Once Upon A Nightmare

- TWENTY ONE -

- Ariella -

Welp, my day couldn't get any worse. So far today, I just flunked my Life Skills test in Frollo's class, got a detention in Civics with Mr, Jafar, and that wannabe "Mean Girl" Zella just stole my hazelnut-chocolate spread sandwich. I mean, MY hazelnut-chocolate spread sandwich. Why couldn't she ask mommy dearest to go buy some for her? And I was really looking forward to eating that sandwich.

Ugh, this day just could not get any worse. I shuffled my way over to the school's auditorium for drama class to start rehearsal on our new play. If I remember, it had some stupid title and I apparently got to play the main antagonist of the whole thing. Something new for me and might just brighten my day to actually be mean for once in my life.

I tossed my bag down into a chair and stomped over to the stage. "Which one of you pathetic, insolent, death-wishing freaks stole my lunch? And don't lie to me, because I know who you are."Everyone looked at me. "No, you dumb fool, I am not in character." I was in full prick mode. I was gonna make that Zella pay for what she did to me. Pay, I tell you. Pay!

Zella stepped forward with a sigh. "It was me, you dumb bimbo. And I must admit," she answered leaning towards me, "It was delicious."

Rage filled me. Who did this chick think she was, the princess of the drama class? Against the better of me, I swung at her. Her body crumpled to the ground from my blow as I walked away. Everyone gasped and awed at me. It was hard to belive sweet little me could do such a thing like that but I had my limits. I happened to..."stumble" upon Zella's bag, went inside of it, and pulled out a twenty dollar bill.

"This will pay for a new lunch, don't you think so, Zella?" I gave her a sweet, innocent look.

Her hand laid on her cheek as she rose up from her spot. "You little bi―"

"Silence!"

Everyone turned to the direction the loud roar originated from. At the door stood the director, Ms. Sula. Her slender hands were placed on her skinny hips. Her black hair fluffed up, signaling she was beyond angry. Her normal sweet-heart face was crinkled with annoyance. She slowly approached the stage where we all gathered.

"What is going on here?" she dragged out.

I waited for Zella to have her chance. "She punched me! That evil, red-haired freak punched me!"

Sula looked around the room. "Can anyone confirm her story?" No one answered. "Well, Ariela, what is your story?"

"She attacked me because I wouldn't give in and hand her my lunch. I told her I would give it to her if she gave me twenty dollars, but she didn't and then stole my lunch," I lied.

Zella gasped. "You didn't say that! That never, ever happened! She's lying!"

Sula rolled her eyes and looked dead into the annoying twit's eyes. "Look, I don't care if she is telling me a flat-out lie or not. I don't like you and I don't really care enough for you. Now, if you have a problem with that take it up with your lovely mother. But..." she stepped onto the stage, "It seems that no one can cooperate your story. And if you think you will put my play in jeopardy, well, you have another think coming."

She quickly faced the rest of us and ordered us to get back to work. Everyone scrambled to their places and we began at some random scene.

I watched as the props move about the stage. A whirlpool of blue-green silk spun around the the girl in the octopus costume.

"I finally have my crown! I finally, finally, have it back. You won't ever try to take it from me! You will have to kill me if you think I would just let you take it from me," she yelled.

Well, here I go. "You have no crown. You don't deserve it. You are nothing by a mere pest. A servant. Banished from my land! You are nothing. That crown deserves to be worn by someone worthy of it and it's power."

Watching everything play out, it all became so dumb. Who would come watch a play about some girl trying to get a crown only to die from a boat hitting her? No one. Ms. Sula was really beginning to lose her writing touch. If she ever had any to begin with. Where did she even get the ideas for them anyways? She should have stuck with Romeo and Juliet.

Sula clapped slowly. "That was magnificent! Bravo, children, bravo!" She wiped away a tear.

Bravo to your failed attempt at a play, Sula, bravo! I laughed at my own joke. Sula noticed my laughter and questioned me about it.

"Oh, I'm just so happy that you are happy, Ms. Sula. We worked really hard to bring your play to life, to make it real. It will be a show stopper, no, the show stopper." ...Of your career. And she wonders why she never made it to Broadway.

As class ended, I started to pack my things to leave this stupid place. Wow, has this place really let itself go. Might have all started back when Sula started teaching this class. Well, good thing my next class is music with Mr. Modo. At least he knows how to teach and keep a class together. He might be a little weird but he is far better of a teacher than any of the teaching staff here. He gave us a break when we needed one unlike a little, not so little, someone.

We picked up where we left off the day before, discussing a few songs and such. Every day when he would walk in, he would always spread a word of wisdom. We honestly love it. He was the best music teacher there was and, honestly, he should have gotten the position to be the drama teacher.

But sadly and unapologetically, Sula got the fricken part and Modo was her understudy. Her "pathetic, basic, will be nothing" understudy as she put it. He should have gotten the job, he deserved the job that she stole from him.

Half od the class dropped out because they didn't like the unbearably boring play. Whenever someone would critique it, Sula would find some way to either kick them out of the class or kick them out of the school. It was so pathetic of her. We should have a say in what happened since we were the ones doing all the work. She had no ounce of acting or teaching skills. None of the plays made sense and that annoyed us. She couldn't even play write correctly!

Everyone had it with her. Some of us even decided to boycott the whole thing. No one cared if it would cost us our grades, we wanted to perform what we wanted to do. And nothing was going to stop us. As they all say, the show must go one and this show was going to happen.