I'm A Big Bad Tiger

We Tell Mal

I meet my friends at the top.

"What's up, guys?" Mal asks us.

"Ben...Ben's been captured by Harry Hook and Uma." Evie looks down. We see Mal's face fall. We know what's coming so we look at the floor as if she's our mama telling us off.

"If you guys never would've brought him here this never would've happened. What were you thinking?" Mal shouts at us.

"He was going to come with or without us. We just wanted to protect him." Evie looks at Mal.

"Yeah, and we completely blew it." Carlos tells Evie.

"It wasn't our fault he left us." I tell Mal.

"Ok, ok." Jay calms us down. "So what are we gonna do?"

"WE aren't doing anything." Mal walks down the stairs towards us. "This is between Uma and me. She's a punk and guess what? Now I have to go get him."

"Woah, woah, woah, Mal, you're gonna have to go through Harry Hook and his war friends." I'm not Carlos's only concern.

"Yeah, you're gonna need us." Jay looks at me for help.

"Uma said to come alone." Mal tells us.

"Mal, come on." Evie tries to stop her.

"She said to come alone." Carlos looks at us. "I know one thing. I'm not going anywhere." He sits down on the couch.

"We'll be here when you get back." Jay looks at Mal. Mal goes to leave.

"Wait!" I stop Mal. Everyone looks at me. "Are we seriously just gonna listen to Shrimpy?"

"Shay-" I ignore Carlos.

"No. We've been through a lot together and you lot letting a shrimp and a hook-obsessed boy get in between you? You're just giving Uma what she wants. For all we know, Uma could have her crew waiting around the corner to kill Mal. No Mal, no team. Come on, guys." I look at my friends. I look back at Mal. "At least take my papa for protection. If Harry jumps around the corner, my papa will protect you." I push papa forward.

"Let's go, Mr Khan." Mal walks away with papa.

"Protect her, papa!" I call to him.

"Do you trust your dad?" Evie asks me.

"I have to. He's the only family I know and have. I don't know who my real parents are." I sit down next to Carlos. "Being adopted is harder than it looks."

"It's prettier than it looks." Jay sits down next to me and kisses my cheek. I giggle. We sit in silence.

"I asked a teacher if she would punish me for something I didn't do. She said she wouldn't so I told her I didn't do the homework." I smile. Evie chuckles.

"Only you." Evie side hugs me.

"You know, farting is like the song Let It Go." Carlos says out of the blue. We all slowly look at in confusion. "When you're in a classroom: conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. When you're in your dorm or around your friends: let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!" We all laugh.

"Only a genius can say these four words, four times really fast without getting tongue twisted: eye, yam, stew, peed." Jay chuckles. We laugh again.

"Two mushrooms were sleeping in bed. One said "babe, can you move over" but the other one said "I don't have mushroom." Evie smiles. Jay and Carlos groan but I laugh uncontrollably.

"I was walking through school yesterday and Carlos fell in front of Jane. He looked up at Jane and said "I didn't fall. The floor just looked sad so I gave it a hug." Jay chuckles. Me and Evie laugh but Carlos's face turns red.

"I was with Madeline and Tyler Hightopp and they said they've been invited to an avoidance. I asked them what it was and they told me it's a party for people who hate each other." I laugh uncontrollably.

"Do any of you watch Spongebob Squarepants?" Jay asks us. We nod. "I was watching it with Time and he asked me if I was Christian. I said "no, this is Patrick." I fall onto the floor in laughter. We have to take off our jackets because we're laughing so hard. We sit in silence so we can calm down.

"I'm going to watch out for Mal." Evie walks to the small balcony.

"I'll go with her." Carlos smirks at Jay then he follows Evie.

"Aren't you scared?" Jay asks me.

"No. Why should I be? Nobody scares me." I smirk.

"Because I don't want to loose you, babe." Jay kisses my cheek.

"You won't loose me. I promise." I hold his hand. Jay gives me a tender kiss. I kiss him back.

"Mal's coming!" Evie runs to us.

"She's in one piece. She's ok." Carlos smiles.

"What about my papa?" I ask them.

"He's not with her." Evie hugs me.

"What?" I stand up.