A.N: I've noticed a lack of Evie and Jay stories and I wanted to fix that! It's not that I don't like the other ships, there is just something about this one that speaks to me. I know a lot of people ship Carlos and Jay so I wrote this story so it can be perceived in two ways, friendship or romance. Let me know what you think!

"And you" Chad began "you are nothing but a gold digger, and a cheater."

Jay had just about had it. He had insulted Mal, but Jay knew she could handle it. Evie was a different story. She had been castle schooled until she was ten years old, she had spoken to no one except for her mother in those ten years. She wasn't like the rest of them, she didn't grow up learning the street savvy ways that he and Mal and Carlos had. She was trusting to a fault.

Jay remembered a time when they were all eleven years old. Mal had just about gotten over tormenting Evie (Jay still couldn't believe how easily Evie forgave her, she put her in extremely dangerous situations) when he'd had to step in the first time.

He had come to hang out with Carlos, Evie just happened to be there helping Carlos with some weird invention thing he wouldn't shut up about.

About halfway through the small dirty village they called home Carlos had remembered something he had forgotten to do at home (and there was no way he was going to risk pissing his mom off) and the two were left alone.

Pretty soon Jay offered to go get them something to eat from one of the market stalls (well by get something he really meant steal something, semantics didn't matter). When he had returned he found Evie talking to some middle aged guy that Jay didn't recognize. As he grew closer he overheard their conversation:

"Your friend will be fine, just come for a quick look! I promise it'll be worth it" the man pleaded, his hand growing closer and closer to Evie's arm.

"And you are certain it's a piece of my Mother's magic mirror?" The girl asked excitedly. The man reassured her and she was about to reach out for his hand when Jay stepped in.

Being eleven, Jay wasn't very threatening. But he was quick, and before the man could question his presence he had grabbed Evie's arm instead and stumbled out of the crowded marketplace with her.

When they finally got to an empty alleyway Evie turned to him,

"Why did you pull me away? He was going to show me a piece of Mother's mirror!" She said indignantly.

"Evie, you can't just trust anybody you meet. Didn't your Mother ever tell you that? You know, in between the makeup lessons?" Jay responded in annoyance. There was a huff from the girl in front of him and she stood tall (almost the exact same height as him) and crossed her arms.

"I'll have you know that my Mother was teaching me more important things, like how to be a proper princess! I'll need to know this stuff once I find a prince!" She shouted.

Jay tried not to groan, he thought Evie's goal of finding a prince was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. But it was hardwired into her brain, when she had entered their school she could barely read. He guessed her mother had thought it more important to teach her how to apply lipstick than how to read a chapter book. But he knew if he said anything to Evie it would just make her upset.

That was the problem with Evie, she got upset more often than anyone he knew. Everyone on the island was tough as nails, but Evie was sheltered and naive about the way things worked and the dangers that faced her. Jay may have been a villain, but there is no way he was just going to let that man run off with her.

And he knew she was going to have to learn, on the Isle of the Lost they called her the fairest of them all and Jay could see why. Her Mother had since lost a lot of her youthful beauty, but her daughter was a sight to behold with her pale skin, dark hair and big eyes. Jay had never seen Snow White but according to some of the older people on the island she could possibly even rival her. Not that he was interested, it's just what everyone said. Besides, he had eyes.

Then his unwritten job only got harder. They grew up, Jay got taller and leaner and Evie just grew into her own beauty. Not only this but she flirted with just about anyone to get what she wanted, not that it really bothered Jay. I mean just the other week she had managed to seduce an entire basket of rolls from the baker's son. Other than watching out for her he didn't speak to her much. Not as much as Carlos and Mal anyways. But he was always watching.

All of a sudden they were going to Auradon Prep and there were princes and boys and she charmed them all. All except a rotten prince named Chad.

Which brought Jay back to the present, he knew there wasn't anything he could do without risking suspension. So he just watched it play out, waiting for an opportunity to step in.

"Mirror, mirror in my hand, who is the biggest jerk in the land" she said, holding the mirror out for the prince to see. Chad only grew angrier and slapped the mirror out of her hand, sending her stumbling sideways.

There it was.

Jay rushed forward and grabbed the front of the egotistical jerk's shirt. Yelling threats as people screamed and he felt hands trying to pry him off.

Of course he was pissed, Evie had grown while she was at Auradon Prep. He didn't see it at first but she finally threw away her Mother's ideals and decided that she was smarter than that. She finally realized after years of all of them telling her, she didn't have to play dumb to find a guy that liked her. And he would be damned if he let this punk undermine her confidence.

Finally, Evie's hand shot in front of him and the sleeping potion Mal had given her squirted a few times before the prince fell asleep. Jay wanted so badly to throw just one more punch but everyone had already retreated back to the school.

"Jay!"

He turned and saw his friends walking away, reluctantly he followed with one last glance at Chad Charming. He had a small feeling of pride, all the time he knew Evie she had been too innocent to defend herself so he did it for her. She didn't ask him to and he doubted she even realized what he was doing, but she had shown him today that maybe he didn't have to keep as close of an eye on her as he thought.