pecan pie [descendants]

step three

Dizzy didn't hesitate.

As soon as Claudine said Evie's name, the youngest Tremaine was out the door, her best friend Celia a step behind. Amaris and Scarlet were quick to follow. Their families left shortly after them.

Imogen grabbed Jo's arm. "Let's go."

"Uh, no!" Jo hissed, yanking her arm away. "I'm not gonna get chosen, so there's no point. Besides, I should start cleaning up." Not to mention, the thought of seeing Mal made Jo feel sick.

"What if Mal keeps her promise?" Imogen pressed. Jo glanced at Uma and her crew, who hadn't budged. They were chattering amongst themselves, in their own little world. Harry and Gil were trying to build a tower with everyone's straws while Uma discussed plans to go fishing with a lackey named Sera.

Jo sighed. "She won't." Why would Mal pick her to come to Auradon? No one wanted her around, they kept her around because they wanted things from her. Now that Mal lived in Auradon, she didn't need Jo to make her food and be her friend. She was the King's girlfriend for Hades's sake! Mal wasn't going to pick Jo just because of some stupid promise.

"But what if she does?" Imogen nudged her friend's arm. "Come on. For me." Imogen attempted her best recreation of Jo's signature pout. It was quite disturbing.

To get her to stop making that face, Jo rolled her eyes and conceded, "Fine, I'll go with you, but I'm not staying the whole time. I need to clean this mess up." Imogen nodded and headed for the door as Jo walked over to Uma's table. She took a deep breath. She was fine.

"Hey guys," she greeted. Her voice was a bit shaky, but none of them called her out on it. They all smiled at her, even Uma. The food must've been really good today. She cleared her throat. "So, uh, I'm gonna go with Imogen to the VK ceremony thing, so once you're done eating, you can just leave your stuff and I'll clean up later."

"Nonsense, pet!" Harry crowed. "We'll start with the clean up while you're out."

Uma wasn't smiling anymore. "You should probably get going then. Don't want to miss the big announcements."

"So you don't want me to say hi to Mal for you?" Jo teased. Uma's smile returned ever so slightly. That was Jo's one other talent besides cooking and baking. She could make even the most hardened Isle residents smile. She was good at making people feel comfortable, which usually made people suspect that she was trying to pull something over on them, but that was just Jo.

Imogen groaned. "Come on, Jojo!" Jo rolled her eyes but bid Uma and her crew a quick goodbye before running off with Imogen. The streets were mostly empty. Everyone seemed to have gone to the ceremony. For some reason, that eased Jo's nerves. The more people there were, the less likely it was for Mal to spot her. 

When they finally arrived, they opted to stay towards the back. The crowd was too rowdy and they didn't care enough to worm their way through. Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos stood atop the remains of the amphitheater, where the royalty once sat. Mal had dyed (or, more likely, magicked) her hair blonde. Evie's hair was brighter than ever. They wore new clothes designed by Evie. They all looked good. Healthy. Clean. A stark contrast to the kids of the Isle.

The kids they left behind.

Imogen discreetly grabbed Jo's hand. Among this many people, no one could see their intertwined fingers. As always, Imogen's touch helped Jo stay grounded. Imogen and Jo were best friends, after all. They knew each other pretty much inside and out. They were so much more than Jo and Mal ever were and ever will be. Imogen would never leave Jo behind. She would fight tooth and nail for her to come along. And Jo would do the same for Imogen.

And she would've done the same for Mal.

Now, staring up at the Core Four as they'd been nicknamed, Jo couldn't help but replay the day Mal left over again in her head. She didn't even say goodbye. She didn't tell Jo she was leaving. Jo had to hear from Carlos, and Jay, who stopped by to say goodbye and explain that they weren't going to be around to protect her anymore. Jo remembered that feeling she got, like her heart was breaking into a billion tiny little pieces. She remembered how all she wanted to do was sink to the floor and sob. Sure, she knew she wasn't the most important figure in Mal's life, but to not even say goodbye?

And then the panic set in, the realization that without Mal and her gang, Jo had no one to protect her. Imogen was fearsome, but she wasn't the daughter of Maleficent. Jo remembered wanting to beg them to let her come with them, wanting to scream or cry or throw things. She remembered that instead of doing any of the things she wanted to do, she set her jaw, nodded, and kicked Jay and Carlos out of her house. Later that day, Uma and Harry stopped by with a preposition, and the rest was history.

Jo's eyes narrowed as they watered with bitter tears. There was a part of her that wanted to believe that Imogen was right, that Mal had come back for her. Then there was the part that knew the truth, that knew Mal only ever gave a shit about Jo when she was getting something in return. Jo and Mal were never friends. They were allies on a quid pro quo basis. Nothing more.

Imogen was quaking now with rage. Any excitement had been sapped from her. "I'm going to kill her."

"Don't say that," Jo reprimanded. She meant to be stern, but her voice broke. She could've given a whole speech right then and there as to why neither she nor Imogen should waste any more time on Mal Bertha, but it was then that Evie raised her hand to silence the crowd.

The blueberry princess cleared her throat and beamed. "Thank you all so much for coming! As you might've heard, we are back to choose four more VKs to come over to Auradon." The audience cheered loudly. Someone that sounded suspiciously like Amaris Lupin shouted, "About time!"

Evie's smile faltered for a second, but it very quickly returned full-force. "So, each of us has chosen one person to come over. I'll be going first. Don't be sad if you aren't picked today because we are hoping to bring you all over as soon as possible." Imogen scoffed. Evie flipped her hair over her shoulder. "The first person coming to Auradon is..."

*

the ending of this chapter sucks but oh well