Everyone was celebrating in good form that evening. Mr Ratcliffe allowed them to deck the school hall out with fairy lights and a large banner reading Congratulations from the rafters.

“By rights, it ought to say “Well Done, Team,” or something,” Meg pointed out. “But it’ll do since we couldn’t find anything else at the last minute.”

As good as his word, Mr Ratcliffe also provided alcohol but limited them all to only two coupons each. It was fair enough, thought Belle; this was a school after all, and none of them wanted its reputation to be sullied by wild drunken rampages on behalf of the students. But lack of alcohol didn’t stop it from being a good party.

“This is so cool!” squealed Lottie.

Meg laughed. “Well, don’t go thinking it’s always like this at school, Lottie! There’s a lot of hard work and serious stuff involved too!”

“Please!” Jim, who was standing nearby, glanced over at them. “When was the last time we did anything serious in this place?”

“Except form relationships?” Audrey added, squeezing his arm.

Meg grinned. “Ok, fair point!”

“Besides, we’re goin’ to the beach soon and I can’t wait!” Lottie gushed.

In a far corner of the room, Rapunzel, Flynn, Aladdin and Jasmine were watching the couples who were dancing.

“They’re such a cute couple,” Jasmine sighed, leaning against Aladdin, and looking over at Belle and Adam.

“Speaking of which,” grinned Aladdin, turning to Flynn and Rapunzel, “I’m guessing you two are official now, then?”

Flynn flushed bright red. “Well, it was inevitable, we all knew that!”

“You always said you liked brunettes!” Rapunzel pointed out, with a slight teasing pout.

Flynn shrugged and put an arm around her. “I was never serious. I like you blonde or brunette; although you probably would look cute with brown hair.”

She began playing with a strand. “What if I cut it? I do keep tripping over it.”

“Would your mum let you?” asked Jasmine.

Rapunzel shrugged. “I don’t know.”

In another corner of the room, Merida and Linguini had been snogging for what felt like hours. Finally, breathless, they broke apart and Merida giggled at the look of astonishment still plastered on Linguini’s face. “Oh, come on, like you didn’t see this coming!”

Linguini went as red as both their hair. “Well...I did hope that...you might...like me back...like that.”

“Of course I do, you daft thing!” Merida ruffled his hair. “You might not be the sharpest tool in the box but you’re incredibly sweet and you make me laugh!”

Hercules grinned. “I think they make a good couple, don’t you?”

John chuckled. “Sure...if Linguini can put up with Merida wearing the trousers in that relationship!”

“Aw, come on, lay off her, guys,” said Adam, pulling Belle into a hug as they came up. “After all, she won us the race.”

“Yeah, we should be grateful,” agreed Hercules, soberly. “Hey, so, when are you getting the stitches out, anyway?”

“Tomorrow, apparently,” Adam replied.

Belle gave him a teasing smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll hold your hand.”

Eventually, Mr Phil came into the hall and reminded them, gently, but firmly, that it was coming up for midnight and they all needed to be in bed.

“And, team,” he added, dashing a quick tear from his eye. “I just want you to know that I was proud of you all today. Especially Merida. You did the school proud.”

“Yeah, three cheers for Merida,” Aladdin said, raising his glass. “Hip-hip!”

“Hooray!” everyone else chorused.

“Hip-hip!”

“Hooray!”

“Hip-hip!”

“Hooray!”

“Aw, stop, guys! You’ll make my head big!” Merida grinned.

“it’s already big!” Flynn crowed.

“Punzy, thump him for me!”

Everyone laughed, and then they laughed even more when Rapunzel actually did hit him. “Ow!” laughed Flynn. “Ok, ok, at the risk of being hit again, I take it back!”

“Alight, everyone,” Mr Phil insisted. “Bed!”

So, everyone did as they were told and Mr Phil placed the trophy in the school trophy cabinet in the foyer before he too retired to sleep.

The next morning, everyone was still buzzing about winning the race. Well, everyone except Belle and Adam, who had gone down to Dr Sweet’s surgery in order for Adam to have his stitches removed.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,” smiled Dr Sweet. “You’re lucky the wound wasn’t deeper.”

“But he’s going to be alright now?” Belle asked, slightly fearfully. “I mean, no infections or anything?”

Dr Sweet laughed, kindly. “You’re worrying too much, Miss French! He’s going to be just fine.”

Adam grimaced as the last stitch was removed and then relaxed. “So I’m alright for the beach trip, then?”

“As long as you don’t care about the scarring, yeah,” Dr Sweet replied.

Belle was slightly nervous about the beach trip, and she confessed as much to Adam as they walked back into the school together. “How come?” Adam asked her.

“Well...” Belle took a deep breath. “My swimming costume just looks like an old schoolgirl one; you know, with the little shorts and very covered up here...” She gestured to her chest. “It makes me look very...non-sexy. I’m going to stand out against everyone else.”

“Well, they’re not going to care,” Adam replied, wisely, squeezing her hand. “And neither am I. You always look beautiful no matter what you wear.”

Belle smiled. “You’re very sweet. And very brave.”

Adam pulled her to him for a kiss. “Come on, we’d better get to Art class.”

“Alright, everyone,” said Mr Wiggins, looking slightly flustered as he came into the room. “We have a new teaching assistant.”

“Teaching assistant?” Belle whispered as they sat down.

“Sometimes they get these like trainee assistants in for classes,” Rapunzel whispered. “Miss Maleficent started out as a teaching assistant, and look at her now!”

“This is Miss Ting-Ting!” announced Mr Wiggins, as a beautiful Chinese woman glided into the room. Now Belle understood his nervousness. The poor Art teacher was smitten. “Now, as you can see, Miss Ting-Ting” began Mr Wiggins, pulling what he thought was a meter stick from his desk drawer and tapping the blackboard with it, “We’ve been studying the modern artists and-!”

He broke off with a nervous chuckle seeing that he had picked up the arrow hairband he had been wearing on Belle’s first day in Disney High and been pointing at the board with that. Miss Ting-Ting seemed to see the funny side of it, however.

“Aw!” Lottie whispered. “Isn’t that cute?”

Belle smiled to herself. It looked like yet another romance was blooming at Disney High.