Secret Love

Chapter 8

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Evie, Jay, and Carlos wait outside Bargain Castle for Ben to talk Mal into coming home. A few minutes later, the king walks down the stairs without Mal by his side.

"Where's Mal?" asked Carlos.

"She's not coming back," said Ben sadly.

"Let me try talking to her," said Evie.

While Evie speaks through the ear trumpet connected to Mal's room, Ben starts wandering off and Carlos was secretly climbing up the wooden structure that cages the staircase leading to Mal's room.

"Mal," Evie called through the trumpet.

"Go away!" Mal yelled from upstairs.

"Let's give her a couple hours to cool off," suggested Jay.

"Wait, where's Ben? Where's Carlos?" Evie asked, noticing that both have disappeared.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ROTTEN TO THE CORE ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Carlos arrives at Mal's room to see her sitting on the couch, depressed. He can see a couple of tears come down her eyes, which she wipes off.

"Never seen you cry before," said Carlos.

Mal jumps a little, surprised to hear Carlos' voice.

"We saw Ben just a minute ago. He didn't look happy," said Carlos.

"If you're here to ask me to come home, forget it," said Mal.

"Why, Mal?" asked Carlos. "Why come back here? We have a great life in Auradon. Why would you ever want to come back here?"

"Don't you remember our little talk in your dorm?" Mal reminded.

Carlos thinks back to that moment. She was pressured by trying to be royally perfect and feeling nostalgic for the days she could scream at people and make them run away from her.

"Is that really worth being alone?" asked Carlos.

"I'm happy, Carlos," said Mal.

"The tear coming down your eye says otherwise," said Carlos.

Mal wipes said tear off her face and looks away from the white-haired tech prodigy. Carlos sits down next to her, but made sure to keep his distance.

"Nice hair," said Carlos.

"You really think so?" asked Mal, caressing her straight purple locks.

"Dizzy did it, didn't she?" guessed Carlos.

Mal nodded.

"Well, she did an amazing job," said Carlos, gently scooping a strand of her hair on his finger.

"I just wish she could've kept the money I gave her," said Mal.

"Harry," Carlos guessed.

"Always stealing for Uma," Mal confirmed.

"Did he, um, do anything bad to you?" asked Carlos.

"If you mean check me out, then the answer is yes," answered Mal.

"Why does he never get it through his thick skull that you're not interested in him?" asked Carlos, sounding bothered by this.

"Actually, I don't mind. I like playing this question and rejection game with him like he always does with Uma," said Mal.

"Hitting on two girls at the same time, he must be desperate," commented Carlos.

"Why are we even talking about Harry?" asked Mal.

"Well, what else do you want to talk about?" asked Carlos. "You've made it clear that you don't want to come home."

"This is my home, Carlos," said Mal. "It's always been. I just moved to a new life in Auradon."

Mal feels her heart almost jump out of her chest when she felt a hand on hers. She looks at him as another tear comes down her eye. Carlos wipes it off for her and places his finger on her chin. Mal stared into his eyes as he smiled a little at her. Mal was about to tighten her hold on Carlos' hand, until he retracted it.

Feeling that there's nothing more he can say, Carlos gets up and walks towards the stairs, only to feel a hand wrap around his own. He looks over his shoulder and sees Mal. She walks closer until their faces were only inches apart.

"Stay," she pleaded.

"Why?" asked Carlos.

"You're right. I don't want to be alone," said Mal. "Please, stay. The two of us, we can take back my... our territory. We can rampage through the town like the old days. Have fun. Be free, well, in a way..."

"But I'm happy in Auradon," said Carlos.

"Carlos, please," Mal pleaded again, leaning closer. "Stay. I..."

Mal stops when she hears someone coming through the window. It was Jay and Evie.

"What do you guys want?" asked Mal. "I told you, I'm not going back."

"Uma and her pirate crew captured Ben," said Evie.

"What?!" Mal shouted.

Not my best work, admittedly, but I hope you like it. Let me know.