Hello, new friends!

I've noticed that there are shockingly few quality Jay/Evie stories out there, so I figured I'd try my hand at one. Other couples will be Ben/Mal and Carlos/Lonnie because I love them all and am too much of a hopeless romantic to break up any canon couple. :) The inspiration for this story is the song "Strings" by Shawn Mendes and some of the lyrics will be featured before chapters. The POV will be thirds person limited, alternating between Jay and Evie every chapter. Titles of chapters are quotes from the opposite character than the POV, unless I screw up. So without further ado, let's get things started!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but hey, what's new?

WHEN I'M WITH YOU

Its like always and forever

I won't let a moment pass

And when I'm with you I feel better

I want all the strings, all the strings attached

ONE: "you say that like its a bad thing."

It was a beautiful sunny day at Auradon Prep, but that was nothing new. Evie was almost certain it never rained on the kingdom, and that the sun had some magic in it that somehow kept the temperature perfect and the scenery breathtaking. Perhaps that was the Fairy Godmother's doing. Whatever the cause, Evie was not complaining. All that rain on the Isle was torture on her cobalt blue tresses.

Today was a day like any other in Auradon. It was just before lunchtime on Friday and Evie had a free period. She sat in the courtyard, sprawled out on the green green grass, soaking up the sunshine. She would never get enough of this weather.

Once again, for the millionth time since the coronation three months ago, she found herself immensely grateful that she had chosen good, chosen to stay in Auradon and decide her own destiny. And she was even more grateful that she wasn't alone in that decision and that her friends were there beside her.

Presently, her friends were all in class, not fortunate enough to have the same free period as she did. After the chiming bells of Auradon Prep released them, they would all eat lunch together at the picnic tables not far from her spot. Until then, Evie had an hour or so to kill alone.

She found herself smiling as she pulled out her Chemistry textbook and began to work on her homework. It wasn't due until Monday, but who wanted to work on homework on the weekend when there were so many other great things to do? Evie didn't mind the homework anyway, in fact, she kind of enjoyed it.

She was surprisingly good at Chemistry when she set aside her mirror, and it made her feel smart to learn and understand what the teacher was saying. She was actually really good at all of her subjects, in part because Doug would help her study, but also because she had finally started to believe that she was intelligent. The more she believed, the more results she saw in her grades.

"Hey Eves, whatcha doin?" Evie heard a familiar deep voice call from above her. She couldn't help but be startled - she wasn't expecting anyone for at least a half hour and it wasn't like many Auradon kids had warmed up to them enough to randomly say hello.

A look directly above her revealed long dark hair framing a tan face, grinning down at her and blocking the sun.

"Jay, you scared me!" she scolded as the teen settled into the grass beside her.

He shot her his cheeky boyish grin he was so famous for and reached a hand over to mess up her perfect blue curls, "My bad."

"Jayyyy!" she whined as she swatted away his quick hand. "What have I told you about messing up my hair?"

"Not to?" he quipped with his grin wider than ever.

"No," Evie smiled mischievously, "That next time I'd get you back!"

The bluenette suddenly extended her hand toward Jay's long locks, but the tourney player's reflexes were far faster and he caught her wrist in his right hand with ease. Anticipating this, Evie rose up to her knees and sent her opposite hand toward his head instead, squealing in laughter. The cocky certainty in the boy's dark eyes flashed and he leaned backwards to catch her other hand in his own. However, this successful block couldn't stop the girl's momentum and she was suddenly falling forward without balance. Having both his hands otherwise occupied, Jay couldn't stop gravity from sending them both to the ground and in a second his back was flat against the grass and Evie was directly on top of him, her hands still locked in his grip, unable to catch herself.

Her giggles vibrated against his chest and he began laughing along with her. She leaned up on her elbows to meet his eyes and her blue curls fell down around his shoulders. Through her laughter she realized their close proximity; she could count the faint freckles across his cheeks and she recognized the scent of him- a mix of the leather he loved to wear and something spicy she couldn't quite place.

"Geez, Eves, tackle me why don't you?" he huffed, his grin mocking her.

"Hey, this is your fault! You literally brought this on yourself!" she said indignantly, though she could still hear the laughter in her tone. "And what are you doing here anyway? Don't you have class?"

"My teacher let us out a bit early." She could hear the excitement in his words. Evie knew that Jay wasn't a fan of classes, especially not on a Friday. Early dismissals were probably the highlight of his day.

"Geez, how early did he dismiss you?" It couldn't be more than twenty minutes into the fifty minute class period.

"Ten minutes," he said, a knowing smile playing at his lips.

"Ten? But isn't it only…" she scrunched her forehead in confusion and then her eyes found the watch around Jay's wrist still clutching her own. "Oh my goodness, where did the time go?!"

"Well, I'm betting you got caught up in your homework again and lost track of time?" Jay chuckled underneath her and she felt her whole body shake. She'd forgotten she was still on top of him. How had she become so comfortable?

His words registered in her brain and she looked away guiltily. This only made his laughter increase, knowing he had been right in his speculation.

"Seriously, Eves? On a Friday?! You're such a nerd!" Jay mocked her with delight, earning himself a glare, the fierceness of it counteracted by the smile she was fighting.

"Shut up!" she moaned, biting back the smile he was bringing to her face. He always made her laugh when he was poking fun at her. She knew he was only playing, but he was probably right about her nerd label.

"Who would've thought little airhead Evie from the Isle would turn out to be such a smarty pants?" Jay said. His words were derogatory to the outside listener, but Evie knew him enough to understand the compliment. She felt herself swell with pride, bright and glowing.

"Well, I'm still pretty air-headed," she amended, knowing it to be true. She was getting the books but often the most obvious social interaction went right over her head.

She laughed a bit after her statement, dropping her eyes from Jay's gaze. Evie was never one to overstate herself. Her mother made sure of that after all those years reprimanding.

"You say that like its a bad thing," Jay responded, his voice somehow deeper and softer. Evie's eyes snapped back up to his expression. His boyish grin had settled into something gentler and the evident affection in his eyes made her heartbeat thrum in her ears.

She was about to ask him what he meant by that when the sound of someone clearing their throat with purpose startled her out of her reverie. "Ahem. Evie?"

She knew that voice...Doug.

Jay heard him too and sat up, bringing Evie up to her knees between his parted legs. As soon as she was vertical again she flipped her head around to see Doug standing before them, eyeing the pair with some kind of annoyance.

"Doug!" She said with surprise, her voice colored with the embarrassment of the inexplicably intimate moment. Why was she embarrassed? She hadn't done anything wrong, right? The whole thing was just friendly teasing. Nothing new.

She shook it off and went to stand and greet Doug, hoping he would also breeze past this awkwardness. It wasn't until this moment, when she tried to move, that she realized her wrists were still being held captive. Jay hadn't released them from his firm hold. Why hadn't she noticed that? It didn't seem that Jay had noticed either. His touch felt strangely comfortable on her skin.

Realizing Doug's patience was wearing thin by the second, she shook those odd thoughts away and focused.

"Jay," she said discreetly, turning her attention toward him.

In the moment before she said his name she caught the severe change in his expression from when he was looking at her earlier. The laughing smile had been traded for a grim line and his eyes were holding a similar irritation to Doug's. The difference between the two was startling.

At the sound of his name Jay looked back to her and she watched as he masked his annoyance with indifference. When she had his gaze Evie nodded down to his coiled hands, which had become increasingly tighter with Doug's presence.

With the attention drawn to her hands, Evie watched Jay's eyes widen in understanding, but there was no embarrassment like she felt. Jay simply released one of her hands, and instead of letting her use the other to get up he pushed himself off the ground and brought her with him.

As she stood Evie casually let their hands drop and hoped no one would acknowledge the weirdness. This whole situation was just becoming unbearably uncomfortable and she had no idea why.

"I'm going to find the others and get some food. I'll see you there, Evie. Doug." Jay muttered, striding past Doug without so much as a glance.

Evie watched him go for a moment, frowning in confusion. What had just happened? That was so unlike Jay. She knew he never cared much for Doug, and she didn't ever know why, but it had never come to rudeness. Again, Evie determined that she didn't have the time to ponder her friend's strange behavior as Doug was likely feeling shortchanged.

She replaced her frown with a bright smile and skipped over to Doug.

"Hey, sorry about that. How are you?" She said softly. She added a twirl of her hair around her finger for good measure because she knew that made him oddly dazed and confused.

"Erm..I-" Doug stuttered, the annoyed expression melting away to something more like dumbfounded. It took a moment for him to find words again. "I'm fine. Good. Uh, do you want to get lunch?"

"Yes, of course." Evie replied with the happiness she felt. Evie and Doug weren't dating in any certain terms, but they had spent a lot of time together over the past few months and he really made her feel happy.

No, he wasn't a prince, but since the coronation and her split from her mother that detail didn't seem as important. Like Mal said, Evie was talented enough that she didn't need some prince to marry her. Yes, a castle would be nice, she would admit (who wouldn't?) but all she really needed was someone good.

And Doug was good. He was nice. He pushed her to do well, to perform and excel in ways she never thought she could.

Maybe soon he would make their relationship official. She knew he liked her, and she understood his hesitation to start anything after the chaos of the coronation, but according to all her magazines he should've asked her by now. She worried that she was doing something wrong, that maybe she still wasn't good enough for him.

"Are you ready, Evie?" Doug's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. He was holding her black bag of textbooks and offering her his hand.

"Yes, I'm ready." She smiled and took his hand as they went to meet her friends.

Okay, there it is. Phew, this has been a long time coming and I can't believe its out there. Hope you all like it!

- m.g.