this is AU, obviously

Evie sat down on the ripped red leather booth with Carlos and CJ, the three of them rushing to the diner after school before the gangs could take up every booth.

"What are you getting?" CJ asks Carlos, jokingly. They always get the same thing every time they come, because there were so few options on the menu of the rickety broken down little diner, on the outskirts of the the Isle.

Broken pictures of villains hung on the pale green walls, emphasizing the name 'Cracked Villians Diner'. Evie wasn't sure they meant cracked as in broken, but she let herself think that they did.

Evie thought about her little group as she watched CJ and Carlos converse and felt a small smile on her face. The three of them had come together almost a year ago, realizing they weren't quite like others on the Isle. Sure, they were tough and rude and violent, but only when they had to be to protect themselves. When it was just the three of them, they almost sounded like normal, somewhat happy, teenagers.

"Oh hey look," Carlos voice rang out, breaking Evie from her thoughts, "there's a new waitress," he said, gesturing over a few booths.

Evie looked over curiously, seeing the back of dark purple hair, and a dirty apron wrapped around a leather clad waist.

"Wait, isn't that Maleficents daughter?" CJ asked, and her suspicions were confirmed when she turned around, her bright green eyes being the first most noticeable thing about her. "Most intimidating kid on the Isle is now taking people's orders, how ironic," CJ giggled with Carlos.

"Well hey this ain't Auradon, we don't get any spending cash from our mommies and daddies if we want something," Evie responded, her eyes still trained on Mal.

Carlos rolled his eyes, "You're only saying that because you think she's hot," he said. Evie turned around quickly, and could see CJ out of the corner of her eye, covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Wha-C-Carlos I do not, I don't think like that about girls," she said, weakly lying through her teeth.

"Oh give it a rest Evie," he said, sighing and rolling his eyes again, "you're such a lesbian. I think you're gayer than me," he stated and smiled as she glared at him.

She went to try and deter his thoughts when CJ put a gentle hand on hers. "Eves, it's okay. You don't have to like, or want, a prince just because your mom pushed that into your head, and if you don't want to be open about it you know your secret is safe with us," she said, squeezing Evie's hand.

Evie relaxed and smiled, quietly thanking her friends.

"Hey so I'm Mal and I'll be your waitress today, what'll you guys have?" Mal spoke, walking up to the group of friends.

"I'll have the burger and fries," Carlos said, closing his menu.

"So will I," CJ said, placing her menu on top of Carlos's.

Evie was quiet, watching Mal's lips as she spoke.

"And what'll it be for you, princess?" Mal asked, locking eyes with the blue haired girl.

"I- Um- I-" Evie stuttered out, her voice seeming to fail her as she felt herself grow weak at the sight of her bright green eyes, and hearing her voice. Mal quirked an eyebrow, staring at her in amusement.

"She'll have the same. Sorry about her, she gets nervous around pretty girls," Carlos said, handing Mal their menus.

Mal smiled, a rare sight unless it was in was in a purposefully intimidating way, and grabbed their menus from his hand. "Well I'll be back with those soon," she said, throwing a quick wink at Evie.

"Carlos!" Evie exlaimed once Mal was out of earshot, suddenly finding her voice again.

"You're welcome," he said, taking a sip of his water and smiling brightly at her. "Evie we both know you're never going to make a move on your own, so I was just helping you out," he said, giving a somewhat apologetic look to his friend.

"I don't need to make a move! She's the daughter of the most wicked villain on the Isle! She probably doesn't even know who I am! And even if she did, she had a thing with Harry Hook, so I doubt she's into girls," Evie said, an almost sad tinge in her voice.

"Oh gosh Evie did you not notice that she's totally into you? And are you forgetting that she also had a thing with Uma?" CJ piped up, having been silently watching the scene fold out in front of her.

Evie pushed back into the leather booth. She had forgotten about that.

You should leave her your number," a new voice spoke up.

Evie and CJ turned around to the booth behind them, and Carlos peered over their shoulders with them.

There sat Jay, alone at a table with what looked like some papers in front of him on the table. They all stared at him, not sure what to say and a little stunned he even opened his mouth.

"Look, despite what Mal says, I'm her friend, and I know a lot about her, and I'm just saying that you should trust me on this one and leave your number," he said, leaning his arm on the booth as he talked to Evie, his eyes curiously glancing over to Carlos every now and then.

"But why should I trust you?" Evie pointed out.

"Because, even though I'm a kid of a villain, I still want what's best for Mal," he said, his eyes showing a softness rarely found in VK's. "Besides, what do you have to lose?" he added.

Evie raised an eyebrow, "Possibly insulting Mal and make her of all people mad at me?" Evie said.

The wicked glint was back in Jay's eyes as he smiled, "Good point," he started, flashing his eyes over to the door of the diner, seeing Harry and Uma walking in, "I guess you'll just have to take a risk, princess," he said, offering her one last smile before turning around to greet the rest of his approaching group.

Evie and CJ turned around, sinking down into her chair. Before she could talk, Mal had appeared next to them with three plates stacked up her arm. She set each one down in front of them, her eyes peering over to Evie as she said, "Enjoy," in a tone that made a shiver run down her spine.

As she walked off to the kitchen Evie was lost in her own thought as CJ started tease Carlos about Jay. The three of them eventually got on a different topic, Evie only deterring her thoughts when Mal walked near them to take care of her other tables.

"Here's your bill," a new waiter came, dropping a piece of paper onto the counter before walking away. Not unusual for the diner, but still Evie found herself disappointed it wasn't Mal.

"Are you gonna do it?" Carlos asked as Evie signed her name with the blue pen at the bottom of the check and placed some cash on the table.

Her mother always gave her a little extra money before heading out, telling her only to spend it on "the finer things" which Evie knew meant anything that would attract the male gaze. However she usually ended up using it to help out her two friends. They long ago had stopped thanking her, as she had insisted, saying that even though she was one of the nicer VK's it still made her uncomfortable.

"Cmon Eves, take a risk," CJ pushed, repeating Jays earlier words.

Evie's eyes flicked back and forth between her friends, and before she had time to think, she scrawled down her number at the bottom of the paper.

"Yes!" Carlos said, high giving CJ.

"Now let's get out of here before I rip that off," Evie said, standing and pulling CJ out of their side of the booth. As the three made their way to the door, Evie stopped and turned around.

Mal was cleaning up their table and stuffed the bill into her apron pocket without noticing it. Evie sighed, about to turn around when something else happened. Jay had turned around to watch his friend, and he leaned over and tapped her arm, Uma and Harry in their own conversation.

She watched Jay and Mal converse, before Jay turned back to his friends, inserting himself in the conversation.

"Evie, let's go, you can stare at your little girlfriend another time," CJ joked from behind her, pulling her a little bit. Evie stepped out of the door, glancing back one more time.

Mal had pulled the receipt from her pocket, her eyes grazing down until they landed on the bottom of the paper.

A small, innocent smile grew on Mal's face as she slipped the paper into her own jeans pocket, instead of the apron this time.