"Why don't you just talk to him?"
Hailey shrugged her shoulders, not fully answering Ally's question. She spared a glance over at Carlos, who was sitting a few tables over with dude at his feet.
She knew it was Tylers fault, but she couldn't help but feeling guilty about it. She could have stopped him before he did it, but she couldn't tell what he was doing. She grew up in a place where love was hidden behind a barrier, she was still new to everything Auradon had to offer. How was she supposed to tell that Tyler was flirting with her?
"I don't know." She was lying. She did know why she wouldn't talk to him. She was scared, but Hailey Harrt never admits that she's scared so she lies.
"You ignoring him is probably making him feel like you already broke up with him, so what could go wrong?"
Instead of replying, Hailey stood up and began to walk away, but Carlos' eyes caught her own. His face brightened, hoping she would finally talk to him, but it quickly fell when she turned away from him, something she rarely ever did.
She didn't want to sit there and listen to Ally's pestering about her wrongdoing, and talking to Carlos was out of the question, but luckily she knew how to get the thoughts out of her head.
-
Hailey lied on Evie's bed, her red hair flowing down the mattress all around her. Evie was in charge of designing Mal's dress. Hailey didn't like it at all. The dress itself was gorgeous and it screamed Araudon, but it didn't scream Mal. She looked like someone that was being forced to go to a dance.
Evie pulled the corset tighter, making Mal gaso for a breath. "Okay, Evie I can not breath."
"Well." Evie stepped from beside her, inspecting the part of the dress under her arm. "You can breath after Catillion."
Hailey was excited for the Catillion, mainly ready for it to over, but ready nonetheless. She wanted nothing more than to dance under the stars with the boy she adored, but she wasn't exactly talking to him which led her to the question; should she even go?
It wasn't a requirement for her to go, but she really wanted to be there for Mal. But if she and Carlos weren't talking then she would just stand around like a loner, and she definitely wouldn't be going with someone else.
"Doubtful." Hailey said softly. Mal has been busy since she and Ben announced their relationship, their real relationship and not the love potion crazed beast they turned him into.
"I have at least twenty more events after and I can't remember what a single one of them is." Mal huffed before pushing a stray hair from in front of her face.
Mal's changed a lot since practically becoming a princess. She stopped wearing so much leather, and purple in general, and she changed her hair color. It was no longer the dark purple she had for so many years, it was now a pale blonde with pastel purple tips. Hailey didn't like the Mal she was pretending to be.
Evie ignored her friends. Instead, she admired her work by kissing her fingers. "Impeccable."
"Evie, Hailey, do you guys ever think about what we would be doing if we were back on the isle right now?"
The question peaked her interest. Of course she always thought about how life would be if they were still on the isle, but she would never dream about going back there. She endured so much torture when she was there. Yes, she enjoyed being feared by everyone there, but she was willing to give up some things to have freedom.
Evie chuckled. "That's funny."
Hailey moved her head to stare at the television when the news theme started to play. She smiled at the sight of her friend on the screen. "Hey Mal, you're on the big screen."
Evie helped her friend off the podium she she could take a break to watch the news. The broadcaster went on about how King Ben and his love dined with Aladdin and Jazmine. Hailey snickered when she saw Mal spit out some of the food into a napkin.
Evie stared down at her designs, fighting with herself on which one would look better on her. Mal gasped before picking up her spell book from the beside table, flipping through the pages.
Hailey diverted her attention from her friend. She always felt uneasy when Mal picked up the spell book. It was like she couldn't do anything without it anymore. She was always using it for little things, even when she swore to not use it ever again.
"Read it fast at lighting speed, help me remember everything I need." She said before waving her hand over a pink book underneath her spell book. She flipped the pages as fast as her hands would let her, her eyes moving as fast as they could.
"I know Mal's secret to fitting in, and Ben wouldn't like it." Evie commented as she turned her full attention to her friend. Evie didn't like it either.
"Don't you guys have enough secrets between you?" Hailey questioned. Ironic, right? She was keeping secrets from Carlos, and here she was pestering her friend about the same thing.
"You remember what I was like before I had the spell book." Mal said, her eyes never leaving the book before her. "I mean, I was a complete disaster."
"Well, personally as your best friend who strongly believes that this spell book belongs in the museum along with my mirror." Evie reached over, grabbing the spell book from her friends lab. Mal slumped her shoulder, pouting over at her friend. "Don't give me that face. Put the pout away. Mhm, you know I'm right."
Hailey chuckled before rolling over to face the small cage Mal's mom was in. She was still in lizard form, but Mal had decorated her room to make it say 'evil'. She tapped on the glass, and maleficent stuck her tongue out at her.
"She's right Mal, it's just gonna get you in trouble one day." Hailey said, still tapping the glass to annoy the lizard.
"You two don't ever miss running wild and breaking all the rules?" Mal questioned, holding her hands together.
Hailey stopped pestering the lizard. "You mean all the lying, fighting, and stealing?"
"Yeah."
"Eh, not really." Hailey sat up for the first time since they started her fitting. She stood up to stretch her legs by walking around the room, her heals tapping against the floor.
"Why would we? M, come here." Evie grabbed Mal's hand before lifting her off the bed. She pulled Hailey closer to her, making the two girls look in the same direction as she was. "Look at where we are. We're in Araudon, and we're Araudon girls now."
The three of them watched the news for a moment, watching as Mal and Ben fed each other strawberries. Evie squealed at the mere sight.
"Mal, this is the land of opportunity. Anyone can be whatever they want."
"So can we please leave the past in the past?" Evie asked their friend, who reluctantly nodded. Mal wasn't one to let things go, no matter how better things could get for her. Evie picked up one of the shoes that went with Mal's dress. "Besides, look at these shoes. Look at them."
-
N/E
I'm still having trouble believing that Cameron is actually gone. It just doesn't feel real to me. I've decided to binge watch literally everything he was in and as I'm going I'm adding on to my pain by continuing this story.
Gone, but never forgotten. Rest easy Cameron.
-Devoid