Quirky Meets Villainous [Descendants 1]

If Only

Mal's POV:

Ben and I rode his bike to the forest. He parked it and we walked along until we came to a bridge in the sky.

While we walked along, Ben said, "Tell me something about yourself that you've never told anyone."

I thought for a moment. "Um... My middle name is Bertha."

Ben bit back a laugh. "Bertha?"

"Yeah."

"Bertha."

We stopped and looked out at the sights below. "Just my mom doing what she does best. Being really, really evil. Mal Bertha."

Ben smiled. "Mine's Florian."

I turned to him. "Florian?"

"Yeah."

"How princely. Oh, that's almost worse."

We continued walking as Ben said, "I mean, you know, it's better than Bertha. But it's still not..." We got to the end of the bridge and he took my hands. "Watch your foot. Yeah. Are you good?"

I nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Now step up." I did as he instructed and closed my eyes. "There go go. You ready?"

Again, I nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Open," he said.

I opened my eyes to see a little gazebo set up for our date next to a lake. Ben smiled. "Go on."

I made my way down and he followed. We sat down for our picnic and immediately, I ate a jelly donut. "Mm..." I started licking my fingers.

Ben, who was laying across from me, asked, "Is this your first time?"

"Mm... We don't really date much on the island. It's more like..." I took a moment to think of the right words, "Gang activity."

Ben laughed awkwardly. "Um, I meant, is this your first time eating a jelly donut?"

As I continued to lick my fingers, I asked, "Is it bad?"

Ben leaned closer to me. "You got a..." He brought his thumb to my lips. "Just a... I mean, yeah, do this." He licked his lips and I followed. "Mm-hmm."

"Gone?" I asked and he nodded. "You can't take me anywhere, I guess."

"You know, I've done all the talking. Your turn. I really don't know that much about you. Tell me something."

I let out a breath. "Well, I'm 16. I'm an only child. And I've only ever lived in one place."

Ben smiled. "Me too. That... we have so much in common already."

I shook my head. "No. Trust me, we do not. And now you're gonna be king."

"Yeah," he replied with a distant look.

"What?"

"A crown doesn't make you a king."

I frowned. "Well, it kind of does."

"No, it..." Ben began before changing his words. "Your mother is mistress of evil and I've got the poster parents for goodness. But we're not automatically like them. We get to choose who we're gonna be. And right now, I can look into your eyes and I can tell you're not evil. I can see it."

Maybe he's right. Maybe I don't have to be like my mother. Maybe my friends don't, either.

Ben caught me off guard by saying, "Let's go for a swim."

My eyes widened. "Hm? What? Uh... right now?"

He nodded and stripped down to his shorts. "Yeah, right now."