"All right, Ben, what sort of girl are you looking for?" Aziz asked as they walked around together.
"I dunno," Ben shrugged with his hands in his pockets. "I guess anyone would be better than Audrey."
"Speak for yourself," Chad smirked. "Audrey is very beautiful, amazing, dramatic, gorgeous, smart, funny, and absolutely wonderful."
Ben and Aziz gave deadpan looks over to the blonde boy.
"Well, at least he's right about dramatic." Ben smirked, still remembering his rough break-up with Audrey.
"Oh, for sure," Aziz smirked back as he crossed his arms. "And trying to make you seem like the bad guy when she broke up with you."
"If that's the case, would you mind if I went out with Audrey?" Chad asked.
"Sure, Chad," Ben rolled his hazel eyes. "Be my guest."
"All right, let's focus on other girls right now," Aziz suggested. "Hmm... How about Lonnie?"
"Lonnie?" Ben blinked. "...She's nice and pretty cool and all, but I think we're just friends. Besides, I think that Jay likes her."
"Yeah, dude wasn't subtle during football try-outs when she tackled him and showed that she was a girl all along," Chad chuckled in memory. "She's not bad. You know, for a girl."
"Right..." Aziz scoffed at Chad's sexist remark, though wasn't fully mad as he was sure that the blonde boy didn't believe he was being a true sexist.
"Hmm... Who else? Who else?" Ben pondered.
"Uh, how about the new girl?" Chad suggested.
"Uh... The new girl in town?" Ben flinched nervously. "Wouldn't that be a little creepy?"
"Why would it be creepy?" Chad shrugged with a small smirk. "You were talking about her a lot in Gym Class last week."
"...I was?" Ben blushed.
"Just a little bit," Aziz chuckled as he put his arm around Ben. "Let's get you a milkshake, huh?"
Ben nodded as they soon went over to the Mad For Tea Café. It was a nice, quiet place to hang out in... Most of the time. It was usually a hang-out spot for after school studies and just to relax and forget about school and it was also owned by Tilly's parents: Alice and Cyrus Hightopp. The three boys soon sat down in the lounge couch, away from other people who happened to visit the spot as they placed their orders before sitting and waiting.
"So, the new girl?" Chad suggested.
"I dunno..." Ben shrugged. "Maybe someone else?"
"All right, Ben, if it really bothers you, we'll move on then," Aziz replied. "Let's see... Who else is there? Jane?"
"I don't think Jane's my type," Ben replied awkwardly. "She's a sweet girl and all, but I don't think it would work out."
"The Mayor's daughter?" Chad suggested.
"Her mother would probably cut my head off." Ben said as he grabbed his neck in fear and dread.
"I'm running out of ideas, man." Aziz shrugged.
"How about Jordan Pedrad?" Chad then suggested. "She's pretty funny."
"Hey! Hands off of Jordan." Aziz said protectively.
"Oh, are you interested in her?" Chad smirked as Aziz soon began to blush from that question.
"W-What?! No!" Aziz gasped and blushed before firmly pouting. "You know she's like a sister to me. We grew up together since my dad and her dad are best friends."
"Sure, Aziz, whatever you say." Chad smirked.
"You boys want some muffins?" A female voice asked as a basket was held out to the three boys with several different kinds of muffins.
"We didn't order any muffins?" Chad replied.
"Complimentary~" The girl smiled innocently as she stood there. She had platinum, almost white hair tied in a ponytail with midnight blue eyes and wore a baby pink lingering sleeved blouse with a dark purple belt with a matching baby pink skirt with darker pink slip-on shoes.
"Scarlet?!" The three boys gasped.
Yes, Scarlet. The girl smirked a bit as she had quite a reputation around the school, especially being a Teacher's Pet and not the good kind as she almost always told the teachers what was going on between the students as well as being close to Audrey. "Don't you boys want some muffins?" she then asked them, looking innocent, but they could see mischief clear in her eyes.
"You probably poisoned them, you witch." Aziz rolled his eyes.
"Relax, I just wanna know what's going on," Scarlet replied innocently. "You can trust me."
"Last time we trusted you, you got us detention for a month for something we didn't even do." Ben snarked.
"Yeah, and mind your own business!" Chad added before he decided to take a blueberry muffin and bit into it, muffling as he still talked to her even though he glared nastily. "Who cares if we're trying to help Ben move on from Audrey by finding someone new and exciting in his life so he can be happy?"
"CHAD!" Aziz and Ben complained.
"Oops." Chad then gulped in the background.
"Oh... So that's what's going on," Scarlet remarked. "I might not even tell Audrey actually."
"Yeah? And why not?" Aziz asked firmly.
"Oh, please," Scarlet sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ever since she decided Coraline and Ivy were her best friends while I got sick last year after Christmas Break, I've been pushed aside."
"Even though you still tell on everyone just for sick thrills?" Ben deadpanned.
"Well, how would you feel if you felt like you could trust Audrey for the rest of your life and then she'd turn around and suddenly stab you in the back?" Scarlet retorted.
Ben raised an eyebrow sharply. "Seriously?" he then asked sardonically.
"You're basically describing the big break-up between them." Aziz added, unimpressed.
"Oh, shut up! You know what I mean!" Scarlet firmly pouted before smirking. "Enjoying the muffin, Chad?"
Chad moaned and groaned happily as he continued to eat up the muffin. "Oh, yeah~" he then chuckled. "Especially since it's free~"
Ben and Aziz rolled their eyes and shook their heads about Chad's behavior.
"I think you should buzz off, Scarlet," Aziz advised. "You're not needed here."
"Oh... Very well," Scarlet nodded as she soon walked off. "I better get back to work then."
"You work here now?" Ben asked. "Why ever for? You always get whatever you want."
"Oh, I'm just coming here to find myself, plus Tilly's parents are pretty cool if you stay on their good side," Scarlet replied innocently. "Their good friend Percy White also owns this bar called The Rabbit Hole."
"Yeah, I know about that place," Ben nodded. "My Aunt Lacey used to hang out around there until she met her husband."
"Maybe if you guys play your cards right, I can maybe get us free drinks there," Scarlet smirked. "That is, if you trust me."
The three boys just stared at her blankly with narrowed eyes in annoyance. Scarlet soon flinched from their collective gaze and soon nodded before she decided to leave the basket on the table in front of them and soon walked off.
"Man!" Aziz scoffed. "She'll do anything for attention."
"Tell me about it," Ben rolled his eyes before smirking playfully. "Hey, maybe I should date her since she's Audrey's Clone."
"Yeah! It sounds like you've got Stockholm Syndrome!" Aziz added before they both laughed.
Chad soon laughed with them before looking totally confused. "...What's Stockholm Syndrome?" he then asked them.
"...We'll tell ya later." Aziz replied.
Chad shrugged and soon began to finish up his muffin before going to get another one.
"Don't worry, Ben," Aziz smiled as he put his arm around his friend as their drink orders soon came by from Tilly's mother. "We'll find you a new princess soon enough."
Ben smiled back before he saw that their drinks were coming.
"Here you go, boys," Alice smiled warmly as she served them up. "That's three Caffè Latte Milkshakes."
"Thanks, Mrs. Hightopp." The three boys said, accepting their drinks.
"You're very welcome... Now, will there be anything else?" Alice then asked.
"No, ma'am," Ben replied. "Thank you though."
"All right," Alice smiled as she walked off. "Just call me if you need me. Don't be bandersnatches~"
"I think Tilly's mom is on something half of the time," Chad remarked before smirking. "Hey, Ben. Why don't you go on a date with Tilly?"
Ben snorted as he nearly did a spit-take from his milkshake and cupped his mouth before it could spill out his nose. "Tilly?!" he then asked. "Are you serious?! That girl's probably gonna end up getting kicked out of our school just for turning Mrs. Belfrey's hair gray!"
"She'll probably make Ben end up on an episode of COPS or something." Aziz added as he took a sip from his drink.
"You never know," Chad shrugged. "Stranger things have happened."
Ben and Aziz rolled their eyes as they sipped from their milkshakes.
"What? What'd I say?" Chad shrugged at them before he began to sip his own milkshake.
Meanwhile, Mal, Evie, and Henry were sitting in the musky and slightly revolting place that was owned by Uma's mother and Harry's father. The workers were mostly dressed like pirates and some were even growling and speaking like such. Out of all of them though, Harry seemed to be really into the whole pirate motif and it didn't help with his thick Scottish accent and how he bragged about his father being the greatest and best pirate who roamed The Seven Seas: Captain Hook... But in reality, he was a man by the name of Killian Jones who opened up this place to keep busy and had to get a high-functioning job due to welcoming the newest member in his family after he had met and married a woman by the name of Emma Swan.
The three just waited as patiently as they could as a lot of the kids there, who were much younger than Henry, were running around and playing with plastic swords, throwing each other overboard and walking off the plank into a ball pit, and given chocolate coins as treasure. Mal thanked her lucky stars that she didn't have to work in a dump like this because if she did, it would be just too soon.
"Yo-ho-ho, mates!" Harry chuckled as he wore a dark, almost blood-like red coat and a large hat with an even larger feather in it, wearing a metal hook and had very dark circles around his eyes. "Be ye interested in our daily special: Tidal Surprise?"
"I'm afraid to ask." Mal mumbled out.
"Erm... Hey, Harry," Evie greeted their classmate/fellow student. "We will have-"
"Captain Harry!" Harry insisted. "Me old man is Captain Hook after all and ye shall treat him and myself with respect... Provided ye don't wish to walk the plank~"
"Walk the plank?" Mal rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Oh, brother!"
"Ye speak a big game, Purple Wench, but ye wouldn't be laughin' fer long," Harry warned as he stroked her face with his hook, luckily not with the sharp end, otherwise he'd probably cut her. "The Hook family has a very dark-hearted and ominous legacy, even after Father Hook traveled into the horizon to find happiness waiting and soon found a pretty and fair mermaid named Emma and cursed me to be the only boy with three sisters~"
"How sad for you." Mal rolled her eyes again.
"'Tis true..." Harry nodded. "Now... How about that Tidal Surprise, eh?"
"We'll take some chicken planks and fries actually, Captain Harry," Evie said to him. "That okay with you, Mal?"
Henry beamed as he looked excited about the chicken planks.
"Sounds like the only thing appetizing on this whole menu," Mal wrinkled her nose as she saw the various options that included chum, sea spiders, fluke filets, gruel, pickled lamprey, and a whole lot worse. "The rest of this sounds like something you'd give the inhabitants in SeaWorld."
"Excellent choice, Blue Lass," Harry grinned and nodded at Evie. "And maybe after ye eat... Ye'd like to join me in my Captain's Quarters?~"
"Oh! Uh... Um..." Evie gulped and grinned nervously.
"HARRY!" Uma hissed as she was busing one table. "Quit flirting with the customers and get back to work so my mom doesn't kill us!"
"Argh! Uma! It's in my character description!" Harry complained as he soon left their table. "Besides... It works for my father~"
"Your father could make a woman putty in his hands just by talking about how he hates ticking clocks and crocodiles," Uma smirked before shoving a bunch of dirty dishes in his hands. "Here, make yourself useful since I don't know where CJ is right now."
"Fine, fine." Harry rolled his eyes as he soon walked off with the dishes.
"Man... I'm not sure what's worse," Mal smirked. "Harry in school or here trying to be a pirate ladies man."
"Just remember not to get on Uma's bad side." Evie warned.
"I won't." Mal reassured.
"Are we going home after this?" Henry asked Evie.
"Hmm... I don't know, Henry," Evie shrugged before checking her phone. "We might have time for one more activity after lunch before we have to meet Mom."
"Okay, cool," Henry smiled before looking at Mal. "So, Mal, what's your mom doing?"
"You tell me, kid," Mal shrugged as she sipped her water before grimacing at the taste. "Ugh... That tastes worse than dish water."
"I think dish water would be an improvement." Evie smirked.
"What does that mean?" Henry asked Mal. "Isn't your mom worried about you?"
"I tend to look out for myself, kid," Mal replied. "I've been doing that ever since I was around your age when my parents were having problems."
"...What kind of problems?" Henry asked.
Mal looked at him a bit coldly. "You know, Henry, it's really none of your business," she then said stiffly. "So I think you should butt out."
Henry flinched a little and frowned deeply.
"Mal..." Evie scolded a bit before she put her arm around her little brother and whispered to him. "She didn't mean it. Let's just talk about something else, Henry."
"O-Oh, okay..." Henry said softly before he nodded.
"...I'm sorry, that was a little rude," Mal then said. "Sorry, Henry. It's just something I can't really talk about right now. At least, not with you. No offense of course."
"...It's okay," Henry said. "I'll try to butt out of things that aren't even my business."
"Aw, come on, don't be like that," Mal sighed and shook her head. "Evie, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Mal," Evie said before she looked at Mal's hands and suddenly grabbed them to look at her new friend's fingernails. "Hmm~..."
"Whoa! Hey!" Mal yelped as that caught her off-guard. "Evie?!"
"You could use a bit of color," Evie said as she examined Mal's fingernails. "This color here is fading. You. Me. Manicure appointment right after lunch. Pronto."
"That was a paradox sentence," Henry chuckled before Mal looked at him funny, so he explained. "She said right after lunch which would be later and pronto means right now. So that sentence is a paradox."
"I knew that!" Mal said to him with wide eyes. "I didn't know you knew that!"
"Hey, I go to school too, ya know," Henry replied. "Ms. Blanchard doesn't just let us color all day and recite our ABCs."
"Hm... No, I guess she wouldn't." Mal snorted with a small smirk.
"So, what do you think, Mal?" Evie suggested. "We'll get some color on our nails and then we'll probably be able to meet Mom on time."
"...Well, okay," Mal shrugged before nodding. "That is, if Henry doesn't mind waiting."
"Goldie's got a TV in her salon," Henry nodded. "It'll be a lot easier for me to wait until I get my own phone."
Mal and Evie both smirked at that. Uma secretly watched the two as she soon went in the backroom while Henry tried to sip down his water and hold it down, though the smell and taste made him queasy.
"I guess this place is good if you like pirates." Mal said as she took a look around the area.
"Oh, yeah," Evie smirked. "And then if you come on the weekends, every hour, Mr. Jones sings a song about how he skinned the crocodile that took his hand and how revenge, revenge, revenge is going to be his~" she then added as she memorized, nearly singing her next words.
"You spent some weekends here with Henry, haven't you, Evie?" Mal smirked back as she could tell based on how she was singing that.
"His sixth birthday party," Evie nodded. "That song is just so darn catchy."
"It really is," Henry rolled his eyes. "It'll be in your head, even after you've heard it years ago."
Mal chuckled softly.
Eventually, their chicken planks were delivered and a blonde woman walked by, dressed as a pirate, soon came to meet three new customers who appeared to be... Chad, Ben, and Aziz.
"Who's that?" Mal asked as she saw the pirate woman.
"Oh, that's Emma," Evie replied. "Mother of Harry and the Jones' sisters... Or as the kids know her as around here 'Red Jessica'."
"Red Jessica?" Mal raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it's a stage name," Henry said like it was obvious. "Ya know... Like Captain Hook or Harry Hook, though their last name is actually Jones."
"Thank you, Henry..." Mal nearly deadpanned.
"...You're welcome, Mal." Henry replied with a small shrug before he soon took the first chicken plank and began to munch on it.
"Come on, let's eat up so we can get our nails done and then meet my mom later." Evie told Mal.
"All right." Mal nodded as she soon took her own chicken plank, dunking it in the offered barbecue sauce.
And so, those three began to eat up their lunch as "Red Jessica" was showing the boys over to an open table and gave them their menus before starting them off with three glasses of water to go with their milkshakes that they got from the café.
"I think you're too picky when it comes to meeting new girls, Ben," Chad smirked at his friend. "It can't be that hard to pick someone from the crowd."
"I think I might as well go ahead and try the new girl," Ben suggested. "I can deny to her that all bad rumors about me being true."
"The new girl? Hmm... All right, if you think that's a good idea," Aziz shrugged. "I heard she got detention though for starting a fight with Audrey though."
"...So that's what that was all about," Ben remarked, though he wasn't afraid or worried about it. "It's worth a try anyway."
"Good luck, old friend," Chad said as he put his hand on Ben's shoulder. "It was really nice knowing you. I'll make sure that it's a lovely service. I bet that goth girl Claudine Frollo will conduct a wonderful eulogy."
"What are you talking about?" Ben glanced at Chad oddly.
"Your funeral of course!" Chad replied. "I hear that this Malissa Ignus girl comes from a bad side of town and that she got kicked out of her old school and that they had to move here. I'm just looking out for my best friend."
"Chad..." Ben and Aziz groaned and glared at him.
"Just hear me out, okay?" Chad replied innocently. "Would you like an open or closed casket for your funeral?"
"Not funny." Aziz scoffed.
"I doubt that I'm going to die just for talking to the new girl," Ben rolled his hazel eyes. "Besides, Jane talked to her and showed her around before I ran into her in the hallway during her tour. Jane's fine, isn't she?"
"...For all you know, that could be her ghost," Chad defended. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Ben just groaned in annoyance as he sipped down his milkshake as they got comfortable before wincing as he looked down and found himself sitting in some ABC gum which made him grimace.
"At least the chicken smells and looks and tastes good." Mal said as she ate with Evie and Henry.
"Yeah, it's probably the only thing worth eating on the menu." Evie remarked.
Uma glowered in the background as she thought she overheard that before she drifted away mysteriously.
"Get enough, Henry?" Evie asked her little brother.
"Yeah, I should save my appetite for dinner later," Henry nodded. "Mom will probably make another special dinner."
"I'll probably head back home by then," Mal replied as she played with her phone. "There's still some homework I haven't done yet."
"And yet you let me help you with Chemistry~" Evie smirked.
"You're pretty smart for a pretty face," Mal smirked back. "And I thought you'd be sleeping your way to the top as Teacher's Pet or something."
"Shh!" Evie blushed and hissed since Henry was right there as she grinned nervously. "Mal~..."
"What?" Mal smirked as she shrugged innocently. "He doesn't know what I'm saying."
Henry seemed to prove Mal's point as he just sat there with a blank look on his face. "...What're we talking about?" he then asked. "You guys have slumber parties with your teachers? Because one time, I had a sleepover field trip to Sherwood Forest for a camp-out. I felt a little scared, but then I brought my fairy tale book with me and it helped me sleep."
"You were so brave that night, Henry, and I'm very proud of you," Evie smiled warmly as she put her hands over his shoulders. "Ooh... I have to powder my nose," she then said suddenly. "Henry, do you need to go?"
Henry looked up at her and nodded.
"We'll be right back," Evie said before looking at Mal. "Unless you have to go too?"
"I'm good," Mal replied with a shrug. "I guess I'll pay the bill then since you two are ditching me?"
"Heh, very funny, but I've got a card," Evie chuckled as she brought out a card and handed the bill over to Uma as she came by. "It's good being the mayor's daughter, but I have to win and earn her trust of course. I can't just get away with everything, otherwise I'd have my own fashion magazine right about now."
"Good to know." Mal simply nodded in response.
"Come on, Henry." Evie smiled as she took her little brother's hand and soon led him away to the bathroom.
Mal soon played around with her phone before she saw texts from her mother coming in, asking her where she was. The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes slightly and soon texted back that she was hanging out with friends and that she would be back home very soon.
"So... You're still hanging out with the Mayor's Prince and Princess?" Uma smirked as she soon helped herself to sitting across from Mal, sneaking some of the uneaten fries off of the plates.
"Yeah," Mal rolled her eyes. "What's it to you?"
"Charming," Uma kept her smirk from the deadpan attitude. "I think you and I could've been best friends if you hung around me first instead of 'Princess Evie'. So, are you making party plans for next weekend?"
"Oh, it's gonna happen," Mal reassured as she nodded. "I just have to round up the right people first. You're sure Evie would be cool with this? What about her little brother?" she then asked.
"Don't turn your back on me, Ignus," Uma said with a cackle and clapped her hands together. "Besides, don't worry about little Prince Henry. We'll take such good care of him for Evie that she won't even know he's in trouble~"
"Somehow I don't like the sound of that..." Mal muttered before shrugging. "I'll work something out though."
"You had better," Uma smirked. "Unless you don't think you're cool enough."
"No way!" Mal defended as she crossed her arms. "I'm very cool. You should've seen me at my old school. I was kicking butt, chewing bubblegum, and taking names."
"Ooh, very impressive," Uma smirked again. "Let's see how big and loud you are when it's party time. I hope that nearly everyone from school shows up."
"Oh, they will," Mal narrowed her eyes. "It'll be the party of the century while you just sing Happy Birthday to a bunch of little tykes for a party in this old dump. Where'd you get your clothes, your mom's closet?"
"OOH! BURN!" A dark blonde-haired boy called out as he sat at the bar table across from Harry, holding a jar of pickled eggs.
"Stuff it, Gil," Uma narrowed her eyes without looking at him. "Ain't nobody talkin' to you!"
Harry chuckled as Gil gulped and sunk in the stool he sat in.
"We'll see who's the baddest of them all soon, Mally~" Uma smirked. "In case ya haven't noticed, I call the shots around here."
Suddenly, a dark-skinned blonde woman, wearing a green outfit to make herself look like some sort of sea serpent/monster stormed in as she glowered towards Uma.
"Look out, wee lads and lassies! It's Ursula the Sea Witch!" Harry called out as he soon came to a group of small kids who looked scared of the woman.
The kids soon screamed and ran away, hiding behind a giant treasure chest prop.
"That's always fun~" Harry smirked at himself. "Heh... Hello, Mrs. McClain."
The woman nodded at him with a small smile before glaring towards Uma.
"I think your big sister's here..." Mal guessed.
Uma looked confused before glancing over in annoyance and rolled her eyes once she saw who was there.
"UMA! Shut your clam and wash those dishes and get back to work!" Ursula glowered.
"MAMA!" Uma complained. "I'm trying to make a deal!"
"Don't you 'mama' me, young lady!" Ursula glared. "Get back to work or you can forget about getting an advance in your allowance!"
"...Fine!" Uma growled before looking at Mal as she nodded sharply as she poked her finger into the other girl's chest. "Just remember what we agreed on... Otherwise it might get messy for you."
"Yeah, yeah, Uma, whatever." Mal rolled her eyes.
Uma nodded sharply and soon stormed off with the dirty dishes and went to take them to get washed.
"Was my daughter bothering you, little girl?" Ursula asked Mal.
"No, ma'am," Mal shook her head. "It's fine. Really."
"All right," Ursula smiled and nodded. "Hope you had a good meal."
"Uh... Yeah..." Mal smiled back, bashfully and wearily though.
Ursula then walked off and soon began to scare the kids who saw her, making them scream and run away.
"Well, I guess at least she seems nice when she's not being a Sea Witch." Mal shrugged at herself as she finished up her drink.
"Were you talking to Uma?" Henry asked as he suddenly came up beside the girl.
"SHIT!" Mal yelped out and grabbed her chest before she closed her eyes and sighed softly before looking at Henry. "Jeez, kid, you scared me!"
"Sorry," Henry replied. "But were you talking to Uma McClain? Evie says she's the toughest and meanest girl in the upper hallway in school."
"Yes... I was..." Mal panted before she cleared her throat to speak clearly and calmly. "We're just planning a special surprise for Evie."
"I don't trust her, Mal," Henry frowned. "You shouldn't trust her either. She might hurt you and Evie."
"Well, we'll be fine, okay?" Mal said to him. "This is a grown-up thing anyway. You're too young to understand."
"Look, I might be a kid, but I notice and see a lot of things," Henry defended. "You had detention with Uma, so you should be able to notice she isn't the kind of girl to trust or befriend!"
"Look, Henry, it'll be fine," Mal said as she put her hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "I really wanna be friends with your sister and maybe even you too. You're pretty cool for a half-pint and I mean that in the best and nicest way possible. Don't you want your sister to be happy?"
"...Well, yeah, but-" Henry frowned.
"But nothing," Mal interjected. "Just let me trust Uma and do this and I promise that you and Evie will have the best time ever next weekend. You can trust me."
Henry kept his frown as he had a very bad feeling about this. He didn't say any more though as he felt unsure that he would be able to convince Mal otherwise. He soon decided to sit down and just finish up his drink.
"Okay, I'm back," Evie said as she came back with a small smile as she showed that she had her compact mirror with a tube of apple red lipstick. "Sorry I'm a little late. I had a make-up emergency. You guys doing okay?" she then asked them.
"Fine." Henry and Mal replied.
Evie glanced at them before shrugging. "All right then," she then said. "C'mon, Mal. Let's go see Goldie."
"Uh, yeah," Mal nodded. "Let's go see this... Goldie."
And so, the three began to leave together. Uma kept a close eye on Mal and Evie and smirked as she looked very excited. Harry and Gil soon slithered up from right and left between Uma as they both grinned with eager and fiendish anticipation.
"Hi, Evie!" A cheerful young adult blonde woman smiled as she appeared suddenly. "Who's your friend?"
"Hi, Goldie," Evie smiled back. "This is Mal. She's new in town and she's my very good friend as of a couple of weeks ago."
"Hi," Mal blinked at the young blonde woman. "Goldie, is it?"
"Yep... That's me," The blonde woman nodded. "Welcome to Auradon Heights and more importantly; welcome to my Day Spa."
"Erm, thanks," Mal replied. "We're gonna get our nails done."
Henry soon walked quickly inside the salon and went to go over to a corner to sit and watch TV that was on. He rolled his eyes a little about what was on and soon decided to watch some cartoons instead.
"Henry's here to watch TV." Evie added jokingly.
"Oh, I know how your brother can be sometimes," Goldie giggled in understanding. "Manicures or pedicures?"
"Manicures," Mal firmly decided. "I don't like people touching my feet."
"Yeah, manicures are probably a good idea," Evie nodded. "Can you get us both, Goldie?"
"Well, I'll definitely try," Goldie smiled as she soon led them over to take a seat. "I'll even get someone to help out."
"Yeah?" Mal and Evie asked curiously.
"Yo, Ruby! You wanna help me take my new clients for the day?" Goldie soon called out.
"Sure, Goldie, I'll be right there." A dark brown-haired girl with red highlights in her hair smirked as she was coming by with a tiny toolbox filled with nail care tools.
"Ruby?" Mal asked Evie. "Do you know her?"
"Yeah, that's Mrs. Lucas's granddaughter," Evie nodded. "She's supposed to graduate this year. She's kinda like a big sister to us underclassmen. She's pretty cool for a senior."
"What do you mean 'for a senior'?" Ruby scoffed and smirked before she sat down, deciding to take care of Mal's nails as Goldie sat down across from Evie. "I was born cool, fool."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Evie smirked back. "I'm just glad you found a job to keep this time before your granny would kick you out or make you work in the cafeteria right after the summer break of your graduation."
"Pfft!" Ruby blew a raspberry and rolled her dark forest green eyes. "At least I have a real job, Miss Fashion Pants."
"Miss Fashion Pants?" Evie smirked. "You're off your game today, Rubes."
"Leave me alone, Princess," Ruby smirked back before she looked over. "So, you must be the new girl, Mal."
"Yeah, that's me," Mal nodded. "I guess I already have a reputation around school."
"Mostly, especially since you got in a fight with Audrey," Ruby remarked as she began to do her job on Mal's nails while Goldie started on Evie. "I never really did like that girl. Her sisters always gave me trouble in school before they graduated."
"Sisters?" Mal asked.
"Mm-hmm," Ruby nodded. "Ariana and Dawn. Trust me, you do not wanna know. Sisters can be a pain in the butt."
"I always wanted a sister of my own," Evie said with a small pout. "But then Mom got mad whenever I kept dressing Henry up like a doll after he was brought back home for the first time."
"Wait... What?" Henry asked as he overheard that.
"Go back to your cartoons," Evie smirked playfully. "The grown-ups are talking."
Henry shook his head and rolled his eyes before he then went back to watching his program.
"I do love Henry a lot though anyway," Evie said softly. "Believe it or not, I actually kinda hated him for a while."
"You hated him?" Mal blinked, a bit surprised to hear Evie having any negative feelings whatsoever since she was so sweet and friendly, at least around her, Jay, and Carlos.
"Well, I guess 'hate' is a bit of a strong word." Evie shrugged.
"How about 'mildly dislike'?" Goldie suggested.
"That might work," Evie nodded. "But yeah... For a while, Henry was my least favorite person in the world when Mom brought him back home. He kept crying, making messes, and being annoying, but he was just a baby, so he couldn't help it," she then explained. "I sometimes tried to get rid of him."
"Evie, you did not!" Mal smirked.
"I did so," Evie defended. "I once tried to put him on the hospital's doorstop so that they could take him back to 'The Baby Store' where he came from."
"Evie!" Mal kept her smirk.
"I was a little kid, give me a break!" Evie retorted as she smirked back. "I even tried to sell him to Mr. Gold when he came by to collect the rent."
"Who's Mr. Gold?" Mal asked.
"Oh, you haven't met him?" Ruby replied. "I guess you wouldn't have. Well, he's the landlord around here, he goes around collecting rent and scaring people and owns the pawnshop."
"Jafar's Junk Shop?" Mal guessed.
"The other, more successful pawnshop," Evie corrected. "'Gold & Son: Pawnbrokers and Antiquities'."
"Oh, yeah," Mal then nodded. "I think I've passed that place on the way to school."
"He's also Ben's uncle," Evie then added. "I doubt you'll ever meet him, but if you do, brace yourself. He kinda has a creepy reputation around town since he owns it."
"So your mom doesn't?" Mal then asked.
"Regina is just the mayor of town, but that doesn't mean she owns it." Ruby clarified.
"Ohh... Okay..." Mal said then.
"Yeah... I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to that little brat," Evie sighed softly, though playful when she called Henry "a little brat". "As of right now, he's my whole world."
Mal looked soft as she thought of the times she bonded with her big sister again. It seemed like a very simple and happy time, but that was just a once upon a time long ago. She tried not to get emotional or cry about Lily, especially since no one in this town knew who she was, but she debated on talking to Evie about her. The rest of the time was quiet as Ruby and Goldie caught up with Evie and Mal chimed in once in a while, though Mal was mostly distant in thought. She closed her eyes and thought back of when their parents took Lily to talk in private and spent time yelling at her and scolding her for having a fake ID and using their mother's credit card even though she was a mostly perfectly good student.
Mal remembered that Lily mentioned that she wanted to live outside of being a top student. No one in school took her seriously, that was, until she then decided to become a bit of a rebel. Mal barely understood the arguments her parents and big sister would get into, but looking back, some of them made sense. Perhaps this was why Mal was the way she was? Only someone poking her brain would be able to tell, such as the school guidance counselor who often talked with students who had problems of their own and just needed to blow off some steam so they wouldn't drop out or do something heinous on campus.
"All right, that purple looks great on your fingernails," Ruby smiled as the time flew by after Mal let her mind wander. "Let's see how it looks on your toenails."
"Huh? Oh, okay," Mal nodded as she then stood up and stretched out her fingertips. "Thanks, Red."
"It's Ruby," Ruby corrected with a slight glare before smiling. "But no problem."
Mal smiled back, though a bit bashfully as she went to go sit down where a cutesy looking blonde girl was, sitting next to Jane.
"Mal? Is that you?" Jane asked the dark-haired girl.
"...Hi, Jane," Mal greeted the headmistress's daughter, heaving a sharp sigh in between before forcing a smile in order to be polite and sociable. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm great," Jane beamed. "I just love a spa day, don't you?"
"I know I do, Jane." The blonde girl giggled.
Mal looked confused and curious of who this girl was with Jane.
"All right, Evie, I'm gonna let your fingernails dry a little bit and then I'm going to let you sit down." Goldie smiled at the mayor's daughter.
"Thanks, Goldie, you're the best." Evie smiled back.
Jane and the blonde girl continued to talk as Mal decided to tune them out by putting her earbuds in and playing on her phone. She was curious of who that blonde girl was, but decided that she would probably find out later. Eventually, the other two girls left and went to pay as Evie went to take her shoes off and slide her feet into the water below her feet, adjusting to it as Goldie decided to see the other two girls as they were leaving.
"Uh, hey, Evie?" Mal spoke up as she took one earbud out.
"Mm-hmm?~" Evie smiled, looking very relaxed as she glanced over at Mal.
"Who's that girl with Jane?" Mal asked.
"Huh? Oh, her?" Evie blinked as she glanced over at Jane and the blonde girl before looking back. "Oh. That's Wendy Darling."
"Darling?" Mal smirked, misunderstanding at first. "Since when do you say 'darling'?"
"No, silly! That's her name," Evie giggled. "Wendy Moira Angela Darling."
"Oh..." Mal blinked. "I just didn't think I saw her around school."
"Oh, yeah, she goes to school with us," Evie nodded. "She just mostly hangs around Jane. They're best friends, ya know."
"Okay then," Mal said as she leaned back. "Well, I guess it's nice that Jane has some friends."
"It's usualy just her and Wendy though," Evie remarked. "She and Chad used to be good friends though when they were little kids since their mothers were close friends, but... I guess puberty hit and they got distant with each other. It's sad what happens when some friends grow up and move on while you have to let them go."
"Oh, yeah," Mal nodded. "I had some friends at my old school I was close with... They probably forgot all about me by now though."
"I guess it's tough being the new kid," Evie remarked. "I'd love to help Jane out though, I'm just not sure what to do."
"Help her out?" Mal asked. "With what? How to dress like a high schooler?"
Evie gave Mal a bit of a look as that sounded kind of mean.
"...What?" Mal asked defensively.
"You know what," Evie retorted firmly, but luckily decided to move on so that they wouldn't get in a fight. "I just thought Jane and Wendy could expand their social circles a little bit. Maybe help them meet some new people. Maybe we could do something for them?"
"We?" Mal blinked.
"Yeah, I thought it'd be nice," Evie nodded. "Like maybe we could have a study group with some of the other girls or something? Do our homework together, hang out, just become friends?"
"How about a party?" Mal soon suggested with a small smirk.
Evie winced nervously at the mention of a "party". "A-A-A party?" she then asked.
"Yeah, come on," Mal smirked. "What could it hurt?"
"I shouldn't have a party at my house, Mal," Evie declined. "I'd have to ask my mom and she doesn't really like big parties unless it's a grown-up party with drinks and finger foods."
"Ugh... Boring!" Mal rolled her eyes. "You're almost an adult, Evie. You don't need to ask your mom for permission if you wanna have fun."
"I'm sorry, Mal, but I just can't have a party right now," Evie said softly. "Maybe some other time. I think we should have a study group with some of the other girls first and then we'll see how we feel about maybe a small party? I just couldn't risk a big party. I'm not like you."
Mal looked soft and a bit frustrated in defeat. If she had said yes, she would've settled that score with Uma right away, but she tried to be patient with Evie. Also, a study group? Talk about a good waste of your free time away from school... Though studying was good because who wants to go to summer school?
Eventually, Ruby and Goldie began to give Mal and Evie their pedicures. Evie soon texted her mother a response when she asked Goldie how much longer it would be until they could go. Mal had to admit, though very girly, the manicures and pedicures were a lot of fun and today was just the best she had ever had. At least in Auradon Heights, that is.
"So, you think maybe a girly study group with Jane, Wendy, and maybe some other girls we know would be fun?" Evie asked Mal as they soon went to pay the fee before they would leave the Mall with Henry.
"Yeah, I guess it's better than nothing," Mal replied. "I just think a party would be very good for you."
"Sorry, Mal, just not right now, okay?" Evie sighed softly. "I promise, we'll have a party some other time."
"...Okay," Mal nodded, trying to keep calm and patient. "Thanks for today, I had a great time."
Evie beamed. "I had a great time too~"
"I had fun too for the most part." Henry spoke up.
"I'm glad ya did," Evie giggled as she ruffled up his hair. "Gotta keep Prince Baby Brother happy and entertained, don't I?"
"You succeed," Henry smirked. "Just don't call me 'Baby Brother' in front of your friends."
"All right, I won't do that again." Evie smirked back.
"Have a good evening, you guys." Ruby said as she took out a lollipop and started to gnaw at it.
"You too," Evie nodded. "See ya, Goldie. See ya, Ruby."
"Bye!" Goldie and Ruby smiled and waved them off.
Mal, Evie, and Henry soon smiled at each other as they went to leave the Mall.
The fun was cut short though as both Regina and Ciara were shown, looking very sharp and firm.
"...Hey, Mom..." Mal greeted softly.
"Henry, get in the car," Regina told her son first. "Your sister and I need to talk."
Henry looked soft and soon went to the back-seat of the car and slammed it shut behind him. He looked out the window though, looking soft and concerned for his older sister.
"I guess I should go hide in the car too, huh?" Mal suggested, about to go to her mother's car.
"Not so fast, Malissa," Ciara said, putting her hand up to make her daughter stop in her tracks. "We need to talk too."
Mal groaned as she stopped herself and sighed sharply, slowly folding her arms.
"Evelyn Ingrid Mills... You told me that Mal's mother knew where she was and she was fine with you spending the day at the Mall." Regina coldly told her daughter.
"Not only that, but I was informed about a certain detention." Ciara added to her own.
"S-Sorry, Mom..." Evie said softly. "But I just wanted Mal to be happy and have fun. I felt bad that she got detention."
"You should have told me," Regina replied. "Why didn't you?"
"I... I-I didn't think you'd let me hang out with Mal if I told you about it," Evie said, trying not to cry. "Can't you see that Mal's pretty miserable being new in town?"
"I'm not mad that you want to hang out with your new friend even though she got a detention," Regina explained to Evie. "I'm mad that you didn't tell me and said that Mal's mother would be okay with this."
"I-I'm sorry, Mom," Evie frowned as she stared down at the ground. "I won't do it ever again."
"See that you don't," Regina replied firmly. "I want you to go straight to your room when we come home. We'll talk about it later before dinner."
"Yes, ma'am." Evie nodded, not even trying to fight with her mother's wrath.
"Now go get in the car," Regina decided. "You can see Mal again on Monday. I'm very disappointed in you, Evie."
Evie gasped out of fright as that seemed to pierce her heart and she then went over to the car, a bit slow in her step as she opened the door and sulked as she sat in her seat, beginning to let tears fall from her eyes.
"Go to the car too, Mal," Ciara told her daughter. "We'll talk about this later. I'm disappointed in you too."
Mal rolled her eyes with a small groan. She then picked herself up and went to the car before looking at the car window as Evie began to cry a bit. Henry leaned forward with a small frown and soon brought out a tissue to his big sister. Evie looked over and took the tissue before wiping her eyes and blowing her nose emotionally. Mal felt bad, but she didn't see what the big deal was to be so upset about, so she decided to talk with Evie for a bit while she still could. Luckily, Regina and Ciara began to talk to each other before going back to their own cars.
"Hey..." Mal said as Evie looked over and then rolled down her window with a firm pout on her face. "You okay?"
"My mom's disappointed in me," Evie replied as her voice cracked. "How do you think I feel?"
"Evie, parents say that all the time when they act like they're not mad," Mal rolled her eyes before giving a small smile. "It's no big deal anyway. My mom says she's disappointed in me all the time."
"Yeah, well, you're used to it." Evie replied coldly as she rolled the window back up.
Mal flinched as that struck her a bit, she had to admit. She then rubbed her arm and soon went to her mother's car and waited while the two mothers discussed some things. Another car was pulling up to the Mall as Chad, Aziz, and Ben were leaving the Mall as well.
"Well, there's your dream girl," Chad smirked once he spotted Mal. "You wanna go talk to her before she rides away?"
"...I'll try to wait until school," Ben suggested. "I'm sensing some negative energy around here."
"Whatever you say, man." Chad said with a small shrug.
"Come on, let's go home." Aziz suggested.
The three boys then went into the car that came for them and they soon rode away. Mal stared out the window before she saw the car riding by and saw Ben before ducking down bashfully. She wasn't sure if he even saw him, but she certainly did see him. It at least took her mind off of her mother's ire for a few moments until the woman soon came into the car and went to drive them back home as Regina went to take Evie and Henry back home.
"I don't know much about this Mal girl, but I am definitely going to find out as soon as possible," Ben promised himself. "Whether she's a bad girl or not, she deserves a chance."
A/N: All right, some random end of chapter trivia. You might be wondering who Scarlet is... Well, I am too. Apparently she's a character in the Descendants mobile game which is unfortunately long gone and I never got a chance to play it :( but yeah, she kinda looks like Tinkerbell based on what I've seen, so I guess she's Tinkerbell's daughter? Whatever, probably not important... Also, looks like things are getting heated between Mal and Evie, hopefully they get better sooner than later.