Mal and Ben stood around the main courtyard of Auradon Prep. As the fountain trickled, a large crowd of students gathered behind them. Beside Mal, stood Evie, Jay, Carlos, Ulla, and Cameron Hook. Beside Ben stood Hayden and Ingrid, Audrey, Doug, Lonnie, Jane, Aziz, Toby, and Amy. They all muttered things to each other nervously.
"I wonder how they'll like it here," Ingrid quietly said to Hayden.
"I just hope Maleficent didn't set them up with a major sabotage plan like she did with us," he smiled back. The other kids looked at him and nodded in agreement. As the black limousine pulled up in front of the school, the students all looked very nervous. Jay, Toby, and a few other boys tensed up when they saw a flash of red from Gaston's (Jr) football jersey.
"There they are," Mal whispered to Ben. There they were indeed, as the driver opened the door, Gaston stepped out with a sense of arrogance around him, which was easily sensed by Ben who held onto Mal's arm a bit tighter. Ulla gave a crooked smile towards Gaston. He returned it.
But if Gaston's muscles weren't enough to send the boys into a fit of envy, than his looks could certainly do the job. His sleek black hair and dazzling blue eyes attracted the attention of Ulla, Audrey, and even Evie made a side glance towards him. "Oh no," Mal whispered to Ben.
"What is it?" Ben asked still staring towards Gaston.
"It's Freddie." At that moment, Freddie Facilier stepped out of the limo, all adorned in purples and greens, with a voodoo charm dangling from her neck.
"Well, well, well," Freddie began to say as she stepped up beside Gaston. "If it isn't those kids who used to be bad." She was testing their temper, Mal knew, and she decided a fight wouldn't be a great way to start this whole endeavor.
"Come on Freddie that was in the past" Mal said to her, "we can all be friends here in Auradon. We don't have to be in the shadows of our parents anymore."
"Well perhaps when you made sure your parents were good and locked up," Gaston continued, "you could have at least, what did they call it, 'give us another chance'."
As Jay was just about ready to make a confrontation, Carlos surprisingly was the first one to speak up. "Let's not start this with an argument. I hope you like it here in Auradon, both of you."
Somehow, this was convincing enough for Gaston to put his fists down. "So, you got real voodoo here?" Freddie asked trying to change the subject sensing the tension.
"All magic exists in Auradon." Ben replied.
"We're just not allowed to use it," Jane grumbled under her breath.
"What was that sweetie?" Freddie asked looking directly at Jane.
"Wha-what?" Jane stammered. No one had ever called her sweetie before besides her mother.
"What about the magic?" Freddie repeated, rolling her eyes.
"Oh-right. We're not allowed to use it all the time." Jane quickly said, before looking down at her feet.
"One time, I was almost suspended for using my tentacles on campus during school hours," Ulla laughed. Gaston laughed back.
"Well, that's dumb," Freddie sighed, slightly disappointed.
"Do you guys want a tour of Auradon?" Ben asked.
"A tour would be nice actually, get to know the place." Gaston answered for Freddie who was just about to open her mouth in response.
"Okay, I'll call a cab and Mal can take you around," Ben told them.
"Wait, what?" Mal asked.
"Well, you are the Queen of Auradon now," Ben smiled at her, a bit more sheepish.
"I suppose so," Mal smiled back at him. "I'll take Jane with me."
Jane took a step back. "Why?"
"You know Auradon better than I do, and Ben has things to do."
"Um…okay," Jane said as she began to look at her feet again.
"You're kind of cute when you're so shy," Freddie commented to Jane.
"What?" Jane asked as she looked up at Freddie in horror.
"You heard her," Gaston told Jane, "she thinks you're cute. You just gotta roll with Freddie."
"Yeah," Jane said as she nodded absentmindedly. As Mal got into the limo, Gaston got right into the passenger's seat with her. Jane got into the back with Freddie, trying as hard as she could not to look at her.
"Hey there Mal," he said to her flirtatiously as he began to wrap her arm around her shoulders.
"Sorry Gaston, I'm taken." She smiled as she peeled his strong arm off of her.
"Yeah, but you're taken by father's sworn enemy," he smiled.
"Sworn enemy's kid," Mal corrected.
"Whatever," Gaston huffed in frustration.
As they continued on their tour of Auradon, Jane barely spoke at all, trying to hide from Freddie. Her comments made her feel strange, it was if Freddie had taken an instant liking to her. Odd, considering Freddie was a villain kid, and she was, well, she was Jane. Fairy Godmother's daughter. The purest girl in school. It was all so odd.
…
Freddie and Gaston lived in small separate apartments that the king and queen (Ben and Mal) had selected for them. They would pay their rent for six months, after that they would have to have jobs. Freddie started the hunt for a job immediately. "Gaston, what do you want do?" She asked as she talked to him in his room.
"Well football of course," he responded.
"There's tourney too you know," she told him.
"Yeah, right. Football's my passion." He responded.
"But Ben's interested in tourney," Freddie said raising her eyebrows at him.
"So?" He asked.
"You want Mal don't you? Well I heard he confessed his feelings to her after a tourney game-in song!" Freddie chuckled.
"No way in Hell I'm singing to her." Gaston chuckled.
"I might however, start an interest in tourney," he began to flex his muscles as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"You're such a womanizer," Freddie joked sarcastically.
"Yeah," Gaston agreed, unaware of the sarcasm, "Anyways, what do you want to do?"
"I'm not sure," Freddie responded, "I think I want to do fashion."
"You're not even into fashion," Gaston pointed out.
"What do you know about me and fashion? We happen to have a long history," Freddie joked.
"Where are you applying?"
"Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique," Freddie said.
"Isn't that the place that Fairy Godmother owns?" Gaston asked.
"Yeah," Freddie replied.
"And her daughter is-oh." Gaston suddenly understood.
"Yep," Freddie said.
"You know, she might be weirded out or something. These Auradon people are conservative."
"I've heard different rumors, besides, it can't be any worse than it was on the isle."
"True, if my father ever found out my best friend was a dyke-"
"Lesbian," Freddie corrected, slightly insulted.
"Sorry, I'm just so used to isle talk," Gaston apologized.
"It's alright. She's cute. And she's shy. What am I supposed to do?" Freddie asked, genuinely concerned.
"I can't help you in that field," Gaston shrugged.
"You're a good friend Gaston," Freddie said sincerely.
"I'll always be there for you," Gaston replied.
"I know," Freddie said, "and thanks for that."
The two hugged as Freddie yawned and returned to her apartment, ready for sleep after her long day.