The next morning, when Mal and Evie walked into the cafeteria, everything was quieter than usual. Nobody was laughing, the chatter had turned into quiet whispers and everyone was sending the two of them funny looks, almost like they were...disgusted.
Mal and Evie shared a confused glance before walking over to Ben, Carlos and Jay who were sitting at the same table, as they usually did. They had all gotten their food and they seemed to be waiting for them.
"Good morning Mal," Ben greeted, his smile grim, very different from the usual bright smile he have his girlfriend.
"Um, good morning," Mal frowned as she put down her backpack. "Is something wrong?"
Ben sighed, "Mal, could you go get your food first? We'll talk about it when you come back with Evie."
"Uh, sure, I guess," Mal laughed nervously before sending Carlos and Jay a questioning look. The two boys shrugged, looking just as bewildered as Mal and Evie felt.
"What's going on?" Evie asked in a low voice as she looked at everyone around them. They were all sending them dirty looks.
"I don't know," Mal frowned as people at the buffet bar whispered and gave them a wide berth as they took their trays.
"This is weird, I don't like it." Evie said anxiously as she took her breakfast. "Why is everyone looking at us like we're from another planet?"
"XJ has something to do with this, I know it," Mal growled.
"XJ's sick today and Harry's probably pretending he's sick as well to keep her company," Evie pointed out. "There's no way she's involved."
"She doesn't have to be present for her plans to work, Evie," Mal scowled, "That's how she gets caught."
"Alright, that's actually a good point, but not everything has to be about XJ, Mal." Evie frowned. "You got everything?" She asked.
"Yeah," Mal nodded, "Let's get back and see what Ben has to say."
Mal and Evie walked back to their table and put down their trays, sitting down. "Okay, so what do you want to talk about?" Mal asked as she took a sip from her glass of chocolate milk.
"Harry knocked on my office door this morning when I was dealing with paperwork and all of that stuff," Ben sighed, "And he told me something you did."
Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos sent each other alarmed looks and Mal felt her heart start beating at a hundred miles an hour. "What did he say?" Mal asked cautiously.
"He said that you tried to get XJ booted off of Auradon by telling Fairy Godmother that she was planning on hurting Chad and Audrey as well as accusing her in public." Ben sighed. "XJ's miserable, and to add to her sadness she got sick as well. I excused her along with Harry so he could watch over XJ for as long as she's sick. Is this true? Did you try to kick her off of Auradon?"
Mal's heart slowed down a bit when Ben revealed that he wasn't referring to her break-in the night before, but it sped back up again when she acknowledged what her boyfriend was saying.
"I wasn't trying to get her kicked off," Mal argued, "I was only looking out for Chad!"
"Mal, Fairy Godmother told me that you accused XJ of planning on hurting Chad and Audrey with no more evidence than just seeing the two alone under the bleachers." Ben frowned, "It seems like you're trying to get her kicked out to me."
"I had reason to be suspicious," Mal protested, "Chad wasn't flirting and XJ wasn't with Harry."
"Chad doesn't always have to be flirting and couples don't always have to be together - we're living proof," Ben sighed. "Mal, I think you just don't like XJ and you're letting your hate getting in the way of XJ's transition to becoming good."
"Is that why people are looking at me weird?" Mal demanded. "Is it because everyone thinks I'm the bad guy?"
"Everyone heard about what you tried to do - "
"I wasn't trying to 'do' what you're implying!" Mal said angrily. "You heard her threaten you when she first got here! You can't tell me that you're not nervous about what she's going to do!"
"With all due respect, Mal, I don't think you're getting my point here."
"What's your point then?" Mal asked, scowling and folding her arms over her chest. "Go on, tell me."
"My point is that you just don't like the idea of another villain kid coming over and taking your spotlight, especially when even your own mother's scared of her. You feel threatened." Ben said calmly.
Mal's eyes widened, "How did you know Mom was scared of her?"
"Harry told me about her reputation on the Isle. He said he had never seen her look so sad before. The most he had seen her was angry or happy."
"He's Harry Hook - he's lying! He's a villain kid!" Mal exclaimed, making people stare.
"So are you," Ben said quietly.
Mal fell silent.
Ben sighed, "Mal, you need to put away your feud with XJ. You're trying to make her look bad just because she came to Auradon, where you think is your territory. Auradon is nobody's territory and it's certainly not yours."
"I never said it was mine!"
"But you are thinking it. Mal, stop acting like a jealous child and please act like the Mal I know - kind, funny and a Lady of the Court." Ben pleaded.
The look of disappointment on Ben's face was enough for Mal to cave. Mal sighed, "I know XJ's planning something, and I'll do whatever I can to stop her. I'm not giving up on that, but the most I can do is not confront her about it if it's really that important to you."
Ben sighed, "I guess that's all I can ask for. Thank you, Mal."
"Thank me when I stop XJ from taking over the country." Mal said bluntly as she finished her breakfast.
For the rest of breakfast time, the table was filled with an uncomfortable silence. The bell rang and Ben stood up, "I'll see you guys later." He said grimly.
Mal nodded, just as grim from the confrontation before standing up herself and heading to the first class of the day.
"Mal," Evie said in a careful tone once she had caught up with her friend, "Don't stomp. You look like you're going to turn someone into a frog."
"I'm going to turn XJ into a frog." Mal scowled. "Lying, stealing, filthy little -"
"Okay," Evie said loudly, drowning out the rest of Mal's curses. "I get it. You're not XJ's biggest fan."
"Do I look like I'm wearing a red coat and a year's worth of eyeliner?"
"Harry doesn't wear eyeliner, Mal."
"Yes he does, you just haven't been paying attention."
"You need to stop having staring matches with him across the classroom whenever you have a lesson with him. Neither of you are going to cave and everyone knows it."
"He initiates it!"
"No he does not; he is too busy giving XJ googly eyes. You're the one who feels the need to stare him down each time you're within five miles of him." Evie sighed. "Mal, you know Ben has a point."
"He's the blind one!" Mal said, firing up and ready for an argument, "He's just too busy and too caught up in this wonderful world where everyone can change to see that XJ's planning on ripping the crown right off of his head..."
"Mal," Evie said, stopping outside of the Grammar classroom door. "I don't want to argue with you anymore, but I'm also not going to be a part of your schemes to ruin XJ's life."
"They're not schemes! They're plans to stop XJ from harming all of Auradon!" Mal protested.
"Whatever you think they are, you can count me out of it." Evie said firmly. "You can go to Carlos and Jay from now on. I'm getting even busier with the end of the year celebration coming up and I already missed a session last night. Doug wasn't happy."
Mal sighed, "Fine, but when I turn out to be right in the end, you have to do my laundry for the rest of the year."
"The rest of the year is one month away, if you're talking about school semesters."
"Year, Evie, year. We live on campus anyway."
Evie sighed but nodded, "And if I turn out to be right, and XJ isn't planning world domination, you have to do mine. Deal?" Evie held out her hand.
Mal shook it, grinning, "Deal."