Wicked ² ✓

2.05

Chapter 5: Backstabber

*Meanwhile, somewhere on the Isle of the Lost...*

Uma threw a fish stick at the small screen, disgusted by the sight of Auradon's new princess in training, "Poser!"

"Traitor!" Her second in command, Harry Hook, shouted along with her.

"Backstabber!" Her best friend and accomplice, Harley, shouted.

"Hello?" She shouted, annoyed at the silence of the rest of her crew.

Everyone in the small shack grabbed food from their plates, chucking it at the small screen, yelling different insults.

"Oh, I would love to wipe the smiles off their faces. You know what I mean?" Hook said, watching the tv with a wicked smirk.

"Gil! You want to quit choking down yolks and get with the program?" Uma looked at the blonde boy sitting next to her, her other right-hand man.

"Yeah. What they said." Gil said lazily.

Harley just rolled her eyes, not at all impressed with the blonde boy.

"That little traitor, who left us in the dirt." Uma seethed, you could practically see the steam shooting from her ears.

"Who turned her back on evil." Harry joined in.

"Who said you weren't big or bad enough to be in her gang." Everyone looked at Gil like he had grown an extra head. Gil definitely wasn't the smartest in the room, and he didn't know when to stop either. "Back when we were kids. Come on, you guys remember. She called her Shrimpy, and the name just kind of..."

Uma slammed her hand down on the table, finally clueing Gil in.

"...stuck."

"You really need to learn when not to talk," Harley whispered to the boy.

Uma turned to Harry, seething with rage, "That snooty little witch, who grabbed everything she wanted and left me nothing."

"No," Gil interrupted, clearly not understanding that some things should be left unsaid, "She left you that sandbox, and then she said that you could have the shrimp-"

Uma slammed her hands down on the table again, "I need you to stop talking."

"Look, we have her turf now. They can stay in Bore-adon-"

Uma cut the boy off, "Harry, that's her turf now!"

She turned off the tv, sick of the sight of the blonde and purple-haired princess, "And I want it, too. We should not be getting her leftovers."

She grabbed the girl and the two boys by the shoulders, an idea forming in her head, "Son of Hook, son of Gaston, daughter of Hades, and me, most of all, daughter of Ursula!"

Harley rolled her eyes, even though she and Uma were friends, the taller girl would always prioritize her ambition.

"What's my name?"

"Uma!"

***

*Back in Auradon...*

"I was thinking dark green with corset lacing in the back..." Evie was rambling on and on excitedly about the dress she was designing me for cotillion.

I wanted to listen, I really did, after all she seemed so excited, but I just couldn't. I was exhausted. Between running around trying to help Mal and Evie, preparing for cotillion, and trying to spend extra time with Parker, plus school and crap loads of homework, I was tired.

I zoned out, staring out at the courtyard in front of us, people milling about, doing their own things. Evie was still rambling on and on about dresses and parties, but a familiar head of red hair and matching varsity jacket caught my eye. The familiar feeling of butterflies hit my stomach, even from afar he had an effect on me.

Then all in an instant, everything froze. Time stopped, my heart dropped, and I felt lightheaded and numb all at once.

Across the courtyard, behind some old hedges and a wall, away from public view. A girl I had never really noticed before, in blue jeans and a jacket with long strawberry blonde hair. I don't even think she goes here.

It wasn't necessarily how they were standing that killed me, with his arms around her in a way that he only ever did with me. Even the way they looked at each other with googly eyes wasn't the worst. It was the way Parker's lips hit hers. That's what killed me.

I felt like I was going to vomit.

Parker was cheating...

I couldn't comprehend it.

"Sky? Skylar?" I heard the words coming from Evie but I just couldn't take my eyes away from the sight.

He was practically full-on making out with her. How long has this been going on? Who even was she? My mind was reeling, it felt like it was going lightspeed and I was still struggling to catch up.

I forced myself to look away, making eye contact with my best friend. She looked concerned, the excitement over dresses long forgotten. I looked back at the two, still in a heated kiss, the knots in my stomach only growing worse.

Without even thinking I stood up from the table. My legs carrying me away without much thought. I pushed my way through the castle, not even acknowledging anyone I passed, I just needed to get away.

***

I was sitting on the bathroom floor. My knees were pulled up to my chest, my head buried between them, my arms wrapped tightly around me.

I've had panic attacks before but this one felt different. I couldn't think, or breathe. All I knew was that my hands wouldn't stop shaking and my eyes were burning from the warm tears.

"Sky?"

"Go away..." I hated how weak it sounded. Like I was some stupid girl who let some stupid boy manipulate me. And even worse, I hated how that's exactly what happened.

I couldn't help but hit the back of my head against the wall behind me, repeatedly. Not hard or anything, but I couldn't sit still - not with the burning in my throat or the still growing tightness in my chest.

The door pushed open and a head poked inside. Evie.

"Okay, stop that, you're gonna hurt yourself." My friend scolded me, sitting down on the cool tile floor next to me.

"I want to hate him, but I just can't..."

As much as I hated it, I couldn't hate the boy. Every time I thought about him all I could think about was how special and loved he made me feel, something I never really had before. It broke my heart, shattered it beyond repair, to think that he didn't feel the same way. Yet I still couldn't hate him...

"He's an idiot."

"No, he's not," I tried wiping the tears from my face but it was no use, they just kept coming, "I am. How did I not realize something was off? I mean, he didn't act differently or anything. Was it something I did? What did I miss?"

"Nothing, boys are just dumb."

She pulled me into a hug and the two of us sat like that for a while, just letting me cry it all out.