A/N: Please read with caution as this chapter contains a bit of violence and profanity. You have been warned.
RI-I-I-I-I-I-IN-N-N-N-NG! went the bell to signal more classes coming and going. Ben was in the cafeteria, eating up his lunch which was a cheeseburger with a side of fries.
"Yo, Ben," Chad said as he strode over with a small smirk. "You wanna head off to the blacktop after lunch and get some practice in for Coach Jenkins before our next game against those Sherwood Phonies?"
"Uh, sorry, Chad, I'm kinda busy after lunch today," Ben replied as he swallowed the bite he was currently chewing. "Maybe you can practice with Jay for me."
"Oh, you're too busy, huh?" Chad huffed. "You're my best friend, Ben. You're not allowed to be busy."
"It's personal, okay?" Ben replied. "It's nothing bad, I promise you."
"Is it about your little sister?" Chad asked. "Look, I've been telling you for years. Little sisters are nothing but trouble. My little sister always used to tell me 'I hate you'."
Ben bore a deadpan look on his face. "Chad, Alexandra was two when she said that," he then reminded cynically. "All she could say was 'I hate you' and 'I gotta go pee'."
"Come on, why can't you come meet me after lunch?" Chad begged.
"I'm just gonna talk to Dr. Hopper about something," Ben defended. "Okay? Can I finish up my lunch now?"
"Dr. Hopper?" Chad asked. "...You know that only crazy kids with no life or plans go to see him. And you... You have it all... Your dad's a major CEO in business, you've been on the Honor Roll for four years now, you're a star athlete, you're the King of the School. What would you need to talk to him about?" he asked with a huffing smirk.
"I just have a lot on my mind that I need a little extra help with, Chad," Ben defended as he continued to bite into his burger while he still had time to eat. "It's not like The Dragon's Lair. I'm not committing social suicide."
"All right, but don't come crawling back to me if the girls start looking you funny for going to see that weird man." Chad shrugged as he soon turned around and walked away from the table.
"Why don't you just go talk to Aziz or something if you wanna hang out with someone after lunch?" Ben suggested. "It's not always about you, Chad."
"Yes, it is!" Chad defended. "My parents said so!"
"Oh, my God..." Ben groaned and shook his head in annoyance from his so-called best friend's overly dramatic behavior.
Eventually, Ben went to put his tray away, about to dump his leftovers in the trashcan outside before looking over as he heard some whining. He then saw a stray dog had somehow wandered onto campus and he looked a bit concerned and curious. Curious as to where the dog possibly even came from. He didn't seem to mind or care though as he kept his distance in case the dog had rabies or anything else fatal and laid out his leftovers in front of the dog. The dog soon approached the food and sniffed it before gobbling it up right away.
"There ya go, dude," Ben smiled warmly. "Eat up. You could use it more than me. I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach, luckily for you."
The dog soon began to eat up and beamed as its tail wagged as it looked up at Ben, barking a bit.
"I think that's a thank you," Ben remarked as he went to give his tray to the lunch ladies to wash. "In that case, you're welcome."
The dog barked again as its tail wagged. Ben smiled warmly and soon stepped back inside of the school and came into the cafeteria, giving the tray over to Mrs. Lucas in the backroom. He was on his way right out the doors of the cafeteria, only to run into someone who came to see him right away.
"Ah, Ben, hello," Dr. Hopper smiled. "You ready to chat?"
"Uh, yes, Dr. Hopper," Ben nodded. "Let's get going."
And so, the two were brought inside the office and it was eerily dead silent. The only sounds heard were muffled chats in the hallway from passing by students and their shoes squeaking against the tiled floor, occasional locker door slams, and Dr. Hopper's clock ticking every other millisecond. Ben sat across from the man who took out a clipboard and clicked his pen and adjusted his glasses with a very small nervous, but as friendly as possible smile.
"All right, Ben, whenever you're ready," Dr. Hopper said to the teenage boy. "You can call me 'Dr. Hopper' or 'Archie', whichever you'd like in my office. I just want you to be comfortable."
"Uh, well, thanks," Ben shrugged as he sat down. "So... What do I talk about?"
"Whatever you'd like," Dr. Hopper smiled. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? I know a great deal of you, being on the Honor Roll, becoming Student of the Year a couple of times, the star quarterback on our school's football team. You might even make Dean's List if you're lucky and you haven't ever received a single detention or demerit in your school career. That's very impressive." he then remarked.
"Uh, thanks," Ben nodded. "Well... My name is Benjamin Maurice French, my birthday is June 27th, my parents are Belle and Adam French, I have a little sister named Clarice French."
"All right, I get it," Dr. Hopper chuckled playfully, though he smiled softly to show that he wasn't being mean about his laughter. "Tell me a little more about you... Who is Ben French? What does he do when he's not in school?"
"Well... Uh... Normally if she doesn't have Dance Class with Ms. Odette, I'll be looking after my little sister," Ben explained. "I make sure we both get our homework done. Mom's not as busy as Dad, but it's usually just the two of us after school."
"You don't feel lonely, do you?" Dr. Hopper asked.
"Not really, no," Ben shook his head. "And I love having a little sister. I would've preferred a little brother to play sports with and practice for after school before a game comes up though." he then added with a small chuckle.
"Oh, sure, I can understand that," Dr. Hopper chuckled a bit. "So, what do you do when you're not doing homework or practicing for a big game?"
"I'll play tea party with my little sister," Ben replied. "We usually like to pretend to be a prince and a princess. Sometimes I wish being that age, so happy and carefree with no worries other than Christmas toys that year or enough candy for Halloween."
"Yes, being a child can be a wonderful thing," Dr. Hopper nodded. "That's why we shouldn't grow up so fast because then we'll just feel like our whole lives have gone by and we'd just wish we could be kids again."
"I hear that," Ben smirked before sharply sighing. "It's just... I do so much for the school and I make good grades. I just... I don't know... I'm happy and proud of myself, my parents are very proud of me, I just... I feel like something's missing... I don't understand. I have everything I could ever want, but I'm not sure."
"Well, Ben, you're one of the very lucky kids where everything has been handed to you and you have very many accomplishments for a young man your age," Dr. Hopper tried to explain. "And luckily, you're too polite to brag about it even if some kids are jealous of you."
"Yeah... Lots of my friends are... Like Chad," Ben nodded. "So, what's wrong with me?"
"Well, what do you feel?" Dr. Hopper asked.
"Huh?" Ben blinked.
"What I mean to say is... How do you feel?" Dr. Hopper explained. "You have great parents, a wonderful family, so many accomplishments, you have every reason to feel proud and glad... But how do you feel about it?"
"...N-Nothing..." Ben said with a small shrug. "I just... I feel like I'm feeling nothing. I'm not sure why when I have such a wonderful life and no reason for it to bother me. I used to tell Audrey some things, though sometimes I feel like she wasn't fully listening to me sometimes."
"Well, if I were to guess, I would say you're a driven young man and sometimes that can leave a hole." Dr. Hopper advised.
"A what?" Ben asked with wide hazel eyes.
"A hole. An emptiness," Dr. Hopper explained. "There's more to life than work. Maybe that's why you feel dissatisfied."
"I am not dissatisfied. I love my life." Ben defended, though not in a crude way.
"What's the point if you've got no one to share it with?" Dr. Hopper countered.
"What does that mean?" Ben frowned. "My family-"
"Isn't always there though, right?" Dr. Hopper reminded. "Aren't you often home alone after school?"
"Yeah, my dad's a CEO for his company," Ben nodded. "Sometimes Aunt Lacey comes by with my uncle and little cousin Gideon during a trip out of town and he takes Mom with him since Clarice and I have to go to school."
"You just seem to be alone, especially more so since you broke up with Audrey," Dr. Hopper replied. "Has there ever been a time in your life when you haven't felt this way?"
"A long time ago back when me and Audrey were still dating," Ben said with a small smile. "Her smiling face and us hanging out usually put me in a good mood. Is it weird to suddenly think of good and happy times with her even though we had a terribly messy break-up?" he then asked softly, concerned about his own well-being.
"A girlfriend, boyfriend, or any other significant other," Dr. Hopper smiled warmly. "That can bring so much meaning."
Ben gave a small smile back as he began to feel a little bit better and began to think and feel that maybe Dr. Hopper was right. It was time to move on from his messy break-up with Audrey and go and find someone else. Someone new. Someone... Who can maybe fill the hole deep inside himself, but who?
Some time had passed in school. Mal closed her locker door as she heaved a sharp sigh after leaving the cafeteria and yawned after running a lot of laps for Coach Jenkins. She then memorized the way over to Mrs. Ryder's class, looking forward to the class as she actually loved to make her own sketches and was excited to put her talents into good use, plus it was the one time you could draw in class without getting into trouble.
"Hello, Mallory." The long-haired blonde woman smiled wonderfully towards Mal.
"Hello, Mrs. Ryder," Mal nodded her head, even if she didn't like that name either, though it was still better than "Malissa Bertha" and this woman was probably her most favorite teacher in the whole school so far. "Hope you're ready for some sketches."
"I sure am ready to see what you have in store today." Mrs. Ryder smiled.
Mal gave a small smile back and went to sit in her seat which was next to a couple of kids she was getting to know better. Or at least trying. Plus Evie was in the class with her, so she told her about the two known as Aziz and Jordan and the boy and girl were childhood best friends, though she figured seeds of romance would blossom soon between them, but only time would tell.
"Good afternoon, class," Mrs. Ryder greeted. "I trust we had a nice lunch today and are ready to get back to work?"
"At least the food was actually edible this time." Jordan snarked.
A lot of the other students laughed as Jordan was a bit of a comedian in the class.
"Very funny, Jordan," Mrs. Ryder playfully rolled her spring-green eyes. "Now, I want you all to sketch something for me before you have 'Free Draw' and I'll discuss your homework."
"Best class ever," Mal smirked. "Can't I take this class every period?"
"I'm afraid not, my dear," Mrs. Ryder smirked back. "But I did love painting a lot when I was younger and was always in a hurry to get home from school so that I could do it."
Some of the students laughed at that little joke. It wasn't that funny, but they thought they would humor her at least. She soon came over to a covered up item on her desk and placed it on the table in front of the classroom and removed the tarp to show that it appeared to be a wooden-carved reptile which was that of a chameleon. The class "oohed and awed" at the sight.
"Mrs. Ryder, it's beautiful." One of the boys commented politely.
"Thank you, Douglas," Mrs. Ryder smiled. "I had it carved in the resemblance of my own pet chameleon. His name is Pascal."
"Sounds like a cool pet," Mal commented with a smirk. "We used to have an annoying bird when I was a kid."
The students then laughed again.
"Yes, yes, very funny," Mrs. Ryder nodded. "Now, I would like everyone to take out your pencils and please sketch Pascal in any way that you would like."
"Yes, Mrs. Ryder." The students nodded.
"Super!" Mrs. Ryder smiled. "Now remember, if anyone needs any help or wants any tips, feel free to ask me. I'm your teacher, so I'm here to help you."
The students nodded and went to get to sketching. Mal soon went to take out her velvet bag that she kept her regular pencils, colored pencils, and erasers inside, though she saw that she didn't have it. She then raised her hand as Mrs. Ryder took out her paints and decided to do a little painting while everyone else began to scribble with their pencils.
"Uh! Excuse me!" Mal spoke up since Mrs. Ryder had her back turned as her hand was raised. "Mrs. Ryder?"
"Oh, uh, yes, Mal?" Mrs. Ryder replied as she faced the girl.
"I think I forgot my velvet bag," Mal said. "Could I go out to my locker and get it?"
"I suppose you could, but you should always come to class prepared, Mal," Mrs. Ryder reminded. "Please take the hall pass and hurry back and no dawdling."
"Yes, ma'am, I understand." Mal nodded as she soon got up from her seat and walked over to the front of the classroom to the door and walked outside after taking the hall pass from the teacher.
Mrs. Ryder smiled warmly and she soon went back to her painting.
Mal soon stepped out of the classroom and went to get to her locker. Just as she stepped into the hallway, she heard hot air running behind the bathroom door, and soon, out came Audrey who then smirked.
"Why, isn't that the new girl in town?" Audrey smirked as she noticed Mal.
"Hi, Audrey." Mal forced herself to say as she narrowed her eyes and soon came to her locker, fiddling with the combination.
"What's the matter?" Audrey smirked. "You get kicked out of class early for bad behavior?"
"Leave me alone, dammit." Mal grumbled.
"Oh, my... It has a temper..." Audrey tutted and shook her head. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. That sort of behavior will get you detention and it would be a shame to get detention on your first week of school."
"And it would be a shame if I buried you alive," Mal retorted as she soon got her locker door open and soon went to get her supply bag out once she saw it on the higher platform of her locker. "Ah, there you are... I could've sworn I put you in my backpack."
"You shouldn't threaten The Queen of School," Audrey smirked. "That would be terrible for your r-r-r-reputation~" she then added, trilling the R a bit to sound like a queen.
"Look, Audrey, I'm not in the mood right now," Mal glared as she slammed her locker door shut as she grabbed her bag. "Why don't you go back to the sewers with the rest of the rats?"
"Well!" Audrey glared as Mal soon stormed off to get back to Art Class. "At least I don't live in the sewers in the middle of nowhere with all the other losers."
Mal narrowed her eyes, but she tried to bite her tongue and hold back her anger. Yes, detention on the first week of school would be a major bummer. Not to mention how her mother would probably react. "Lily never got detention." That's a bit of a lie though. After all, what normal kid hasn't gotten at least one detention in their lives?
Luckily, Mal made it back to class and she soon began to sketch the wooden sculpture in front of her. She soon smirked a bit devilishly as she drew herself riding on Pascal's back and making him more like a fire-breathing dragon and blowing out flames towards Audrey who began to run away and scream. Mal even snickered rather darkly as she began to shade against the flames, looking very proud at her rather morbid artwork. It made her feel somewhat better, she just hoped that Mrs. Ryder wouldn't overreact to it like most teachers and suggest she go and visit the school counselor because she might have some "issues she needed to work out" in a "constructive manner". Though, Mrs. Ryder wasn't that kind of teacher as she just saw it as Mal releasing her inner psyche and using it on a creative outlet such as drawing her feelings away.
After Art Class, it was time for the school to take a break. The younger kids in Kindergarten through fifth grade were out on the blacktop and playing on the playground. The older kids, however, were either in the library or hanging out in the hallways before their final class for the day. Mal liked that she was given time to relax and recharge her batteries before her next and final class for the day and she would be in the sweet release of home. Thank goodness too because today was a rather peculiar day for her. She seemed to had gotten over her anger with Audrey, but unfortunately for her, that wasn't going to last long, especially before History class with Mr. Thatch who droned on for what felt like an eternity and he was kind of a geeky guy. He was like the school nerd all grown up and even wore a bow-tie with giant glasses. Evie didn't seem to be around in the hallway today, so it seemed that Mal was on her own for right now and decided to maybe stop into the library to maybe chill out on the computer going to visit the sites that the school would allow her access to.
"Going somewhere, Mal?" A familiarly obnoxious voice smirked.
"UGH!" Mal groaned before she sharply turned around, recognizing the voice instantly as she saw Audrey, Ivy, and Coraline smirking fiendishly at her. "WHAT NOW?!"
"Ooh, someone's in a bad mood." Audrey smirked.
"You're so right, Audrey," Ivy smirked back. "I think that someone woke up on the wrong side of the cage this morning."
"More like the barn because you stink, Mal!" Coraline added.
"So original," Mal rolled her eyes. "Your mom pat you on the back for that one after you remembered to bring your brains to school today?"
The three catty girls just laughed. They all sounded more worse, if not, grating when they all laughed together. Like a trio of hyenas who ingested nitrus oxide.
"Go away..." Mal demanded.
"Aww... You don't like our company?" Audrey smirked as she followed right behind Mal who began to storm off. "Why not, Mal? We're all friends here, don't you know?"
"Well, I don't wanna be friends with prissy cheerleaders like you!"
"Ooh, ow, that stings... Ow, ow... Careful before you hurt my feelings~"
"Funny, I didn't think you had any." Mal smirked sardonically.
"You better not talk to me like that," Audrey warned as she grabbed Mal's arm suddenly. "We're not done here and you shouldn't mess with me. My mother-"
"Your mother..." Mal grumbled as a crowd began to form around them. "Your mother, your mother, your mother, your mother, your mother..." she repeated, sounding more and more pissed off as she said those two words sourly. "Who gives a rat's ass ABOUT YOUR MOTHER?!"
The other students gasped.
"Everybody does!" Audrey glared, looking venomous in her gaze. "And since you're new here, you should too! And besides, at least I'm popular and you're just a nobody that no one will ever care about."
"So you're popular! So your mom has a high status! So your parents spoil you rotten like you're some kinda fairy tale princess!" Mal hissed. "Big! Freakin'! DEAL! I could care LESS about what your parents do, especially your mother! I may be new here, but I know an irritating and pesky little bitch when I see one!"
"BITCH?!" Audrey glared.
"YEAH!" Mal glared back. "In fact, I think you need to be kept on a short leash!"
"You can't talk to me like that!" Audrey huffed as she shoved Mal hardly against the lockers. "I'll tell my parents and they'll have you evicted away from your house and you'll never be able to show your butt ugly face in this school ever again!"
Jane walked by and gasped as she put her hands to her mouth and soon dashed from the crowd as they watched Mal and Audrey go at it.
"What's... What's going on?" Ben wondered to himself as he saw the crowd forming.
"Sounds good by me at this point!" Mal glared as she shoved Audrey back. "It sure beats having to see your bitch face five days a week! I don't care who you are or how popular and rich you are, just stay out of my way if you know what's good for you!"
"How dare you!" Audrey glared back.
"What're you gonna do about it?" Mal scowled. "Tell your Mommy and Daddy that the big mean girl beat you up? Bring it, Princess Pinky! I SAID BRING IT!"
Audrey then reached out and slapped Mal's face. Mal let out a small yelp, but soon grabbed Audrey by her wrist and pulled her arm right behind her back and restrained her. Coraline and Ivy came in to try to swarm in and stop Mal, but she soon punched and kicked them both away in a blind fury and soon shoved Audrey down to the floor and before the brunette girl could get back up off of the floor, Mal suddenly tackled her down to the floor and began to beat her up.
"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" The other students chanted in amazement and excitement.
Mal growled like a jungle predator as she wrestled Audrey to the ground. The other students weren't sure how strong Mal was, but they were certain that if she wanted to, she could actually kill Audrey right in the middle of the hallway. The students laughed and cheered before gasping as an adult was coming.
"Oh, my Land!" Mrs. Fairgood gasped as she rushed in through the crowd with her daughter and saw that Mal was brutally maiming Audrey. "Miss Ignus, you stop that right now!"
Mal looked over and flinched once she saw Mrs. Fairgood right in front of her now, looking completely and utterly mortified at the display. "H-H-Headmistress Fairgood, I can explain..." she stuttered fearfully and nervously. "Y-Y-You have to l-listen to me!"
"Listen to her?" Audrey complained as she was badly bruised and even had a black eye and a bloody nose. "You should listen to me! She just attacked me for no reason!"
"Well, if you weren't such a meddling bitch, I probably wouldn't have bothered you in the first place." Mal glowered.
"Language, Miss Ignus," Mrs. Fairgood scolded. "Now... Since it's your first week with us-"
"I won't be sent to your office?" Mal finished nervously and hopefully.
"I won't send you home early, but I do think you should learn the rules of your new school and our no-bullying policy, especially in attacking other students," Mrs. Fairgood countered firmly. "I'm really sorry to do this, Miss Ignus, but I'm afraid I have to send you... To detention."
That last word echoed in Mal's mind and it pierced her soul. She was no stranger to getting a detention, especially in her old school, but in this new school, she felt it was tarnishing to her reputation. She just couldn't believe that this just happened as she looked like she was trying very hard not to cry.
"Jane, please take Miss Thornley over to the school nurse at once." Mrs. Fairgood told her daughter.
"Yes, ma'am." Jane nodded as she soon went to do what was asked of her as she escorted Audrey out of the circle of other students.
The warning to get to class bell soon rang and the crowding students soon decided to get over to class while they had the chance.
"I'm very angry and disappointed," Mrs. Fairgood told Mal once it was just the two of them as she brought out a pink slip and filled it out, forcing Mal to take it. "Now, I suggest you head over to your final class as well otherwise you will have two detentions in one day. Do I make myself clear, Miss Ignus?"
"Yes, ma'am..." Mal said softly and shallowly.
"Good," Mrs. Fairgood nodded as she went back to her office. "Now... I hope I can trust you to call your mother and tell her you might need to be picked up from school today."
Mal watched the woman go as she blinked rapidly before her eyes itched with leaking tears. She then sniffled as she was all alone in the hallway and she began to shiver and shake as she let out a mighty big cry. She just wished she could disappear right now and get out of here. A door was heard opening and closing and shoes clicked across the floor as a sweet giggle was heard which Mal recognized instantly.
"Looks like I got back just in time," Evie giggled to herself as she soon came upstairs, passing Mal in the hall. "Sorry about that, Mal, but Mom's gonna take Henry after school today, so I was wondering if-" she then looked over and saw her new friend was welled up with tears and looked very depressed. "What... What's wrong...?" she then asked as her tone of voice suddenly changed from bubbly to empathetic.
Mal just covered her face, crying as she shook her head.
"Mal... What is it?" Evie asked as she knelt down beside her fallen friend. "You can tell me?"
Mal didn't say anything and soon held out the detention slip.
Evie soon took the slip and frowned softly as she put two and two together instantly. "Ohhhh..." she then said. "Mal... I-I'm sorry... And this is your first week of school and Audrey Thornley is the Queen of the School..."
Mal just kept on crying as she sniffled. "I didn't even wanna move to this shitty place anyway," she then said as her voice cracked as she had a lump in her throat. "I just wanna go home."
"Well... I'm afraid I can't take you home," Evie frowned softly. "At least... Not right now."
"I know, Evie," Mal pouted as she wiped her eyes and looked so emotional. "I barely ever cry, but here I am, crying in school."
"Can't your mom help you?" Evie asked softly.
"I doubt she'd be home or even care," Mal sniffled. "Mom only ever paid attention to Lily anyway. I don't feel like going home anyway, but I have to tell her about the detention... How else would I get home from school today?"
Evie soon scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Mal and helped her up to her feet. "Listen," she then said softly. "How about I walk you to class? We can't leave school early, I especially can't since I have to make sure Henry gets home safely, but after school, we'll go to get ice cream and you can come home with me when Mom picks up Henry to take him to his doctor's appointment."
"But you don't have a detention." Mal sniffled.
"I'll wait for you in the library," Evie replied. "And if you don't believe me, visit the library before leave campus."
"Yeah, right," Mal scoffed a bit dreadfully. "You're gonna be waiting right there for me after detention is over? You're probably gonna ditch me... I deserve it anyway. Throw myself in the school dumpster because I'm garbage."
"You are not garbage," Evie said as she led Mal down the hallway to get her to class on time so she wouldn't get another demerit for it. "You are the most amazing, interesting, and extraordinary girl I've ever met in my life and that's coming from the heart. So that's why you and me are having an ice cream date as soon as detention is over. Ice cream will cure whatever ails you."
"Yeah... I guess that's true..." Mal said, sounding a little bit better as her voice still sounded a bit dry and weak as she cleared her throat.
"Here... Get a drink before you go to class." Evie suggested.
Mal soon looked over to see a water fountain and soon pushed against it and sipped against the water that came from it. Evie then lightly stroked Mal on the back. Eventually, Mal and Evie shared small smiles with each other and they soon made it to the History classroom.
"Well, this is it," Evie told Mal. "Just try not to get detention even if Mr. Thatch puts you to sleep."
Mal laughed a little softly. "Thanks, Evie," she said with a small smile. "You're such a good friend."
"Well, I sure as heck try," Evie smiled back before she soon hugged Mal good and tight, lightly patting her on the back. "You'll see... It won't be so bad after you spend an hour after school."
"An hour?!" Mal groaned.
"You'll live... I promise..." Evie said softly.
Mal heaved a sharp sigh as she soon stepped in the classroom first. "I sure hope you're right."
Evie then followed in after and the two girls took their respective seats. Luckily, they made it just in time as the bell rang and Mr. Thatch came inside the classroom and shut the door behind him, locking it so that he could start class.
The class went by fine, but what was coming after it began to feel worse and worse. Mal eyed the detention slip she was given and was told to go see a "Mr. Sidney" in Room 490. She soon began to look and find the classroom as quickly as she could because if she was late to detention, that would just result in another detention. She wished Evie could be there to show her how to get there, but unfortunately, the other girl had another important matter right now.
Evie held Henry's hand as she led him out of their school. Everyone headed right for their buses or parents' cars or walked back home.
"Afternoon, my children," Regina greeted as she saw them. "Evelyn, if you'd like, you can come to the doctor with us or I can take you home right now so you can get started on your homework."
"Heh..." Evie grinned bashfully at the latter option. "Actually, Mom, I was wondering if I could stay in school for an extra hour and bring a friend home with me for dinner?"
"...Staying after school for an hour?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, ma'am," Evie nodded. "I have to help a friend with something very important."
"...Well, I suppose that would be all right," Regina replied. "Are you sure you can make it back home on your own?"
"Yes, Mom, we'll even use the shortcut through the beach," Evie reassured as she nodded. "And if you want, if the Ice Cream Cafeteria is open, I'll bring you something back."
"Hm... Well, I have a sweet tooth..." Regina smirked.
"Hey! What about me?" Henry piped up from the backseat. "Don't I get ice cream too for going to see the doctor?"
"Well... I would love to get you some ice cream too," Evie smirked. "If it's okay with Mom first."
"All right, he can have ice cream," Regina replied. "Just don't eat them all before dinner. I don't want you to spoil your appetite." she then added as a light joke.
"Yes, Mom, thanks," Evie smiled and nodded. "I'll see you in time for dinner."
"Very well," Regina replied. "Good luck with helping your friend. You also know our favorite flavors by now."
"Thanks!" Evie nodded and the car soon took off riding down the road into town. She then turned herself around and began to climb up the front steps and went to head to the library as promised. "Oh, I sure hope Mal found Mr. Sidney's room alright. He hates tardiness probably more than Mrs. Belfrey."
Mr. Sidney was a very firm and strict man. He always had a harsh glare on his bearded face like he was always angry about something. He often kept an eye on the students who would sit in his room like he was trying to make sure that they wouldn't try to escape or anything. Mal decided to take the extra hour to do a little sketching, plotting the end of Audrey as she was very infuriated with the girl, especially with how she got off the hook and landing Mal in detention. She glanced all around the room though, seeing the other students she had shared the room with and knew some of them based on their descriptions that Evie, Carlos, and Jay had given her whenever she had a question about them.
There was of course Tilly from her homeroom who folded her arms over her desk and was fast asleep. Mal was surprised by how hard-nosed and strict Mr. Sidney appeared to be that he allowed her to sleep, probably because that was the only way she couldn't get into even more trouble. She also saw a black-haired girl with piercing gray eyes who was known as Ginny Gardener. She didn't know much about Ginny yet except that she was a fashion diva like Evie, but probably in a negative way and often critical of how others look and how she's one of the few students who can pull off wearing the same uniform and looking amazing in it.
There was a sassy looking girl with braided black hair and had some turquoise coloring in it. She smirked right at Mal like she was trying to plot her demise like she was trying to plot Audrey's. This girl was known as Uma McClain and was a well-known bully. Not like Audrey though, Uma was said to had chased one girl in the hallway just by looking at her funny in the cafeteria and beat her to a pulp and tossed her in the school dumpster. Uma was also said to be in her family's business which was Captain Hook & Ursula's Fish & Chips: a family pirate-themed restaurant where everyone dressed like pirates or sailors with lots of songs, treasure hunting, and a lot of other gimmicky stuff. Mal laughed off the description, especially from the fast-food aspect, but seeing Uma up close was a bit intimidating. Mal decided to just tune out the rest of her detention sentence which seemed to last a lot longer than she anticipated.
Eventually, Mr. Sidney nodded his head as it was now 4:00 and he stood up from his desk. "Detention is over." he then told the students, sounding a bit dry, thick, and sharp in tone of voice.
The kids then wasted no time in fleeing out of the room like they were running for their lives. Mal heaved a sharp sigh in relief and soon got up and grabbed her things and went for the library. She doubted Evie would even still be there, assuming that the other girl would be gone already. Just waiting five minutes and then giving up and going to the Mall or something. However, to her surprise, she saw that Evie was still there and was reading a magazine and listening to music on her phone with ear buds.
"Oh... Evie... You're still here?" Mal asked as she came in.
Evie didn't answer her right away.
"I thought you would've gone back home by now." Mal continued.
Evie still didn't answer as she flipped through the pages.
"EVIE!" Mal shouted.
"Shh!" A brunette girl shushed from where she stood behind one of the bookshelves.
"Sorry." Mal winced bashfully.
"Oh! Mal!" Evie said as she took out one of her earbuds and spoke in a hushed tone of voice. "I guess I was so soaked up in this magazine quiz that I lost track of time."
Mal playfully rolled her eyes with a small smile. "You waited for me all this time?" she then asked.
"Hey, I said that I would wait for you," Evie reminded. "I don't break promises, Mal. I have a little brother."
"Well... Thanks..." Mal said softly as she nodded. "I guess we'll get out of school now then?"
"Come on," Evie smiled. "Let's get you some ice cream and then I insist that you stay for dinner with me, Henry, and my parents."
"Well... All right," Mal smiled back. "Guess it's better than going home and trying to explain to Mom what happened in school today."
Evie then put up her magazine and stopped her music as she wrapped up her ear buds wire around her phone and slid it into her pocket and stashed away her magazine into her bag. She then offered her arm to Mal with a small smile.
"Uh... What're you doing?" Mal blinked in confusion.
"Arm linking," Evie smiled. "You never did this to a friend back home?"
"No... Not really..." Mal said before shrugging and she soon linked arms with Evie. "Oh... That feels nice."
"Yes, it's a lot of fun," Evie smiled as she linked arms back with Mal and they soon walked off and left the library. "Thanks for letting us in, Sophie!" she then called out to a girl around their age who had mousy brown hair and a red ribbon in her hair.
"Shh!" The girl reminded as she sat behind the check-out desk.
"Man, that girl likes it quiet, huh?" Mal asked Evie on the way out. "Is she even old enough to be a school librarian?"
"Sophie's almost always in the school library," Evie replied as they began to leave their school. "She's probably one of Mr. Sidney's favorite students. That's about all I know about her, she's usually quiet and by herself a lot."
"Mr. Sidney? Oh, right... Mr. Sunshine..." Mal replied sarcastically. "Would it kill that guy to smile?"
"It probably would." Evie joked.
The two girls laughed a bit as they soon left the school and the sun seemed to shine brighter, especially for Mal after being locked up in detention for an extra hour of school.