𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄 - carlos de vil ✔︎

17.

MAL, EVIE, Carlos, and Ben joined me in the back all of us breathing heavily from the fight. I heard the tires squeal as Jay started to drive. 

"I'm really sorry that things didn't go the way you wanted them to." Ben apologized to Mal.

"I mean..As long as you're safe that's.." She shrugged. 

"I mean, at least I got to see the Isle. They're my people, too. Uma helped me see that." He commented. 

"Ben, Uma captured you." Mal looked at him like he was insane and stupid, which he kind of was stupid. 

"She's an angry girl with a bad plan. That's not so different from you when you came to Auradon, Mal." Ben said, which almost sounded like an insult.

"Awkward.." Dude said, which made me put a finger to my mouth, signalling for him not to talk. 

"Dude, I know you can talk, but it doesn't always mean you should." Carlos advised with his arm around my shoulders, scratching Dude's fur. 

"Here we go!" Jay shouted, telling us we were about to open the bridge. 

─── · .ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. · ───

We walked on the field, heading off to the dorms to get ready for Cotillion. Lonnie said she would get the sword back to the gym and walked off. 

"Ben! There you are. Cotillion's tonight. Come here, look." Jane said, approaching Ben.

Ben whispered to Mal, before I and Eve pulled her away. "We need to talk."

"Yeah." Mal agreed walking with us. 

"No." Carlos interrupted us, and we all looked at him, confused. 

"No?" Evie repeated, just as bewildered as me and M. 

"You guys are always going off in a huddle, whispering girl-talk stuff or whatever, and Jay and I are tired of it." My boyfriend continued. 

"I'm not." Jay denied, raising his hand.

"We're your family, too. We've been through a lot. Together. I'm not stopping that now. Okay?" We all nodded. "Everyone, sit. Come on, you too."

We all sat down looking at each other awkwardly. "I don't know how to start girl talk." Carlos confessed and I chuckled lightly.

"What up?" Jay shrugged and we all laughed. 

"Um..Well, I'm a mess. I'm such a mess." Mal chuckled nervously and E put a hand on her shoulder. "I mean, six months ago, I was, you know, stealing candy from babies. And now, everyone wants me to be this Lady of the Court, and I have no idea how to keep up the act."

"Then don't." Carlos responded with Dude still in his lap. 

"See? This was dumb." Jay started to stand up. 

"Sit the fuck down." I scoffed.

"Maybe it wasn't." Evie said grabbing Mal's hand. "We're always gonna be the kids from the Isle. I tried to forget it, I really tried, but those are our roots. And we all did what we had to do to survive, but it made us who we are. And we're never gonna be like anybody else here. And that's okay. That's okay." Evie sighed.

"And we can't fake it." Carlos added. 

"No." Evie agreed shaking her head. 

"Yeah, I mean, especially without my spell book." 

"Well, if Ben doesn't love the real you," My boyfriend spoke. 

"Then he's not the one." I finished.

"I like that." Evie admitted. 

"Give him a chance." I suggested, rubbing her shoulder.

"I'm gonna make some changes to your dress, and if you're up for it, only if you're up for it, it'll be waiting for you, okay?" E informed M. 

We called this girl-talk session done and stood up. Carlos walked over to me and leaned forward attempting to kiss me, but I turned my head at the last second causing him to peck my cheek. "Hey! I wanted a kiss."

"I know." I smirked, turning around and starting to follow Evie up to our dorm.

Carlos dropped Dude down and grabbed my wrist, spinning me around and resting his hands on my hips. "Come on.."

I placed my hands on his shoulders and finally gave him the kiss he wanted. "There, happy, dalmatian boy?"

"Very." He grinned against my lips. 

"Gross!" The dog grimaced looking up at us and we laughed.

"Whatever, Dude. Ok, I'll see you later." I giggled waving at them as I jogged to catch up with E. "Evie!"

She slowed down, looking over at me. "Yea, what's up?"

"Did you make sure my dress has pockets?" I wanted to make sure I could hold my phone and pocket watch, it was kind of important to me since it matched with Harry's.

"Yes, of course, I did. Wanna help me with Mal's dress?" 

"Of course, I do." I rolled my eyes playfully, and both of us chuckled. 

─── · .ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. · ───

I stood off to the side with Carlos, looking out at the Isle. His arm was wrapped around my waist and he kissed my cheek every so often.

Then the music stopped and the royal guards blew into their trumpets. Lumiere appeared at the top of the stairs. "The future Lady Mal."

Carlos, Evie, Jay, Lonnie and I all went and stood in the front excited to see how beautiful, one of our closest friends, looked. Everyone gasped when she stepped out, with purple hair and a dress in Ben's colours. 

Evie started clapping and we all started too, cheering her on. Adam stepped over to her grabbing her hand in a fatherly manner. I looked over at E and signalled it was time to go and take her out of the spotlight, seeing as she looked very nervous. 

Eve nodded, we both walked over to her and the beast gave her over. "Of course."

"Hi, you look amazing." I complimented her grabbing one of her hands, as Evie grabbed her other. 

"Thank you." She smiled brightly.

"How are you?" E asked her. 

"I sort of feel like I'm gonna throw up." She confessed, shakily. 

"Ok, that's okay. Look. We're right here with you, ok?" I reassure her going back into the crowd.

"Okay.." Mal exhaled calmly. 

Suddenly the trumpets blew again, announcing Ben's arrival. "King Benjamin!"

He stepped out in the light, hands clasped together in front of him. Everyone immediately cheered him on, clapping loudly. 

"Go get him." E whispered in Mal's ear and she laughed softly.

She took a step forward, smiling happily, as Ben climbed down the stairs slowly. They both bowed to one another, but I felt another presence up there, something bad was bound to happen. 

"Mal, I wish I had time to explain." The King sighed before turning around and we all looked back up at the stairs. 

Uma was presented in the beam of light. Everyone murmured in confusion and others gasped. We all looked at each other, bewildered. Why was she here? 

Ben went up there and took her hand. Now we all understood, he replaced Mal with Uma.