"Sorry I'm late. Mother was being… well, mother," Evie explains flippantly as she folds her jacket over a chair and peeks in on a sleeping Cruella in the adjacent room.
Evie slipping into Hell Hall during the early morning hours to dust and polish furniture alongside an exhausted Carlos is not new occurrence—rather, it's been going on for years now, ever since Evie learned that Cruella DeVil regularly woke her son from his sleep to complete absurd tasks and countless chores while she screamed and threatened him from the comfort of her plush lounge chair.
"I'm guessing you made Mommy her morning cocktail today?" Evie asks with a smirk as she grabs the broom and dustpan from the corner. Carlos had already steamed and re-hung the drapes and there were only a few more tasks left to be done.
Carlos just laughs and continues polishing the cupboard. Evie had been the one to provide the boy with the so-called "sleeping potion" he regularly mixes into his mother's drink to give himself a respite from the woman's relentless shrieking and belittling.
From his understanding, the potion is just a mix of various roots and herbs Evie had read about in books Carlos had brought her that were known to aid sleep and could be found in the woods between their two houses. Carlos has inquired on multiple occasions as to why Evie didn't use the potion to help herself, but Evie always dismissed his question by saying it wouldn't be suitable for her particular needs. He wasn't entirely sure what Evie meant by that but he knew better than to push. Evie was painfully committed to pretending that what went on behind the walls of her mother's castle wasn't actually happening.
"Thanks for the help," Carlos says as he puts the last of the cleaning supplies back in the hall closet. His mother is thankfully still passed out on the couch and unable to criticize his work or demand he re-do it.
Evie smiles sweetly. "No worries. I happen to enjoy sweeping."
"No one enjoys sweeping." Carlos stops to brush some soot off his shirt and wipe his hands on his shorts.
Evie frowns and swats at his hand. "Are you seriously using the shorts I made for you out of actual linen as some sort of dish rag?!" she scolds. Carlos flashes her a sheepish smile in apology and she rolls her eyes at him.
Evie's eyes then land on the red leather dog collar embellished with two studded crossed bones that Carlos is presently wearing around his neck. "What's with the collar?" she asks.
"Cruella's idea of a gift," Carlos explains. "I'll take it off when we leave the house."
"Your mother's crazy, you know that?" Evie muses. The woman treats her son like a literal dog, crazy was probably too kind a word.
"We should start a club," Carlos suggests.
Evie grins mischievously and loops her arm through Carlos's. "The Crazy Mothers Club. I'll be President."
Carlos throws his head back with laughter as he pulls the gate closed behind him and the pair start their walk to Dragon Hall. Carlos loves that Evie gets to go along with him to school now instead of having to return to that dreadful castle of hers after helping him with his morning chores.
The dirt beneath their feet is damp with morning dew and Carlos watches as Evie daintily steps to avoid the more prominent mud piles in their path. He can't help but think Evie doesn't belong here on the Isle, she's far too gentle and graceful, and yet he's selfishly grateful she's been handed the same crappy fate as the rest of them because he can't imagine not having her by his side.
"So how are things?" Carlos asks once Hell Hall and The Castle Across the Way have faded from view behind them.
"Good. Classes are a breeze and other than Mal's pissy attitude and a couple of overly flirty boys, no one's giving me too hard a time," Evie answers.
She had dropped his arm from her grasp not too long ago and was now walking a few steps ahead of him. She doesn't turn back to give her answer and Carlos finds himself wondering how she doesn't fall and break her ankles walking in those ridiculously high heels through the Isle's broken roads and rock-filled dirt paths.
"I meant at home," Carlos clarifies.
"Oh. Fine." Her voice shifts, sounding higher and more clipped and Carlos instantly knows she's lying even without seeing her face.
"Fine?" Carlos echoes skeptically. "Evie, come on, don't lie to me."
Evie comes to a stop and spins to face the boy with hard eyes and thin lips. "Then don't ask me questions I can't answer."
Carlos sighs. "So it hasn't stopped?"
"Has your mom stopped?" Evie shoots back.
"Of course not but it's not the same." His mother is an absolute nutcase and a total nag but she's got nothing on the Evil Queen.
Evie shakes her head before continuing to walk. "You always say that."
"Because my mother doesn't—"
"Carlos, please," Evie cuts him off. "I don't want to talk about her. I finally get a few hours a day away from her and that godsforsaken castle and all I want to do is not think about her during that time."
She sounds so resigned and hopeless and as much as Carlos wants to argue and push the issue, he knows how Evie gets when they discuss her mother and he's definitely not trying to piss his friend off before school. With a defeated sigh, he scoops up a handful of pebbles from the pavement and begins to toss them into the road.
"So what are you going to do about Gaston?" he asks when he runs out of pebbles. It's not a complete change of topic but he figures it's okay since he's not directly asking about her mother.
"Nothing. What can I do?"
"Did you try talking to Dr. Facilier about getting excused from P.E.?"
Evie chokes out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, and much like everything else in my life, it did not go as I had hoped. Apparently all students are required to take Physical Education. A direct mandate from the Auradon Education Council. And Gaston is the only Physical Education teacher."
"Auradon mandates we take gym?" Carlos asks with a curious twist of his head.
"Yep. Apparently the fine folk in Auradon have nothing to say about us be raised by monsters and degenerates, but they're absolute sticklers when it comes to physical fitness."
Carlos cracks a small smile at Evie's sarcastic reply but can't help but feel sad for her. "I'm sorry, Eves. Maybe you can just not go?"
"Not if I want to avoid getting detention again."
"You got detention for skipping P.E.?" Carlos asks incredulously.
Evie hums and nods. "Gaston found me in 6th period to personally deliver the message. I had to stay after school yesterday. Mother was not pleased." Evie scoffs, "I didn't even know detention was a thing in this school!"
"It's not usually. Most teachers don't care enough to give detention."
"Well, Gaston cared enough," Evie points out.
"I don't think care is the right word."
Of course, Gaston would go out of his way to give Evie detention for doing something that was practically encouraged by the faculty at Dragon Hall. Gods, Carlos hates that guy.
"Carlos, what am I going to do?" Evie poses the question with shiny eyes and a rare trace of desperation in her voice. "I can't stay late and go to detention every day I have P.E.; my mom freaks out if I'm not home by 4. And I'm not going to that creep's class."
"We'll figure something out," is all Carlos can offer in response. He pulls Evie into a one-armed hug and they walk the rest of the way with his arm across her back, separating only when Dragon Hall comes into view. He makes a promise with himself to do something about Evie's Gaston problem. Evie is always helping him—helping with his chores, mixing him the sleeping potion for his mother, bringing him pillows and blankets to sleep on, bandaging his cuts and scrapes when Cruella got carried away—and she never asks for anything in return.
The two friends go their separate ways once they reach school but Carlos can't get Evie's voice out of his head.
"Carlos, what am I going to do?"
The girl's desperate plea bounces around in his head in a relentless refrain until he finds himself doing something truly insane.
"Hey, Mal, wait up!"
He catches a glimpse of purple hair disappearing around the corner and chases Mal down in the south corridor just before lunch.
Mal waits for him to catch up to her, only sparing him a quick once over when he reachers her before returning to glancing disinterestedly at the passing students. Carlos notices the purple and green paint stains on her hands and feels a little hopeful—Mal was usually in a pretty good mood after vandalizing school property.
"You have P.E. third period days 2 and 4, right?" he asks.
"What's it to you?"
"Can you just answered the question," Carlos huffs, still a little breathless from his sprint through the halls. Mal may be one of his best friends (or closest allies if anyone was asking) but she's not exactly a winning conversationalist and Carlos is a little too tense for Mal's usual surliness.
Mal makes a show of rolling her eyes in response. "I don't know. I haven't actually bothered to go yet."
"Can you?"
"Can I what?"
Maybe this was going to be harder than Carlos thought. "Go to P.E. when you're supposed to."
"Now why the hell would I do that," Mal asks, eyebrow arching in suspicion.
"Because fitness is important?" he suggests with a smile.
"Try again."
A boy passes too close for Mal's liking, nearly bumping her shoulder, and she ever so helpfully shoves him clear across the hallway. The boy looks back only for Mal to shrug and wave her fingers at him with a smile.
Carlos sighs and offers Mal some of the truth. "Evie is in your class. I thought maybe this would be a good opportunity for you two to get to know each other again and put this stupid feud behind you."
Mal's expression shifts from cool indifference to, what Carlos can only describe as, down-right murder-y in an instant.
"Now I have even more reason not to go," Mal says. "I also have reason to ask if you sustained some sort of head injury that made you think this conversation was a good idea."
"Never mind. Forget I asked," Carlos murmurs, not bothering to hide the disappointment in his voice. Okay, so asking Mal, of all people, to look after Evie in Gaston's class might not have been Carlos's best idea, but it was all he could come up with and he can't help but be a little bummed that Mal shot him down in a matter of seconds.
Mal eyes the forlorn boy with curious eyes as she presses her back against the lockers and checks out her paint-stained fingernails. "What's the deal with her and Gaston anyway?" she asks, trying to sound disinterested.
"I said forget it."
"No, if you want me to rearrange my schedule so that I can babysit your little friend then I deserve to know the truth," she presses.
"Technically you don't need to rearrange your schedule. P.E. is already in your schedule," Carlos points out.
"You know what I mean," Mal says with a roll of her eyes. "So what happened? Why does the princess have a problem with Gaston? Did he forget to curtsey?"
"It was a stupid idea. Just drop it." Carlos shakes his head and starts to walk away. He'll have to think of a new plan—preferably one that doesn't involve Mal.
"Let me guess," Mal drawls, pushing off the locker to follow Carlos. "They used to fuck and it ended badly? Evie totally seems like the type who would fuck old dudes like Gaston. Probably gets off on calling them Daddy too."
"Shut the fuck up, Mal," Carlos spits over his shoulder.
Mal's face splits in delight at the boy's obvious discontent. It was a total cheap shot-far from up to her standard of usual insult but Mal is pleased with the result nonetheless.
Mal had been far from thrilled to learn a member of her crew was keeping a secret friendship with her archenemies hidden from her. It made her look incompetent as a leader and if her mother ever found out, Mal would never hear the end of it. But Carlos was far too valuable to lose over such a transgression (not to mention she actually enjoyed the little runt's company), besides if she cut off Carlos, Jay would surely follow the boy and she can't have that. That spoiled princess wasn't worth losing her whole crew over. But that didn't mean Mal can't have some fun and ruffle some feathers for now. And Carlos made it so easy.
"Ooh struck a nerve, I see," Mal smirks, eyes dancing with mischief. "Maybe it wasn't just Gaston."
"I said shut up!"
Mal's grin only widens. "Aww did the pretty princess let little Carlos play with her pretty little p-"
Carlos turns on her with a growl, cutting her off and getting in her face. "I told you to shut the fuck up!"
Mal practically cackles at Carlos's reaction before brushing past him. When she turns her head to take a quick look back she sees the boy, red-faced and breathing hard, glaring at her. She's almost ashamed at how giddy the sight makes her.
"You still pissed at Mal?" Jay tosses his lunch tray down on the table and slides into the bench opposite Carlos. Carlos is not sitting at their usual table—the one Mal had etched their names into with her pocket-knife and threateningly declared off-limits to the rest of the student body and it had taken Jay a few minutes to actually find the boy.
Carlos only grunts in response, stabbing his spork at the dried-out brown slob on his tray that's supposed to be some sort of pasta.
"Because she won't stop being a bitch to Evie?" Jay asks around a mouth-full of pasta. Jay will pretty much eat anything and is the only one who never seems bothered by the less than appetizing offerings in the Dragon Hall cafeteria. It's not like being picky is going to get them anything but hungry and Jay can't afford to be hungry—he needs to keep his strength up if he's going to protect himself and his friends.
"What's going on between the two of you? Because if you two are a thing then I'll back off," Jay offers, reaching across to the table to help himself to Carlos's stale roll of bread. "You mind?"
Carlos waves him off and Jay rips into the bread with his teeth.
"We're not a thing. We're friends." Friends. A lofty word to throw around on the Isle and yet he's not at all hesitate to do so because Evie totally earned the title.
"Yeah about that. When did that happen?" Jay questions.
"A few years ago."
"Wasn't she banished or whatever. How'd you meet?"
Carlos sighs and studies Jay for a moment. Jay's focus is mostly on his lunch but he occasionally glances up at Carlos in genuine interest and Carlos decides Jay's not here to bust his chops. After his conversation with Mal had deteriorated into the girl taking cruel shots at Evie just to get under his skin, Carlos isn't in the mood for games. But Jay doesn't seem to have any ill-intentions or ill-will towards Evie.
"In the woods between our houses when we were 8. We were both running away," Carlos explains. He decides he's had about as much "pasta" as he can stomach and pushes the tray across the table to Jay, who quietly accepts it.
"From what?"
"Life," Carlos shrugs, mind drifting back to the night Evie had stumbled across him curled up on the cold forest floor and offered him refuge in the hollowed-out tree trunk she had been using as a hiding spot.
It's maybe too simple of an answer but it isn't Carlos's place to share Evie's story, and Jay's already familiar with his.
Jay nods in understanding and Carlos is thankful Jay isn't the type of person who needs to know everything. Shitty home lives were far from novel on the Isle and seeing as Jay rarely felt the need to discuss his own, Carlos isn't surprised he doesn't push to know more about Evie's just yet.
Carlos sighs. "I know Evie and Mal have history but I wish Mal would just lay off." He feels a little stupid for letting Mal get to him, but he'll give credit where credit is due, that girl certainly knows how to push the right buttons.
"Evie was the first person who ever gave a damn about me. She's a good friend and I'm not turning my back on her," Carlos adds firmly. Mal will just have to shut up and deal.
Jay reaches across the table to clap Carlos on the arm, sensing the boy's weariness. "Well, she seems like a cool chick. I'm glad she's around."
"Yeah, me too."
The two boys fall into an easy silence and Carlos watches in horror as Jay polishes off his second plate of pasta.
"How can you eat that crap?"
"Easy. Like this," Jay says, shoving the last spork-full of pasta into his mouth and purposely chewing with his mouth wide open.
"Gross. You're seriously gross, dude."
Jay just laughs as Carlos shakes his head in disgust and turns away.
"You two get lost or something?"
Carlos lifts his head to see Mal standing behind Jay with a scowl on her face.
"No?" Jay looks up at the purple-haired girl in confusion.
Mal rolls her eyes at Jay's answer. "This isn't our table, assholes."
"I'm leaving," Carlos announces. He grabs his bag and throws Jay a nod, completely ignoring Mal in the process. "Later, man."
Mal frowns, eyes following Carlos as he makes his way out of the cafeteria. When he's gone, she comes around the table to sit where Carlos had been sitting. "What's he all pissy about?" she asks.
"You," Jay answers.
"Gods. This isn't about Evie, is it?" Mal demands harshly. "I knew that little bitch coming here was going to cause me nothing but trouble!"
"Can you just chill? Maybe give her a chance—for Carlos. You know he would do it for you."
Mal's eyes narrow at the suggestion. "I would never ask Carlos to befriend his arch-nemesis!"
"Evie is your arch-nemesis?" Jay asks doubtfully. "Haven't you not seen each other in a decade?"
"So?!" Mal demands, slamming her palm against the table—which wobbles a bit at the contact.
Mal huffs and tries to shake off the feeling of fury rising within her. As the daughter of Maleficent, Mal has always prided herself on remaining calm and in control, she had no choice but to be—but there's something about Evie, that blue-haired princess wannabe, that knocks Mal's bearings loose and makes her feel absolutely unsteady. Mal hates her for it.
"Fine. Whatever," Jay concedes, sensing Mal's temper flaring. No use riling Mal up when there was no one nearby who needed a beating.
"It's not like Carlos is expecting you two to become best buddies and start braiding each other's hair and having pillow fights in your underwear…" he trails off before raising his eyes with a gleam, "although that'd be pretty hot."
"I swear I'll stab you right where you sit," Mal warns. Her fingers pick anxiously at the splinters in the old wooden picnic-style table. "This table is stupid. Carlos couldn't have picked a worse spot to eat," she grumbles. Of course, Carlos had to go and get all dramatic and refuse to eat at their usual lunch table. All because of some stupid jokes she made at Evie's expense.
"There's that sun-shiney attitude I love so much," Jay declares with a grin, earning himself a glare from the set of fiery green eyes across from him. "Look, this chick means a lot to Carlos and you know Carlos doesn't let many people get close to him so she must be alright. And if she's alright in Carlos's eyes, then she's alright by me. So if you insist on hating her, fine, but looks like you'll be the odd one out."
