After some research Mal decided to wait to make the potion. The fairy discovered that to disguise the potion, the concoction must be baked in the recommended dessert. The magic will fade if the treat isn't devoured within twenty-four hours.

The night before the Tourney game, Mal was whisking together the ingredients for the love potion while Evie searched the cabinets for other ingredients needed. Meanwhile, Carlos was typing on his laptop to finish up the details of the revenge plan. Jay watched because he was curious about one thing.

"Damn," Jay commented, squinting at the screen. "I can't believe she cheated with someone as small as him."

Carlos paused, looking at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "And you're any bigger?"

"Of course," Jay boasted confidently. "Just ask my boyfriend."

The tech genius snickered as he went back to work. "You just wanted an excuse to call him that."

The boys' conversation didn't go unnoticed. Evie twirled to face them, hands on her hip in a demanding pose. "What are you doing?" she interrogated forcefully. "You're supposed to be helping with the potion."

"Trust us, this is way more important," Jay promised.

"And twice as entertaining," Carlos joked as he continued typing.

"Focus on this," Mal ordered while referencing the spell book for the thousandth time. "The last thing we need is a tear, but I don't cry."

"Let's chop up an onion," Carlos suggested as he grabbed one next to the bowl that Dude was sitting in. "Quickest way to get one."

"That won't work," Mal denied with a frustrated huff. "It says we need one tear of fairy sadness. We have to follow the recipe exactly."

"A tear's a tear," Jay complained with an annoyed eye roll. "Will it even work since you are half god?"

"As long as Mal has fairy blood, it will work," Evie argued. "Her god blood will intensify the effects of the tear. Besides, although both have antibodies and enzymes, an emotional tear has more protein-based hormones than a reflex tear."

Mal smiled proudly at her close friend. "Listen to you," she cooed proudly. "Sounds like that extra studying has paid off."

While Evie beamed bashfully, there came the sound of a creaking door. Making a quick decision, Mal threw a kitchen towel over her book just as a teen girl with luscious brown hair and bright pink floral pajamas walked in.

"There you are, Mal!" the girl exclaimed happily as she flounced toward her. "I was looking for you! All the girls want you to do their hair."

Jay raised a curious brow at the girl. "And you are?"

"Jay, this is Lonnie, the daughter of Mulan," Mal introduced while remixing the ingredients. "She asked me to spell her hair too. Lonnie, he is—"

"I already know," Lonnie interrupted with a mischievous smile. "Aziz told me all about his boyfriend."

The Lost Boy didn't hide his surprise. "Really? He's told me nothing about you."

"We don't talk much because of the people I hang with," Lonnie claimed softly. "So, what midnight snack are you making?"

"Nothing special," Mal insisted with a shrug. "Just some cookies."

"Have you added chocolate chips?" Lonnie wondered, retrieving a bowl of dark sweets from the fridge. "It is the most important ingredient for a cookie recipe."

Hearing no immediate protests, the Chinese girl sprinkled the chips into the dough, causing the Lost Girls to stare at the strange contents. Only then did Lonnie realize they were staring blankly.

"Wait . . ." Lonnie tilted her head curiously. "Didn't your moms ever make you chocolate chip cookies?"

Their eyes were still blank, so she explained, "Like, when you're feeling sad? They're fresh from the oven, with a big glass of milk. She makes you laugh and. . ."

Lonnie trailed off once she noticed their mystified expressions. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Mal averted her gaze, hiding her emotions about missing someone. She stirred the batter as she blinked through her watering eyes. "It's different where we're from. . ."

"Yeah, I know," Lonnie commented, trying not to be too pushy. "I just, I thought . . . even villains love their kids."

Like water breaking through a dam, Mal clutched the table while bowing her head, her emotions overwhelming her. Although she tried to contain her sobs, she couldn't stop the tear that streamed down her cheek and into the batter—

The final ingredient.

"I'm so sorry!" Lonnie apologized, shaking her head in denial. "I-I didn't mean to upset you."

"You're alright," Jay reassured as he swooped in to comfort his best friend. Mal buried her head into his shoulder the moment he was next to her, hiding her sorrow from the world. "She doesn't have a great relationship with her mother," he fibbed, rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder blade. "Mal tries too hard to please her mother, but nothing works."

"We have to get these cookies in the oven if we want to make curfew," Evie abruptly insisted, mixing the dough again. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Although reluctant to go, Lonnie slowly walked to tell certain princes what had transpired.

Meanwhile, once she was gone, Jay turned to his friends. "Carlos, Evie, take over from here," he instructed, his arms still wrapped around the fragile fairy. "I'm going to take Mal back to her room."

Mal and Jay walked by the lockers the following day after recovering from her emotional disaster. When Mal opened hers, Jay noticed the particular love-spell cookie inside the bag.

"Are you feeling weird about this?" Jay wondered, his last attempt to change her mind. "I mean, it's not so bad here."

Mal twirled to face her friend. "Are you insane?" She scolded quietly so no one could eavesdrop. "We need the wand so we can bring down the barrier. So I can see my baby girl again."

"But is this necessary?" Jay interrogated, leaning against the locker next to hers. "Maybe Ben already likes you. Maybe he broke up with Audrey so he could be with you."

Mal scoffed at the ridiculous idea. "Yeah, right. A prince isn't going to sweep me off my feet. My life isn't a fairytale. It's a nightmare. The only good part is you, Dad, and Lory."

"But will you be comfortable with this?" Jay urged to voice his concerns. "After everything you've been through, is spelling someone to be in love with you the right choice? Are you ready to be in a relationship, even if it's fake?"

Hesitating, Mal reassured timidly, "I'll be fine. Even though he will be spelled, Ben is still a prince and a gentleman. He won't hurt me like Harry did."

Meanwhile, another set of friends were conversing on the other side of the hall.

"I can't believe you changed the plan," Aziz complained as he leaned against the locker next to Ben's. "Why?"

"Sending the messages so the videos could be seen was a little too harsh," Ben insisted quickly. "The screenshots of the messages will show she cheated."

"What does the Beast want to do?"

"Leak the actual messages," Ben answered like it was obvious. "But I'm the one in control. If Audrey or Chad deny it after the initial leak, the second leak will be the videos, specifically the one where she admits to cheating."

"I guess I'm fine with it," Aziz teased, though his demeanor turned serious. "What are you going to do about the charmed cookie?"

"Say I don't eat sweets?" Ben answered, uncertain. "If she is persistent, then I will eat it."

"Jay said there's a love potion in it," Aziz reminded warningly. "You're still going to eat it knowing that?"

"The potion won't work," Ben stubbornly insisted. "I'll prove it."

While Aziz and Jay moved to the side to mingle with Evie and Carlos, Ben approached Mal with a bright, comforting smile. "Hey," he greeted as he, once again, kept a respectful distance from her. "How are you? Lonnie told me and Aziz that you were a little . . . emotional last night. She didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm fine," Mal reassured too quickly. "It's just been a rough couple days, but I made a batch of cookies." The fairy held up a bag with an innocent smile. "Do you want one?"

Ben eyed the bag suspiciously. "I don't eat sweets during Tourney season. Maybe next time?"

"Of course. I completely understand," Mal commented with a dramatic eye roll. "Be careful of treats offered by kids of villains. I'm sure every Auradon kid knows that."

"That's not it," Ben argued.

"I get it." Mal interrupted, finding herself nervous by her calm façade. "You're cautious. That's smart. More for me, I guess." She took the cookie from the bag and acted like she was going to take a bite—

Until Ben grabbed it and took a large bite to prove a point. "See that? Totally trust you."

Mal glanced over at her friends, then back at Ben. "How is it?" she asked.

"It tastes great," Ben complimented, handing the cookie back. "You added just the right amount of chocolate chips. You should consider baking more often."

"Maybe I will," Mal agreed, covering the sinking feeling in her stomach.

Ben offered a small smile. "I'll see you at the game."

Mal could only nod as she watched him walk away with his closest friend.

Once he was out of sight with Aziz, Ben bragged, "I told you it wouldn't work. You can't put a love spell on someone who's already in love."

Hours later, Mal found herself crowded in the stands with Evie as they watched the Tourney game. With so many people around, Mal felt constricted. Her saving grace was Lonnie, who stood on the other side of the fairy. Lonnie knew from the princes about the fairy's personal space issue, so she stayed a few feet away to give Mal room to breathe.

As predicted, Coach Jenkins waited until the last few minutes of the game to use the 'Jack/Ace' strategy, as he put it. Initially, Carlos was confused by what the statement meant, until Jay patted him on the back and insisted he was the 'Jack', since he was the underdog needed to win the game. Carlos felt prideful of being thought of so highly, making him a better player knowing people believed in him.

Of course, Aziz had to wish his boyfriend good luck since it was his first game. With everyone watching, the Auradon thief gave the Lost Boy a passionate kiss, dipping him dramatically as whistles came from the audience. The thieves could distinctively hear a fairy shout, 'Get a room!' causing the couple to break the kiss.

Almost like something depended on it, Jay attempted to score a point without any help, but the goalie blocked it at the last second. During the next play, Jay gave up the 'lone wolf' and stayed at Carlos's side. After slipping through the Kill Zone with no issues, the 'Ace' and 'Jack' set up the 'King' to score the final point to win the game.

In the bleachers, the Auradon students went wild at finally winning back the trophy. Mal covered her ears at the screaming and cheering, practically cowering as she lost more personal space.

Luckily, another saving grace came to Mal's aid, but not in the way she hoped.

"Excuse me!" Prince Ben shouted into a microphone, standing on the dragon cannon. "Can I have your attention, please?"

Once the audience settled from their excitement, Ben searched the crowd for a moment. "Mal," he called out. "Will you come down here, please?"

Curious by the request, Mal made her way onto the Tourney field, as it gave her a chance not to feel so crowded. With Jay helping her onto the cannon, the fairy stood with the prince, wondering what he was planning.

"I won't make this a big spectacle, so I'll just say it." Ben paused to let a sincere smile grace his lips. "I love you, Mal."

The entire audience cooed and awed at the confession. Mal felt herself blushing. The prince sounded so genuine with his announcement. The fairy couldn't believe the love potion made the victim's reaction so realistic.

However, the moment between them was rudely interrupted when cheerleader Audrey stole the gold microphone. "Chad's my boyfriend now!" Audrey announced as she draped her arm around Chad's neck. "I'm going to the coronation with him, so I don't need your pity date."

"Why should I pity you?" Ben snapped in a hateful tone that no one thought he was capable of—well, except for Aziz. "You were the one who cheated on me with Chad for three years!"

The audience gasped at the revelation, but Audrey scoffed at the accusation. "You're lying," the princess insisted. "I have never cheated on you."

"Then why do the messages say otherwise?"

Although her complexion paled, Audrey kept her calm, clueless composure as she challenged, "What messages?"

At the question, a ding went off, signaling a text. Then came another and another, sounding like music building up for a tense moment. Suddenly, the rings stopped, replaced by the whispers of the audience.

"The sexts between you and Chad that were just leaked," Ben retorted with a vengeful glare. "It wouldn't have come to this if you hadn't wanted more than you already had. You are rude and disrespectful and expect everyone to wait on you hand and foot. You are supposed to be a princess, but all I see is a spoiled girl who got what she deserved. Good luck talking yourself out of a mess you created. I'm thankful for this because I never liked orwanted to be with you."

Jaw-dropping at everything that happened, Audrey allowed the microphone to be taken away before she ran off to save herself from further humiliation. Chad trailed after her, seeing that half of the incident was directed toward him.

Ben changed his gaze to the fairy next to him. The prince may have been mistaken, but he swore Mal was seething in rage. Perhaps he shouldn't have done the revenge plan in her presence, but there was still one thing he needed to do.

"Mal," Ben began so the fairy would look at him, "will you be my date to the coronation?"

Looking as though she was trying her hardest not to grit her teeth, Mal answered, "Yes."