the space between

Rating: K+

Summary: AU / Evie, Mal, Carlos and Jay reunite in high school, after being adopted as children. They're different people now, in different groups. Mal has a crush on Evie, and lets Evie try to get her to fit in more. But it goes too far, and she returns to their old hideout. Evie goes to confront her, and leaves conflicted. Does she like her best friend, or is she happy with her boyfriend?

Mallory sighed, wrapping her arms around her knees, drawing them towards her chest. She gazed out at the night sky, watching cars drive by.

She was in her fourth foster home that year, and she was already preparing herself to be sent back, despite it only being the second day. She was used to not being wanted, only feeling at home with her three friends. They had been through it all together, the only constants in each other's lives.

When they all inevitably were sent back, they'd all gather in the broom closet under the stairs, and comfort each other.

This time, though, seemed like it might be different. Instead of all being separated, one family decided to take in both Carlos and Jay, after seeing how much they relied on each other.

So off they went, with the kind, energetic woman, and her daughter.

Evelyn went two days later, with a short, kind of forgetful, but smart man, and his son, leaving Mallory alone at Auradon Orphanage.

And then the mayor, his wife, and his son arrived. Mallory hid in the broom closet, not wanting to be seen by the seemingly perfect family that was probably there for publicity stunt.

Unfortunately, or at least it seemed at the time, she knocked over a broom, which created a loud noise. She had tried to hide, but a boy about her age, curious about the noise, discovered her.

"What's your name?" he asked, sitting down on the floor, ignoring the dust that was getting all over his nice pants.

Mallory stayed silent, hoping he would take the hint, and leave.

When she didn't answer, he could continued to talk anyways. "I'm Ben. I'm here with my mom and dad. They want to find me a sister. I should be with them, because they want my help," he paused after his thought, giving her a chance to speak.

After a few minutes of silence, in which the boy took in his surroundings, Mallory spoke.

"My name is Mallory. I don't have a mom or dad, but I have a sister and two brothers. We found each other here."

The boy smiled, watching the girl peak slightly out from behind the brooms and mops she was hiding behind. "What are their names?"

"Jay, Carlos and Evie, though her real name is Evelyn."

"Where are they now?"

"Jay and Carlos are together. They went with a woman and her daughter, and then E went with a man and his son. It's just me," she retorted.

Ben frowned. For a young child to be alone in a place that isn't a real home, without the three people she trusted the most, wasn't ideal. He couldn't imagine being away from his mama and dad. "How long have you been here?"

"Three years," was her short response. "We were on the streets for a year."

"Oh," was all Ben could say.

"Ben, sweetheart!" a woman's voice called out from outside the room. "Where did you run off to?"

Ben stood up, then walked over to where the girl was sitting. He looked at her hair, noting the fading purple. He held out his hand to her, which she just glared at, before getting up on her own.

Ben shrugged, then opened the door. "I'm here, mama."

The woman was in a yellow dress. She leaned down, hugging her son, before spotting Mal standing behind him. "And who's this?"

"That's Mal."

"Hi, Mal," his mom directed at her. "My name's Belle. I'm Ben's mom. How old are you?"

"I'm eight," she replied haughtily.

Belle simply smiled. "You have spirit. I like that. Do you have any friends here, Mal?"

Mal shook her head. "Not right now. They went with families earlier this week."

"What are their names?"

"Evie, Carlos and Jay."

"Oh, I know the families that took them in. They're good people."

Mal analyzed Belle's face, trying to see if she was telling the truth. Satisfied that she was, Mal nodded.

"Do you want to come with us? Ben seems to like you, and I do to."

Mal hesitated. Ben seemed okay. And she liked Belle. Both were being nice to her, and didn't push for her past. But she didn't want to be part of a publicity stunt. She knew how they were acting right now was them, because there were no cameras or reporters in the orphanage. Belle had said her friends were with good people, and she hoped that they could have a family. They all deserved it, even though they would always have each other. But two seven year olds, and two eight year olds couldn't live on their own forever.

"Okay," Mal whispered, looking at the floor.

Belle smiled, before gesturing her husband over. "Adam, Ben found a friend, and I think she'd be a great fit. This is Mal."

Adam smiled. "I think you'll enjoy our home, Mal."

That had been almost ten years ago, and now Mal was a senior at Auradon Prep. She had been adopted by Belle and Adam three months after they began fostering her, her friends being adopted by the families that took them in as well.

They had fallen out of touch, except for email, once they were adopted, as they all went to different schools.

But high school was different. She had reconnected with her friends, though they all had different paths.

Evie was one of the IT girls, along with Audrey, Lonnie and their tag-a-long, Jane. The popular guys in their group consisted of Ben, Chad, and others that Mal never bothered to learn the names of.

Jay could sometimes be seen hanging around with them, as Ben and Chad were his teammates, the three of them being the star players. As well, Evie was a childhood friend, and though they each had their own group of friends, they would always rely on each other for certain aspects of their life.

Mal and Carlos were the two that weren't "popular" in any capacity, even though Mal was well known, being Ben's sister, and thus the daughter of the mayor, as well as her tendencies to be a bit rebellious. She had graffitied her locker, though no one could do anything about it, as each student was encouraged to be creative with their locker decorations. Mal wasn't what people expected of the mayor's adopted daughter. Instead of nice dresses and shoes, Mal was usually seen in ripped jeans, either black or dark purple, combat boots and a leather jacket.

She appeared intimidating to those who didn't know her, but she was fiercely protective of those she cared about.

Carlos, on the other hand, was the most of an outsider, as he was both a tech wiz and a dog trainer. He was friends with the band nerds, including Doug, Evie's brother. He was only on people's radar because he was also Jay and Jane's brother. He was connected to a lot of groups, because of Evie, Mal, Jay, Jane, and their respective siblings, though he preferred to spend Friday and Saturday nights at home playing video games, rather than going to parties.

Mal would often go over to his place, while her parents and brother were out. She and Carlos would sit together, him playing video games or doing something on his laptop, while Mal would often be sketching.

However, once she and Evie rebuilt their friendship, the latter would often drag the former to parties. Evie wanted to spend more time with her absolute best friend, but couldn't deny her new friends.

That night was supposed to be one of the biggest parties of the year, held at Chad's manor. Evie had shown up at Mal's front door, just as the purple haired girl was getting ready to meet up with Carlos. Evie had barged in, talking a mile a minute as she pulled her friend up the stairs. She pushed open the door labeled "MAL," sitting said girl down on her bed,

"Okay, you are totally coming with me tonight. It's pretty much the biggest night of the year, and I don't want to show up with my best friend. You may be able to worm your way out of other parties, but not this one. So if you had any plans, cancel them."

"E, I'm really not in the mood. Carlos-"

"M, it's one night," Evie pleaded as she got to work. "At least let me get you dressed up so you can make an appearance. I won't make you stay as long as you show for five minutes."

"Ugh, fine. But only five minutes."

Evie smiled widely as she clapped her hands together. "Deal! You won't regret this. And who knows? You may want to stay longer."

"I doubt that, E. I don't really fit in with those people, even though Ben's my brother, and you and Jay are my friends."

Evie sighed as she opened Mal's closet. "I just want to be able to hang out with you more, but I'm so busy with the academic decathlon, yearbook, fashion club and cheer. After the play finished, we've barely seen each other. And you and Jay are older than me and Carlos. You're going to graduate before me, and I don't want to miss out on time with my bestie. If you're friends with my other friends, we can spend more time together. It's been awhile, and though I'm happy with the life I have now, I miss when it was just you, me, Jay and Carlos against the world."

"I get it, E, I do. It's still weird to be able to get whatever I want, to have a family, and one with money at that. But we're also our own people. You found your group, I have mine."

"Yeah, time changes us," Evie whispered.

Mal forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Hey, put some music on," she nodded to her phone. "It's already connected to the speaker."

"On it!" Evie exclaimed.

They made small talk as Evie worked.

Forty five minutes later, the purple haired girl stared at herself in the mirror, hardly recognizing herself. Her hair was gently curled, pinned back with a fancy barrette. Evie had gone crazy with the eye makeup, using colors to bring out Mal's eyes. As well, the blue haired girl had made her friend put on a dress that was way out of Mal's comfort zone.

Evie had always enjoyed dressing her friend up and doing her makeup, the one thing she held onto that her mother had taught her. Mal had never questioned it, as long as she wasn't forced to go out in public, as she didn't like having a face full of makeup.

However, once she was adopted by the mayor's family, all eyes were on her, and she had to behave better than she had. Ben had convinced her to stay true to herself, to not change completely. He was the first one who had seen the good in her, who showed her what it was like to have a caring family, despite the fact that she used to see Jay, Carlos and Evie as siblings when they were younger.

Despite the fact that Mal had come to trust her adoptive brother with most things, there were some moments of her life that he would never be able to understand. He had grown up with a roof over his head, and two loving parents who could provide him with anything he wanted.

However, Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay had been homeless, living on the streets off of food scraps thrown away when they were four and five. They had stumbled across each other, and after initial hostilities, they became fast friends. For a year, they were on the street, before a woman noticed their situation.

They were in a foster home the next day.

They never had much, and only Evie was concerned about looks, because even at her young age, her mother had already drilled into her head that that was what was important.

Mal never cared about what she looked like, and Evie respected it, even though she thoroughly enjoyed all the times she got to give her friend a makeover.

Mal had always figured that her first three friends would always love her for who she was, and not want her to change. Ben was added to that list, and eventually his, and now her, parents. They only asked that she work on her manners, but allowed her to follow her passions otherwise.

But now it seemed that Evie was trying to change her, whether intentionally or not. And it was this thought that pushed Mal over the edge.

"I can't do this anymore, E," Mal cried out, frustrated as she ran her hands through her hair. "I can't be this girl anymore. It's just not me. I know you mean well, but I can't."

"Mal, I-"

"Just," Mal breathed. "Please, I just need some time alone."

Evie nodded, before heading for the door, reluctantly. She knew that she wouldn't be able to change her friend's mind, so she decided to do what she wanted.

Once Evie was gone, Mal whipped out her phone, sending a text to Carlos.

Can't come over tonight. I need some time for myself. I'm going away for the weekend. I'll be okay.

Mal changed out of the outfit Evie had put her in, and wiped off all the makeup. She threw her hair up into a ponytail, before slipping on her boots. She stuffed a few essentials into her bag, before sneaking out the window.

She had considered taking the car that she and Ben shared, but she was afraid it would be too loud, as well as not wanting to leave her brother without a way to get to school in the morning. Instead, she grabbed the keys to the vespa Adam and Belle had gifted to her, shoving her helmet on her head, before speeding off towards the expressway.

At that time of night, there wasn't too much traffic, so Mal was easily able to speed away, towards the outskirts of Auradon.

She started when she felt her phone start to vibrate in her pocket, a small smile gracing her face, knowing that it was her brother calling her. Ben seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her.

However, she wiped the smile off her face, determined to keep going.

It only took half an hour until the familiar sight of Auradon Orphanage came into view, and a wistful smile crossed Mal's face. She and her friend's may have been young when they were last there, but it was still prevalent in their memories. It was better than the streets. They had a roof over their head, got three meals a day, and most importantly, had each other.

They had found their own hideout, an abandoned building a couple blocks away. They had scrounged together stuff to furnish it, and would sneak away. When they had reconnected in high school, they had spent a weekend just the four of them there, bringing more materials. Now, it was furnished with two beds, lamps and tables, a sewing machine for Evie, a painting corner for Mal's supplies, a computer for Carlos and sports equipment for Jay. The walls had been painted by Mal, each main wall decorated for each of them.

It was the place where Mal knew she could be alone with her thoughts, where no one would bother her.

So it was the logical place for her to flee to.

She hid her vespa, then walked up the stairs to the top floor, their hideout. She settled in onto the bed that had been deemed "the girl's bed," setting her bag on the floor. Too emotionally drained, she fell into a fitful sleep.

Morning came, the light streaming in through the window. She grabbed something quick to eat, sitting up in the loft, looking up at the sky through the skyroof, before deciding she needed to paint.

Mal painted furiously, a spray paint can in each hand as she covered the wall with everything she was feeling.

When she had still been at the orphanage, she had found the rundown building nearby, and she and her friends made it their own. After she was adopted, she would still occasionally visit. And then her parents started refurbishing old buildings, and Mal had been worried that she'd lose their hideout. She had come forward, asking quietly if they could spare one building, at least the interior of the top floor.

Adam and Belle had been surprised, to say the least, but when Ben backed her up, they had agreed. A compromise had been reached: the fixed up the outside, but left the interior exactly how it was. They had decided that Mal would be able to decide the fate of the building. If she ever wanted to change something up, she could, and if she wanted it to stay the same, they would leave it.

It was then that Mal let herself realize that Ben would be a good brother, and they grew closer. He always supported everything she did, and she realized it was because he truly cared for her when he was at her side about her old hideout.

Throughout grade school, they were always together. And then middle school came and Ben made other friends, but always made time for his sister, who was getting more into art.

They always made time for each other, and halfway through seventh grade, Mal had made the decision to show Ben the hideout. He had wanted to see it, but he let her make the choice, knowing how important to her it was. Mal had come to trust Ben with almost all of her secrets, and to prove it, she brought him to the hideout.

It was there where she first came out, to him before anyone else, even before Evie, Jay and Carlos. It was her way of telling him she loved him, and when she had told him she liked girls, he hugged her, and told her he'd always be there for her.

It was one of Mal's most precious memories, and they had only grown closer since. When she got to high school, she stopped hiding it, though she didn't flaunt it either.

Mal smiled as she reminisced on that day, and began painting her brother, adding him to the wall that was hers. He was a big part of her past, and she wanted to immortalize that.

It was dark out when she looked up again, wondering what snapped her out of her thoughts.

There were footsteps making their way up the stairs, and Mal paused. Not many people knew about the hideout, so she could narrow it down to a few people that could be making their way up.

She ducked behind a nearby cabinet, waiting to find out who it was.

"Mal?" Evie called out. "I know you're here. Carlos said you were going away from the weekend. I asked him if he had heard from you when you didn't respond to my calls and texts. He only told me you were okay, and that you left for a little. I knew you would be here. Please, Mallory. Can we talk?"

The two girls rarely called each other by their full names, sticking to the preferred nicknames. However, the full names were used when they were talking about something serious, so Mal knew her friend meant business, and wouldn't leave until they had talked.

She sighed, resigning herself to the looming conversation. "What do you want, Evelyn?"

"Can you come down?"

Mal grumbled under her breath, but began the ascent down to the ground. As she climbed down the ladder, Evie settled onto one of the chairs in the corner of the room.

"I'm here," Mal stated, crossing her arms. "Now talk."

"I'm really glad we get to hangout again. Those years the four of us were apart from each other were hard. I mean, yeah, we all had our siblings. But it's always been the four of us against the world, hasn't it? I just… sometimes I want it to be the way it used to be. We're all so different now. I just wanted to spend more time with you. I hang out with Jay a lot, because we're in the same group and I'm friends with his sister and Carlos is his brother. I wanted us to go back to how we were, and I pushed you too far."

Mal had uncrossed her arms while her friend was speaking, and had sat down on the chair next to Evie's.

"Mal, you were there for me and looked out for me for years. Maybe I was selfish for trying to make you more like me, to make you fit in more with my friends, rather than doing things you like. I just… I want the Fearsome Four back."

Mal squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep her tears at bay, but Evie had already noticed.

"Oh, M," Evie murmured, cupping her friend's face with her hands, gently wiping away a few tears streaming down the purple haired girl's face. "I should've been more understanding. I pushed you too far, because I couldn't tell that you were faking enjoying it. This," she nodded her head, indicating herself, "was never you. I'm sorry."

Mal closed her eyes, turning slightly away, but not pulling away.

"Hey," Evie whispered, placing her forehead against her friend's. "I will always support whatever you want. Just tell me what you want, and I'll make sure it happens."

Mal shook her head, pulling away from her friend. "You can't give me what I want. This is my life, and I have to decide what to do with it. I can't rely on anyone else anymore. If I want something, I need to make the effort. Right now, I just need to think."

Mal stalked away back to the wall she was working on, picking up a spray paint can and resuming her work she had been doing before she had tried to hide in the loft.

Evie sighed, pulling out her sketchbook and flopping down on the bed in the corner of the room.

They worked in silence for awhile, the only sounds being Evie's pencil and Mal's paint cans.

Ten minutes later, Mal set down her paints, wiping her hair away from her face, not caring that she now had a streak of blue across her cheek. She sat down in a nearby chair, and glanced over at her friend.

Evie was sprawled out on the bed, laying on her stomach as she designed dresses. Her lips pursed as she changed something.

Mal's stomach flip flopped as she watched her friend, taking in how beautiful she looked without the stress of high school weighing on her. As it was the weekend, Evie had dressed down compared to her usual sense of dress. She was wearing her flats, forgoing her usual heeled boots. Gone was the usual dress, replaced with simple jeans, white shirt with a criss cross neckline, her blue leather jacket on top. She was wearing eyeliner, highlight and clear lipgloss, rather than her full face of makeup.

This. This was Mal's favorite version of her friend.

Mal stood up, hesitantly making her way over to where her friend was, kneeling down in front of her.

"M?" Evie asked, tilting her head slightly. "What's up?"

Mal took a deep breath, then cupped Evie's face, eyes fluttering shut as she leaned it, gently pressing her lips against the blue haired girl's in a chaste kiss.

She pulled away quickly, moving to the other side of the room before Evie could open her mouth.

"Please, just go, E."

"Mal, I- Mal, do you love me?"

"Please, E," Mal pleaded. "I know you're with Chad, and he seems good for you. I just-"

"M, please. Let's talk about this. Yes, I am with Chad, and he is good to me. My mother would've been happy about it," Evie's nose scrunched slightly when she brought up her mom. "And yes, I do care for him. He makes me happy. But so do you!"

"You're confused, and that's fine," Mal shook her head, climbing up a ladder to reach the loft. "Stay with him, be happy. You were happy with him before. You deserve to stay that way. You'll go back to fashion and cheerleading and being with Chad and Audrey. I'll go back to art and staying in the shadows with Carlos. Everything was less complicated that way. We might smile and wave at each other in the hallways, but we don't have to hang out anymore."

"Mal, you can't tell me what I want, what to do! It's my life-"

"Please, Evie. Just until you can figure out what you truly want. You're confused right now. And that's fair. I sprung that- that kiss on you. Take time and think things through. Then you can decide what you want. Deal?" Mal stood at the edge of the loft, hands against one of the ceiling beams to support herself.

Evie sighed, frustrated, running her hand through her hair. "I don't like it, but I know you, Mallory. You're stubborn. Fine. I know that's the best I'm going to get."

"Thank you, Evelyn," Mal called down, before disappearing. "I'll see you at school."

Evie waited for a couple minutes, hoping her friend would reappear, but to no avail. She reluctantly left the building, look back once.

"See you on Monday, M."

A/N: so yeah... I'm starting yet another story. this one is all planned out, and will be 3 chapters, the second of which is almost done. my other stories are still currently on hiatus, but i will come back to them.

this story came to me when i listening to the song whose name gave me the title.

if you want to see other scenes of the gang in high school on an average day, just let me know. after i finish the chapters for this plot line, i can write scenes that aren't part of this story if y'all want. just leave me prompts. you can also send me scenes you want to see, or other story ideas through PM or on tumblr (hope-can-be-your-sword) or on instagram (queenreynaofnewrome).

thanks for reading! and you can find my original story i'm working on on wattpad. my username there is hidden_sunrise

~NewtsSuitcase