Love is a Losing Game

LIALG - Chapter 2

We didn't talk on the way to my next class. Evie seemed to be in her own head, and I was trying my best to forget Doug and remember how to navigate the castle halls. As much as I hated feeling as helpless as the freshmen clearly looked, I was happy that someone was assigned to help me find my classes so I didn't look like a total dunce. And the fact that that person had been my best friend for three years, birthday incident be damned, felt like fate.

Actually, everything kind of did. Evie never belonged on The Isle; she wasn't cut out to be a fully-fledged villain. Evie had compassion, and her smile melted even the coldest of hearts. Seeing all of the grinning faces and genuine greetings passed to her along the halls made it clear that Auradon was her home. This was her kingdom, and she was ruling it well.

Her heels scraped along the floor as she turned to face me. "This is your next class, Artistic Expression 232. I specifically asked Fairy Godmother to put you here because I remembered how much you loved to draw, but if you want to transfer to something else, just let her know!" Evie informed me, and I felt my heart soften once more hearing that she remembered the little details about me. "As long as you don't graffiti the school grounds you should do well," she teased with a wink. "I'll meet you here after class, and we can walk to lunch together – if that's okay?" she asked tentatively. I could see the apprehension swimming in her eyes, begging me to not reject her request.

"Yeah, that's fine," I quickly agreed, wanting more than anything for that uncertainty to disappear.

"Okay, great! See you later," Evie chimed, wiggling her fingers in a flirty little wave.

"Bye," I mouthed before taking a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt small and alone. The heavy wooden door loomed above me, not inviting in the slightest. Why was I so nervous about class? It was drawing, for evil's sake; I could out-draw any of these do-gooders.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure doors work the same way on The Isle," a voice drawled, and I spun around at the unexpected noise. Stark white hair and dusty freckles greeted me, and I could feel my lips pulling into a smile.

"Carlos!" I exclaimed, pleasantly surprised to see another old friend, but still unsure as to where we stood after all these years. When my mother had banished Evie for not inviting me to her eighth birthday party, it was clear whose side Carlos took. Ever the pacifist, he preferred to avoid me rather than confront me, but that didn't stop the disapproving frowns from appearing on his face whenever we happened to be together. Those frowns were long gone now, and the boy that stood in front of me looked happier than ever. The dark circles around his eyes were apparently not permanent, he wasn't so bony, and his brown irises shone with newfound vigor. Auradon sure looked good on villain kids.

"Mal," he greeted with a nod and a small smile. "Are you going to go in or are you already trying to skip class?" he teased.

The chuckle that escaped me was light-hearted. It sounded odd coming from my lips, but it felt...good. Suddenly, my chest tightened at my display of vulnerability. I studied the ground, wondering if I could really trust my former friends again. One more glance into his kind eyes, and I decided to take the risk.

"Is it stupid that I'm nervous?" I inquired, scrunching up my nose. A light pressure on my shoulder reassured me.

"It's perfectly normal to be nervous, Mal, especially for a VK. Hell, you should have seen me when I first got here; every little noise made me jump, and I'm pretty sure I didn't talk to anyone but Evie and Jay for the entire first year," he confessed with a short laugh.

My body was already starting to relax at his words.

"The biggest thing is to open up and make friends. I know that's not easy for you, but, Mal, being good just feels so...good. It's not worth it to fight it and be alone. And you can always count on us to have your back," he assured me.