Watch and Learn

Chapter 8

Chad, Ben, and Audrey walked into the hall, laughing and stood by the lockers. Audrey's laughing while Chad could be heard saying 'I know, I know.' They stopped laughing the second they saw Mal and Evie by Mal's locker.

"Those kids are trouble," Chad told Ben, pointing Mal out to him.

"Bye, Mal," Evie waved goodbye to her friend, clearly having overheard Chad's comment.

"Oh no, how troubling," Rowyn Fitzherbert muttered to her sister, who giggled in response.

"Bye," Mal replied and turned back to her locker.

"Come on, Chad. Give them a chance," Ben told his friend, turning to face him.

"You know," Poppy Dennison chimed in. "You guys don't know about the wand stealing business. So why don't you trust them?"

Chad flushed and looked away to avoid answering.

"Oh, no offense, Bennybear, but you're just too trusting!" Audrey said, grabbing his hands.

I don't know which was worse: Bennyboo or Bennybear, Ben thought with an inward shudder.

"Look, I know your mom feel in love with a big nasty beast who turned out to be a prince. But with my mom, the evil fairy was just the evil fairy. That girl's mother," she finished, whispering the last bit.

"Audrey Stephanie," Aurora warned, her tone slightly darker than usual. "I believe an apology is in order."

Audrey glared but bit back the retort. "My apologies, King Beast. Queen Belle."

The aforementioned royals nodded as a sign of acceptance toward the apology but the slight glares on their faces did not soften.

"You're forgetting one," Aurora said and this time Audrey did splutter in shock.

"Oh, and she doesn't have to apologize for eavesdropping on my conversation!"

"You were twenty feet away from her locker," Aurora stated. "Even if she didn't want to, Mal would have heard your conversation. Even with your 'whisper'."

Audrey glared in defiance, causing Aurora to sigh with an air of disappointment.

"Very well, three weeks. Starting as soon as you get home."

"Now dear," Queen Leah tried to steer Aurora toward leniency for Audrey.

"Not. A. Word, mother."

"I think you're wrong about them," Ben said. "I'll see you later."

[Ben walked away from the other two, Chad looking confused and Audrey walking in the other direction, and walked toward Mal, meeting her at her locker.]

"Hey!"

Mal closed her locker door to reveal Ben. "Hey."

"You know, I had my doubts but they don't seem to be causing too much harm," Belle whispered to Beast.

"Even with the whole wand business?"

"I have a feeling Mal'll do the right thing," Belle told him. "Ben seems to have taken from my side in terms of falling in love."

"How was your first day?" Ben asked, a smile gracing his face.

"Super."

"You should really think about taking this talent off the locker and into art class," Ben gestured to the spray paint image of Maleficent's silhouette on Mal's locker. "I could, uh, sign you up. What do you think?"