Mal found that spending some time with Henry was just as enjoyable as it was with Evie, even if she had other things she wanted to say to Evie in private, especially without having to censor herself. The shared lunch was also pretty good and even Carlos came by, though mostly for the chocolate snacks which his mother never allowed him to have any chocolate for whatever reason, though he mentioned that his mother's countless and numerous admirers had given them to her after they would "have a grown-up sleepover with her" while he would just be alone in his room and hearing them through the thin walls... He had never heard his mother scream so loud in all of his life. It scared him when he was a small child, but he had grown accustomed to it like it was something he was forced to live with whether he wanted it or not. Carlos felt like a little brother at times too, though he acted like a big brother around Henry at times.
At another table, The Queen of the School was there with her gang of pals... This girl was the fiery brunette known as Audrey Rose Thornley. She was more or less in charge of the school, next to maybe Mrs. Fairgood of course, and she sat with her two friends who sat beside her: Coraline Hart and Ivanna Belfrey. Audrey had quite a reputation, especially in being in school after the graduation of her older sisters, Ariana and Dawn, who were pretty much the smartest and most beautiful girls in school at the time.
"So... That's the new girl?" Audrey asked.
"Yep," Ivy nodded. "That's her... They say her name is Malissa Ignus... Apparently, she came from a bad part of town back home, but she seems to be friends with Mayor Mills's daughter."
"That explains her clothes," Coraline smirked as she capped her lipstick after applying her favorite crimson shade so she could look beautiful and endearing. "She probably got them from the gutter like where Ruby Lucas comes from."
"Maybe she should be reminded of who's in charge around here," Audrey smirked. "Perhaps I could schedule a visit to the restroom just before class."
"Especially if Ben might take an interest in her." Ivy smirked back.
"Really?" Audrey raised an eyebrow. "You think Ben might like her."
"I dunno for sure, but I think you should just let her know who's in charge around here, especially if she might like Ben," Ivy kept her smirk. "I don't know for sure if she does or not, but it might make things just a little more interesting~"
"You're right, Ivy," Audrey smirked back. "She should know who's the Queen of the School."
"Right." Ivy and Coraline nodded.
"It's so good to be me~" Audrey beamed as she applauded herself before she took out a chocolate cupcake that was in her lunch and she bit down into it instantly.
It seemed to be a good lunch overall. Mal soon got up from her seat and Evie went to go with her to help her over to the girls' bathroom.
"Carlos, can you watch Henry for me?" Evie asked the freckled boy.
"Yeah, sure," Carlos nodded before looking at the younger boy. "So, what's the story this time, Henry?"
Henry smiled as he showed his book which was his most prized possession. He almost always never left home without it. Audrey saw Mal and Evie heading to the bathroom and soon smirked as she decided to follow them.
"So, is it just me or does Carlos seem really short for a high schooler?" Mal asked Evie on the way to the bathroom. "No offense of course."
"Nah, it's not just you," Evie shook her head. "He's actually only 14."
"Yeah...?" Mal asked with wide eyes. "And he's in our grade?"
"He skipped a couple of grades, yeah," Evie replied. "He's a lot smarter than he looks. Luckily he's not a pain in the butt about it."
"Well, that's good at least, he seems like a little brother type." Mal said.
"Yeah, I know what ya mean," Evie replied. "Even if Jay used to bully him for being smaller and weaker than the rest of us... Though sometimes Jay still likes to mess with him whenever he gets the chance."
"Boys." Both girls rolled their eyes before smiling at each other and laughing as they got along nicely, almost like sisters.
They soon made it into the bathroom.
"Excuse me, I have to powder my nose." Evie told Mal as she went into a stall.
"That's cool, I think I should try to get this... Grease gravy off of me..." Mal replied.
Evie nodded as she soon went into the stall and locked the door in front of her. Mal heaved a sharp sigh as she soon turned on the sink and began to check it to see if it would be warm enough and hoped that it would make the stains come out of her uniform. She soon took some paper towels from the dispenser by the door and began to try to get the stains out as Audrey soon came into the restroom door and smirked once she arrived. Mal grunted and groaned with effort as she tried to get the stains out from her uniform.
"Ah... You must be the new girl~..." The brunette greeted from behind.
"Huh?" Mal jolted and blinked before glancing over her shoulder to see Audrey. "Oh... Yeah... I am," she then said. "My name is Mal."
"Mal... What an interesting name..." Audrey smirked. "You seem like an interesting person... Are you?"
"I guess," Mal shrugged as she tried to get the meat stains off of her. "And you are...?"
"Audrey Thornley at your service," Audrey smirked as she held out her hand, though grimaced since she saw that Mal had some stains on her uniform. "Ooh... Looks like you had a little accident there."
"Uh... Yeah..." Mal shrugged as they soon began to shake hands. "Had an incident with the lunch ladies when they asked me what I wanted for lunch."
"Mm-hmm... I'd much rather prefer the salad bar..." Audrey wrinkled her nose, though she put up with the hand shaking before retracting her hand to put one on her hip.
"Good to know," Mal shrugged with a small, sheepish smile as she wasn't sure what was going on between her and Audrey right now. "So, uh, are you here to wash your hands or something?"
"I just came here to warn you." Audrey replied.
Mal blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Warn me? About what?" she then asked.
"About Benjamin French... Do you know him?"
"Sorta..."
"Well, I hope you don't plan on getting to know him better or getting cute and cuddly with him," Audrey narrowed her smoldering brown eyes into Mal's emerald green eyes. "You can't date him."
"S-Sorry...? Is he your boyfriend?" Mal asked.
"He's off-limits," Audrey glared as she soon walked forward towards Mal, making the other girl back up and soon nearly end up falling in the open bathroom stall and right on the toilet. "So if I see you smiling, laughing, or doing anything near him... You and I are gonna have trouble. Do I make myself clear, Melissa?"
"...Actually, my name is Mal." Mal corrected, not feeling that scared, but she was a bit disturbed from Audrey's confrontation.
"I don't care, but you're going to stay away from Ben as long as I still go to school here," Audrey glowered as she towered over Mal. "Otherwise... I'll have to send my girls after you."
"Your girls?" Mal groaned a bit. "Who do you think you are? The Godfather?"
"Don't... Fuss... With me..." Audrey harshly emphasized as she shook her hands into fists. "See you around, Mallory."
"...My name is Mal." Mal mumbled as Audrey soon stormed off suddenly as the toilet next to her began to flush.
Evie soon stepped out of the bathroom and went to wash her hands. She then looked around before taking off her earbuds and then glanced at the mirror as she washed her hands before she saw a very strange and unsettling sight, then looked behind her to see that Mal was stuck in the toilet. "Oh, Mal! I thought maybe you left... Wait... Are you stuck in there?" she then asked as she approached her new friend.
"Yeah... Ugh..." Mal replied as she grunted, unable to get out. "Man... This is totally embarrassing."
"Here... I gotcha... Come 'ere..." Evie said as she grasped Mal's hands and soon carefully, but also firmly pulled her new friend up and out of the toilet, though her skirt and below her shirt were soaking wet. "Ooh... That looks kinda bad..." she then decided to remove her midnight blue jacket that had red hearts on it. "Here... Take this."
"Are you sure?" Mal asked as Evie soon tied the jacket by the sleeves around her waist and made the back end loom over Mal's skirt to cover up the wet mess.
"Sure," Evie smiled. "You can give it back to me after school. Luckily for me, I like blue, so I don't get in trouble for being out of uniform."
"Wow... Thanks, Evie..." Mal said, a bit touched as she blushed sheepishly.
"What're friends for?" Evie smiled warmly. "Now come on, let's finish up lunch."
"All right." Mal smiled back as she followed Evie out of the bathroom after the sweet fashionista girl.
Luckily, no one laughed or noticed Mal's little accident as they came into the cafeteria. Henry was reading aloud one of his stories to Carlos who kept him company before they both saw the girls coming and began to wave them over so that they could enjoy and finish up the rest of their lunch period.
"What's that story about?" Mal asked Henry.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," Henry replied. "I think it's a classic, plus the princess reminds me of my teacher, Ms. Blanchard."
"Well, Ms. Blanchard must be a very nice teacher then," Mal smiled softly before muttering to herself. "Anyone has to be better than Mrs. Belfrey..."
"Hey, at least you only have to see her in the morning before the other teachers get under your skin." Evie muttered back.
Mal and Evie giggled as Henry just shrugged at them while he continued to read the story. Mal smiled as having Henry around seemed to make any bad situation in school feel a little bit better. She was so glad that he wasn't a bratty little brother or just obnoxious like most little kids could be sometimes. It made her swear to herself in blood to vow to never ever have children.
Audrey soon came back over to Ivy and Coraline.
"So, did you scare her straight?" Ivy asked Audrey.
"Oh, yeah," Audrey smirked. "I also want you guys to keep a close eye on Little Miss Purple Hair for me. I feel like she might be a challenge if I'm not too careful."
"You got it." Ivy and Coraline nodded obediently.
"Excellent..." Audrey then grinned as she tented her fingers, shivering with anticipation of ruining Mal's life, especially if she came into contact with Ben.
Eventually, the bell rang and it was time for afternoon classes.
"Okay, Henry, have fun with Ms. Blanchard," Evie smiled as she hugged her little brother, bringing him to the primary hallway for the kids who were 13 and under. "I love you so much."
"Love you too, Evie," Henry smiled back in the hug. "Evie, do you think you and Mal will become best friends?"
"Oh... I don't know, Henry..." Evie said softly. "I'd love to... But I'm not sure yet. Why? Do you think she wants to become best friends?" she then asked.
"I think you'd be great friends," Henry nodded in reassurance. "You could really use a girl friend, especially for some... Personal girl stuff away from Carlos and Jay. They're good and all, but you should hang around girls more, ya know?"
"Yes, I suppose I should in this day and age," Evie had to nod in agreement. "Especially for prom whenever we decide what dresses to wear... Not to mention slumber parties... I'll tell you what, Henry... I'll think about it a little. Sound good?"
"Sure," Henry approved. "You deserve to have a Girl's Night... Like when Mom goes out to that bar whenever she doesn't have to work: The Rabbit Hole."
"Yes, but that's for more grown-up fun," Evie giggled. "All right, you little scamp, it's time to get to class."
"Okay. Okay. I'm going," Henry rolled his eyes, though playfully as he smiled at his older sister. "I'll see you after the final bell."
"See you later, Henry." Evie nodded as she waved at him.
Henry waved back as he soon went to his assigned classroom where a short black-haired woman was shown to be waiting for him as she had a cheerful and carefree smile plastered on her face. She soon noticed Evie and waved at her before Evie waved to her as well as she went to make it to class... The last thing she wanted to do was get detention, especially since her mother was the mayor and wasn't home very often and her job after school was usually to babysit Henry until dinner time and help him with his homework unless there was a City Council Meeting, then she had to take care of his and her dinner and make sure he would go to bed on time and sometimes give him a bath. She hated it at first, especially after Henry came into her life, not to mention she would rather have a little sister, but after a while, she got used to it and she loved having Henry around and it even made her mother a little happier to have a new baby in the house.
"Thanks for waiting for me," Evie said as she made it to the higher floor and saw Mal in the hallway as it was emptying up due to it being time for class. "You know, you could've come with me and make sure Henry made it to class okay."
"I, uh, just didn't wanna overwhelm the kids," Mal shrugged. "I mean, what do 10-year-old kids even talk about? 'Just got out of Day Care, about to go play outside'?"
"I think you're mistaking 10-year-olds for 10-month-olds." Evie smirked as they soon walked off to class.
"Whatever," Mal rolled her eyes. "So, you don't get in trouble for doing this?"
"Oh, of course not," Evie insisted. "I always make sure Henry makes it to class. It's my job as his older sister. Let's talk about you for a second though... How'd you get stuck in the toilet?"
"I-I dunno," Mal shrugged. "This snooty and shallow girl just showed up and told me to stay away from Ben if I knew what was good for me. It was like Marlon Brando was a high school girl or something."
Evie seemed to look confused of that reference.
"The Godfather, it's a classic movie, I'll explain later." Mal shrugged.
"Snooty and shallow girl?" Evie then asked. "...Did this girl have brown hair and brown eyes with some pink smothered into her clothes somehow."
"Yeah... Do you know her?" Mal then nodded with wide eyes, surprised that Evie suddenly knew who she was talking about. "She had a funny name."
"Audrey Thornley..." Evie sighed as she bowed her head.
"Yeah!" Mal nodded urgently before she saw Evie looking a bit sad all of a sudden. "...What's wrong?"
Evie sighed sharply. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's the Queen Bee of our school," she then explained. "You're lucky to be alive... She tends to give everyone the royal flush."
"...Do I wanna know?" Mal asked, referring to the royal flush.
"It's probably best that you don't," Evie replied. "She'll burn just about anybody, including her cronies sometimes... She's also Ben's ex-girlfriend."
"Guess that's why she was warning me about not going anywhere near him." Mal said softly.
"Mal, I'm so sorry, I should've stayed outside of the stall to keep an eye on you," Evie groaned as she blamed herself. "The girls' bathroom is probably the most dangerous place to be on the higher floor. Teenage girls can be so cruel, I'm just glad she can't hurt the kids on the lower floor like Henry and his friends."
"Oh... She can't be that bad..." Mal shrugged. "She's probably just full of hot air."
Evie bit her lip and just walked off ahead of Mal. "Look, let's just get to class," she then suggested. "We don't have much time before it starts and they start handing out detention slips like candy at trick-or-treating."
Mal looked concerned about Evie's reaction and soon followed her down the hallway to get to their respective classes.
The rest of the school day was kind of a blur for Mal. She still saw Audrey's piercing and smoldering brown eyes pinning her on the spot. She didn't feel horrified by the girl, but she felt unsettled with the idea and thought of her being around. Not to mention she was the ex-girlfriend of her possible new crush? Mal decided to do everything in her power to avoid this girl... This Audrey Thornley... Who did she think she was anyway? The school day soon ended as the final bell rang and Mal looked exhausted.
The first day of school was always tough, but it felt even more exhausting since she didn't know the building well yet. Everyone else knew exactly where and when to go, but she was still lost, but it was only the first day. She soon looked around for Evie as she grabbed her heavier than it was this morning backpack until she flinched at a familiar squeaky voice.
"Hey, Mal!"
Mal's eyes widened as she spun on her heels and then sighed as she put her hand on her chest. "Oh... It's just you, Jana..." she then said.
"Jane," The meek girl corrected. "Close enough though."
"Jane... Right... Sorry," Mal nodded. "Sorry... It's been a long day..."
"I can understand that," Jane said with a small smile. "The first day of school is always so exhausting... I remember when I was a freshman that I fell asleep right after dinner on my first day of school."
"Heh... Good to know..." Mal grinned bashfully and awkwardly as she would rather talk with Evie right about now as she wasn't sure what to do around Jane. "So, uh, you go home with your mom?"
"Usually, yeah," Jane nodded. "What about you? You gonna ride the bus? You gonna walk back home? What do you do?"
"I... I don't know..." Mal said softly, walking suddenly as Jane began to follow her, nearly floating beside her on both ends every time she turned around.
"Well, I can help you out if you want," Jane offered. "Only if you want to... Maybe we can look for your mom's car... Unless you know what bus to go on... Is that okay?"
Mal groaned as Jane was personally annoying her very hard right now and nearly suffocating her. Of course though, she couldn't say that out loud and was trying very hard not to snap at the girl suddenly. However, as luck would have it, a car horn honk pulled her out of her reverie that sounded very familiar and she saw that it was her own mother. 'Thank God... Mom did something right for once...' she then thought to herself.
"Oh... I guess that's your mom?" Jane guessed.
"Yeah! Well, uh, this was interesting, Jane, but it looks like I gotta go," Mal grinned innocently as she dashed off to the car, leaving the front steps of her new school. "See ya tomorrow!"
"Oh, okay!" Jane called out as she waved goodbye to Mal. "See you tomorrow, Mal!"
"That was so close..." Mal groaned as she got into the passenger's seat and clicked on her seatbelt, tossing her backpack into the back and faced her mother. "Where were you this morning?"
"I'm sorry, dear, but I left early to get to know the neighborhood better and register for all of the important things like to vote," Ciara smiled apologetically as she soon started the car to drive away from school grounds once Mal was buckled up. "Looks like you made a new friend."
"Hmph... Yeah, I guess..." Mal shrugged as she puffed out her cheeks.
"So, was Mayor Mills's daughter nice?" Ciara asked. "I think we should have dinner with them someday. Don't you? Just imagine... Being best friends with the mayor!"
"Sounds like a real dream, Mom..." Mal deadpanned.
They soon drove away from the school and were soon back at home sweet home.
"If you have homework, you should start it right now," Ciara advised. "Then maybe we can order some Chinese for dinner. I heard of a place called Shan Yu's Dim Sum if that sounds good."
"It'd be better than your cooking." Mal mumbled under her breath.
"Excuse me, young lady?" Ciara asked sharply then.
"I said, it sounds great!" Mal enunciated with an innocent, toothy grin on her face.
"Hm... Yes..." Ciara nodded as she drove them back home. "So, was school as bad as you thought it would be?"
"It was... It was something else, Mom..." Mal shrugged, not sure what to say. "There's a football game coming up... Maybe I'll go check it out."
"That sounds like fun," Ciara smiled. "I knew you'd have a wonderful new adventure in your new school. Just you wait, Mal... Things in Auradon Heights are going to be much better than the Moor Isles."
"Mm-hmm..." Mal rolled her eyes as she just shrugged and crossed her arms.
Ben had quite an exhausting day of school himself, though of course, not as much as Mal did. He rode the bus back home and was holding Clarice's hand as they got off of the bus together and soon walked over to the front door of their house, taking out his key and unlocked the door as he was used to them being home alone until dinner time. Clarice soon happily and cheerfully ran into the house while Ben had a lot going through his mind.
"I think you should get started on your homework," Ben smiled as he brought out a plate of carrot and celery sticks to his younger sister as an after school snack. "If you need help, I'm right here."
"Okay, Benny," Clarice smiled as she nibbled on a carrot stick. "Can't I have a cookie though?"
"...All right, one cookie, but that's it until after dinner," Ben smirked. "I don't want you to spoil your appetite."
"Yes, Benny." Clarice nodded at her big brother as she suddenly put the carrot stick down and went to take two cookies out of the jar.
"Ah, ah, ah~" Ben wagged his finger as he saw the extra cookie. "I said one cookie, Clarice~"
"For you." Clarice said, giving him the second cookie.
"Aww... Thank you..." Ben smiled as he ate the cookie. "Delicious~"
"Yummy-licious~" Clarice giggled as she ate her own cookie.
Ben smiled warmly at his little sister before he sighed softly as he thought about what he was thinking about. What was it and what was going on with him? He was unsure, but maybe his parents, mostly his father anyway, could help him out before bedtime tonight if they weren't too busy. He was thinking a bit about that new girl... He got over a messy break-up with Audrey Thornley which was very ugly, especially on his end with how much of a drama queen she could be and how she blamed him and often made him sound like the bad guy whenever the topic came up in discussion. Did he like her?
He wasn't sure. He decided to make sure to get a word in with his parents, preferably his father, before going to sleep that night. That is, if he didn't fall asleep too early due to his busier schedule compared to most other students. The French family was rich, not filthy, disgusting, and stinkin' rich mind you, but they were pretty powerful and popular. His father was viewed sometimes as a celebrity and nearly a king in the neighborhood, his mother was just a bookstore owner though, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his life after graduation, and his aunt, uncle, and cousin lived off of his uncle's success in a rival pawnshop that put Jay's father to shame with its riches and collection of trinkets. It was almost like a treasure trove of nostalgia for adults. Ben had so much to think about and he was only 16-years-old and looking after his little sister for after school time if he didn't have sports practice with Chad and the guys. Maybe tomorrow, if his parents don't have time to see him, he should go visit the school guidance counselor: Dr. Hopper. He always had pretty good advice.