You really wanna know what Carlos' anniversary gift to Jane is? Well, you'll finally get your answer in this chapter. I hope you like it. Enjoy.
Leave a review after reading, please.
I'd like to thank the following users who reviewed the previous chapter: Bal-Breelice09121994, TheGreatGodzilla, Wolf, DragonEmperor999
To TheGreatGodzilla: Uh, no. I think the answer was clearly given already.
Every second that ticks by means another second closer to Carlos and Jane's first month anniversary dinner. While Jane was busy trying on the dress that Evie had left at her doorstep, Carlos was busy finishing his gift for her. He had asked little Dizzy for help because her talents would help hasten the process of completing his gift. They met up in Carlos' dorm to work on it, right after he bought her a new pair of glasses from E.Y.E. Optical.
Whatever Carlos' gift was, it involved jewelry, glue, and Dizzy's huge pair of scissors.
"Jane is going to love this," said Dizzy.
"We're only halfway done," said Carlos.
"I know, but I already she'll love it," said Dizzy excitedly.
Carlos smiles as he watches the 10-year-old girl work with a big smile on her face. It seemed like just a second ago, she was all sour and speaking ill about Evie because she forgot to meet with her. Now, she was the same Dizzy Tremaine he knew from the Isle. Making jewelry with no negative emotion within her. She was so full of joy not only because she's doing what she loves to do the most but because she's helping a friend make his girlfriend happy.
Dizzy notices Carlos looking at her with a smile of his own.
"Is something wrong?" Dizzy asked.
"Nothing. It's just that you look chipper," said Carlos.
"Only because I can't wait to see the look on Jane's face when she sees this," said Dizzy.
"You really think she'll love it?" asked Carlos.
"What girl wouldn't love it?" replied Dizzy.
"Thanks again for agreeing to help me. I really needed you," said Carlos.
"Isn't that what friends do here in Auradon? Help each other?" asked Dizzy.
"Then maybe you should let me help you with Evie," said Carlos. "You can't keep being mad at her for blowing you off."
"Three times," Dizzy reminded.
"Regardless, you two are like sisters and you shouldn't let her busy schedule get in the way of your friendship," said Carlos.
"I thought we were on the clock," said Dizzy, trying to escape the conversation.
"Dizzy," Carlos scolded. "I'm just trying to help you."
"You can help me after your anniversary dinner with Jane," said Dizzy.
Carlos returns to working on his gift as it is clear that Dizzy doesn't want to talk about Evie. Thinking about Dizzy's feelings right now, he couldn't help but feel that he has felt that way in the past. Looking back to when he experienced this kind of pain and disappointment, he decides to share this story.
"You know, Dizzy, I know exactly how you feel," he said. "Back on the Isle, Evie and I, we were really close. We didn't care that we were villain kids. We always looked out for each other. We did a lot together. Almost every day, we just hang out in my secret lab. I would talk about the science of everything around us, while she just sits there acting stupid."
Carlos and Dizzy both giggled.
"But when we came here to Auradon, that all stopped," said Carlos sadly. "She and Mal grew closer. She met Doug. She started a fashion business. We still see each other, we just never hang out, just the two of us. Three months ago, I asked her to come with me to a science expo in Auradon City. She promised she would show up. When the day came, she did come, but with Doug. I watched them have fun all day and realized that she had forgotten all about me."
Dizzy puts her hand on top of Carlos' in an effort to comfort him, seeing the sorrow on his face while telling his story.
"But you still hold your friendship with her close, why?" asked Dizzy.
"By accepting that it's no longer just me and her," Carlos answered. "Evie has many people in her life now and she needs to make time for all of them, even if it affects some of her relationships, like hers with the two of us, in a seemingly negative fashion. That doesn't mean she's gonna stop valuing the people around her. She'll always be there for you, Dizzy. You just gotta find it in your heart to accept these changes, like I have."
Carlos' words circles around Dizzy's brain. She was no longer trying to not think about Evie. She was now hoping that she can forgive her for her bad attitude towards her.
It was time. The clock strikes eight, which mean it was time for Carlos and Jane's anniversary dinner. Fairy God Mother, aware of the occasion due to her daughter's non-stop babbling, was more than delighted to help her daughter prepare for the evening. When Jane asked her to come to her dorm to see how she looked in the new dress that Evie gave her, the headmistress did not hesitate to make sure her daughter looked beautiful for the night, not that she was never. The dress was the usual periwinkle blew like Jane's other clothes, but with a few Evie touches. A glittery lining on the skirt and a red
Fairy God Mother even walked with Jane to the pavilion outside the school, where the dinner was taking place, when the young girl was too nervous to proceed.
When they arrived, they were both in awe at the setup. There were candles everywhere, placed in glass containers to keep the wind from putting out the fire, lighting up the place. The table was filled with all sorts of pumpkin-flavored treats. Pumpkin pudding. Pumpkin soup. Pumpkin pie. Best of all, the white-haired tech prodigy himself was sitting right there, smiling at her.
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi!" Both Fairy God Mother and Jane exclaimed with shock and wonderment.
"Well, what do you think?" Carlos asked.
Jane didn't know what else to say. Her open mouth and the sparkle in her eyes pretty much say what she feels. Fairy God Mother asked Carlos to come over and stand next to Jane. She takes out her phone and takes a picture of the young couple.
"Have fun," said Fairy God Mother before leaving.
Carlos pulls up a chair for Jane to sit on. She dips her finger into the pudding and tastes it. It was obvious she likes it.
"I can't believe you made all this," said Jane.
"Well, being Cruella De Vil's personal servant helped me learn a few things. Cooking is definitely on of them," said Carlos.
Jane looks over Carlos' shoulder to see two familiar individuals in the distance. One of them is a little girl with glasses and wearing her hair in two pigtails. The other is a dog wearing a shirt with the same color scheme as Carlos' jackets.
"What's Dizzy and Dude doing here?" asked Jane.
"Dizzy is here to make sure neither Evie nor anyone else will interfere with our wonderful evening, while Dude just wanted to watch," Carlos answered.
Dizzy smiles and waves at Jane, who smiled and waved back.
"Don't worry. They promised they'll keep their distance," said Carlos.
"I can see that," said Jane.
"You look great tonight," said Carlos, eyeing her dress.
"Evie made it for me," said Jane.
"Of course she did," Carlos replied, not at all surprised. "Any reason why your mother walked in here with you?"
"I was really nervous that you wouldn't show up, so my mother offered to walk me here," said Jane. "I'm glad you remembered."
"I've been going nuts about tonight. How can I forget?" said Carlos.
The started digging in. Jane was truly enjoying the food. She loves pumpkins, so Carlos thought a pumpkin-themed dinner would be fitting for their anniversary. He himself doesn't mind pumpkin at all. Once he tried it, it didn't taste bad at all. Dizzy took some pictures with a big smile on her face. She was just eager for him to give her the gift already.
"So, how's the cheerleading team?" asked Carlos.
"About as lost as a rat in the maze," said Jane. "Audrey's been missing since Cotillion. Mother says she's still here in Auradon Prep, but we haven't seen her. Not in class. Not in cheerleading practice. Not anywhere."
"It's like she's a ghost," Carlos commented.
"Yeah," Jane agreed. "What about you? How's the shoulder?"
"100%," said Carlos, winding up said shoulder.
"How's your head?" asked Jane.
"Almost as clear as a crystal," said Carlos.
"Think you'll be ready for the R.O.A.R. match in three days?" asked Jane.
"As long as I stay away from swords and chemicals until Sunday," said Carlos.
As they continued to eat, Carlos stared at Jane. He wipes the pumpkin pudding off his lips as he prepared to say something big. He looks back at Dude and signals him to come. Dude grabs a small case with his mouth and walks towards his owner.
"Hey, Jane," Carlos called.
Jane swallows the pumpkin pie in her mouth before looking at Carlos. Dude drops the box next to Carlos' chair.
"Thanks, buddy," said Carlos, petting his dog.
Carlos picks up the case while Dude walks back to Dizzy. Carlos gives the case to Jane.
"Happy anniversary," said Carlos, smiling.
Jane opens the box and gasps at what she saw. It was a silver bracelet decorated with four differently-colored jewels. Red. Blue. Yellow. Green. But what stand out the most is the symbol that looks awfully like her mother's wand. Jane looks at Carlos with one tear of joy ready to come down her left eye.
"Do you like it?" asked Carlos.
"Like it, no," said Jane.
Carlos' smile drops, feeling as if he disappointed her.
"I love it," said Jane suddenly.
Carlos' smile returns as Jane picks up the bracelet and puts it on. Carlos holds her hand and looks at the beautiful piece of jewelry on her wrist.
"I didn't know you knew how to make jewelry," said Jane, surprised.
"I didn't do it by myself," said Carlos. "I had help from Dizzy."
Carlos and Jane both look at Dizzy again, who smiles and waves at them again. Carlos' smile was a thank you, while Jane's smile tells Dizzy that she thinks it's nice that she helped Carlos. Jane kept on smiling until, for some reason, she frowned.
"What's the matter?" Carlos asked.
"My gift sucks in comparison right now," said Jane. "You practically gave me a chest full of good, which makes mine look like garbage."
"I'll be the judge of that," said Carlos.
Jane slowly picks up her gift box and nervously gives it to Carlos. Her arms shook until Carlos grabbed the box from her hands. He unties the strings and opens the box. Inside it was a laptop.
"The L-Vorton 3PZ?" Carlos sounded surprised. "How did you know I wanted this?"
All Jane can say was a continuous "uh" without speaking an actual word.
"The only person I've talked to about this laptop was Jay, and that was last week," said Carlos with a suspicious look on his face. "I seem to recall you accidentally dropping your books
"Okay, yes, I was eavesdropping," Jane admitted, ashamed of herself. "I didn't know what to get you for our anniversary and I was losing my mind, so I... I've been following you to figure out what you want."
Carlos was surprised that Jane would do something so wrong. To think, he had once contemplated about doing the same thing.
"I know. I know. What I did was wrong," said Jane, looking away from her boyfriend. "I was just so caught up on trying to not disappoint you that I decided to stoop down to VK level. Go ahead. Say it. I'm a horrible person and a horrible girlfriend. I never should've stalked you just to get you the right gift. I never should have..."
Carlos interrupts Jane by holding her hand and pulling her up and off the chair, twirling her around like a boy would do to a girl while they're slow dancing.
"Jane, I love it," said Carlos.
"But I feel like such an idiot for the promise I made you keep," said Jane. "You gave me a gift that came from your heart. I gave you a gift that came from doing something wrong."
"No, I get it. You were mad at me for forgetting about our anniversary. I can't blame you for that," said Carlos. "Besides, the promise you made me keep, it taught me a lesson. All day, I've been treating this gift-giving thing like an exam. You know I'm no fan of failing. Then I learned that this isn't some kind of exam. It's a way of me showing how much I value us."
"Are you sure you love my gift?" asked Jane.
"I've been trying to make money for months to but this, and now I have it. The best part, the girl that I love gave it to me," said Carlos happily.
Jane became shocked once again as soon as she heard Carlos say the L word.
"I'm sorry. The girl you what?" She asked.
Carlos takes out his phone and turns on the bluetooth speaker placed not too far from the table. He starts playing a song. He holds both of Jane's hands and started dancing to the tune. Jane played along and tried to keep up, smiling nervously.
There's a shop down the street,
Where they sell plastic rings,
For a quarter a piece, I sweat it
Yeah, I know it's cheap,
Not like the gold in your dreams,
But I hope that you wear it
Yeah, the ink may stain my skin,
And my jeans may all be ripped
I'm not perfect, but I swear
I'm perfect for you
Jane was shocked to hear the voice that sang the song. It was Carlos' voice. She's heard him sing before, but she's never heard him sing solo. His voice sounded great. She kept on following Carlos' dance steps as the music started getting faster. He danced with so much energy and she tried so hard not to look silly.
And there's no guarantee,
That this will be easy
It's a miracle you need, believe me
Yeah, I'm no angel, I'm just me,
But I will love you endlessly
Wings aren't what you need, you need me
Carlos and Jane started dancing with harmony. He may have been dancing faster, but she was keeping up with some dance moves of her own. Being a cheerleader has helped her become a better dancer. They grab each other's hands and started spinning around, listening to the music and enjoying themselves. The night turned out to be not a disaster, after all. Carlos gave Jane a gift that came from his heart. Jane gave Carlos something he's always wanted. They both loved their gifts, but not as much as they loved each other. They truly found the right partner in each other.
From the distance, Dizzy and Doug sat on the grass and watched the two have fun. Dizzy couldn't help but shake to the beat.
"Operation: Perfect Gift was a success," said Dude.
"I knew she'd love it," said Dizzy. "Carlos really has a way with girls."
"That's my man!" Dude felt proud of his owner.
The little girl and the dog hi-fived.
And so, that concludes Carlos' part in the story. I hope you loved it. Thinking about what Carlos would give to Jane wasn't really easy, and I hope the payoff was great. Let me know if you liked it. I would really appreciate it.
On the next chapter, Evie's part of the story will come to a finish. Will she and Dizzy make up and be friends again?
"Endlessly" by The Cab