Darla had been living with the Fudos for a year now and was trying to adjust to her new family. Her spoiled and rotten attitude would flare up here and there, especially when she would want ice cream for breakfast or dinner and refused to eat her vegetables. She luckily had her best friend Amber who was trying to teach her how to properly act and be a polite young girl. Patrick and Emily were sometimes unsure of what to do, so they had Charlotte over and explained that they were doing their best with her granddaughter, but what could they do with her acting spoiled?
"Ya know, when I was about Darlene's age, my daddy sent me to this special school in Paris." Charlotte said.
"Paris?" Patrick and Emily asked.
"Yes, as in France," Charlotte nodded. "It was a boarding school, and my mother was very close friends with the headmistress, Miss Clavel."
"Oh, we couldn't send our own daughter away, could we?" Patrick asked.
"Well, remember, she isn't really your daughter, you just adopted her from Hollywood," Charlotte reminded them. "Believe me, I used to be a bit of a spoiled brat myself when I was about Darlene's age. I think that the school would be good for her."
"Oh, I don't know if we could just send her away like that," Emily rubbed her arm nervously. "She's especially very attached to her best friend from school, Amber Smith."
"I understand," Charlotte replied. "Maybe you could talk Amber's parents into letting her go too?"
"Maybe..." Emily sighed. "I just want Darla to be happy and healthy. Just like how we raise Atticus and Jessica."
"Well, this boarding school is the best advice I have," Charlotte replied. "It's a very nice school and most of the girls are very nice."
Patrick and Emily looked to each other before sighing and giving in. "She's going." They finally decided.
Meanwhile...
"You know, Darla, if you disagree with the teacher, it's not your business to talk back like you did," Amber scolded her best friend. "You could get in serious trouble for that. You're lucky she didn't call your parents!"
"What parents?" Darla muttered.
"Excuse me?" Amber's eyes widened.
"Amber, I was adopted," Darla replied. "I have very few memories of my birth parents, and it was worse when Mr. Mammoth adopted me just to have a cute kid as a client when his other clients got too old!"
"I know, I know," Amber sighed. "You wanna leave behind your old life in Hollywood, but is acting like a spoiled little brat really the way to do it? My mother once told me that the past should stay in the past and you should let it go."
Darla muttered.
"Look, we're best friends," Amber put her arm around Darla. "When you first came to school here, you seemed lost and alone, I mean, I let you sit next to me on the bus on your first day."
"That's true." Darla had to admit.
"Come on, let's have some lemonade and maybe your mom will make us some brownies." Amber suggested.
Darla sighed as she now had to live with Patrick and Emily as her parents, though sometimes, she wasn't so sure since she thought about her actual parents.
When the girls got home, there was a surprise on the living room couch.
"Nana Charlotte?" Darla asked.
"Oh, there's my little sugar sprinkled eclair." Charlotte gushed.
Darla giggled to the nickname.
"Uh, your parents wanted me to tell you something." Charlotte said.
"They're not my real parents." Darla reminded her about Patrick and Emily adopting her.
Charlotte sighed to this. "Darlene, just because Patrick and Emily adopted you doesn't mean they're not your parents," She then told her. "You should be glad they took you in. You were an orphan!"
"Your grandmother is right, Darla." Amber agreed.
"I know you miss your parents and you've been grumpy lately, but this isn't going to bring them back," Charlotte put her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "Don't you think I miss them too? Your father was my own son! How do you think I felt when I heard the news?"
Darla frowned, feeling rather sick to her stomach now. "Bad, I guess..."
"I felt terrible," Charlotte replied. "I felt like my worst nightmares had come to life, worse than when that Shadow Man terrorized my friends, Tiana and Naveen. Also, we think you need an attitude adjustment, so that's why you'll be going away for a while."
"What...?" Darla asked.
"Yes, Darlene," Charlotte said. "You, and Amber, if you would like since you're best friends, are going to my old boarding school in Paris, France."
"FRANCE?!" Darla and Amber asked together in shock.
"We're sorry, Darla, but this hurts us more than it hurts you," Emily said. "We just think you should learn good manners and respect to those older than you."
"Besides what they might've told you in Hollywood." Patrick added.
"A boarding school?" Darla asked. "Are they gonna teach me to be 'bored'?"
"No, a boarding school is where you live for a while and learn like a student," Patrick said. "It'll also teach you some independence."
"That sounds like it might be fun, right, Darla?" Amber smiled.
"I guess..." Darla sighed as she wasn't sure how to feel about this, but so far, she didn't like it. Not one bit.