The Right Side of Wrong

Even Warmer Welcomes

I found it unnerving to be alone again. It was strange to spend so long in Auradon worrying about my loss of privacy only to get back here and have no one to talk to.

I chose this, I reminded myself.

My eyes drifted over everything I had painted across the walls. It was weird, seeing all of my old work, now that I wasn't nearly as passionate for art as I used to be. I would draw doodles occasionally, but I hadn't opened up a can of spray paint since I decked out my locker so long ago, and that wasn't even there anymore.

There were quite a few cans left around. In my boredom, my eyes drifted over to a large blank wall. I had always wanted to leave at least one part of my apartment empty, for special purposes. It was somewhat silly at the time, because I never was struck with a lot of inspiration, I just... worked. But right now, I knew exactly what to put there.

~ ~ ~

I dropped my arms to my sides, for a quick break.

I had simply used stencils to write out "ROTTEN TO THE CORE" along the bottom of the painting. It contrasted with the rough sketches of my friends above it.

I took a step back to admire them as it dried. From left to right, it went Evie, Carlos, and Jay.

Although everything about them was... as I had meant for it to be, they still felt empty. The whole picture itself seemed as though it were missing something.

To satisfy myself, I began to go over the collar of Jay's shirt, fixing little details.

I was so deep in thought, I wasn't paying attention to the footsteps approaching from behind me. Just another testament to how much I had forgotten while in Auradon.

"At least I don't see a picture of me with horns and a pitchfork," said a chilling voice behind me.

I whipped around, my spray can pointed at eye level with Ben. He seemed to wait for me to drop it in recognition, but that moment never came.

"How did you get here?" I asked, accusingly.

"Mal, I'm so sorry about our fight." He tried to approach me, but I shook the bottle in his face, threateningly, and he paused once more. "It was all my fault. I-"

"Ben," I hissed. "How did you get here?"

Things were obviously not going the way he had planned for them to go, but at this point I was too angry to care.

"Evie, Jay and Carlos brought me-"

I scoffed. "Of course they did."

Why couldn't they understand that that chapter of my life was over? That I left for them?

I turned and threw the spray can as hard as I could at the floor. Ben flinched in the corner of my eye, but I couldn't care less in the moment.

"Mal?" he whispered, catching my attention once more. "Please come home."

I felt my breath hitch. God, why was it so hard to look at him like this? Why couldn't I just say goodbye and be done with it.

"Ben, I am home." My words were cold, but unconvincing. I knew that I couldn't reason with him. I couldn't make him understand what a mess my head was. But perhaps, if he were afraid of me, he'd change his mind about taking me back to Auradon.

"I, uh... like you're new hair." It was the dumbest thing he could have mentioned in the moment, but I could tell he was stalling. He needed time to convince me. "I brought the limo. It's a sweet ride."