It was kind of an ingenious plan, actually. Mal had come up with the whole thing in a matter of minutes. They would brew a love potion, and feed it to King Ben. He'd fall in love with the first person he saw-Mal-and then she'd be next to him at the coronation. She could grab Fairy Godmother's wand, and they could be done with this whole thing.
That's why the five villain kids found themselves in the school kitchen after hours, baking cookies. Two books sat in front of Mal and Evie on a stainless steel work table, one a cookbook for the cookie recipe, one Mal's spellbook for the love spell recipe.
"Okay, all we need is a single human tear," Mal said.
"Easy, just get some onions." Drake said, looking through the pantry and grabbing the vegetable.
"No, that won't work. It has to come from genuine sadness," Mal glanced through the book.
"What's the difference?" Jay asked.
"Well, Jay, both tears have a unique chemical make up. An emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear." Evie said, almost automatically. Everyone looked at her. They were used to Evie knowing things, considering all the books she read, but they weren't used to her sharing the facts she learned. It didn't fit in with her beauty over everything else image that she and her mother worked so hard to establish.
"Why does it matter?" Carlos asked.
"Because this is the best love potion there is, so we're going to follow it exactly," Mal said.
The door opened. Everyone scrambled to cover up the spellbook and when Lonnie poked her head in, they all did their best to look nonchalant. Lonnie's eyes brightened when she saw them, and a smile spread across her face. "There you guys are! Mal, everyone is like foaming at the mouth for you to do their hair for coronation!"
She slipped into the kitchen, closing the door behind her. She glanced down at the dough they're making, and her smile grew. She dipped a finger in and brought the dough to her lips to taste it. Everyone freaked out, Mal even reaching for her, but it was too late. She'd swallowed the dough.
"Don't worry guys, I'm not gonna double dip." Lonnie laughed, though she looked a little embarrassed at how impulsive she'd been.
"Uh, how do you...feel?" Mal asked, while she and Evie stared at her. Jay, seeing an opportunity, rushed up and offered her his killer smile.
"Hey, how are you doing?" He asked in what he thought was his sultry voice.
"I'm good?" Lonnie looked confused.
"What do you think of the recipe? Think it's...missing anything?" Evie asked.
"Yeah. Chips."
"Chips?" Drake asked, thinking of the salty little crisps he'd tried in the cafeteria just that day.
"Chocolate chips. You know, the most important food group?" Lonnie said, going to the fridge and pulling out a bag. Everyone stared at her, still not totally comprehending what she was talking about. She opened the bag and added a little to the dough, taking the bowl from Mal so she could mix it.
"What? Didn't your guys' moms ever make you chocolate chip cookies? Like, when you fell down and scrapped your knee, and they were fresh out of the oven, and she poured you a nice cold glass of milk and kissed your knee and suddenly everything is going to be okay?" She glanced around, looking at five bewildered stares from kids who couldn't imagine such kindness. "What?"
"It's...different where we're from," Drake said with a sigh.
"I know...I just thought...you know, even a villain would..." When no one offered her affirmation, Lonnie started to tear up. Without her noticing, a tear fell into the dough she had stopped stirring some time ago. Mal watched it fall and quickly snatched the bowl back, mixing it in.
"Well, thanks for stopping by. We'll see you tomorrow." Evie said, pushing Lonnie towards the door.
"Yeah, really gotta get these cookies in the oven," Mal said.
Lonnie wiped her eyes and waved. "Right, yeah...see you guys tomorrow."
Once she was gone, they started to separate the cookies onto a sheet. Now, they just had to get Ben to eat them.
Two days later, the whole school was abuzz. The big championship Tourney game against Sherwood Forest was that afternoon, and coronation was only a week away. Girls all over Auradon Prep were sporting the new line of Mal powered hairstyles, comparing them to each other and showing off whenever they could. Several of them would stop Mal in the hall, near her locker, to thank her for the makeovers.
Mal would always offer a fake smile and little laugh when they did. Right now, she had bigger things to focus on. Fortunately, Jay was always there to draw the girls away with a quick joke or a killer smile. "You ladies going to the Tourney game?"
They all giggled and nodded. Carbon copies of each other, Mal thought. Was there no creativity here in Auradon?
"Well, look out for number eight," Jay said, naming his jersey number, "because I'll be scoring the winning goal."
Drake leaned against the locker next to Mal's as she put some of her books away and got out the bag of cookies. "Mal, are you sure about this? I mean...everyone's having a great time...Jay's got the girls, Evie can be smart without people putting her down, even Carlos has Dude..."
"Drake! Snap out of it. Long live evil, remember? We're rotten."
"To the core," he finished with a smile, "right. Thanks, Mal. You always know what to say."
Audrey watched from afar, near Ben's locker, which was just down the row from Mal's. "She's done it to everyone's hair, and Fairy Godmother isn't happy about it."
Ben looked over at all the girls swarming Jay with a shrug. "I don't see the harm. It's just hair."
"Just hair? It's gateway magic, Ben! First, the hair, then the dress, then they'll be cheating on tests and trying to overthrow the government!" Audrey exclaimed.
"I...don't think that's how it works?" Ben said, trying not to laugh at his girlfriend's slightly insane outburst.
"Look, Ben. I have my dress fitting for coronation, so I'll see you at the game, okay?" Audrey said, suddenly becoming sweet again.
Ben nodded, a little distracted. Audrey left, leaving Ben alone. He closed his locker, only to find Mal and Drake standing there. "Ben!" Mal said, a smile on her face.
"Hey, guys." Ben smiled at them.
"We baked some cookies. Would you like some?" She gave him the bag. Ben looked down at the bag and smiled, but went to put it in his pocket.
"Thanks, but I don't eat before a game. It can upset my stomach and then I don't play well and..."
"No, we get it. Never eat a snack from a villain kid. All the Auradon kids must know that..." Drake said, reaching back for the cookies.
"No, it's nothing like that, it's just..."
"It's fine. You're cautious. That's smart. More for us..." Drake gave Mal a quick glance, trying not to smile.
Ben, not one to offend, grabbed the cookies and took a huge bite of one of them. Perfect. Now all he had to do was look at Mal. He closed his eyes savoring the flavor. "Wow...that's a really good cookie."
"You think so?" Drake asked. Ben opened his eyes...and looked directly at Drake.
"Yeah, it's great."
Mal's eyes went wide, as did Drake's.
"How do you feel?" Drake asked cautiously.
"Amazing. Like someone just put a warm fuzzy blanket around me and tucked me into bed. These cookies are amazing. Are those walnuts? That's great...they're warm and chewy and buttery and did you know your eyes are the most beautiful color?" He asked Drake.
Drake blushed, and Mal's jaw dropped. The love spell had worked, alright, but Ben had fallen for Drake, not her. Jay came up and clapped his teammate on the shoulder. "Let's go, dude."
Once they were gone, Mal turned to Drake. "Okay, so that didn't go quite according to plan, but we have to roll with this. Coronation is too close to try again."
"Mal, he's in love with me!" Drake said in a hushed tone, not wanting to draw attention to them.
"I know, and it's actually kind of hilarious." She smirked. "Now, c'mon. We have a game to get to."
"I'm gonna die," Carlos said as the five of them walked towards the field, he and Jay done up in their tourney uniforms.
"Dude, don't worry. You and Ben have been working for this for a long time. You'll be fine," Jay said. He, Mal, and Evie pulled ahead. Drake pulled Carlos back.
"Carlos, take this." He held out the good luck charm.
"Dude, are you sure?" Carlos asked. Drake nodded and slipped it over Carlos's neck. He tucked it under his friend's jersey. They caught up with the others, and Carlos and Jay split off to go meet up with the coach.
"Did you give him your good luck charm?" Mal asked with a knowing smile.
Drake nodded.
"Isn't that cheating?" Evie asked, a little concerned. They were all making strides in learning to be good.
"Only if the thing is powered up. Which it's not," Drake said with a grin.
"Oh that's rotten." Mal grinned too.
"To the core," Drake said.
The whole school, save for Drake, Mal and Evie were decked out in blue and gold to show their school spirit. The coach called the team to huddle. "Alright, men. We are a team, and that means every part has to work together, like the parts of the body, do you understand?"
He looked in the faces of each player, and it seemed his metaphor went over their heads. "Right...okay, how about win?"
The team cheered before taking their positions on the field. The game started and for a long time, it was push and pull. For every team the Auradon Prep Knights would score, the Sherwood Forest Falcons would score one. Finally, the coach pulled a time out, pulling the team together.
"We need a strategy, men..." He said, looking at the scoreboard helplessly.
"I have one," Jay said. The villain kid hadn't proved himself the smartest in his time at Auradon Prep, so everyone looked skeptical. "No, trust me. We need to put Carlos in."
He pointed at the white haired boy on the bench. Carlos looked up, just as stunned as the coach. "What? No, Jay it's fine..."
"I mean it. Coach, you said it yourself that we have to work together like the parts of the body, right? Well this guy is basically my brain."
The coach looked between them. What did he have to lose, other than the game, which he may do anyway. "Alright...Carlos, get in there."
He was pulled onto the field by Jay, and it didn't make a difference at all. That is, until the final minutes of the game. Jay pulled Carlos aside. "That move we pulled at tryouts. We need it now."
Carlos grinned and nodded. There was no way they could lose now. Once the ball was released, Jay picked it up and barrelled across the field. When he saw Jay coming for him, he ducked behind the shield. Like last time, Jay used the shield as a springboard. He threw the ball to Ben, who got it in the net because the Sherwood goalie was distracted by Jay's midair play. And just like that, Auradon Prep won the game. The fans in the stands went totally insane, cheering and hollering. Even Mal cracked a smile. Carlos pulled the charm out from under his jersey and kissed it. He looked down at it and noticed it looked...
"It didn't work? I did it by myself?" He looked up at Drake in the bleachers. Drake shrugged and smiled. Carlos smiled back. "Thanks man!"
Ben pulled off his kit and grabbed a megaphone from one of the cheerleaders.
"Everyone..everyone...I have something to say!"
The crowd quieted down, mostly because the king was speaking. Once he had everyone's attention, he panicked. What had he planned on saying? Finally, something came out. "Give me a D!"
"D!" The crowd yelled, forming the letter with their arms.
"Give me an R!"
"R!"
"Give me an A!"
"A!"
"Give me a K!"
"K!"
"Give me an E!"
"E!"
"What's that spell?" Ben yelled through the megaphone.
"Drake!" The crowd roared before petering off. Why was Ben making them spell Drake? The aforementioned villain kid blushed and looked at Mal.
"What is he doing?" He demanded.
"Making a huge fool of himself." Mal laughed. She was enjoying this way too much.
"Drake! You're the most amazing guy ever, and I'm like...totally in love with you!" Ben yelled. The whole crowd gasped. Not only did their future king, who had a girlfriend, just profess his love for one of the kids from the Isle, but a guy. There had never been a precedent for something like this but if Ben was okay with it, so was everyone else.
The crowd started cheering, and Lonnie, who had been next to Drake, turned toward him and gave him a hug.
"What is with the sudden touching?" He demanded, looking really uncomfortable.
Ben ran up the bleachers to him. He put the megaphone to his lips and yelled right in Drake's face, "Drake! Did I mention I'm in love with you?"
Drake covered his ears, his fingers brushing the rim of his hat. "Yeah, so you said."
The megaphone was snatched from Ben. Audrey's voice filled the air. "Chad's my boyfriend now!" She said with snarky triumph, "And I'm going to coronation with him, so I don't need your pity date."
Audrey jumped into Chad's arms, who carried her away. Ben looked at Drake, snatching the megaphone back. "Drake, wanna go to coronation with me?"
"One, horn down buddy. I am right here. Second," He glanced over at Mal, who made a motion for him to say yes, "yes!"
"He said yes!" Ben shouted to the crowd who had been watching with bated breath. They erupted into cheers and lifted Ben off the ground, crowdsurfing him down to the team. "Bye, Drake!"
Drake waved and looked at his friends, noticing a look on Evie's face. He nudged Mal, who saw it too. "You know," she said, "I almost feel sorry for Audrey."
Evie looked over at them. "What? Why?"
Drake shrugged. "Mal's right. If she was talented and smart like you, or knew amazing beauty tips, or could make great clothes," He gestured to all three of their outfits, Evie originals, "she wouldn't need a prince to make her feel good about herself."
"Well, I am pretty great, aren't I?" Evie said, her spirits lifting.
"Definitely." Drake laughed as he looked back down at the players. They were hoisting Jay up, a golden trophy in his hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the MVP of the game, Jay!" Ben said through the blowhorn. The crowd erupted again, apparently poised to cheer at basically anything that was yelled at them. Mal, Evie, and Drake clapped and hollered for their friend, finally getting into the spirit.
Following Ben's proclamation of love for Drake, the tone of the school had changed. Everyone started to accept the villain kids...well, almost everyone. Any time one of them encountered Chad or Audrey, all they got was icy stares. Which didn't seem to bother any of them. However, in her Chemistry class, Evie had trouble finding her mirror. She dug through her heart shaped purse, looking for any sign of the reflective surface or guided frame, but found nothing.
"Looking for this?" Mr. Deley said, holding up the mirror. "Chad has made a very serious accusation against you. I don't take cheating lightly, Evie. It will be my recommendation that you be expelled."
"That's not fair. There's no way she was cheating. She didn't even have that-that uh..." Doug said, jumping to his feet.
"It's my magic-" Evie started, but Doug cut her off.
"Don't help. Maybe she was just looking for a pencil. Let her prove it."
"Fine, if she can pass today's test, I'll return her property and let the matter drop," Mr. Deley said, going to his desk and getting the test packets.
"Thank you..." Evie whispered. While Doug wasn't a prince, he was starting to look a lot like a knight in shining armor, and that was good enough for Evie.
Mr. Deley passed out the tests, and Evie set to work. This was all child's play for her. She had learned this stuff years ago from several books she'd fished out of the garbage. She smirked to herself and breezed through the test. She was the first finished and walked her test up to Mr. Deley's desk.
He glanced up at her and graded it, as the rest of the class was still taking it. His nostrils flared as he looked for something, anything, to mark wrong, and made it to the end of the test without finding something. He was forced to write a large A in red pen on the front of her test and hand her the mirror back.
"I told you, never underestimate the child of a villain." She smirked as she strode out of the room. Though she had a magnificent exit, she waited outside for Doug to finish. When the son of Dopey walked out of the room, she fell in step next to him.
"I meant it, thank you. For once, it's nice to be appreciated for being more than just a pretty face," She sighed. "And you were pretty great in there, really brave."
"You mean it?" Doug blushed.
"I do. Is that offer to go to Coronation together still open?"
Doug stopped dead in his tracks. "Yes! A thousand times yes!"
Evie smiled and leaned in, gently kissing his cheek. Mal appeared next to them. "Oh my god, get a room you too."
Evie gave her a glare, but Mal just smiled. She was happy for her friend, but part of her was upset that eventually they'd have to leave all the friends they made here behind. All this was going to be over soon.
The three of them walked outside and sat down on the lawn, enjoying the sun. Even Mal was starting to warm up to the idea of the sunlight.
"There you are!" Drake said behind them. He sounded and looked panicked. Even his usually flawless guyliner was smudged. "Ben just asked me out on a date!"
Both girls smiled, and Evie turned to Doug. "We'll catch up with you later."
Doug nodded and the girls got up, one on each side of Drake as they walked him back to the castle. "It'll be great. I'll get my foundation, and we can take care of that smudge and-"
"E, chill. It's just a date." Mal said, rolling her eyes.
"We'll see," Evie grinned.
