We're so close to the end! Here's a new chapter.
Audrey shut the door to her room with an audible click. As if that were her body's cue, tears instantly cascaded from her eyes. They ran rivers down her cheeks as the will to hold them back any longer broke. She slumped onto edge of her bed, the folds of her dress bending around her strangely and the corset pressing into her ribs. She buried her face in her hands as she cried.
She was hurting Jay. Sure, part of her had realized this on some level. But...to hear other people talk about it and acknowledge it was strange. So many people didn't even care that the VKs were dating Auradon Prep students. It seemed like they had accepted it as completely normal according to how Chad and Evie had been discussing the matter. So what was wrong with her that she couldn't get past Jay's DNA herself?
A knock sounded on the closed door. Before Audrey could protest, the door opened, and her mother stepped inside.
"Oh, Audrey, darling." Aurora shut the door behind her and swept over to her sobbing daughter.
Audrey wiped at her eyes. "It's nothing."
Aurora sat beside her on the bed. "It's not nothing if you're up here crying during your own party."
Audrey shook her head. This wasn't something she wanted to say out loud. She had enough trouble admitting things to herself. But the words spilled from her anyway. "It's Jay."
"I figured. Did he say something?" Aurora's voice was instantly cold and severe. "I saw you run off the dance floor."
Audrey shook her head again. "I just...I'm just conflicted."
"About what? You seem to really like Jay."
"I do." Audrey dropped her hands into her lap. "But he's a Villain Kid."
"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Aurora tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear and raised an eyebrow at her daughter.
"He's not royalty! I'm supposed to marry a prince and all of that," Audrey said, the words coming in a rush. She squeezed her hands into fists in her lap. "No matter how much I like him, it will end horribly."
"Sweetheart, who ever told you that you have to marry royalty?"
Audrey frowned at her mother. "We live in Auradon. Everyone is somehow connected to royalty. And, I'm your heir. Shouldn't I be marrying royalty?"
"Your father and I have never made that a rule. If we gave you that idea, I'm sorry. That's a standard you've set for yourself, not us and not Auradon either." Aurora folded her hands gracefully in her lap. "Not everyone in Auradon who married royalty was even close to it. Charming married Cindy. Adam married Belle. Naveen married Tiana."
"Yes, but Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana were all hard workers and stuff like that. They had aspirations. They weren't thieves. They weren't looked down upon," Audrey said. She sighed and sniffled.
Aurora rolled her eyes. "I believe if you asked them whether or not everyone approved of them, you would receive a very firm 'no.' And, I know that they don't live in the city, but you do remember Rapunzel and Jasmine?"
"Of course." Audrey frowned. Then she put the pieces together. Rapunzel had married Eugene, a thief. Jasmine had married Aladdin, also a thief. "Oh."
Aurora nodded. "The past doesn't make a person's present or future. The past only informs us of what we want to continue or change about ourselves, and I believe those four from the Isle are doing just that. They aren't perfect Auradon citizens like we've grown to expect over the years, but maybe that's the point. They're finally able to decide who they are out of the shadow of their parents. By throwing their past back into their faces, they are only reminded of the people they no longer want to be and feel like they can't escape."
Audrey stared at her hands in her lap, hot embarrassment in her cheeks. She felt so ashamed. Now it was clear that she had been hurting Jay in multiple ways. Leave it to her mother to make her see clearly. Of course, mothers had a talent for that.
Aurora's voice was softer when she spoke again. "My point is, Audrey, that you cannot continue to compare Jay to his past on the Isle. You can only compare what he says with his actions now. If he's told you he wants to be good, then his actions should reflect that. And don't let the fact that he's not royalty be a factor. That has never been a standard in Auradon. A lot of those who are royals now were not before their marriages."
Audrey nodded and wiped at her eyes again, clearing the last bit of moisture from her face. Black and beige smudges colored the tips of her fingers. She sighed and curled her hand into a fist so she wouldn't accidentally get the makeup on her dress. "I need to fix my makeup and find Jay."
"He left shortly after you ran off," Aurora said. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."
"Oh." Audrey's stomach plummeted to somewhere around her knees. Jay had left?
Aurora stood and offered her hand to Audrey. She helped Audrey to her feet. "Come on, fix your makeup and go back downstairs to your guests. You can talk with him another night when you've both had time to reflect."
Audrey nodded and turned to look in the mirror. Her mascara, eye liner, and foundation had smudged. She looked like a grief-stricken raccoon. She sighed and turned back to her mother. "Will you help me?"
Aurora smiled and nodded.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. We're close to wrapping up this story. I actually think one more chapter may do it. Please leave your thoughts in a review. Fave and follow!
Foarrin