Rotten To The Core

Date Gone Wrong

CHAPTER 19

"Would you like a hot hors d'oeuvre?" Ellie asks Ben with a smile.

"Yes, please," Ben answers with a returning smile before Ellie feeds him one.

"Mmm! This is the best thing I've ever had," Ben says as he finishes it.

"So, you like it?" Ellie asks him.

"I more than like it. I, uh...mmm..." Ben answers as he gets another one. "Double like it. Beef ragout?"

"Yeah," Ellie says with a smile.

"This is amazing," Ben says before taking a bite of the beef ragout.

"Did I surprise you?" Ellie asks as she discreetly glances at Mal, who is hiding in the bushes nearby.

"Oh, yeah, you surprised me. This is every single dish Mrs. Potts made for my parents," Ben answers her excitedly. "What did it take you? Three days?"

"You know, don't even ask me," Ellie says with a smile.

"Yeah," Ben says with a laugh before turning serious. "Well, it means a lot that you stopped and did all this for me. Especially with all the craziness you've been put through." Ben grabs Ellie's hand, causing her to fear that she had been caught. "I've missed you." Ellie smiles big at him before Ben caresses her face. "We don't get much time to be just us anymore."

"I know," Ellie tells him with a sigh before wiping some food from his mouth.

"You can't take me anywhere, right?" Ben says causing Ellie to laugh since that was what she had said on their first date. "Do you have a... Do you have a napkin or something?"

"I do! I packed some," Ellie tells him before she starts looking for the basket.

"Oh, there is..." Ben says as he sees the basket.

"I think I stowed them away," Ellie says as Ben reaches into the basket. "I can grab them."

"What's this?" Ben asks as he pulls out Mal's Spell Book.

"Mal actually threw that in there super last-minute in case it rained or..." Ellie tries to explain before Ben starts going through the marked pages.

" 'Speed reading' spell. 'Brunette hair' spell. 'Cooking' spell," Ben reads before closing the book and looking at Ellie in shock. "And I was giving you props for fitting in so well, for doing your best." Ellie quickly glances at Mal for help.

"Take back this moment that has passed. Return it... Reverse it..." Mal tries to remember a spell to fix everything but fails.

"Are you trying to spell me right now?!" Ben exclaims as he stands up, looking between the two girls.

"Ben, it has been so hard for me!" Ellie tells him.

"Yes! Some things are hard! Do you think learning to be king has been easy for me?" Ben explains.

"No!" Ellie says.

"I thought we were doing this together!" Ben says as he raises his voice.

"Ben, we are in this together," Ellie tells him as she stands up.

"But we're not, Ellie. We're not. Y-You've been keeping secrets and lying to me," Ben argues as Ellie tries to talk. "I thought we were done with that. This isn't the Isle of the Lost, Ellie."

"Yeah. Believe me, I know that!" Ellie tells him.

"Then why are you doing this?" Ben asks her.

"Because... I'm not one of those pretty pink princesses like I thought I wanted to be, Ben. I'm not one of those ladies from the Court," Ellie explains to him as she holds back tears. "I'm a big fake, okay? I'm fake." Ellie then motions to the meal. "This is fake." Ellie grabs her hair before dropping it. "This is fake." Ellie grabs Mal's spell book before handing it to Mal.

"Take this feast, this sumptuous meal, return it back to what is real," Mal reads moving her finger before the meal disappears to reveal a glass of milk and a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

"This is who I really am," Ellie tells him.

"Ellie," Ben tries as Ellie and Mal start to walk off.

"No. No," Ellie says as she moves away from him and keeps walking.

"Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite!" Ben yells after her causing her to run to her dorm. Ellie is crying by the time she and Mal reach their room.

"I don't belong here," Ellie says as Mal pulls her into a hug.

"Then lets go home," Mal says before they change into their Isle clothes and Mal fixes a box for Maleficent.

"Let's blow this popsicle stand," Ellie says causing Mal to nod. They take Ellie's bike, that Ben gave her, before stopping by the waters edge.

"Noble steed, proud and fair, you shall take us anywhere," Mal reads from her book.

"Okay. Whew. Please work," Ellie says as she drives towards the water. The bike drives across the water before taking them through the barrier. Ellie drives through a lot of people making them dive out of the way before she comes to a stop. As she removes her goggles she sees a poster of her and Ben. She tears it down before wadding it up and throwing it. She then continues on to their old hideout. Ellie grabs a rock before tossing it to Mal, who smirks before throwing the rock at the 'danger flying rocks' sign. This opens the door to the hideout.