You're So Vain (A Descendants Fanfiction)

Cheater, Cheater Strawberry Stealer

The cafeteria at Auradon Prep was filled with the usual buzz of the students chattering.

Evie was gently blowing on her fingernails in an attempt to make her freshly applied coat of nail polish dry faster while Mal was looking through her spellbook in deep concentration.

"Wow, look!" the purple-haired girl exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening. "How cool is this? Here's a spell to automatically set anything on fire. Talk about pyro power! They literally have a spell and potion for everything in here."

Evie scrunched her nose in uncertainty, but curiosity got the better of her and she peered over cautiously to take a peek in her best friends book. "You really sure you should be looking at that stuff, Mal? I thought you were trying to be good. Setting stuff on fire doesn't exactly seem like the type of thing a good person would do."

Mal bit her lip somewhat guiltily, shrugging her shoulders. She closed the book slowly. "What fun is it to be good all the time? Besides, I think I've been doing a pretty decent job."

Evie gasped in delight. "You totally have and I'm so proud of you! I mean, it's been at least two days since you stole that chocolate covered strawberry."

Mal looked up towards the ceiling, shaking her head in remorse. "Curse those things for being so addicting. I did not let my temptation get the better of me today, though," she stated happily, pointing to her lunch tray which was strawberry free.

"You might want to hold that thought," Ben whispered as he sneaked up behind Mal, placing his chin on her shoulder while giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Mal jumped, startled by her boyfriend's sudden appearance. Ben started laughing.

"Hey!" Mal cried, her green eyes flashing lightly. "That's not very nice! On two accounts, might I add. First, you scared me and now you're laughing about it! I thought I was the bad one around here."

"Guess your ways are rubbing off on me," he teased. "So sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

Mal shook her head defensively. "Nope."

The sandy haired boy placed a plate in front of her piled high with chocolate covered strawberries. "Not even for these?"

Mal licked her lips and reached for one of the juicy, sweet fruits. Stuffing it into her mouth eagerly, her lips were instantly stained a deep red. "You're forgiven," she assured him through muffled words.

"And to think... you were this close to avoiding your temptation," Ben chuckled, taking a seat beside her.

A look of regret crossed Mal's face. She finished the strawberry she was currently eating and wiped her mouth. When she was done, she placed the stem on the side of the plate with the others, gently pushing them away.

"I was only teasing. What's wrong?"

Mal looked down at the table in shame, her conscience suddenly getting the better of her. "I, um...I kind of stole one a couple of days ago. I didn't mean to! And I was going to pay for it after lunch. Honest! But I was too ashamed to admit I made a mistake. You know me and my pride."

Ben touched her shoulder affectionately. "It's okay," he assured her. "Everybody makes mistakes. You can pay for it today. I'll even come with you to give you that extra boost of courage."

Mal smiled, a warm feeling that was still somewhat unfamiliar to her washing over her entire body. It seemed to happen the most when she was around Ben, and she had to admit she liked it. Other than knowing now that stealing was wrong in general, one of the other reasons she was ashamed whenever she still messed up was because she was afraid of disappointing him.