R.O.A.R. practice for Jay has become a lot less fun since his boyfriend wasn't with him, especially since Aziz was the whole reason he joined the team and worked his ass off to become captain. Jay really wished he had decided to join the team last year since it made intimate nights with Aziz a lot more . . . fun.

But that's all that will be said about that for the moment.

Although Aziz has been gone for less than two weeks, Jay still found himself growing more miserable with every practice that he led. Since Ben quit due to his royal duties, that left Jay and Aziz being the best players on the team. The couple would spar against their teammates first before going against each other to get themselves better competition, but they have admitted to their friends that they make bets about what position they would take that night if they won or lost the match.

Now that Aziz was temporarily gone from the team and out of Auradon Prep, Jay admittedly grew depressed at not seeing his albi—or his heart, if you prefer the English translation—every day. His attitude was becoming gloomier with every passing day that they were a part and his friends definitely noticed. Jay practically begged them not to say anything to Aziz, so the Auradon thief wouldn't come back to school just for the Lost Boy when he is in the middle of family emergency.

To top it all off: no one on the R.O.A.R. team could match Jay's skills like Aziz could.

Until today.

Since Tourney was having its off-season, the athletes took up new blue-and-gold uniforms displaying the school's crest to play the 'new' sport. This sport consisted of them sparing with light-weight swords and wearing mesh masks to protect their faces. R.O.A.R. was basically the extreme version of fencing as the sparred within an indoor arena.

On this particular day, students decided to watch from behind a railing and from balconies above as Jay sparred with other masked opponents, the first being Carlos so he could improve on his skills quicker. Other members of the team jumped on blue-and-yellow concrete boxes evenly spaced around the perimeter of the arena to gain height for their attack. Chad Charming—having been the first one eliminated—looked on from the sidelines, motioning with his sword to try to match Jay's agile moves.

I know what you're probably thinking: why is Chad still at Auradon Prep and why is he on the team?

As some had predicted, his parents didn't want to deal with him being castle-schooled so he remained at Auradon Prep, but this time with restrictions. With everything he did last year, Chad had to face quite a few repercussions. Due to him constantly sneaking Audrey into his room, Chad now has a roommate and a camera is placed outside his door and Audrey's to make sure neither one sneaks into the other's room. Chad lost his spot on the Tourney team since his parents stopped paying for it, but sadly that can't be the said for R.O.A.R. Somehow Chad has enough skills for the new sport and managed to keep a spot on the team, though he is still the worst player on the team.

Jay fought each of his opponents, forcing them to move out of bounds when they were eliminated. They each removed their masks from the sidelines as they watched Jay face his last competitor. The masked opponent thrust their sword at Jay, narrowly missing him by a hair. Jay removed his mask to get a better view of the situation, half hoping the person was who he thought it was.

It was a completely even match as the two fought, sword striking sword with every passing moment. There was only a pause when pushed against one another, but they were right back at it in the next second. Before Jay could realize what was happening, the masked figure ripped his sword from his hand, battling Jay backwards to the rim of the arena. The Lost Boy skillfully kicked his opponent's hand, sending the sword back into his own hand.

Before Jay could make another agile move, the 'mystery' fencer pulled off their headgear to end the fight. A mane of shiny, smooth raven hair cascading out, revealing the person to be none other than Lonnie. Though Jay was upset that it wasn't who he believed it was, he still managed an impressed smile as the spectators applauded the revelation.

"Not bad," Jay complimented sincerely. "You're just as good as me and Aziz."

"You should put me on the team then," Lonnie insisted with a confident smile. "I heard you're in the need of players."

While Jay considered the idea, Chad arrogantly stepped into the arena. "That can't happen," he refuted sourly. "Haven't you read the rules?"

Fishing the rule-book out of his back pocket, the still-spoiled prince snobbishly recited, " 'A team shall be comprised of a captain and eight men!' " He held the book in the air so all the other students could see it, before lowering it in front of Jay's face.

"But you're down two men. Ben is busy being a king and Aziz won't be back," Lonnie argued, annoyed at the silly and sexist rule.

However, the fierce woman didn't realize that she revealed something that one had no idea about.

"What are you talking about?" Jay wondered while shaking his head in denial. "He will be back in a couple weeks."

Lonnie tensed up at the information, realizing she made a mistake. "Aziz hasn't told you?" She interrogated incredulously. "With Rajah's passing being any day now, his mother has grown depressed and people are afraid it will be worse when he's gone, especially since she is already grieving so much with the death of the head of her royal guard. After cotillion, Aziz is going to stay in Agrabah for the rest of the semester to help his mother rule. This is kind of like a trial run before he becomes Sultan in a few years. I'm so sorry, but he's not coming back to school for now."

Chad scoffed at the apologetic tone. "Sounds like good news to me."

"Aziz is my boyfriend," Jay reminded vehemently as he glared sharply at the prince. "Say another disrespectful word about him, and we will be down three men instead of two."

Satisfied when Chad firmly shut his mouth, the thief adverted his attention back to Lonnie. "I will think about you joining the team," Jay promised, though there was a tenseness in his tone due to the new information. "Coach trusts me, so I can't throw out the rule-book. That doesn't mean I can't try to find a loophole for you. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a place to scream."

Instead of incoherently letting all his frustrations out for the world to hear, Jay had Mal meet him at the garden at the front of the school so they could rant to one another about their problems. The garden was like their Auradon version of their Isle hideout, where they tell each other their secrets and have their therapy sessions with one another, mainly because Mal didn't want to tell anyone about her baby. Jay has voiced multiple times that she needed to tell Ben. The sooner Ben knew, the sooner he could get little Mallory off the island, but Mal still doesn't have the courage to tell him after a year of them dating.

"So to summarize my debacle," Jay continued with his rant, "one friend is telling me that my boyfriend wants to marry me after a year of dating, while the other is saying my boyfriend won't be back at school for a long time, which means I won't be able to see him for months."

"Which one do you believe?" Mal wondered softly as they paused in their walk to sit at the fountain, like they do every time they come out there. "Ben or Lonnie?"

"Lonnie," the Lost Boy answered without a second thought. "No offense to your boyfriend, but Aziz isn't the type to marry so soon in a relationship, or at least I think he isn't. Lonnie's version is much more believable because of the whole Rajah situation. In these past few weeks, Jasmine has left his side only once, and that was to attend the funeral of that guard."

"You're on first name basis with his parents without their titles?" Mal questioned with a teasing smile. "I've known Ben's parents just as long, but I haven't done that yet. Hell, they don't even talk to me unless they have to. Aziz's parents clearly like you. If Aziz does end up proposing sometime soon, would you say . . . ?"

"I have no idea," Jay admitted as he let out a sigh. "I do know that I love him, and I can't stand being apart for as long as we have. If he does propose when I think he will, I don't know if I can say 'yes' because he will be back in Agrabah the next day. I don't know what I will say until he asks me."

Shaking his head to rid those 'crazy' thoughts, the thief smiled comfortingly at the fairy. "Enough about my problems. What about you? What's going on with you and Ben?"

"He got me another gift, a purple scooter," Mal informed with a sigh of her own. "I'm half-tempted to use it to go to the Isle so I can see my baby girl. I've been having trouble sleeping again and your pillow trick idea has stopped working. I'm afraid I'm going to be so sleep-deprived that I lash out at someone, ruining Ben's image as king."

"You need to—"

"I'm not telling him about Lory," Mal denied with a shake of her head. "I can't, or at least not yet. I need a little more time, but I need to see her. I need to go home."

Jay hesitated for a brief moment before letting out an exasperated breath. "Look, I'm not supposed to say anything, but Ben is planning a surprise for you," he revealed softly. "I won't say what it is, but if you can hold out until Saturday after cotillion, you will be grateful that you waited, if he can talk Fairy Godmother into it."

"Fairy Godmother is stubborn, so I know she will already say no to whatever his idea is," Mal insisted just as stubbornly. "But . . . I will try to wait, for you and for him. It would look bad to everyone if I suddenly went home when there is a royal event for me happening in two days."

"You won't regret it, M," Jay promised. "Things will change between you and Ben after cotillion."

"Same for you and Aziz," Mal joked with a teasing, yet knowing smile.

Before more could be said, the fairy's phone went off, signaling a reminder for an event in a few minutes. "I have a picnic date with Ben," she claimed. "I will talk with you later, but don't be too hard on Aziz if you ask him why he didn't tell you. He just doesn't want to hurt you . . . like I don't want to hurt Ben by telling him about Mallory."