Difference

Chapter 6

I cheered loudly, my hands clapping furiously to the point where I swear they were turning a dark shade of blue and purple. Red barked by my side, her tail wagging back and forth as her tongue rolled out. Ben's team had just won thanks to the help of their newcomers; Carlos and Jay.

As the announcer spoke into the golden microphone and had everyone finally calm down from their euphoria, Ben snatched the item from the man's hands. I began to question what was wrong with his mentality. He's never done something this daring before, other than the fact that he had the bright idea to bring four VK's to Auradon.

"Excuse me? Excuse me, can I have your attention please?" Ben asked, staring off towards the crowd. We all watched on curiously."There's something I'd like to say!" He climbed on top of a podium to gain a better advantage, pushing another student off while he was at it. He glanced around, possibly questioning himself as well.

"Give me an M!" Following his movements, everyone made an M formation with their arms. Red tried to follow along as well, maneuvering her head between her two paws. I laughed at the silly girl. "Give me an A!" I spelled out the letters, putting them together to give me some kind of idea on what he was doing. "Give me an L!" Unless he was continuing on after the last letter, I now understood his motives. Well, only slightly.

"What does that spell?!"

"Mal!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Mal!"

"I love you Mal. Did I mention that?" I peered at Audrey's face, watching as the girl looked to be on the verge of tears while running away from the scene. I could've cried out in joy if it weren't for the fact that everyone was watching. Ben has finally ripped away from Audrey's menacing pink-painted claws. But, going for a VK was not something that I had suspected from him.

-_-

After the strange events that happened on the field, I entered my classroom with my crutches. Red munched on some snacks in my basket. It was hard trying to hold onto the crutches and the basket with Red's weight adding to it, but I managed.

"Do you need help with that?" A soft voice answered from behind. I turned around swiftly, ready to pounce if it was someone unwanted. It turned out to be Carlos dressed in his normal red, black, and white attire. I smiled while shaking my head.

"I've got it. Plus, it's great exercise." I mumbled out, making my way towards my seat. The class was still empty since everyone was calming down from the craziness of the game. I was surprised that Carlos was even here. We don't have any classes together, other than remedial goodness which is only in the mornings. "Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be celebrating with the team? Or playing with Dude? I can give you Red if you want. I'm pretty sure she's getting bored with me."

At the sound of her name, the fluffy girl poked her head out from the basket, specks of red and blue berries mixed together on her fur. Carlos smuggled a laugh, glancing at Red for only a moment before gazing back at me. I stared into his eyes, watching as the golden flecks moved around his dark irises.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I think Ben is too concerned with Mal to give anyone or anything a second thought." He turned away, mumbling to himself about some cookies or something. I couldn't really tell.

Red yelped loudly, jumping out of my basket and biting a hole into one of Carlos' pockets. He backed away in surprise, watching as something fell out and Red began to attack it hungrily.

"Oh no!"

"Red! That wasn't nice." I made no move to get the girl, but it seems Carlos had other intentions. He hurriedly scooped up the small baggie that housed a pack of cookies. Red sat on her hind legs, gazing at Carlos weirdly. "What's wrong, girl?"

"I'm so sorry!" With a shocked face, Carlos ran out of the room at top speed. Quickly following behind, Red chased after the boy in a frenzy. I've never seen her this happy before. It was a strange occurrence to me. I placed on my head onto my hands, holding it up as it drooped down in exasperation.

"What did you do, Carlos?"

-_-

My class had finally ended, leaving me a break from any responsibilities. I sat on one of the benches in the courtyard, conversing with dad's secretary. He had piles of papers arranged for the coronation that he wanted to get through me first. So far, we've only talked about the trivial things such as my dress, where I would stand, etc.

"Don't you find it funny how Ben was chosen for the throne and not yourself?"

That was a question which caught me off guard. I glanced up from the table, peering into Mal's devious eyes. I slightly squinted from the sunlight. The secretary kept quiet, watching the interaction with a keen eye. Mal should really watch her step. If she keeps saying things like this so openly, she might actually get caught.

"You can leave now, Grant. Thank you for your time." I gave him a wave in which he gave back. Collecting his papers, he scurried off towards wherever he came from. I turned back towards the girl, playing into a trap curiously. "It actually makes a lot of sense if you truly think about it. I mean, he was born from the Royal Family whereas I was only adopted."

"Adopted?" She questioned, seating herself beside me. She leaned in closer, her green eyes gleaming in mischief. "I didn't know that. I only thought that you inherited more of your dad's side than your mom's."

I chuckled at her accusation, fixing my position so that I was facing her head on. "No. My mom's Red Riding Hood. Doesn't the continuous use of the cloak give you some hint about that?" I lifted the hem, holding it at eye level. She pursed her lips while nodding her head. She didn't ask any more questions after that.

"Mal!" Ben exclaimed excitedly. He ran towards the both of us at full speed. Seeming to forget that I was there, his attention was placed solely on the purple-haired girl before himself. I huffed a breath, not understanding what was making him so different. "Do you wanna go on a date?"

"Aw-what?" She stuttered, a look of pure confusion taking over her facial expression. I obviously wanted to get up and walk away from this awkward scene, but that required a lot of energy in which I don't think I had within myself.

"A date, Mal. It's when two people go out together and possibly have fun while being alone and away from others. It helps to build a relationship between the two and counts for a meet and greet." I explained to the girl. She slowly nodded her head, thinking of an answer.

"S-sure. I guess."

"Great! I'll see you later on today." He walked away with a pep in his step. Mal looked towards me for a moment, and then the countertop. I didn't speak, waiting for the shocked girl to say something first. Instead, she hastily got up and began to walk away from me. I leaned my head against the table, breathing out heavily.