One by one everyone was getting their embarrassing stories spilled and having to do the strangest things on that poor dark beach. It felt less like a game, and more like a bonding experience for all of them, they realized individually

Aladdin kept getting close to snatching away the necklace, but it was always just a little too far from his grasp. Eric tried to keep the distractions constant and energetic so no one could see through their ruse..

Hercules other hand was enjoying every moment of it, nearly forgetting the entire plan. Hearing Melody’s laughter and seeing her smile had made him feel all mushy inside. Hercules perked up at his name, however, realizing Aladdin had just said something to him. He turned, clueless and rosy cheeked. Aladdin rolled his eyes, smirking deviously.

“Truth or Dare, meathead?” Aladdin spoke again.

“Dare.” Hercules didn’t hesitate this time. But he could tell, just from his gut, something was about to go completely wrong. 

“I dare you… To kiss the one person you would want to date most out of this group. It can be on the cheek, lips, neck, whatever you want.” As soon Aladdin had finished speaking, everyone was suddenly on edge, laughing and whistling. Hercules felt his heart drop into his stomach, throbbing intensely. His eyes averted to his lap, anxiety pounding as he couldn’t even bring himself to look across the fire at Melody. 

“Another one of these dares? This should be interesting,” Jack grinned, knowing how anxious Hercules was around most girls, despite the reputation that came with being a football player. 

 “Is it who I think it is?” Milo raised an eyebrow at Eric, though he only responded with an innocent shrug of the shoulders. Ariel shook her head at the boy's remarks, smiling brightly. She leaned closer to Hercules, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I bet she’s cute.” she whispered teasingly. Hercules felt a familiar heat in his chest. Ariel did look a lot like Melody, with some rather distinct differences. 

“Yeah… She is…” he agreed with her, knowing fully well that Melody was more than just ‘cute’. 

“Don’t you think that's a bit far?” Melody perked up finally, nervously holding her chest. “It might be a bit too far for him,”. 

“Hey, this is the prime of our life. If we don’t talk about this now, we never will.” Aladdin mused, still drinking slowly. Both Jane and Sam shared a mutual uncomfortable chill as they looked at one another, knowing exactly who it could be. Silently, they hoped they were wrong. Melody pouted a bit, her lower lip puffed with her arms crossed over her chest, her head held high and away from everyone.. Hercules felt his heart pound from just how cute she was, shifting his legs and lap uncomfortably.

“Well I’m not going to invade his privacy. If he wants to do it, then he can. I’ll close my eyes.” Shutting her eyes tightly, everyone else rolled theirs. It was cute, but it was childish still. Aladdin realized this was the perfect time to leap into action, standing up to ‘use the restroom.’

Melody waited patiently, but was still curious about who he could like. Not that it was her business at all, she just couldn’t help but be curious.  She felt a pang in her stomach at the thought of him crushing on someone who wasn’t her. 

'Probably ate too much,' she thought to herself, writing it off.  She heard him stand up, starting to walk close to her. It must have been someone like Sam, or Jane. Maybe even Jim, she jokingly toyed with the idea. But her realization came through when she felt the soft press of lips against her cheek. A single peck.

Everyone shared a collective pause, before the jovial mumbling, cooing, and aweing rang through the air.  Opening her eyes, Melody was faced with the half shadowed silhouette of Hercules standing straight, the shining rose of his cheeks still bright even in his shadow. There was a long pause between them as everyone else joked or whispered with one another. Melody, having finally registered what just happened, squeaked and was now struggling to sit upright properly. She felt herself start to fall backwards before Jim grabbed hold of her back. Hercules held onto her arm instead, both boys trying to keep her from hitting the soft, yet cold, sand.

After sitting her back into place, she was still frozen in shock. Sam waved her hand in front of Melody’s face for a second, before replacing it on her hip. 

“I think you mighta broken her, beefcake.” Sam spoke flatly, watching Hercules become more anxious by the second. Jim was processing what had just happened. He didn’t know what to think, in all honesty. Jealousy was the immediate reaction, but was it really warranted? It was just part of the game, and Melody was a very beautiful girl. Anyone with half a brain would have a crush on her. Not to mention that no one knew about their relationship yet. If Jim spilled the secret now, Hercules might just feel even worse for telling everyone how he felt. The only saving grace might be Melody. 

Melody pulled her hoodie over her head, flipped the hood, and pulled the strings to cover her now tomato colored face. She didn’t know if the emotion she felt was flattery or embarrassment. She didn’t know what she should have been feeling at all. All she knew right now was that everyone was watching them and enjoying their time. Their eyes were on them like hawks, waiting for the next morsel of entertainment. 

After what  felt like hours, Melody heard Hercules finally speak up again. 

“I’m sorry Melody, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable at all. I… I’m gonna sit back down.” she could tell his voice was filled with guilt and embarrassment. She watched him sit back down, the divets in the sand a lot heavier than they were when he was bouncy. . Sam was patting her anxious friend’s back to calm her down. It didn’t help that she could hear her older sister teasing Melody. 

“Oh, Melody are you okay? Does my baby sister need some help?” Ariel spoke with unadulterated amusement in her voice. Despite still being lost in her hoodie, Melody bites back out of sheer habit.

“Not sure, really. Maybe we should have Eric kiss you and you see how it feels.” Sam choked at her comeback. Once more the teens did some whistling and woops. Ariel was a new shade of red, her face burning so brightly even Eric felt heat against his face. Hercules watched Aladdin from his seat, hoping that he had finished what he had started, rightfully a bit upset with the current state of affairs in the group.. 

Al patted his pocket a bit, signalling that it was taken with ease. Hercules could see a glint of the rusty chain, letting loose the silent breath he had been holding in. He wasn’t sure if he should really be relieved though, after what he did to . He made an excuse,  that he would get more firewood to get away from the group, to get some fresh seaside air. 

As he finally made it to the truck, he rummaged around in the trunk for any remaining wood. After standing still for a couple seconds, just listening to the waves crashing and receding back from the coast, he began slamming his head against the heavy metal of the truck bed repeatedly, not like it would hurt him anyway. He called himself stupid with each crack of his head against the car, knowing all too well it would now be extremely awkward every time he saw her. Maybe she would never forget what happened, or maybe she would hate him for it. 

“Is your head hard enough to take that?” A voice from nowhere frightened him, as he turned to see where it came from. Melody emerged from the shadows, her shoulders and the sides of her head outlined by the large fire behind her, crossing her arms and furrowing her brows. He turned away from her trying to laugh it off.

“Oh yeah, I’ve had worse injuries during games.” He knocks his head with his knuckles playfully. Melody shook her head, pulling a soda can from her back pocket. It was still cold and dripping with ice as she pressed it against his forehead, having to reach her arm fairly high, even while standing on her tiptoes. Hercules was a good foot and a half taller than her, though Melody was barely scraping five feet two inches.

Hercules thanked her and held it instead. Melody shifted a bit, fiddling anxiously with her jacket sleeves. Melody had calmed down a while ago, but she knew she still needed to talk to Hercules about it, just so there wouldn’t be any hard feelings or misunderstandings. After a few long moments of silence, Melody finally speaks up, reaching out to him. 

“Herc, about what happened back there, I’m flattered bu-” 

“Melody, don’t worry about it. I knew I shouldn’t’ve let Al give me a dare. B-Besides, I’m not too sure if I even really like you or-” Melody held her hand to stop him.

“Hercules I know you too well that you wouldn’t lie something like this… then again maybe you got good at it over the years we haven’t seen each other…” she rubbed her arm a bit. Hercules felt his chest practically break from the pressure to speak.  

“Look, my point is I don’t want things to be too awkward between us, especially when we're on winter break and we can mull about them, and then never talk to each other at school again.” Hercules chuckled smoothly though she felt her heart racing, afraid of what might happen, if history were bound to repeat. 

“Same here… I… I really do want to make it up to you after all those lonely years, you know?” Melody nodded, understanding completely. 

“If it is true that you… you know back there?” Hercules wanted to gag at her mention, it was a cringey thing to do, but Melody smiled to reassure him.  

“I… I wasn't sure what to feel about it at first, admittedly I am a bit flattered." she started fidgeting her fingers together. He felt a twinge of hope in his heart, trying to measure his response. He wanted that sliver of a chance to be with her, that his stunt turned out okay. 

“But I just… I don’t see you that way, and I really don’t want to lose our friendship because of this… I’m sorry.” Melody’s voice was filled with a familiar muted panic, not wanting to relive it again. 

Hercules felt guilt rising in his throat. Melody was scared, scared he would berate and scream at her. A familiar fear he once saw. He wasn’t going to force it this time, he didn’t want that blame to fall on him again. He patted her head to reassure her, feeling the now damp threads, frequently interrupted by the introduction of sand. Melody pouted her lip, pulling her head back. 

“I’m not a kid anymore, bud.” she groaned. He grinned in response. 

“Your height tells me otherwise, shortstack.” Melody gasped, and playfully smacked his hand. “You shouldn’t be sorry for something that isn’t your fault. It’s not like I can make you like me. If I tried I’d lose you and after all the hard work I did to get you back, it just seems like a waste to throw you away.” Hercules tried to cheer her up, even though his heart was completely shattered in his chest. Melody bit her lip, looking down at the soft ground below them, wiggling her toes into the sand. Her hand was fully extended towards him now. 

“Still friends?” She asked nervously. He smiled at her, clasping their hands together in agreement. 

“Of course we’re still friends, you dingbat.” After letting loose a long and heavy breath, Melody hugged him tightly, relieved but also hoping this could be a sign for him to move on from her and find someone new. Hercules didn’t hesitate to embrace back. This was for the best, in all honesty, for them to just be friends. Upon returning to the bonfire, everything seemed to go back to normal, everyone was light hearted and having fun.

“Melody truth or dare?” Rapunzel asked her.

“Truth.” Melody responded quickly, knowing it would be harmless.

“How long have you been dating your boyfriend?” the blonde asked, smiling as her fingers gingerly brisked through her long, flower-sewn braid. 

The rest of the group started whooping again, though most of her friends sat frozen in shock. Melody felt her face turning red, unsure how Rapunzel knew. 

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked Rapunze, hoping she had heard her incorrectly. 

“I said, how long have you been dating your boyfriend? Everyone seems curious as well.” Most people were beckoning for an answer, though the small group of friends Melody had there were staring, just as confused as she was. Ariel nervously chuckled. 

“I’m sure you’re mistaken, there’s absolutely no way Melody has a boyfriend. Right Melody..?” she was looking at her youngest sister, who was not speaking and only fidgeting her fingers together. 

She swallowed, trying to look at Ariel. “Haha, um… I’m very single, otherwise my dad would be upset with me.”

“See? I mean, she can be a bit cuddly with her friends, but it’s usually only…” Ariel paused, mid sentence as she realized something. Melody cursed under her breath. Sometimes she really wanted Ariel to just think before speaking. Melody could feel the group of teens and friends staring at her, as if they’re searching her body language for an answer. Jim continues to try and keep his poker face up so nothing is given away. 

“Especially with who Ari?” Sam asked Ariel, intrigue flooding her tone, despite her knowing the only person it really could be. Peter was now behind Melody and Jim grinning non stop while Jane tries not to laugh at the reaction knowing she shouldn’t be surprised but finds hard to not smile that the fact she was right. Jim slowly felt a bit sweating. 

While Ariel just went up to Melody and had her face close, squeezing her cheeks staring down at her as if Ariel was staring down to her soul while Melody was looking away from her. Nervousness came over her and she couldn't help but look around somewhere and keep her eyes away from the guy who she just denied his feelings for not too long ago. 

“Melody… Do you honestly have a boyfriend?” her older sister asked her again. Once again she was quiet as ever knowing she can’t hide it forever. Ariel got the answer right away. 

“Oh my trident so this means…” Melody closed her eyes as if afraid of what she’ll say then.

“My baby sister got a boyfriend before any of us did?!” Ariel yelled shocked. Ariel’s friends were either shaking their heads or laughing at her answer. Some, however, stayed silent. 

Melody was staring at her, unamused at the outburst. 

“Really? That's what is more concerning to you?” she sighed when she took her hands away from her now red cheeks, trying to cool down. 

“So you don’t deny it?” Mulan smirked when she saw Melody jump. 

“I didn’t say that!” She tried to defend herself. She didn’t come here otherwise. 

“Oh Jimmy, you're very quiet, shouldn't you be mad?” Peter grinned like a cat while Jim glared at him but breathes out through his mouth, knowing too well there’s no escape. 

“Not really, no. Besides I told you, if she likes someone then I can’t stop her.” he repeated himself,  Sam raised her eyebrow at him.

“So, you know who it is?” she asked. Melody wanted nothing more than to hide forever in her sweatshirt. 

“First, she needs to answer my question.” Rapunzel said, innocently. The black-haired girl groaned as she sat back down. She peeked at Jim, quietly asking if he was okay with this. He smiled and reassured her and held her hand. 

“Eight… Months… ” she mumbles out. No one knew what she said. 

“Could you repeat again? I didn’t hear you-” 

“E-eight months a-and…?” Melody tries to answer clearly. She felt Jim squeezed her hand. 

“And a half,” Jim finished. Everyone looked at him, a mixture of emotions sweeping the teens faces. 

“Damn it!” Sam said loudly, having her back to the sand while Peter was proudly pumping his fists in the air. While Jane groaned. “You guys made a bet, didn’t you?” she asked them, tiredly. 

“Pay up blondie! Revenge!” Peter told Sam as she grumbles, handing him a crumpled twenty dollar bill. Jim seemed a bit annoyed at the prospect of their relationship being a game. 

“So you knew?” he asked as he tried to comfort his now red faced girlfriend as he heard the teasing. Melody at this point had her face buried in his chest knowing it wouldn’t help the situation, but wanting the comfort. 

“Oh please, it was so obvious that you two were hiding something,” Sam answered, her face pressed into her hands. Peter was beaming as proudly as ever. 

“Congrats to the couple!” he smiled warmly, flashing his twenty at the other teens. Jane shook her head at his childishness but pat Melody's back. 
"We're happy for you."

About damn time, you guys took forever. All that googly eyes and kissy noises-.” Sam puckered her lips mockingly, and was stopped by Jim. 

"That's enough, you're gonna make Melody explode." Jim groaned. Sam chuckles. Although the loss of money was painful, she was glad her friends were comfortable being open. She did her best not to laugh at Hercules’s plight, knowing how hard that must be to witness seeing someone you have feelings for already had someone else.

Aladdin was making a painful hissing noise, feeling bad for his buddy not to mention he had made him kiss someone who is clearly taken, as for Eric looked at Hercules to check how he’s holding up. Hercules was confused by these emotions. Was he angry, or jealous, or hurt, or… what? If he had known she had a boyfriend, he wouldn’t have kissed her. Why didn’t she tell him? He also couldn’t help but still imagine being with her. He deserved to be where Jim sat, he knew her longer. She had told him everything before she had ever even thought of talking to Jim. Eight freaking months and a half, how couldn’t he tell? He knew Jim liked Melody just from the way he touched her, the way he spoke to her, the way stared at her.

That should have been him.

Hercules didn’t even notice how hard he was clenching his fist until he saw the white of his knuckles. Pegasus was whimpering, worried about his human. He tried to lay his face on his lap to appease him.

Hercules sighed at his dog, calming him down by petting his head, reassuring him that he’s fine. But he could feel himself becoming even more upset.

It was quite a night. Even Melody forgot about the locket that she had was now stolen.