𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒

44. 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲

𝕼uinn admired the dress with hearts practically in her eyes. She has never loved a dress so much as she does this, and she was thoroughly impressed that Evie made something that screamed Quinn, daughter of the Queen of Hearts.

"You really outdid yourself, Evie," Quinn shook her head, unable to suppress the smile creeping on her face.

She turned her back to the mirror and was on her way out when she spotted a pair of gloves beside the heart headband. Quinn eyed them for only a second before she grabbed both. The princess of hearts skipped out of her castle with a soft hum, grinning far too much for someone living on the Isle.

Ginny stepped out from one of the shops; she spotted Quinn. "Red."

"Hey, Gin."

"Nice outfit. Did you make it?" Ginny falls into step with Quinn.

"You like it?" she spins, letting the tail end of the dress flow behind her. "It was custom-made just for me."

Ginny raised a brow. "Someone made that for you? Who?"

"Evie."

"Evie?"

Quinn nodded proudly. "Yup. She sent it with the guards that came for Hades." She turned toward the Fish and Chips, and Ginny followed.

"Hades? Why would they need Hades?"

"It's a long story," Quinn brushed aside, continuing. Anyway, Seth stopped by my place and dropped off a box. It turns out that Evie made me an outfit."

Ginny was surprised. She'd never seen Quinn so happy to wear something made by Evie, of all people, never mind that she was proud to admit it, too.

"So. You guys friends again?"

Quinn smirked. "Ginny, are you jealous?" The curly-haired girl scoffed. Quinn giggled. "Aw. Don't worry, Gin. You can't get rid of me that easy."

"Great," Ginny said as if she was bummed. Pouting and all. "And I'm not jealous."

"Try telling yourself that," Quinn cuts Ginny off as she crosses the bridge toward the waters.

Ginny crossed her arms and shook her head, but her smile said otherwise.

Quinn waved to her friend as they parted ways, and she burst into Ursula's restaurant.

"Who would've thought I would cherish this place more than I did yesterday?" Quinn plops onto the bar stool, leaning backward until her back touches Gil's chest.

He wrapped an arm over her as she held his hand.

Uma walked in from the kitchen. "That's because you don't work here," her joke was lighthearted.

"And I never will!"

"So, this is it?" Gil frowned like a sad puppy. It hadn't been long since they had returned from saving Auradon. "We're just . . . stuck here?"

Smiles wiped away from their faces. This was their reality. From the moment they were born, they wanted to leave the Isle. All their life, they've been imprisoned for the crimes their parents committed, and yet, they chose to return to the Isle.

How ironic is that?

"We knew what we were getting into when we chose to come back," Uma sighed. She looked just as let down as the rest, but in the back of her mind, Uma knew it was the right choice. "This is our home. This is where we belong."

"I'm kind of sad that we can't go to Auradon anymore."

"You could've stayed."

She could've. Quinn had a chance to leave, but she didn't.