Insanely Sane

2: 01

Mal woke up from a dream about being wicked at school.

One reporter said, "Mal, please, over here! Mal!"

She looked to the reporter and smiled. Another reporter said, "Only three days to the Royal Cotillion. Ever think a girl like you would be Lady of the Court?"

"How does it feel to be the most envied girl in Auradon?" a third reporter asked.

A fourth reporter inquired, "Well, do you like being blonde?"

The fifth reporter asked, "Is your mother still a lizard?"

Ben appeared and wrapped an arm around Mal's shoulders. "Okay. All right. Excuse me. Uh, we will let you know if and when that particular situation changes."

Reporter two asked, "Did you ever think you'd be with a Villain Kid?"

Ben pursed his lips. "We're done here."

Fairy Godmother stepped in. "Okay. Shush, shush. Shoosh, shoosh. Shoosh, shoosh. This is still a school, so if you're here, you're either skipping or trespassing."

"Just one quick question," reporter three said.

"Shush. Shush."

"Fairy Godmother!"

"Shhh. Shhh. Shhh."

Ben smiled. "Thank you, guys."

Mal nodded at the two of them. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

Fairy Godmother smiled. "Mal. Ben."

Ben and Mal said at the same time, "Fairy Godmother."

Mal let out a relieved sigh. "Whew."

Ben glanced down at her. "Don't pay any attention to them."

She frowned. "Well, that's a lot easier said than done, right?"

Ben nodded. "I know. I know. You know, maybe we should do something. We should go somewhere. Get away."

"Yeah."

"You know, what do -- I have a council meeting. I'm so late!"

She smiled at him. "That's okay."

"We'll -- We'll do it sometime. Uh..."

Evi, Kiara and Catherine walked up to them. Evie turned to Mal. "If we don't do a fitting for your gown right this minute, you'll be dancing in your bathrobe, okay? Hi. Let's go. Let's go."

"Breathe, Evie," Kiara said. "I know you'll figure out the gown in time.

Mal waved to her boyfriend. "Bye, Ben."

"Bye."

She kissed him goodbye and walked off with her friends as reporters called Ben's name.

---

Kiara and Catherine sat on Mal's bed while Evie pulled the sash tightly around Mal's waist. "Oh! Okay, Evie, I cannot breathe."

"Well, you can breathe after Cotillion," Evie told her.

Kiara stood up and perused the clothes. She noticed a long red chiffon dress, and a similar purple one next to it. "Evie?"

She smiled. "Those are the dresses for for you and Cat."

"They're beautiful."

Mal sighed. "It's pretty. Well, I sincerely doubt that. I have at least 20 more events directly behind it, and I can't even remember what a single one of them is."

"Impeccable," Evie said, looking at the yellow and blue dress Mal was wearing.

"Evie? Kia? Cat?" Mal asked.

Evie looked at her. "Hmm?"

"Do you ever think about what we'd be doing if we were back on the Isle right now?"

Catherine shrugged. "Probably getting into mischief. My cup of tea. Pun intended."

Evie smiled softly. "That's funny. Ah! Look who's on TV."

A news anchor on the TV said, "As the royal couple continues their tour of the kingdom, they dined with Aladdin and Jasmine. Six months ago..."

"Yeah," Mal said quietly.

"No one thought King Ben and his girlfriend from the wrong side of the bridge would last."

Mal scoffed. "Yeah. No kidding."

"Mal must be counting the days until the Royal Cotillion... when she will officially become a Lady of the Court."

Mal picked up her spell book. "'Read it fast at lightning speed. Remember everything I need.'"

Evie frowned. "I know Mal's secret to fitting in, and Ben wouldn't like it one bit. Haven't you guys had enough secrets between the two of you already?"

Mal turned to her. "Evie, you remember what I was like before I started using my spell book. I mean, I was a complete disaster."

Kiara nodded. "Well yes, but using magic to cheat never ends well."

Evie pursed her lips. "Well, personally, as one of your best friends, I strongly believe that this spell book-" She picked up the book.

"Ah!" Mal cried.

Evie sighed. "It belongs in the museum, along with my mirror." Mal pouted. "Don't give me the face. Put the pout away. Mm-hmm. You know I'm right."

Mal looked between her friends. "You don't ever miss running wild and just breaking all the rules?"

"Like stealing and lying and fighting?" Evie questioned.

Mal nodded. "Yeah!"

"No!"

Catherine shrugged. "Sometimes, but I also like how nice it is here."

Kiara shook her head. "No. But I do miss my dad. A lot."

"What?" Mal asked.

Evie frowned. "Why would we? M, come here. Look at where we are. We're in Auradon! And we're Auradon girls now."

"Since Mal revealed her love of strawberries, she has received hundreds of cartons from her admirers. Here she is enjoying a cozy bite..."

Evie smiled. "See, this is the land of opportunity. We can be whatever we want to be here. So, please, let's just leave the past in the past, okay? Besides, I mean, look at the shoes." She picked up a pair of yellow and blue heels that matched Mal's dress. "Look at them."

"Mm. Severe," Mal mumbled with a small smile.

Catherine fingered the dresses and let out a soft sigh.