She Could Be Mine || A Malvie Fanfic

XXVIII

Evie

Audrey kissed me goodbye before leaving for her first class. "Do you have to go?" I asked.

"I realize you have a free first period, but some of us don't," Audrey laughed. I took her hands and pulled her close.

"Let me walk you to class at least?" I asked.

She kissed me quickly on the cheek and let go of my hands. "Fine," she smiled. "C'mon." I took her hand back and pulled her out the front door and into the hallway.

"So how are you doing?" Audrey asked as we walked through the quad. "Mal leaving has to have had an impact on you. You guys were dating, and I know she was your best friend for a long time."

"Yeah, she was," I said, looking down at the ground. "And it hurt. It still hurts. But I'm slowly getting better every day. And having you around definitely helps."

"Ah, I'm your rebound girl, huh?" she laughed.

I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "You are more than just a rebound girl," I said. "I really do like you."

"Good," she said, leaning into my embrace. She stopped when we reached the Language Arts hallway. "I have to go to class now." She leaned in and kissed me goodbye. I pouted and she smiled. "Bye, Evie."

"Bye," I said, letting go of her hand. I watched her walk to her classroom with a wistful look on my face. I turned to leave the hallway, and stopped dead in my tracks. I gasped in surprise. Standing there in front of me, dressed in Isle purple, was Mal.

"Evie," she gasped.

"Mal," I exclaimed. "You're back."

"I'm back," she said, staring at the carpet.

"Why are you back?" I asked. "I thought you were never coming back. I assumed that you hated me and you were moving on and you didn't care if you ever saw me again --"

"Ben sent me a letter," she interrupted. "He asked me to come home. And it made me realize that Auradon is my home now. I should be home, with you."

"You can be home, but not with me," I snapped. "You left, Mal, without saying goodbye. You only vaguely gave me an explanation, and you never even told me if you were ever coming back."

"I know, and I'm sorry," she apologized. "I made a huge mistake, but I'm back now. I'm asking for your forgiveness."

"Well, have fun with that, because you're not getting it," I hissed. I started to storm off, but Mal grabbed my arm. I whirled around to face her again.

"Please, Evie," Mal said, tears filling her eyes. My heart started to hurt. I hated having to say no to her. I couldn't. "I love you, Evie. I always have, and I always will."

My breath caught in my throat. Those three words, those eight letters, coming from her mouth... they were my kryptonite. I wanted to run and kiss her and forget everything that happened this week. But something was stopping me.

"Don't," I said. "I don't want to hear it."

"Is there something else?" she asked. "Did you meet someone else?"

"Yeah, actually I did," I yelled. "I'm dating Audrey now, and I actually like her. But even if I wasn't dating anyone else, it wouldn't matter. You broke my heart, Mal. I don't need any other reason to say no to you."

Mal took a step closer to me, taking my hands in hers. Despite my better judgment, I didn't pull away from her. "Evie, you are everything to me. I came back for you. I have no other reason to stay."

"I don't want to feel obligated to love you," I said, ripping my hands away. "Now, please, leave me alone." Tears began to fill my eyes, and I tried to blink them away.

Mal sighed. "You're right," she sniffed. "If you change your mind, I'll be waiting for you." She stepped back and turned away from me.

As I watched her walk away, a tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly and stared at the ground. I heard a pair of heels softly clicking on the carpet. I looked up to see Audrey approaching me.

"That looked intense," she said.

"How much did you see?" I whispered.

"A lot," she admitted. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied.

"Evie, I need you to be honest with me," she whispered. "Are you still in love with Mal?"

I looked down at my hands, being careful not to meet her eyes. "I don't know," I said. "Maybe. But I really like you, Audrey. That's the truth." I met her eyes, and she was looking at me with concern.

"I believe you," she said. "But... I don't know if I want to be with someone who is still in love with someone else."

"Audrey..." I hesitated. "I want to be with you."

"I do, too," she said. "Let me know when you've figured things out with Mal."

"No, Audrey," I said, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving. "I like you." I pulled her closer and pressed my lips against hers. She kissed me back, and I didn't want to let go. She soon pulled away from me, leaving a gap between us that I didn't like.

"I know you like me, Evie," she said. "But I'm not going to be the girl who begs you to love her and not the other girl. I want to be the number one choice. And I'm not your first choice. I might not ever be."

"Audrey..."

"And you can't deny it," she sighed. "I have to go."

"Wait, can we talk about this tonight? After school?" I asked.

She sighed. "Okay," she agreed. "But I can't promise that I'm changing my mind."

"Thank you," I said, kissing her cheek. She pulled away from me, and I sighed. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later."