Hey all! It is I! Back with a LONG chapter!
This honestly should have been two chapters but I couldn't stop!
If you have read my Star Struck story, you probably know that I LOVE adding songs into my stories and in this chapter there are 2!!
I really hope that you like it and PLEASE let me know if you think I ramble too much or if I should shorten my work, but I think you guys like the long chapters.
brimason0201: YES!! Mal and Ben will ALWAYS be endgame in my stories!!
SlytherinAvengerPrincess: PARTNER!!! -- (I am going to call you this from now on!!) I hope you like thins one as much as you like Star Struck!! Please let me know what you think!!!
(Monday)
(BEN'S POV)
My loud alarm woke me up. It was now Monday and it was the VKs first day of school in Auradon and the day I am going to call Audrey. I got out of bed, took a shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed quickly. I walked over to my desk and looked at my planner for today.
8:00 a.m. Auradon Government Economics.
9:00 a.m. French Advanced Honors
10:00 a.m. Calculus
11:00 a.m. R.O.A.R. Tryouts
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. Observe Council Meeting w/ Dad
3:30 p.m. Tourney Practice (Jay Carlos Tryouts)
All of that plus calling Audrey, checking on the VKs, studying and homework. How am I going to do all of this?
I looked at my watch and saw the time. 7:15. Okay. I at least have time for breakfast. Maybe if I call Audrey during lunch, I can get the biggest thing off my list. I heard a knock on my door and when I opened it I came face to face with Evie and Carlos.
"Hey guys what's up?" I asked them.
"We just wanted to know if you wanted to head down to breakfast with us?" Carlos asked. I smiled at them. I couldn't believe how well things were going for them. They were fitting in really well and I couldn't be more happy about it.
"Yeah! That would be great! Where is Mal and Jay?" I asked as I walked back into my room and picked up my backpack, planner and phone.
"Jay is trying to get Mal out of bed." Carlos said. I looked at them with a curious look on my face.
"Like I said when we got here. Mal is a dragon if you wake her up." Evie said.
"She wasn't that bad the other day." I said as we walked out of my room.
"Come on Mal! You got dressed and did your hair and brushed your teeth! Now let's go!" We heard Jay yell from down the hall.
"No! I'm tired! I want to sleep!"
We walked over and saw Jay standing at the foot of Mal's bed. She was under the covers and Jay was pulling her feet. From the looks of it she was holding onto the headboard. Jay let go of her feet and looked at us. I put a finger up to my mouth shushing him and pulled out my phone indicating that I was going to text him. He quickly pulled out his phone and I texted the three of them.
Ben to Evie, Jay and Carlos: I don't think she knows that Evie, Carlos and I are here. If Jay says he gives up and pretends to leave she might loosen her grip on the headboard and I can grab her and carry her out of the room.
I looked up at them and saw them all smile and nod. I walked over to where Jay was standing and let him take the lead.
"Alright, Mal! I give up, but if you're late to school on our first day. Do not blame me." He said. "I'm leaving, but I'm not going to close the door." He said teasingly.
He walked out the door and you could hear his footsteps as he left.
"Thank Zeus." I heard her say.
I watched as her shoulders relaxed and she turned to her side. I quietly took a step forward and as fast as I could I grabbed her ankle and yanked her out of her bed, throwing her over my shoulder.
"What the fuck?!" She said as I started to walk out of the room with her over my shoulder. "Ben! Qu'est-ce qui tu fous?" (Ben! What the hell are you doing?) she yelled.
I stopped half way in the room. "Woah! La bouche sur toi! Ça me plaît! Et tu ne seras pas en retard pour ton premier jour d'école. Il est temps de se rendre au petit déjeuner." (Woah! The mouth on you! I like it! And you are not going to be late for your first day of school. It's time to head to breakfast.) I said, making her laugh. "Evie. Carlos. Can you grab her bag, her phone and her shoes? I'm not going to put her down until we get to the cafeteria." I said walking out of the room.
"Ben you can put me down. I won't run away." She said.
"Oh and where would the fun in that be?" I asked as I tightened my arms around her thighs.
"Ta copine ne va pas aimer mon cul près de ton visage." (Your girlfriend is not going to like my ass close to your face.) She said.
"Eh bien alors, nous avons de la chance. Elle est partie toute la semaine." (Oh well then we are in luck. She is gone for the whole week.) I told her as I walked down the stairs.
"Oh. Une semaine sans ta future reine. Quelle chance avez-vous?" (Oh. A whole week without your future queen. How lucky are you?) she said teasingly.
Don't tell her yet. You need to break things off with Audrey first. Just play it off.
"So what classes are you in?" I asked.
"Well a lot of my classes from Dragon Hall transferred over, so I only have four classes." She said. "I have Remedial Goodness at 8, French Advanced Honors at 9, Calculus at 10 and Auradon Government Economics at 11. I am thinking about picking up two electives for extra credits." She said.
"We have two classes together. In French advanced honors it's only you, I and the instructor. But like I said. I WAS the only student who spoke French. They added the course for me when I started because, with me training to become king, I wouldn't have time to study another language." I told her.
"Yeah. We all talked to FG yesterday about our schedules and she told me that I needed a foreign language to graduate. She didn't want me to start a new language for a year so she asked if I wanted to take French honors since you don't offer Greek." She explained. "What other class do we have together?"
"Calculus." I said as I put her down on the ground.
She looked up at me and then squinted her eyes. "I thought you weren't going to put me down until we got to the cafeteria." She stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
I scoffed a little and then pointed to the door behind her. She turned to look at what I was pointing at and then turned back slowly toward me while she was biting her lip.
"Je n'ai jamais tenu mes promesses, Bertha." (I never break my promises, Bertha.) I told her as I walked into the cafeteria leaving her with her friends.
After my first class I quickly made my way to the library for my French class. I was excited to actually have someone in the class with me. It gets boring just being the instructor and I. I quickly pulled my phone out to text Audrey to tell her that I needed to talk to her later, but I ran right into someone. We both fell to the floor and dropped our stuff.
"Ow. Damn, Bubsy. I know you're going to be king and all but you could have said excuse me." Mal said jokingly as she sat up.
"I'm sorry I was texting and didn't see you. Are you all right?" I asked her, getting up and holding my hand out to her.
"Yeah I'm fine." She said as she grabbed my hand. I helped her up and picked up all of my things including hers.
"So shall we head in?" I asked her, holding my arm out for her.
"We shall." She said as she laced her arm through mine.
We finished French honors and walked to Calculus. Our French instructor was very pleased to have another student in his class, besides me. I even think that Mr. Monet liked Mal more than he liked me. Not that I could blame him, because she's amazing. We walked into Calculus and I walked to my seat. I usually sat next to Audrey, but she is failing this class. I don't even know why she is taking it. She is not good at math. She is never here, because she is always going on 'spa retreats'. Knowing her she is going to have to take this class over again over summer. Which means she won't graduate with the rest of us. How in the fuck did she think that she would make a good queen? Or for the fact that she even thinks that I love her?
I was quickly brought out of my thoughts when Mal sat in the seat next to me. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow and she gave me a questioning look.
"It's the only seat open. I could always sit on the floor if you don't want me to sit next to you." she said jokingly.
"Au contraire. Ce serait un honneur de m'asseoir à côté de toi et de ta beauté. Ce sera mieux que de s'asseoir à côté d'Audrey." (On the contrary. It would be an honor to sit next to you and your beauty. It will be better than sitting next to Audrey.) She rolled her eyes at me, making me laugh.
The rest of the day went on tryouts for R.O.A.R. went well and I was surprised to see Carlos and Jay there as well. Lunch could have gone better. I spent it in my office trying to talk to Audrey. She would not let me have a single word in. She just assumed I called because I missed her when I actually never called her. She just kept going on and on about how a king can't go a few days without seeing or talking to his queen and I had to resist the urge to scream. I finally was about to tell her when she finally shut up, but she then said that she had to go to some massage thing.
I was now rushing to tourney practice before I was late. The council meeting ran late because King Stefan was taking Queen Leah's place while she was away with Audrey. King Stefan kept going on about how upset Queen Leah was and how she doesn't feel that having the villain kids should be allowed to roam free in Auradon. I had asked him if he felt the same way and he had said that he did not. He regrets what he had done to Maleficent and he blames himself for her becoming evil. He even said that he wanted to meet the villain kids, but Mal specifically, to tell her that he was sorry for what he did to her mother. I was surprised to hear the words that came out of his mouth. My dad was the one to say that it was a nice sentiment, but that we would have to ask them if the villain kids, if that would be something that they wanted.
I climbed off of my motorcycle and rushed to the locker room. I changed really fast and looked at the time. Okay. Good. I have 15 minutes before practice. I walked out of the locker room walking toward the tourney field. I made it to the bleachers and saw that everyone was there, including Jay and Carlos.
"Oh. Aren't you running late?" I heard coming from above my head. When I looked up I saw Mal smiling down at me. Damn she is so beautiful. "That is not very king-like." she said as she pushed off the railing and started to walk down the steps. I quickly walked up the bleachers and met her half way.
"Well that it is a good thing that I'm not king yet huh?" I said smiling at her.
"I mean. We do need a king who is punctual right?" she asked with a smirk.
"Oh. You have no idea how many times that my dad has been late for things and Cogsworth's face is priceless every time. I feel bad for FG. I could only imagine all of the frustration and complaining about my father's 'punctuality' she hears about." I told her, making her laugh.
"Hey, Ben! Are you going to stand there and flirt or are we going to play tourney?" I head Aziz yell.
I turned to look at him with wide eyes. I know he only meant it as a joke, but he is one of the few people who know that Aurdrey is not my soulmate. He, Chad, Doug, Ryder and I have been friends for 15 years. Aziz is the son of Sultan Aladdin and Sultana Jasmine and Ryder is the son of Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene. The 4 four of them are the only other students, aside from the VKs now, who know that Audrey is not my soulmate.
"Shut up! I'll be there in a minute!" I shouted back.
"Aye aye, captain!" I saw him and Ryder say with a solute. I rolled my eyes at them and turned back to Mal.
"You know they are right? You shouldn't be flirting when you have a girlfriend. She wouldn't like it. So maybe you should stop." She said looking down at her feet as she kicked the space between us.
I couldn't help but observe her face. Every little detail of it. There were no flaws. She had beautiful pale skin, gorgeous green eyes with gold flecks in them, rosy pink cheeks, thick plump full dusty rose pink lips, cute dimples and the cutest little nose ever. I just wanted to take her by the sides of her face and kiss her. Kiss her so deeply and passionately that we both couldn't breath. But I can't. I needed to break up with Audrey first. I needed to give Mal some clue for her to know that I like her and that I want to be with her.
"Maybe I don't want to." I said before I started to walk toward the field.
She looked at me with a surprised look. "What?" she asked, confused.
"I'll see you later. Okay?" I said before I ran to the field to start practice.
During practice I would take small glances at Mal. She was now sitting with Evie, Jane, Lonnie and Jordan. The few times I glanced at her she was smiling and laughing. She looked so beautiful and carefree. Halfway through practice all of the girls got up and started to walk back toward the school. I watched as they made their way past the locker rooms and then disappeared. It was then I made eye contact with Audrey's co captain for the cheerleading squad, Ariana, her snooty cousin. She was leading cheer practice since Audrey was away. She looked at me, with her arms crossed over her chest and then shook her head. Zeus. Now I am going to have to deal with her while Audrey is gone. Great.
I couldn't focus on Ariana. I had to focus on Jay and Carlos. I know that the championship is on friday, but if they try out now and make the team, they wouldn't have to try out next year. After Jay's first run through and seeing how Carlos' reflexes were fast, I know that they would fit well on the team. Coach suggested that Carlos join the band, but I promised him that I would work with Carlos so that he could get better.
Practice ended rather quickly after the girls left, but that didn't stop Ariana from coming and lecturing me about how flirting with other girls is wrong when I am with my soulmate. I got so irritated with everyone calling Audrey my soulmate, but now it's even worse because I know who my soulmate is. I have known Mal for five days and I know she is ten times better than Audrey. I cut Ariana off and walked into the lock room to change and head to dinner.
When the rest of the guys and I made it to the dining hall we saw Doug sitting with the girls. We quickly got in line and got our food before sitting down at the table. When we sat down I noticed that Mal wasn't there.
"Hey. Where's Mal?" I asked.
"She is in the forest somewhere. She told me yesterday that she found a small little meadow that she fell in love with. She's probably out there writing or drawing." Evie said. I couldn't help but be curious.
"Writing? Writing what?" I asked.
"Did she take anything to eat with her?" Jay asked quickly. It was as if he didn't want Evie to answer my question.
"Yeah. She took two granola bars and a strawberry yogurt." Evie said. I decided to drop the conversation and just enjoy spending time with my friends, but was wishing that Mal was there too.
I was in my room going through some papers for the next council meeting. This would be the first one that I will be doing by myself, but my dad will be there in case someone tries to talk down to me or tries to take over. I was pacing around the room reading over some negotiations from other kingdoms until I heard someone singing. I looked toward the door and noticed that Chad didn't completely close the door after he left an hour ago. I walked to the door and peered out of the small crack. I then noticed Mal walking toward her room and she was singing.
Just like a star across my sky
Just like an angel off the page
You have appeared to my life
Feel like I'll never be the same
Just like a song in my heart
Just like oil on my hands
Oh, I do love you
Her voice is so beautiful. She sounds like an angel. Did she write that? Who does she love?
She then walked into her room and closed the door behind her. I closed my door and couldn't help the warm feeling deep in my chest. Is this what my dad felt when he fell in love with mom? The want to be whatever she wants? To be the reason she smiles everyday? I know what I have to do in order to be with Mal. I am just scared of the repercussions that are going to come with it. But I know that they will be worth it in the end. Mal would always be worth it. I sat in my room humming the little tune she was singing over and over. I couldn't get it out of my head. Maybe tomorrow, if Audrey answers or lets me talk, I could let her down easy. And maybe after that I can talk to Mal and maybe even ask her to be my date for my coronation.
(Thursday)
The rest of the week was going pretty well so far. Except that I was still in a relationship with Audrey. I worked with Carlos on his tourney skills and he found a love for dogs with the campus mutt Dude. Mal joined the art club. Jay was training really hard for tourney and R.O.A.R. And Evie joined fashion and design. She even started to make Mal's dress for my coronation. Evie is the only one who knows that I want Mal to be the one to accompany me to my coronation. I pulled her on Tuesday after dinner and screamed so loud that I had to cover her mouth to shush her. I know she is Mal's best friend, but I needed her to make Mal's dress perfect. I then got a little curious on why she was overly excited and asked her if she knew. She then told me that Mal had told her that I was her soulmate and she didn't know what to think because I was still with Audrey. Evie said she, herself, knew that I wasn't happy in the relationship I was in and could tell that whenever I was with Mal my mood would instantly change. She couldn't wait to start on Mal's dress, but I told her that she couldn't tell anyone, not even Mal, because I needed to break up with Audrey first. I have tried multiple times to talk to Audrey, but she either didn't answer or would never let me talk. Today would have gone a lot better if I didn't get an angry call from Audrey. She told me that Ariana called and told her that Mal was flirting with me.
"She is a homewrecker Ben! She needs to be put in her place. She is trying to get you into her pants. I swear when I am queen she won't know what hit her!" She yelled.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked in disbelief. "What makes you think that you have a right to do anything to her?!" I yelled back.
"Why the fuck are you trying to defend her? She is not your girlfriend! I am!" she continued.
"You know what? I have been wanting to talk to you about a few things lately and I think now is the best time!" I shouted.
"You can talk to me in person! I am heading back early now! Tomorrow! If you're not going to put the demon spawn in her place then I am!" she yelled before she hung up.
I looked down at my phone in shock. Fuck! Why won't she just left me get one fucking word in!?
I walked out of my room and toward the quad. I needed to talk to Mal. She is a good listener and for the past couple of days she has caught me when I am, in what my friends called it, 'beast mode,' and she can calm me down. She and I would sit and talk for hours about anything.
On Tuesday after practice I saw her walking out of the forest and waited for her so that I could walk with her to dinner. I didn't want to pry on what she was doing in the forest so I asked her how school was going for her, and she said that she was surprised that her and her friends weren't hated for being here. I told her that no one hates them for what their parents did. She then gave me a seriously-Ben-we-both-know-someone-hates-that-we-are-here look. I then told her not to worry about Audrey. She responded to me with an eye roll as we walked into the dinning hall. We sat with the rest of her friends and enjoyed dinner. While we were all talking FG came in pulling Jane and Mal away after they were done eating. I had almost forgotten that today was their first magic lesson. Later, after dinner, I walked to my room and I really wanted to talk to someone. I then pulled out my phone and texted Mal, asking if she wanted to sneak down to the kitchen and make some cookies after she was done with her magic lesson. I got really excited when she texted back saying that she would love to, but said she would ask FG for a pass for the both of us and said she would meet me there in 20 minutes. I quickly changed into sweats and into one of my tourney t-shirts. I groaned because all I had was one of the ones where the sleeves and the sides were cut off. I walked down to the kitchen and saw her gathering the ingredients for the cookies. She was wearing the purple romper she was wearing when I gave them their phones on the first day that she got here. We started the cookies and talked for hours. Before we knew it, it was two in the morning. We cleaned up our mess and walked back up to our floor, to our rooms and slept for the little bit of hours that we could.
The next day, Wednesday, was going just the same. I tried to call Audrey and she didn't answer, of course. I was headed to R.O.A.R. practice when I saw Mal and Evie walking into the direction of the arts building. After dinner I went back into the gym, where I found Jay, Carlos and Mal all sparing. I watched as they went against each other and was enjoying the fun that they were having. I also loved the teasing Mal was doing to the boys. She kept poking them and asking them when they were going to talk to Jane and Lonnie. They both groaned and told her that she was lucky that she didn't know who her soulmate was, making Mal and I frown, even though they didn't know that I was there. I walked in so that they didn't ream into her any further and she smiled when she saw me, making my heart thud a little faster. It wasn't long before both Jay and Carlos left, leaving Mal and I in the gym by ourselves. I asked her if she was any good with a sword, making her think that I wasn't watching her spare with her friends. We ended up sparring until curfew. I asked her how she was so good at it and she explained that she fought pirates on the isle. She then went on to say how she and Jay were friends with the daughter of Ursula, Uma, and the son of Captain Hook, Harry. She told me that she fell into the ocean when she was 6 and Uma laughed watching her drown, while Harry jumped into the ocean to save her. She said that after the incident Harry took Uma's side, because it turned out that they were soulmates, while Jay took Mal's side. I told her that I was sorry for what had happened. She told me that it was a long time ago and she was over it, but I could tell that she was still hurt by it. I walked her back to her room and bid her a goodnight. I walked back to my room, hoping that tomorrow would be just as good as today was.
I made my way to the quad but froze when I saw Mal sitting and talking to Trevor, the son of Queen Ariel and King Eric. They were smiling and laughing with each other and I couldn't help the feelings piling up inside of me; anger, annoyance, shock…jealousy. Every girl in school thinks that he is cute. I feel bad about his soulmate, but I wasn't about to let him weasel his way to mine. Before I could even stop myself I was walking up to where they were sitting so that I could put a stop to their little party.
(MAL'S POV)
I was leaving the art room when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a guy standing behind me with a small smile on his face. He had dark black hair and blue eyes.
"Hey. I'm Trevor." He said holding his hand out to me.
I shook his hand. "Hi. I'm Mal." I introduced myself.
"Oh. I know who you are. I think everyone does." He said with a small laugh.
"Yeah. I guess," I said with a little huff. "Did you need something?" I asked.
"Oh no. I just wanted to introduce myself. I saw some of your artwork that you were working on and I thought that you are very talented." He said.
"Oh. Well thank you." I said with a small shock in my voice.
"Yeah. You're welcome." He said. "Do you maybe want to go and sit? Maybe we could get to know each other since we are both in art club." He suggested.
"Umm. Yeah sure. We can go and sit in the quad?" I asked. He then nodded his head and we walked in silence to the quad and sat at a table.
"So. What are your hobbies?" He asked.
"Oh. Ummm. Well I like to draw, write, a new love to bake cookies and I sword fight. There isn't much I do honestly." I told him.
"Well it seems to me that you do a lot. I have never met a girl who likes to sword fight other than Lonnie." He said.
"Yeah. I actually sparred with Ben last night. He's really good. But don't tell him I said that." I laughed. Talking about Ben always made the butterflies flutter in my stomach, but I knew I couldn't think that way because he is with Audrey. I kept telling myself that if he wanted to be with me then he would break things off with Audrey, but he doesn't. So I just keep it to myself.
"Yeah. I have heard he is good. I would actually hope he is, because he is the captain of R.O.A.R. and tourney." he said with a laugh. "I, on the other hand, am the complete opposite. I am known around school, but I tend to keep to myself. I would hate to be in the spotlight that Ben is always in, but he handles it great."
"Yeah. He's great." I said putting my head down trying to hide my blush.
"You like him?" he asked.
My head snapped up and I locked eyes with him.
"I…ummm…he has a girlfriend." I stuttered.
"Yeah, but anyone with eyes can see that he hates being with Audrey. My sister has been pining over him since she was 11. Melody may be 2 years older than him, but she sure did fall for the 'beastly enchantment.'" he said. I couldn't help but chuckle at the joke, though I couldn't help but think that Ben was enchanting. "She was so upset when she found out Audrey was Ben's soulmate, but that didn't stop her from having hope." he said with a laugh.
"Is she over it now?" I asked with a chuckle.
"I think so. She was on the cheer squad with Audrey and she would tell me that Audrey would always talk about being queen." he said with an eye roll.
"Yeah. She says that quite a bit doesn't she?" I laughed.
"Yeah you would think she loves the crown more than she loves Ben." he commented.
"Yeah, but everyone is born with a soulmate right." I said. "Well, except for my mother." I told him.
"Oh wow. I never have heard of someone who didn't have a soulmate." he said.
"Yeah. I guess she was just destined to be a guardian of the Moors, but ended up going down a path that led her to the Isle." I told him.
"Yeah. I could relate." He stated.
"What do you mean?"
"Well. Everyone is born with a soulmate, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to end up with them. I had a soulmate. Her name was Madaline, but she was in a horrible accident two years ago." she started. "We had actually just found each other and were getting to know one another, but the fates had other plans." he finished with a sad look on his face.
"Oh. I am so sorry." I told him.
He shook his head at me. "It's okay. It was an accident and it took me some time to get over it, but with the help of my friends and family, everything is okay."
"I couldn't imagine losing my soulmate, though he is much sometimes, he is great." I laughed, thinking about Ben.
"Oh, really. Who is the lucky guy?" He asked laughing.
"Hey, Mal." I heard Ben say as he stepped up to our table.
He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Trevor. More like glaring at him.
"Hi, Ben. You probably know Trevor." I said, gesturing to Trevor. Ben gave a stiff nod, but didn't stop staring at Trevor. "What's up?" I asked curiously.
He stopped staring at Trevor and looked at me. His face softened and he gave me a small smile.
"I was going to ask if I could speak to you." he said.
I gave him a curious look and then nodded my head. "Umm…okay. Sure." I looked at Trevor. "I'll see you tomorrow." I told him as I got up from my seat.
"Club activities are canceled tomorrow for the game. Maybe I'll see you there." He said as he got up to collect his thing.
Oh crap. The game! I almost forgot! FG would kill me if I forgot.
"Yeah. Maybe." I said before I walked off with Ben.
Ben then led me to a big tree. It was a big oak tree and its branches were thick and intertwining.
"You seemed flirty with Trevor. Do you like him?" He asked me once I sat down on one of the big roots coming out of the ground.
"What? Trevor? I just met him today." I told him.
He was pacing back and forth, running a hand through his hair as he looked up at the sky. Is he mad at me for something?
"Are you mad at me?" I asked.
"No. I just didn't peg you for the type of girl to flirt around." He stated.
I looked at him in shock. What the fuck?!
"Um…excuse me? What do you mean?" I said as I stood up and crossed my arms across my chest.
"Well you were flirting with him. What is up with that?" He asked, finally looking at me.
"I was not flirting with him. He came up to me. He wanted to talk to me. How is that me flirting with him?" I asked.
"Well it looked like it to me. I thought…" he started.
"You thought what, Ben?" I started. "What does it matter if someone likes me?" I asked.
"Because."
"Because what?" I asked. Why does he care so much? Wait! Is he jealous? I took a deep breath and then began to talk again. "Ben, you have a girlfriend. I know that we are soulmates and friends, but you can't get mad at me for a guy talking to me." I told him. "I don't think it is fair that you are getting mad at me because someone came up and made conversation with me. He may like me, he may not. Do you not even realize that you flirt with me? We stay up talking. You confide in me. You tell me things that bother you. You tell me about your dreams. Stuff that I don't think you would ever imagine talking to anyone about." I continued to go on. He was now looking at me with an apologetic look, but I continued my rant. "Ben. I am not the girl to go off and stay out late with a guy I just met. Ben I do it with you because I like you. I. Like. You." I blurted out. "But you have a girlfriend. And like I said before all I want is for you to be happy. I never want to come between you and your happiness. But it is so hard for me right now Ben." I said, holding back my tears.
"Mal…"
"No. Listen, Ben. I haven't told you any of this but I am being tormented by Audrey's cronies. Calling me a homewrecker, a slut and a lot of other things. All because you are flirting with me. Ben. I know you love Audrey or else you would have broken up with her long before I was in the picture. But knowing and not being able to be with my soulmate hurts." I said as tears streamed down my face.
Ben grabbed the sides of my face and wiped my tears. I couldn't look him in the eyes.
"Mal…"
"Look. I want you to be happy. Audrey makes you happy even if you can't see it. I will be your friend. But I need space." I said as I stepped away from him. I bent down to pick up my backpack. I threw it over my shoulder and turned toward him still not looking at him. "I'll see you later okay. I just need to go." I told him before I walked off toward my dorm.
Zeus! I told him I liked him. What was I thinking? I just ruined my relationship with him because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. At least I told him that I like him instead of me telling him that I loved him. Spending all of that time with him made me realize that I do love him. And the worst part is, that I will never be able to be his.
(BEN'S POV)
Fuck! I am so stupid! Why would I get mad at her for something so stupid? She thinks I actually want to be with Audrey. She wants me to be happy. But she doesn't know that she is what would make me happy.
I left her alone for the rest of the day. I walked into the dining room and noticed that Mal and Evie were missing. I grabbed my dinner and went to sit with the others.
"Where are Mal and Evie?" I asked.
"They are in the music room. Evie said Mal needed her help with something and said that they would grab something to eat before they went back to their room." Carlos said.
"What did Mal need help with?" Lonnie asked.
"Umm… She needed help with a project from FG." Jay said. He sounded off like he was hiding something.
I pulled out my phone out of my pocket and quickly texted her.
Ben to Mal: Hey. I know you said you needed space, but I was worried because you weren't at dinner. Do you need help with anything? Why are you in the music room?
I put it back into my pocket and waited for her response.
5 minutes passed and nothing.
10 more minutes and nothing.
I listened around the table to what people were saying and chiming into conversations here and there.
I looked at the clock and noticed it was almost 7. 20 minutes after I texted her. I was about to get up to go and look for them, but my phone buzzed in my pocket. I quickly pulled it out and read the message.
Mal to Ben: I am fine. No, I don't need help with anything. Well where else would I go if I wanted to work on music?
I quickly texted her back.
Ben to Mal: That's amazing! I'm sorry for bugging you again and I am sorry for getting upset.
Mal to Ben: It's okay. I just need space.
My heart sank to my stomach after reading her last text. I put my phone in my pocket and listened to the conversations going on around me until everyone was done eating.
I walked back to my room alone. Chad and Jordan went for a walk around campus. Jay, Carlos, Aziz and Ryder went to the gym. And Lonnie and Jane went back to their room to watch movies.
I went to knock on Mal's door to see if she was back by chance, but there was no answer. I walked back to my room and threw my stuff on my bed. Why did I have to be so stupid? Why can't I just tell her that I plan to break up with Audrey because I am in love with her? I then remembered that I had to do this right. I couldn't tell Mal how I felt until I was out of my relationship.
I quickly took a shower and changed into some sweats. When i came out of the bathroom I heard a faint giggling coming from the hallway. I rushed to the door but didn't open my door. I pressed my ear to the door and I could hear Mal and Evie.
"Mal. I seriously can't believe that you wrote 3 songs in the little bit of time that we were in the music room." Evie said.
"Well what can I say E. I was inspired." she giggled. Her giggle made my heart swell.
"Which one are you going to pick?" Evie asked. Pick for what?
"I don't know yet." Mal responded.
I couldn't hear them after that. I assumed that they were now in their room. I went and brushed my teeth and got into bed. I flipped through some channels on the flatscreen that was on the wall, but couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. I turned the tv off when I saw that it was almost midnight. It didn't take that long for me to fall asleep, but I knew one thing for sure was that I was going to earn Mal's forgiveness tomorrow no matter what.
(BEN'S POV)
I woke up earlier today. I rushed to get ready because I wanted to talk to Mal. I went to knock on her door and there was no answer. I walked down to the dining hall hoping that she would be there, but she wasn't. I saw Evie, Jay and Carlos sitting with the rest of my friends but Mal was nowhere in sight. Where is she?
"Oh, Bennyboo! Guess who's back?" I heard from behind me. I closed my eyes and sighed. I turned to see a perky Audrey walking toward me.
"Hi, Audrey." I said.
"Did you miss your queen?" She said kissing me on my cheek.
I didn't mean to, but I flinched as her lips touched my cheek. I was just thankful that she didn't notice.
"Ummm…"
"I would love to stay and chat, but I have to do a few things today." she said as she pulled her phone out of her purse. "I have to talk to Ariana, because she was supposed to lead tonight, but since I am back she doesn't need to. FG wanted to talk to me about Calculus too. More importantly though, I need to talk to demon spawn." Those words made me see red.
"No. Listen. I have been needing to talk to you about something and it can't wait anymore." I said. She looked up at me with her brown eyes.
"Okay. What is it?" She asked, not looking up from her phone.
I opened my mouth to start talking, but was quickly cut off. "Oh, Audrey. There you are." We heard FG say as she made her way toward us. We both walked up to see a perky FG. "I was hoping to talk to you now about your classes right now, if you do not mind. I have a busy day today and will not be in my office for the rest of the day." She said.
"Yeah. That's fine." Audrey said as she looked up at me. "I'll talk to you later. After school." she said as she kissed my cheek again. Again, I was thankful she didn't notice me flinching, but it was not missed by FG.
"Fine." I said as they walked off toward FG's office.
I watched as they turned the corner before I slumped my way into the dining hall. I grabbed a breakfast burrito and sat down with the rest of my friends.
"E? Where is Mal?" Carlos asked with a mouth full of food.
"I'll answer you when you ask me again without a full mouth." She said, making everyone laugh.
He rolled his eyes and finished what was in his mouth. "Okay, princess. Now. Where is Mal?"
"Yes. She was gone when I woke up this morning. I called her and asked her where she was and she said that she went out for a run." She explained.
"Mal never runs for fun. Is she okay?" Jay asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"She didn't have the best day yesterday." she said as she took a quick glance at me. "She's upstairs right now getting ready. I ran into her when I came down for breakfast."
"Is she okay now?" Ryder asked.
"She will be later. Mal is a strong girl." Evie said with a smile.
We finished breakfast before 8 and I pulled Evie aside again.
"Hey. Is Mal mad at me?" I asked her.
"No. She is not mad. She is just frustrated and hurt. In all honesty I don't think she could ever be mad at you." She said.
"She said that she needed space from me. I feel like I made her mad with the way I acted, not that I would blame her if she was mad at me." I said looking down at the ground.
"Ben. If Mal was mad at you, you would know. Because believe me when I say that no one wants to be on the other end of the 'mad Mal' stick. Just talk to her. Maybe after last night she'll be better." she said before she patted my shoulder and walked away.
Talk to her. Okay. I'll try to beat her to french later so that I can talk to her before class. I made my way to my Auradon Government and Economics and let the 45 minutes of things I already knew drag on. When class was over I practically sprinted to the library to meet Mal. I waited for her to show up, but she never did. I walked into the library to meet Mr. Monet.
"Goodmorning, your majesty. Are we ready to start?" he asked as I sat down.
"Shouldn't we wait for Mal?" I asked.
"Oh. She won't be joining us today. Jen…I mean FG talked to me this morning and said that Mal wouldn't be in class today." he explained. "Okay. Let us begin."
"Do you know why?" I asked.
"Ah ah." he said waving his finger at me. "En français." (In French.) he asked, making me huff.
"Tu sais pourquoi?" (Do you know why?) I asked again.
"Non. Elle n'a pas dit. C'est que Mal n'allait pas être en classe aujourd'hui." (No. She didn't say. Just that Mal was not going to be in class today.) he said.
"Sais-tu si elle sera dans sa prochaine classe?" (Do you know if she will be in her next class?) I asked.
"Je ne sais pas. Je suis désolée de votre majesté." (I don't. I'm sorry your majesty.) He said apologetically. "Maintenant. Revenons en français." (Now. Let's get back to French, shall we.) He finished. I nodded my head and we went on with the lesson.
Once French was over I ran to calculus hoping that Mal would be there. I was one of the first people there and waited for her to enter, but she never did. Class went by really slow. What was Mal and FG doing? Jane was in calculus, so it's not related to their magic lessons. Class had finally ended and I wish I had the time to go and look for her but I was missing R.O.A.R. for a council meeting I was not looking forward to. I really don't know why they insisted on having me do my first council meeting on the same day as the tourney championship. I walked to the parking lot, hopped onto my motorcycle and sped off to the castle. When I got there I was greeted by my mom and dad. Cogsworth then led us to the council room.
"Is everyone here?" I asked Lumiere as I straightened my tie.
"Yes, my young prince. And may I say goodluck." he said with a big smile.
"Thank you, Lumiere." I said, returning his smile.
We entered the room and let the meeting begin.
"Well I can see why you had this meeting planned for 12." I told my dad as we waved goodbye to the last guest.
"Yeah, Queen Leah can be a handful." He said with a laugh. "Thank Zeus I won't have to be in charge of those meetings anymore."
"Oh. Ha. Ha. You are so funny!" I said to him as I playfully punched his arm. "Can you tell me again why Queen Leah hasn't given up her title yet? Shouldn't that have been passed down to Aurora when she was 18?" I asked as we walked into the living area and sat down.
"Well she should have taken it when she was 25. Her and Phillip should have taken the throne, but for some reason Leah never passed it down." My dad said.
"Let's not talk about that woman. She gets under my skin." My mom interrupted our conversation. "Are you excited for the championship game later?" She asked.
"Yeah. I have a couple hours until I have to be in the locker room, but there are a few things that I have to do before that." I told them.
"What is that?" My mom asked.
"Well…I need to talk to Audrey…and Mal." I said looking down at the floor.
"Are you breaking up with Audrey?" My mom asked full of hope.
"Wow, Belle. No need to sound sad about it." My dad said jokingly, making me laugh.
"Actually, I have been trying since Monday, but she never lets me get a word in." I said shaking my head.
"Are you going to ask Mal out?" My mom asked again.
"Belle. He is still in a relationship. He may not like it but he would never do that to someone." my dad said to her.
"Well I can't help it! I hate that my son is with a stuck up, spoiled and fake girl. Mal is a wonderful girl. She is talented, smart, sweet, feisty and everything our son needs. I loved getting to know her." my mom said.
"What do you mean 'loved' Belle? You text her everyday." my dad said, surprising me.
My mom text Mal everyday?
"You do?" I asked.
"Yeah. I text her good morning and goodnight. I will even text her throughout the day and ask her how her day has been going." My mom admitted with a blush.
I was about to say something when Lumier came in. "Je suis désolé pour tes majestes. Mais il n'y a que deux heures avant le match de Ben. Tu devrais probablement commencer à te préparer bientôt." (I am sorry your majesties. But there is only 2 hours before Ben's championship game. You should probably start to get ready soon.) he said.
"You guys are going to the game?" I asked.
"Well of course we are." They both said simultaneously.
"Now go and do what you have to do. We will see you at the game." My dad said.
I nodded my head and ran out the door. I pulled my keys out of my pocket, hopped on my bike and raced back to school. When I got into the parking lot I parked my bike and grabbed my backpack. I knew who I wanted to see first and I think I know where she would be and hopefully I would be right. And I started running until I was where I needed to be.
I saw her sitting in the quad. She was sitting underneath a tree lost in her notebook. I'm not going to lie, she looked so cute when she was concentrating. I walked toward her, because I needed to talk to her and make things right with her. When I approached her she made no indication of knowing that I was standing in front of her. It was then I noticed that she had a pair of headphones in and didn't hear me coming over to her. I crouched down and placed my backpack on the ground next to hers then sat myself down. I then tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump and closed her notebook fast, like she was hiding what she was working on.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," I told her, with a worried tone in my voice.
"It's fine. Did you need something?" She asked me, not meeting my eyes. Great. She is mad at me.
I let a breath out. I know I am not Mal's biggest fan right now, but I just wanted her to know that this is a difficult thing for me to do. Not losing Audrey, but the breakup part. I have never broken up with anyone before. Not to mention breaking up with someone who won't let me say one word in a conversation. But I know that I had to do it if I wanted to be with Mal.
"Mal. You know this is hard for me. She still thinks that I'm the one," I said.
She didn't look at me, she just fidgeted with her fingerless gloves.
"Yeah. I know and I get it. She's in love with you," she said, putting her hands down on her lap. "And you are in love with her. That is why it is so hard, so don't worry about it. Just be in love and be happy. I have had a long time to think about all of this Ben and that is all I can say."
I didn't know what to say to her. I loved her, not Audrey. I just didn't know how to tell her all of that. My dad's words bounced around in my head and I knew I had to break things off with Audrey first. But knowing that it was going to happen soon was keeping me from blowing up.
"Are you going to the game tonight?" I asked her.
"Yeah. Fairy Godmother asked me a couple of days ago if I would sing for the halftime show. She said that she would use it as extra credit for me, so I said I would." she said. I smiled brightly at her, even though she didn't see me because she still was trying to avoid my eyes. It made me so happy that she was going to sing. She still doesn't know that I caught her singing before, and my god does she have a beautiful voice.
"That is amazing. I know you'll be amazing," I said beaming at her. She let out a scoffed laugh and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah right…" She said. I didn't want to push her on the topic, so I decided to change it.
"So what are you working on? Some new drawings?" I asked, gesturing to her notebook.
"Oh, no it's nothing." she said as she pulled her notebook closer to her chest. "Just some songs." she said.
"Can I look?" I asked. I know she doesn't show people her drawings or songs, besides her family.
"Ummm… maybe next time. I have the song I am going to sing in here tonight, so I don't want people to hear it yet." she said, pulling the notebook away from her chest and looking at it. "I know it's weird and I should have people look at my stuff before I sing it, but this is my first time singing in front of a lot of people. Evie, Jay, Carlos, my dad, Hadie and Persephone are the only people who have ever heard me sing before." she said, finally looking at me.
I was met with her beautiful green eyes, and my god they were so breathtaking that I could stare at them forever, if it was possible. I just wanted to pull her in and kiss her deeply, but I know she still thinks that I am in love with Audrey. I wanted to tell her, but I know I have to wait. Just a couple more hours. I wanted to ease all of her pain, but I know it would just hurt her more if I did it now. I was going to open my mouth to say something, but was cut off by someone yelling my name.
"Ben!" I quickly turned to see an angry Audrey storming toward me. "What are you doing? And why is she here?" she screeched as she stopped in front of Mal and I.
"I was talking to Mal. Why does that matter?" I asked her. She wasn't even looking at me. She was scowling down at Mal. I looked at Mal and noticed that she was looking back sown at her hands.
"Well SHE needs to get her own boyfriend! And she needs to stop talking and staring at mine!" Audrey yelled down at Mal. "What?! No backbone Mal?!" she continued to yell at her. "I thought that Daughter of Maleficent and Hades would have some backbone and defend herself." she said crossing her arms across her chest. I then heard Mal start to sniffle and breath heavy.
I got up off the ground and put myself between Audrey and Mal. I didn't want Audrey to be yelling at Mal. I started to breathe heavy and I was starting to see red. I looked back to see if Mal was okay, but when I looked she was picking up her bag and running toward the dorms.
"Oh look. Devil spawn running away, because she was yelled at." Audrey said gesturing to Mal who was almost running away from us.
"Audrey!" I yelled in her face. "Quit your shit! Stop yelling at her. She is the one! Not you!" I yelled at her. I did it. I told her, and it felt good. I looked at Audrey and saw that she looked at me in shock.
"What are you talking about?!" she asked me. "What do you mean I'm not the one? We are soulmates. How could I not be the one?" she asked.
I pulled off my ring and finally showed her my soul mark. She looked at it in shock.
"What did she do to you? Did she spell you and change your mark? Did she put you in some type of trance?" she asked, yelling.
I quickly pulled her to the side so that no one could hear us. "No, Audrey. I am not spelled. I am not cursed. I am not in a trance. Mal is my soulmate. She has the same mark as my mother." I told her. "I am sorry Audrey, but I want to break up. I want to be with Mal." I finished. I felt this big weight being lifted off my shoulders and it felt great. I never knew how much pressure being with Audrey gave me. I looked back at her and saw her glaring at me. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was turning red.
"You are not breaking up with me! I am supposed to be queen! You are not going to ruin my future!" She screamed at me.
I stared at her in shock. How could she think that she could stand there and demand me? I was not going to have her talk to me like this. "You do not control me! You do not demand me! I do not want to be with you! We are done!" I said before I turned around to go and look for Mal.
(MAL'S POV)
I ran to my room. I didn't want Audrey or Ben seeing me cry. I just couldn't sit there and let her ream into me the way she was. It's not my fault that all of this was happening. I closed the door to my room and threw my bag onto my bed. I made sure that Evie wasn't in the room because I didn't want her to see me cry. So when I realized that she was not in the bathroom or in the walk in closet I crouched at the foot of my bed and cried. I took off my fingerless gloves and rubbed the mark on my finger.
"You belong with me…" I sang quietly. My voice was still shaky and my vision was fuzzy from crying.
I don't know how long I was crying but when I heard the lock to our door turn, I ran to the bathroom and locked the door.
"Mal?" I heard Evie call. "Are you here?" she asked.
"Yeah I'm here. I'm just getting ready to wash up for tonight?" I said trying not to hiccup as I responded.
"Okay. I'll freshen up my makeup out here then when you're done I'll do that braided ponytail you like," she said. I couldn't help but smile at my sister.
"Thank you Evie. I'll be out in a minute." I quickly put a small amount of makeup on to hide the red under my eyes, but that wouldn't help with the redness in my eyes. I took a final look at myself in the mirror and then walked out of the bathroom and into the room.
"Hey!" Evie said as she looked up from her mirror. "Ben was looking for you, but I told him that you were probably getting ready for the game so he went to the locker room to meet with the guys." she said.
"Oh. Okay. I guess I'll just talk to him later." I told her. She looked at me with a curious look, but didn't ask me, which I was thankful for.
"Do you want to change before I do your hair?" She asked. I nodded and then went to the closet to change.
I walked into the closet and was debating on what to wear. I knew it was going to be cold. I looked around the drawers and found my favorite lilac sweatshirt. I quickly changed into it and then changed into a light pair of denim skinny jeans and black converse. I walked out and Evie beamed at me.
"What?" I asked her.
She looked at me and shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm just glad that you are doing this. I can't wait to hear what song you sing." she said as she did my hair.
"Do you want to know the song?" I asked her as she placed the last bobby pin in my hair.
"Yes!" she squealed.
I looked at her through the mirror. "I'm singing, you belong with me…" I told her.
She looked at me, gave me a small smile and then turned me to face her. .
"I think that is the perfect song," she said.
I gave her a meek smile before she pulled me into a hug. I held on tight to her.
"Are you ready to go? Lonnie said that she was going to save us seats so that we can go and see Jay and Carlos, before the game," she asked.
"Yeah. Let's go." I said. She looped her arm through mine and we made our way to the boys locker room. I just hope that half time will go smoothly.
When we got to the locker room all of the guys were standing outside. I saw Ben standing next to their coach and when our eyes locked his eyes widened. He took a step toward us, but was stopped by Chad Ryder and Aziz. I didn't know what they were talking about, but Ben looked irritated at first. I was then picked up and spun around by Jay.
"Put me down you big ape!" I yelled jokingly as he put me down.
"Ha. Ha. You're an ape!" Carlos laughed as he poked Jay's side.
"Oh. Quit it you squirrel" I said before I gave Carlos a hug.
"We just came to say good luck and we will be rooting for you guys!" Evie said with a squeal.
"Alright. Alright, E. Let's not blow out my eardrum please." I said as I looped my arm with hers. "We'll see you after the game! Good luck!" I said before Evie and I walked away and toward the bleachers.
(BEN'S POV)
"Come on man! Tell us!" Ryder said.
"Tell you what?" I asked. I tried to look past them to look at mal and when I saw her she was being spun around by Jay.
"Is it true?" Chad asked.
"Is what true?" I asked. Zeus. What do they know?
"That you broke up with Audrey?" Aziz asked.
"How did you hear that?" I asked in surprise.
"So it's true?!" They all asked simultaneously.
I nodded my head and they all started to cheer. "Wow guys. I didn't know you would be this excited?" I asked them.
"Are you kidding. We have been waiting for this day since you told us that she wasn't your soulmate!" Ryder shouted.
"What are we all celebrating?" Jay asked as he clapped Chad on the shoulder.
I turned to look for Mal and when I saw her she was almost to the bleachers. Fuck! I guess I'll have to do it later.
"Well Benny here finally grew a pair and broke up with Audrey!" Aziz told Jay and Carlos.
"Wow! That's great man. I hate to say this, but I hated her from the moment I stepped out of the limo." Jay said, making the group laugh.
"So when are you going to tell your soulmate that you are. You know. You." Carlos asked.
"Yeah. And who is it by the way? Every time we ask you always avoid it, or change the subject or make us run laps" Chad said.
I stared at them and then took a deep breath. Well they are going to find out sooner or later. "Okay. If I tell you. Two of you can't kill me. Okay?" I said.
They all nodded and then I took another deep breath. "It's Mal." I said as I flinched.
I looked up to see wide eyes coming from Chad, Azis and Ryder, but Jay and Carlos didn't have an expression.
"You guys aren't going to hit me?" I asked.
"Why would we hit you? You're a great guy. I wouldn't want Mal to end up with anyone better," Carlos said.
"Well I might hit you, but only if you hurt my sister." Jay said with a smile.
"I would never EVER hurt her." I told them with a blushed smile.
"You know. I am really surprised that we were shocked." Ryder started. "I mean. Ever since they arrived here you have been goo goo eyes at Mal. I don't know how we didn't see it. Damn we are horrible best friends." he finished, making everyone laugh.
"Alright team! Are we ready to go out there and kick some Sherwood butt tonight!?" coach yelled.
"Yeah!" we all cheered together.
"Then let's go out there and kick some butt!" he shouted.
We all cheered before running out onto the field. We passed the cheerleaders and I saw Audrey glaring at me, but I couldn't care less. I ran to the bench, putting my helmet down and looked up at the bleachers. It didn't take me that long to spot her. She was standing in the fourth row with Evie, Lonnie, Jane, Jordan and to my surprise my parents. I saw my mom wave to me and I waved back smiling at the fact that they were here. I then looked at Mal and noticed that she was avoiding looking at me. I started to worry, but I couldn't do anything about it now. I would just have to wait until halftime.
(MAL'S POV)
Wow. I never knew how exciting tourney was or how rough it was. I don't know how many times I have seen another player ram into Ben. I may be upset with him right now, but I still cared about him. I didn't want him hurt. Evie had to hold my hand a couple of times and squeeze it to calm me down and so that I didn't run down there and rip someone into two. Before I knew it, it was half time. The score was Auradon Prep 2 and Sherwood Forest 2. They still had half a game to go, but still it's going to be a close game. FG then came and took my hand, pulling me down the bleachers. I quickly turned toward Evie.
"E. I think I should change the song. What about like a star?" I asked, panicking.
"M. Stick with you belong with me. It's a great song." She said and I nodded my head slowly at her. "You are going to be amazing. Just like you always are." She said as she walked up and gave me a hug.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, king and queens, princes and princesses. I would like to direct your attention to the front of the kill zone where Mallory Drakos will be performing for our halftime show and she will be accompanied by Doug Dwarfson and his band The Mines!" the announcer said over the speaker.
I walked to the front of the kill zone and I started to get nervous. How could I think I could do this? Is it too late to run?
"Hey." I heard. I turned around to see Doug standing behind me. He looked down at me with a small smile. "Everything is going to be great. We practiced all day for this. You can do it." he said encouragingly. "Just remember not to kick when the guys pick you up." He said with a laugh.
I gave him a small smile and he helped me up onto the cannon stage. He then passed me the microphone and I waited for him to get back to his spot. I looked to the side of the field and noticed the tourney team watching. Oh Zeus! Shouldn't they be in the locker room going over plays or something? But what made me even more nervous was that Ben, Jay, Carlos, Chad, Aziz and Ryder were in the very front of the team and Ben's gaze was locked to me.
I heard Derek start playing his banjo while Crabby started the drums. Well it's now or never. 3 seconds after Doug's electric guitar started was my que. No going back now. I grabbed the microphone and the stand and held it about 2 inches away from my mouth.
You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset
She's goin' off about somethin' that you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do
I looked up at the crowd and I could see Evie and the girls cheering.
I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listenin' to the kind of music she doesn't like
And she'll never know your story like I do
I glanced at Ben and I could see him smiling at me. Why is he always smiling at me? Audrey is right there. He needs to focus on his girlfriend. Not me.
But she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreamin' 'bout the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time
I pulled the microphone off the stand and sang loudly to the crowd. I saw Evie jumping up and down. And I saw Belle and Adam smiling brightly.
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along, so why can't you see
You belong with me
You belong with me
I hopped down from the canon stage and walked toward Doug who was smiling brightly at me. I need to thank him later.
Walkin' the streets with you and your worn-out jeans
I can't help thinkin' this is how it ought to be
Laughin' on a park bench, thinkin' to myself
"Hey, isn't this easy?"
And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down
You say you're fine, I know you better than that
Hey, what you doin' with a girl like that?
I made eye contact with Audrey and she did not look happy. She had her arms crossed over her chest and if looks could kill I would have died 10 times. She looked to Ben, which made me look as well, and he was looking at me and standing there with the biggest smile on his face.
She wears high heels, I wear sneakers
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreamin' 'bout the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time
And that is when I saw flashes of blue and yellow running toward me. And before I know it Chad, Jay, Aziz and Ryder hoisted me up into the air and laid me down on their shoulders so that I was facing the stars in the sky. I heard cheering coming from the crowd and the tourney team.
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along, so why can't you see
You belong with me
Standin' by and waitin' at your back door
All this time, how could you not know, baby
You belong with me
You belong with me
They placed me back down on the ground and did my little choreographed number I had with each of them during my next verse.
Oh, I remember you drivin' to my house
In the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh
When you know you're 'bout to cry
And I know your favorite songs
And you tell me 'bout your dreams
Think I know where you belong
Think I know it's with me
Jay was the last one I was with and he helped me back up onto the canon stage before he ran off with the others and back to the team.
Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?
Been here all along, so why can't you see
You belong with me
Standin' by and waitin' at your back door
All this time, how could you not know, baby
You belong with me
You belong with me
You belong with me
Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me
You belong with me
I finished and it felt amazing! I heard roaring and cheering. A lot of it coming from the tourney team. I turned to look at them and I saw them cheering and whistling. Ben was clapping, whistling and had a huge smile on his face. His reaction made me happy and excited but it bothered me just a little bit. I heard various 'woo's'. I heard 'that's my sister' and I am pretty sure it came from Jay and Carlos. I looked away from the team and looked at the crowd in the bleachers. Evie was coming down the stairs and toward the field and right to me.
"Oh my Zeus, Mal! That was amazing!" she said as she wrapped her arms around me.
"Thank you, but I couldn't have done it without Dough and his band." I said gesturing to Doug.
She then turned and jumped at Doug, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Wow! What a show! I don't know about you, but I think that Mal and The Mines should do this for every game next year. Am I right?" the announcer said. "Oh, wait. I have just been informed that they are all graduating this year. What a bummer." he said making the crowd boo. "Alright everyone. Let's clear the field and let's get back to the game!" he cheered. I saw that Ben was walking toward me, but Evie pulled me off the field and toward the bleachers, leaving him to stop in his tracks.
We walked up to the bleachers and I was engulfed in a pair of arms. "Oh, Mal. That was amazing!" Belle said as she let me go.
"Thank you. I was really nervous, but it was really fun!" I said with a smile.
"Well you are a very talented young woman. I am glad that you are Ben's soulmate." Adam whispered. But the statement made me frown.
"Oh. Zeus! I forgot!" Lonnie said.
I turned my attention to her and she was huddling the girls into a closed circle.
"Okay. I don't know if you guys heard." she said.
"Heard what?" Evie asked.
"Ben and Audrey broke up. Or from what I heard Ben broke up with Audrey." she said.
My eyes widened in shock. He did? I felt Evie take my hand and squeeze it tightly.
"Yeah! I was really shocked because you know they are soulmates and whatnot, but still." she told us.
"They aren't soulmates." Jordan stated.
"What?!" Jane and Lonnie exclaimed.
"Yeah. Ben has known since he was 10." she explained.
"Who is his soulmate?" Jane asked.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Jordan said, giving me a small smile.
Both Lonnie and Jane looked at me with wide eyes. "Shut the fuck up?!" Lonnie yelled.
I nodded my head confirming what Jordan had said. All of the girls shrieked with excitement as they broke the circle. I saw Ben's parents jump in surprise with all the shrieking.
"Wait. How did you know?" I asked Jordan.
"Oh please. You guys are too obvious! Plus…Chad told me when we started dating that Audrey wasn't Ben's soulmate and when you guys got here he has been nothing but a puppy dog every time he sees you." She said.
"But no one told you he was my soulmate." I said squinting my eyes at her.
She gave me an evil smile. "Oh. Well that was my theory. You just confirmed it for me." She said with a laugh.
"Oh my Zeus! You sneaky puff of smoke! I;m going to stuff you into your dad's lamp and bury you on the tourney field." I said in shock, making everyone laugh.
"Well then at least people will know where to look for me." she said laughing.
"Well since the cat is out of the bag…" I heard Adam say from behind me. I turned to look at them. They had warm smiles on their faces.
"Mal. You are everything we could ever hope for for Ben. I know you didn't ask for any of this when you came from the Isle, but we made a promise Ben the day he was born." Belle said. I looked at her with a confused look. "We promised him that we would love his soulmate just as much as we love him." she finished as she hugged me once more. I couldn't help but let a few tears out. I looked up at Adam and he smiled down at me.
"Alright everyone! It's going to be a close one. Chad passes to Az. Az passes to Jay. Wait what is this? Carlos ducks on the floor. Jay jumps off Carlos' shield. And into the kill zone. Jay flips over the cannon balls. Jay passes to Ben. And. And. Ben scores! The Auradon Knights have won the championship!"
The crowd is cheering louder than ever. The team tackles Ben to the floor in celebration. I couldn't help but smile as I saw them hoist Ben up in the air.
"Oh dang it! I was supposed to start after halftime! I'm so late!" Jane said.
"What's wrong Jane?" I asked.
"I was supposed to set everything up for the after party! And I'm so behind." She groaned.
"Hey. It's okay. We will go and help you." I told her.
"Oh my! Thank you!" She said as she hugged me tightly.
"Okay let's go. We need to go and get the karaoke stuff from the auditorium." She said as she pulled me from my seat. I looked back and waved bye to Ben's parents and they smiled and waved back. The girls and I followed Jane down the bleachers and passed the cheerleaders.
"What a slut." I heard one of them say.
"Yeah. Can you say homewrecker?"
I turned to see Audrey standing there glaring at me.
"What did you call me?" I asked. I was really getting tired of her bullshit.
"You heard me, devil spawn! You're nothing but a slut and a homewrecker! Ben will see right through you and come back to me, his TRUE queen." She scoffed and laughed.
"Whatever Audrey! Ben knows trash when he sees it. And trust me when I say he just threw out the worst trash in the land." Jordan said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me away from them.
"Thank you, but you didn't have to do that." I told her.
"Yes I did. I'm going to have your back Mal." She said.
I couldn't believe that someone would stand up for me the way she did, other than my family. But Audrey's words stuck in my head. Am I those things?
(BEN'S POV)
I rushed through the crowd to find Mal. I had to tell her that I chose her. I ran up the bleachers to where she was, but she wasn't there. Only my mom and dad.
"Congratulations, sweetheart!" my mom said as she gave me a hug.
"Thanks mom." I said over her shoulder.
"Good job son! You were great!" My dad said as he clapped me on the shoulder.
"Thanks dad." I said with a smile. "Hey. Have you seen Mal anywhere?" I asked.
"She went to help Jane set up for the victory party. Didn't she do an amazing job?" My mom asked, really excited.
"Yeah. She was amazing. I couldn't take my eyes off her." I admitted.
"We know. We saw you." My dad said. "We thought you were going to drool yourself into dehydration." He joked.
"Oh you're so funny dad." I said as I let go of my mom.
"Just stating facts son." He said shoving my shoulder.
"Oh you two. What am I going to do with you?" My mom said as he took my dad's hand. "Anyway. We should let Ben go so that he could shower and change for the party." she said as she pulled on my dad's arm. "Again. Congratulations Ben and have fun tonight." she said before they left.
"Thank you. I will." was all I said as I started to run toward the locker room. I quickly grabbed my bag and left and sprinted to the dorms. I cannot talk to Mal when I smell like sweat, dirt and all of the other guys from jumping on top of me.
I got to my dorm in record time and locked the door when I closed it. I was lucky too because when I got out of the shower I heard Audrey pounding on my door.
"Ben, if you do not open this door right now, I will break it down!" I heard her yell.
I couldn't help but chuckle at her. She sounded so desperate and needy.
"Okay, big bad wolf. It's time for you to leave." I heard someone tell her. It sounded like Az.
"He is my boyfriend! I have every right to be here!" she screamed.
"He is not your boyfriend. He broke up with you." I heard Ryder say.
I quickly pulled my shirt over my head and continued to listen to what they were saying.
"He didn't mean to! He doesn't know what is right and wrong! He is under some type of spell from that purple headed whore!" I heard her yell at them.
I saw red after that. I walked to the door and yanked it open. I glared down at Audrey who was standing in between two of my best friends.
"Leave. Now! Or I will have you removed by force." I told her.
"You would never do that to your queen" she said glaring back at me.
"Your right. I would never do that to Mal. Now leave." I said as I pointed down the hall.
"You'll be back. Just you wait." she said before she walked down the hall and around the corner to leave.
"Wow, man. I never thought that you had it in you to yell at that bitch." Ryder said.
"Ryder. She is still a princess." I told him.
"Yeah. So? I'm a prince. You don't see me throwing temper tantrums every time I don't get my way." he said. I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement.
"Did you guys need something? I thought that we were going to meet downstairs?" I asked.
"Yeah. we were but we wanted to talk to you first." Az said.
"Okay. About what?"
Ryder took a deep breath and then started to talk. "Okay. So on our way back to the dorms we passed by the banquet ballroom and saw the girls working. We were about to go in and say hi, but we stopped when we heard them talking." He said.
He went on to tell me that the girls were trying to put Mal in a better mood because of what Audrey and her cronies told her. I really couldn't believe that this was actually going on. I was the one to break up with Audrey. Not Mal. They said that she looked distraught and sad. I quickly finished getting ready and ran downstairs to talk to her.
I ran down to the ballroom and was surprised to see that it was already full of students. Some students were already doing karaoke and others were dancing, eating and chatting.
I looked around the room for a good twenty minutes before I finally saw her. She was sitting at a table with Jay, Carlos, Jane, Lonnie, Evie, Doug, Chad and Jordan. She looked up and saw me. Our eyes locked and I motioned for her to come over to me. She got up slowly and whispered in Evie's ear. Evie looked in my direction and then nodded to Mal.
"Hey." she said when she walked up to me. "Congratulations. You played a good game today. " she said softly.
"Thanks, but you were amazing during half time." I said with a smile on my face. "I don't even know if the way I reacted was justice enough."
She looked up at me and gave me a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Thanks. I was really nervous." she said, as she played with her hands.
"You were amazing! Your song was amazing and relatable, obviously! I was even surprised to see that the guys were a part of it." I said as I took her hand in mine. My action startled her and she looked around to see who was watching.
"Umm…yeah FG thought that it would be fun to add then in. It was so late of a notice, but I think that it went pretty well." she said looking down at our hands. "I…umm…I'm sorry about Audrey." she said.
"Oh. You heard about that?" I asked.
"Yeah. Word travels fast around here." she said as she brushed one of her loose curls behind her ear.
"Yeah…so…" I started.
"I…" she started, but I cut her off.
"It's my turn to talk." I said startling her. "You said you want me to be happy. That you would never want to come and ruin my happiness. But, Mal, I think my happiness isn't complete without you." I told her. She looked up at me with wide eyes. "Mal. I have never been as happy as I have been in the past week being around you and I don't want to go another day without it." I told her. I took her hands in mine and pulled her closer to me. "Mallory Bertha Drakos. Will you be my date to my coronation next week?" I asked her.
She looked at me. Her eyes still wide and she had a gape in her mouth.
"Ben. What will people think?" she asked. "I mean. People already think that I have spelled you. I am being called all of these names. I don't know what to do." she continued. "Of course I want to be with you. There isn't anything I want more in the entire world. But I don't know if I can handle all of the backlash that comes with 'stealing' Aurdrey's boyfriend." she finished and then looked at the ground.
I grabbed the sides of her face so that she was looking at me. "Look and listen to me, Mal. You did not steal me. You did not spell me. You are not a slut. Not a whore. Not a homewrecker. Not anything other than perfect, beautiful, smart, talented, nice, warm and may I add a very excellent baker." I said to her. "You are the person that I am choosing. You." I said as I brought her face closer to mine. I was about to kiss her until Lonnie started to talk into the microphone.
"Alright. Alright. Hello, everyone. It is I, Ms. Lonnie Shang. And now it is time for some karaoke!" she yelled into the microphone. I took my hands away from Mal's face and straightened my posture to face where Lonnie was standing.
"Okay so this is how it is going to go. We have everyone's names on the chosen wheel and if your name is picked you have to come up and sing. Capeesh!" she said and everyone laughed and nodded. "Great! Now this first song is going to be a long list of chosen ones because we are about to get into some summer nights!" she announced. "Alright if I could get everyone's attention to my big screen over here I will now spin the wheel of chosne ones." she said as she gestured toward the big flat screen on the wall.
"Okay. So we will start with the small parts and work our way up to the big ones." she announced. "First up singing Marty's part is…" she said as she spun the wheel. "Jordan! Next is Sonny's part which will be sung by…Chad! Jan's part will be sung by…Jane! Putzie's will be sung by…Ryder! Rizzo will be sung by…Audrey, huh, appropriate. Kenickie will be sung by…Aziz! Frenchy will be sung by…Evie! Doody will be sung by… Doug! Danny Zuko will be sung by…Our soon to be king Mr. Benjamin Anderson!" Lonnie shouted. I widened my eyes in shock. Crap now I have to sing in front of people? "But wait. There is one more! We can't have Danny without his Sandy who will be sung by…the purple haired beauty Mal!" She finished making everyone cheer.
"Oh, non. Il faut chanter. Je l'ai déjà fait il y a 2 heures." (Oh, no. Now we have to sing. I already did this like 2 hours ago.) Mal groaned.
I shook my head and laughed. "Oh come on Sandy. I didn't want to do it until I heard your name. Now let's go." I said as I took her hand and led her to the stage.
We joined everyone on the stage that Lonnie was standing on. I held Mal's hand the entire time not caring about the looks I was getting from Audrey and her cronies.
"Okay. We have everyone up here! Now. Ben. Mal. It will say your name when it is your time and if it says both of you sing it together. Along with everyone else and their names. Okay?" Lonnie asked. We all nodded our heads in understandment. "Okay. Great! When it said 'others' is when everyone else will sing except for Ben and Mal. And 'everyone', well obviously means everyone." she said making the room laugh. "Does anyone have any questions?" She asked.
"Umm. Yeah. I have one." Audrey said, making me roll my eyes at her.
"Okay what?" Lonnie asked.
"Are we allowed to switch rolls? I feel that I would be a better Sandy." she said with a fake smile.
"NO!" Everyone yelled, including myself.
"Yeah. No." Lonnie said. "No switching rolls. Now are we ready?" she asked.
Everyone who was not on the stage cheered.
"Alright. Let's go!" Lonnie said as she started the music.
(BEN) Summer lovin had me a blast
I sang as I stepped forward.
(MAL) Summer lovin happened so fast
She sang and stepped up next to me.
(BEN) I met a girl crazy for me
I sang as I took her hand.
(MAL) Met a boy cute as can be
She sang as she looked up at me and blushed.
(BEN MAL) Summer days drifting away to oh oh the summer nights
We both sang as we looked at each other.
(OTHERS)Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh
Everyone else sang as they came up on either side of Mal and I.
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(DOUG) Did you get very far
Doug sang, nudging my shoulder.
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(JORDAN) Like does he have a car
Jordan sang as she came up from behind Mal and looked me up and down.
(OTHERS) Uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh
(BEN) She swam by me she got a cramp
I sang looking at the guys, trying to play the roll.
(MAL) He ran by me got my suit damp
Mal sang as she winked at Evie.
(BEN) I saved her life she nearly drowned
I sang as I popped up the collar of my shirt.
(MAL) He showed off splashing around
She sang as she turned me and fixed my collar.
(BEN MAL) Summer sun somethings begun but oh oh the summer nights
We both sang smiling at each other.
(OTHERS)Uh Well-a well-a well-a huh
The rest sang, making Mal and I look at them.
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(EVIE) Was it love at first sight?
Evie sang as she came between Mal and I, looking at both of us.
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(AZIZ) Did she put up a fight?
Az sang as he looked at Mal then to me.
(OTHERS)Uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh
(BEN) Took her bowling in the arcade
I sang as I turned to the guys and made a move like I was bowling.
(MAL) We went strolling drank lemonade
Mal sang as she shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.
(BEN) We made out under the dock
I sang to the guys and they started to push and shove him in excitement.
(MAL) We stayed out till 10 o'clock
Mal said as she walked over to us and rolled her eyes, making the guys laugh.
(BEN MAL) Summer fling don't mean a thing but oh oh the summer nights.
I sang as I pulled her and spun her around making her look at me.
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(RYDER) But you don't gotta brag
Ryder sang as he leaned on my shoulder.
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(AUDREY) Cause he sounds like a drag
Audrey sang as she leaned in to look at me, but replaced 'he' for 'she'.
(EVERYONE)shoo-bob bob, shoo-bob bob, shoo-bob bob, shoo-bob bob, shoo-bob bob, shoo-bob bob, shoo-bob bob. YEAH!
(MAL)He got friendly holding my hand
Mal sang as Evie and Jane hugged her from each side.
(BEN) She got friendly down in the sand
I sang as I pulled Mal by the waist pulling her as close as I could making her blush.
(MAL) He was sweet just turned eighteen
She sang loudly with a huge smile on her face.
(BEN) Well she was good you know what I mean
I sang as I spun her so that Jordan and Evie had to catch her.
(BEN MAL) Summer heat boy and girl meet but oh oh the summer nights.
We both sang as we looked at each other from different sides of the stage.
(OTHERS) Wow, wow, wow
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(JANE) How much dough did he spend?
Jane said as she nudged Mal's ribs.
(OTHERS) Tell me more, tell me more
(CHAD) Could she get me a friend?
Chad sang as he looked at Jordan, up and down, from across the stage.
(MAL) It turned colder that's where it ends
Mal sang as she took a few steps forward.
(BEN) So I told her we'd still be friends
I sang, matching her steps.
(MAL) Then we made our true love vow
She sang as she kept walking slowly toward me.
(BEN) Wonder what she's doing now
I sang meeting her in the middle.
(BEN MAL) Summer dreams ripped at the seams but oh those summer nights
We both sang as we reached for each other's hand.
When we finished the high note everything went silent and then the room started to roar with clapping, whistling and wooing. I looked down at mal and she was smiling brightly at me.
"So. Will you be my date for coronation?" I asked as the crowd was still roaring.
She laughed and then nodded her head. "Yes."
I smiled brightly at her. She said yes! I grabbed the sides of her face, pulled her in and kissed her deeply, not caring who was around. The crowd started to roar even louder, with the added shrieking coming from Evie, Jane, Jordan and Lonnie.
When we broke apart I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. I heard a huff and stomping and looked to see Audrey storming out of the ballroom with her cronies. But I couldn't care less because I got the girl. I got my girl.
Okay! That was LONG!! But I hoped you enjoyed it!
Songs are:
You Belong with me -- Taylor Swift
Summer Nights -- Grease
Updates for Star Struck and 50 shades coming soon!
xoxo GM
