Street Rat

خمسة - ولي العهد سلطان

Once the four returned to their dorms, however, their night was far from over. 

No matter how hard he tried, Jay couldn't get to sleep. He was too warm, his head hurt, it was too quiet. But Jay wasn't giving up. He wasn't homesick. It was just that Auradon was too soft on their kids. Really, a big, brand-spanking-new mattress and duck-feather pillows by the dozen, and quilts that felt like clouds? Who needed that? All the thief needed was a rug on the floor, and he'd be comfortable. And maybe an unstable shelf above him storing broken TVs. 

Okay, maybe he did miss the Isle a little bit. He didn't have to worry about anyone seeing him sneaking around late at night, because it was expected. He didn't have to commit to any curfews. He wasn't scared as to how people would react to him, because Dragon Hall was the only school on the Isle. And his stomach didn't flip strangely at the idea of sharing a dorm with Carlos, because they would've shared rooms with Mal and Evie if they had to. 

If Jafar had to look at him now, he'd probably be disowned or something. He was being pathetic. Look at him, moping over being away from the shop! He couldn't be like that. He was the son of Jafar; he was evil and ruthless and conning and manipulative and cruel - 

"Fuck this."
Jay looked over to find Carlos getting out of his own bed  and shoving the mattress off the bedframe with a loud thud, dragging it to the empty wardrobe. There, he curled up on the bare mattress and slowly drifted off to sleep, occasionally whimpering. Sighing, Jay pulled his quilt off the bed and laid in on the carpet next to him. Even if the others saw, it wasn't like they'd tell his father, because they all knew he had something to fire back with. 

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The next morning, the sun leaked in through the widows, jerking Jay awake. Groaning, he got up, and gently shook Carlos. He yawned. 
"Wha?"
"It's morning," Jay explained. 

Knock, knock. 

Both boys tensed, and Jay answered with caution. "Yes?"
"You guys ready for breakfast?" It was Doug. 
"Er... yeah. Just give us a minute," Jay stalled before closing the door. After about a minute, Jay and Carlos were walking down the corridor towards the food court, where breakfast was being served. 

"Aren't we gonna get Mal and Evie?" Carlos questioned. 
"No, Lanni's bringing them."

The two girls turned up, and after breakfast, the four of them headed into "remedial goodness 101".

Once they got there, they all sat together in a middle row, with the idea that it would be easier to blend in than if they all sat at the very front or the very back. But then the bell went, and as the time sludged past, it hit Jay that they were the only students in the class. They were all singled out from the very start.

As the class droned on, the more Jay wished he was back at Dragon Hall.
"You're not invited to a big fancy party. How do you react?"
Jay's mind went straight back to the Hellraiser prank, Mal's grudge nearly killing Evie. He sniffed.

"Jay?"
"Uh, throw your own party instead?" Jay guessed.
"It has to be one of the options on the board, Jay."
"But I can't read it! It's in English!"
"Fine - I'll have one of my students tutor you. Mal?"

"Uh, B; ask why they didn't invite me and listen to their reason," Mal sniffed. Evie fought to keep a smile off her face, but it seeped through and Mal glared at her.

"Correct!" smiled Fairy Godmother. "Now; You find a baby. Do you A) curse it? B) lock it away in  a tower? C) give it a bottle? or D) rip out its heart? Carlos?"
"Well, why are we left with it? Why would an Auradon parent abandon a kid like that?"
Fairy Godmother sighed. "That's not the point, Carlos. Evie?"
"What was the second one?" 
"Mal?"
Mal looked up. "Er... C) Give it a bottle."
"Correct, again." 

"Whoa," Jay muttered. 
"Just pick the one that doesn't sound like any fun," Mal explained. Oh. 

At the end of the hour, Jay had Geography with Doug so he looked around for him, hoping to be able to follow him to the class. And... there was Doug at the end of the hall, wearing that dumb bow tie and hat. Keeping an eye on the hat, Jay pushed through the crowd until - thwack. He had walked into someone, and they were both knocked over. The contents of both their bags were spilled onto the floor, Jay's notes mixed with his. 

"Sorry," the boy said, collecting his own notes and putting them in his bag. "I should have looked where I was going." 
Jay sniffed. The boy was about his height, with short brown hair and a smaller build. His purple button-down and beige slacks seemed to be well-tailored and new, just like everything else at Auradon Prep. Rolling his eyes, Jay just grabbed the nearest notes and shoved them into his bag. 
"Who are you, by the way?" the boy asked. "I'm Aziz Ababwa." 
"Jay." 
"Well, see you around, I guess."

Jay didn't want to "see him around". He didn't want to even be here. He was only here because he couldn't afford to let Mal or his dad down. Jay closed his bag up and looked around for Doug again; he was near by, just heading into a door. All for ignoring Aziz, Jay hurried himself into the classroom.