Choosing Love

Chapter Six

"Being in Auradon's made you boring mate," Harry chuckled. "Nothing wrong with taking some time off now and then. Otherwise you'd wind up like Henry."

"Henry trained for like eighteen hours a day," Jay pointed out. "I think only you, Mal, or Uma could match him in training hours. I still don't know where he found the time."

"Well when you're not obligated to help stock your dad's store, I'm sure there's more time in the day," Carlos teased and Jay reached over, grabbing the smaller boy close to him and rubbing his knuckles into Carlos' head.

"Gah! Okay, okay! Let me go!"

"Only if you say it!"

"Fine! Boreadon!" Carlos exclaimed and Jay chuckled as he let Carlos go. The son of Cruella rolled his eyes as he rubbed his head.

"You are so strange," he said before looking around. "Where's Gil?"

"I think he's talking with a few of my friends. He ran into Emir and me in the hall on our way here and joined us," Ashaki told him. "Kitty should be among the group, and Phillip Jr. for that matter. Of course that usually means Audrey's not too far behind but then again she normally avoids the gym."

"Oh Bennyboo!"

"Then again, apparently I can summon her," Ashaki muttered. "This is a power I didn't know I had. I wonder if it works with other people..."

Ben ignored the mutterings of his best friend's little sister and turned to look at his ex-girlfriend. "Yes, Audrey?"

"I didn't receive your invitation to Cotillion," Audrey said sweetly. "I assume it's lost?"

"Your invitation?" Ben asked, tilting his head in pure confusion.

Audrey sighed. "You've always invited me personally to Cotillion Bennyboo. I guess you forgot with the excitement of coronation and everything that happened that day."

"Audrey...you know Fairy Godmother sends out the invitations right?" Ben asked. He still wasn't sure what Audrey was getting at, asking about personal invitations. "She codes them to the ward she places around the yacht we rent each year."

"I know that Ben," Audrey harrumphed. "I mean my invitation to be your date!"

"Audrey...I'm dating Mal."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "You mean that bad girl infatuation of yours hasn't worn off yet? Look at her Ben! She's not exactly the person you want on your arm as you tour the kingdom now is she? All dressed in leather and her dragon motif, no decent person would wear that!"

"She's not even a person," one of her lackeys giggled. "Considering she's Fae and all."

"Excuse me?" Ben said, his voice hard.

"Bad move," Emir muttered under his breath. If there was one thing that would get Ben's back up, it was the idea of treating people differently just because of how they were born.

"Well I mean, fairies aren't humans," the lackey explained with a shrug. "Plus we all know she's Maleficent's daughter. She's like obsessed with dragons and Maleficent was a Fae before Mal turned her into a lizard."

"Lady Persephone is Mal's mother," Ben said. "She said that at my coronation."

"Oh Bennyboo, like I told you before, you're just too trusting," Audrey told him. "I know you think that blood doesn't make family because of your relationship with Chip but he's still not your brother. Phillip Jr. is my brother. Ashaki is Emir's sister. Kitty is Chad's. Chip's not really your family just like Mal isn't really Lady Persephone's daughter."