Waves and Embers

The Truth Isn't Always Easy to Tell Part 2

The team laughed and joked as the munched on Chef Remi's famous Ratatouille. Meanwhile, Ulma shook her head as Matt and Matthew competed to see who could balance a spoon on their nose the longest.

The boy's unintentional distraction left Ulma unaware of the person walking up behind her. It wasn't until a pair of strong arms wrapped her in a hug that her attention was brought back into focus.

"I figured I find everyone here. You all left before I made it out of the stands."

"Hey Uncle Gil." Ulma smiled, turning around to return the hug.

He grinned, giving her another squeeze before slipping into the empty chair beside her. "You guys played great tonight. But aren't you missing a few teammates?"

Uma nodded. "Yeah, Trevor just texted saying he and Connor were staying back at the dorms. I think Connor and his dad must have had an argument after the fight."

"I see." Gil sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had his fair share of run ins with Chad Charming and needless to say, none of them were pleasant. "I can't imagine what they would argue over though, Connor played exceptionally well tonight. Honestly, this was the best I've seen him play."

Ulma couldn't help but smile. Her Uncle Gil had attended every single one of her matches since she started playing. Away or at home, regardless if he had been working all day or night, he never missed seeing her play. The same went for the Henry and Holden's Tourney games in the fall.

With her dad spontaneously being deployed for long periods of time and her mother regularly attending meetings at as the Co-Advisor of the Isle along with her Aunt Evie, he was the one constant person she could always count on in her life.

"Connor just wants his dad to be proud of him, but nothing he does is ever good enough for King Chad. I just don't get it sometimes." Ulma admitted, looking up to meet his gaze.

Gil smirked as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders before lowering his voice as if he was telling her a secret. "I'm gonna tell you something that you Aunt Evie and Uncle Doug told me a long time ago. When it comes to Chad, there's not a lot of there there."

She snorted, causing a few of her team members to glance over in confusion as she tried to hold back her laughter. "I guess....*snort*....I guess he hasn't changed that much over the years huh?"

"Nope." Gil drawled out, popping the 'p'. "Now let's eat, I think the Ratatouille is calling my name!"

"Save some for me!" Ulma laughed as Gil spooned some Ratatouille onto both of their plates.

It wasn't long before all the food had been eaten and everyone started packing up to go home. As everyone gathered around, Ulma held out her hand. "Alright guys, everybody hand over their five dollars. Together we should have enough for the meal and the tip."

"Hold up guys." Gil called out as he met them at the door. "You can put the money away, I already took care of everything earlier."

Ulma stared at her godfather with wide eyes. "Uncle Gil, you didn't have to do that! We always pay for ourselves."

He shrugged, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You're right, I didn't have to but I wanted to. Take it as a bonus reward for the awesome match you guys had today."

The team cheered as they put their money away before heading out the door. Everyone walked back to Auradon Prep and Ulma said her good nights to the team before continuing on her way home, Gil by her side.

"You don't have to walk me home, you know." Ulma blurted out, breaking the silence between them.

Gil nodded, glancing over at Ulma as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I know I don't, but it makes me feel better getting to see you make it home safely."