Rotten To The Core

Girl Talk

CHAPTER 27

"You okay?" Carlos asks Lonnie, who is waiting at the end of the tunnel. Jay and Mal had gone to start the car.

"Yeah, I'm good," Lonnie answers.

"Nice work out there, Lonnie," Carlos says. "Come on, Dude, hop in. Oh, now you listen to me." Dude gets into the limo. Jay is waiting at the driver side door with the limo started.

"Let's go," Evie tells Lonnie as she exits the tunnel.

"Come on, Evie, get in," Carlos says. Evie and Lonnie throw their swords in the trunk.

"Ellie!" Ben calls back into the tunnel. Ellie comes out and Ben grabs her hand. Jay gets into the limo.

"Come on, come on, come on. Swords," Lonnie says as Ben and Ellie run over. Ben and Ellie put their swords in the trunk. Lonnie closes the trunk before Lonnie and Mal get in the front while Ben and Ellie get in the back.

"I'm really sorry that things didn't go the way you wanted them to," Ben apologizes.

"I mean, as long as you're safe, that's..." Ellie says.

"Well, I mean, at least I got to see the Isle. They're my people, too. Uma helped me see that," Ben explains.

"Ben, Uma captured you," Ellie states shocked.

"She's an angry girl with a bad plan. That's not so different from you when you came to Auradon, Ellie," Ben says causing Ellie to look at him with a mix of shock and hurt.

"Awkward," Dude says as Ellie and Ben look away from each other.

"Dude, I know you can talk, but it doesn't always mean you should," Carlos tells Dude.

"Here we go," Jay calls before they pass through the barrier.

"I'll get these back to the gym," Lonnie tells Jay as they are walking back to the dorms.

"Thanks," Jay tells her.

"See you later," Lonnie tells everyone before walking off.

"Ben, there you are," Jane calls as she walks over. "Cotillion's tonight. Come here. Look, this is the stained glass window for Ellie." Jane shows him, Ellie with brown eyes. "Isn't it beautiful? She's gonna love it."

"Do you want to cancel?" Ben asks as he turns to Ellie, who was zoned out.

"Um, you know what? I can come back. Uh, but, like, really, really soon," Jane says as she gets awkward.

"No, no, no. No, no, no. Now's fine. Um..." Ben says as he looks at the picture again before turning back to Ellie. "Do whatever you need to do."

"We need to talk," Evie tells her sister as she and Mal get on either side of Ellie.

"Yeah," Ellie says as they start walking away.

"No," Carlos says as he and Jay follow.

"No?" Mal asks in disbelief as they turn to face Carlos.

"You guys are always going off in a huddle, whispering your girl talk stuff or whatever, and Jay and I are tired of it," Carlos explains.

"I'm not," Jay says not wanting to get in the middle of it.

"We're your family, too. We've been through a lot together. We're not stopping that now, okay? Everyone sit," Carlos says before sitting on the ground with Dude in his lap. "Come on." Everyone sits down. "I don't know how to start girl talk."

"What up?" Jay asks with a shrug.

"Um, well... I'm a mess. I'm such a mess. I mean, six months ago, I was, you know, watching Mal steal candy from babies, and now everybody wants me to be this Lady of the Court. And I have no idea how to keep up the act."

"Then don't," Carlos tells her as Evie and Mal share a look.

"See? This was dumb," Jay says about to get up.

"Maybe it wasn't," Mal says stopping him.

"We're always gonna be the kids from the Isle. I tried to forget it. I really tried, but those are our roots," Evie starts explaining as she grabs Ellie's hand.

"And we all did what we had to do to survive. But it made us who we are. And we're never gonna be like anybody else here. And that's okay," Mal finishes explaining.

"And we can't fake it," Carlos says.

"No," Mal says in agreement.

"Yeah. I mean, especially without Mal's spell book," Ellie says realizing she lost it.

"Ellie, if Ben doesn't love the real you, then he's not the one," Carlos tells her.

"I like that," Evie says with a smile.

"Give him a chance," Carlos states.

"I'm gonna make some changes to your dress. And if you're up for it... only if you're up for it...  it will be waiting for you, okay?" Evie tells her sister before hugging her.

"Come on, buddy," Carlos tells Dude as he, Jay, Mal, and Evie get up. Mal, Evie, and Carlos walk away before Jay notices Ellie still on the ground. Jay sits beside Ellie.

"Come to Cotillion tonight, all right? If Ben isn't smart enough to love you and you can't stand another day, I'll drive you back tomorrow myself," Jay explains before Ellie gives him a smile and a nod.