Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

She knocked three times with her knuckles, folding her arms as she waited patiently.

The door opened almost immediately, revealing the blue haired princess. Chloe looked at her with quiet curiosity for a brief moment before her expression melted into the soft smile she always wore whenever something made her happy.

"Red, you made it."

"I told you I'd come today. Besides, I already finished everything I had to do at home, so..."

Before she could finish, the princess closed the distance between them and wrapped her in a tight hug. Red considered making fun of her, but the embrace felt so warm that, just this once, she decided to let it slide.

Ever since they had defeated Maddox, Red and Pink had been forced to stay in Wonderland for a couple of extra days with Max to discuss a few things. As a result, they'd missed nearly half a week of classes.

Red slipped her arms around Chloe and shook her head faintly once she realized the hug had lasted longer than necessary.

"Okay. That's enough," Red said at last, pulling away with a grin. "So, what did I miss?"

"I was hoping you'd ask about class instead..."

Chloe looked at her without a hint of surprise.

"I'll ask about that later. Why would I start with something so boring the second I got here?"

Red finally stepped through the doorway and into the room. Her eyes wandered around in mild surprise, taking in the space and the two beds. Chloe's bed was dressed in gorgeous golden sheets, and soft yellow curtains filtered the sunlight pouring through the windows. A vase sat on the nightstand, filled with white roses and tulips.

Red blinked.

"It needs more red," she declared.

"It's perfect the way it is."

"Nah. How do you survive looking at so much pink and yellow? What are we supposed to be? Beauty and the Beast?"

Chloe sighed and shook her head before folding her arms and moving to stand beside her.

Red knew exactly when she was getting on Chloe's nerves, and she genuinely loved it. A teasing smile tugged at her lips, almost challenging the princess to do something about it.

"You can decorate your side however you want. I won't stop you. Just don't even think about doing anything weird to the walls."

"Why not? Is there some rule against it?"

"Red."

The redhead decided to stop pushing her luck, at least for now. She simply shrugged before walking over to her neatly made bed and throwing herself onto it, letting out a contented sigh at how unexpectedly comfortable the mattress and pillows were.

Chloe sat beside her on the edge of the bed, watching the fascinated way Red inspected the pillow with an amused smile, though she chose not to comment on it.

"Do you want me to give you the homework? Just this once. But you are going to study," Chloe murmured.

Red turned to her in disbelief before nodding enthusiastically.

"Yes! I'd love that."

Chloe nodded. She stood, walked over to the corner of the room, and crouched beside a massive wardrobe that looked every bit as elegant as it was expensive. She grabbed an equally expensive looking blue backpack, pulled out a couple of books, then returned to where Red was waiting.

She couldn't deny there was something oddly enjoyable about this. She'd never had anyone to share boring things with before. It wasn't that they had suddenly become fun. It was simply that she wasn't doing them alone anymore.

Chloe placed two notebooks on the bed and picked one up, flipping through the pages until she found the right one.

"We got a few assignments in Science, and you really need to learn this topic. There's going to be a test in a week, and..."

Red listened carefully, nodding along.

She picked up the blue book resting on top of a green one and gave it a quick glance. Before opening it, she noticed a small piece of paper sticking out from between the thick pages.

Frowning, she slipped it between her fingers and unfolded it.

She read the short message carefully.

«Princess Chloe. Call me.

322 7732 08»

Red stared at the note for a long moment.

A dull throb bloomed in her chest. Quiet. Not painful. Just enough to feel like a tiny thorn pressing against an overinflated balloon.

"Red?" Chloe called. "Are you even listening?"

By the time Chloe looked over and noticed the note in Red's hands, she seemed almost as surprised as Red herself.

"Where did that come from?" she asked softly, almost shyly, taking the note from Red's fingers while looking at her with suspicion.

Red couldn't even react.

Another throb pulsed through her chest.

Shit.

Shit.

.

It was strange.

Not strange, exactly.

Chloe was kind, beautiful, and effortlessly charming. Of course people were going to be interested in her. Of course they'd slip their phone numbers into her notebooks or backpack, hoping she'd notice them.

Which was ridiculous, because they were probably all idiots anyway.

Still, the whole thing left a bitter taste in Red's mouth. The thought of some random guy casually leaving a note inside Chloe's book made something in her chest twist uncomfortably.

Apparently, Chloe wasn't interested. Since there wasn't even a name on the note, and she clearly had no intention of calling whoever had written it, she simply set it down on the corner of Red's bed.

Red, naturally, shifted around little by little until the piece of paper quietly slid onto the floor.

She'd pick it up later.

And throw it in the trash.

Even so, she couldn't quite understand why the whole thing bothered her so much.

Eventually, Red finished copying the homework and let out a long sigh, burying her face in Chloe's textbook. She lazily kicked her feet behind her, wondering whether she was willing to open the other book and risk finding another note tucked inside.

Honestly...

She was pretty sure she'd throw that one away too.

Her gaze drifted across the bedroom until it settled on the princess sitting on the floor.

Headphones covered Chloe's ears, drowning out the room with music Red didn't recognize while she quietly wrote in one of her notebooks.

She supposed it made sense.

Chloe looked so calm, so peaceful, that it felt perfectly natural for Red to worry about someone ruining that quiet little bubble around her.

Even Max had somehow managed to chip away at the last remnants of Chloe's patience and kindness.

Not that Red was entirely mad at him.

Part of it had been her fault, too.

At this point, Red had long since accepted that she cared about Chloe.

That Chloe mattered to her.

The thought settled easily in her mind, as if it had always belonged there.

What kind of friend would she be if she didn't care about things like this?

She laughed quietly to herself before reaching for the unopened book.

The moment she realized there wasn't another note hidden inside, she let out a relieved sigh.

Thank the hat.

─────────

Auradon Prep was actually quite pleasant. It had pretty much everything you'd expect from a school for princes and princesses, though Red could live with that.

"Honestly, that class is useless. Who even thought it was a good idea to put it on the curriculum? Seriously, it's terrible," Red grumbled as she slammed her locker shut and lifted her head, waiting for some kind of divine intervention.

"It's a good class, and people like you could actually benefit from it," Chloe huffed.

"Oh, you think I need lessons in kindness?" Red leaned forward with a bright, razor sharp grin.

Chloe stared at her in silence for a few seconds before shyly lowering her gaze.

"I didn't mean it like that..."

"Pfft! Don't worry. Honestly, I wouldn't give the lollipop to the kid either..."

"Red!"

Red merely shrugged and leaned a little closer, gently bumping her shoulder against the princess. Chloe stared at her in disbelief before bumping her back and letting out an annoyed huff.

Red didn't look away, not even when Chloe went back to searching through her things. It wasn't as though the blue haired princess was oblivious to her stare. It was obvious she'd noticed, but she didn't say anything about it.

For a few seconds, Red allowed herself to study her friend's face a little more.

Just out of curiosity.

It wasn't as though she had anything better to do.

"Charming!"

Suddenly, someone called out from farther down the hallway.

A boy Red had never seen before was making his way toward the blue haired girl at a surprisingly quick pace.

Red stiffened when he reached them and planted one hand against the locker, flashing a charming smile as he raised his other hand in greeting.

"Oh, Zavin. Hi."

Red looked at Chloe in confusion.

Chloe, as usual, leaned closer and whispered the answer to her unspoken question into her ear.

"He's the eldest son of King Naveen and Queen Diana," she said before pulling back and looking at Red as though waiting for her to ask something else.

Red nodded slowly, taking a better look at the boy with tan skin and neatly slicked back hair.

"Where have you been? You didn't show up for training last time," the prince said with an innocent smile, seemingly unaware of everything that had happened in Wonderland.

"I'm sorry. I didn't let anyone know ahead of time that I wouldn't be able to make it that day. Is something wrong?"

The prince stared at her in silence for a few seconds before shifting his attention toward Red. Then he smiled politely, shook his head, and looked back at Chloe.

"Nothing important. I just missed you a little."

Red felt another thorn prick at her heart.

This time, though, there was something new mixed in with the discomfort.

Resentment.

And it was directed entirely at this boy she didn't even know.

The conversation continued for a few more minutes.

Zavin and Red didn't exchange a single word.

Red leaned against the lockers, staring out into the hallway and doing her best not to listen too closely to the conversation. She didn't want to look any more interested than she already was.

Eventually, Zavin went on his way, leaving the two of them alone once again.

"Are you two friends?"

"Excuse me?" Chloe turned to look at her.

Red considered keeping quiet, but eventually sighed and let her arms fall to her sides, surrendering to the question.

"Is he your friend? Zavin?"

"I suppose so. We talk sometimes during fencing practice, and we're partners in Chemistry," the princess replied.

Red should have simply nodded and carried on as though it were nothing.

It wasn't a big deal.

She could pretend the discomfort twisting inside her was nothing more than her imagination and shove it somewhere deep, along with all the other terrible ideas she'd had over the years.

It wouldn't be the first time.

But somehow, she couldn't.

"I can be your Chemistry partner."

"What?"

"I mean, I don't know much about these people, and I'd like you to explain things to me," Red said quickly, nervously raising a hand toward her mouth as she tried to figure out how to avoid looking Chloe in the eyes. "I can partner up with someone else too, I just..."

"Okay," Chloe said with a nod.

She closed her locker and took a deep breath before straightening up.

"I'd love to be your partner."

Red really should have questioned why she'd just said something so stupid.

Now she wouldn't be able to pretend she had no idea what was going on in class. She'd actually have to be a model student because Chloe would make her do the work, and if she didn't, she'd hear about it.

But that was a problem for Future Red.

Right now, she'd just won.

Without thinking too much about it, Red slipped an arm around Chloe's neck and started walking down the hallway with her friend, a playful smile spreading across her face.

"Perfect."

Chloe smiled.

"Yeah. Perfect."

─────────

Red was in deep trouble.

Very deep trouble.

"Hey, Red..." Luis, sitting beside her, was trying to get her attention, but she was far too busy watching Felix perform some kind of card trick for Pink and Chloe.

He'd been holding Chloe's hands for quite a while now, supposedly reading her future or doing some other weird fortune telling nonsense. Pink watched the whole thing nervously, looking surprisingly invested in whatever the magician was saying.

Red couldn't help clicking her tongue and rolling her eyes.

Damn you, Felix and your stupid cards.

She didn't actually mean that.

"Hey, you know... if I'm boring you, you can just tell me."

Red finally snapped back to reality and turned her head toward Luis with perhaps a little too much force.

"Huh? No. No, no, it's not that I'm not listening to you. I'm sorry, it's just..."

Red hesitated before glancing back at Chloe and Felix, then sighing.

She really needed to get rid of this uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Seriously, it was making her sound like an idiot inside her own head.

It was just a trick. Felix was having fun showing everyone what he could do, and the girls were enjoying themselves.

Besides, Luis didn't exactly look happy.

"It's fine. It's just... I feel like ever since we got back to Auradon, you've been more distant with me than before..."

Red raised an eyebrow in confusion.

In what way?

She hung out with him and the villains' children alike. Or, well, she tried to make sure none of them ended up fighting. They were sitting together right now, eating in one of the school's gardens.

"What are you talking about? We're literally sitting together."

"Yeah, that's not what I mean. I just thought that after everything we'd talked about at the Rabbit's house, you and I..." Luis scratched the back of his neck nervously, his cheeks flushing a deep red, almost the color of a rose.

Red couldn't quite understand the sudden shift in his mood.

"And?"

"And... you know! I thought we could keep talking like that. Just you and me."

"We can talk here just like we did before. What's the difference? There are just more people around."

Luis sighed.

"I mean talking somewhere more private."

Don't get her wrong. Luis was an exceptional friend.

Before Max, well, the previous Max, Red had never really had anything resembling a friend. Then Chloe came along, and after that, Luis.

She didn't mind Luis talking about his feelings and all that. She accepted it and let him say whatever he needed to say. He was also one of the first people who had ever put himself in harm's way for her when things got difficult.

But she still couldn't understand his insistence on spending time alone together.

"Honestly, I think that would be boring," Red said, taking a bite of her apple.

"Boring...?"

Red felt a grimace tug at her face when she heard the disappointment in Luis's voice.

Well.

She'd definitely said something wrong this time.

Luis was frowning now, looking genuinely hurt.

"I mean... is there something you're embarrassed to say with everyone else around? If that's the case, I'll listen, Luis. Do you want to go somewhere else?" she rushed to add, leaning toward her friend.

Luis looked away.

"Red, I don't want to talk to you alone only when I'm feeling a certain way... I want to talk to you alone because I like you."

Red liked it too.

The last time they'd been alone, it had been refreshing to hear and see something that wasn't a hook, or Max with his head hanging down, or, even better, Chloe being annoyed with her.

But she also liked being around everyone.

She didn't want to pull away from all the people she'd met so quickly just because of Luis.

Why had they even left the group in the first place?

There was no point.

Her eyes drifted back toward Chloe.

Surprisingly, Chloe was looking right at her.

A smile appeared on Red's lips.

Chloe simply turned her attention back toward her sister.

What was that?

"Were you ignoring me again?"

Ugh.

"Look, Luis. I'm sorry if I'm not really understanding what you're trying to tell me. It's just that my head is in the clouds right now, and I'm thinking about other things. Can we talk about this later?"

Luis flinched.

Red wasn't surprised when his fingers tightened against the wooden table, digging into the surface. He simply nodded in silence before standing up, grabbing his sandwich, and walking toward the other side of the field.

Red felt the urge to go after him and ask him to be patient with her, but she figured now probably wasn't the right time.

She took another bite of her apple and turned her attention back toward the card trick happening at the table in front of her.

Chloe's laughter rang out when Felix made a joke. She covered her mouth, trying to hide her loud, delighted laugh.

Red gave an amused huff at the sight and rested her head against her hand.

Stupid princess.

─────────

"Is Luis mad at you?"

Classes had ended, and Red found her little sister sitting on the dormitory stairs, eating dessert. Being the good big sister that she was, Red sat down beside her and rested her head against Pink's shoulder as they talked about their day.

Red opened her eyes and thought about the question for a few seconds.

"No idea. I know I acted like an idiot, but I still don't know why. Does that make sense?"

Pink brought a finger to her lips thoughtfully before giving a small shake of her head.

"Not really. It's concerning that you don't know why someone is upset with you, but if he doesn't want to tell you, you don't have to go running around trying to guess."

Red nodded gently.

Exactly!

She wasn't a mind reader. Seriously, Luis should have been more specific.

"But... maybe you should pay more attention when he talks. People tend to get hurt when you don't pay attention to something they consider important," Pink said shyly, looking away as she swung her legs back and forth, lightly tapping her shoes together.

Okay.

Pink too?

"What?" Red lifted her head from her sister's shoulder.

Pink seemed hesitant to continue, but eventually sighed in defeat.

"You kept looking over at where Felix and Chloe were sitting whenever he was talking."

Red scratched the back of her neck awkwardly before leaning back against the step.

"Seriously? Maybe I was more distracted than I thought."

Pink gave her a strange look, somewhere between resignation and concern, as if she wanted to say more but decided against it.

Red lifted her arm and carefully covered her face.

Had she really been that bad?

Damn Felix.

Again.

─────────

It was difficult to explain why she was suddenly realizing all of this. Now that she thought about it, her feelings and thoughts hadn't really changed that much.

She supposed it was the realization that Chloe could end up like her mother, or like so many other villains because of the mistakes their kings and queens had made in the past. Maybe that was why Red now felt such a desperate need to know that Chloe would be there.

In every sense of the word.

She got out of bed. It was late, very late. Even princesses like Chloe were asleep at this hour.

Red slowly leaned over to look at her roommate's face, frowning slightly.

Yeah.

She was beautiful.

Something Red had already known.

So why was it only now that it was actually getting to her?

Her fingers drifted down until they gently brushed against a strand of blue hair. Her eyes widened with curiosity as she carefully traced the side of Chloe's face, her fingertips eventually resting softly against her cheek.

Her heart was pounding as though it were being dragged along by a powerful tide.

She couldn't stop feeling so happy.

So relieved.

She wanted to wrap her arms around Chloe and never let go.

Red immediately shoved the thought out of her mind, refusing to let herself hear those words again.

Ugh.

Seriously.

This had to be some kind of fucking joke.

─────────

The girls at this school were... interesting, to put it mildly.

Red was well aware that she was nothing like what anyone expected a princess to be. Then again, she had never really been a princess to begin with.

Even so, they always looked down their noses at her whenever she walked down the hallway, sighing at her jokes and attitude as though she were some damn villain.

Which she was.

But Red had genuinely thought Auradon would have a more obvious social divide with the Isle than anything else. Now she was beginning to realize that, in reality, it was simply a matter of belonging. If you didn't behave like you were one of them, then you weren't.

Red really wished she could say that none of the things those people thought about her were true.

But it was complicated when part of her knew damn well that they were.

Even if no one from this time remembered it.

No one except Chloe.

So, honestly, getting into a fight during her fourth week of classes wasn't exactly surprising.

This place was driving her insane, and it wasn't because of the homework or the teachers. It just seemed like the kind of place where people like Rouse could thrive.

Daughter of who the hell knew.

"Why did you throw that drink at her?" Principal Uma asked, leaning against her desk and pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose with an exhausted sigh.

Red was slouched in her chair, staring off to the side with absolutely no interest in answering. Still, one of Uma's dangerous looks soon found its way toward her. Red didn't particularly want to figure out what that look meant, so she straightened up a little and carefully considered her words.

"Well, I just thought she was acting like a bitch," she said without the slightest filter.

The principal's eyes widened at her bluntness.

"Red. You know perfectly well that kind of language is strictly forbidden when addressing your classmates or your superiors," Uma said firmly, narrowing her eyes in irritation before looking away, perhaps slightly uncertain. "But this isn't the first time Rouse has had a problem with someone because of the things she says. Although, usually, it's with students from the Isle and not a..."

"Princess?" Red finished with an ironic smile.

Liar, she thought to herself.

Until a few days ago, she had practically been a usurper to the crown.

"I suppose so..." Uma gave a small shake of her head. "Regardless of your reasons, it's not okay for you to take matters into your own hands like this. Why resort to violence?"

"But I... Have you heard the way she talks?"

"That isn't an excuse," Uma said firmly. "You need to understand that the way to resolve a conflict isn't by making it bigger."

"Well, I think her mouth looks better when it's shut," Red grumbled, hunching over and resting her chin in her hand. The corner of her mouth curled upward, making her irritation perfectly clear.

"Let's say you did shut her mouth. Did that accomplish anything? Please. You know perfectly well it isn't going to make her stop."

Red couldn't come up with an answer immediately. She bit her lip as she realized the woman had a point.

Not that she would ever say it out loud.

Damn it.

"So, you started a fight, and the only thing you're going to get out of this is her parents complaining, calling your mother, and now you'll have a problem at school until they decide to talk things out like civilized people. On top of that, it seems your friends weren't exactly pleased with your reaction."

Red looked away.

The truth was, the girl had simply said something stupid about Max.

Red wasn't proud of how little self-control she'd shown, nor of the guilt that settled in her stomach whenever she thought about how she'd been unable to stop herself from reacting immediately.

Robbie had tried to calm the girl down while Pink held onto Red's arm, clearly frightened.

Luis had stared at her in shock, almost as though he didn't recognize her.

And Chloe had simply kept telling her to calm down.

Yeah.

It hadn't felt good at all when Red realized everyone was looking at her as though she'd crossed a line.

But Max had thrown his arms into the air and burst out laughing. Hazel had applauded with her hook. Felix had patted her shoulder proudly, and the Smee twins had jumped around in excitement.

Red knew perfectly well that even if Chloe hadn't said it, she had probably thought the same thing.

That, deep down, Red was still a villain.

"I didn't think about any of that at the time..." Red muttered. "Whatever. Can I go now?"

"Girl, pay attention for a second. Do you really want to start building that reputation for yourself from now on?" Uma asked, as though she already knew the answer from Red's expression.

Red clenched her hands.

Damn it.

"No."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Now, you'll have to clean the Chemistry classroom for the entire week. That should keep this from escalating any further. How does that sound?"

The principal gave her a knowing smile as she rose from her desk and ruffled Red's hair.

Red clicked her tongue in irritation but swallowed whatever she was about to say.

─────────

Red was now cleaning the board in the damn Chemistry classroom.

She hated it.

She hated how much Uma had been right.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

Red turned, startled by the unexpected sound, tightening her grip on the eraser in her hand.

"Hey," Max greeted.

Oh, no. Him.

Max felt like a wound.

A deep one in her heart, the kind that hurt just to look at because she knew it was like pouring salt directly into raw flesh.

"Hey." Red raised a hand in greeting.

Max walked over to one of the tables and sat on top of it, swinging his legs as he looked around the room.

"Cleaning this classroom sucks."

Red let out a quiet laugh and lowered her gaze shyly.

Everything about this was still so new.

Back then, Max had been the only thing she had in Wonderland besides Maddox. The only person who lived beneath the same sky as Red. The same person who had been her friend and her comfort for so long.

And now she'd ruined his life.

To make matters worse, she'd turned him into an outcast.

The Isle of the Lost sounded like absolute garbage...

"What brings you here? I thought everyone would be doing their own thing or hanging out in their dorms."

"I thought one of your friends might be here."

"They're not my friends," Red replied almost automatically.

Max stared at her in silence. Red could only turn around and continue cleaning the board.

"Okay. Your 'not friends' were worried about you. Although your sister doesn't look too happy about any of this," Max muttered.

That was another problem.

Pink was probably scared.

Red was sure this had been a pretty brutal transition for her, going from being a princess to... this.

She'd figure out what excuse to give her later so she wouldn't worry so much.

"I know."

"You know how weird it looks for a hero kid to start a fight and throw the first punch?"

Oh, enough.

Seriously.

Enough.

She knew.

She knew perfectly well that she wasn't a hero kid, but she didn't need everyone in this place reminding her of it every five seconds, as though everything that had changed in the past could suddenly crumble and disappear just because she'd acted out.

"And you know perfectly well I'm not a hero kid," she snapped, glancing over her shoulder at Max.

He immediately looked away, suddenly nervous.

For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.

"I'm sorry. This whole change must be really difficult for you."

"No, no. Max, don't apologize. It's not your fault I'm a little upset," Red said quickly, waving her hands as she shook her head.

She sat down beside the table Max was sitting on and began swinging her feet.

"It's just... hard, you know? I feel kind of trapped. Like, if I act like that again, Chloe, Luis, Pink... they'll start..."

Red stopped herself.

She swallowed the rest of the thought and groaned.

"Forget it. I don't even know why I'm worrying about this."

Max leaned forward slightly and gave her a shy smile.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I don't like being seen that way either."

Red pulled her legs against her chest and wrapped her arms around them, staring blankly at the now-clean board.

She was getting ridiculous.

Spending so much time worrying about how everyone else would look at her instead of what the real Red would do.

But the real Red couldn't exist anymore.

That Red had been afraid of her mother. She'd done terrible things simply because the Queen did them too.

"Any ideas for surviving when I go back to them? Maybe I could say I was on my period?" Red asked.

Max snorted and shook his head, nudging her shoulder.

"Oh, trust me, nothing is going to save you from that one. But you're lucky. Charming knows the truth, and I doubt Pink is actually going to distance herself from you over something like this... Although..." Max paused. "You know Luis and Robbie. They're a little more persistent about that sort of thing."

"I was hoping rescuing my mother would make them more friendly with you," Red whispered, giving him an apologetic look.

She felt like a traitor.

In the past, she would have punched Luis just for daring to speak about Max the way he had.

But this wasn't her Max anymore.

He wasn't the boy she could, or had to, protect.

"Yeah, well, that's going to take some time. Don't worry about it. For now, keep cleaning. You've still got plenty left."

Red groaned in boredom and gave him a thumbs-up while Max laughed.

She stood and went back to work.

─────────

"Mom..." Red whispered nervously.

"No 'Mom'! Red, how could you do that? You know perfectly well I taught you to be much smarter than this. Yes, perhaps that girl was behaving badly, but was it really worth reacting like that?"

Red smiled to herself.

The answer was yes.

She glanced at Chloe, who was sitting beside her on the bed, watching her with a frown and a wary expression.

Or maybe not.

"It wasn't my fault! Besides, nothing else happened. I just have to do some extra work and they'll let it go..." the redhead tried to defend herself, shrinking into herself as though the Queen of Hearts herself were standing in front of her.

"Red, you have a little sister. I don't want you to start setting that kind of example for Pink. Not because I doubt her ability to tell right from wrong, but I would appreciate it if you could show her what it looks like to have a responsible and sensible older sister."

Red huffed at the thought in her head, feeling an uncomfortable shiver at the word responsible.

It was obvious that she was anything but someone capable of setting a responsible example. She'd never had to do that before.

Chloe nodded, seemingly in complete agreement with her mother, before crossing her arms. She looked more than annoyed. She seemed genuinely interested in making sure Red listened to every word her mother said and committed them to memory.

"Okay. It won't happen again," Red promised.

Even though Red knew her current mother wouldn't approve of that kind of behavior, she desperately wanted to scream and tell her that she'd only reacted that way because her mother had taught her to.

Wasn't she the one who used to say she'd have someone's head cut off over the slightest inconvenience?

But Red was certain that bringing that up would accomplish nothing. There was no point taking her frustration out on her mother over something that, supposedly, had already been dealt with.

"You'd better not, Red. I understand that you had your reasons, but just remember that people are happier when you treat them with sweetness."

Her mother's gentle voice made Red shiver. Even so, she nodded to herself.

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's my dear little Red Heart."

"Okay, okay. It's getting late, Mom. I'll hang up," Red said quickly, uncomfortable with the sudden affectionate nickname.

"I love you, Red."

Red thought for a few seconds about how many times in her life she'd heard those words without them sounding like they came from a psychopath.

Very few.

So she would treasure them.

"Love you too..." she said, with a strange melancholy in her voice.

The call ended with a faint beep, and Red finally allowed herself to breathe deeply before setting her phone down on the bed.

"Well, that was stranger than I expected," Red commented, sounding almost impressed with herself.

"That was the right thing to do," Chloe pointed out. "How did it go?"

"Throwing that chocolate milkshake at Rouse, or talking to my mom?"

"Red..."

Red allowed herself to laugh and shrugged. Chloe couldn't help laughing with her, eventually giving her a gentle shove, just like they always did.

"How were your classes?" Chloe asked a few seconds later.

"Fine, although I had to sit next to Hazel today." Red stuck out her tongue, though an amused smile appeared on her lips as she remembered Hazel scraping her hook across the table while Red had drawn a red heart with a hook stabbing straight through it.

Chloe rolled her eyes.

"She's not that bad."

"I know. How were yours?" Red asked this time.

"Hmm, my mother called me and asked me to go home this weekend so I can spend some time with her, and I aced a Calculus test, so I guess it was a pretty good day despite..." Chloe's words gradually faded as she looked at Red in silence.

Despite the way Red had behaved.

Oh.

This was awkward.

Red brushed it off, shrugging as she let herself fall back onto the pillow. She looked at Chloe curiously.

"Were you worried about me, Princess?" Red raised an eyebrow, a teasing edge creeping into her voice.

Chloe frowned with a smile and swept her hair over one shoulder, turning her back to Red.

"You have quite the imagination, Red."

"Is that a yes?" the redhead asked.

Chloe took a moment to answer. Her back shifted gently with a soft, melodic laugh before she lay down on her bed and rested her head against the other pillow, looking at Red with a bright warmth in her brown eyes.

Red's breath caught for a moment, but she chose to punch her stupid heart and lock it back inside a box.

How annoying.

"Of course it is, Red. I wasn't going to worry about Rouse and not worry about you," Chloe said calmly.

Red felt a strange sense of relief bloom in her chest, almost as though someone had lifted a weight from her shoulders and finally told her exactly what she'd wanted to hear.

Not because of Rouse.

Because of Red.

She liked those words.

She liked them far more than she probably should have.

Just because they were about her.

Red smiled proudly.

"One for Red and zero for Rouse?"

"She's not even in the competition," Chloe teased.

"Then who am I competing against?" Red asked immediately.

Despite the joke, there was genuine curiosity in her voice.

Chloe seemed to think about it for a few seconds, pursing her lips and humming thoughtfully before looking back at Red.

"Chad's winning."

Red scoffed, and Chloe covered her mouth as she laughed.

Of course Chloe's older brother was ahead of her in everything.

Red didn't mind. She didn't understand why she was bothered by other people but not him, though she supposed it was better if she could keep herself from becoming too affected by her friend's closeness with other people.

It was nighttime now, and the cold air of Auradon drifted through the open window of their room. Chloe was already wearing a light pair of pajamas, while Red was still fully dressed.

She probably should have gotten ready for bed and gone to sleep already.

Instead, she closed her eyes and reached a hand toward Chloe's arm.

A nervous feeling spread through her body, and she swallowed.

"Can you turn off the light?" Red asked.

"Are you going to sleep in your clothes?"

Red hadn't thought about that.

"Yes...?"

Chloe said nothing for a few seconds.

Red opened her eyes, only to find the blue haired princess grabbing her by the arms and lifting her off the bed.

Red didn't put up much of a fight. She simply pouted in annoyance and frowned.

Deep down, she wanted Chloe to say yes and stay there with her. That way, she wouldn't have to risk looking like a complete weirdo when she got up just to stare at her instead of simply watching her sleep for a while.

That was so strange.

God, Red was strange.

"Hey, Princess, I don't need pajamas," Red complained, lifting her head tiredly as she let Chloe open her wardrobe.

"How do you not own pajamas? Seriously, Red, you have to sleep comfortably," the blue haired princess grumbled as she leaned forward, struggling to find something loose and soft.

Red didn't usually sleep much.

Sometimes it was because she'd sneak out to graffiti walls and vandalize her own kingdom. Other times, she'd simply had such a terrible sleep schedule for so many years that it had left her convinced that sometimes there was no point in sleeping at all.

Still, she kept that thought to herself and decided to humor her friend.

"Fine, fine. Do you really need pajamas to be able to sleep? You're awfully demanding, Chloe."

Red smiled mischievously and touched her friend's chin with one finger, gently lifting it in mockery before the princess pulled back with an annoyed click of her tongue.

Chloe's eyes didn't look frightened, nor was she particularly angry. Despite maintaining her challenging, firm attitude, she seemed more convinced than anything that Red's tone was nothing more than a cheap trick.

And she wasn't wrong.

She pressed the clothes against Red's chest and waited until the redhead took them before walking toward the bathroom door.

"I'm going to wash my face and brush my teeth, and I want you in that bed by the time I come back, understood?"

Red thought it would be much better to climb out the window and take a walk than stare at the wall until curiosity inevitably made her turn around and look at her sleeping friend.

Still, she supposed all she could do was smile softly at the commanding tone in Chloe's voice and nod.

"Yes, ma'am," she said lightly before turning around and beginning to take off her leather jacket.

The bathroom door closed, leaving Chloe on the other side.

Red stood frozen in place for a few seconds, staring thoughtfully at the floor before exhaling toward the empty space and turning around to approach the bathroom door.

"Chloe..."

Her voice came out quieter than she'd expected.

She tried to hide the small trace of anxiety in it before hearing something lean against the other side of the door.

"Yes?"

"I... Well, I just wanted to know if what happened today..." Red lowered her gaze and rested her forehead against the wooden door. Her brow furrowed, and she clenched her teeth when she realized she had to keep talking. "Did it bother you? I mean, did you think I was acting like a...?"

Red swallowed the rest of the sentence, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Red..."

"Forget it!" she said with an anxious laugh. "It's not a big deal. I should be more worried about the day I start acting like one of those princesses here. That would be a real nightmare, wouldn't it?"

Despite her words, the silence in the room told her Chloe wasn't convinced by her attempt to brush it off.

Red returned to her side of the room and continued changing, determined not to let what had just happened happen again.

She must have eaten something poisonous.

Or maybe she'd hit her head.

It didn't matter which.

She didn't want it happening again.

She felt like a little kid.

Ugh.

"It was a bit extreme, and I'll admit I don't think it was the right way to handle things," Chloe said from the other side, her voice soft and measured. "But I know you didn't do it out of malice."

Red finally finished putting on the pajamas her friend had chosen for her and let her hair down, allowing it to fall freely around her shoulders.

She felt something resembling relief.

"Besides... I liked that you did it."

Red froze and covered her mouth in sheer embarrassment.

Oh, for the Beast's sake.

Her heart was beating far too fast.

So fast that, for a moment, she had to hold back a horrified squeal as she felt like it was trying to break free from her rib cage.

Chloe needed to understand that her words carried a lot of weight.

She needed to be more careful about what she did to Red.

She hoped Chloe didn't do this to anyone else.

"Oh..." Red murmured into the palm of her hand, her breathing slightly uneven.

A crooked, nervous smile tugged at her lips, and she had to shake herself a little to get her thoughts back under control.

"I can dedicate the next one to you..."

There was another silence.

Red lay back down on her bed, though she tilted her head back to look toward the bathroom door.

"Don't you dare!"

Red laughed again.

─────────

Good Conduct class was complete bullshit. Seriously, why was she even here?

Besides the first period, which was mandatory for every student, the second one was usually reserved for students who were considered troublesome.

Oh.

Right.

She remembered now.

"A girl bumps into you and accidentally spills your food on the floor. What do you do? A: Yell at her. B: Ask her for money to buy you another meal. C: Understand that it was an accident and let her go."

The Fairy Godmother turned toward all of them with an encouraging smile, her hands clasped together and that little wooden pointer she used to indicate each part of the board resting in one hand.

There was a deadly silence.

As expected.

At the table beside Red sat Hazel, who was staring at the board with very little interest. Max was sitting beside her, while the Smee twins were across from Red, waving their hands around and laughing.

Well, at least she got to skip Math.

"Red, why don't you answer this one? Everyone has to participate at least once."

Red leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, completely uninterested in answering.

Twenty minutes left.

If she ignored the Fairy Godmother for a little longer, she'd never have to see her again.

"Miss Heart."

Red nearly fell out of her chair.

She jolted violently and hurriedly settled herself back into her seat, gripping the edge of her desk with wide eyes and a pounding heart.

The twins looked delighted, laughing softly, while Hazel raised a suspicious eyebrow.

Max seemed to have the slightest urge to ask if she was okay, but Red shot him a look that clearly said don't.

That was strange.

She didn't remember reacting that badly to that last name.

"Uh... B."

The Fairy Godmother frowned and sighed.

"Would you like to justify your answer? Please don't tell me it's because 'it's the least boring option.'"

Red shrank into her seat and huffed.

"I guess the damage is already done. Why should someone get to walk away from a problem just because it was an accident? The least they can do is fix whatever they ruined and then get the hell out."

The Fairy Godmother crossed her arms. After studying Red's attitude for a moment, she smiled again.

"Well, that's a good answer. I'm glad to hear you believe everything can be fixed. But sometimes you have to let things go... Like throwing a chocolate milkshake at a girl, for instance. You know?"

Everyone started laughing again.

Red simply shrugged.

"Let's continue! All right. A baby..."

Red cursed under her breath.

What was that?

Was it some kind of profound reprimand that she wouldn't understand until she learned some sort of life lesson?

Forget skipping Math.

She glanced toward the back of the classroom, where enormous windows stretched across the wall, and seriously considered climbing out.

Then she imagined the lecture Chloe would give her when she found out Red had decided to escape class.

Yeah.

Maybe not.

Something suddenly hit her cheek.

Red whipped her head to the left and found Hazel staring at her.

The pirate pointed at the small crumpled piece of paper sitting on Red's desk with her hook.

Red raised an eyebrow, looked down at the note, rolled her eyes, and picked it up, carefully unfolding it.

«You're lost.»

Oh.

Red was going to kill that pirate.

She snickered under her breath, a low growl accompanying the sound as she glared at Hook's daughter.

Then she raised her middle finger and stuck her tongue out at the pirate.

Hazel grinned and simply winked at her teasingly.

That girl should be grateful Red was currently required to maintain a pleasant attitude.

Because if she weren't...

She'd rip that damn hook right off her.

─────────

"Beast looks... intimidating," Pink whispered, holding onto Red's arm and resting her head against her shoulder.

The two of them stood watching the statue of Auradon's former king, waiting for it to transform. Red couldn't help smiling when she noticed the change, somehow even more impressive than the first time she'd seen it.

"It's incredible. I mean, the prince doesn't look that big," Red pointed out, tilting her head toward her sister.

"He's King Ben now, not Prince Ben," Pink corrected, frowning.

Red smiled and playfully tugged at one of her sister's cheeks, earning a pout from Pink as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to pull away.

"Red!"

Red only leaned farther over her and tugged at both cheeks this time.

This was much more fun than she'd expected.

She was grateful for all this new quality time with her sister. Apparently, being responsible for someone had taught her that pinching and tugging on Pink's cheeks could be surprisingly therapeutic. It made all her worries and problems disappear.

Before she could continue tormenting Pink through her sister's weak attempts to escape, a hand caught hers and gently pulled it away from her sister.

Red looked at whoever had done it and found herself face to face with the blue haired princess.

"Chloe," she said happily.

Chloe merely sighed and instinctively placed a protective hand on Pink's shoulder.

Another hand removed the one that was still holding onto Pink's left cheek.

Red turned and found Robbie.

"Robbie," she growled, yanking her hand away from his with considerably less gentleness than Chloe had used.

Robbie simply raised both hands in surrender.

Pink rubbed her cheeks and moved closer to Chloe.

"What are you doing to your sister, Red?" Chloe asked, looking concerned as she glanced at the younger daughter of the Queen of Hearts.

"Me? Nothing! We were just talking about how incredible that giant fluffy dog statue of the former king looks," Red said with a laugh, pointing toward the enormous statue standing in front of them.

"...King Beast, not fluffy dog," Chloe sighed.

She looked at the statue for a few seconds, just in time to watch the serene, crowned man transform back into the Beast.

"We were looking for you," Robbie said, speaking up again. "Want to sit with us and eat? Luis brought his grandma's arepas, and they're insane."

Red raised an eyebrow at the name he'd mentioned.

Don't blame her.

She didn't know much about these people, and the few stories she'd ever heard about their parents were kept in a library that her mother occasionally started kicking and destroying whenever she came across the Cinderella story.

Maybe she shouldn't have followed that train of thought too far...

"I don't have anything else to do, so sure. Do you two want to come?" Pink asked.

She quickly looped her arm through Robbie's, making him smile elegantly. He adjusted his arm as though they were two royalty members strolling together.

As long as they were just friends, Red was perfectly fine with her little sister linking arms with Robbie.

Had that sounded jealous?

Nah.

It was normal.

Red looked at Chloe curiously.

Chloe simply shrugged and nodded.

"Of course," Red declared.

Robbie smiled triumphantly.

"Perfect! Come on."

Robbie practically skipped along with Pink, both of their hair bouncing in the breeze as it caught the sunlight.

Chloe moved alongside Red, and the two followed them, watching where they were being led.

"Have you ever tried Luis's grandma's arepas...?"

Chloe looked at her incredulously and snickered.

"Although you might find this surprising, I don't remember ever being particularly close to Luis before."

Red's eyes widened.

"Seriously? Then why does he seem so interested in you now? I mean... I guess Robbie always had a habit of following you around."

The redhead frowned, her gaze settling on the stone path.

"Yeah, I was a little surprised to see him being more attached when we came back to..." Chloe hesitated. "Well, after the trip."

She clasped her hands together, nervously looking down as her fingers fidgeted.

"I suppose it's because of you."

"I barely know him," Red quickly pointed out.

"Maybe last year he was interested in getting to know you because you were a princess from another country. You know, since this isn't your first year at Auradon."

Silence settled between them.

Red made an uncomfortable face, pushing her hair back as she struggled to figure out what to say.

Chloe looked at her, then suddenly seemed to realize how that had sounded.

Her eyes widened with regret.

Not again.

"I mean... It's not that I think it's only because of that. Luis is..."

"No," Red interrupted. "You've seen how they treat the children of villains. I don't think Robbie or Luis would have liked me very much if things were still the way they used to be."

And it was true.

They continued walking for a few seconds before stopping when they spotted a blanket in the distance, along with a picnic basket and Luis sitting nearby.

The moment he saw them, he raised a hand and greeted them cheerfully.

Pink and Robbie ran toward him, and he welcomed them with open arms.

Red stopped walking.

Chloe came to a halt just two steps ahead of her.

"I think maybe they don't see things that way anymore..." Chloe said carefully. "Luis and Robbie don't seem like bad people. They probably don't judge people for that anymore."

Red shrugged and nodded.

"I can't really blame them either."

Chloe looked like she wanted to say something else, but instead she simply nodded and extended her hand toward Red.

Red stared at it in silence for a few seconds before laughing and pointing at Chloe.

"You want me to hold your hand?" she teased, leaning forward.

Chloe frowned, pressing her lips into a thin line as her cheeks turned red. She placed one hand on her hip and the other on the sword she always carried with her before starting to walk away.

"Chloe, wait! I was joking!" Red called after her through laughter.

"Go away!"

Red couldn't stop laughing.

Apparently, the laughter was contagious because Chloe soon started laughing too.

They eventually reached the edge of the blanket spread across the grass.

Chloe hugged herself, still looking mildly annoyed, though she was laughing too.

Red only stopped when she realized they were close to everyone else and took a breath, trying to compose herself.

"Hey, I heard your grandma makes amazing arepas," Red said casually.

Luis's eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course she does! Come on, sit next to me."

Red started walking toward him, but a strong hand suddenly grabbed her from below and forced her down into a seat.

Before she could even consider grabbing Robbie by the throat and murdering him for daring to do that, she blinked several times in surprise.

She found herself staring at none other than her sister, Pink.

Pink wore a forced, tight smile, her hands gripping Red's red leather jacket so firmly that her knuckles had gone pale.

Red said nothing.

She simply gave her sister a suspicious look before accepting that, whatever reason Pink had for wanting her close, it wasn't really important.

And she didn't mind.

"Or you can sit over there..." Luis said, taking a bite out of a bright red apple.

Chloe sits down beside Robbie, who immediately slips an arm around the princess's shoulders. With a resigned sigh, she gives him a few friendly pats on the back.

"Arepas are from Colombia, right?" Pink asks, pointing toward the enormous basket, which contains a small box filled with tiny arepas.

Luis lifts his chin confidently and flashes a smile before clearing his throat.

"Basically, yes. Although we tend to get into some pretty heated arguments with other people over where they actually originated," he says. His expression grows distant afterward, as though his thoughts have wandered somewhere else.

Red doesn't particularly care where they're from. All she knows is that they never had anything like this in Wonderland, and she fully intends to take advantage of it.

She reaches into the basket, grabs one, and brings it to her mouth.

A gasp escapes her when she feels something strange.

She quickly pulls off her glove and tosses it aside, staring in disbelief as the cut across her palm slowly closes.

"Wow," Luis says, leaning forward. "They do that too... Well, my grandma's do. Not anyone else's."

Red raises an intrigued eyebrow, a smile spreading across her face.

"You're kidding. They're healing?"

A few days ago, while climbing down from her bedroom window, she'd scraped her palm against the stone wall. She hadn't cared enough to do anything about it beyond pouring a little water over the wound.

"Yep! Although I didn't bring them thinking any of you would be injured."

"Red, when did that happen? You should've told me," Chloe says worriedly, taking Red's now-healed hand between hers.

"That's crazy, right?" Robbie laughs.

Red nods in agreement.

"I think your grandma is incredible, Luis," Pink says with a laugh, reaching over to touch the now-closed cut on Red's palm.

"What's the most impressive thing she can heal?" the redheaded princess asks.

"No, no, no. That's a secret. And trust me, killing someone isn't something she can heal," Luis says firmly, sitting up straighter and puffing out his chest with an air of confidence.

Red nearly rolls her eyes, but she supposes he has a point.

Her gaze falls on the small knife sitting beside the peanut butter. She carefully picks it up with her free hand and brings it toward the hand Chloe is still holding.

"Red!" Pink groans, snatching the little knife away and staring at her incredulously. "Mom said I should be a good example for you."

"Mom didn't say that... Wait, she told you?" Red asks, genuinely surprised and, somehow, a little betrayed.

"That's not the important part!" Pink protests.

"It is to me," Red argues.

Even so, she doesn't try to take the knife back.

Robbie can only laugh.

"Guys, let's just eat. I have class soon, and the math teacher already hates Luis and me."

"Does Mr. Walker hate everyone?" Chloe asks.

Everyone falls silent for a moment before gently shaking their heads.

"Okay. Let's eat. And Red, don't touch the knives."

Red sighs and picks up her half-eaten arepa, taking an aggressive bite out of it.

Pink picks up something brown and asks Luis what it is. He tells her it's called arequipe.

The day is beautiful, and somehow, all of this makes Red feel good.

Back in Wonderland, she never got to do anything like this.

The closest she'd ever come was a small dinner with Max and Maddox, when the three of them had shared a little cake inside Maddox's laboratory.

It hadn't exactly been cozy, but she remembers feeling happy simply because she got to share a meal with her mentor and her friend.

She wishes she could do this with Max again someday.

"This is incredible, Luis," Red says, unable to stop herself from licking her fingers.

Luis stares at her wide-eyed for a few seconds before quickly looking away. A blush spreads across his cheeks, almost the same shade as Chloe's.

"Oh... Well, you know. It's nothing to me, okay?"

Red laughs and raises her fist.

Luis takes a moment before grinning and bumping his fist against hers.

They both laugh at the same time.

Red glances at her sister, who immediately looks away and shrinks into herself without any apparent fear, almost as though she simply wants to disappear for a while as she takes another spoonful of arequipe.

Before Red can grab her by the shoulder and ask her to give her some, hoping to get a reaction and tease her a little, she hears someone say, "Ah."

Red grabs another arepa before turning around.

She finds Robbie leaning slightly toward Chloe.

The princess looks at him with little more than mild amusement. Even so, there's a smile on her lips, and her expression remains perfectly calm as she holds out a small spoonful of cake toward him.

Robbie opens his mouth, waiting for her to feed him.

Red squeezes the arepa in her hand until it begins to crumble between her fingers.

She swallows and quickly turns her attention back to Luis.

"Uh... What else did you say was in these?"

The Madrigal boy doesn't look entirely convinced by Red's sudden interest, but he doesn't say anything.

Red silently thanks him for that, even as she feels a knot tightening in her throat.

She would have preferred not to see that.