"Depends on yer definition of a thimble."
Harry closed the distance between their lips again, his hand reaching up to rest against the side of her face, his fingers lightly trailing through her hair. Evie felt herself swept up like a shell on the shore, her eyes falling closed at the gentle sensation of his lips against hers. She kissed him back, her hand that was still in his tightening its grip.
"And I do believe," Harry drawled barely above a whisper, smiling cheekily against her lips, "that ye did say ye had a hundred or so to give me."
He went to kiss her again but his comment had shaken Evie out of her shell shock. The enchantment of his tender and intimates gestures disintegrated into glitter and dust, the full weight of what Harry had done - of what she had done - crashing down on her like a mighty wave against a crumbling cliff.
What am I doing? I just kissed-
She pulled away abruptly, moving up into a sitting position, her hair swooshing around her in a wave of blue. She looked back at Harry just in time to see a flash of hurt in his eyes.
She wasn't sure what startled her more. Was it the kiss itself or that flicker of hurt that told her that it had meant something to him?
"That... that isn't what I meant and you know it!" Evie said quickly, nearly stumbling over her words. "A thimble is something you put on your finger so you don't prick it when you're sewing! It's not a... not a-"
"Kiss?" Harry said lightly.
Evie nodded, too flustered to bring herself to say the word. What did he think he was doing kissing her out of the blue? What was she doing kissing him back? And since when was a thimble a kiss?
Unbidden, the memory of her first sword fight with Harry in the Hooks Inlet and Shack washed over her like a shock of cold water.
"Is this deal one all the customers get offered?" Evie asked, tilting her head. "It's a wonder you're still in business. What do you get if you win?"
"How about we keep it a surprise for when I win?" He said coyly.
"Hmm, I don't think so," Evie replied, crossing her arms.
She was not foolish enough to go into a wager she knew she would most likely lose, not knowing what was at stake.
"Alright then, a thimble."
Oh, there was no way he had meant...
Evie jumped to her feet, her movements rocking the boat. She pointed a finger accusingly at the pirate, backing away to put distance between them. She needed to get away from him, even if it was only by a small measurement. Having those dark eyes watching her so intently and from so close was almost overbearing, if she wasn't careful she could easily find herself drowning in them.
"Explain the thimble thing, right now!" Evie demanded.
Harry sat up, his arm crossed and legs still stretched out. He looked relaxed and calm, but Evie was able to see past his nonchalant defences. The way his jaw was clenched ever so slightly, the alertness in his eyes as he watched her reaction, the way his right hand twitched as though wanting to clutch the handle of his fake hook that he usually held - a small act of comfort she had come to realise. It was these little things and more, small kinks in his armour, that told her he was anxious, no matter how well he hid it. He wasn't sure what to make of her reaction.
"It's a kiss. Don't ye remember the story of Peter Pan and Wendy?" Evie didn't miss the utter disdain in which he said the names. "Peter didn't know what a kiss was when Wendy wanted to give him one. So instead, she gave him a thimble to represent it."
Well, that explained the thimble.
Note to self, get a copy of the Peter Pan book.
What it didn't explain was why he had given her one...
"Why?"
Harry shrugged. "He was just a clueless boy. He was far too innocent to know what a-"
"No, not that. What I want to know is why you gave me one. Why you... why you kissed me? You tried to do it at Cruella's party too."
Harry stood up, causing the boat to sway gently from side to side. He walked over to her, reaching for her hands. Evie pulled them out of reach, shaking her head. It was best not to touch him right now, lest she fall under his charms again.
"No, explain yourself."
Harry sighed, looking up at the dimming stars as though silently asking for help. They could offer none. He had forced himself and Evie to teeter on the edge of a new threshold in their relationship the moment he had tried to kiss her at Cruella's party. Now he had thrown caution to the wind and pulled them both over that threshold, whether they wanted it or not.
"Harry, you can't just kiss me and expect me not to want answers," Evie sighed. "Our friendship is complicated enough without throwing in... that kind of thimble!"
Harry turned to look at her, his dark eyes meeting hers. The soft glow of the periwinkle lights bathed him in a gentle glow, making him seem almost vulnerable. He reached up and pulled off his pirate hat, running a hand through his messy brown hair, an irritable sigh escaping his lips.
"Considering yer reaction to my kiss ye'll have to excuse me if I'm not in a hurry to explain why I did it," Harry said defensibly.
He was closing up on her, raising his defences. Evie realised she had to do something before he completely shut her out.
"Harry, I need to know why. Why you kissed me? Why you tried to kiss me at the party? And why you even turned up to the thing in the first place? I need to know that you're not messing around with me, that this isn't a game or just some spur of the moment impulse!"
She needed an answer to her nagging doubts about his intentions, to know where they stood. The kisses weren't something that could be brushed under the carpet and forgotten about. It had happened and now they had to talk about it.
"Did it ever occur to ye... that I like ye?" Harry asked quietly.
Such a simple answer said barely above a whisper. No, such an answer hadn't crossed her mind. Ploys, tricks, distractions, impulses of the moment, yes, but that he liked her? She hadn't even thought that he might like her.
"Evie... I like ye a lot," Harry said, sounding relieved to finally get it out. "That's why I kissed ye. It's why I tried to at the party before that blasted Jay interrupted. And it's the only reason I went to that party, to make sure that ye weren't there when The Queen of Hearts made her grand entrance. People tend to lose their heads around that women."
Evie stood there, shaken by the revelation.
She didn't know how to respond and found herself speechless, staring in wide-eyed shock at the pirate. The silence dragged on as Evie found herself unable to reply, every attempt at words falling flat. She knew she had to say something. The longer she remained silent the tenser and more unsure Harry's features became.
"Harry, I-"
I need to say something but I don't know what!
"You have to realise that an us... wouldn't work," Evie said finally, choosing her words carefully.
Not knowing how to express her feelings, scarcely understanding them herself, she opted to voice the impracticalities of a possible relationship between them. Looking at the situation logically would help and let Harry see why them being anything more than friends was a bad idea.
"Our friends hate each other. If they ever found out that we were friends, never mind... something else... they would flip! Big time!"
"And so what if they did?" Harry retorted, a sharp edge to his voice. "Who cares what they or anyone else thinks?"
"I don't want to lose my friends, Harry," Evie replied. "And neither do you. If we started dating then that would be a whole new level of betrayal."
Harry scoffed, a mirthless smirk on his face.
"I'm not going to let anyone dictate what I can and can't do. Not even Uma and Gil. Their issues with it-" Harry stopped mid-sentence, clearing his throat before correcting himself. "If they have any issues with it then they can take a nose dive into Davy Jones locker for all I care."
He couldn't mean that. She knew how close he was to Uma and Gil. He may be willing to cast them aside but it would hurt him and he would miss them, despite his words to the contrary. She didn't want to be responsible for breaking up their friendship.
"Harry, we have to hide the fact that we're friends. Do you really want to be in a relationship where we constantly have to hide in shadows?"
Harry didn't answer.
"It just wouldn't work," Evie sighed. "Not to mention what our parents would say if they found out."
Her mother wouldn't mind her being friends with a pirate, after all, a villain had to keep a sharp eye out for possible allies. What she wouldn't accept was her dating one. Harry may have the charms of a Prince, but he was still a pirate. Her mother would never allow her to be with him. It was a Prince, nothing less.
Evie sighed, lowering herself onto the bench. She buried her face into her hands, feeling utterly lost.
Harry knelt down beside her, carefully wrapping his hands around her wrists and pulling them away from her face. He then reached out, tucking a strand of her hair from her face, his fingers lightly skimming across her cheek and down her neck.
"Evie, all that doesn't matter right now. Ye haven't given me a reply yet," Harry said quietly. "Then again, I haven't even had a chance to ask ye."
Harry, please don't...
"Evie, will you be my girlfriend?"
Here was the change that she had known was coming. The change she had been dreading. And it was all Harry's doing. If he hadn't kissed her then they wouldn't have found themselves here, him kneeling before her, waiting for a reply that would set the course for their relationship from here on out.
Again she found herself unable to respond. Surely, it should have been a simple answer. The two of them as a couple was out of the question. Being friends was dangerous enough, never mind becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Any relationship they pursued would be conducted in secret, hiding away from their friends and family for fear of the consequences. What kind of relationship was that? It was hard enough being friends under these circumstances, but to try it as lovers? She could only imagine it would be far more straining and rife with conflict.
Just say no, Evie, she told herself, unable to look at Harry.
That one simple word and this situation would be over. If Harry was truly her friend then he would understand and accept her answer, not allowing it to sully their friendship. But if it was such an easy answer to give, an answer that could rid her of this dilemma, why couldn't she bring herself to say it?
"Did you not hear anything I just said about why you and I wouldn't work?" Evie asked.
Harry gave her a smirk, waving it off dismissively. "Minor inconveniences."
Of course, he would see it like that.
"Harry... I don't know. I can't give you an answer right now."
Harry nodded, delicately taking her hands in his.
"Then all I ask is that ye dwell on it. And if ye decide that you and I as something other than friends is off the table, then I'll accept that. It won't change anything between us. Ye don't want to lose your friends and I don't want to lose you."
Evie leant forward, wrapping her arms around Harry's shoulder in a tight embrace. It was the closest thing to a thank you that she could give him. She felt her heart flutter when Harry wrapped his own arms around her, returning the hug. After a few moments, Harry reluctantly pulled away.
"Right, I think it's best we start heading back," Harry said, moving to pick up the rowers.
Evie nodded in agreement, looking out to the brightening sky. The sun would be up soon and her mother might decide to check up on her. If The Evil Queen found out that she wasn't in her room then Harry's question would be the least of her worries. She moved over to the bench opposite to Harry, watching the morning sky warily. Below it, still glistening with night lights, Auradon sat, growing further and further away.
When they finally got back to shore Harry tied up the boat and walked Evie along the harbour. They walked in silence, their minds busy dwelling over what had just happened between them. When they got to the turn to take them away from Goblin Warf they paused.
"Are ye sure ye don't want me to walk ye back?" Harry asked.
Evie smiled and took off his jacket, passing it over to him.
"I can manage."
Evie turned and began to leave. She didn't get far before Harry's voice caught her attention.
"Evie, take yer time about my question," He called over to her. "Oh, and do try and get ungrounded for next weeks lesson. That blasted tree gets very pernickety when ye don't turn up."
With that said, Harry gave her a low bow, turned around and walked away. Once he was out of sight Evie reached into her bag, pulling out the red handkerchief she had made for him. She had wanted to give it to him tonight, but after what had happened, it seemed wrong to do so. Until she sorted out her feelings and figured out how she wanted to progress with Harry, it would be wrong to give him hope where there may be none.
____________________________________________________
The next day Harry found himself in The Dead Man's Wreck, an old tavern on Goblin Warf that he and his crewmates frequented often. It was a standard tavern for these parts, heavily pirate themed with the dominant type of customer being pirates and sailors.
The tables were barrels with fish nets draped over them, a waxed candle in a jar acted as a centre piece, with broken shells and stones scattered around it for decoration. The seats were wobbly wooden ones, little carvings of fish and ships on their backs.
The walls were smothered with all manners of pirate relics and memorabilia, so much so that they resembled museum walls. There were shells, old steering wheels, driftwood with plaques claiming they were from infamous ships, cutlass swords, pirate hats and clothes pinned on to them. On the spaces in between the variety of artefacts, there were faded and ripped portraits of ships and notorious pirate captains like Black Beard, Long John Silver, Davy Jones and Beatrice Le Beak. One of the paintings was of Captain Barbossa and hung above an old wooden piano, it was said that if you looked at it a certain way the image of the Captain would melt away to reveal a dreadful skeleton with tattered clothes clinging to its frame.
Draping from the roof was a wide range of pirate flags, most were black and consisting of skulls, bones and swords. There was also an old rusty cage hanging in the corner of the room from the rafters, a skeleton dressed like a ragged old pirate inside, a bony parrot clinging to his shoulder.
For such a grimly named and decorated place, The Dead Man's Wreck had a vibrant and jolly atmosphere, with people singing, chatting and laughing away. It was the lively and fun air that drew Harry and his fellow crew members here so often. If they wanted a good time here was the place to be, a cosy tavern filled with relics of fellow pirates, jolly folk, and half decent tasting food and drinks.
Harry sat at his usual table beside the green tinted windows. Here he was offered a partial, blurry view of the sea and docks. He kicked his legs up onto the table, drinking from his pint of shandy. He loved watching the ocean, to see the sunlight sparkling off it or the wisp of a shadow that hinted at something lurking beneath. Today though, as he stared out at the waves, it's vast blueness made it impossible to not think of the Princess dressed in blue who, like the ocean, was never far from his mind.
He wasn't sure what would become of them now. He regretted the limbo he had thrown their friendship into, but he didn't regret the kisses. Oh no, not those few seconds of bliss. He just wished he had waited. But seeing her lying beside him, royal blue hair spilling over her shoulders and her eyes shining brightly at him, he found he couldn't resist.
Now all he could do was wait. If Evie didn't want to pursue a romantic relationship with him then he hoped at the very least that it wouldn't ruin their friendship.
"What's the matter, Harry? This place not good enough for your girlfriend?"
Dragged from his thoughts, Harry looked up from his drink to find Uma and Gil standing in front of him. Gil smiled, waving his hand. Uma stood with her arms crossed, looking less than pleased.
"And what can I help ye two with?" Harry asked, raising his glass in greeting.
"We're not here to fight," Uma replied, hands spread wide to show that she meant no harm. "But we would like to talk."
"Really? Then by all means," Harry gestured to the spare seats, "take a seat."
They sat down and called the timid waiter over, each ordering a beverage. Once the waiter was gone Uma turned to Harry.
"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" Uma said, resting her folded arms onto the table. "You wanna be friends with Evie then fine. I don't like it and I'm not going to pretend to. She helped wreck my ship and I'm not as forgiving as you clearly are."
Harry scowled at the last comment. Forgiving was not a word he would use to describe himself. He was merciless and cruel and never forgot the face of someone who scorned him. The only exception to this was his friends whom he was more lenient with, but it certainly didn't mean he let them off the hook easily.
"However," Uma continued, taking in a deep, restraining breath. "I have... re-evaluated the situation."
That can't be good, Harry thought warily.
In other words, Uma saw some potential in the situation and was planning on taking advantage of it.
"And we've decided that we have a proposition for you."
And here it comes...
"And what's that?" Harry asked lightly, taking a mouth full of his drink.
"How about you ask Evie to join our crew?"
Harry spat his drink out, spraying it all over Gil. Several of the near by pirates began laughing and pointing at the now dripping wet son of Gaston. Gil raised his hands to his face and wiped off the liquid, letting out a disgusted groan. Harry paid no mind to him, his full attention on Uma.
"What?" Harry finally managed to ask, sounding highly dubious. "Ye have to be having a laugh? The other day ye were wanting me to choose between you two and her, and now ye want her as a member of the crew? I don't know what yer playing at Uma, but I'm not biting."
"I'm being serious," Uma replied dryly.
"I have no doubt about that, what I doubt is yer intentions."
Harry might have been able to hold a fierce grudge but his ability to hold one was nothing compared to Uma's. The girl's wrath was as mighty as a typhoon. Once you were in her bad books, you stayed in her bad books. There was no redemption for you. If she wanted Evie in her crew then it could only mean bad news for Evie.
Uma shrugged, tossing her long braids behind her shoulder. "Of course I have my own motives for wanting her to join. There's no use lying about it, you know me far too well for that. As much as I dislike Evie, it's Mal that I have the real gripe against. And although Evie helped wreck my ship - which I will not forgive her for - I know that the plan was most likely Mal's idea. Her little band of scoundrels just went along for the ride as usual."
The waiter arrived with Uma and Gil's drinks, placing them down with a trembling hand before scurrying away from the table. Gil grinned, snatching up his sour milk shake and taking loud, nerve grating slurps of it. Harry sent the boy a dark scowl, promptly silencing his noisy consumption.
"So, with that in mind, I've realised that I can endure having Evie on our crew."
"I still don't see why ye want her to join?" Harry asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Well," Gil chimed in, daring to take another noisy slurp of his drink. Uma and Harry both glared at the boy for doing so. "If she's apart of our crew then we three can stick together, right? You don't have to choose between us."
"She doesn't need to join the crew for us to still be one," Harry replied. "All you two have to do is accept that we're friends."
"But wouldn't it be better for the both of you if you were on the same team?" Uma asked. "Think about it. You two wouldn't have to meet up in secret. You could spend more time together. If the other VK's have a problem with it and try to get back at Evie for ditching them then they can deal with us, the whole crew will be there to back her up. And let's face it, our crew offers a much better group of friends than the lame excuse for friends she has now."
The idea certainly had its appeals, Harry thought, dwelling over the possibilities.
One of the issues that kept coming between Evie and him was the feud between their friends. Her words from early echoed in his mind.
"You have to realise that an us... wouldn't work... Our friends hate each other. If they ever found out that we were friends, never mind... something else... they would flip! Big time!"
If they were on the same team it took away that issue.
"And what exactly is in this for you, Uma?" Harry inquired, taking a sip of his drink.
"You mean besides helping out a dear friend of mine?" Uma asked innocently, batting her long lashes at him. Harry gave her an unimpressed look, causing Uma to roll her eyes. "Fine, like I said I have my own reasons."
"Which are?"
"What better way to get back at Mal than to steal her best friend?" Uma asked, an evil smirk on her face. "Truthfully, I'm surprised those two even became friends, considering what happened between them."
"Ye know about Mal locking her up in Cruella's wardrobe?" Harry asked.
"The wardrobe thing?" Uma laughed harshly then let out a low whistle. "Oh please, that's the tip of the ice berg for those two."
When Uma saw the questioning look on Harry's face she gave him a surprised one of her own.
"Oh? She hasn't told you about it? And here I thought everyone knew." Uma took a sip of her drink before continuing. "Since you know about the whole wardrobe thing I'm assuming you know that the two of them didn't get along, Mal holding a grudge because Evie didn't invite her to her party? Well, Mal wasn't the only one miffed off about that."
"Maleficent?" Harry guessed, tilting his head.
Uma nodded.
"Of all the people that Evie and her mother chose not to invite to their party, they chose the one whose mother cursed an entire kingdom for not inviting her to a christening."
"Not the brightest pair, are they?" Gil commented.
Harry lifted one of his feet and smacked it into Gil's chest, sending the boy flying off his chair and crashing to the floor, his drink spilling all over him. Gil went to pull himself up but Harry raised his foot threateningly. Gil held his hands up in surrender and fell back to the floor, sighing miserably.
"Anyway," Uma drawled, glancing at her fallen friend sprawled across the floor. "When Maleficent found out, she banished both The Evil Queen and Evie to their castle, where they remained for nearly a decade, unable to step foot outside. The only way they could get supplies was via their glorified pigeons."
"I'm pretty sure it was vultures," Gil chipped in.
Uma scowled at the boy before returning her attention back to Harry.
"There's that. Not to mention Mal always bullied her whenever she got the chance. They have quite the dramatic history, don't you think?" Uma said. She examined her nails, relaxing back into her seat. "And all because little Mal didn't get invited to a party. That girl always was quite the drama queen."
Harry slammed his hook into the table, splintering the wood. Gil let out a startled cry, jumping to his feet. Uma winced, looking down at the sharp hook now embedded in the table. The entire tavern fell into silence, all turning around to see what the commotion was. One savage glare from Harry had them all turning away, their loud chatter and clinking of drinks continuing as if nothing had happened.
"So how about it?" Uma asked, offering her hand out for him to shake. "Want to invite Evie to join our crew?"
"Yer not gonna try and get back at her for wrecking the ship?" Harry asked, a dangerous edge to his voice that promised trouble depending on Uma's answer.
"I'll let it slip," Uma gritted out, clearly not happy to do so. "For you and only this once. That's what friends do, isn't it?"
Harry grinned and shook her hand.
"So we're not breaking up?" Gil asked cautiously.
Uma rolled her eyes.
"No Gil, we are not breaking up. But if you take one more step towards us with the intention of hugging us I will let Harry hook you and then I will drown you."
____________________________________________________
"Are you sure you're okay, Evie? You seem really quiet today."
Dizzy picked up the heat protection spray from the vanity table, spraying a generous helping of the product onto Evie's hair. She put the bottle down and reached for the curlers, finishing off the last few strips of Evie's hair.
"I'm fine, Dizzy, honestly," Evie sighed, still staring blankly at her reflection. "Just... tired."
It had been a few days since she had last seen Harry and she still hadn't decided on an answer to his question. She had imagined countless scenarios of the different outcomes of her two possible answers, each one ending with her losing friends and all hell breaking loose. She knew she was letting her imagination run away with her, but she couldn't help it with how anxious she felt over the whole affair. Tired and on the verge of driving herself insane, Evie had decided to treat herself with a trip to the salon. There she could get her hair done and see Dizzy, who was always a sure fire way of brightening up her day.
"Cause ye know," Dizzy continued, squeezing Evie's shoulder reassuringly, "if you need anyone to talk to I'm all ears! That's what friends are for, right?"
Evie smiled, reaching back and patting the girl's hand.
Maybe getting a fresh pair of eyes on the situation could help? Evie mused.
"The thing is... there's this... boy."
"Oh, so it's boy troubles that's got you down in the blues," Dizzy said, a big grin spreading on her face. Her smile faded and she tilted her head, looking Evie over from head to toe. "Well, you're always in the blues because you always dress in blue, but you know what I meant."
Evie laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, I got you."
"So what's the issue with him?" Dizzy asked as she curled another strand of hair.
"The issue is he asked me to be his girlfriend," Evie explained. "But I know if we went out it could lead to all sorts of trouble. Our friends don't get along. My mother would disapprove and I'm sure his father would have some objections to me. I know I should just say no and that'll be the end of it..."
"But?" Dizzy drawled, signalling with her hand for Evie to continue.
"But... I don't think I want to say no," Evie said softly.
"Is it because you're worried that he won't want to be friends with you anymore if you turn him down?" Dizzy asked thoughtfully. "If that is the case then he's a complete idiot! Anyone who would throw away your friendship isn't worthy of you."
Evie smiled at the girl's compliment.
Those thoughts that Harry wouldn't want to be friends with her if she turned him down had crossed her mind. She had been worried about how a rejection could alter their current relationship. It could lead to ill and awkward feelings between them, forever tarnishing the comfort they felt around one another. However, Harry had reassured her that it wouldn't change anything, that they would still be friends. She trusted his word over her own doubts.
"No, it's not that. He said it wouldn't change anything between us if I said no, and I believe him." Evie sighed, leaning her head back. "Truthfully, I don't know why I can't just tell him no and be done with all this! All this thinking about it is driving me up the walls! Why does everything have to be so confusing?"
"Hmmm is it maybe because you want to go out with him?" Dizzy asked casually. "That could be why you're finding it so hard to turn him down. Maybe you like him."
Evie's eyes darted up to meet Dizzy's in the mirror.
"I can tell you've been putting a lot of thought into this but what I don't get is why? Why bother if you don't like him? You've listed lots of reasons of why you shouldn't be together but none of that should matter if you're just going to say no."
Dizzy lifted the final strand of hair to curl.
"I'm no expert in things romance related, but I think you want to say yes and that's why you can't say no. All the worrying about things that'll happen if you say yes is you trying to talk yourself out of it because you already know your answer."
Evie looked at Dizzy in silent wonder.
"Do you like him?" Dizzy asked, a questioning look on her face.
Did she like Harry? She certainly liked him as a friend but as something more?
Like one of her old story books, she flipped through the memories she had shared with Harry. So many memories in such a short time, some standing out more so than others.
She thought of a shell necklace and pebbles thrown at windows, of swords and pillow fights, of truces and handkerchiefs, of dancing and chats, of boats and twilight skies, and of near kisses and thimbles. She remembered the tingly feeling that haunted her whenever she was close to him, a feeling no one else was able to make her feel. She thought of how comfortable she felt around him, of how she trusted him and of all the smiles he brought to her face.
Maybe... just maybe... she liked Harry a bit more than just a friend.
That could be why she didn't want to say no, even if it was the smart thing to do. Her head was telling her that saying yes would lead them down a difficult path with consequences lurking around every corner, but her heart wouldn't let her say no, even if it hadn't understood why.
"You know what? I think you might be right, Dizzy," Evie said quietly.
A small smile appeared on Evie's face.
"Well then, why not just go for it? From what you've told me I don't think it'll be an easy pumpkin ride but you'll never get your Prince if you don't take a chan- WAIT A MINUTE!" Dizzy gasped, tossing aside the curlers and swirling Evie around in the chair to face her. "What about Harry? You were such a sweet couple! Did you two break up? What happened? Oh my glass slippers!"
Oh... that's right. She thinks Harry and I are already dating, Evie thought, wincing. Thanks for making everything ten times more complicated, Harry!
"Um... actually... it's Harry that I'm talking about," Evie said, biting her lower lip. "He's the boy who asked me out."
"Wait..." Dizzy blinked, a frown creasing her face. "I thought you two were already going out?"
"No, I meant to tell you about that. That day Harry told you that he and I were dating was just him being..." Many unflattering words came to her mind to describe Harry's little let's pretend to be Evie's boyfriend stunt, but she reframed from saying any of them. "Well, he was just being Harry. We weren't going out back then. He was just teasing to get back at me for... something I did."
"Oh," Dizzy drawled.
"Yeah, I tried to tell you but your mother and -"
"DIZZY!" An older woman's voice shrieked from upstairs, the ceiling shaking as someone stomped their feet on the floor above. "GET UP HERE RIGHT NOW! IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR DINNER!
"Oh dear," Dizzy sighed, her happiness deflating a little. "I need to go. But if you ever need to talk I'll be right here, like I always am!"
Evie smiled, pulling Dizzy into a tight embrace.
"Dizzy, before you go I want you to know that you are far smarter than you realise, never forget that alright? You've helped me out a lot tonight," Evie said, smiling thankfully at the younger girl.
Dizzy nodded, a wide smile on her face.
"I won't," Dizzy promised.
"Well, I need to go too," Evie said, rising from her seat. "I need to check out a book from Margaret Gesne's Monster Libary."
____________________________________________________
Author Notes: Margaret Gesne is the monster librarian in Monsters University - I didn't even know she had a name, but according to Pixar Wiki that's it.
In regards to Mal and Evie's relationship, I do realise it seems like I'm being really harsh on Mal. I love Mal and Evie's friendships but at this point in the story, their bumpy past is something that Uma is planning on using to try and wedge them apart. I think Evie would still have a few scars in regards to her past with Mal, leaving her some doubts that Uma could try and use to manipulate her. Whether or not Uma's plan prevails and destroys Evie and Mal's friendship we'll have to wait and see to find out.
Evie and her mother being banished, as well as her being locked Cruella's closet by Mal, is something that occurs in the book - I haven't had the chance to read them so I'm going with the fandom wiki page. I want to incorporate some of the books canon to the story, but not all of it.
Thank you everyone for all your support with the story! :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter!