47

It felt almost anticlimactic that they were able to go home without any fuss. Margot had wondered whether Uma might do something to sabotage Mal, at least, but it seemed the girl was genuine in her trust.

Ben seemed glued to her side for the entirety of the trip back, and Mal had been convinced to go back to Auradon at least until Cotillion so that Oliver could prove she didn't have to change herself.

Margot felt strange. There was an out-of-body feeling as she watched the Isle disappear behind her, and even Ben's presence next to her couldn't distract her from the view. Her mind stabilized in its instability, and fear gripped her heart desperately as she finally said goodbye to the image of herself that was lesser. It was terrifying to no longer have a definition.

Ben squeezed her hand. "You ok?"

Margot paused, swallowed thickly as she finally tore her gaze away from the Isle. "Yeah, just need to think, I think."

"Well, try to think a little less tense, ok, Mar?" Ben put his arm around her shoulders gently so that she could leave if she wanted.

After a moment of remaining tense, Margot leaned backwards into his arm, her head resting on his shoulder. "Ok. I'll try."

Ben's arm tensed as if he'd been waiting for her to pull away, but once he'd decided she was staying he gave in and held her tighter. Margot's mind raced but the warmth of his arm distracted her as she held herself back from leaning further into him. As each moment passed, it became infinitely more tempting, and Ben's cologne overwhelmed her senses.

"Are you feeling better?" Ben asked after a few minutes. Margot jumped in her seat, her face flushing at the feel of his breath on her face.

"Yeah, yep, I'm feeling better," Margot pointedly ignored Evie's raised eyebrow as she calmed herself. "Thank you." Ben squeezed her shoulder once, but she could see his other hand clenched in a fist. Her hand reached out to hold it before she paused, pulling back. Was it right to be so affectionate? She didn't even know who she was, what if she gave him false hope?

Ben watched her hand sadly but said nothing. Margot was here, and she was leaning on him, and for now, that would be enough.

When they arrived back at the school, Evie whisked Margot away before Ben could even begin to process and he watched helplessly as the two girls entered the school.

"Gogo needs time to think. Don't overthink it, lover boy," Mal commented snarkily, squeezing Oliver's hand once before catching up to the other two girls.

"Mal's right, Ben. Margot will come around. Now, it's time for us to get ready. Cotillion is only a few hours away, and I have one party to convince Mal to stay," Oliver added, glancing towards where the girls had disappeared nervously.

Meanwhile, the girls were packed in Mal and Evie's room, getting their dresses on.

"You two are a mess. Running off to the Isle? Seriously guys? One note for me and no warning?" Evie shook her head, though her hands were gentle as she finished up some final touches on their dresses.

"Sorry Evie," Margot mumbled quietly, eyeing herself in the mirror. She looked terrified, almost engulfed by the sunset-orange dress. She looked so different. Who did she look like? Margot didn't know. She didn't look like the Isle whore, she didn't look like her mother, she didn't look like her favourite book character, she looked like someone else. Who was it?

Mal seemed similarly uncomfortable in her yellow and blue dress that so clashed with her pink hair.

Evie could do nothing for either of them, despite her best efforts. After all, she felt perfectly herself in her own blue dress. She had never wondered where she belonged.

"Hey roomie, I thought I'd find you here," Kalea said as she walked in, dressed in a colourful turquoise with orange and pink flowers.

"Ever heard of knocking?" Mal asked grumpily.

"No, I haven't," Kalea grinned, unafraid of Mal's annoyance. She turned back to her roommate, looking her up and down. "Damn, roomie, you look great! That bold look suits you wayyy more than expected, good job Evie."

"THANK you!" Evie exclaimed, waving at the nonchalant girl. "Finally someone who sees it."

"Is Margot being all down again?" Kalea asked, poking Margot's arm teasingly. "Come on, roomie. It's just a dress. It's nice to switch things up every once in a while, huh? I mean, have you ever seen me in a dress before?"

Margot finally seemed to notice what her roommate was wearing. "You look... so feminine. It suits you."

Kalea's dress hugged her curves nicely, and the two slits showed off her leg muscles, accentuated by the low heels she wore. "Right? Dresses are inconvenient, but that doesn't mean I can't like them. I'm allowed to like girly things only sometimes, just like you're allowed to be bold sometimes."

Margot nodded hesitantly, glancing back at the mirror, analyzing the colourful details of her own dress. With Kalea in the mirror next to her, she didn't feel like she looked so strange.

"We look pretty good together, huh? Our colours are complimentary, right?" Kalea commented, nudging the nervous girl playfully. "That works perfectly, since I'll be your date to the Cotillion."

Perking up, Margot stared at the taller girl who rested an arm around her shoulders casually. "Huh? Don't you have a date?"

"Yeah, you, silly. Someone's gotta make sure you remember to have fun, and I don't have anyone else I'd pick so it works out perfectly."

Evie and Mal watched in awe as Margot's shoulders dropped down as she smiled in relief at her roommate.

"I appreciate that, Kalea. You're the best." Margot leaned into Kalea's shoulder for a moment before straightening herself up. She held her arm out with a smile. "Shall we?"

"We shall." Kalea laced her arm through Margot's, astonished her plan had worked so well. For a brief moment, she considered whether she would be able to steal Margot from Ben if she tried. The answer might have been yes, but she didn't want to. "We'll see you guys there, Margot will freak out if she's not early to make sure everything goes according to plan."

"I don't like that you know that."

"Says the girl who tutored me in math to calm herself down. It's way too obvious if you're trying to keep it hidden."

Margot smiled, the warmth of Kalea's arm in hers reassuring her. They hadn't known each other long, and scarcely interacted, but there was something warm and familiar about her roommate. Maybe it was just her upfront demeanour, maybe it was her harsh kindness, maybe it was simply her ability for comfortable silences. Margot didn't know, but she felt suddenly much more herself as she and her "date" arrived at the Cotillion early and Kalea trailed after her sneaking pastries while she ensured everything was in order.