Love Blooms (Jane/Carlos)

Chapter 4

Carlos had to drag himself out of bed the next morning. He felt hollow knowing he couldn't be with Jane. It was heartwrenching to give up the necklace Corinne had given him but he had to show Jane how much she meant to him since he wouldn't be able to remind her. He wanted to be with her more than anything but Fairy Godmother was the only one Jane had when the AKs were still bullying her. He couldn't come between that bond.

He felt as if he was a robot, going through the motions of his day almost mechanically. He opened his locker and felt tears burn in the back of his eyes at the sight of the picture in his locker. It was a picture Evie had snapped during the cotillion. When the battle had calmed down, the cotillion truly began. The picture was of Jane and Carlos slow dancing on the floor. Jane was wearing Carlos' jacket and their foreheads were touching.

Carlos' heart swelled at the thought of that night. Even soaking wet, Jane still looked beautiful. A locker opened down the hall and he looked towards the sound. His breath hitched at the sight of Jane. She was wearing a black and white striped t-shirt with a pastel pink skater skirt, light blue denim jacket and pale pink heels. She had gotten much more confident in her style since Ben's coronation and he loved seeing that.

Her bright blue eyes caught his chocolate brown ones. His heart started racing when she sent him a small smile. She turned slightly and he smiled a little brighter seeing his necklace around her neck. She followed his eyes and blushed. She took the charm in her fingers, mouthing 'Thank you' to him.

He nodded in response. She closed her locker shut and waved at him before going to class. His heart shattered when he saw the tears shinning in her eyes. He was jolted out of his stupor when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Ben and Mal. "Doing okay, Carlos?" Ben asked kindly.

Carlos shrugged and closed his locker, slamming it slightly. Mal rolled her eyes. "Buck up, kid." She said. "Jane is just as heartbroken as you are. And I'll tell you what I told her, we're gonna get you two back together. We'll find a way."

Carlos cracked a small smile at his pseudo-sister. Their group was always looking out for each other. "Thanks, Mal."

She smiled and nodded. Ben looked to his girlfriend. "Why don't you head on to class? I'll catch up with you." She nodded. She kissed him on the cheek and playfully punched Carlos in the arm before heading down the hall to her class. He wouldn't show it, but Carlos felt a splinter in his heart, seeing the true love between Mal and Ben. He wished he still could feel that with Jane. The king in question turned to Carlos. "Mal and Jane told me about Corinne."

Carlos dropped his gaze. "So Jane knows about the necklace?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. And trust me, she feels more special than you already made her feel." Ben smiled. Carlos managed a small smile at the thought of him making Jane feel special. "I promise, I will try as hard as hard as possible to get Corinne to Auradon. She seems to deserve it as much as you."

Carlos smiled at the teenage king. He had always wanted to bring his twin over to Auradon. Corinne would love it more than anything and all he wanted was to make her happy. "Thank you, Ben. So much." Ben smiled at the young VK. He patted Carlos on the shoulder before heading to his class.

Carlos sighed and headed to his own class. Something he regretted doing the minute he stepped into the classroom. Jane was sitting at her normal seat but she wasn't alone.

*******

Jane bit her lip to hold back her tears as she sat in her usual seat. It was only one day and she was already crumbling. She couldn't stand not being able to be with Carlos. She clutched the crossbones in her hand. It calmed her slightly knowing Carlos cared about her enough to give her something that meant so much to him.

Suddenly, she felt someone take a seat next to her. She glanced to the seat and saw a boy with tan skin, almost black hair, and dark eyes wearing a forest green t-shirt and beige jeans. Prince Tyler, Tiana and Naveen's son.

"Hey, Jane." She forced a smile at him. She wasn't in the mood to be friendly but didn't want to be rude. Tyler sighed. "Look, your mom told me to start hanging out with you."

Jane's head snapped to face him. "She did what?" She demanded. She let out a groan. "This is because of Carlos, isn't it?"

Tyler nodded. "She knew I was single and told me about her wanting you to be a prince." Jane let out another groan and put her head against the table. It wasn't even a day and her mom was already forcing her to move on. "If it's any conciliation, I don't feel that way towards you. You're sweet and cute, but I just don't feel like Carlos did towards you."

Jane lifted her head with a relieved expression. "Really?"

Tyler nodded. "Plus I see the way you and Carlos look at each other. It's the way my parents look at each other. If that's not fairytale love, I haven't seen it." Jane blushed and fingered the crossbones around her neck. "So I'll hang out with you so that you can appease your mom while you guys figure out how to get you and Carlos back together."

Jane nodded and smiled at the prince. "Thank you, Tyler." He smiled back at her. Jane glanced at the classroom door and gasped, her smile falling. Carlos stood in the doorway with a heartbroken expression. Jane's heart shattered when she realized how this looked.

Tears burned at the back of her eyes as he tore his gaze away and sat in a seat on the opposite side of the room. Tyler followed her gaze and realized his mistake. He gave her the one minute gesture and went over to Carlos.

Jane nervously fiddled with the necklace, feeling her heart beat against her ribcage. She felt like she could breathe again when Carlos turned to her and smiled. He mouthed 'I'm sorry' as Tyler took his seat next to her. 'It's okay.' She mouthed back.

The teacher walked in just as the bell rang and she made a mental note to thank Tyler profusely after class.

To be continued...