warning: mentions of drugs and child abuse, just a little
Mal picked at the supper in front of her, some sort of fancy fish with vegetables on the side, it tastes pretty good, but Mal just doesn't feel like eating. She put her head on her hand.
"Mal? Aren't you hungry dear?" Queen Leah asks. Mal's head snaps up and her eyes quickly focus on the older woman to her left. She quickly straightens up and sits up properly. "I… I'm sorry, it's very good." and quickly scoops up a bite and shoves it in her mouth. Leah presses her lips forming a thin line.
"We got your report card earlier this week." Leah with a nonchalant air.
Mal quickly swallows what's in her mouth, not wanting to be scolded for talking with her mouth full, again, "Yes, Fairy Godmother mentioned that you would get it."
"While your grades weren't bad by any stretch, that average won't get you into the top universities here in Auradon…..
Mal tuned out the rest as she ate her dinner, going back to the dorms couldn't come fast enough. Maybe getting attention was overrated she thought as she viciously stabbed a carrot and glared at it.
/
Carlos nervously paced in front of the main doors to Auradon Prep and checked the time, it was almost curfew, where the hell was Mal? She said she'd be back by now. He chewed on his thumbnail as he anxiously scanned the drive up to the school. Finally a fancy town car drove up and Mal stepped out and started heading up the stairs.
"Mal," hissed Carlos getting her attention "I need your help."
Mal raised an eyebrow and followed after the white haired boy around the side of the building.
"Carlos. Stop. What's going on?"
"I'm supposed to do that lab tomorrow morning. The frog one."
"So?" Mal crossed her arms, unimpressed with being led off for school work.
Carlos shuddered, "I want to let the frogs out before they kill them for the lab. I need your help."
"Of all the ridiculous…" Mal trailed off when she saw the desperation on the freckled face and pleading brown eyes. "Why didn't you ask Jay or Evie?"
"Jay is having victory pizza with the tourney team. And Evie said no." Carlos pouted a little at this last bit. "Please Mal. I can't reach the window myself."
"Fine."
Carlos gave her a big grin. "Thanks you're the best!"
When they reached the biology room Mal used her magic to open the window then Carlos jumped up to the ledge and pulled himself up enough to reach the terrarium and pull it over so that the frogs could leap out the window.
Mal let out a little squeak as a couple of frogs jumped towards her. Carlos rolled his eyes "come on, it's past curfew."
The fairy let out a little laugh, "well for YOU it is. I still have 45 minutes." she smirked rubbing it in that she had the advantage just cause she was older. Carlos huffed at her and they headed towards their rooms.
"Mr. De Vil, you're late." Mrs. Potts scolded as she saw him heading towards his dorm.
Carlos gave the stout woman his best puppy dog eyes and a sad pout "I'm sorry, I was just waiting for Mal to get back and lost track of time."
The woman smiled at him with a little chuckle, "You're not fooling anyone." she said with a bit of amusement in her voice and then added a little sterner "Right to bed with you."
Carlos frowned but nodded, he wanted to stay up and hang out with Jay, but going to bed was better than a detention he thought as he let out a little yawn.
/
Carlos entered the biology classroom with one other kid that also needed to make up the lab, he's not sure who he is though, they've never spoken before and take their usual seats at the lab benches as Mr. Boyle heads to the storage room and comes back a moment later with two trays and sets them in front of both boys. Carlos swallows hard and looks down at the still frog, his mind races followed by his heart. This wasn't supposed to happen, he had let the frogs go how did this one get here. He makes no move to start the lab and just sits there and stares trying to push down the impending panic attack.
"Oh no! " he hears Mr. Boyle cry out and snaps his head up to watch Mr. Boyle carefully pick up the knocked over terrarium.
"Whats wrong?" the other boy asks looking concerned at how stressed out Mr. Boyle seems to be all of a sudden.
"The AP Bio student's had their magical frogs here and it looks like they all got out last night. Oh this isn't good. Boys work on your lab, I need to go get Fairy Godmother." the man said as he hurried out of the room.
'Magical frogs? AP bio? Oh no. Fuck fuck fuck' Carlos cries in his head.
Fairy Godmother tuts and shakes her head as she inspects the terrarium and Carlos's heart races again.
"Carlos!" Mr. Boyle says, his voice is harsh and Carlos winces "I don't come in on Saturday mornings and waste MY FREE TIME so that you can sit there and NOT DO THE LAB. Get going."
Carlos picks up the scalpel and moves to start but he can't bring himself to do it. His hand shakes and he drops the knife before shoving the tray away a little harder than he wanted to sending it crashing to the floor, taking lab equipment with it.
"I don't get paid enough to deal with this." sighs Mr. Boyle who is not having a very good Saturday himself. "Detention Monday. Clean this up and get out."
"But sir, I have to meet with Willerstein after classes Monday."
"Then you will come here after."
"Yes, sir" Carlos muttered as he carefully picked up the tray, frog, and other equipment off of the floor and quickly left.
/
"You couldn't have finished that lab already." Evie said when Carlos burst into the girls room 10 minutes later. The blue haired girl was sitting on her bed laying out fabric swatches to see which combinations she liked the best but quickly pushed it aside when the younger boy practically tackled her. Evie gently wrapped her arms around him and pulled him almost onto her lap as he started to cry into her shoulder.
Mal looked on from across the room, she raised her eyebrow questioningly and Evie responded with a look that clearly said she had no idea what was wrong but guessed it had something to do with the lab. Mal decided it was best she leave, she didn't do well with crying and would probably have ended up yelling at Carlos to cork it.
"Pup, what happened?" Evie said as she stroked Carlos' hair and rubbed his back and waited for him to calm down.
"I can't do it, I just can't do that lab." He wiped his eyes and nose on a spare piece of fabric. Evie scowled as that was one of her samples but didn't say anything. "Everytime I try I just see all the animals mother made me skin and I just can't." he continued.
Evie thought back to just before they had been told they would be going to Auradon, Carlos' beloved cat (Beelzebub) had had an unfortunate accident and Cruella thought the fur would make a lovely accent to one of her purses. Evie always believed that "accident" had been Cruella herself, but hadn't been able to prove it, not that it mattered. Carlos hadn't been quite the same for several weeks after Cruella had forced him to skin his own pet cat. Understandable really and Evie kicked herself for not realizing this earlier.
"Pup, why don't we just explain about the lab. Mrs. Radcliffe seems like she'd be reasonable and sympathetic about it. "
Carlos looked up at her uncertainly, adults, reasonable, and sympathetic were all words that had never gone together in his entire 14 years. He really wasn't sure that those things ever did go together. Eventually Carlos agreed but then remembered that Anita had gone home for the weekend and wouldn't be back till Tuesday for classes.
/
Mal headed out to the lake, it was Saturday and she was pretty sure she'd be able to find Ben. The young prince and Mal had taken to meeting there on a semi regular basis lately. After Jay's birthday disaster both the purple haired fairy and the young prince found that they were enjoying each other's company more and more. Ben still hadn't broken up with Audrey, but that was ok Mal thought, because it wasn't like that with her and Ben. Not one bit. They were just friends.
"Hey!" Ben greeted Mal with a huge toothy smile and Mal couldn't help but return it as she sat down comfortably next to the boy who at the moment looked anything but royalty. It was a cool fall day and Ben had on jeans and a hoodie sweatshirt with the Auradon Prep logo. Mal thought she liked this look much better than all the formal suits he normally had.
"I brought some brownies." Ben said with a mischievous smirk.
"Oh yeah?" Mal asked. She narrowed her eyes slightly "what's the smirk for?"
"They're just some special brownies I made when my parents were in Agrabah" Ben said with a shrug and a wink. Then helped himself to one and offered the container to Mal.
Mal took one and ate it, she was about to grab a second but Ben pulled it away from her "wait a bit and see how one is first." Mal gave the boy a quizzical look but trusted him enough to shrug and lean back against the tree with her sketch book.
A hour later Mal was starting to feel a little off and everything she and Ben said brought on a wave of uncontrolled giggles while Ben relaxed back as if he hadn't a care in the world.
"Ahem, excuse me sire," a snobbish voice said from behind. Mal and Ben quickly turned and Ben scrambled to his feet, almost falling over "Your parents have returned early from their trip and are wanting to know where you are." Cogsworth said as he waddled closer to where Mal and Ben had been sitting.
"Oh Shit." Ben swore, followed by an impressive string of obscenities that made even Mal raise an eyebrow in surprise. Cogsworth took a few steps closer and gave Ben a disapproving look, "May I suggest a quick dip in the lake, it might assist you in .. uh clearing your mind."
Ben understood the hint and quickly stripped down to his shorts before taking a plunge in the quite cold water, not noticing Mal's face as she gasped at the sight of Ben's scarred back. When he emerged and took a towel from Cogsworth (that man really did think of everything) he noticed Mal's face. She slowly walked to her friend and studied his chest and back carefully touching a couple of the scars, courtesy of his father. "Oh Ben" she said softly realizing at that moment that Ben was the first person in Auradon that understood the VKs fear of their own parents.
"Mal," Ben said grasping the girls small hands, "its ok. "
Mal shook her head, unable to speak for a moment as tears threatened to fall, "I thought Auradon was supposed to be different." she whispered.
"Sire, we must hurry." Cogsworth interrupted the moment handing the Prince a dry set of clothes. Ben nodded and found a private place to change while Mal and Cogsworth looked awkwardly at each other. "Miss Mal, please dispose of the um… snack. It would not due to have any one, or any animals, find it."
Mal nodded as Ben came back. He and Cogsworth quickly left. Mal sat back down at the tree and put her head in her hands.
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