Ariel set her satchel on the desk. Tutoring Gaston on microbiology was sure to improve her knowledge on the subject.
Gaston had sounded so nice, he was sure to contribute greatly to the little study date.
"Ready to order?" A dark, beautiful girl danced over to her, a note pad in her hand.
"Hey, Tiana!" Ariel waved. "No, I won't order yet,"
Tiana smiled, her dimples popping out. "Well, Red. You hardly go to anywhere but the library. What's up?"
Ariel smiled. She knew Tiana was one of those working at the Diner for some extra cash. "I actually came to study. Tutor somebody actually."
"Really?" Tiana placed a hand on the table, her other hand on her hip. "A boy, huh?" One brow rose up.
"Yes, Tia. A boy. But it's nothing serious. It's just a study session."
"Ha. Study. Who's the lucky boo?"
"Gaston."
Tiana froze, then slowly retreated her hand from the table. "Say what?"
"You know? Tall, bit huge, really handsome, I must admit, chiselled cheekbones..."
"Uh uh, girl, if it's the Gaston I know, then you're crazy."
"Huh?"
"Gaston is a jerk. Hell, everybody knows that. When I was in my first year, the guy tried to yank my skirt off. Who does that?!"
"Oh, I bet it's not the same Gaston. This one was sweet, real nice..."
"Suuure he was." Tiana shook her head. "You're kinda right, though. I can't go judging him now. Maybe he's changed or something like that." She sighed and put her pen back on her notepad. "I need to check on the other customers, Ariel, maybe Tinker Bell will be able to take your orders when that... Gaston gets here. Stay safe, honey." And with that, Tiana cheerfully twirled away.
Ariel chuckled and put on her phone to check the time. 7:32 pm. Well, he was quite late.
She sighed and rested her cheek on her palm. Nothing to it.
Good thing the Disney Diner had free WiFi. She turned her phone once more and began to scroll through her WhatsApp messages.
Moana had left her loads of messages asking of how the date was going.
Ariel rolled her eyes and smiled, tapping in quickly:
It's not a 'date' date, nimrod. It's a study session.
Before she could wait to hear from her new friend, other notifications began to gush in from other social networks.
Ariel curled her hair with her finger in glee. She might have been new but she was more than happy to get all the gossip Disney Academy had to offer.
Just as she was about to reply to the Anastasia and Dimitri two-year-anniversary post on Snapchat, the door swung open with full force.
Everyone turned to look up at Gaston, his chest heaving to take in the fresh scent of the diner.
Soon, almost everyone snarled and went back to their business, asides Ariel who smiled in glee and patted the space next to her. "Good evening,"
"Aaahhh, no one makes an entry like Gaston!" He beamed all over, eyes landing on the little redhead who seemed a bit taken aback by his loudness. "Ariel."
"Oh. Uh, hi. Come over. I've been waiting but it's alright, we can still cover up much." She scooted over, giving him space.
As she lifted her hand to call on the waitress, her eyes caught a glint of dark hair.
Oh no.
Eric.
He was almost four tables away from her, his head bent low, eyes focusing angrily on his phone.
"What're you looking at?" Gaston bounced heavily on the soft chair, dominating Ariel's structure.
"No, it's nothing. I just saw a friend. Is that—hair gel?"
"You like?" He gave her a smug smile.
"Uh...well...I...it's a bit too much but, er...never mind. OK, let's begin shall we." She opened up the big red book in their front, flipping pages to the required chapter. "Ah hah, Chapter 2. Life cycle of a fish..."
"Yawn!" Gaston opened his mouth in a mockery yawn. He closed the book with one hand and used the other to grab her shoulders. Ariel let out a little scream.
"How 'bout we get to know each other a little bit?"
"Er...Gaston, we already know each other. You just said you needed help in this." She tried to pull his hand away but it was way too heavy and he didn't budge.
"C'mon. Like, for instance, I'm a good kisser," he began to lean in. Ariel tried to pull away from him as much as possible but his other hand gripped her waist.
She let out a small cry, turning the attention of everyone towards them.
* * *
Eric ran his hands through his hair in disappointment. Once again, Vanessa stood him up. She wasn't even answering any of her calls, wasn't replying any message. He sighed.
Why was she being so rigid all of a sudden? And still, he couldn't find fault in her. Maybe something was wrong.
Cutting into his thoughts was a shrill cry. He looked up to see where it'd come from.
The redheaded girl he'd seen weeks ago. What was she doing here with... Gaston!
Immediately, he rose to his feet, surprised at the speed which he used to rush over.
Everybody knew Gaston. Even Vanessa.
"What're you doing?!" Eric pushed Gaston off Ariel. Ariel was panting, her blue eyes swinging from Eric to Gaston and back again.
"Whoa, lay off, man. Occupado." The big man gave a hearty laugh, sickening Eric even more.
"You're full of crap. Hitting on anything that wears a skirt. How shameless,"
"What's it to you? Because your little Vanessa and I were madly in love?..."
Ariel saw the veins in Eric's neck bunch, his fist tightened as he prepared to raise it up and slam it against Gaston's face.
She quickly stood up and held Eric back. "No. No, don't do that. Please."
For a while, three of them just froze there. Eric seething, Gaston smiling smugly and Ariel worrying the hell out of herself.
"That's it!" Tiana marched over to them, frowning bitterly. She pointed to Gaston. "You. Out. NOW!"
"Hey, baby, you don't wanna do that now, do you?" Gaston raised an eyebrow.
Tinker Bell rushed forward, her face red as she pushed Gaston in the chest. "Out of here! Leave!"
"Down, Tink. Down," Tiana placed a hand on the small girl's shoulders. She knew Tinker Bell could lose it so easily.
Gaston just smiled wider. "All this attention just for me. Ha! No one draws an audience like Gaston. Adios, my loves and my biggest fans," with a mock curtsy, he marched out.
"Told ya, Ariel," Tiana patted her shoulders and called Tink to go back into the kitchen.
Then, it was just Ariel and Eric.
Ariel slowly let go off his chest, her eyes hitting the floor. "Uh, thanks for doing that for me. Uh..." She bit her lip. "I'm Ariel..."
"You should stay away from jerks like those."
"I know that now. I..."
"Goodnight. Take care of yourself," he walked out of the Diner as well.
Ariel sighed, tears threatening to pour out from her eyes. "I shoulda just watched a movie tonight."