Welcome to a world of hurt and drama! I loved writing this chapter I won't lie. Replies to reviews: Jeremy: I'd say that Jay's still the tough guy we all love, the problem is that Chad has seen that Mal is interested in Ben and wanted to try and target him, hence the fight, and Mal's hair color won't change her relationship with her parents, they love her no matter what her hair is like, Mal's insecurities with her hair are from what people other than her best friend and parents might think.
Villiangirl: Ben's definitely in trouble, and honestly I find it kinda crazy that Ben wasn't more angry at Mal for the love spell, but he is a good person at heart which is why he's in this situation ironically.
Mal's words hung in the air and Ben shook his head, "Mal-I... Mal I'm sorry." the look of pain on his face was... it struck deep for Mal... but... how could she trust him.
"Why?" She demanded, "Why would you do it Ben? Why would you do that to me?" her voice cracked slightly, "I liked you Ben, you... if you had any respect for me you would have waited. If you asked after the Coronation I'd have said yes."
"I..." Ben shook his head, "Princess please-"
"No, no don't even go there." Mal held up a hand, "I... why?"
"I... I just... I wanted to-"
"A couple of weeks! Why couldn't you wait just a couple of weeks if it meant that much to you?" Mal shifted quickly, standing up, and she could hear Ben climbing onto the Pavilion behind her, "Why did you even save me?" Her voice was bitter, "You can't swim either."
"I wasn't going to let you drown I didn't want to hurt you!" Ben's hand landed on her shoulder and she span around, shoving him backwards quickly.
"Don't touch me! God you didn't want to hurt me? Great fucking job!"
"Please Mal I like you I really really like you... I-"
"Then tell me! Cut the crap and tell me the truth." Mal demanded, glaring up at the other teen, "Or I walk away right now and report you to Fairy Godmother and you'll be expelled instantly, a misuse of magic like this... it's so far beyond breaking the rules..."
"I needed to be at the front during the Coronation!" Ben's voice cut over hers, the words bursting out of him, and the moment he said them Mal could see that he wanted to take them back, there was a terror in his eyes and he took a step backwards.
"What?" Mal stared at him, brows furrowing, "I... I don't understand. Why... why does that matter?"
Ben looked away, turning slightly, "Mal please-"
"No, no I want to know why the hell you thought it was okay to do that to me?"
"I didn't!" Ben was facing her again, his eyes wide and his expression pained, "I hated doing that to you because I do like you Mal! God help me but I do! I tried to ask you out and you said no I... I have to be at the front at the Coronation I have to be!"
"Why?" Mal stepped closer, "Ben this is your only choice here. Please."
"Because if I don't get the Fairy Godmothers wand and take it to my mom she'll... you don't know what she's like okay? I have to! I don't have a choice!" and Mal reeled backwards as if she'd been hit, her mouth dropping open in shock.
"If you give your mother the Wand she'll take down the barrier."
"I know."
"You... I... I let you through the Barrier." Mal's voice was tight, pained, "I chose you four because I wanted to give you a chance, a chance at a better life. A chance to choose who you want to be..."
"Oh come on." Ben's voice was bitter, angry. "Did you really think my mother would ever have let me come here without some plot?"
"You don't have to go along with it!"
Mal snapped back, "If you gave your mother the Wand there would never be any chance of peace... never... she..." she swallowed hard, "She'd kill my parents Ben. She'd probably kill me."
"I..." Ben shook his head. "You don't know what she's like Mal... I.."
"Do you-do you even begin to understand how much work I put into bringing you four here? How many people I had to convince, the backlash I got? Auradon is my home! Everyone I love is here and you... you'd destroy that Ben! If you gave her that Wand..." but he'd told her. He hadn't tried to lie, hadn't ran off. He'd told her.
"Why?" she took a deep breath. "Why tell me now?"
"Because you asked."
"No... no you could have thought up some lie, you're good at lying." that was spiteful she knew, but Mal felt it was justified in the situation, though she found she didn't get much satisfaction from his flinch at her words.
"Because I didn't want to lie to you." Ben's shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes, "I am sorry. I really am. I...I didn't want to hurt you I really didn't Mal. I don't... if I don;t d this... my mother... she'll find a way, she'll find a way and she'll kill me. You don't know what she's like this... she told me if I failed her she'd kill me and I don't want to die... but..." he lifted his head slightly, "I... you keep saying I have good in me and... and I like you. God help me but I like it here and Jay and Evie and Carlos are actually happier here and I.. I don't know what to do Mal. I don't know."
"You make the choice." Mal forced herself to breath, she couldn't even begin to sort through the mess of emotions in the pit of her stomach right now. "I assume the others knew about the love potion? And the plan?"
"Yes. Don't... don't blame them I suggested it-"
"And they went along with it." Mal shook her head, hating how much that hurt... especially from Evie, that was almost as painful as the fact that Ben had done it. She liked Evie, betrayal always stung when it came from good friends. "I... I don't know what I'm going to do right now." she managed after a moment. "But I don't want you anywhere near me right now do I make myself clear? Or Jay and Carlos... Evie I don't have much choice about."
"You... you're not having us sent back to the Isle instantly?" Ben's voice was shocked.
"No. Not right away at least. I... I need to think things through." Mal ran her fingers through her hair, moving towards her shoes and sitting down to pull them on.
"I... thank you." Ben's voice was small, but she didn't look at him. She couldn't, she could picture that broken lost look, the guilt she knew was in his eyes and she'd crumble she was sure of it.
"Y'know the worst thing?" she asked as she fastened the straps of her shoes.
"What's the worst thing?"
"The fact that I... I've been dreaming about you since long before I've met you. God you have no idea how excited I was-"
"I might." Ben's voice interrupted her, "I just might. I dreamed about you. About us here. Dancing." his voice was sad, "Looks like I've ruined that huh."
"It's definitely not how I dreamed today would go." Mal paused, "Bet you wish you'd kissed me now, if you'd been able to make yourself-
"No." Ben's voice sounded slightly more confident, "I don't. I.. it was your first kiss. No matter how much I wanted to kiss you I wasn't... not while you were under a love spell. I might be evil and horrible or whatever else you think of me but I'm not... I wouldn't do that to you. Not ever."
Mal closed her eyes, fighting back the urge to turn her head and look back at him. "You don't talk to anyone about today." she stated after a moment, "If anyone asks how it went just say that I got called away. Other than your friends of course." god why was he doing this to her? It wasn't fair. It hurt, because he did care she could feel it, and he could be good, he really could. But what he'd done... it cut deep and she... he was still fighting with himself and she didn't know how the fight would end, if he'd choose good or evil and she was pretty sure that if he chose evil it would break her heart into a thousand pieces.
Audrey was right, she always seemed to care too much too easily.
"Of course." Ben's response was instant, "Whatever you want... I... I'm really sorry for hurting you Mal."
"I'm sure. But you still haven't chosen yet and until that happens..." Mal shook her head "I can't." she paused... it was petty she knew but- "It's a good thing we supplied you guys with phone."
"What-why?"
"Because you're gonna need to call someone to pick you up." with that she headed of quickly, ignoring Ben's spluttering response from behind her as she made her way up through the uneven ground of the woods to the bridge, and she nearly ran across it, shivering slightly by the time she reached the bike.
The ride back to the school was cold, but thankfully she was able to slip inside and into her rooms without being seen, and she showered and changed into her pajamas, tearing off her necklace and throwing it into the bin beside the door before flopping into bed and curling in on herself as she did, closing her eyes before pressing her face into her pillow and letting out a scream into it.
She was lucky that Audrey and Evie were out, she could make the most of the privacy to scream and cry, which she did. A lot.
The date had been so perfect. And it had been fake, a ruse... except not entirely because she was certain Ben hadn't been faking all of it. He'd enjoyed the date, he liked her he did. And she didn't know what she was supposed to do about it. He was torn between good and bad... and god but she knew he wasn't evil, he wasn't. He had good in him-oh he wasn't a perfect prince like half of the guys at school, but he wasn't evil by a long shot. But he could choose evil. He was terrified of his mother, and she couldn't do anything about it.
He had to make the choice and she hated it. She wanted to scream and rage. He'd used magic on her. A love spell, that was so so beyond a violation of trust. It made her question her own judgement-she was supposed to be the future Queen. Her people needed her to be strong. And for the first time she was having doubts about the fact that she'd brought the Isle kids to Auradon.