Mal almost fell off her chair, but stopped herself, grabbing the table's edge with one hand and the book in her lap with the other. She couldn't believe it. Prince Ben, soon to be king, and her, the evil daughter of Maleficent, kissing? No way. But as she turned to look at him, she could see the hope twinkling in his beautiful green eyes. Wait, what? She was the future Mistress of Evil, she shouldn't be thinking that.
Who was he kidding? He invited her to Auradon only two days ago, and here he was, asking to kiss her. He had a girlfriend, daughter of Sleeping Beauty (who she secretly hoped would hit her head and forget everything, Ben, their mothers' hate for eachother, and more).
Mal already hated being stuck with him, and now hated him himself. Of course, it was Fairy Godmother's 'brilliant and encouraging' idea for Mal and Ben to pair up for their Chemistry project, which she didn't want to do anyway. She was going to steal the wand and take over soon, so why bother? But, as soon as Ben heard, he beamed and started rambling about how they'd have to get together everyday after school and start working. Mal had covered her face with her textbook, avoiding the winks from Evie, the goofy grins from Jay and Carlos, and of course, Audrey's pretty, perfect face turning so red Mal half expected it to explode.
And now, all she wanted to do was run out of his huge dorm and straight to hers, and shove Evie in front of him. She was sure Ben wouldn't mind. Or would he? Mal was already annoyed after he started coming to her locker to ask how she was doing and whether she enjoyed her stay in Auradon or not.
If it had been Jay, or even Carlos, she would have fearlessly leant in and pressed a kiss square on the lips. Or if it had been any of the other Isle boys, she would've punched him in the face. But what could she do when a prince, or a crown prince, to be exact, asked her that? What should she do?
She was big, bad Mal, not girlfriend material. And love was weak, wasn't it? No boy had ever actually given her a second glance, and Jay and Carlos occasionaly called her their 'beautiful, fearless girl', but she thought of them as brothers. Chad was out of the list. Doug wasn't really her type, but Ben?
He was different...someone she thought was the bright light that guided them out of their dark lives. The one who helped her escape from her mother's clutches.
But the most important thing? Ben would be her first kiss. She could trust him, but... She could always feel her mother's dragon eyes on her. She would force it out of Mal somehow, without even her knowing it, or find out herself. And what would the others think? Evie, who she'd not known for long, since the unfortunate incident on the blue headed princess' sixth birthday. What would she think? A dwarf was smitten with her, but the soon to be king was falling for Mal, and not her. And since no one was really friends on the Isle, she was sure that despite her sweet nature, Evie would chop her head off.
Jay, who didn't really show how he felt, will probably act like it was no big deal, but would still tease her for the rest of her life. Carlos, who looked up to Mal as his big sister, a role model, what about him? He'd loose faith in her, thinking that her kissing a prince she had known for not more than two days, was half distracting them from their mission. After all, she was the one who'd told them not to get distracted with useless, non- evil things.
Audrey would be the worst. She'd probably stamp a bit with her pink and blue high heels (seriously?!), and throw a fit, spreading rumours all around campus, making people fear her less. They'd think she'd gone soft. Distracted by a, non- evil, pathetic prince.
In short, if Evie got distracted by her grades, Jay by teamwork, Carlos by a dog, and Mal by a crown prince, they would never be able to get on with the plan. However, falling in love wasn't that bad, but it was coming from her mom, and mothers knew best, right? Evil Queen had a completely different opinion. She thought that falling in love was a gift in itself, and was, in fact, the best thing to happen to one. And when she thought about it, that was the reason why Maleficent and Evil Queen never really got along.
Even if she didn't know it yet, the others did. When Ben was talking to the four, it seemed he was talking only to Mal. And when Audrey wasn't around, he'd stare at her lips longingly. And the way he always smiled when she gave a sarcastic remark to him. And when she teasingly called him Benny Boo, it was music to his ears.
Without thinking further, Mal gave a slight nod, before leaning in and allowing Ben to be her first kiss. And it was definitely something she wouldn't forget.