Sorry for the wait, but it's finally done. Hope you enjoy. Leave a review.

Holes In My Heart

It was another ordinary day in Auradon, but no day is ordinary in Auradon, because...

BOOM!

Turning the attention of the story to Auradon Prep, an explosion just occurred in the Science Lab. Inside, all the students were covered soot all over their faces and clothes. Sofia and her lab partner, Nathaniel, on the other hand, were the dirtiest among all the students, simply because the explosion originated from their project. Sofia accidentally created an explosive chemical combination because she was distracted by Nathaniel's flirting.

Mr. Daley approaches them, finished coughing from the clearing smoke, and speaks up. "What do you two have to say for yourselves?"

"He distracted me, I lost focus," said Sofia.

"Why, my lady, who are you to accuse me?" Nathaniel was offended by her accusation.

"I'm just telling the truth. I learned from an old friend that lying to take the blame for someone's fault is wrong," responded Sofia.

"Well, in that case, Nathaniel, you will clean up this mess. Anyone who would like to help him, go ahead. Class dismissed," said Mr. Daley as he was about to exit, until he remembered something. "Oh, and the assignment I gave you yesterday, you all have until tomorrow to complete it." As soon as he finishes, he continues to head to the door, still wiping soot off himself. He opened the door just in time Mal just happened to be walking by to see a dirty middle-aged man. Mal walks inside the science classroom and saw the mess. She was greeted by a few stares and smiles.

"I don't even want to know," said Mal as she quickly departs the lab.

"So... who wants to help me?" requested Nathaniel. Everyone answers by leaving the classroom, all wanting to get cleaned. Nathaniel hangs her head in despair, but he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned his head to see Sofia.

"Mr. Daley said someone needed to help you clean up," said Sofia.

"But why? I caused this," wondered a confused Nathaniel.

"There's one thing I've learned about being a princess before I even became one, kindness," said Sofia.

Later, Sofia returns with a pail of water and a sponge and saw Nathaniel sweeping the floor. She was happy that he was putting aside his self-centeredness to take responsibility for his actions. Suddenly, someone bumped into her on her way inside. It was Evie, still covered in dust and dirt from the "accident."

"Sorry, Sofia. I just need to get my science homework," confessed Evie. When she saw Nathaniel sweeping the floor, she thought for a moment and said, "Or I can stay here and help you clean up."

"Really? From what I heard about you, you would hate someone who messed up your looks," said Sofia.

"Okay, I maybe, as Carlos would put it, 'narcissistic,' but I'm trying to be good now, and what better way than to help someone even if he crossed me?" retorted Evie.

"Did someone mention my name?" said someone. Evie, Sofia, and Nathaniel turned to the door and saw Carlos.

"Oh, hey, Carlos. We were just talking about you," started Sofia.

"No, we were not!" defended Evie.

"Aww, you weren't talking about me?" teased Carlos.

"Well, I mentioned your name, but I was talking about me," said Evie.

"Why am I not surprised," responded Carlos.

"I was talking about me changing from being a 'narcissist', as you put it, to a selfless person," defended Evie. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I, uh, came to ask you if you wanted to come with me to the mini-golf course after school," said Carlos.

"Are you asking her out on a date?" wondered Sofia.

"I thought she was dating Doug," added Nathaniel

Carlos face-palms himself in annoyance and tells Sofia, "Okay, A: Yes, I know, and B: Just because I'm asking a girl to spend time with me, does that necessarily mean I'm asking her out?"

Sofia and Nathaniel couldn't find a response and proceed with cleaning the classroom.

"So, what do you say?" continued Carlos.

"I'd love to, Carlos, but I promised Sofia this morning that I'd help her with her science homework after school," said Evie.

"Oh," responded Carlos, feeling a little sad of her rejection.

"But, if you want to spend time with me, how about you help me help her?" suggested Evie.

"I'd be glad to," replied Carlos.

Mal, after leaving the science lab, heads to her locker, but before she opens it, she makes sure the cost is clear. She opens her locker, but she wasn't only taking her books out, she also wanted some private time with her new toy, Malia the Dragon, a stuffed toy she made herself, thanks to knitting class, but she didn't leave it in her room because she was afraid of Evie's judgment, so she kept it in her locker.

Mal started talking to her stuffed animal. "Hello there, my little furry beast. Hope it's not too warm in there." She pets the dragon on the head and tells her, "Don't worry. I'll find a spot for you in my room."

Mal's moment was interrupted when she heard a click. She turned around and saw Audrey, hiding behind a column, holding her phone up. The click she heard was the camera on her phone.

"Busted!" exclaimed Audrey.

"Audrey?! What are you doing here?" questioned Mal, hiding her toy behind her back.

"I saw you the other day talking to someone in your locker. I got curious," answered Audrey.

"You cannot post that picture," said Mal.

"And why not? Mal, the malevolent daughter of Maleficent, talks to a stuffed animal as if it was a real person is too juicy not to share with everyone," said Audrey. "And besides, aren't you a little old to be playing with stuffed toys?"

"Give me the phone, Audrey!" demanded Mal.

"Sorry, but I'll hang on to this. But don't worry, I won't post it," said Audrey as she walked away. "Unless I need to."

Mal's rage started to build up and her hand started lighting up with magic.

"Uh-uh-uh," warned Audrey as she held her finger next to the "post" button.

Mal regains control of herself and turns off the magic. Audrey turns off her phone and walks away, leaving Mal to think about this. Audrey will be able to use the photo to manipulate Mal all she wants. She needed to take the phone away from her, but just like any teenager, Audrey never leaves her phone out of her sight. She decided that she needed someone to take it for her. After careful thinking, she knows the one person who can do the job.

After the school day passes, Evie takes Sofia to her room so she can help her finish her homework.

"Mal told me she took you here before. Why?" started Evie.

"To... apologize for her behavior against me when we first met," lied Sofia.

"I can't say I'm surprised. Good or not, Mal still loves to act like the bad girl," said Evie.

The two girls take their homework out of their bags and sit down on Evie's desk. Before they could get started, Sofia noticed a small vase with one blue rose.

"What's that?" asked Sofia.

"That's the blue rose Carlos gave to me as a gift for my 11th birthday," answered Evie. "It's a symbol of our friendship."

"A symbol?" wondered a confused Sofia.

"It's a long story, but how 'bout we talk about this another time? We are studying," said Evie.

"No, no, we have time. Tell me," insisted Sofia, curious.

Evie sighed and started her story. "Well, long story short, Carlos and I were once very close friends back in the Isle of the Lost. We did everything together. We played games, we got to know each other better. Mal and I hated each other, so Carlos came up with a plan to fix us. It worked, but with a cost. I got so close to Mal, I ignored Carlos. Once I befriended Doug, my memories of our friendship just vanished. On Ben's coronation party, he and I had a little chat. That night made me remember how much he meant to me. I saw the sorrow in his eyes about that fact that I forgot our friendship, so I returned to the Isle to retrieve the rose to show him that I won't forget again."

"That's sweet," responded Sofia.

"Well, if we're done with the chit-chat, maybe we can started." Evie was clearly trying to change the subject, not wanting Sofia to suspect how she truly felt about Carlos.

"I thought Carlos was going to be helping too," reminded Sofia. "Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"You don't need to wait any longer," said a familiar voice. It was Carlos, standing in the doorway.

"H-how much did you hear?" asked Evie.

"Everything from 'I returned to the Isle,'" answered Carlos.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get started," said Evie.

Carlos puts down his backpack, picks up his science textbook, and sits down with the girls so they can begin.

"No."

"No?" questioned Mal.

"No, I won't do it," said Jay.

"Why not?" asked Mal.

"It's Audrey. She's my... well, not yet my girlfriend, but she is my girl," said Jay. "Besides, I'm trying to good now, remember? No more stealing."

"Well, you're gonna have to get back in the game," said Mal.

"I'm not stealing her phone, and that is final," said Jay.

"Okay, I didn't want to do this, but you left me no choice." Mal takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. When she opened her eyes, they started glowing. She grabbed Jay by the collar and holds him against his locker. She lights up her hand with magic and holds it close to his face. "Either you help me or I swear to you, this is going to be painful."

"Alright! Alright! I'll do it!" surrendered Jay.

Mal stops the magic and regains control of herself as she takes her hand off Jay.

"I thought you were trying to keep control of the darkness?" reminded Jay.

"I was, but I guess it could be useful," said Mal.

"Like forcing people to do your bidding?" added Jay.

"Only when I really need to," defended Mal.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have to practice," said Jay as he picked up his Tourney stick and heads to Tourney field.

As usual, Jay was a loose cannon on the field, but, of course, he continues to show that he values teamwork over personal achievement by making spectacular passes. After a while, Coach Jenkins tells everyone take a 5-minute break. Jay sat down on the bleachers when Ben and Chad decided to join him.

"So, care to explain now why you were late," started Chad.

"Mal needed me to do something. I said no," explained Jay.

"She didn't take it for an answer, didn't she?" guessed Ben.

"Yes," confirmed Jay.

"So, you're going to do whatever it is she wants you to do. What is it?" asked Chad.

"That's private. Besides, Mal never really told me why," said Jay.

"Alright, ladies! Break time's over!" said Coach Jenkins.

"Time to get back on the field," declared Jay as he, Ben, and Chad head back to the field.

Back in Evie's room, Carlos and Evie are almost finished tutoring Sofia. She only had one equation left to answer.

"Okay, if the temperature of the gas is increased from 25° to 40°, what would the pressure be now?" started Carlos.

After thinking for half a minute, something pops up in Sofia's head. She writes down her final answer. "614.04 torr!"

"Correct!" said Carlos.

"Well done!" added Evie.

Carlos looks at the time on his phone. "It's only 4:30. Maybe we can still make it to the mini-golf course before it closes at 6."

"Sure," agreed Evie. "Do you want to come, Sofia?"

"Can I take Lonnie?" asked Sofia.

"Of course, you can," answered Carlos.

"Great! I'll go get her." Sofia packed up her stuff and exits room, but not before closing the door first, leaving Carlos and Evie alone.

"So... she's gone," pointed out Carlos, stating the obvious.

"And here we are... alone," added Evie, stating the obvious as well.

After a brief awkward silence, Carlos spoke up. "Hey, I never got to ask, how was your first date with Doug?"

"Besides the part that he thinks that something romantic is happening between us, it went well," answered Evie.

"First, Jay. Now, Doug?" complained Carlos. "How many more people are gonna think that?"

"I don't understand why they would even think that?" added Evie.

"I don't even wanna guess," said Carlos.

Evie decided to move a new subject. "So... have you asked Jane out yet?"

"No," answered Carlos. He looked away in embarrassment as he answered.

"Why?" asked Evie.

"Like I said, I don't want to rush things with her," said Carlos.

Evie puts her hands on Carlos' shoulders and tells him, "Carlos, I thought you said you wanted someone special in your life. There's a girl who never stops texting you. Go for it."

"Even if she's into me, I don't know if I'm into her," said Carlos.

"You'll never know unless you give it a shot," said Evie. "Look, I'll make you a deal. You take Jane to the mini-golf course today. If all goes well, you ask her out on a date. If not, then you'll never hear from me about your love live again. Deal?"

"Well, what do I have to lose? Deal," agreed Carlos.

Later that afternoon, Sofia was outside with Ben near a limo, waiting for the others.

"So, you're coming with us?" asked Sofia.

"Yeah. I thought Mal would like to try something new," answered Ben.

The first to arrive was Lonnie, who was arriving with Chad.

"You're bringing Chad?" asked Ben.

"Well, when I told him I was coming with Sofia, he wanted to tag along," answered Lonnie.

"I love a good game," added Chad.

After a few more seconds, Carlos and Jane showed up.

"Finally going out on a date?" teased Lonnie.

"It's not a date," denied Jane.

"It's just a friendly game between friends," added Carlos, also denying.

"You sure about that?" said someone. It was Mal, along with Evie, who was bringing Doug along.

"Yes, I'm sure," said Carlos straight.

"Seems like the whole family is here," pointed out Ben. "Except for Jay and Audrey. Are they coming?"

"Nah, don't let them spoil our fun," said Mal. Secretly, she wanted them to stay behind so Jay can finish the task she assigned him.

"Okay... everyone in the limo. Let's play some golf," declared Ben.

In the limo, the ride was silent, until everyone notices that Carlos and Jane are texting each other, despite the fact they're sitting next to each other. With every message sent, smiles and giggles come out as each other's reactions. Evie decided she has seen enough.

"Would you two put down the phones and talk to each other. With words," said Evie.

Carlos and Jane turned off their phones and looked at each other eye-to-eye.

"So... just asking... have you ever had someone special on the Isle?" started Jane.

"No. Not really. Before Mal, Evie, and Jay, I was alone. I was pushed around, bullied, and ridiculed," answered Carlos.

"I'm sorry I asked," apologized Jane.

"Don't be. It's the past. I have plenty of friends now," said Carlos.

"Evie told me you two were very close friends back in the Isle. Is that true?" wondered Doug.

"Yes," answered Carlos. "But not for long. After I fixed her and Mal, she's been ignoring me."

Evie was about to apologize, but Carlos expected her to and said, "Don't apologize, Evie. Remember..."

"The past is past. Forgive, forget," said both Carlos and Evie simultaneously.

"Whenever I visit the park, I often see you two hanging out," said Jane. "You two have been getting pretty close lately."

"I already told you why I came back for the blue rose, remember? I want to make up for the lost years with Carlos," said Evie.

"Are you two sure you just want to be friends?" said Ben.

"Yeah," answered Carlos. "Why?"

"Then why did you two..." Ben's question was never completed because Evie interrupted him.

"Oh, no, no, no! You are not saying 'that' out loud. Not in here," said Evie, knowing what Ben was going to say.

"What was he going to say?" asked Doug.

"Nothing!" answered Evie quickly.

"Why would it matter if I asked?" wondered Ben.

"We are in a confined space and if you blab it out, things could get ugly," said Carlos.

"How could it get ugly?" questioned Sofia.

"We were raised on the Isle of the Lost. Old habits die hard, as Mal said," said Evie, gesturing to her best friend.

"If I didn't know it any better, I say Evie's keeping a secret from his boyfriend," whispered Chad to Lonnie.

"I heard that!" said Evie. "I have my sleeping perfume here. Do you want another taste, Chad?"

"Guys, calm down..." said Ben, trying to calm things down before the situation escalates.

"Maybe we haven't changed a bit, but neither have any of you. Audrey's still self-centered, you're still a bully," said Carlos.

"Do you want to start something, momma's boy?" reacted Chad.

Feeling protective of her friend, Evie pulls out her sleeping perfume, but before she could spray Chad, Carlos held her back.

"No, Evie! Don't do this. We've come so far. We don't want to ruin our chances again," said Carlos. Evie puts the perfume back in her purse.

"You've been quiet, Mal," said Ben. Mal didn't respond. Specifically she didn't respond because she was wearing her earpieces, listening to music on her phone.

"She's deliberately trying to stay out of this conversation," guessed Carlos.

"Aren't you a brainiac? I'm surprised you and Evie aren't really dating at all," teased Chad.

"Enough, Chad," said Lonnie, elbowing him softly on the arm.

"Is it always like this?" asked Sofia.

"Pretty much," answered Evie.

While things begin to calm down, Mal, still listening to music, secretly texts Jay. Her message says, "Have you gotten it yet?"

Back in Auradon, Jay was peering around a corner, keeping an Audrey, looking for an opportunity to snatch her phone. He heard his phone beep, meaning he got a message. It was Mal. The message said, "Have you gotten it yet?"

Jay texts Mal, "Still working on it."

Mal responds with "Get it! OR ELSE"

Jay turns off his phone and approaches Audrey, acting innocent. He saw Audrey looking at her phone with despair on her face.

"Hey, why the long face?" asked Jay.

"Jay, remember how we treated you and your friends when you first came here? Do you ever wonder that just because we're raised by heroes, doesn't mean we're going to act like heroes?" wondered Audrey.

"What do you mean?" questioned Jay, not understanding her point.

"You see... I took a picture of Mal today. An embarrassing picture. I can use this to blackmail Mal, but thinking about doing that just makes me feel... bad," said Audrey.

"Then you know what you have to do," said Jay.

"You're right," responded Audrey. She turns on her phone, opens the picture, and deletes it. "All gone."

"Wait? Mal has a stuffed dragon?" asked Jay.

"I know. Like I said. Embarrassing," said Audrey.

"Hold on one second," said Jay. He walks to a safe distance and takes out his phone. He sends a message to Mal. It says, "Audrey deleted the photo." He sends another message that says, "A stuffed dragon. Really?"

Meanwhile, Ben and the rest have arrived at the mini-golf course. Everyone exits the limo, except for Mal, who just received two messages from Jay. When she read the first one, she was glad, but when she read the second one, she felt a little embarrassed. Mal turns off her phone and joins her friends.

After paying for the golf equipment, the teenagers discussed on who goes first, since, after all, nine playing in one hole is too much. After a brief discussion, it was decided that Carlos, Sofia, Jane, and Lonnie take the first turn. When they are finished with the first hole, Mal, Evie, Ben, Chad, and Doug will play.

Seventeen holes later, Ben and his party have made it to the seventeenth hole. Evie turns her attention to Carlos, who was secretly looking at Jane. This puts a smile on her face. What she doesn't notice is that Doug was watching her watching him. It didn't take long until she noticed.

"Something wrong?" asked Evie.

"Nothing. I'm fine," lied Doug.

Knowing he lied, Evie walks up to him to talk. "Doug, you've got to stop thinking about this. Yes, Carlos and I value each other more than anything in the world, but that doesn't mean we're in love. I like you, Doug. I really do."

"I wish I could believe you, but..." Doug stops to hang his head.

Evie was about to say something, but didn't what to say. She walks away and, once again, fights herself about her heart's desire. She looks back at Carlos, who was still looking at Jane. Lonnie notices this and nudges Carlos on the shoulder, daring him to talk to her. Carlos gave in.

"So, having fun?" started Carlos.

"Absolutely," answered Jane. "Can I ask you something. Are you sure there's nothing going on with you and Evie?"

"I'm 100% sure," answered Carlos. "Why do you ask? Jealous?"

"No," responded Jane, though the nervous giggle in her tone said otherwise.

"How 'bout we stop talking about me and Evie, and talk more about you and me?" said Carlos.

"Me and you?" questioned Jane.

"You and I have been texting each other 2/4, yet we never talk face-to-face," said Carlos.

"What's there to talk about? Besides me asking you to help me with my homework?" asked Jane.

"I'm just saying that... Evie's right. If you and I are gonna be friends, we're gonna have to do more than just converse through phones," said Carlos.

"Well, what do you have in mind?" asked Jane.

"The Park. After school tomorrow. How's that sound?" suggested Carlos.

"Sounds great," replied Jane.

"Hey, Carlos! You're up!" said Lonnie.

Like he did with the other holes, Carlos carefully calculates the angle of his shot to determine the right power for a hole-in-one. The course was full of obstacles (a windmill, wooden fences, and three holes that guide the ball to who-knows-where) so Carlos took as much as time as he needed. He took so long that Mal got bored and started to play games on her phone. After a whole minute, Carlos takes his shot. The ball goes through the windmill door a split second before it got hit by a propeller, bounces left and right past the fences, and rolled to the middle hole. The ball comes out of the pipe that directs it straight into the hole, scoring Carlos a hole-in-one.

Everyone cheered as Ben's party showed up. At first sight of Evie, Carlos rushed over and hugged her. Carlos catches himself and lets go of Evie. Carlos coughs in embarrassment while Evie tries to avoid eye contact.

"Nice shot," complimented Evie.

"Thanks," responded Carlos.

"Eighteen straight hole-in-ones. That's a new record," mentioned Ben.

"Alright, let's finish this so we can go home," complained Mal.

"Not having any fun?" asked Ben.

"I am having fun, but that's all I'm saying," said Mal, not explaining her reason for wanting to leave.

Lonnie and her party proceeds to finish their shots while Mal's party watches, leaving Carlos behind since he's already finished. Sofia sees how Carlos was looking at Evie so she decided to stay behind to talk to him.

"Alright, Carlos, it's time to tell me the truth," started Sofia.

"The truth about what?" asked a confused Carlos.

"Don't be coy," said Sofia strictly. "Do you like Evie or not?"

"Why would you..." Carlos was interrupted when Sofia spoke up.

"Don't act innocent. Just earlier, when I left Evie's room, I was listening to you two from the door. You two sound awkward when you're alone," she said. "Again, do you like her or not?"

Carlos stayed silent for a while, wondering what to say. He decided to stop lying and spill the beans.

"On the contrary, I love her," confessed Carlos.

"Then why are you trying to work things out with Jane?" asked Sofia.

"Because... because... I don't think Evie feels the same way," answered Carlos.

"How are you going to know if you don't tell her?" said Sofia.

"She likes Doug," said Carlos.

"So you think fixing yourself with another girl will help you forget the pain seeing the love of your life with someone else?" pointed out Sofia.

"Jane and I were just hanging out as friends. Really. Evie pushed me to try asking her out on a date," said Carlos.

"And you let her?" questioned Sofia.

"Yes," said Carlos... without hesitation.

"Carlos, Evie told me that you mean a lot to her. From the story she told me about the two of you, I can tell that she may have a thing for you," said Sofia.

"May?" questioned Carlos sarcastically. "Look, Sofia, I appreciate your concern, but it's not really you who manages my love life. It's up to me if I want to tell her. That's what Mal told me."

"Mal gave you love advice?" wondered Sofia, finding it hard to believe that Mal is the type who gives dating tips.

"It was a small pep talk. After that, I confronted Evie about my feelings without actually telling her how I felt about her. She started remembering about our friendship, then things got quiet, and we kissed..." Carlos realized what he said and covered his mouth. He looked at Sofia.

"You two kissed?" she asked.

Carlos takes his hand off his mouth and said, "Yes."

"But you two aren't dating," pointed out Sofia.

"It wasn't the first time," said Carlos. "Maybe those kisses meant something to me, but I don't know if they mean anything to her."

"Well, I guess there's nothing more I can say about this. It's up to you if you want to tell her," said Sofia before returning to the game.

Carlos remembered her words as the same as Mal's back on Ben's coronation celebration. Once again, he thinks about if he wants to tell Evie how he feels about her or not. It is clear that he loves her, since he just confessed it to Sofia, and yet he is letting Evie set him up with another girl while he lets her date someone else. Carlos' inner conflict is putting him into a state of depression and confusion.

Back in Auradon, Jay and Audrey were just having a little chit-chat since all of their friends are away. Audrey phoned Ben earlier and found out he and the others were hanging out at the mini-golf course. It bothered Audrey that he didn't invite her. Ben told her that it was Mal's idea.

"This is probably because of the picture, isn't it?" Audrey guessed. "But why leave you?"

"That's because she wanted me to do something for her," said Jay.

"What did she want you to do?" asked Audrey.

"Steal your phone. Erase the picture," confessed Jay.

"So, that's why you were coming to see me," realized Audrey.

"Yeah, but since you deleted the photo, there's no need," said Jay.

"I thought you were done with stealing. Why did you agree?" wondered Audrey.

"She threatened me," answered Jay.

"Of course she did," said Audrey, not at all surprised with his answer.

"So, I've always wanted to ask you. How do your parents handle your self-centered... ness?" asked Jay.

"They don't make a big deal out of it. True that it's a problem, but they love too much to bother thinking about it," answered Audrey.

"I hope you're thinking about fixing that part of you," said Jay.

"I'm trying. Old habits die hard. I'm sure you VKs understand that better than anyone," retorted Audrey.

"Point taken," responded Jay.

Jay and Audrey were just walking past the front of the school when they saw a limo arrive. The doors open and their friends come out. Jay immediately approaches his friends from the Isle while Audrey talks to her friends.

"So, had fun?" started Jay.

"Very," answered Mal.

"You wanted to leave," reminded Evie.

"Don't even ask why," said Mal.

Jay saw Carlos talking with Jane. They exchanged smiles before parting ways. Jay walks up to his best friend and gives him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"What was that for?" exclaimed Carlos, clutching his shoulder.

"'Bout time you started the dating game," said Jay.

"We're not dating. We were just talking about meeting up tomorrow after school," defended Carlos.

"A boy and a girl alone is not a date? Since when?" teased Jay.

"Okay, I'm not talking about this anymore," said Carlos as he started walking back to his room.

Jay was smiling at himself, knowing that he is right about something going on between Carlos and Jane. His moment was interrupted by a hard punch to the shoulder. Clutching his shoulder and turning around, he saw Mal.

"What did you do that for?" exclaimed Jay.

"I think you know," said Mal before she too walked away.

Jay looked back to see Evie looking at Doug with a frown on her face. Evie then hangs her head in despair before departing. Jay just shrugged his shoulders, deciding to leave whatever is wrong with the two them alone. He decided to join the heroes kids' chat.

Evie was in the castle gardens, still depressed. Her chances of starting a relationship with Doug is starting to disappear because he keeps on suspecting that she is in love with Carlos, and vise-versa. Evie can't lie to herself that she loves Carlos, but she wants to move. She doesn't even know why she would want to, but she just feels like it. Her eyes spotted the bush with blue roses, and they just made her think more of Carlos.

"This place brings back a lot of memories," said someone, startling Evie. It was Carlos.

"Oh, it's just you. You startled me," said Evie.

"Sorry," apologized Carlos.

"How did you find me here?" asked Evie.

"I was on my way back to my room, until I saw you heading for the castle. You looked down. And, as your friend, I wanted to be there for you..." answered Carlos. He paused, meaning there was something else he was going to say. Evie caught on.

"You're holding back something," said Evie. "What is it?"

"I... I wanted to talk to you," confessed Carlos.

"About what?" wondered Evie.

"I think you remember what happened here. This is the place where we had our first kiss. But, of course, you would recall that wasn't our only kiss," started Carlos.

"Can you get to the point," said Evie, not understanding Carlos.

"I'm just saying that... we kissed twice and we never talked about it," said Carlos.

"So? We kissed. Twice. What's there to talk about?" Evie pretended that those kisses meant nothing.

"You don't kiss someone unless it means something," implied Carlos.

"You actually think I have a thing for you?" Evie spoke the Carlos like she was amused by his conclusion.

"I don't know," said Carlos. "Do you?"

Evie felt her cheeks heat up, but she shook it off and spoke. "Look, Carlos. You're a very sweet person. You're very smart. You're a wizard with technology. You're... you're..." Evie paused when Carlos walked closer and looked at her in the eye. Evie was lost in thoughts as she continued. "... You're cute. You're charming. Your eyes match your looks..." Evie stopped.

The beauty queen caught herself saying these words in front of Carlos. The tech prodigy didn't say a word, but he smiled. The girl he has been in love with since he was little actually called him cute. The two looked into each other's eyes for a moment until it happened again. They leaned towards each other and kissed... again. The two retreated after a few seconds and both were discombobulated.

"Wow," said Carlos with a soft tone.

"Wow," said Evie, also with a soft tone.

"You want to try again?" asked Carlos.

Evie didn't answer, but she leaned in and pressed her lips on Carlos'. The latter wasted no time kissing back. The two kissed with more passion than ever before. Evie's hand cups Carlos' cheek, pulling him closer. Carlos' hand was placed behind Evie's neck, pulling her closer. Unbeknownst to them, from the balcony outside the royal library, Belle and Beast were watching. They were counting constellations when they saw shades of blue and red in the castle gardens.

"Something tells me this is the start of something new," said Belle.

"It sure is comforting to see young love," added Beast.

Carlos and Evie were still kissing, still unaware of others watching, but all that matters to the two is that they have each other's company.

There's the ending of my latest update. If some of you are wondering if Carlos and Evie are finally going to be together, well... just wait and see. As for my next story, the only spoilers I'm going to reveal is that MalxBen will be more focused on than previous chapters.