The following day came and the school was still buzzing with the news of Prince Ben's love declaration to the new girl from the Isle of the Lost. Some wondered if he was using his proclamation as a match-making opportunity, others wondered why the sudden switch from an ak to a vk. Many tried asking Bella about it- if she knew this was coming, or if she was fond of her brother's new relationship. Bella did not answer anyone's questions, as soon as anyone brought it up she just would just walk away. It was rude, but so were they for being so nosy. The students at Auradon Prep were so gossipy that secrets were rare at this point.
Bella was not only avoiding her classmates, but she was also avoiding Ben. She would always be supportive of her brother, but she knew that if she were to see him right now, she would berate him with questions- which yes, that would make her a hypocrite but she didn't care. It was just better for everyone if she avoided her brother right now.
Since Bella spent the rest of the day yesterday thinking about the whole 'I love you Mal' thing, she forgot to study for the chemistry test they had today. So there she was currently in between Evie and Doug trying her best to remember all the notes she had taken leading up to the test, but it was just so hard, especially when Evie kept looking for something in her bag.
"Looking for something?" Mr. Deley asked Evie, now standing behind the three of them. Everyone turned to look at him as he pulled out a mirror from his pocket. "Thank you, Chad. It is so gratifying to see someone who still respects the honor code. Miss Evie, it will be my recommendation that you be expelled, maybe even shipped back. Auradon Prep has a strict no-cheating policy." Mr. Deley dared to smirk, to smirk! Evie looked at Bella and Doug for help, and Bella did not hesitate to jump in. She already had a bad reputation with most, if not all, of the male teachers at Auradon Prep.
"That is an invasion of privacy! And a misjudgment of character, you only assumed she was cheating to prove your own biases about Evie because she's from the Isle! Your accusation is unfounded."
"Not that this pertains to you, but Chad came to me about what she told him about her little tool here." There was a tool in the room and it wasn't the mirror. He looked at her and Evie with nothing but loathing. Some people just don't deserve to be teachers.
"Did Chad have proof?"
"Excuse me?"
"Did Chad have proof? Did he provide you with evidence of Evie admitting it? Did he have a video or an audio recording? If he didn't, you're only going off of his word and thus have no ground to stand on. It is in poor taste that you allow your own misogynistic and anti-villain beliefs to get in the way of your teaching."
Bella didn't back down, her glare never faltered nor did she break eye contact with Mr. Deley, she was going to stand her ground. For Evie and for anyone Mr. Deley has tried to look down upon as if he were so high and mighty himself.
"Get out, get out of my classroom and take her with you!" He barked, but Bella didn't move.
"No, Evie will stay and complete her test. You will allow her to finish, grade it fairly, and give her back her mirror. As well as an apology."
"I don't take orders from children, grab your things and go to the headmistress' office."
"You don't take orders from me, but you do from my father." Bella didn't use the 'my father will hear about this' card often, she always felt like she could easily stand up for herself without having to bring the king into it, but times like these called for it.
Mr. Deley stepped back, and for a second he seemed frightened, the king after all was a beast when angry. He cleared his throat and stood up straight, doing his best to maintain his composure.
"Miss Evie will be allowed to finish her test, if she passes then I will return this to her and drop the matter- only if you leave the classroom. Take your test with you, I'll have the headmistress grade it. Out, now."
Bella turned to collect her items, looking at Evie as she grabbed her bag and sent a wink her way. Once Bella had left, Mr. Deley had everyone go back to their test and he went back to his desk to send an email to Fairy Godmother.
Evie sat there looking down at her test now that she had to do it on her own, she was determined to do good on it more than ever, especially with how Bella stood up for her. She was flattered, she was honored, she was... blushing so much. Her cheeks were so rosy, and she couldn't stop smiling. It was as if she was the damsel in distress, and Bella her knight in shining armor.
Evie focused back on her test, ignoring the urge to doddle hearts on her paper to reflect how she was feeling. She was so glad she had chemistry with Bella.
☁︎
Bella was out in the picnic area, a notebook in front of her as she had to complete a 'remedial goodness' assignment Fairy Godmother assigned her as punishment, she felt that detention was pointless for someone like Bella so instead she gave her an essay. It was more like a slap on the wrist than a punishment, but Bella wasn't going to complain or question it.
As Bella finished her second paragraph, Evie approached her table and took a seat next to her. She had her graded test with her, she slid it over for Bella to see.
"For the first time, I feel like I'm more than just a pretty face." The test had a B+ on it, and a tiny 'I apologize' under it. Bella looked at Evie and smiled, she gave her a celebratory hug. "You were pretty great in there, but I wasn't worth getting in trouble for. Thank you, for believing in me and standing up for me. I own you big time." Evie said when they pulled apart, her cheeks just as rosy as they had been earlier.
"You were worth every minute of it. I got a C- though, so how about we get together to study sometime?"
"Yeah, let's get together." They sat there looking at one another, there was almost no space between them. If one of them were to move even the tiniest amount, one would think they were about to kiss.
Bella, so used to people thinking she was standoffish or a cold bitch, she forgot that ultimately she was just a girl. A girl who had crushes on pretty smart girls with beautiful eyes, a girl who was sweet and sensitive with the right people, with someone like Evie. Bella allowed herself now to forget about the coronation, her brother and parents, and what other people thought of her, just to allow herself to have a crush on Evie. To have a crush and be allowed to just be a teenage girl about it.
Evie decided to give up on the whole 'bringing home a prince', what was the point if her mother would never see her for anything other than her flaws? She would never see her for who she was, choosing instead to always expect her to fit outdated standards for women. Here, she had the chance to be more than just a pretty face. She liked school, she liked being smart and she liked Bella. She liked Bella, and she would never have to force herself to like a guy ever again.
Both girls have now accepted that they've developed feelings for each other, now they just needed to figure out if the other one felt the same way. Well, even if Bella did, Evie still had the whole wand thing to worry about. Oh, and the whole helping Mal use a love potion on Ben... If Bella ever found out, it would ruin any chance Evie had. Shit.
"Evie! I have been looking for you everywhere!"
The girls snapped away from each other, putting distance between them as Mal sat down across from them. This was the second time Mal had interrupted an intimate moment between two people, and she wasn't even aware she was doing it. "Ben asked me on a date! What am I supposed to do?"
Bella grabbed her belongings, shoving them into her bag so she could leave as fast as she could. She liked Evie, but she wasn't Mal's biggest fan right now. Bella would get over the hallway incident soon, but not yet. She was still under the impression that Mal had berated her like that because some magazine paid her to, she had no idea Mal did it on her own accord.
"I have to go now, bye Evie," Bella said as she stood up to leave, she smiled at Evie and walked away.
☁︎
As Evie and Mal walked towards their dorm, Mal kept complaining about the date and how much she didn't want to be in a relationship, even if it was fake. She was well aware of how this all sounded, it was her plan after all and for her to complain when no one forced her to do it was just stupid. She was still going to complain.
Evie didn't add anything, whatever she had to say would not stop Mal from going on and on about how pointless relationships were. She wondered if Mal would ever change her mind if she just found the one for her, but something told her Mal wasn't like that.
As soon as they got to their dorms, Evie busted out her makeup tools and sat Mal on the door to see what she was working with, oh how she loved a makeover.
"I know you are so anti relationships, but this is your first date ever, isn't that the least bit exciting?" Evie asked as she began to do Mal's makeup.
"Ugh, gag me with a spoon. Easy on the blush, I don't want to scare him away. Yet." Evie added one last dab of blush and moved on to the next step. "Please, my mom taught me everything I need to know about makeup before I could talk, you're in good hands." Saying it out loud made it sound bad, and it was in retrospect, but Evie enjoys makeup so she'll let that slide. Her mother wasn't that useless.
"My mom was never really big on makeup tips, and I never had a sister." Evie dabbed some lipstick on her lip, "Well, now you do." Evie meant it because right now the four of them only had each other, who knew what'd happen next? She knows her and Mal's history isn't the greatest, especially on Mal's side. She spent ten years on the Isle being bullied and tormented by Mal, she hasn't forgiven her for it but she was willing to put that aside for the time being. Come Monday, win or lose, it was them against the rest.
"We're going to need all the family we can get if we don't pull this off. Who knows what waits for us if we fail and they send us back." The thought of going back to the Isle, wandless or not frightened her. She liked Auradon, she liked everything it offered, and having to give it up so quickly... It was a lose-lose situation in her eyes.
"Are you afraid of her?" Mal asked.
"Sometimes, are you afraid of your mom?" Evie asked in return, she began to work on her eyeshadow.
"I just really want her to be proud of me, she gets so angry with me when I disappoint her. Yeah, she's my mom so I know she loves me, in her twisted way." Mal was being vulnerable, she was allowing herself to open up and be vulnerable. This was a good sign, it meant things were changing, at least that's how Evie saw it.
"Here, let's have a look." Evie led her to the mirror, the topic of parents wasn't always an easy one for them. It was better they changed the topic before anyone got into a deep funk about it.
"I look, not hideous."
"Not even close."
Evie wanted to ask Mal how she felt about what they were doing and if some part of her felt bad about hurting people who hadn't done anything to them- if anything, it was the adults they needed to target. Sure, they were the children of villains but no one is born evil, deep down Mal had to feel bad about everything they were doing. Some part of her had to like Auradon, even if it was for something like being able to use her magic.
Before Evie could ask Mal anything, there was a knock on the door.
"Well, his majesty awaits. Try not to fall for his highness." Evie joked as she went to open the door.
"Oh, you do not have to worry about me."
☁︎
Ben felt as if he had been ripped out from his body and thrown behind bars as someone else controlled his body and mind. He tried to fight it, to resist what was happening to him but it was hopeless. He was watching himself do things he would never do, and no one batted an eye, not even his sister. He waited for Bella to storm up to him and confront him about what the hell was happening, but she never did. If Bella didn't realize something was wrong, then no one would. Who knew how long Ben had to live through this nightmare, one whole day was already too much... Even if Ben did have enemies, he would not wish it upon them.
Ben watched himself ask Mal out, he watched as he picked her up and they rode together on his bike to their date destination, it was so creepy. He watched as Mal wrapped her arms around his stomach, and he was smiling as he let it happen.
As they arrived at their destination, Ben wondered if this was a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. His body moved naturally like it knew exactly where to go and what to say. Maybe it was using the knowledge Ben had about where they were, the Enchanted Lake, but the conversation? Why was it so natural?
"Tell me something about yourself that you've never told anyone else?" Ben asked as they walked, he wouldn't stop smiling and Mal wondered if his cheeks ever hurt from how much he smiled.
"Well, my middle name is Bertha."
Ben laughed, and so did the real Ben as he watched.
"Just my mom doing what she does best, being evil. Mal Bertha doesn't fit me."
They kept on walking, taking the same trail Ben and Audrey used to take... Whatever influence Ben was under, it was sinking its teeth into his memories, he and Audrey hadn't been to the Enchanted Lake since last August.
"Close your eyes."
Ben led Mal to the picnic he had set up, it was a beautiful scene. They sat across from each other, he offered her one of the jelly donuts he had brought. Ben hated this, he had no memory of ever arranging this picnic for them. His memories from before the game and after have been so inconsistent, he remembers being with Carlos, eating a cookie, he thinks he remembers being with Audrey but he doesn't remember what they talked about.
He remembers the game, but not a lot of what happened after. He remembers there was singing and dancing, but part of him hopes that isn't true. He'll perform if asked, but never of his own free will. He hopes that the parts he doesn't remember won't affect him later.
"Is this your first time?" Ben asked as Mal ate her donut.
"Uh, yeah. We don't date much on the Isle."
'Wait, if whatever this happened yesterday before I 'confessed' my feelings to Mal... Is this some sort of love spell?' Ben asked himself as he continued to watch the scene in front of him unfold.
"Tell me more about you."
"I'm sixteen and an only child, there's not much more to me. You on the other hand, you're about to be king. That's some sweet sixteen present, most kids just get a car. You must be Daddy's favorite."
Bewitched Ben laughed, but Ben himself resented that accusation. He was not the favorite, everyone knew that daughters are always favored more by their fathers. Mal just didn't know what she was talking about.
"If I was Bella, I would probably resent you for it. Maybe she does, I asked her about it and she blew up on me. But that seems like a family matter, so I won't say anything more about it."
Bewitched Ben seemed like he didn't know what to say, it was like watching a robot try to function around humans without giving away that he's a robot.
"Let's go for a swim." That was all he managed to say.
"Oh, I'm fine right here, I want to try a strawberry."
Ben thought about what Mal had said and wondered if Bella did hold some resentment towards him for this. She had never said anything, or maybe he just never really paid attention to any signs that might've been there...
If he was under some sort of love spell, how and why? Who gave it to him, Mal? Why would she? Did the others help her? Was Carlos in on it too? He needed answers, but how would he get any with the way things were right now? He was locked out of his own body!
Bewitched Ben had gotten undressed to his swimming trunks and was getting ready to jump into the water. The weather was nice and he was there with a pretty girl, what could go wrong?
A lot.
He jumped into what he assumed was warm water, but instead, his body was engulfed in icy water. Ben felt like screaming, the water hit his skin like tiny paper cuts, and he needed to get out quickly. He swam up to the surface, but it seemed farther away than it was.
This was hell on earth, a nightmare worse than being trapped outside of your own body.
He finally reached the surface, gasping for air. The water wasn't cold anymore nor did it hurt being in it, and he was back. Ben was back in his own body, he had total control again. He also had a headache, oh a really bad one it seemed.
He swam back to where Mal was waiting for him, he needed to get the hell out of there. He needed to talk to someone, anyone but Mal. If he was under a love spell, and Mal was the one who put him under it, he couldn't risk falling for it again.
There was too much going on in his head, and he had the strongest urge to go see Carlos.
"Ben, are you alright?" Mal asked as Ben walked back to their picnic.
"Yeah, but we should head back. I think it's about to rain."
☁︎
After Mal had left for her date, Evie decided to go see Bella, they had agreed to get together later and it was later now.
She retouched her makeup, gave herself a once-over, and headed out the door. She should've brought her bag with her, at least to try and pretend that she wanted to study. Well, there was something she wouldn't mind studying with Bella, but that was too soon and too forward. She at least needed to know if Bella was into girls, but in her experience, most girls weren't straight for long after Evie was done with them.
When Evie arrived at Bella's dorm, she was already heading out.
"Oh, Evie! Hi," Bella greeted her as she closed her door. "is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine. I just came to see if you wanted to hang out."
Oh. Ha. Bella wanted to react like a cartoon character, back against the wall and her heart beating out of her chest. She was so stupid, so silly, but she was just a girl with a crush. Let her be silly.
"Oh, I wish I could but I have to go to the castle for my final dress fitting. Oh! You can come with me if you'd like, it'd be nice not to go alone." Bella crossed her fingers and hoped she said yes.
"Yes! Wait, are villain kids even allowed near the castle?"
"Yes, and even if they're not, my parents won't be there. Let's go, the car should be out front by now."
Bella and Evie walked to the front of the school side by side, their hands brushed against each other as they did but neither girl was brave enough to cross that bridge.
"Good afternoon, Frank. This is Evie, Evie this is Frank."
Frank bowed his head to Evie, he shook her hand and opened the door for them.
"Miss Bella doesn't ever bring friends home, it's nice to see she does have some." He joked once he was in the driver's seat. Evie laughed at this but was kinda glad she was the first friend Bella would ever take home, to her castle. It made her feel special!
"The usual mix, Miss Bella?"
"Yes, thanks, Frank."
As the car began to move, music began to play. It was 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac. Evie recognized the song, she liked it. 'Great sense of style and music? Oh my, oh my.' Evie thought as she seemed to discover more things about Bella that she liked. Her being a pretty princess was just a little bonus perk, not that she needed to be a princess for Evie to like her, it was just that- a perk!
"And if you don't love me now, you will never love me again."
Evie and Bella snapped their heads towards each other and began to laugh at the fact that they just began singing along unprompted. Without saying anything else, they kept singing along together.
It was nice for both of them to share a cute little moment like that, Evie hadn't realized how comfortable she felt around Bella. She'd only known her for about four days now, but there's nothing weird about that to her. They got along easily, it was as if they just clicked the moment they met. That was nice, it was sweet.
"So tell me, what do the other kids listen to around here?" Evie asked as the next song played. "Pop?"
"Mmm, yes but also no, not all of them. Especially during the summer, you'll probably figure out who listens to what the more time you spend here. Those who stay at the dorms for summer school or summer programs like to leave their doors open as they play music, it's like an open invitation to hang out. You have your pop listeners, show-tunes, metal heads- which is shocking especially when they dress in all pastels, but of course, never judge a book by its cover."
"Do you stay for the summer?" Evie asked as she tried picturing an AK all decked out in pastel colors in the middle of a pit surrounded by other metal heads. It was a funny scene, one she would like to see herself.
"Sometimes, whenever I'm tired of being at the castle all day."
"I can't imagine ever being tired of living in a castle."
"Yeah, well try living with my father and see how long you can last in there." Bella's tone came off as joking, but she was not! Living with her father was not easy unless you were her mom or brother. He would find issues with everything; how she dressed, how she did her makeup, the music she played, and even trying to spend time with Ben! The only times he never got on her about anything was when she wasn't there or when she was spending time with her mom.
"He can't be that bad, can he?" Famous last words.
They arrived at the castle shortly after. Stepping out and being right in front of it, Evie was amazed at just how big it was. It was white and copper, the sunlight reflected off the big windows and there were vines full of roses that connected to the garden out front. It was beautiful, it was just... woah!
"Woah."
Bella thanked Frank as Evie continued to gawk at the castle, she gave her a few more seconds to take it all in before leading her inside- where she continued to be amazed by everything inside. Bella thought it was adorable, it was nice to see someone appreciate the castle in ways she couldn't anymore.
They made it to Bella's room where the tailor was already waiting for her. Bella excused herself as he rushed her to get into her dress so he could see what was left to do. This left Evie to stand there alone, she would've taken a seat but she wanted to look at everything in there.
Bella's room was bigger than her dorm room, but that was obviously because this was a room in a castle and not a school dormitory. Still, woah! Her bed was across the big window that looked directly out towards the sea, 'the sunset views must be amazing from here' Evie thought. The walls were decorated with; posters of artists and movies, fashion magazine pages, pictures of Ben and Bella, and pictures of them with their mom or with friends. There were even cut-out pictures of Bella that seemed to be from magazines as well. There were loads of books and CDs on shelves and even on the floor.
This was different than what she'd seen in Bella's dorm. Her dorm did have pictures and posters here and there, but it was more organized. This room was lived in, it had more character. It was a much deeper and personal look into who Bella was, and Evie felt deeply touched to have been allowed in there.
"Evie, how do I look?" Evie turned to see Bella step out from behind the dressing screen.
She was wearing a black tulle long dress with black puff sleeves, it had blue accents to it that sparkled from the light coming through the window- it was beautiful, she was beautiful.
"Amazing, you look amazing."
Someone cleared their throat.
"And you did an amazing job, Mr....?"
"Taylor."
"...Taylor the tailor?" "Yes." "Great work, Mr. Taylor."
Bella mouthed an 'I know right?' to Evie which caused her to snort out a laugh, but she hid it behind a cough as she took a seat on the bed. Bella turned around to face the mirror as Taylor made sure there were no more adjustments needed.
Then there was a knock on the door. They didn't wait for Bella to let them in.
"Bella, your mother told me you'd be stopping by and I wanted to talk to you about your outburst in class today... What are you wearing?"
Evie felt a sudden chill as the king's tone changed.
"My dress, how do I look?" Bella asked, her tone still cheerful. She didn't know why she expected her father to compliment her.
"You are not wearing a black dress to your brother's coronation! It is a celebration, not a funeral. You either find a different dress, or you don't go." He wasn't yelling, but his tone was so harsh it felt like he was yelling.
Bella looked at him through the mirror, the words 'fine, I won't go' on the tip of her tongue, but she knew she could never do that to her brother.
"Yes, father."
He didn't say another word, he left and shut the door behind him. It was quiet, no one felt like it was appropriate to say anything. After a moment passed, Bella moved away from the mirror and went behind the changing screen to take it off. She mumbled something to Taylor as she changed, something about how she still wanted the dress and to not make any changes.
Evie felt bad, that was harsh. The dress wasn't even funeral material, and it shined blue under the right light! It definitely would have sparkled the day of, but now no one would get to see it! What a waste of a beautiful dress, especially on a beautiful girl.
"We should go, I'm sorry about that, he's usually not like that in front of guests," Bella said once she stepped out again. She had spoken in her normal tone, but it was obvious her demeanor had changed. Evie didn't let the 'in front of guests' slip her mind, if this is how he was with two others in the room, what was he like when others weren't around...
"It's alright, don't worry too much." Evie stood up and held out her hand for Bella to take. She took it and led Evie out of the room, the two said their goodbyes to Taylor the tailor, and walked back down the many stairs to get back outside. Frank was already there waiting, he opened the car door for them and said nothing, it was as if he knew what had happened. Evie wondered if the King had yelled, and she just didn't register it as yelling. Maybe the castle being so big meant it echoed and it had reached the outside, or maybe Frank was used to being there when Bella needed to get away from the castle.
Bella was so used to it, but the fact that her father couldn't even tell her she looked pretty before scolding her... It was like a punch to the gut.
"Bella, I can make you a new dress, if you'd like."
"Thank you, but it's my problem to fix. Let's head back, and not think about it."
Bella rested her head on Evie's shoulder, Evie let her head rest on Bella's head and the two sat in silence as they headed back to Auradon Prep. She was going to make her a dress.
☁︎
Carlos was alone in his dorm, Jay had been invited to hang out with the tourney team and while he extended the invitation to Carlos, he declined. He didn't mind being alone, and was he alone if Dude was with him?
He took this time alone to think about where he was currently, and what that meant to him.
Auradon was a luxury, this had been established already. He knew coming here would be different to the Isle, but he hadn't expected to get so accustomed to it all so quickly. He thought he would resent it all, that his bringing up would stop him from enjoying any of it but it's been the opposite. He's enjoying it so much, the food and the people, and especially having a working computer with wifi!
The Isle had 'hand me downs', as in whatever the Auradon kids decided to throw out in favor of getting the newer version. It was nice having a computer that belonged to him, he liked going on YouTube to watch people talk about video games or to discover new music.
Still, what he liked most of all was Ben. He was all things good personified, and besides the vk's, he's been spending a lot of his time with him. They say for some people, a crush develops in a day while for others a week, so maybe something inside him decided to jump-start this infatuation because it knew he didn't have weeks. How cruel.
Carlos set his computer to the side as he lay on his bed, it was currently playing some song about how everything has changed and wanting to know someone better. He liked this song, and he laughed at that because Jay would bully him about liking something like this. He didn't care about that right now, he just wanted to enjoy the peace of just being there.
Then there was a knock on the door. Great.
"Jay, I told you not to leave your keys! Find another way in!"
"Carlos, it's Ben."
Carlos was at the door in a second, only stopping to ruffle his hair out a bit before opening the door.
"What's up, dude?" He asked casually as he opened the door. He inwardly cringed but said nothing else. "I take it you're alone?" Ben asked, he looked past Carlos to make sure.
"Yeah, come in. Are you alright?"
Ben walked in but didn't move from the door once it closed, he didn't know how to ask the question but he didn't want to stall either, he had to know the truth.
"No, I just got back from my date with Mal but I had to come see you. I feel like out of you four, you're the only one that will be honest with me, no offense."
Carlos took no offense, he could understand why Ben felt that way, but he was confused as to why he needed to come see him. The spell should drive him crazy in love, so crazy that he couldn't stand being away from Mal unless it wasn't working...
"Did Mal put me under some sort of love spell?"
Oh.
Fuck.
Carlos had to think fast, think of some lie or reason that wouldn't warrant them being sent back to the Isle as if poisoning the soon-to-be king wasn't enough. Thankfully, Ben gave him an out.
"Why? Because of a crush? Did you know?"
"Yes! She has a crush on you, and she is so nervous about it because it's the first time she's ever had a crush on someone. I'm so sorry, I've felt bad about it ever since I found out. Really, she wouldn't have done it if she knew there was a chance, but you were with Audrey and so she went through with it."
He lied, he knew that lying to Ben was not a good idea but he wasn't going to tell the whole truth either. A half-lie half-truth could work, as long as Ben never found out then it would be fine. No one gets hurt that way.
"Oh... But now we're dating and everyone knows, what happens when she finds out the spell wore off? I don't want to hurt or embarrass her, that's just cruel."
"You find out she put a spell on you and you're worried about hurting her?" He was too kind, would it be bad if Carlos wanted to kiss him right now? Probably.
"I know, but I did declare "my love" to her in front of a crowd so to then tell her I can't feel the same way, that's just mean! I'll do the right thing and still take her to the coronation. Then I'll tell her that I know about the spell and that I'm sorry I can't reciprocate." Well, who knows if there's an 'after' the coronation.
"What do you mean by can't? Is it because of Audrey? Or is there someone else?" Carlos asked teasingly. He meant no harm, he didn't expect an actual answer from him.
"you."
It was a faint whisper, Carlos wasn't sure if he even heard him right. He mustn't have, because that just didn't make sense.
"Who?"
Ben didn't say it again, he didn't even know why he said it in the first place. Maybe it was the heat of the moment, maybe it was all the stress he's been under. Or maybe, just maybe, he was tired of everyone having a say in what he could or couldn't do that pushed him to say it, to take back some control over his own life again. That had to be why he said it, and why he did it a second time.
"You. I like you, I hope that's okay."
Carlos was not expecting a confession tonight, or ever at all. He should say something, but what? He likes Ben but what about Mal? This could ruin her plan.
Her plan.
It's her plan and not his! He likes Auradon and wants to stay here, so why does he have to worry about the wand? He's done enough for Mal, he can have this one thing for himself. Who knows if the plan will even work, if it doesn't then he gets a cute boy and never has to worry about the Isle ever again.
"It is, it's okay. I like you too."
Ben didn't think he'd get that far, what happens next? With Audrey, she made all the first moves, she confessed first and asked him to be her boyfriend. He can't just ask Carlos to be his boyfriend, it took time to get there. A date should come first, but he's never been on a date with another boy...
"Awesome, cool. Glad that's all sorted out, I should go but we should hang out sometime. How about tomorrow, after classes are done for the day?"
Carlos found how awkward Ben was really cute, like yesterday at the lockers, just so cute.
"Yeah, tomorrow after school. I look forward to it."
Ben, already by the door, didn't know how to leave. It felt rude to just walk out, was he supposed to hug him before leaving? He needed to watch videos on how to behave with the guy you like, he was still very new to being gay.
"Bye Ben, I'll see you tomorrow." Carlos placed his hand on Ben's lower back as he opened the door for him. This small gesture made Ben very red, he was so inexperienced that the smallest touch would make him weak. Why did it take him so long to realize he was gay?
"Bye Carlos, see you tomorrow." He managed to get out as he stepped out the door. He tried to hide how red he was, but he knew that nothing he did would work as his ears and neck were red as well. He waved without looking up, nearly walking into the wall but he saved himself last minute.
Carlos watched him walk away, he enjoyed the view.
Once Ben was out of view and in his room, Carlos closed the door behind him and went to look for Evie. He needed to talk to her about what just happened. There was a lot to discuss...
As Carlos reached the girls' dorm, Evie was just arriving.
"Hey Carlos," Evie smiled at him before she turned to open the door, Carlos stopped her.
"Evie, we need to talk. In private."
She dropped her hand from the doorknob, they could both hear Mal's music through the door so talking in her room wouldn't work.
"Sure, let's go to your room then?"
Once they were inside Carlos' dorm, he wasted no time to tell her what happened.
"Ben knows about the cookie- not the cookie but the love potion. And it's worn off. He's not going to say anything about it, he thinks Mal has a crush on him so he doesn't want to embarrass her and so he'll still take her as his date to the coronation."
Carlos spoke so fast that Evie had to take a minute to process what she had just been told. Once she fully understood the situation they were in, she panicked.
"It wore off and he knows?! What are we supposed to do? Do we tell Mal? Of course, we have to tell her, don't we?"
"No, we don't. If he's still going to take her as his date and won't say anything about it, then we don't have to tell her anything."
Evie wanted to protest, and say that they should because they're friends and they only have each other, but if Ben won't say anything then the plan isn't compromised.
'The plan, it's all about the stupid plan.' Evie thought but didn't dare say it out loud. She didn't have to because Carlos felt the same way.
"I hate this plan, I know that Mal said we'll rule everything and everyone but it's obvious she and her mom are going to be the ones ruling. I like Auradon, I like living here and I don't want to destroy it." He paused to catch his breath, he couldn't seem to slow down.
"And I like Ben, I feel bad about helping with the cookie plan! I know, we're villain kids! We're bad to the bone! So why should I care about some stupid prince? He's not stupid, he's very nice and I really like him. Geez, I hate this plan, Evie please tell me you hate this plan too."
"Carlos... What do you mean you like Ben?"
It stung him that that was all Evie got from what he had said, but he knew she wouldn't admit that she also hated it. He knew it had to do with her and Mal's past, he too was a victim of her bullying back on the Isle.
"I mean that I like him as more than a friend."
"Are you sure? What if he's just a rebound from Jay?"
"Evie, you and I both know that what I had with Jay was nothing official. I was the one who decided we should stop messing around, It was never anything serious, I didn't want anything more with Jay and I never will. I like Ben, and I like Auradon. I need to know you're okay with that."
Evie didn't immediately respond, she would be a hypocrite if she criticized him when she felt the same way. She liked Bella and she liked Auradon, but she wasn't going to tell him that.
"I'm okay with it, we deserve to be happy too. I say go for it, even if our time is limited. We can only hope Mal changes her mind before the coronation."
"He asked me to hang out tomorrow. Come with me, at least come with me to meet up with him. Please?" Carlos wanted to throw in 'maybe he'll bring Bella' but he didn't know how Evie would react.
"Yeah sure, I can't wait to see how he acts around us now that he knows about the cookie."
(Hi, just a heads up that there most likely won't be an update next Friday as I've fallen a bit behind because of work, unfortunately. Happy belated Valentine's Day <3)