Five

(Friday Afternoon, August 9th)

"It's going to be pretty fucking hard to avoid him, when we attend the same school," Chad irritably responds.

"If you like," his father offers, "we could send you to another school."

"Another school?" Chad's eyes widen.

"You could have a fresh start," he proposes. "There would plenty of new girls to choose from." Chad glances off, and he comments, "Maybe what intrigues you so much about Carlos is that he's a commoner. They're taught different values. Maybe you just want someone who's not so superficial or more down to earth, who knows what it's like to work for everything you have."

"Is that what you saw in Mom?" Chad asks.

"It was how she carried herself." He remembers, "She kept her eyes down, but her skirt was just short enough for her not to trip. Everything about her posture and the stride in her step told me she was strong woman, before I even had the chance to talk to her."

"But you couldn't remember what she looked like. You had to find her by her shoe size." Chad meets his eyes, "For a while, I was wondering if you had the same problem as me."

"No," he slowly answers. "Her foot size is another thing entirely… I was just impressed." He takes a moment, "And Chad, you don't have a problem either. You can get over this."

"Get over this?"

He watches Chad bring a sleeve to his nose to keep it from dripping, and he pulls the bottle from his pocket. "Here," he takes out a white tablet and hands it to Chad. "It's time."

Chad sets it beside his plate and faces him, "What if I don't want to leave him?"

"Carlos is a nice kid," his father evenly expresses, "but he's a bad influence on you."

"I'm not changing schools," Chad asserts.

He takes a moment, "Auradon Prep is a private school outside of our kingdom. I have every right to send you to the public school in our district, if I have reason to believe it's what's best for you."

"Fuck you," Chad shouts, before he stands from the table. "And fuck the meds. Fuck this entire country."

Chad strides out of the backroom, and Bernard questions, "Do you want me to go after him?

"No." Charming picks up his fork, "Let him tire himself out."

"What about his medication?"

"Chad's well aware that if he skips a dose, he's not allowed to take one until it's time to," he explains. "This is just what we call poor decision making, and now he's going to have to suffer the consequences of it."


When Chad runs into the school parking lot, he halts at the sight of the black-haired teacher. "Hawthorne," he whispers. The man looks at him, and he strides down the other row of cars, keeping his head down. All he has to do is get to the door; however, once he's there, it opens by itself.

"You've got to be more careful," the voice sounds next to him, and Chad jumps away. "You're not looking so good. Are you okay?"

He scans the parking lot, but no one's there, "What are you doing here?"

"Fairy Godmother's letting us move in early," he informs. "Can't let students wandering the halls without supervision, can we?"

"They're trusting you to supervise the students?" Chad disbelieves.

"Well, me and Belle and…" he smiles, "you get the point."

"Yeah," Chad asserts. "The big F thinks only child molesters can handle kids."

He seethes, "That's a very serious accusation, Chad. I hope you have some evidence to back up your claim." He lays a hand on his shoulder, "We don't want you in jail, now, do we?"

Chad backs further away and shouts, "Don't fucking touch me."

"It's the drugs, isn't it?" he sympathizes. "That stuff can really mess with your mind, make you paranoid."

"I'm not paranoid," he shakily says.

"You really should have gotten help when I suggested it." He unsurely continues, "Now, you're out of control, a complete wreck. I really blame myself."

"You should," Chad nods.

"We can tell them now, if you like?" Hawthorne recommends, but Chad just stares at him. "All I've ever wanted to do is help. I can, if you let me."

"My parents know about the morphine. And my sexual activities." He eyes over him, "Why don't I tell them about yours?" He watches his smile widen, "What? What is it?"

"I'm glad you can finally admit to it," he nods. "Maybe one day you can accept it."

Chad gapes at him, the door opens, and Fairy Godmother questions, "Is everything alright with you two?"

"I'm worried about our friend here," Professor Hawthorne examines him. "His pupils are dilated. I think he's on something."

Fairy Godmother turns to him, "Chad?"

He eyes from him to her, "No. I'm not on anything."

"Are there any nurses here?" Hawthorne recommends.

"One, I believe." She suggests, "Would you like to escort him there, make sure he's checked out, while I contact his parents?"

"No," Chad shouts, and she frowns at him. "I came here to see Carlos. I want Carlos."

"We can get you Carlos," Professor Hawthorne reassures. "Isn't that right, Fairy Godmother?"

"Of course," she agrees.

"Come on, Chad."

When he reaches for him, Chad pulls away, "I said, don't fucking touch me."

When Fairy Godmother raises her eyebrows at him, Hawthorne explains, "We ended last year with a misunderstanding. Perhaps, he'd be more comfortable with you."

Chad passes under her arm, and she smiles, "Okay, then." She turns before facing the professor again, "Oh. You can get Carlos, can't you?"

"It would be my pleasure," he accepts.

"Lovely," Fairy Godmother cheerfully responds, before she heads inside and walks with Chad. "So, what's the nurse going to tell us?"

"Nothing?" he makes a face.

"Nothing?" she repeats.

He stops, and she turns towards him. He frowns, "I'm not taking anything. That's the problem." Chad faces her, "My dad has my withdrawal medication, but I got mad at him, skipped the dose and ran away."

Her frown deepens, "Dear, why would you do that?"

"Because," he sniffles. "He found out I was seeing Carlos last year and that I saw him again, and now he wants me to transfer schools." He wipes the tears for his eyes and gulps, "He thinks I can be fixed, but I don't want to be fixed. I already tried that."

She hugs him, "Don't worry. You hear me? It's going to be fine."

Chad watches Hawthorne pass them, "I want my dinosaur."

She lets go, "Your dinosaur?"

"My dad has him too."

She keeps her hands on his arms, "How about this? We go to the nurse, we get you Carlos, and we call your dad so that he can bring your dinosaur?" Chad nods, and she smiles, "Yeah? Sound good?"

"Good," he agrees.


"You're pulling Chad out of Auradon Prep?" Fairy Godmother relays, as Charming sits across from her in the office.

"I have my reasons," he frowns.

"I hear your reason is that he told you he's been seeing that sweet boy from the Isle."

"Don't tell me you endorse illegal activities at your school," he disbelieves.

"If I expelled every student who experimented with the same sex," she evenly expresses, "I'd lose half the school."

"But those Islanders aren't just experimenting, are they?" Charming rejects. "Kids raised in abusive households grow up fast. They know who they are and what they want. They act on their needs, and no one can blame them for that."

She holds a pen between her fingers, "What's the problem, then?"

"The problem is they're not discreet, and now they've got my son questioning himself." He scoots forward, "Chad never had a problem with girls, until those kids came here."

Fairy Godmother unsurely smiles, "I feel like the cheerleading squad and every girl from choir would disagree with you."

"He did fine with Audrey," Charming counters. "He just needs a girl he's compatible with, who makes him feel complete."

"Chad's turning sixteen in November," she mentions. "That's age of consent. Don't you think he's old enough to decide who he wants to be with?"

"He's calling his guard a dinosaur," he points out. "I don't know what's happened with Chad, but if he feels safer with a stuffed animal than an ex-militant operative, then no: he's not old enough to decide who he wants to be with."

"Remind me," Fairy Godmother sets the pen down, "how old were you and Ella when you married?"

"I was nineteen. She was sixteen," he calms. "But Ella was abused, just like those kids from the Isle. I already told you they're mature enough to make most of their own decisions."

She takes a minute, "Five."

"Five?" he inquires.

She clasps her hands on the desk, "That's the number of students who have committed suicide since I opened the school." She faces him, "Three of those students were involved in homosexual activity, and two of them didn't go through with it until after they'd been sent away." He eyes down, and she informs, "I also have record of another three students I know of whose parents thought my school was too liberal and therefore the root cause of their children's rebellion against gender norms." She takes a deep breath, "Those students are no longer with us."

"What happened to them?" he whispers.

"They were murdered," she softly answers, and he faces her. "I'm not convinced Chad will stop exploring his sexuality if you have him change schools. What I am convinced of is that this is the safest place for him to do it, both physically and emotionally."


"I was hoping," Chad explains, "that if my father lets me stay here, that maybe you would like to be more than friends or whatever."

Carlos hesitates, "Wasn't that what you were asking me earlier?"

"Well, yeah," Chad bring a sleeve to his nose and sniffles. "But, you know, I just really want to make sure you know what I mean." Tears intrude his eyes, "Because, I kind of like you and I think you kind of like me, and I thought we could kind of go out for, like, reals."

"Only if you're taking your medication," Carlos counters. "I'm not kissing you when you're all sick like this."

"Promise," Chad smiles, before he reaches out and Carlos takes his hand.

"Hey," Chad's father enters the room, and he lets go of Carlos's hand. His father walks over and hugs him, "I love you."

He wraps an arm around him, but he won't let go, "Dad. What's going on?"

He takes a deep breath and faces him, "You're not leaving this school."

"But I thought," Chad starts.

"No," his father tears up. "You date who you want to date, but you do it here. You understand me?" Chad stares at him, and he hugs him again, "I'm not losing you. Ever."

"Does that mean I get to keep my dinosaur for the school year?"

He half laughs, "Yes. You get to keep your dinosaur."

"Queen Belle," Professor Hawthorne strides over to the library's front desk. "What's a woman of your caliber doing in a school?"

She lifts an eyebrow, "Is that your way of insulting my intelligence?"

He chuckles, "On the contrary. You're very bright." He offers his hand, "I've heard many great things about you, Your Highness. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

She takes her hand in his, "Likewise, Professor Hawthorne."