The punishment Mal gets for turning Evie's hair blue is, initially, going to be a week's worth of detention. And then she informs them that she added a protection charm to the spell and can't undo it. (She figures she could if she tried hard enough but that's not going to happen any time soon.) As an extra punishment for the fact that Evie has to walk around with blue hair until the spell fades (if it does), the week of detention is doubled and Mal is told that if anything like this happens again, she'll get put on in school suspension. Or, something like that.
Truth be told, Mal doesn't really pay attention after she's assigned detention. Two weeks, just because she made a girl's hair blue. It's not like Evie doesn't deserve it and - frankly, Mal thinks she looks better like that. Maybe that's just because she's a villain but, really, she thinks she deserves a reward if anything for giving the prissy girl a nice makeover.
But instead she got this so now she's sitting in the library doing some... research on the laptop that Ben gave her for school. Mal has never been a tech person like de Vil's kid (and apparently she can't get him to help her because he's good now or something) but she knows how to delete her history and use a private browser so she can find out what she needs to know about Evie.
(And the wand, because her mother is so dead set on her getting that but, really, priorities. Her mother would be proud of her for seeking out revenge anyway.)
It's not exactly hard to find what she needs. Evie, unsurprisingly, is not a particularly private person. Scrolling through her (very nice but very vain) Instagram alone Mal finds out way more than she wanted to know about Evie. She loves gross health foods (which Mal could've guessed just looking at her), fashion, Ben (apparently, at least, Mal thinks each of the many many photos of the couple are too posed to be sure), her mother, cheerleading, being royalty, and her ridiculous amount of friends but especially Princess Audrey (Sleeping Beauty's daughter, Mal isn't sure if she wants to meet her or not), Li Lonnie (who is apparently some chick named Mulan's daughter, Mal will have to Google her), and Carlos de Vil (who, it turns out, likes dogs as pets very much).
The useful things, of course, are buried beneath all of that. Evie, it seems, has an acquired taste for being on the student council. She's been her class president three years in a row now, apparently. When Mal asks around, she'll find out Evie was also actively apart of student council in middle school and has been her class president for a consecutive six years and that, naturally, this is all very important to her. Or her mother. Same thing, Mal supposes.
"Well," she grins, "maybe it's time Auradon Prep elected a new president." She's talking to herself which probably qualifies as absurd moreso than villainous but Mal is too excited by the revenge plot to care.
She spends the entirety of her first detention writing down campaign ideas and drafting ways to ruin things that, according to the student body she'd interrogated and a very braggy Facebook page, Evie has apparently put in place for this hell hole. By the time her hour of suffering is up, Mal has designed a rough sketch for her poster and settled on "no more queens, vive la démocratie" as her slogan. Her ideas for ruining Evie's accomplishments are all vague at best but she can cross that bridge when she gets there.
For now, all Mal wants is to take this from the princess. Besides, she'll probably steal the wand shortly after stealing this from Evie's well moisturized and manicured hands and thus won't have to worry about it. It's foolproof. Totally, 100% foolproof.
She thinks.
A week and a half after serving her detentions (and researching and drafting her poster and barely even acknowledging Evie unless she has to), Ben sits with her at lunch. Not with his girlfriend or any of her friends. With her. Mal. The girl everyone knows is responsible for his girlfriend's blue hair. Who is also the daughter of the woman who cursed aforementioned girlfriend's best friend's mother.
Mal is, of course, incredibly suspicious of his motives, even knowing that he probably really is that annoyingly good and nice. Of course she is, she grew up on the isle because of people like him, and on the isle, you don't exactly learn to trust. You do, however, learn that everyone has ulterior motives and that you should be suspicious of them.
"Hi," he starts, his fingers nervously tapping at the table next to his tray.
Mal cocks an eyebrow. "Hi?" she doesn't greet, it's more an accusation in a weird sort of way.
"You looked lonely. Nobody's been mean to you or anything, right? I just - I haven't really seen you hang out with anyone and Evie says she hasn't either so... I just wanted to make sure you were... alright," he says. It's so... good. Again, Mal knows it's probably genuine because, from what she's observed, that's what Ben is like, but she knows there must be something underneath it. Something he gets out of all of this.
She pushes her tray forward, feeling suddenly very un-hungry (or maybe just used to the hunger, growing up on the isle that his father put her on, there was never much to eat). "Well, I'm not," she says, voice blunt. And then - of course, she could use Ben. He could be an ally of sorts. She's sure he would vouch for her no matter what she did (as long as it wasn't too drastic or... magical) after the hair incident, but it couldn't hurt to get the insurance. "Actually..." she starts and Ben's face lights up, "nobody's been... bad, but nobody's been welcoming either, you know?"
Ben is eating this up already, of course. Unlike her, he doesn't know to be suspicious of motives and strategy. "Is there anything I can do to help, Mal? I'm sure I could get you involved in sports or - or clubs, something, so you could meet people. Or I could ask Evie and Audrey to introduce you to people, Lonnie would probably like you - oh, do you know Carlos and Jay?" he's rambling again and she's not sure he even realizes it.
"Ben," she stops him, hand lightly pushing against his chest, "I just... I want to be involved. You know? I was thinking maybe... running for student council?" She makes sure to raise the pitch of her voice and stick a wobbling bottom lip out, insecurely. Wants Ben to think of her as vulnerable right now. He can know the truth about Mal once she has her revenge - and the wand.
His eyes light up even more, if that's possible. "Oh! That would be great! You and Evie could be a great team, you just got off to a bad start and I'm sure she'd love working with you - she's been class president since the sixth grade and she's running for that again, of course. Were there any positions you were interested in, the social chair would be good for meeting new people but I think you might be a great treasurer as well or -"
"Ben! I was actually thinking I might run for president," she interrupts once more.
At this, Ben's face falls. "Oh... um... would that be the best idea? Since you got off so rough with Evie I thought..."
The bottom lip is out and wobbling again at this. Green eyes are cast downwards. Mal is sure she must look like a kicked puppy, if that puppy were also a dragon. "Right. Of course. Why would you trust a villain kid to be your class president - don't worry, Ben, it was dumb anyway, I should just -"
"That's not what I meant!" he blurts out. Kids are staring now. Much quieter this time, Ben tries again, "I - I just - I think you would be a great president, I'm just worried about Evie, she might get mad if you run against her, you know? She's had this so long and it means so much to her."
"If she's really had it so long, maybe it's time someone else took it," Mal says, her chest puffing out proudly and her voice too loud for a conversation just between them. More kids are staring. She doesn't know how she feels about being the center of attention like this but she does know she wants more than anything right now to get Evie back for what she did. Even louder, she says, "Ben, kids like you and Evie have been in charge of things way too long. It's time someone who wasn't born with a silver spoon got to be in charge. People like you and Evie put kids like me on that island - they left us to starve! To die, Ben! Maybe it's different for you, because you grew up calling the guy who did that daddy, but I learned the hard way why you can't trust royalty! Besides! The senior class president is supposed to represent the people. Has anyone ever even ran against Evie?" She knows the answer, not since the seventh grade. Not much of an election, if you ask her. "That's not democracy! That's monarchy! You can't just keep giving her what she wants because she's a princess!"
By now, people are whispering in the cafeteria. As Mal steps up onto the table, kicking her tray aside, she catches a glimpse of Evie, much easier to spot now that her hair is blue, whispering furiously to Audrey and looking ready to kill. She bites down a smirk as she begins her chant. "No more queens! No more queens!"
The cafeteria is quick to join her, fists raised with each syllable and feet stomping down. Ben is lost, completely unable to control the situation as Evie glares daggers at him, mouthing, "you're the king! Do something!"
"Okay! Stop chanting! I'll - I'll help you register as a candidate!"
Grinning like the dragon she is, Mal lets out a proud exclamation of, "vive la démocratie!" She's sure the apparent spontaneity of the slogan will get people even more excited by it. And, judging by the roar of applause and the amount of kids on their feet, she was right.
After classes are over and Ben is done trying to get a very pissed off Evie to talk to him ("sorry, Benny-boo, you messed up, Eves and I are gonna go hang out with Chad and Carlos until she cools down," Audrey had said before putting her sunglasses on and sashaying off with her best friend on arm), he sits with Mal once more. This time, in the library.
They go over Mal's grades (currently she's got a 3.1 GPA, nothing special but good enough for her to run and she doesn't care to do better), the procedures of the campaign, all that boring junk Mal's been prepping for since she was assigned her detentions. Not that she tells Ben that though. No, she wants him to think she's as wide eyed as she could possibly be for someone who grew up on the isle.
She may, or may not, be sure to tell him the worst bits of the isle. That don't include anything too much or that makes Mal afraid of her mother. Or what she knows about Carlos and Jay - and Evie. Or, her mother. No, that she knows she needs to save as ammunition for a later time.
Once they're done going over all the boring, boring rules of this, Ben whips out his phone. No doubt he's going to grovel for Evie's forgiveness. Mal almost snickers at the thought. Instead, she utilizes it.
"So," she starts, making sure to chew the word curiously, "is this like... a normal thing? Evie blowing you off for, uh, Chad."
Ben pauses completely, his shoulders a bit tense. "Chad Charming. He... they... they dated. Well - kinda? Chad used her for... stuff," he says, voice quiet.
"Sex stuff?" Mal's eyebrows shoots up. She hadn't expected anyone on Auradon to get down and dirty. They all seemed so clean cut. Then again, considering Evie's mother, maybe she shouldn't be surprised.
"... I think. I don't - I walked in on her... pleasuring him once. Before we started going out - after they broke up. He's... my friend - kind of. But he's not good for her. He thinks she's just a pretty face, you know?" Mal doesn't know because as far as she can tell, that's all Evie is, but she nods anyway. "Anyway, she knows I don't like her hanging around him - not because I think she would cheat. Evie wouldn't do that, but... I don't like the way he treats her. So... yeah, sometimes when we fight she hangs out with him. Never alone though, she doesn't trust him either, thinks he's a - a... " Ben trails off like he's embarrassed to say it.
"Dick?" Mal offers, "he sounds like it. Even his name, Chad."
Ben laughs at that. "Yeah. He kind of is. Evie's mirror said - uh, that he was the biggest..." doe eyes look nervously to her.
"Dick," Mal repeats, voice fonder. It's somewhat genuine, Ben is at least... tolerable, she's decided. Even if he is way too nice.
"In the land," the king finishes.
A laugh escapes Mal's mouth before she realizes - mirror. "Evie has a magic mirror? Like her mother's?"
The look that crosses Ben's face can only be described as oh shit and Mal is pretty sure people aren't supposed to know that. Or at least, Mal isn't supposed to know that. When he speaks, her suspicions are confirmed. "Oh - crap, Mal you aren't supposed to know that - I mean, it's not... Evie doesn't like people knowing. Magic... um, here it's not really... smiled upon. It's fine for little stuff, like the Chad thing but... she..."
"Relax, Ben. It's fine. Princess is ashamed of her gift," Mal scoffs slightly, "you don't owe me an explanation. Might wanna send that text now though. Before Chad gets her alone. Catch you later." She leaves him paranoid and calling Evie instead of texting. Mal's pretty sure that's a victory.
The first stone into the lake that is Evie Grimhilde's life has been cast. Or, really, the first couple of stones. From the way kids look at her in the halls as she walks back to their shared dorm, Mal is pretty sure she's created more than a couple of ripples.
Evie gets home just before curfew very disheveled. Not in the post sex way, either. She huffs loudly and with hate as she throws her backpack down on her bed, not seeming to notice the purple haired girl sketching quietly on the other bed. Mal smirks as Evie flings herself down onto the bed, face down and about to scream.
"Had a nice date with Benny-boo, Princess?" she asks, voice lower and cheekier than normal.
The blue haired girl sits up so fast Mal is surprised she doesn't get whiplash. She smooths out the wrinkles in her skirt and takes a moment to breathe deeply. And then, poised as ever, Evie says very flatly, "fuck you."
Mal grins toothily at that response, "no thanks, you're not my type."
At that, Evie's face turns a startling red. She's quick to recompose herself though, taking her shoes off and pulling her feet onto her bed and her laptop into her lap. Her typing is furious and faster than should be legal.
Less nosy, more smart, Mal angles her neck so she can see the screen without moving too loudly and startling Evie into creating some type of privacy. Evie's first stop is Twitter (Mal will be sure to make one of those once the other girl stops doing something that pertains her interest). She scrolls through her timeline quickly and with efficiency but Mal catches a few key words in tweets. Boring, average shit but also her name, the word iconic, and more than a few things about the election and her speech. And then Evie is typing into the search bar, apexposed. Mal makes a mental note of that handle as the page loads.
When it does, Mal's mouth drops open.
apexposed:
if you're not SHOOK after m spilled that tea on e's reign do you even go here #nomorequeens #viveladémocratie
Evie growls once she's read it and she grabs her phone to text someone - likely Audrey - before selecting tweets and replies.
apexposed:
princessaudrey sis just admit you're mad everything m said abt your girl e was true
apexposed:
jaysbiceps you live for j and his theft but cant respeck m bc she made e's hair blue? bitch bye e should thank ha
apexposed:
chadcharming go kiss e's ass somewhere else ofc u like this monarchy bs smh hoe
After reading that one, Mal can't help but laugh. Evie sends a sharp glare her way for it and slams her laptop shut, taking to her phone.
"Aww," Mal fakes a pout, "c'mon, Princess, even you must've thought seeing Chad get his ass roasted was funny."
Evie throws a pillow right at her face but other than that doesn't reply.
"Let me guess, you're offended that you aren't my type. Princess, it's not personal, I just like my girls less... good. The blue hair really works for me though, just ask Uma," she says, smirk growing as Evie's grip on her phone tightens, "y'know, if you ditched the twink and accepted who your mom is, you could be really, really -"
Another pillow is flung into her face. "I'm not gay, you - you lesbo! And Ben's not a twink, he's my soulmate, thank you very much!"
Mal's brow shoots up at that response, "tut, tut, Princess, homophobia doesn't look good on you."
Evie almost shakes at that and, now satisfied, Mal opens up her laptop. Goes to Twitter and creates an account (using the student email provided by this dump). She's more than a little mad that mal is taken but settles for maleficentjr and writes her password down on the back of her hand. She leaves her about simple ("villain kid. #nomorequeens #viveladémocratie"), uses a picture Ben had made her take with him during her tour, and follows everyone important (which, so far, is just Ben, who follows back almost immediately, the gossip account, and, just to spite her, the princess herself).
Her first tweet is, of course, just enough to stir the pot a little more without making anything erupt.
maleficentjr:
they won't make me stop wearing leather when i'm elected, right?
