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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟖
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒

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Once they finished helping Evie clean up from helping Mal get ready for her date, Rylee and Morgan said their goodbyes to the blue-haired girl then grabbed our things and left her room. Their laughter cut through the halls of Auradon Prep as they made their way back toward their dorm and talked about the kids from the Isle. The girls weren't surprised by how well they got along with Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos. But what did surprise them was how they related to the four of them better than most of the people they grew up with in Auradon. Other than their siblings and Ben, there were only a few others their age that they actually liked to hang out with.

When the two of them finally got back to their room, they quickly unpacked their bags and placed their books on their desks. Rylee tossed their backpacks over by the door before the two of them changed out of their school clothes and into something more comfortable. As the Fitzherbert girl went to lie down on her bed with her sketchbook, Morgan went to her closet and pulled out her bow and arrows. A small smile formed on Rylee's face as she watched her friend study her prized possessions.

"I think I'm gonna go see if Robbie wants to go get some practice in," the Macintosh girl told the blonde before she turned around to face her, "wanna come? There should be an extra bow and quiver in the storage room."

"I think I'll pass. The last time I joined you two, I almost managed to hit myself with an arrow. But thanks for the invite," Rylee responded, causing Morgan to let out a laugh while the Fitzherbert girl rolled her eyes, "I also kinda wanna get some sketches in before we meet up with Elliot later for dinner."

"I still have no idea how that happened but sounds good! I'll see you later!"

Rylee's eyes followed her redheaded friend through the room until she closed the door behind her. Once Morgan was gone, her attention went back to the blank sheet of paper in front of her before her pencil greeted it. The blonde girl's hand flew across the page like it had a life of its own as she drew the outline of the kids from the Isle.

As soon as the sketch was finished, the princess opened the drawer on her nightstand to grab her colored pencils, only to find nothing but an empty space. Confusion flowed through her veins as she stared at the unoccupied drawer for a moment before she remembered exactly where her drawing supplies were.

"Really, Elliot? If you're gonna borrow my things, put them back when you're done," Rylee muttered to herself before she got up to put her  Auradon Prep sweatshirt over her tank top and slip on a pair of sneakers. A sigh passed over her lips as she made her way out of her dorm and towards her brother's on the other side of campus. She ignored the curious looks she was receiving from her peers as she passed them through the corridors. It was like they never saw someone in a sweatshirt and sweatpants before.

When she finally reached Elliot's room, Rylee gently knocked before it quickly swung open to reveal Pete standing in the doorway. The confusion on his face transformed into shock as he and the princess just stared at each other. Another moment passed of them just standing there in silence before he stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

"What brings you here?" the son of Peter Pan asked the Fitzherbert girl as she walked past him and into the room.

"Elliot borrowed my colored pencils," Rylee answered without looking up at the brunette boy. The princess' eyes soon landed on the pack of pencils that her mother gave her. As soon as the box was in her hands, she turned and started to head out of their room. Right as she was about to walk past Pete, he moved to block her path.

"You're still mad," he stated, making Rylee slowly look up from the floor to meet his eyes.

"Of course, I'm still mad. Why wouldn't I be mad?" she told him while trying not to shout and alert the whole school of their argument, "you've been avoiding me for a reason I still don't know and you got mad at me when I asked you about it! Unless you're gonna tell me why you've been acting weird, I'm leaving."

"I've been acting weird?!" Pete responded with a hint of anger in his eyes, something that Rylee had never seen directed at her, "you've been hanging around those kids from the Isle since they got here! You act like where they come from doesn't matter!"

"Where Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos come from doesn't matter! What matters is who they are! They're some of the most real people I've ever met!" the Fitzherbert girl retaliated, no longer caring if there was anyone around to hear their argument, "they aren't pretending to be people they're not, like most of the people at this school do! They've been given a second chance to finally figure out who they want to be!"

"They're from the Isle, Rylee! Stealing stuff and breaking things makes them happy! They don't belong here!"

The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment as an uncomfortable silence filled the room. As Rylee looked into his eyes and took in everything he said, she tried to piece together everything that had happened over the last month that made him come to his conclusion. When she came up short, a small sigh passed over the princess' lips before she decided it was time to break the stillness of the dorm. "You were one of Ben's biggest supporters when all this started. You told him that giving them a second chance was the best decision he's ever made. What changed?"

"'What changed'? Are you really that oblivious?" the son of Peter Pan questioned, only for Rylee to roll her eyes at him and cross her arms over her chest before he continued, "have you seen all the chaos that has happened since they got here? Everything is going crazy!"

The princess couldn't help but let out a scoff as her hands turned into fists under her crossed arms. "Are you kidding me? Auradon was already crazy before they got here!"

"I stayed at Auradon Prep to be with you. I turned down the opportunity to go back to Neverland to help my dad and Tiger Peony figure out a new way to run Neverland," Pete retaliated, making Rylee's blood run colder than she ever felt before, "since this year started, all you've been doing is focusing on getting those kids comfortable here and looking over Tourney plays."

"Don't you dare put that on me. I knew how important that was to you. You and I both know I wouldn't stop you if that's what you decided to do."

"Maybe I should have gone. I wouldn't have had to deal with all of this nonsense."

Shock filled every inch of the blonde girl's body as she stared into the usually cheerful boy's anger-filled eyes. A thousand thoughts filled Rylee's head as her hand gripped her box of colored pencils so tight she thought they were going to break.

"You're acting like a spoiled brat, Pete, and I'm over it," The Fitzherbert girl told him without even trying to hold back the venom in her voice, "go back to Neverland and help your dad with the Lost Boys. Go do what you should've done in the first place. I don't care anymore and it's obvious you don't either."

The anger was soon replaced by confusion as she stared down at the girl standing in front of him. "What are you saying?"

"We're done," Rylee declared while fighting back all the tears threatening to escape while keeping her eyes locked with the Pan boy's gaze.

Before Pete could say another word, the girl raced out of the room. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she walked through the halls of Auradon Prep and back toward her dorm. As she walked past wandering students, they glanced over at her with curiosity in their eyes. Not even a hint of concern. But Rylee had always known that they just wanted the gossip and didn't really care about how she felt. They never did.

When the Fitzherbert girl finally reached her destination, she rushed into her dorm and slammed the door closed behind her. A few shaky breaths passed over her lips as she made her way across the room to sit down on her bed with her back against the wall. Rylee instantly brought her knees up to her chest and leaned her head back to stare up at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried to hold back the tears from escaping her eyes, they continued to stream down her face without showing any signs of stopping.

After a moment of her just sitting in silence and staring up at the ceiling, there was a knock on the door. An unsteady sigh escaped her before Rylee tried to wipe away any evidence of her crying. Once she thought she looked presentable, she got to her feet and made her way toward the entrance of the room. The Fitzherbert girl was instantly met by Evie after she opened the door, whose smile quickly faded when she saw the look on the princess' face.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" the blue-haired girl asked as she walked into the room while keeping her eyes glued to the daughter of Rapunzel and Eugene.

Everything within Rylee told her to hide what she was feeling. After all, she was Ben's future Royal Advisor. She needed to be professional in front of everyone at Auradon Prep. If not for herself, then for the future King. But there was something inside the Fitzherbert girl that snapped when she saw the concern in Evie's eyes. That was something she had never seen from anyone other than her family and closest friends. Because of that, a sob passed over her lips when she opened her mouth, making Rylee hesitate for a moment. After letting out a shaky breath, the princess finally found the courage within herself to speak. "Pete and I...we broke up."

The girl from the Isle just stared at her blonde friend for a long moment before Evie led Rylee over to her bed. As soon as the two of them sat down, the daughter of the Evil Queen pulled the princess in for a hug. The Fitzherbert girl instantly stopped fighting back the tears once Evie's arms were wrapped around her body and cried into the girl's shoulder for what felt like an eternity.

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