I'm A Big Bad Tiger

Mal's Locker

I walk out to find Mal and Evie. I find them at Mal's locker.

"I need a girl chat." I groan.

"What's up?" Mal asks.

"I have a big big crush on Jay." I sigh.

Evie squeals and side hugs me. "I'm so happy for you!" She let's me go.

"Hey, guys." Carlos walks up to us.

"Hey, Carlos." We say to him.

"Have you heard back from Audrey, Shakira?" Carlos asks me.

"Not yet." I sigh. "She said tomorrow."

"Bummer." Carlos looks at his feet. "Well, gotta do homework. Bye, guys."

"Bye, Car." We watch him walk away.

Evie looks at us. "I have to do some sewing. Bye, Shakira. Bye, Mal."

"Bye." Mal tells her. Evie walks away as Mal sorts her stuff out in her locker.

"I've been thinking..." I trail off.

"Is this about you mom?" Mal strokes my right arm.

"How did you know?" I look at her in shock.

"You always trail off when you talk about your mom." Mal smiled at me.

"Anyways, my mama was a good guy, not a bad guy. I love her very much, even though I don't know her, and I don't know if she would want me to do this."

"She's an Isler. Of course she would want you to do this." Mal rolls her eyes.

"The only reason my mama was on the Isle was because Red Jessica is Harry Hook's mama as well as my mama's owner."

"It's fine. Trust me." Mal hugs me. I hug her back. We step away from the hug and smile at each other.

Ben walks up to us. "Hey."

"Hi." Mal closes her locker.

"What up?" I say.

"Nice look." Ben nods at my outfit. "And how-"

"Chad." I say.

"Ah, right." Ben looks at our lockers. Us VK's have lockers that are next to each other's. Mine is at the end. Me and Mal have decorated ours. Hers has her mothers sign and mine is the Indian jungle where my dad fought Mowgli.

"How as your first day?" Ben asks us.

"Super." Mal says.

"Different than the Isle." I mumble.

"You should really think about taking this talent off the locker and into art class. I could, uh, sign you up. What do you think?" Ben offers.

"Don't try to make us someone we're not." I scoff. I nudge Mal as Jane walks pass us.

"Way to take all the fun out of it." Mal tells him. We leave Ben.

"Let me do the talking." Mal tells me. "Feel free to say a few things."

"I will." I smile. We walk into the girls bathroom. Jane is frozen still in front of the mirror. Me and Mal fake smile and we link arms. Not for the acting though. Just because we're best mates.

"Hi! It's Jane, right? Ah, always loved that name. Jane." Mal walks up to her.

"A friend of mine has the name Jane. Calista Jane. She's the prettiest girl on the Isle to me. Still, we love the name Jane." Too far? Too far.