[✔︎] 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 ✫ DESCENDANTS TWO ⁴

➸18. Not Going Back

Maddie played with a deck of cards in her hand.

She'd always loved playing cards, it was something she enjoyed doing with her father.

But what would he think of her for coming here?

Would he be mad at her?

Would he not want to see her again?

She didn't know. She regretted coming here. She was too close to Quinn. This had been a bad idea.

But Mal was here and Maddie had to stick with her. Mal was one of her best friends, she needed her. They had each other's backs and nobody could understand them in Auradon.

But Ally was in Auradon, had she heard the news? Was she mad at her? Or would she try to bring her back?

"At least I don't see a picture of me
with horns and a pitch fork." Ben said as both the gazes of Mal and Maddie landed on him, startled at his abrupt arrival.

"Ben." Mal breathed. Maddie looked down at the floor not wanting to meet the king's gaze.

"Mal, I'm so sorry about our fight. It was all my fault. It--. Please come home." Ben said, looking at Mal pleasingly. He turned to Maddie. "Mads please come home. I need you guys."

"Ben, I am home." Mal stated bluntly, setting her spray paint aside.

"I can't." Maddie said. "I don't belong there. Nobody understands me."

"I brought the limo. It's a sweet ride." Ben offered, grabbing hold of Maddie's hand. "Please come home."

"I don't fit in, Ben. I really gave it
my best shot. And if you think that I can change, I think you're wrong." Mal said. "We don't fit in. You can't change that."

"Then I'll change." Ben said, his face lighting up. "I'll skip school, have more fun. You know, I-I'll blow off some of my responsibilities."

"No, no! See?" Mal said, placing a hand on her forehead, pacing back and forth. "I'm such a terrible influence. It's only a matter of time before I do something so messed up that not only does the kingdom turn on me, but they turn on you."

"Don't quit us, Mal." Ben said his voice cracking, placing the beast ring on her finger. "The people love you. I love you. Don't you love me?"

"I have to take myself out of the picture because it's what's best for you, and it's what's best for Auradon." Mal said, turning her back to Ben.

"Mal, no, please." Ben said. "Please Maddie. Mal. I need you. Please come home."

"Ben...I can't do this. You should go, Ben. Ben, please go. Please leave." Mal stated in finality turning her back to Ben.

Ben began to walk away, stopping next to Maddie.

"You don't belong here Maddie." Ben said. "Come home. I miss you. What happened to the happy Maddie I knew?"

"I don't know where she is." Maddie said. "I think she'll be gone for awhile."

Ben sighed, sitting next to Maddie.

"I heard what happened with Carlos." Ben began as Maddie winced at the name.

"Is he-is he here?" Maddie said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He is." Ben said. "He came for you. He came for Mal. We want you to come back home. Please come back. Your my best friend Maddie. Your my best friend. Your my advisor. I need you. I couldn't have made half of the decisions I made without you. Please come home."

"I-I can't." Maddie said, her voice cracking as tears brimmed in her eyes. "I tried to tell you Ben. People don't get me there."

"They don't have to." Ben said. "Maddie your an amazing girl. Your an amazing friend. It doesn't matter what others think of you. You just have to ignore it."

"You think it's so easy?!" Maddie asked her voice raising. "I've been ignoring them all my life. It hasn't worked. They'll always call me crazy. They'll never see me for more than that."

"Who cares what they see you as?" Ben asked, his grip on Maddie's hand tightened. "Nobody's opinion matters other than your own. You don't believe that crazy is a bad thing right? Aren't the best people crazy?"

"You're one of the best people." Maddie said. "You're not crazy."

"Maddie I brought five VKs over and had some tag alongs." Ben said. "A lot of people thought that was crazy. But it wasn't. Change isn't crazy. It's just hard to deal with is all. You have to accept change, accept that other people are different. That's how you can get things done in life. Otherwise you'll never move forward."

"So it's not a bad thing to be crazy." Maddie said. "I know that but the others don't."

"They don't matter." Ben said. "You matter. Don't let them hold you back. Don't run away. That's what they want you to do."

"I'm sorry." Maddie said.

"For what?" Ben asked, pushing the hair away from face.

"For being a burden on you." Maddie said. "You wouldn't have come here if I hadn't."

"Maddie if your ever in trouble." Ben said. "I'd drop everything to save you. Your my best friend, that isn't going to change okay? We're always going to have each other. That's fine."

"They won't accept me Ben." Maddie said, still stuck on that.

"Remember when we dated when we started at Auradon Prep?" Ben asked as Maddie nodded. "We dated for the first two years and they always tried to make crazy excuses as to why I was with you. But I realized it wasn't crazy. They had a field day when they learned we broke up, thought it was because you were crazy."

"I don't know how this is helpful." Maddie said.

"I'm getting to it." Ben said. "I realized I loved you. But not like that. We were just meant to be friends. You're like the sibling I never had Maddie. I'd do anything to see you happy."

Maddie smiled slightly.

"Thanks." Maddie said. "I love you too Ben. Your like the brother I never had."

"So are you going to come back with me?" Ben asked.

"I guess." Maddie said as they descended the stairs, leaving Mal to ponder her life choices.