Ch 21 (Still 2015)
The couple days since the King's rescue seemed to drag on as Gabby spent pretty much all her time up in the hideout with Gingersnap. She'd watched the Cotillion both from the TV and then from her favorite balcony seat. Auradon News Network had filmed everyone boarding the cruise ship, and Gabby smiled when Evie proudly wore some of Dizzy's accessories and gave the young girl a shout out on live TV.
After everyone had boarded the boat, the paparazzi wasn't allowed to film live, and said they'd post highlights later, so Gabby had taken to her balcony to watch the ship from a distance. She could see the lights and almost hear the music even halfway across the ocean.
Of course, she also barely saw the fight between what looked like a giant octopus and a purple dragon. Putting two and two together, Gabby had guessed it was Uma and Mal, considering who, and what, their parents were. The highlights aired on TV later that night proved her right and filled in the details she missed. She was relieved the fight hadn't been too serious and no one was injured. But she couldn't help wondering if Uma had given up as easily as she appeared to. Uma wasn't the type to just give up.
Gabby was on edge and at war with herself. She kept reminding herself that the King was probably very busy and had more important things to worry about then bringing one girl over from the Isle. Then, she would also keep reminding herself that she couldn't get her hopes up anyway.
It was hard to keep track of how long she waited, but she estimated it was only two days. She was trying to find things to do to pass the time. She wasn't sure she was ready to venture out of the hideout yet. Harry and the rest of Uma's crew were probably still sore over not only losing the fight and possibility of freedom, but they were also without a Captain now that Uma was somewhere in the seas surrounding Auradon. So, Gabby was trying to pass the time reading through all her old letters she wrote to Jay.
She was doing just that when she heard the familiar sound of footsteps and creak of the hideout's door opening. She paused, holding her breath as her ears strained to hear.
"Gabby?"
Her breath caught in her throat. Jumping to her feet, she hurried across the hideout only to freeze in place, her eyes meeting his as he entered the room.
Gabby and Jay stared at each other for a long, tense moment. Gabby was pretty sure she was in shock. Jay was standing right there, in front of her. His expression was blank. He didn't look happy, but he didn't look upset either.
Then, he lifted a hand to reveal a scroll. Gabby glanced from his face to the scroll and back again. He just raised his eyebrows at her, silently telling her to take it.
Taking a deep breath, Gabby reached out and took it, unrolling it to read the fancy print as Gingersnap landed on her shoulder.
'His Royal Majesty, King Ben of Auradon, and his Counselors Miss Evie and Sir Jay of the Isle, hereby request the pleasure of your company, Gabrielle, for the current academic year at Auradon Prep.
If you need time to consider the offer, take all the time you need, but you are invited to come whenever you wish.
Signed,
King Ben'
Gabby slowly raised her head to stare at Jay in shock, her mouth hanging open. Jay finally allowed a grin to spread over his face.
"Is this real?" she whispered in shock. "I-I can go to Auradon? Right now?"
Jay nodded. "Yep. Whenever you're ready, we can get going. I came with some of Ben's couriers. They're delivering a similar message to Dizzy and Hadie as we speak. They have a few days or so to decide, but I made it clear to Ben that you needed to get out of here as soon as possible. We just need to get back to the limo, and we're outta here."
Gabby gaped wordlessly, too shocked and overwhelmed for words. Then, she slammed into Jay and hugged him tighter than she ever had in her life. He laughed quietly, hugging her back.
"Thank you." Gabby whispered, her breathing shaky as she tried and failed to get a handle on her emotions.
"Don't thank me." Jay told her, squeezing her tighter. "I should have done this a long time ago. Now, we're even."
Gabby pulled back and looked curiously up at him. "How are we even? First, you saved me from my father, now you're bringing me to Auradon. If anything, I owe you."
Jay was already shaking his head before she finished speaking. "Not even close, Gabs. But I'm not going to stand here and list all the reasons I owe you. You need to pack so we can blow this popsicle stand."
Gabby laughed, her body feeling light for the first time in ages. Turning, she rushed back to her little corner and paused, trying to decide what all to bring. She didn't have much, and what she did have wasn't all that valuable.
She started grabbing some of her clothes lying around the building, stuffing them in an old cloth sack. She even folded up Jay's letters and stuck them in the bag.
"Perch." Gingersnap insisted, perching on her lamp and staring at Gabby.
"We can't bring your perch." Gabby argued. "It's too big. I can get you a new one."
Gingersnap made a farting sound in response, but fluttered to Gabby's shoulder.
Looking around, Gabby paused and slowly picked up her naginata, looking down at it, both fond and sad. She knew she realistically couldn't bring it with her, and she wouldn't need it in Auradon, but leaving it behind would be like leaving a piece of her.
"You could bring it." Jay offered, seeing her reaction as she stared down at her treasured weapon.
Gabby glanced back at him doubtfully. "I don't think they'd want a villain kid bringing a weapon to Auradon."
Jay shrugged. "The worse they can do is take it when you get there. But maybe they'd let you keep it as a…a memento or something. Hang it on the wall in your dorm or something."
Gabby smiled softly at him. "Thanks." she whispered, giving in.
With her bag of the very few items she was choosing to bring, her naginata, and Gingersnap perched on her shoulder, Gabby followed Jay from the building and through several alleys until they reached a familiar limo. There were a few adults dressed in matching yellow suits waiting for them. They nodded to Jay before getting into the limo. Jay gestured for Gabby to get in after them.
The leather seats were cool as Gabby scooted inside, setting her things on the floor by her feet. Gingersnap huddled against Gabby's neck silently, probably uncertain in this new environment. Jay scooted in after her and shut the door, and a few seconds later the car started moving.
Gabby surveyed the inside of the limo silently, trying not to feel awkward with the strange men sitting with them in the limo.
"Hey," Jay bumped her elbow with his before leaning forward and snagging something off the snack bar in the limo, "try this."
Gabby eyed the food in his hand dubiously. It was brown like mud. "What is it?" she asked warily.
Jay smirked. "Do you trust me?"
Gabby pursed her lips, glancing from Jay to the small item in his hand. Sighing in defeat, she took it in her fingers and slowly brought the food to her lips, trying to ignore Jay watching her closely.
As soon as the food touched Gabby's tongue, her eyes went wide, causing Jay to laugh. It was sweet and smooth and rich and the food started to melt in Gabby's mouth. Then, inside there was a salty, nutty tasting food that was rougher in texture, but the two balanced each other out deliciously.
"Oh my gosh." Gabby mumbled with her mouth full, covering it with her hand and staring up at Jay in shock. "What is this?"
Jay laughed at her reaction. "That's how me and Carlos reacted when we ate those the first time. That's a peanut butter cup. Chocolate on the outside, peanut butter on the inside."
"That's chocolate?" Gabby asked after swallowing. "Now I know why Mal loves those chocolate-covered strawberries so much." she admitted, making Jay laugh again.
Gabby was distracted by the barrier opening and stared out the window in amazement as they passed over the sea on a magical, golden bridge. Sure, she'd seen the bridge a couple times from a distance, but to be on it, it almost seemed like they were flying.
"So, you said Dizzy and Hadie got invited to Auradon?" Gabby asked, turning back to Jay when they reached the other side. Part of her wanted to just stare out the window and admire the bright colors and sunlight that she never saw on the Isle, but she also wanted to ask questions.
Jay nodded. "Yep. They probably said yes, I'm assuming, and will be brought over within the next couple days. Ben basically asked Evie for a list of kids to bring over. I figure they were picked because they're younger and still pretty innocent."
Gabby nodded, glad those two were the first. "Then why was I chosen?"
"Maybe because I threatened to bring you over myself if Ben didn't do it?" Jay suggested playfully.
"You did not!" Gabby laughed, causing Jay to laugh as well.
"I kinda did, but that's not the only reason. Ben remembered you stepping in and fighting Gil for him, which I pointed out was you fighting your own brother in Ben's defense. Plus, me and Evie both have kinda been singing your praises the last couple days."
Gabby blushed, glancing away in embarrassment. "And what kind of praises would those be?" she asked dubiously.
"You're nice, good, talented, you're a member of the Anti-Heroes, you've been helping people a lot-"
"Okay, okay, I get it." Gabby laughed, her blush increasing both at Jay's compliments and the fact that she was very aware of the couriers listening in on them. "Anyway, is it just us three that the King's bringing over?"
"For now." Jay answered. "But he plans on bringing more over, and much sooner than it took to bring you guys over. He figured, Freddie's already in Auradon, so he'll bring you three over since there were four of us in the first group. He'll probably bring them over in similar-sized groups."
Gabby nodded in understanding. Four was a decent number, not too many to handle at once. It would be easier for the teachers and Jay and the others to help the new villain kids individually.
The drive passed fairly quickly, especially with Jay insisting Gabby try more of the candy in the limo. She drew the line at the rock candy. She didn't care how delicious the colors looked, she wasn't quite ready to eat rocks.
Finally, they pulled up to the amazing castle that Gabby had only ever seen pictures of. There was a small crowd standing out front as the limo pulled up, and Gabby's stomach clenched with nerves. Jay noticed her hands shaking, and without thinking, he placed his hand over hers, making her look at him.
"You'll be fine." he assured her gently. Gabby stared into his dark brown eyes and nodded slowly. She gave him a grateful smile as the limo pulled to a stop. Jay gave her hand one more squeeze before grabbing her things and getting out of the car. Gabby took a deep breath and followed him.
King Ben was standing front and center as she stepped out into the sunlight. Mal was standing next to him, her arm looped through his. Gabby noted she looked much happier than she had a few days ago, and much more like herself. She was wearing a casual, dark purple dress that went to her knees, and a black leather jacket with green designs. Her light purple hair was just slightly wavy apart from her straight bangs. Standing next to Mal was Evie, looking as elegant as ever, and on Ben's other side was Carlos and his dog.
Evie tried to maintain proper decorum as Ben's new Counselor, but her excitement got the better of her. She let out a quiet squeal and rushed to Gabby, giving her a tight hug. Gabby flinched in surprise before laughing and returning the hug excitedly.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy you're here!" Evie whispered excitedly, pulling back and holding Gabby's hands in her own. When she realized the others were chuckling at her, she stepped back. "Right. Sorry. I just got so excited." she admitted, moving to stand at Gabby's side, opposite of Jay.
"That's quite alright, Evie." Ben assured her with a warm smile, looking amused. "It's okay to be excited." Turning his attention to Gabby, Ben stepped forward and held out his hand. "It's nice to officially meet you, Gabby. I'm Ben."
Gabby shakily took his hand. "You, too. I'm Gabby. I mean, well, you already knew that. Clearly. Sorry." she stuttered, earning a couple chuckles from the group.
"It's fine." Ben assured her, his smile widening. But Gabby got the sense he wasn't laughing at her, he was just genuinely happy to have her there. Which was weird. She wasn't used to people being happy to have her around. "Jay and Evie both spoke highly of you, as did Carlos and Mal. And I know you took part in the fight against Uma's crew on the Isle, which I want to personally thank you for. You didn't have to do that."
Gabby shrugged awkwardly. "It was the right thing to do. I wanted to help."
Ben nodded, not looking the least bit surprised. "I figured, from what Jay told me about you."
Gabby glanced over at Jay, only to see him looking away and scratching the back of his neck.
Gingersnap made a throat-clearing sound from Gabby's shoulder, earning a few amused glances.
"Oh, um, this is my parrot, Gingersnap. I hope it's okay that I brought her. I couldn't leave her behind." Gabby explained, suddenly fearing they would demand she get rid of her faithful companion.
"It's perfectly fine. I'm sure Carlos could fill you in on the pets policy the school has. And you'll have to discuss it with your roommate. As long as she has no problem, you should be fine." Ben assured her. Gabby nodded in understanding. "You'll be rooming with Freddie Facilier. I hope that's okay. I believe you know her?"
Gabby nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."
"Why can't she stay in our room?" a familiar voice asked, causing everyone to turn and look down at the dog sitting at Carlos's feet. "She could sleep in Jay's bed with him. What?" he asked when he saw their expressions. "She'd probably be more comfortable with that than sleeping with the creepy voodoo chick. Her and Jay used to sleep together under a shaky old shelf."
"Shut up, Dude." Jay ordered, his voice tight with anger and discomfort. Mal, Evie, and Carlos knew about his and Gabby's old sleeping arrangements, but Ben certainly didn't. Jay glared at Carlos, who put his hands up innocently.
"Don't look at me! I didn't tell him that." Carlos defended himself.
"Duh. People don't think anything of what they say in front of dogs." Dude informed them casually. "Jay's mentioned it a few times in front of me. I've also heard him say Gabby's name in his sleep."
"Okay! That's enough. Next topic." Jay ordered as everyone gave him surprised and amused glances. "And another word out of you, I'm getting a rolled up newspaper." he added sternly to the little dog.
"Try it and I'll leave a little gift in your shoes." Dude countered easily, causing several people to laugh or snort.
Gabby covered her own mouth with her hand. She wasn't sure if she should feel amused or embarrassed. The King of Auradon now knew her and Jay used to sleep under a shelf together. And why was Jay saying her name in his sleep?
"Anyway," Ben continued, trying to get the conversation back on track, "Evie and Jay have volunteered to be your official guides to show you around campus, but feel free to ask any of us if you have any questions. Okay?"
Gabby nodded with a smile. "Okay. Thank you."
"I have some stuff for you right here." Evie told her, holding up a blue folder. "It has your locker information, your dorm room information, and information on any classes you might be placed in. There's a backpack and school supplies waiting for you in your dorm, and I'm going to be designing and making some new outfits for you, and no you can't argue with me."
Gabby laughed slightly. "I kinda figured. You're a little stubborn."
"A little?" Mal joked.
Jay cleared his throat. "Ben, is Gabby allowed to keep this?" he asked, holding up her naginata. "She made it."
Ben looked at it doubtfully. "Well,…I'm not sure. We don't allow weapons on campus. I'll speak to Fairy Godmother about it. Is it important to you?" he asked Gabby.
"Well,…I made it because I needed to defend myself back on the Isle." Gabby admitted uncertainly. "But I don't really need it here, I guess. I think it's more…sentimental. But I don't need to keep it."
Ben nodded. "I'll talk to Fairy Godmother about it. For now, I'll leave you with these guys. Unfortunately, Mal and I have some things we need to take care of. But remember, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me anything you need to."
Gabby nodded, and Ben and Mal turned and walked away.
"Well, let's go find your dorm." Jay suggested, pulling her bag over his shoulder and leading the way toward the castle. Gabby, Evie, and Carlos followed him. Gabby admired the statue of the former King Adam as they passed it on their way to the front doors. In fact, she admired everything she saw; the colorful flowers, green shrubs, blue skies, fresh air. Even the bricks of the castle looked clean and smooth, unlike the dilapidated brick buildings on the Isle.
As they neared the front doors of the castle, they crossed paths with a young couple of teenagers. The girl was latched onto the boy's arm and giggling loudly at something he said. She was dressed in a short, pale pink and blue dress, her brown hair perfectly curled. He had wavy blonde hair and was dressed in a pale blue sweater over a yellow button up shirt.
They paused when they caught sight of the other group of teenagers.
"Audrey." Evie greeted the other girl with a small, polite smile. "How was your vacation?"
"It was wonderful." Audrey gushed. "But I was so sad to miss Cotillion. If it wasn't for Chad, who knows how long I would have been stranded on the side of that road, though." Audrey sighed and fluttered her eyelashes up at Chad, who puffed out his chest.
"How'd you fix the flat tire?" Carlos asked curiously, seriously doubting Chad could have done it himself.
"Well," Chad chuckled slightly, "I just called the nearest tow truck and kept my lovely girlfriend company while we waited."
Gabby glanced curiously up at Jay, who rolled his eyes.
"Oh, you two are back together then?" Evie asked.
"Of course we are." Audrey answered, looking slightly defensive as she narrowed her eyes in Evie's direction. "We were never really broken up. You can't break up true love." she gushed, leaning against Chad's shoulder and smiling up at him.
Gabby glanced at Evie, who looked like she didn't believe anything this Audrey girl said.
"So, who's this?" Chad asked, looking over Gabby curiously. Audrey did the same, and Gabby didn't like how the other girl's nose wrinkled as if she saw something rotten.
"This is Gabby. She's a friend of ours from the Isle." Evie explained with a smile.
"Another one?" Audrey asked with a grimace. "Didn't the catastrophe at Cotillion with that other girl teach Ben nothing? Villain kids can't be trusted."
Carlos cleared his throat. "You realize who you're talking to, right?"
"Well, you four tried to steal the wand." Audrey pointed out.
"Who's your villain parent?" Chad asked, still curiously looking at Gabby, who was shifting her feet awkwardly.
Gabby paused, unsure if she wanted or needed to answer. She glanced at Jay, wondering what to do or say. Jay met her eyes for a moment before looking back at Chad and Audrey.
"That isn't important. Her parents haven't been around for a while." Jay told them briefly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we're taking Gabby to her dorm and then giving her a tour."
With that, Jay moved past Chad and Audrey, leading the others into the castle.
"They seemed…" Gabby trailed off, unsure of what to say. Nice? Different? Interesting?
"Yeah, that was Chad and Audrey." Carlos explained. "Chad's the son of Cinderella, and Audrey's the daughter of Aurora. They have their moments, but they aren't always very nice."
"And that Chad guy keeps breaking into our room." Dude announced as he trotted along at Carlos's side. "If he does that again tonight, I'm biting his pants."
Everyone chuckled. Gabby was starting to really like this little dog, though she still had one question about him.
"Carlos, how is your dog talking?" she asked curiously.
"Well,…I'd asked Mal to make this truth gummy. Like, if I ate it I would only be able to tell the truth all the time."
"Why would you want to eat something like that?" Gabby asked, completely confused.
Jay laughed. "He was trying to ask a girl out."
Carlos blushed. "Shut up. Anyway, before I could eat the gummy, Dude ate it. And now he talks."
"Which makes me smarter than your bird." Dude added, looking up at Gingersnap perched on Gabby's shoulder. Gingersnap responded with a farting sound.
"Dog breath." she muttered, making Gabby chuckle and scratch the bird's head.
They went up staircases and through hallways, which Jay explained were the dorms. The boys' dorms were on the opposite side of the building, which Jay said he could show her after dropping her things off in her dorm.
"This is mine and Mal's dorm." Evie explained as they passed another door. All the doors pretty much looked exactly the same apart from the room numbers. Evie and Mal's door had a sign that said "Evie's 4 Hearts" with a sparkly picture of a red heart wearing a gold crown. At least that would be easy to remember. "You're room with Freddie is right next door." Evie added as they moved down to the next door. She knocked on the door before pushing it open.
Freddie was lounging on one of the beds, dressed in a red and purple outfit, her small, purple hat sitting crooked on her head as she skimmed a large book propped on her legs. She looked up when they entered.
"Well, look who showed up." she greeted playfully, closing her book with a thump.
Gabby didn't respond, too distracted looking around the room with her mouth hanging open.
The room was large, with wooden walls and floors, but the floor was mostly covered by a large, light blue rug with black and white designs. Most of the room was New Orleans or voodoo themed, without being creepy. The windows were covered with purple curtains with little gold designs. There were New Orleans themed paintings on the walls. There was a tiny voodoo head hanging from Freddie's bedpost. Freddie's bed had a purple blanket, and the other bed had a red blanket with a red backpack sitting on it. Across the room was a large fireplace with a flat screen TV on the wall above it.
Gabby took it all in with her mouth open until someone tapped her chin with their finger. She closed her mouth and turned to look up at Jay with wide eyes, making him laugh.
"I take it you like the room? Or all the voodoo heads creep you out." Jay joked.
"I was here first. The voodoo dolls stay." Freddie announced, cuddling a small, pale voodoo doll to her chest.
Gabby huffed a small laugh. "They're fine. I was just…in shock. This room…I can stay here?"
"Yep." Evie chirped before giggling. "You're lucky. When Mal and I first came, our dorm was all pink, white, and frilly. Mal hated it. But Freddie's pretty much got this place all set up already."
Gabby nodded. She might make a few changes after a while, but she was perfectly fine with how Freddie decorated the room. Even the colors were cool, mostly red with purple, blue, and gold. There really wasn't much in the color scheme she felt the need to change.
"Well, do you want to hang out here and get settled in first, or do you want to leave your stuff here so we can give you the grand tour?" Jay asked. "Dinner will be soon, and your first day of school is tomorrow."
Carlos laughed. "Jay was useless in class today, waiting to go pick you up."
Jay punched him in the shoulder.
Gabby chuckled before taking her things from Jay and putting them on her bed. She hesitated before stuffing her naginata under her bed. She wasn't sure what to do with it, but she figured she should put it somewhere safe or hidden.
"You can grab that backpack." Jay suggested, nodding to the backpack sitting on the bed. "That's your school stuff. We can stop by your school locker and put them away."
Gabby tilted her head slightly. "Am I allowed to go to school?" she asked. "I mean, the most education I've really had was being home schooled by my mom."
"We explained all that to Ben already." Evie explained, handing her the folder she'd been carrying. "So, tomorrow morning Fairy Godmother is going to give you some short quizzes to see where you're at education-wise. It's no pressure or anything, it's just to decide where to place you in classes."
Gabby nodded. "Okay, that doesn't sound too bad, I suppose." she admitted, though she was still a little nervous.
"Well, grab your bag. We'll show you around." Jay told her, turning back toward the door.
"You coming, Freddie?" Carlos asked while Gabby grabbed her backpack.
"Nah. I'll meet you guys down there for dinner." Freddie waved them off.
They retraced their steps through the dorms until they returned to the main lobby, but instead of going out the front doors, Jay made a quick detour through the boys' dorms to show Gabby where him and Carlos's dorm was if she ever needed to know. She was sure she'd never remember how to find it later on her own. Then they headed outside toward the school.
The lockers were blue and on the outside of the school. They all looked the same, so Gabby tried to think of a way to burn her locker number into memory. Then it was made clear she would also need to remember her locker combination to actually open it.
It took a few attempts before she actually got the door open, which Evie assured her was normal. She struggled with her own locker when they first arrived. Jay simply broke into his locker until he figured it out. After dropping her school things inside, Jay and Carlos lead the way through the now-empty school, showing her where the most important things were.
"Since we don't know what classes you're going to be taking yet, we can't exactly show you where your classes are." Carlos pointed out. "But you'll for sure be taking Remedial Goodness, which is in the back of the library."
They wandered through the school, and Jay, Carlos, and Evie showed Gabby where all the important rooms were, and where she would probably be having classes. They then showed her the gym, and the amphitheatre, which was attached to it.
"This is where the R.O.A.R team practices." Jay explained as they entered the giant, circular amphitheatre decorated with blue and yellow boxes. "We had practice after school today, but I was exempt so I could pick you up. How was practice, anyway?" he asked Carlos.
"Good. Chad tried giving Lonnie attitude, but she handled him pretty well." Carlos answered.
"Wait, I thought you were the Captain." Gabby said, confused. "How could you not be at practice if you're Captain?"
"I'm not Captain anymore." Jay answered with a casual shrug.
"Someone beat you?" Gabby guessed in shock.
"Not exactly." a new voice answered, causing them all to turn. The girl Gabby sort of met on the Isle, Lonnie, approached them in a blue and pink workout outfit, her hair in a ponytail. "Hi, you must be Gabby! I'm Lonnie. We never officially met back on the Isle." she greeted her with a wide smile, offering her hand.
Gabby shook it hesitantly with a small smile of her own. "Nice to meet you. So, you're the new Captain?" she guessed, not at all surprised when she thought about it. She'd seen Lonnie take on two pirates at once.
"Yep." Lonnie beamed proudly. "But it's not technically because I beat Jay." she admitted. "The rules to join the team are archaic. The rules state that 'a team shall be comprised of a Captain and eight men'." she quoted mockingly.
"Oh, so you got around the rule." Gabby guessed, glancing at Jay. "She's Captain, and the rest of the team is eight men?"
Jay nodded with a small smirk. "Yep. It was implied no girls allowed, but we worked around the wording. It never said the Captain had to be a guy."
"And you came up with that?" Gabby asked, playfully implying she didn't think he was that smart. Jay responded by pulling her head under his arm and giving her a noogie. Everyone laughed while Gabby tried and failed to get herself free. Finally Jay let her go, and she shoved at his arm in retribution.
"It's a step in the right direction," Lonnie continued their conversation, "but it's still too bad all girls can't have a chance on the team yet. You'd be a great addition. I saw you fighting with that naginata at the docks. You were amazing!"
Gabby blushed, looking down at her feet. "Thanks. I had to teach myself some kind of self-defense, or I'd never have survived out there."
"You taught yourself to fight like that? Even more impressive. Everything I know I learned from my parents and brother." Lonnie told her.
"Hey, Lon, while you're here, I've been meaning to ask you a favor." Jay spoke up. "They're having that Club Fair this Friday in the gym, and Coach Jenkins wanted me to host the tourney booth. As the new Captain, could you host the R.O.A.R booth?" he asked with a grin.
Lonnie beamed. "Sure! I'd love to!"
They talked with Lonnie for a few more minutes before heading out to the cafeteria. Gabby's eyes were wide as she looked around at all the different choices of fresh food. She wasn't sure what all to pick, but Jay ended up piling way more than she needed onto her tray.
"I'm never going to eat all this." she informed him as they carried their trays outside toward several picnic tables.
"You need to at least try all that. Trust me. And I can eat whatever you don't." he added with a smirk.
Carlos lead the way toward a table where Mal was sitting with a couple other people. Carlos sat next to a pretty girl with dark brown hair dressed in a blue dress. She lit up when she saw him, then blushed slightly before her blue eyes landed on Gabby and the others.
"Jane, this is Gabby." Carlos introduced them. "Gabby, this is Jane; my girlfriend." he added proudly, making Jane's blush darken, but her smile widened.
"It's nice to meet you." Jane told her with a kind smile. "Carlos has told me a lot about you."
"It's nice to meet you, too." Gabby returned the smile easily. This girl was very easygoing and Gabby was instantly comfortable around her.
"And this is Doug, my boyfriend." Evie announced from where she'd taken her seat next to another teenage boy at the table. He wasn't someone Gabby would've imagined Evie being with, considering how obsessed she used to be with finding a prince. Doug had brown hair and was wearing glasses, a blue shirt with a green bowtie, and suspenders. Basically, he looked like your typical nerd, but he was very nice and looked at Evie like she was his whole world. It was honestly adorable.
"It's nice to meet you." Doug smiled at her, holding Evie's hand atop the table. "Are Evie and the guys giving you the grand tour?"
Gabby nodded as she sat between Jay and Mal. "Yeah, they are. And it's even nicer than I thought it would be, which is saying something." she admitted quietly, feeling shy at suddenly being the center of the table's attention. Luckily, the conversation quieted as everyone began eating their food. Gabby was beyond shocked by how different the food was. The bread of her sandwich was fresh and soft instead of stale. Her apple was crisp and juicy. Her milk was smooth and not curdled. She knew the Isle only got the rotten food and leftovers, but she'd never imagined it being this different.
"Yo, Jay!" a guy called as they were almost finished eating. As predicted, Gabby hadn't been able to eat even half of her food, but Jay, as promised, helped her eat it all under the guise of being 'a growing boy'.
Jay turned around and Gabby followed his gaze to see a few guys approaching them. The one in front resembled Jay enough that it was fairly easy for Gabby to guess who he was before he reached them.
The guys fist bumped Jay before the guy in front grinned at Gabby.
"I don't think we've been formally introduced." he told her. "I'm Aziz. Nice to meet you." he told her, offering his hand. Instead of shaking it when Gabby placed her hand in his, he lifted it and kissed her knuckles. Gabby's face turned bright red at the gesture.
"Turn down the charm, Aziz." a second boy laughed. "You're going to make her face catch fire."
"Back off, guys." Jay told them, shoving Aziz's shoulder when he released Gabby's hand. "This is Gabby."
"Ah, so you're the girl Jay's been keeping to himself." the second boy commented, making Jay reach up and punch his shoulder. He ducked away, laughing, before shaking Gabby's hand. "I'm Tyrone. Nice to meet you."
"And I'm Herkie." the third boy greeted her, taking Tyrone's place. "Ignore these idiots. They've got egos the size of Auradon, and they enjoy picking on Jay."
All three boys looked fairly different. Aziz had tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes, and Gabby already knew he was the son of Aladdin from seeing him on TV. Tyrone had darker skin, curly, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. Finally, Herkie was huge. Gabby guessed his arms were about as big around as her head, and he had curly, auburn hair, sun-kissed skin, and blue eyes.
Gabby laughed quietly at Herkie's comment, glancing at Jay, who rolled his eyes.
"How're you liking Auradon so far?" Herkie asked her.
"I like it a lot." she answered vaguely, unsure how much to say to people here. It wasn't like the Isle. Admitting she'd always wanted to come here wouldn't make her seem weak, right? Either way, she didn't add anything.
"Are you one of the pirates Jay and the others had to fight?" Tyrone asked curiously.
"No." Gabby answered slowly. "I fought the pirates with them."
"I only asked because you have a parrot on your shoulder, like some pirates." Tyrone explained, nodding to Gingersnap perched on Gabby's shoulder.
"Oh, no I'm not a pirate. I got Gingersnap when I was little." Gabby explained briefly.
"Gingersnap, huh? Where'd she get the name?" Herkie asked as Tyrone held his finger out toward the bird. Gingersnap responded by snapping her beak at him. Tyrone barely jerked his finger away in time, making the others laugh.
"That's where she got the name." Gabby admitted, trying not to laugh. "She has a bit of an attitude."
"I can see that." Tyrone answered, his eyes wide.
"Are you single?" Aziz asked suddenly, a glint in his eyes and grin on his face.
"Dude, it's her first day here, leave her alone." Herkie shook his head, smirking. Gabby hadn't even understood Aziz's question. Single? Single what? As opposed to double?
Gabby glanced uncertainly at Jay, who was glaring lightly up at Aziz.
"She's off limits, your highness." Jay informed him sarcastically.
"Oh?" Tyrone propped his elbow on Aziz's shoulder, both boys smirking playfully down at Jay. "Why? Did you call dibs?"
Jay abruptly stood up and both boys turned and ran off, laughing hysterically. Herkie shook his head and followed more slowly. Gabby watched Jay as he returned to his seat, shaking his head with a tiny grin on his face, though he looked partially annoyed.
"What was that about?" she asked hesitantly. She didn't understand the last part of the conversation. Were those boys being mean to her without her realizing it? Were they like Chad and Audrey and enjoyed being mean to villain kids? "Do you not like them?"
"Huh?" Jay turned and looked at her. "Oh, no, they're cool. They're great guys, actually. I'm on the tourney and R.O.A.R teams with them."
Gabby still felt confused. The conversation with them had been weird. "But…what were they talking about? Asking if I was single; what did that mean?"
"You don't know what that means?" Doug asked from his seat.
"We don't date on the Isle, remember?" Evie reminded him before turning to Gabby. "Aziz was asking if you had a boyfriend or not." she told her gently.
Gabby's eyes widened. "Oh." She wasn't sure what to think of that. Were guys in Auradon just like the guys on the Isle, only thinking disgusting and inappropriate things about her?
Jay watched her face and seemed to guess what she was thinking. "Aziz and Tyrone will probably flirt with you a lot, but they would never hurt you. They're good guys. I promise."
Gabby looked back at him and smiled shyly. "Okay." she whispered. "Thanks."
Evie suddenly gasped, slapping her hands to the tabletop and making everyone at the table jump.
"What the heck, E?" Mal asked, her wide eyes fixed on her best friend.
"I just thought of a great idea! Gabby, would you want a job?" Evie asked excitedly.
Gabby's own eyes were wide as well. "Um, job?" she repeated, trying to catch up to Evie's thought process.
"I have my own business, remember?" Evie checked. "Evie's 4 Hearts. I design and sell clothes to people."
"But I can't really design." Gabby pointed out. "At least, not like you."
"No, but you can follow patterns and sew. It wouldn't be a lot of work most of the time. I made almost everyone on campus dresses for Cotillion, and it honestly would've been great to have someone to help with the sewing part. But most of the time, I don't have that many orders, so it wouldn't be that much work most of the time. Would you at least consider it? Pretty please?" Evie begged, clasping her hands together.
Gabby laughed slightly at her pleading expression. "Well,…okay, I'll think about it. But I at least want to get used to being here before I decide."
"Of course." Evie agreed instantly. "Take all the time you need. Like I said, I probably won't get very many orders most of the time."
"It would be a good way to have some extra money." Doug pointed out. "I help Evie with the money and accounting part of the business, so I know she has more than enough to pay another employee." he added, jokingly glancing at his girlfriend. Evie rolled her eyes playfully before laying her head on his shoulder.
Gabby stayed out at the picnic table talking with the others as the sun started to sink on the horizon. She was introduced to several more people who stopped by to chat; including Ruby and Anxelin, Rapunzel's blonde daughters; Pin, the son of Pinocchio; and Arabella, Ariel's red-haired niece.
It was dark by the time they all headed back toward the dorms. Gabby was sure she'd get lost wandering the campus alone, especially at night, and couldn't imagine ever being able to find her way. The guys and girls split up to go to their respective gender's dorms; except for Jay, who insisted on walking Gabby to her dorm.
"You didn't have to walk me all the way here." Gabby told him for the fourth time as they reached her door. "Evie's dorm is right next to mine, and we walked the whole way with her."
"Yeah, I know." Jay admitted. "Just wanted to make sure you were settling in okay. How was your first day in Auradon?"
Gabby grinned as she pushed her door open. "It was…probably the best day ever." she answered honestly.
Jay grinned, following her into the room. Freddie hadn't returned from dinner yet, so they were alone. Jay flipped the light switch by the door, flooding the room with a soft light. Gingersnap flew to perch on the headboard of Gabby's new bed while Gabby approached her bed where her bag of minimal belongings still sat. There were two different dressers, one on each side of the door. Gabby assumed the one closest to Freddie's bed was Freddie's, while the farthest one was supposed to be Gabby's.
Sitting slowly onto the edge of the bed, Gabby paused before letting herself sink down onto the soft mattress. All tenseness left her muscles as she slowly laid onto her back, sighing in relief.
"Whoa." she muttered, her eyes closed as she sprawled back on her new bed. "It's like sleeping on a cloud."
Jay laughed. "Yeah, that's what me and Carlos thought. Way better than a patched up beanbag, huh?"
"And a hard floor." Gabby agreed, turning her head and forcing her eyes open so she could smile across the room at him. "Thanks."
Jay shook his head, his grin shrinking slightly. "Stop thanking me. This should have happened months ago."
Gabby shrugged, her arms still stretched out. "Can't change the past. We just need to move forward."
Jay nodded. "I suppose so."
Gabby struggled to sit up, her tired body too heavy, which made Jay laugh. Finally managing it, Gabby sat on the edge of her bed and looked at him.
"So,…I start school tomorrow, right?" Gabby asked uncertainly.
Jay nodded. "Yeah, I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning about…7:30 for breakfast. Then Fairy Godmother wants you to be in the Remedial Goodness classroom in the library to give you those quizzes. Everything else will be figured out later, I guess."
Gabby nodded in understanding and silence fell over the room. Gabby glanced over at Jay, who now appeared awkward standing in the doorway. He glanced around the room before he met her eyes. He stared at her for a long moment, and Gabby wasn't sure what she saw in his eyes. Finally, he opened his mouth to say something, and for some reason, Gabby was extremely eager to hear what he was going to say.
Unfortunately, Jay was pushed from behind.
"Excuse me. Am I allowed to enter my own room?" Freddie asked rhetorically, pushing her way into the room and heading straight toward her bed.
Jay sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Well, um, I guess I'll get going. I'll see you in the morning, Gabby."
Gabby nodded with a smile. "Right. 7:30."
Jay nodded with a small grin. "Right. Goodnight, Gabby."
Gabby's smile softened shyly. "Night, Jay."