The next day, Halsey couldn't help but let her suspicions rise as she watched the four descendants sleepily slump over their desk, none eager to answer the headmistress' questions. Maybe they're just tired, they have been on quite a journey, Halsey thought to herself, but the curiosity bubbled inside of her as she peered at them with narrowed eyes. "Does anyone know the answer?" The fairy godmother sighed, desperately glancing at all four descendants who shook their head. Halsey noticed Mal biting her lip nervously and debating putting her hand up, so she called her out and Mal who very reluctantly said the right answer. "Yes! That's correct!" Halsey beamed, and Mal frowned before managing to smile a little. Their was a sudden soft clicking of heels, and everyone turned their attention to Jane as she raced down the hallways, squeaking a little a hurrying her speed when she passed the descendants. "Hey, Jane!" Halsey smiled cheerily at the shy girl, who smiled and replied in a soft and quiet tone, "Hi, Halsey" before turning her attention to her mother. "Ah, everyone, this is Jane, my daughter." The fairy godmother gave her daughter a little shove towards the centre of the class, and Jane struggled to speak as she sent Halsey a pleading look. Halsey struggled to come up with an escape for the poor girl, and Jane instead hurried away down between the desks the four descendants were sat at. Before she could leave, she turned back round and reminded Halsey that there was cheer practice.
"Oh, now? Okay, well I'll have to go. Bye, guys!" Halsey called as she collected her textbooks into her arms and hurried away with her arm linked with her best friend. Carlos was unaware of Jay and Evie smirking at each other as he stared after her with a dreamy expression, only broken out of his trance when the fairy godmother coughed loudly. "Someone's got a crushhh." Jay sang with a playful smile and Carlos' eyes widened, pushing him off his seat as he yelled "No I don't!" The two began fighting and Jay had Carlos in a headlock before the fairy godmother gained their attention with a flick of her wand.
"Now, I see you both have a lot of energy and.. violence inside the both of you. I strongly suggest that you use this energy on the Tourney field and not in my classroom!" As Jay rolled his eyes and folded his arms, Carlos readjusted himself in his seat as he sighed. "Yeah, we'll pass.. whatever that is." Carlos mumbled underneath his breath, putting his head in his arms on the table. "Well, Jane is apart of the cheer team and will be there during your practice, so if you need something she'll be glad to help! Halsey, too, yet she often disappears half way through practice..". Carlos' head snapped up, full of enthusiasm as Jay sniggered at his friend. "Yeah, erm, I mean, I'll go." He rambled, nodding eagerly and the headmistress smiled with content.
•👿•
Halsey was warming up besides Audrey and the two were in deep conversation when she spotted her brother and the rest of the Tourney team strolling onto the field. Her eyes immediately began searching for Carlos, wanting to wish him luck yet unable to do so as all the players appeared the same in their matching helmets. The coach began barking orders and Halsey again was distracted from Audrey's babbling as the players took off their helmets, lining in front of their coach. He gave out positions and the cheerleaders got ready to cheer, but Halsey was still distracted. She tried focusing on Audrey's chants, but all she could think of was Carlos and his cute little grin.
"Hey, you! Yeah, lost boy!" The coach suddenly yelled, walking up to a player that stood uncertainly off to the side of the field. Halsey craned her neck, feeling her heart beat a little faster at the sight of her blonde haired friend. Carlos seemed like a lost and helpless puppy as he was screamed at to get out of the killer zone and thrown into the middle of the field. Before the coach could blow his whistle, Halsey quickly ran over to the boy and she felt her face gradually warm. "Good luck, Carlos." She smiled shyly, and Carlos struggled to respond as he began spluttering, his cheeks also a light pink. Halsey grinned once more, before running back off to her cheer team. The coach blew the whistle and the game began.
The game proceeded with a obvious new star player, and he roughly pushed everyone out of his way with such force that Halsey occasionally cringed. By the devious look in Jay's eyes, he was obviously enjoying throwing everyone onto the ground and Audrey grew a little frustrated at the boy. Chad, too, was fuming as he watched enviously how effortlessly the boy could throw everyone out of his way. Chad and Audrey shared a look, both shaking their heads and fuming as Halsey cheered as loud as possible, jumping up and down excitedly. The happy girl caught Carlos' eyes, who was failing to leave a stinging impression like his friend, yet Halsey still thought he was brave for trying. He managed to smile at her, and she stopped her cheering as she grinned back, shyly waving. Chad narrowed his eyes at the two, yet not for long as Halsey waited a few moments before quietly slipped away from the fields and into the woods.
Knowing the path like the back of her hand, she easily found the field of roses that she was currently working on, and her paint pots along with paintbrushes were still well hidden. This was where she escaped all the pressure of school and being royal, yet not an actual child of the king and queen, and each day she looked forward even more to painting the white roses red. It was the fairy godmother that had noticed the young girl felt homesick at times, so she one day planted white roses in the woods in a hidden place. A place where she could paint them red and be reminded of the mischief and madness back in Wonderland, the home that she wondered about but never dared to go back to. Halsey was bought out of her thoughts as she heard the coach calling her name, and she cursed underneath her breath before reciting the enchantment fairy godmother had taught her. Halsey quickly clapped her hands twice, and the field of roses along with any evidence of paint just as the coach rounded the corner.
"There you are! You must stop running away from cheer, Halsey! And, also, Dude is missing. Could you help find him, he ran in the woods." "What? Dude's missing?" Halsey spat with shock to herself, not saying another word as she ran away even deeper into the woods. The woods were large enough to easily get lost in, yet Halsey knew every tree and sound in the woods. Halsey glanced from side to side to debate which path to go for, leaning against a tree as she caught her breath. She inhaled sharply before trusting her instincts and going right, surprised to see Carlos sat on the ground with Dude in his arms. Carlos' head shot up, and he frowned at the panting girl in front of him.
"Ohh.. y-you found him." Halsey managed to announce breathlessly, her cheeks flushing pink as Carlos looked her up and down. His eyes paused at her fingers which were slightly tainted red, yet he shook his head and simply nodded. "I thought you were.. I don't know, scared of dogs? Seeing as your mother is Cruella.."
"I was, but then Ben convinced me that Dude was harmless. I think Jane was supposed to be on dog duty, but Ben said it was alright if I got to know him. You're a good boy, aren't you?" Halsey smiled as Carlos buried his head into Dude's fur, and suddenly feeling as if she was interrupting the moment, she began to take a few steps back. "Well, I should be getting back. I'll give you guys some time to get to know each other and—" "No, please don't go! I mean, uh, it's just that.. I, erm, want some... company?" Carlos words were uncertain and he immediately stood up when she claimed she was leaving. His cheeks were a furious shade of red as he anxiously watched her turn back around with a small smile. "Really? You want me to stay?" She asked with shock in a soft voice, and Carlos could only shrug with embarrassment as she stood besides him. "Well, at least let me take you around the school gardens as we look after Dude. Ben didn't even show you any of the cool places!" She gushed excitedly with a twinkle in her eyes as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the woods. Carlos was stunned as he glanced down at their intertwined fingers, but Halsey was too busy rambling about cookies to notice what she had just done.
•😈•
"Halsey, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! Come on, we need to go get ready for our sleepover! And you have practice for Be Our Guest in ten minutes!"
Halsey's head snapped up at her best friends worried expression, and her eyes widened with recognition as she slapped her forehead. "Oh my god, Jane! I'm so sorry, I lost track of time and I was with Carlos.." Halsey's words drifted off as she now turned her head to Carlos, who was already staring at her with admiration. Jane narrowed her eyes at the two as they gazed at each other, before her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Squealing, she quickly grabbed Halsey's arm and pulled her out of her seat with excitement as she dragged her to the dorms. "Bye, Carlos! See you later!" Halsey managed to call out as she struggled underneath her best friends grip, and Carlos smiled softly. "Isn't she such a cutie?" Carlos sighed dreamily at Dude, who whined and cocked his head to the side which lead to Carlos laughing, gathering the dog in his arms and heading off to his own dorm.
Meanwhile, Jane had pulled Halsey into her room and forced her to sit down on the edge of the bed as she shut the door with a loud slam. Her eyes twinkled with adoration as she turned back round to face the stunned girl, squealing again before gushing, "When were you going to tell me that you like Carlos?!" Halsey let out a laugh, shaking her head as she insisted they were just friends. Jane rolled her eyes as folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Hals, friends don't look at each other like they're the only people on the planet! Oh, you should've seen the way the two of you were looking at each other! It was something magical, something like.. like puppy love!" When Jane finished off her sentence, she said it with such admiration and enthusiasm that she was slightly spooked by her friends behaviour. Jane suddenly gasped, standing up as she clasped her hands tightly with a bright smile. "M-maybe the two of you could go to the coronation together! Oh, and Evie could design your dress, and I'd—" "Okay, Jane, calm down! I don't like Carlos, and we are just friends. Repeat after me. Just.. friends."
Jane nodded eagerly, closing her eyes as she announced slowly, "Just.. more than friends!" "Jane!" Halsey exclaimed with a laugh, sending her friend a mock disappointed look. "Your mother would not approve of your fibbing!" "Mother doesn't approve of anything." Jane sighed as she and Halsey sat back down on the edge of the bed. Halsey noticed her friends slightly saddened eyes, and concern grew inside of her. "Hey, you wanna talk about it?" She asked softly, putting a reassuring hand on the girls arm. Jane nervously inhaled before letting out her small rant.
"It's just that.. and I know this is bad to say... but sometimes I feel like she doesn't love me. I know she does, of course she does, but I always wander if she likes Cinderella more than me. And I wouldn't blame her if she does! She's beautiful, she's smart and caring and humble and has amazing hair! And I'm.. I'm just.. plain old Jane."
"Oh, Jane. Of course she doesn't love Cinderella more than you! You're her daughter! The love she has for you is something.. something no one can take away from you. And yes, not even Cindy. And you're not plain. You're the most beautiful, most kindest and honest and smart and courageous girl I know." Jane laughed at Halsey's words, resting her head on her shoulder as she sighed and closed her eyes. However, her head not even moments later snapped up as she let out a gasp. "What? What is it?" Halsey asked carefully, watching her best friends face turn to horror. "You're late to practice!" Halsey rolled her eyes at her friends worst, yet she could barely respond as Jane began pushing her quickly out of the dorm. "Go, you're going to be late! Go!" "But what about getting ready for the sleepov—" "Later! Now go otherwise you'll be late, Halsey!" Jane laughed, shutting the door and leaving Halsey stunned as she stood alone in the wide hallway.
"Okayyy." She whispered to herself with a slight laugh, turning to start walking yet bumping into someone as she did so. "Oh, sorry! I—" "Halsey? What are you doing in the dorms?" Ben suddenly asked as he helped his step sister up, brushing off her shoulders as she fixed the straps of her dress. "Oh, I was just on my way. What are you doing here?" Halsey accused, narrowing her eyes at her brother. "I was going to visit Carlos, Jay, Evie and Mal. They've been quiet today, and I thought I'd ask if they need any help. Walk with me?" Ben held out his arm for his sister, and she gladly looped her arms with his as they walked towards the boy dorms.
"Oh, Carlos is fine, by the way. I was with him today." Halsey confirmed with a slight blush as they paused in front of the four descendants room. As Ben knocked on the door, he managed to send his step sister weird and confused look just as Mal opened the door. The other three descendants were around a table and seemed as if they were in deep conversation. "Hello?" Mal asked with a flat tone as the two royals glanced at each other, before Ben smiled widely. "Hi! We were just, er, wondering if you needed anything, or needed any help.. or any questions, maybe?" Ben began with a friendly gleam in his eyes as he put his arm around his sister's shoulders. Halsey looked up at her brother, raising her eyebrows as she saw that his words were apparently directed towards Mal as he was staring right at her. Halsey let out a small laugh, shaking her head as she turned her attention back to the descendants.
Mal looked behind her shoulder at the three standing friends, who either shook their heads or shrugged. "Not that I.. know of.." Mal said slowly as she turned back to the two, frowning as she saw Halsey smiling at someone behind her. Mal turned her head again, and her lips formed a small o as she nodded to herself, seeing Carlos blushing from besides a sniggering Jay. "Erm.. yeah, sorry. No, we don't need your help.. with anything." Mal now clarified as she turned back to Ben who was staring at her the entire time. "Oh. Okay, alright." Ben replied, a little embarrassed at how stubborn she was. "Well, if you need anything just.. let us know.." Ben continued to mumble, putting his hand on his sister's shoulders and guiding her away.
"Hold on, wait!" Ben heard Mal's word and quickly drove him and his sister back into view as a great eager smile played at his lips. "Yes?" Mal peered behind her shoulder again, before smiling sweetly as she began in a eager voice, "Is it true that we get to go to your coronation?" Ben nodded slowly, unsure where this was going as his sister peered at Mal curiously. She continued in an even more desperate voice, "Do you think that it would be possible that the four of us could sit besides the fairy godmother? Just so we could.. you know, soak up all her goodness?" "I wish you guys could, but that won't be possible, I'm afraid. It's just me and Halsey, my parents, the fairy godmother and Jane. Oh, and my girlfriend. Halsey's boyfriend, too."
"Your.. girlfriend?" Mal now asked, sounding a little jealous as she frowned at Ben. Ben nodded with a sad smile as Carlos crept up behind Mal with a confused expression. "And your boyfriend?" He spat, even more shocked as Halsey let out a laugh and Ben smiled. "Oh, no. I don't have a boyfriend, but if I did then he'd sit with us, too. Besides, Ben wouldn't let me date anyone." Halsey grinned up at her brother who shot her a fond soft smile, before the two turned their attention back to the descendants. "Sorry, guys." Halsey apologised as they all stared at her with bummed expressions. "Gee, I never knew you guys were that excited to be in the headmistress' presence." Halsey continued with a nervous laugh as Mal narrowed her eyes at her sharply. "Oh. Well, thanks." Mal sighed, the two royals jumping as she slammed the door in their faces.
"Well," Ben began with a sigh as he continued to face the closed door, "That went well", Halsey finished off, and the two shook their heads before running off to practice for Be Our Guest. Meanwhile, behind the closed door, Carlos was sulking with a slight pout and Mal was pacing the room with frustration. She suddenly turned to face the three friends, an evil smirk tugging at her lips as she spat, "I think it's time that Benny-Boo and our dear innocent Halsey get new girlfriends and boyfriends." Carlos was now taken out of his sulking as he passed Mal her spell book, and he felt a little better that Halsey didn't have a boyfriend. "Can I at least be Halsey's fake boyfriend?" The boy plead desperately at Mal, who seemed a little disturbed as she looked up from her reading. Jay let out a snort, and Evie giggled as she watched her awe struck friend. Carlos pouted and clasped his hands, causing Mal to look away with disgust. "Yes. Okay, fine, you'll get your dream of being a pretty girls boyfriend." Mal stated dryly with a roll of her eyes, Carlos pumping the air as he collapsed besides Jay on the coach.
•👿•
"If you wanna be my lover you gotta get with my friends, make it work together, friendship never ends!"
The two girls burst out into giggles as Halsey smirked widely as she posed against the wall, one leg hitched up as she began slithering kisses all over the wall. "Ew! Halsey, s-stop!" Jane spluttered through her laughter, only encouraging Halsey to go on as she began swinging her hips as she screamed the words to the song. Jane and Lonnie burst out into even louder laughter when Halsey slipped on a silky scarf that was discarded on the ground, and she landed on her bum with a confused expression. Halsey rolled her eyes at her two hysterical friends as she got up and sat back down on the bed. "Awh, all the popcorn gone!" Halsey pouted as she peered into the empty packet of her favourite snack. "Lets go get some more from the kitchen. Jane, what do you want?" "Ice cream! And maybe some chocolate hazelnuts, too!" Jane exclaimed excitedly, and Halsey giggled as Jane stuck out her tongue when she walked by. "Alright, we'll be back." Halsey called out as they opened the dorm room, and as wannabe continued to blare from the television screen, Halsey struck one more dramatic pose against the door pane before Lonnie pulled her away.
"So, who did you hair, L? It looks so great!" Halsey now whispered as they crept past the hallway, careful not to awaken any of the students in their dorms. "Mal! She's really good with hair, I mean, the girl knows her stuff!" Lonnie whispered back with excitement as they pushed open the kitchen door, yet just as Halsey was about to answer she noticed that they had company. "Oh.. hi, guys! What are you all up to?" Halsey asked happily as the four descendants looked up at her as she heaved herself up onto the kitchen counter. "Oh, you know... just bakin' some cookies. Hehe." Mal nervously laughed with discomfort as Halsey peered at the cookie dough in the bowl. She swiped her finger along the side, licking it clean and ignoring all four descendants pleads to stop. "Uhh... do you feel anything? Maybe something is missing?" Mal asked as Halsey peered up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "I don't know, I can't tell. Why don't you try, L?"
Lonnie almost immediately spotted what was missing as she announced with a big smile, "chips!" Mal and Evie peered at each other with confusion as Halsey's eyes widened with delight and she nodded eagerly as her friend held the packet up. "Chips?" Carlos repeated, clearly confused as Halsey turned to face the four descendants. "Yeah, they're like these small chocolate circular thingies.. and they go with everything!"
As Lonnie shut the fridge, Jay leaned against the counter with a flirtatious smirk as Halsey shot him a weird look. "Hey, there. What's up?" He asked with a wink, and Carlos pulled him down by the back of his shirt as Halsey let out a awkward laugh and shuffled a little further down the counter. "Didn't your moms ever, like, make you guys chocolate chip cookies?" Lonnie began as she sprinkled a handful into the cookie dough. Everyone turned to stare at her expectantly, even Halsey who was curious. "Like... when you're feeling sad and they're fresh from the oven with a glass of milk, and she just make you laugh and puts everything into perspective!" Lonnie now had her hands clasped with a happy expression, yet the other five were staring at her with wonder and sadness and everything at once. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" Lonnie asked, raising her eyebrows at them all. When no one answered, Lonnie turned to Halsey with hope. "Well, you know what I'm talking about, right, Halsey? Wouldn't your mom ever do that to cheer you up?"
Halsey stared at the ground as everyone turned their heads to the girl, her thick hair which was put up in high pigtails now slightly hiding her bowed face. She was remembering the time her actual mother had yelled at her for 'stealing' jam from the kitchen, and how bad it hurt when her mother abused her that night. "Mommy never used to do anything like that. Or she'd do is..." Halsey couldn't finish off her sentence as her voice thickened with sadness, and everyone noticed that she was talking about her real mother. She never referred to the queen as mommy (even though she was way past the age to do so) and always called her mother or mom. Lonni awkwardly turned her attention back to the four descendants, Evie walking over to Halsey and sitting besides her. She placed her arm around the girls shoulder, rubbing her arms soothingly and Halsey managed to look up and smile at Evie. "It was different where we were from." Mal now sighed as she grabbed a wooden spoon and began mixing the chips into the cookie dough. "Yeah.. I know that. I just thought that.. villains love their children, too, right?" Lonnie asked uncertainly, looking from Evie and Halsey whom were staring deep in thought at the ground, to a stiff Mal, a disheartened Jay, and Carlos who looked as if he was about to break; the tears were threatening to fall from his wide eyes.
"Oh." Lonnie now whispered as she peered at them all with big emotional eyes, "h-how awful." A single tear slipped past her eyes, and Mal was the only one that wasn't in a daydream as she watched it trickle down her cheek. She quickly swiped her finger along her cheek, dropping the tear into the cookie dough and putting on a wide smile. "Yeah, well thanks for the chips!" Mal suddenly exclaimed loudly as she got up and grabbed Lonnie's sleeve. "It was great talking and all," Mal quickly said as she piled the requested snacks into Lonnie's arms, "But you really should get going, bye!" Before Lonnie could call Halsey, she was thrown out of the kitchen with force, and the kitchen door slammed in front of her face.
"Right. So now that we have a tear—" Mal stopped in her tracks when she realised that Halsey was still sat on the kitchen counter besides Evie, she had not even noticed her as she was so quiet. Halsey jumped off the counter and sent Mal a small smile, before turning to all of them. "I just wanted to let you guys know that I know what you've been through.. with your parents, I mean. Sure, I may be a princess now and live in a castle, but that's only because my mom practically threw me out of her kingdom. So just know.. that I'm here for you guys. And I understand." She sent them one last smile before heading out of the kitchen, leaving the four descendants stunned in silence.
•😈•
That night, Carlos and Halsey were the only ones that found trouble sleeping. When Carlos finally managed to drift off, the poor boy had a dream about his mother. In the dream, she was taunting him on how pathetic and useless he was, and when she struck a whip against his bare skin, his feet were glued to the ground. Carlos woke up in with a startle, his heart beating against his chest and his forehead glimmering with sweat. He sat upright as he felt warm tears pour down his cheeks, and the only thing that he could think of to calm him was Halsey. The girl herself was also struggling to sleep, silently staring out of her window as a single tear raced down her nose and landed onto her pillow. Her bed sheets were tightly wrapped in her fist as haunting memories raced into her mind, and she didn't know how her heavy and loud out-of-beat breathing hadn't woken the two other girls. When the dorm room creaked open, she paused and her eyes widened in the dark as she cowered underneath her bed sheets. Their was a creeping moment of silence before a soft and breaking voice called out, "H-Halsey?" Halsey frowned as she pulled the bed sheets away from her face. She knew that voice. Sitting up and squinting into the darkness, she tilted her head to the side. "Carlos?" She whispered out into the dark with confusion and worry as she heard the dorm door slowly close again.
"I.. Uh.. I.. I couldn't s-sleep." The voice who she now quickly recognised as Carlos called out again into the darkness, and Halsey felt her heart drop at how sad and broken he sounded. The bed suddenly dipped, and Halsey sat upright, not being able to see the weakened boys expression in the darkness. "Are you crying?" Halsey quickly pulled the boy towards her into a hug that the both of them didn't know they needed, and from each other. Carlos was a little stiff and shocked, yet his arms wrapped around the girls neck and he managed to smile a little through his tears. They stayed gripping onto each other for a little while, Halsey rocking him in her arms as he quietly sobbed. She felt his body shake against hers with every sob, and swore to herself that she'd never let anything bad happen to him. When they finally pulled away, both of their cheeks were tinted a light pink and they were thankful for the darkness. "Do you wanna sleep here?" Halsey asked softly, shuffling over as she lay down on a pillow and Carlos lay besides her. As it was quite warm in the room, Halsey kicked the comforter off the bed and turned her attention to Carlos. His back was to her and he was stiff, yet he instantly relaxed as her arms snaked around his waist and their bodies pressed against each other. He liked the feeling that was currently in his stomach as his intertwined his hand with hers.
"You wanna tell me what's made you upset?" Halsey whispered, Carlos' little heart beating faster as he felt her warm breath against the back of his neck. "Uh.. it was my.. m-mother. She was.." "If you don't want to say it, don't, I won't force you." "She was h-hitting me.. and my legs were stuck to the ground. It was like I couldn't move, speak, or do anything." Carlos whispered out loud shakily, and Halsey turned his body round so that he was facing her and they were centimetres apart. "I promise you, Carlos De Vil, that I will never let her hurt you again." Halsey whispered with determination, and Carlos felt his heart come up to his throat when she leaned in and planted a small kiss his nose. Halsey let out a small giggle as she turned him back round, snaking her arms round his waist and their fingers intertwined once again. Halsey nestled her face into the back of his neck, loving how his soft curls felt against her face. Eventually they fell asleep to the sound of each other's breathing.
a:n- what do you think, is #carlsey moving too fast? that's alright, lemme give the two a break from their blossoming friendship :)