing.

Aurora was about to give up when she heard a deep laugh behind her. She turned and came face-to-face with an old friend and stared up at him in shock.

"Lir?" Aurora squeaked.

Lir had gone to elementary & junior high with most of the rich kids at Disney Academy, but wound up going to a different high school. He and Phillip had managed to keep in touch, as they regularly opposed each other on the basketball court. But Aurora hadn't seen him since he'd graduated 8th grade, one year ahead of her.

His amused smirk turned into a grin and a short laugh. "Hey, Rorie."

Aurora laughed in disbelief and threw her arms around his neck in a sudden hug. It took some effort; Lir had always been a tall kid, but now he really towered over her. He spun her around once and carefully put her back down, laughing still. She grinned up at him.

"You're so tall!" She commented. And handsome… She couldn't help but think it. His shaggy blond hair framed his face in such a way to make him look like a hero of Grecian myth.

"Yeah, that happened."

"Hello? I'm here too!" Charlotte cried.

"Lottie!" Lir cheered, a little embarrassed at himself, and eagerly stooped down to hug her. "Good to see you! Hey, uh, do you guys know where Phil is?"

"I think he's in the hot tub." Lottie said.

"Oh, I don't need to see that." Lir responded bluntly, making both girls laugh. "I'll catch him later, I guess."

"Oh, Lir, this is our new friend, Belle." Aurora said, gesturing to the quiet brunette.

Lir and Belle waved politely to each other.

"Nice to meet you. Hey, can I hang with you guys? I don't know a lot of the other people here."

"Yeah, of course." Aurora said, seeming very excited by the idea.

"Long as you can get those hips working!" Lottie started pulling Lir into the dance, catching him off guard and eliciting a laugh from her friends. Aurora watched him try to match Lottie's rhythm and miserably fail. In a totally endearing way.

"I've gotta go get Esme." Meg told Hercules shortly after joining him in the hot tub room. (She'd basically only come to admire him in his undies.) "She managed to get off work early..." It was 11:00 and Esme had just called her for a ride.

"Okay. Drive safe." He smiled.

She smirked and waved half-heartedly as she left, purposefully swaying her hips a little.

"20 minutes!" She called back to him.

He just laughed and shook his head.

Flynn and Aladdin overtook the sound system at some point, so now the whole house was subjected to the horrors of karaoke. Even people outside couldn't escape it. So most of the guests just got as drunk as possible to make themselves enjoy it. The two boys were currently ruining Billy Joel's "Why Should I Worry?" while everyone else cackled and cheered. Aurora fought her way through to the front door after telling Lir she had to go pick up Cindy. He asked if she wanted him to come, but she'd declined and assured him that she'd be right back.

Now, as she drove to Cindy's house in a clouded stupor of street lights, traffic sounds and troubled thoughts, half of her hoped that Cindy wouldn't hurt herself climbing this time. The other half wondered what exactly had brought Lir to Phillip's house tonight. Did they hang out a lot without her knowing somehow? She would have liked to stay in touch with their old friend. Why wouldn't Phillip bring it up to her?

She had an answer, but didn't want to dwell on it. Just the idea that Phillip might have kept Lir away from her out of some kind of jealousy made anger rise in her.

It was only when Cindy climbed into the passenger seat that Aurora realized she'd arrived and parked. She looked at her friend with a distracted smile before driving back toward the party.

"You alright?" Cindy asked after a moment. She really could read Aurora like a book.

"Yeah... Just a lot on my mind…" A set of hazel eyes flashed in her mind and it was all she could do not to shutter. Her brain really was all over the place right now… Everything just felt supremely unfair. She chose to push past it. "Hey, you'll never guess who's at the party."

"Oh, really? Who?"

By midnight, everyone was gathered in the living room, (a good amount still not fully clothed), and either high or tipsy and enjoying the karaoke. Flynn and Phoebus's performance of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" was truly breathtaking. The slightly drunk Phoebus kept sending Esmeralda clumsy winks and suggestive smirks. She just smirked back and blew him a few kisses. Meg rolled her eyes and went to find Hercules somewhere in the crowd.

Naveen spotted Esmeralda from across the room and grinned at her. She smiled back and waved at him. He pushed past a few people in the crowd and made his way over to her. She was surprised to see he was fully clothed. He grinned down at her and pulled her into a warm hug.

"Hey, Esme."

"Hey, Naveen." She replied with a soft laugh as she hugged him back.

He pulled away with a smile and asked, "How are you?"

"Good. Kinda tired."

"You probably need to eat something." His eyes were filled with concern, and he had that look on his face that made her feel as though she were the only girl in the world.

She'd missed that look.

She merely raised her eyebrow at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know you don't eat when you're at work, you know."

"Damn. You're right…"

"You need to get your energy up, huh?"

"Yeah. I'll go see what's in the kitchen."

"Good. After that, come join me on the dance floor. Okay?"

"Okay." She laughed.

"Naveeeeeeeen!" They both heard Lottie call from the crowd.

"I gotta go. See you in a bit?" He leaned down to hug her and pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek.

"Yeah." She returned his kiss and hugged him back with a soft smile. "Thank you, Naveen. So much."

He grinned down at her in a devilish fashion as he pulled away. "You know I always have time for you."

As he strolled away from her, she grinned and went to the kitchen to find food.

Meanwhile, Ariel and Giselle were looking at the shocked Lottie with concern. The blonde was completely mortified by what she'd just seen, and kept asking the two redheads, "Did he just kiss that girl?"

Before Ariel or Giselle could soothe her, the oblivious Naveen arrived with a grin on his face. He only faltered when Lottie fiercely asked him, "Did you just kiss that girl?!"

"Who, Esme? Darling, she's an old friend..."

"You think I don't know that, you bastard?!" Lottie screeched before tossing her drink at him and storming off to the nearest bathroom.

Naveen stood there in shock while Giselle and Ariel fled the scene, obviously uncomfortable and also wanting no part of this. Tiana's soft chuckle from beside him made him turn to her with wide eyes, begging for help. She rolled her eyes with an amused smirk and followed Lottie to the bathroom.

He obviously didn't know much about this girl when he decided to date her... Tiana thought bitterly.

Meanwhile, Esmeralda had to deal with a pissed-off Phoebus, who'd just pushed through the crowd to reach her.

"What was that?" He demanded.

She looked confused. "What?"

"You just kissed Naveen. Why?"

She laughed shortly. "It was just a friendly peck on the cheek. What's the big deal?"

"I thought you two broke up." Phoebus was obviously angry now.

Esmeralda frowned. "Broke up? When were we ever going out?"

"Don't act like that. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!"

"Phoebus, are you-?"

"You aren't over him, are you?"

Esmeralda felt herself getting angry, but kept calm. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You love him!"

"Phoebus, you're drunk."

"I should've known! The whole friends with benefits thing never stays casual..."

"What?"

"He has a girlfriend now, Esme! Things can't happen with him anymore!" He reached out to put his hands on her shoulders. "You need to move on. He's no good anyway..."

She jerked away from his hands and stepped around him so that she stood near the doorway. She spoke as clearly as possible, hoping it would get through to Phoebus. "There's nothing to get over. There was never anything between me and Naveen."

"Then why are you still going after him?" Phoebus grouched.

She let out a frustrated laugh, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not! It was a friendly hug and a harmless peck on the cheek!"

Phoebus just turned away from her. Esmeralda sighed, realizing what she would have to say to console her crazy friend, at least until he was sober and ready to actually listen.

She had to lie.

"Okay, Phoebus. I'm over him. Okay? Happy? It's over, and I am over him."

"Well you can't be under him anymore, so that's good..."

Esmeralda gasped in outrage. Without thinking, she grabbed the drink closest to her and poured it over his head before tossing the bottle at him.

"What's it to you, anyway?!" She cried. "It's not like I belong to you! I thought you thought better of me, you know? I thought you were different… I thought you were my friend." She ran out in tears, heading straight to the front door.

Phoebus shook his head a little, utterly confused and- for some reason- angry. He took off after her.

"Where are you going?!" He yelled.

"Home!" She screamed. "Away from you!"

"Esme-!"

"Phoebus, stop." Pocahontas said softly as she gripped his arm. "I'll handle this. John?"

John started pulling Phoebus away while Pocahontas and Nakoma followed Esmeralda out the door.

"You idiot." Meg's growl made both John and Phoebus turn to face her. She was glowering at Phoebus so harshly that he was almost afraid. Then his anger returned to him and he glared back at her, meeting her dark gaze.

"I'm the idiot?" He demanded.

"Yes. Obviously." Meg replied harshly before storming off toward the back door. Hercules, who had been standing nearby awkwardly, followed her outside. When he found her, she was pacing near the pool with her arms crossed. She didn't seem to notice his presence as he quietly shut the patio door and slowly approached her. She also didn't seem to notice how incredibly cold it was outside, despite being in a miniskirt and a flimsy top.

"Meg?" He spoke cautiously.

"Why does love make people so stupid?!" She burst out suddenly.

"S-sorry?"

"I mean... Ugh! Why can't two people who obviously like each other just be together? Why do they have to make it so hard?"

She was angry, but she seemed to honestly be asking him. And all he could do was shake his head and mumble, "I don't know."

"How can they put themselves through this kind of crap? And for so long?! I always knew that love made people crazy, but this... It's too much! That isn't love! It's just insanity! That won't be me!"

Hercules shook his head a little, his face completely blank. "Meg..."

"What?!"

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, taking her by surprise. She stared up at him in confusion, shocked by both him and herself. He just smiled down at her, making her more confused.

"You're right. That won't be you." He said simply, cupping her face with both of his hands and leaning down till his lips met hers.

Meg went still, amazed at how warm his skin felt in the cold air. She stood rigidly against him for a few seconds. After that, the world melted away and she leaned into him like he was the only stable force in the universe. It was a simple kiss; soft and sweet. And way too short. He was the first one to pull away, leaving her feeling numb. She gazed up at him, completely dazed. He grinned and started walking back to the house.

She felt a pang in her chest. "Where are you going?" She hoped she didn't sound as panicked as she felt.

He turned, laughing quietly. "To, uh...put on some clothes."

Her cheeks felt hot suddenly and she laughed at herself. "Right."

"And to grab us some sodas. Be right back."

She watched the door shut behind him before sighing. I can't believe this foolish heart of mine… She continued to pace outside. When he came back out, in his jeans and his jacket, carrying their drinks, she suddenly realized something.

"Shit…"

"What?"

"My best friend is crying out in the street. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Of course, take your time. I'd, uh…" He tried his best to seem suave. "I'd really like to kiss you again." Seeing her upraised eyebrows, his confidence fell. "If…that's okay?"

Meg couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Yeah, I think it is."

"Oh, Tia! It was absolutely awful!" Lottie wailed as her makeup streaked down her flushed cheeks.

"Lottie, I saw the whole thing. It was just a friendly kiss on the cheek..." Tiana spoke soothingly as she patted the blonde girl's back.

"You don't understand! They had sex!" Lottie hissed, gasping between every couple of words.

Tiana felt her eyes widen. "What?!"

"Before we started dating! Him and the hot Gypsy were friends with benefits!" Lottie blubbered.

"Okay, Lottie, you shouldn't use that word, alright? It's a slur. But we can talk about that later… Did you know this before you started dating him?" Tiana asked.

"Well, yeah! Lots of people knew, Tia! But I assumed things were over between them. I mean…" Lottie was fighting through violently consistent sniffles. "He was just so sweet and charming... He really swept me off my feet, ya' know? Made me feel-(sniffle)-like-(sniffle)-a-(sniffle)-PRINCESS!" Lottie wailed, burying her face in her hands.

Tiana rolled her eyes. She didn't care much for Naveen, or the fact that he was dating her best friend. But she figured that the relationship wouldn't last long any way, and for right now, Naveen made Charlotte happy. So, after a moment of thought, Tiana sighed and said, "Lottie. I know for a fact that whatever was going on between him and Esme is definitely over now. And I also know that you're the reason why."

Lottie sniffled and peeked up at Tiana. "Really?"

"Yes. You are the only person Naveen is interested in. And right now he's waiting for you to go out there and forgive him for...everything."

Lottie sniffled a few more times, looking at the bathroom door in doubt. Tiana waited patiently while Lottie pretended to make her obvious decision. Finally, Lottie sighed and nodded, smiling weakly.

"Okay."

Tiana smiled and hugged her friend. "Okay." She pulled back and gestured toward the bathroom mirror. "Now clean yourself up and we'll get back out there."

Lottie grinned. "Oh, Tia. What would I do without you?"

Tiana laughed. "Lottie, you'd probably be just fine."

As Lottie started to wash her face, she paused to look at Tiana in the mirror, genuinely alarmed. "Please don't tell Esme I called her the G-word… I didn't know—"

Tiana smiled reassuringly. "It won't leave this room, Lottie. Just bear it in mind, hm?"

"Ellie!" Merida cheered, (slightly drunk), when she saw Rapunzel enter the house. Rapunzel grinned and ran over to hug Merida.

"It's near midnight! What took ya' so long?" Merida continued.

Rapunzel shrugged and laughed. "It was kind of a long walk..."

Merida's eyes grew wide. "You walked?! From your remote apartment across town, through this city? You walked?"

Rapunzel just shrugged again. "No big deal."

"But what about all the ruffians and thugs and poison ivy and quicksand?!" Merida teased. Rapunzel's control-freak of a mother had been trying to plant these fears into Rapunzel's head since birth. Unfortunately for her, Rapunzel was naturally curious.

I don't wanna be around when Gothel finds out about all of Rapunzel's adventures out her window... Merida thought. Because Gothel was definitely going to find out eventually.

Rapunzel laughed. "Shut up. Where are the sodas?"

Flynn and Aladdin were with a sobered and depressed Phoebus in the ridiculously large upstairs bathroom, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with him while he worked to wash the beer off.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Aladdin asked him, running a hand through his thick black hair.

"Dude, as if you weren't far enough in the friendzone, now you're buried in the psychotic-friendzone!" Flynn cried.

"Enough with the friendzone bullshit, Flynn." Aladdin shot back.

"Oh, well, excuse me, Mr. Sensitive." Flynn snorted.

"Didn't you hear what she said?" Phoebus muttered so low they almost didn't hear him. "We aren't friends anymore."

Before Flynn or Aladdin could comment, John came in, running a hand through his blond waves. He sighed as he shut the door and met the gazes of Flynn and Aladdin. Phoebus was glaring at himself in the mirror, blocking out the others.

"They took Esme back to Poca's house... She's gonna spend the night there with them so they can figure stuff out." He gave Phoebus a heavy look. "You know you'll have all the girls in the group after you soon. Maybe some of the guys too, if you're gonna be the reason their girlfriends take off on some damage-control mission."

Phoebus glared at John's reflection. It was a scary enough sight to make Flynn wince. Aladdin was too busy staring at John incredulously to notice.

"Sorry to wreck your plans." Phoebus growled.

John shook his head and muttered, "Whatever", before slipping back out of the bathroom.

It was common knowledge that John and Pocahontas did not have the perfect relationship, like they wanted everyone to believe. It was obvious that sex was the only thing that made them really stand each other, aside from Pocahontas's patience and John's indifference. So, when they didn't get to do it, they both got frustrated, and it became the whole group's problem. Aladdin and Flynn both knew that Phoebus despised this.

Also, Phoebus and John didn't get along very well, despite having known each other for quite a few years and having a lot in common. But John's personality had a dark side. He could be willfully ignorant, judgmental, and clearly had some kind of superiority complex. He typically took this out on Pocahontas the most, which Phoebus really didn't like.

Getting drunk at a party and yelling at the person he loved out of jealousy was exactly the kind of thing John would do.

Phoebus really hated himself right now.

As the door shut softly behind John, Phoebus sighed and went back to cleaning himself up. Aladdin looked at Flynn sadly, and Flynn just shrugged at him.

Tiana watched in bittersweet amusement while Lottie and Naveen danced together in the least modest fashion possible. He'd obviously gotten enough drinks in her to help her not be embarrassed about it later.

What a gentleman... Tiana thought dryly, taking a sip of her soda.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Phillip, now fully clothed and carrying a drink of his own.

"Hey, you." He greeted her.

She smiled up at him. "Hey. Oh, did you see that Lir's here?"

"What? No way! I didn't think he'd make it. His dad is so weird, he never lets Lir out to do anything."

"He was with some of the others, last I checked."

"Kay, thanks… You doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll come find you guys once I know Lottie's okay."

Phillip took in the sight of the drunken blonde grinding against Naveen and nodded in understanding, giving Tiana a short smile before walking away. He eventually found the tall, lanky blond sitting at a table with Aurora, Charming, Cindy, Ferdinand, Snow, Giselle and Edward. He felt a pang of dread in his gut when he saw how close Lir and Aurora were sitting. Then, when he was about to say hi, Giselle and Edward suddenly stood up, saying something about going to dance. Lir said something in response, holding his hand out to Aurora. She seemed surprised, but smiled at him and took his hand anyway.

Phillip's heart sank as he watched the two rise out of their seats, hands twisted comfortably together. As Lir turned to lead Aurora to the dance floor, he caught sight of Phillip and grinned at his old friend, momentarily excusing himself from the others and rushing over to say hi.

"Phil! How are you, man?" Lir greeted him, pulling the dazed Phillip in for a hug.

"I'm… I'm great!" Phillip replied, masking his heartbreak. "How are you? Haven't seen you since the summer…"

"Doing great! Hey, you're gonna be so proud of me. Guess what I did to get here?" He paused for a moment before finishing, "Snuck out."

"No way!" Phillip was genuinely shocked. Lir never broke rules.

"Yup. And I think it might have been worth it." He glanced over his shoulder at Aurora, who was waiting with her arms crossed. Her violet eyes briefly flickered toward Phillip before she turned sharply away, tossing her golden hair.

Phillip's sunken heart shattered.

"Think I have a chance with Rorie?" Lir asked him.

Phillip was too distracted to answer at first, but eventually stammered out, "W-what? Do you, uh…like her?"

"Yeah, I mean… We all had a crush on her at one point growing up, right? And now… Well, she's gorgeous. And sweet. But, I dunno if she'd go for a goofy guy like me, ya' know?"

Phillip's jaw set unpleasantly. "Ah, come on, man. You've got as good a chance as I do." He desperately hoped that this was true; that Aurora's reason for turning him down would apply to Lir, too. He suddenly wanted to crawl away to a dark corner and vanish. "Hey, I gotta go check on something, okay? So, uh…good luck with that."

"Catch you later?"

"Yeah, man." They did a quick fist-bump and Phillip turned abruptly away, disappearing into the crowd. He eventually found his way to the kitchen and took a seat, alone. He just started mindlessly drinking.

Rapunzel gasped when she almost ran into Flynn. She'd been looking for Merida when she nearly spilled her drink all over him.

"I'm so sorry!"

He turned, looking annoyed, but softened visibly when he saw that it was her. He stared down at her for a moment, as if he didn't know what to do. Then, his face sank into this weird smile.

"Hey. How ya' doin'?"

She frowned a little. "Are you okay?"

He faltered a bit, straining the already weird expression. "Wha-? Yeah, of course I am. Why?"

She giggled. "I just... I don't think that's how people smile."

He frowned, then shook his head a little and made this weird pouty face. "You makin' fun of my smile?"

She laughed now. "And what is that? Are you pouting?"

He frowned now, sticking his lower lip out a bit. "I thought the ladies loved the smolder..." He muttered. He looked at her and said almost seriously, "This isn't a normal thing for me..."

She giggled. "I hope not."

He smirked. "Does this mean you aren't afraid of me anymore, Romaine?"

She laughed. "That's not my name."

"Oh, uh... Iceberg, right?"

"No!"

"Hold on, hold on... It's right in the tip of my tongue... Escarole!"

"Rapunzel!"

"I was close!"

She laughed and playfully pushed his arm. "No, I'm not afraid of you, you weirdo."

He laughed. "Okay, good. Then come dance with me."

"Well..."

"If you don't, I'll make more weird faces."

"Oh, gosh... I kinda have to dance with you now, don't I? You know, to save you the embarrassment."

He sighed. "It would be the humane thing to do..."

She grinned. "Okay, then." She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to the dance floor, with him smirking the whole time.

Belle yawned as Aurora approached her, mumbling something.

"What was that?" Aurora asked.

"What time is it?" Belle repeated.

Aurora grinned, sipping at her soda. "Just past one in the morning."

Belle's eyes widened. "It's amazing that my papa hasn't called..."

Aurora laughed. "Oh, Ariel told him that you were sleeping over at my place tonight. Won't that be fun?"

"I don't have pajamas..." Belle yawned again. "Or a toothbrush..."

"I have clothes you can borrow. And my mom always keeps extra toiletries; Anything you could want or need. You'd think we're a hotel or something..." Aurora replied.

Belle nodded sleepily. "Okay... Thanks."

Aurora smiled. "You want a soda?"

Belle nodded again, smiling. "That would be great."

"I'll go get you one." Aurora said, walking away.

When fifteen minutes passed without Aurora returning- presumably, she and Lir were dancing again- Belle found herself nearly falling asleep once or twice, Belle decided to make herself get up and get her own drink, and maybe find one of her friends. She snuck through the living room, waving at Snow and Cindy on her way to the kitchen. They were sitting with Charming and Ferdinand on one of the sofas, with one extra seat. Belle made a mental note to join them after getting her drink.

She sighed lightly as she dug through the nearest ice chest. (More from being tired than anything else.) It was easy to find a soda, since everyone had been drinking the stronger stuff all night. She stopped at the kitchen counter after finding a lemon-lime soda, and popped it open in satisfaction. She was in the middle of taking a long drink when she felt a rather tall presence next to her. She ignored it at first, but after a moment, the presence cleared its throat and she had to look up at it.

Or rather, him.

He was the quiet, surly senior boy from her father's physics class. Belle had a couple of other classes with him too. He didn't seem to like people very much; He used to be a football player, but it was rumored that he'd gone crazy and started to seclude himself from everyone and everything. He never spoke to anybody now. But it would have been difficult for him to fly under anyone's radar. He didn't look like anyone else at school; He stood over six feet tall, and he was built like an action hero. He had long, amber-colored waves of hair that he customarily pulled back in a low-maintenance ponytail. He had excellent bone structure, a strong chin, and full lips. And he was looking shyly down at her with stormy blue eyes.

"Hi." He said so quietly that she almost didn't hear him, just saw his lips move. His voice was surprisingly soft, and his tone was smooth. Though the intensity of his stare let on that he was a bit nervous about approaching her.

Belle was sure she'd never had such a piercing gaze focused on her in all her life. She tried to smile anyway, not wanting to seem as surprised by it all as she felt. "Hi. I've seen you around school."

He nodded. "Right. We have a few classes together, don't we?"

She cleared her throat, as subtly as was possible. "Mm, yes. And don't I see you in the library sometimes?"

His thick brows twitched a little, as though he wasn't expecting that she would have noticed something like that. Then he tried to play it off with a shrug. "Yeah, sometimes." He seemed somewhat sheepish now. She frowned up at him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No, it's just..." He seemed deeply uncomfortable. "I guess I never thought anyone at school…noticed me much. Any more."

"Well, they'd be pretty foolish not to." She replied with a soft laugh.

He gazed down at her, ever the stoic. When she grinned up at him, he seemed to relax more. He even laughed at himself, quietly. "I'm sorry... I've wanted to talk to you for so long. I had it all built up in my head… Now I don't really know what to do here, to be honest."

Belle must have looked surprised, because more words came rushing from him, "I'm sorry, that was too forward... This is weird… I'm sorry. I'll just leave..."

"No, no, it's fine." She laughed lightly. "It's just... Well, I wasn't really expecting…"

"Right."

"Yeah..."

They stared at each other for a minute, and Belle honestly didn't know if it was awkward or not. But it was okay, because he didn't seem to know either. After a moment, she asked him, "What's your name?" She wished she could remember it from class, but she typically zoned out during roll call.

"Adam."

"Adam..." She smiled. "I like it. It's nice."

"Belle's nice, too." He smiled slightly. She flushed a little when she heard him say her name, and silently realized that he'd bothered to remember it. She was embarrassed, but flattered all at once. And she had no idea what to do with all that. All she knew was that she liked the sound of his voice, particularly when he said her name…

He then hesitantly asked, "Do you like to dance?"

She shook her head, laughing slightly. "Not really. At least, not with so many people around."

"Thank goodness." He replied. "Me neither."

She laughed openly now. "You wanna sit at the counter with me?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"Is that...?" Lottie gaped at the kitchen counter.

"Yeah... You see it too, right?" Ariel asked in shock.

"I think it's cute." Giselle stated plainly, leaning into Edward as he held her with one arm.

"But isn't he, like, nuts?" Lottie asked Edward.

Edward shrugged. "No one really knows what happened to him. I think it had to do with his parents..." The sentence faded away as Phillip, Tiana, Mulan and Shang approached. Edward looked at Shang. "Hey. You think Adam's okay now?"

Shang frowned and looked over at Adam and Belle. "Well. He's talking to people. So yeah, I guess."

"Do you think he'll want back on the team?" Edward asked.

"Maybe." John said, suddenly appearing next to Shang. "He's making nice with me now, so maybe."

"Hmm... He was pretty good." Shang said. "I would consider letting him back on."

"So... It's okay for Belle to hang around him, right?" Tiana asked the group, eyeing Adam suspiciously.

John shrugged. "Maybe she's what he needs. I mean, she's the first person I've seen him speak to since last year. She could bring him out of his slump, you know?"

"Oh! The way that she drops into our lives, all beautiful and wise, and now she's saving that boy's life! She's like an angel." Lottie cooed.

"But is she really safe?" Ariel was obviously worried. She didn't want to bring her friend into the mix just to have her get tangled up in a toxic relationship.

"I'd say so." Naveen said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Lottie. But truthfully, he had no reason to say so.

"Where's Rorie?" Phillip suddenly (loudly) asked.

Ariel pointed to the sofa where Cindy, Charming, Snow and Ferdinand had been joined by Aurora and Lir. Phillip furrowed his brow, said, "Huh", and walked away to find another drink. A couple of them watched him go in mild concern. Tiana's gaze lingered on him the longest.

Lottie, Giselle and Ariel all shared a look before leading their boyfriends to find a seat in the living room to laugh at the karaoke contest that was taking place. John, Mulan and Shang went to sit nearby with Jim, Merida, Meg and Hercules. They were all cheering for Rapunzel, who was singing some Mandy Moore song. Merida was openly grinning at how Flynn was watching the blonde, and kept joking with Jim about it. Kida and Milo joined them shortly. (Milo had just pulled the white-haired girl from the hot tub). They were accompanied by Thomas. Aladdin and Jasmine sat by with Phoebus, in the middle of an intense conversation. Ariel's two older sisters were acting as Rapunzel's back-up dancers.

Rapunzel's song came to an end, and soon after that, Phillip's dad came stumbling into the house. Phillip met Hubert by the door and they whispered to each other for a few minutes. Eventually, Hubert told Phillip that his friends could stay as long as they were quiet. Phillip announced this, quite drunkenly, to the house, and it was decided that they would put on a quiet movie in the living room. Tiana watched Hubert drag himself up the stairs to bed before walking over to Phillip, who was having a hard time standing upright.

"Hey, you…" She greeted, taking hold of his elbow.

He grinned sleepily down at her. "Oh, my gosh, Tia, hi." He slung a heavy arm around her shoulder and brought his face down close to hers. "Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah, you know, I am. And you seem to be, too!" Tiana replied, placing her other hand on his back. "Have you had any water?"

"What? No!" He lazily raised his drink to his lips. "Been busy…"

"Yeah, okay. Let's go have a seat in the kitchen for a bit, okay?"

"Tom and I are gonna take off. See you at practice?" John said to Hercules, clapping a hand on the larger boy's shoulder.

"Don't bet on it." Meg said from Hercules' side with a wink.

Hercules smiled...until he saw the look on John's face. Then he nodded and said, "Yeah, see you then."

John nodded and left with Thomas in tow. Meg rolled her eyes.

"You could take him out, ya' know. You don't have to let him bully you." She said to Hercules.

He shrugged. "He's one of the captains."

"You might not be captain, but you're like, the star of the team. Can't you do what you want? I mean, would they really sit you out?"

Hercules looked doubtful. "Coach Phil has been getting pretty mad at me for ditching... Maybe I should go. I do wanna hang out with you, Meg. But I really want to play football professionally, and a scholarship is a good place to start."

She smirked and kissed him on the cheek. "You do what you want, Wonder Boy." And she snuggled into his side. Content, he held her close and smiled into her hair.

"I should probably get going... Wanna exchange numbers?" Adam seemed afraid that Belle would deny him.

She smiled and nodded, and they quickly exchanged phones so they could add their numbers in each other's contacts.

"I guess I'll see you at school..."

"Maybe we could sit together." Belle said hopefully.

"I'd hate to take you from your friends..."

"They aren't in all our classes, are they? Anyway, you can sit with us any time. I'd hate for you to keep sitting in the back all alone..."

After a hesitant moment, he slowly nodded. "Okay. Maybe I'll sit with you guys."

"Okay." Belle grinned.

"Uh... See you..." He mumbled awkwardly, trying for a smile and a tiny wave.

"See you, Adam." She grinned and waved back.

He seemed to chuckle quietly as he walked away, making her heart quiver. It was only then that Belle remembered how tired she was, and she went to join her friends on a sofa in the living room.

The party was finally, blessedly, coming to an end, and Tiana was patiently helping a clumsy Phillip up the stairs to his room. He occasionally mumbled something incoherent and vaguely grumpy.

"Okay, Phil…" Tiana muttered, practically carrying him to his bed. "Let's get you settled here…" She silently wondered if she should find some Tylenol to leave on his bedside table…and maybe a bucket or something… She struggled to topple him over onto the mattress, sighing heavily. He'd landed face-down, quite ungracefully. This had to be the most disheveled Tiana had ever seen him, and it was fairly unsettling. As she started to back away, she realized his hand was wound tightly around her wrist. He was mumbling something into the mattress, already half-asleep.

Tiana curiously leaned down to try to hear what he was saying. "What's up, Phil?"

He slowly turned over to look up at her. "Thanks, Tia…"

"It's no problem." She assured him.

His hand moved clumsily from her wrist until their fingers were interlaced. Tiana looked down at their joined hands, mildly perplexed. Then she watched as he slowly, agonizingly slowly, raised her hand toward his face. Tiana felt her heart race. For how much time she'd spent with Phillip over the years, they'd never been in such close proximity before. He gently pressed her knuckles against his lips, and held her like that for a while. Tiana sat there in disbelief. Eventually, his breathing changed and she realized he'd just fallen asleep like that, her hand still in his grasp. His lip quivered slightly as she withdrew from him, but he didn't wake up.

Tiana sat there for a moment, stunned, her mind a whirl. She cradled the hand that he'd kissed against her chest. She didn't want to leave…

But she knew she had to. Naveen was crashed on Phillip's couch, and Lottie needed a ride home. Tiana looked over at Phillip again, not sure what to think.

He's wasted. She reminded herself. It didn't mean anything… He probably won't remember when he wakes up.

Tiana stood up slowly, and kept telling herself this as she snuck out of the room and down the stairs, quite exhausted. Still, the interaction had left its mark, and she left Phillip's house (with a wobbling Charlotte on her arm) wondering all kinds of things that hadn't occurred to her before.

Aurora awoke mid-morning with a content sigh and a long stretch. The sunlight leaked in through the sheer curtains and fell over the room, stirring Giselle awake, too. Snow White had apparently been up for a while, absent-mindedly scrolling through the news feed on her phone. She turned to Aurora and smiled.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

Aurora laughed and slowly sat up. "Good morning."

"Hey…" Giselle grunted a little as she propped herself up on her elbows. "What happened to Ariel last night? I thought she was supposed to sleep over, too." Last night, Giselle had been a little too tipsy to notice Ariel hadn't come back with them.

Aurora blushed slightly and pushed a hand through her tousled hair. "Um… She decided last-minute to stay at Eric's place."

Snow's face turned bright red and she self-consciously hid it behind her phone.

Giselle's eyebrows popped up in intrigue. "Oh?"

Aurora shrugged. "His butler had the night off, apparently."

Giselle laughed and thoughtfully tilted her head back to examine the ceiling fan. "Ah… To be in the early stage again."

"The early stage? Of what?" Snow chirped.

"Oh, honey—" Giselle started.

"No, don't!" Aurora cut in, raising her hands. "Please."

Ariel awoke in Eric's bed around noon. The sun streamed over her through the bay window and the only thing covering her was a thin cotton sheet. She turned over and sat up, holding the sheet up around her chest. She blinked lazily until she found Eric's sleeping form next to her. She smiled and snuggled up next to him. He was pleasantly awakened, and he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her. She obligingly pulled herself up and on top of him so that they were chest-to-chest. They shared a deep kiss, Eric making a soft noise. She smiled against his lips and sat up, straddling him.

"What time does Grimsby get here?" She smirked.

He grinned. "Not till four."

"Mmm..." She gripped him by his hair and pulled him up for another passionate kiss.

The next day, Aurora was surprised to feel her phone buzzing in her pocket as she headed up the steps of the school. When she glanced at her phone and saw it was Ariel calling, she answered immediately.

"Hello?"

"The musical's being announced!"

"What?!"

"Mrs. Rabbit's posting it on the board right now!"

"I'm coming!"

"Hurry!"

Aurora hung up and took off for the front hall. Luckily, she had long legs, and she'd mastered running in heels ages ago. She made it there quickly, almost running into Ariel, Lottie, Giselle, Tiana, Cindy and Snow. Jasmine came strolling up soon after, and they nearly ambushed Mrs. Rabbit at the board.

She smirked at them and drawled, "This is going to be a fun one, girls." She winked as she strolled away, proudly flipping her glossy red locks.

"Oh, I just love her." Lottie gushed.

They all crowded around the paper and gasped.

There, on the bulletin board, was pinned the most epic poster (probably created by one of the graphic design students) for Little Shop of Horrors.