Later during the same school day, it was time for those who earned detention to serve their time.

Since she assigned it, Fairy Godmother held her detention on the stage of the school's theater. The punishment consisted of painting scenery, mopping the stage, binding scripts . . . basically anything to help with the upcoming musical.

The lazier student—i.e. Chad Charming—satisfied his requirements by pretending to paint a ladder gold, going over the same spot for nearly five minutes to avoid more work. The not-so lazy students—Ben and Jay—used their muscle and athletic build to assemble a giant tree for the scenery. Mal and Uma—who received detention from being late to class—were busy painting a silver crescent moon on the other side of the stage. Meanwhile, Audrey managed to get out of doing anything by having Carlos help her go over class lessons from that day.

Through-out the detention, Ben would steal glances at Mal as she had casual conversation with Jay and Uma. Every now and then, Mal would catch Ben in the act and would react by giving him a flirty smile. Becoming incredibly flustered, Ben would quickly look away before starting the routine all over again.

Before Ben could seize the moment to actually talk to her, Evie burst into the auditorium and made a beeline for Mal. Evie looked as though she won the lottery, and considering Mal's amazing artistic skills, she might have.

Coming to a halt in front of Mal, Evie eagerly declared, "The answer is yes! We need you on the team!"

"Huh?" Mal tilted her head in curiosity, having no idea what her old friend was referring too.

"Our 'Art Club' has its first relay competition for the semester next week," Evie clarified while holding up newspaper articles praising Mal's artistic ability, displaying her charcoal drawings and pastel works. "With how many awards you've already won, we could certainly find a spot for you."

Mal stiffened at seeing the familiar clippings that she wanted to keep secret. "Where did you get those?"

"From my locker," Evie answered as she tilted her head in curiosity this time. "Didn't you put them there?"

"Of course not," Mal denied with a stubborn shake of her head. "I wouldn't have tried to get on your team that way. Besides, there's no way I would want people at school to see me like that."

"Why not? You more look like you in the pictures!" Evie insisted before quickly changing to the subject at hand. "Anyways, I would love to have you on the team so we could be together like old times. We meet almost every day after school and sometimes during free period, like tomorrow! Pretty please?"

Mal hesitated as those who eavesdropped on the conversation shared a look. "I'm not sure, E," she begam slowly. "After school, I'm busy helping my parents unpack since Mom can't do much. I'm using all my free time at school trying to catch up on the curriculum."

"Bull-shit," Uma blatantly called out. "You spent nearly the entire Chemistry class drawing that portrait of Audrey without her realizing. I bet you've done a dozen from just this morning alone."

"Fourteen," Mal corrected absentmindedly. "I did five based on the reunion during homeroom."

"Exactly! We need someone with your speed!" Evie persisted at the new information. "No one else can make incredibly detailed works in a short time like you do. And I know your drawings are nothing compared to your paintings—"

"E," Mal warned with a shake of her head, so the other girl wouldn't say too much. "My paintings are private because of what and who they convey. It took me months before I showed anyone outside of my family, remember?"

"Won't you at least consider it?" Evie requested pleadingly. "For me?"

Pondering on an idea or so, Mal relented, "I'll think about it. I have some business I need to take care of during free period tomorrow, so it may not be until the day after when I give a definite answer."

Before more could be said, Fairy Godmother walked onto the stage from the wings. "So many new faces in here today," she commented as she stared at them meaningfully. "I hope it doesn't become a habit, though the Drama Club can always use an extra hand. Now, as we work, let's probe the mounting evils of cell phones."

Jay could recognize the beginning of a boring, long-winded lecture when he heard one. At first, he thought about hiding in the tree to ignore the lesson, but then he thought better of it.

After all, he can't talk to Mal if he's in a tree.


"Perhaps the most heinous example of cell-phone abuse is ringing in the theater," Fairy Godmother droned on, as though she had she had her speech memorized. "What temerity! For the theater is a temple of art, a precious cornucopia of creative energy…"

At this point, no one was listening. Mostly everyone seemed to be ignoring her, quietly talking in their huddled groups so they wouldn't show any blatant disrespect. Carlos and Audrey were still working on the latter's school lesson as they zoned out the teacher's voice. Chad managed to swipe his phone while Fairy Godmother was in the middle of her lecture and started texting away without a care in the world. Meanwhile, Ben became tired after practicing for Tourney that morning and surprisingly fell asleep on top of the tree he had finished building. No one had the heart to wake him, since they all knew just how hard he worked.

Jay started helping the three girls paint the moon, going over spots they couldn't reach. At one point, he couldn't reach a spot either, so Mal had the 'brilliant' idea of sitting on his shoulders to paint the rest. Fairy Godmother wanted to scold them, but the two were laughing and genuinely having fun that she let it slide for the moment until it became dangerous.

With only a few minutes left until detention would end, Coach Adams stormed into the auditorium, the light of battle shining in his eyes. "Where's my team, Paxson!" he shouted angrily. "Why is my son in a tree!"

While Ben jerked awake at the loud noise, Fairy Godmother pulled herself to full height and informed icily, "It's called crime and punishment, Beast." She swept her arm toward the stage, adding, "Proximity to the arts is cleansing for the soul."

Coach Adams surprisingly held his temper as he requested to Fairy Godmother, "We need to talk." He gestured to his son and Jay, demanding, "You two, in the gym. Now."

While Ben obeyed his father's orders by climbing out of the prop, Jay helped Mal climb down from his shoulders before claiming, "But we're not finished yet. There's still a few minutes left, and I want to stay to talk to Ma—"

"I don't care," Mr. Adams interrupted.

"Then you won't care if I quit the team," Jay bravely retorted. "I am the best player on the team, next to your son and Gil Playfair. If you lose me, there's no way you can win the championship game without those two playing to near exhaustion."

While some students stared wide-eyed at Jay at his boldness, Mal decided to play the mediator to keep her friend's temper in check. "Jay, don't," she warned sternly while keeping her volume low so no one else could hear her. "You are about to do something you'll later regret. Just go to the practice. You and I can talk afterwards, or you can come by my house for dinner like the old days, alright?"

Sighing in defeat, Jay reluctantly took his old friend's advice and followed Ben out of the auditorium—

Knowing it was going to be a long practice.


A few minutes later, Principal Yen Sid sat behind his desk, looking with resignation at the school's basketball coach and drama teacher. One was angry while the other had a stubborn defiance in her posture.

"If they have to paint sets for detention, they can do it tonight, not during my practice," Mr. Adams insisted.

Fairy Godmother appealed to the principal's sense of fair play. "If these were theater performers instead of athletes, would you seek special treatment?"

"Paxson, we are days away from the biggest game of the year," Coach Adams reminded exasperatedly.

"And we, Beast, are in the midst of auditions for our winter musical, as well," Fairy Godmother countered. "And as I have told you many times before, while in the presence of students, my name is 'Fairy Godmother'. It gives them a sense that they can come to me with their problems and trust that I will help them through it. Students have a blatant disrespect for you because of your infamous nickname that matches your infamous temper!"

Principal Yen Sid sighed wearily. "Enough. You have been having arguments since the day you both started teaching here." In a more reasonable tone, he added, "We are one school, one student body, one faculty. Can we not agree on that?"

The coach and drama teacher stared at him in disbelief.

Clearly, they weren't going to agree on anything.


Soon enough, Fairy Godmother's detention was over, meaning the three girls were finally free. As they walked across the courtyard together, Evie informed persistently, "We've never made it out of the first round of the Art Relay. You could be our answered prayer! There's going to college scouts there too. If they see how amazing your artwork is, you will be guaranteed a scholarship."

Mal sighed in frustration. "Fine, I'll do it," she agreed reluctantly, "as long as I don't have to paint. I won't be able to attend the meeting during free period tomorrow. I plan on auditioning for the lead in the winter musical."

Evie raised an amused eyebrow at the information. "Don't let Audrey hear you say that," she cautiously warned. "She doesn't like anyone competing against her."

Suddenly, her phone went off, signaling a reminder. "And that's my cue," Evie joked as she silenced the alarm. "I have a date with Doug. I'll talk to you later!"

Waiting until the girl was out of hearing range, Uma insisted, "Audrey isn't the one you need to worry about. Everyone thinks she is the possessive one when it comes to the Drama Club, but they've got it wrong."

"You know from experience?" Mal assumed curiously.

Uma nodded in conversation, staying quiet when they passed a group of cheerleaders. "During freshman year, Harry and I auditioned for the lead roles in the musical. We managed to get a call-back, which meant we would compete against Audrey and Chad for the leads within a week. Audrey was super helpful, giving us pointers and rehearsing with us. She even helped us create a dance routine."

Uma paused for a moment, becoming lost in her thoughts. "It was the day of the call-backs," she recalled glumly. "Audrey was helping us rehearse the dance one more time before would have to rehearse with Chad. As soon as we finished, a horrible feeling washed over Audrey. She ran to her backpack and started throwing all of her stuff out—clothes, books, anything to find what she was looking for."

"Someone had stolen her mother's necklace," Uma revealed with a soft sigh. "Her mother, Aurora, gave it to her on her first day of high school. I remember Audrey started having a panic attack because she knew her mother would be furious if she knew Audrey had lost it. Audrey said her mother was given the necklace by her mother before they were separated."

"Leah?" Mal guessed, as she vaguely knew the Rose family and their history.

"No," Uma denied, correcting carefully, "Maleficent. Audrey was on the verge of tears when Chad suggested checking my bag. Somehow, the necklace appeared in my bag, even though Audrey took it off just before we started rehearsing. She, Harry, and I were the only ones to question: how did Chad know it was in my bag?"

"He put it there," Mal deduced with a disgusted shake of her head. "Nobody caught on to him?"

"His family donates a generous amount of money to the school every year," Uma informed with an eye-roll. "The school board didn't want to lose that money when they were in the process of building the indoor Tourney field. Instead, I was banned from ever participating in a club or sport. Rumors will say I took the blame for Harry so he could stay on the ROAR team. Others will say Audrey had framed me so I couldn't win. There is nothing involving Chad Charming."

Surprisingly, Uma snickered at remembering something. "Ironically, the donations were cut in half sophomore year," she claimed. "Lonnie, a friend of Ben's and Jay's, wanted to be a part of ROAR. Chad argued over and over that the rules stated only men could participate because he knew if she joined, he would be kicked off. Ben wasn't on the team, but I remember he was pissed that his father, who was also the coach of ROAR, wouldn't allow Lonnie's participation for that stupid rule, even though she was one of the best players. Jay came up with a loophole that allowed Lonnie to be on the team, forcing Chad off. When he was kicked off the team, his parents decreased the next donation and threatened to end it altogether if anything 'unfair' happened to Chad."

"So, in other words, I need to be extra careful when I audition," Mal assumed, before smiling somewhat mischievously. "Let's just hope I can convince Ben to audition with me."


It was nearly dark, but Ben was still shooting goals in the backyard. His father was guarding him, not letting up when he was at the point of exhaustion. "I still don't understand this detention thing," Mr. Adams claimed.

"It was my mess-up," Ben admitted quickly, hoping by doing so the practice would end already. "Sorry, Dad."

"Paxson will grab any opportunity to demean me, and you, too," Beast insisted stubbornly. "You need to keep that from happening."

Ben nodded, but his mind was on other things. "Did you ever think about trying something new but were afraid of what your friends might think?"

"You mean working on going left?" Mr. Adams questioned. "You're doing fine."

Ben sighed but tried again. "I meant—what if you try something really new and it's a disaster, and all your friends laugh at you?"

"Then maybe they're not your friends," his father said. "That was my whole point about team' today. You guys have to look out for each other. And you're their leader."

"Yeah, but—"

"There are going to be college scouts at our game next week, Ben," Beast reminded, though it wasn't really needed. "Do you know what a scholarship is worth these days?"

"A lot?" Ben guessed.

He didn't need to ask. He knew a Tourney scholarship could pay for four years of college. It would really help his parents financially. It would help set him up for the future, but he wasn't sure if Tourney was the future he wanted.

His father nodded. "Focus, Ben."

And Ben nodded in agreement.

That's what he had to do.

Focus.

However, a memory of what happened the year prior randomly appeared in his mind. Instead of concentrating on Tourney, Ben was more focused on figuring out a way to audition for the musical in secret, so he could see the look of anger on Chad's face if there was a callback and if Ben won the lead. That would definitely teach the spoiled brat a lesson after the trouble he caused Lonnie.

Maybe Mal would audition with him . . .