One problem with being best friends with the future king was that he was always so busy. She hardly got to spend time with him anymore between his princely responsibilities and his clingy girlfriend. She tried her hardest to be understanding, but while he was constantly being surrounded by people, she was often left feeling lonely.

To keep herself occupied, and from going insane, Honey found comfort in books. When not in the kitchen, she could usually be found somewhere in the library with her nose stuck in a book, definitely something she picked up from hanging around Ben's mom.

Ben walked to the back of the library, finding Honey sat by herself as he expected, and plopped himself down on the sofa next to her.

"Hey. Thought I'd find you here," Ben speaks up, causing Honey's head to shoot up and finally acknowledge his appearance. She furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed he was still in his Tourney uniform.

"Are you supposed to be in practice or something?"

"No, I just came from there actually. I just wanted to see how you're doing."

Ben wasn't blind, he knew Honey had a hard time fitting in and didn't have many friends beside him. He couldn't force everyone to like her, unfortunately, but he could make sure he was there for her whenever he could.

"I'm peachy keen, jellybean," she responded, flashing him a bright smile. "Actually, I was hoping to talk to you, see how the Isle kids are doing." She didn't mention the strange encounter she had with Mal and Evie last night, not wanting him to be concerned.

"Funny you should ask, actually. Guess who tried out for the Tourney team."

She knew Evie wouldn't be caught dead doing something so rough and dirty, Mal wasn't likely to join any school sports or clubs, and Carlos didn't seem like the athletic type, so she assumed it was Jay.

"I'm guessing Jay?" Her guess was proved correct when Ben nodded excitedly.

"Yup! And Carlos. Well, sort of. Jay made it and then told Coach he wouldn't do it without Carlos."

"So I'm guessing Carlos could use some improvement, then?" Ben laughed along with her, nodding his head. "Well, if anyone can teach him, it's you."

"They seem cool, right? A little different, but I think they'll really like it here. It looks like they're already giving it a shot." Honey stared at Ben as his face lit up talking about them. She could tell how passionate he was about his first proclamation, how dedicated he was to making it work.

"I really think this will work, Ben. I hung out with the girls yesterday," she smiled as she thought back to how she bonded with the other girls before she was unceremoniously kicked out. "Hopefully I can help them feel a little bit more welcomed."

"Thank you for being so open to all of this, Honey. I seriously don't know what I'd do without your support," Ben spoke sincerely, looking gratefully into his best friend's eyes. "Audrey wasn't too thrilled when I told her about them, and then even less thrilled when they actually got here." They both laughed at his statement, Honey picturing the hilariously furious expression on the princess' face when Ben told her.

"Well, it's her loss. They're pretty cool. Actually, do you know where they are? They mentioned wanting to learn how to bake yesterday. And...also a makeover." She frowned at the last part as Ben laughed in amusement.

"You? A makeover? Gosh, the last time someone tried giving you a makeover, you were traumatized for months. You couldn't even go anywhere near glitter without having a nervous breakdown," he said between laughs, recalling the time when they were about 13 and Audrey and a few other princesses gave Honey a makeover. It...didn't end well.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Honey groaned and frowned at the memory as she got up from the couch. "I'm gonna see if I can find them. Thanks for checking on me." She jokingly curtsied which he rolled his eyes at. "Your Highness."

"Go away."

"Hey, guys!" Honey yelled out to the two Isle girls as she caught sight of them by the lockers. "I was looking for you. I wanted to see if..." She trailed off, inspecting the spray paint on Mal's locker. The purple-haired girl had mentioned she did a lot of graffiti on the Isle, but Honey wasn't picturing something as amazing as what was in front of her. "Oh, wow. Mal, I really like your locker."

Mal glanced from her locker to the girl's bright smile in confusion. "Really? It literally has the words "Long Live Evil" on it," Mal points out.

"Oh, well, I just meant I think it looks really pretty. Not the whole "evil" part. Not that there's anything wrong with evil...Oh my gosh, not that I think you guys are evil! I just meant-"

"It's okay, Sunshine," Mal snorts, Evie giggling beside her. "Don't lose your head, I know what you meant."

"My dad calls me that," Honey says, smiling fondly at the nickname.

"It suits you!" Evie spoke up loudly. Both Honey and her own eyes widened at her outburst while Mal stared curiously at her best friend. "I-I mean...... Hey, so what were you looking for us for?" Evie stuttered out, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, uh..." Honey glanced at Evie whose face was a bit red, but brushed off her weird behavior. "I wanted to see if you guys wanted to do some baking after classes? You know, if you have nothing better to do...." Honey nervously asked them, almost expecting a rejection.

"I don't see why not. E?" Mal turned to her friend who seemed to be deep in thought. "Earth to Evie." Mal snapped her fingers in her friend's face, bringing her back to reality.

"Oh, um...yeah. Sounds like fun. Oh!," she exclaimed as her brown eyes lit up with excitement. "And then we can do the makeovers!"

Though she was honestly dreading the makeover, Honey didn't want the girl to think she didn't want to hang out with her. So she just smiled and nodded, hoping she looked convincing. "Of course! Just...please, nothing too dramatic, okay?"

"Yeah, good luck without," Mal fake whispered to Honey. Evie gasped and smacked her friend on the shoulder then gasped again in pain when Mal hit her instantly back.

"Ow! Hey, watch the outfit," Evie mumbled, smoothing down her jacket where Mal had just hit her. "And ignore her. I promise I won't do too much. It's not like you even really need it."

"Oh, t-thanks," Honey mumbled, blushing and smiling slightly at the blue-haired girl who had a slight blush on her cheeks as well. Mal, noticing the interaction between the two, looked back and forth between them, eyes squinted in concentration as if she was thinking hard about something.

After a few seconds of silence, Evie cleared her throat as she looked away from staring at the taller girl. "Um, I...have class." She tried ignoring the stranger looks she was getting from her best friend as she backed away slowly. "So, I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, I have class too, so...bye!" Honey sent the girls a quick smile and wave before walking away from them in the opposite direction Evie was going. With her back to them, Honey let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head at her own actions. In truth, Honey didn't have class at the moment. The awkward and slightly tense atmosphere was just too much for her.

But walking away hadn't brought her any calm. Instead, her mind was flooded with spending time with a certain someone later that afternoon. Sure, Mal would be there too, and possibly the boys as well, but just the thought of being in the same room as Evie sent an excited jolt through her spine. The same one she usually gets when around Audrey, except not mixed with fear.

She didn't know what it meant yet, and her thoughts were too messy at the moment, but she couldn't wait to figure it out.

Honey skimmed through her cookbook to find an easy recipe. It was likely people on the Isle don't have the same desserts they have in Auradon, so she was going for something basic, like cookies or cupcakes.

She had just stopped on a page for sugar cookies when Jane walked- no, stomped into the room with a deep scowl on her face. Honey had to do a double-take as she noticed Jane sporting a new hairstyle that was drastically different from her usual one.

"Did...you got the salon? When did you have time to go to the salon?" Honey tilted her head in confusion, staring at the girl and waiting for her to answer.

"Oh, you like it?" Jane asked, giving her a half-hearted smile as she flopped down on her bed. "Mal did it. With magic." Honey's eyes widened at her roommate's words before she remembered who Mal was the daughter of. Of course she has magic.

"Well, that was nice of her. So...why do you look so upset, then?" Honey asked, confused as to why Jane looked less than pleased at the moment.

"Ugh. Because I asked my mom to use her wand and make me prettier, but she refused! Can you believe it?!"

Honey couldn't help the look of disbelief that crossed her face. Hearing Jane say she wanted to use magic to be prettier was absolutely absurd to her. In her eyes, Jane was gorgeous and didn't need to be bibbity-bobbity-booed to be beautiful since she already is beautiful. She knew Jane struggled with confidence, which she was no stranger to, but knowing the girl didn't think she was pretty was heartbreaking for Honey.

"Jane...," she started, struggling to find the words, "I think your mom was right." She tried to ignore the look of betrayal and shock on her friend's face as she continued. "You don't need a wand or a spellbook to be pretty. I know you don't see it right now, but you're beautiful. I don't think you should change a thing."

Jane just rolled her eyes and stood up from her bed with a huff. "I can't believe you don't support me on this!"

"No, Jane, it's not like th-"

"You just don't get it! You can look pretty without even trying! Seriously, you're covered in flour and frosting or dirt and grass stains most of the time, but you still manage to somehow look like a princess!"

Honey stared at her friend for several moments, opening and closing her mouth as she was at a loss for words. "Jane, thank you, but I do get it, okay? I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly the most confident about my looks. I know I am pretty, but some days I don't always see that. No, actually most days." Honey surveyed Jane's face to see if her words had made an impact at all, but the girl was stubborn. Jane knew what she wanted and wouldn't let Honey get in the way of that.

"I don't understand why you're not on my side. We're supposed to be friends." Jane didn't let Honey get a word in as she stomped over to the door and left the room. The slam of the door echoed in Honey's ears as she sat in silence, wondering where she went wrong and how else she could've helped.

She wasn't exactly a friend expert, especially with girls. Her best friend was a boy, and maybe it was because everyone recognized his handsome good looks or because he was the heir to the throne, but Ben was never short on compliments on his appearance. But Jane, for some reason, didn't have many people telling her she's beautiful, besides maybe her mother.

Maybe that's where Honey went wrong? Maybe she didn't compliment Jane enough like a good roommate and friend should. Maybe she should've taken more notice of Jane's insecurities earlier. Honey had started the downward spiral of blaming herself for someone else's problems and there was only one thing that could solve that: Baking. Baking always managed to get her mind off of things, and maybe spending time with her new friends would get her mind off of how much of a bad friend she was possibly being to Jane.

Grabbing her apron and cookbook, Honey made her way out of the room and on her way to some much needed stress relief. Her hopes were crushed, however, once she actually got to Evie and Mal's room. She was just about to walk in but paused and leaned against the wall when she heard Jane, and who she thinks is Lonnie, in the girls' room. The last thing she wanted at the moment was to be in the same room as Jane after what just happened a few minutes ago. She contemplated just leaving and going back to her dorm, but she still had the strong urge to bake.

She waited impatiently for a few more minutes until Jane and Lonnie left the room, luckily going in the opposite direction so they didn't see her. Once she was sure they were out of sight she moved away from the wall and stood in the room's doorway. She knocked on the open door and took Evie eagerly waving her over as a sign to enter.

"Boy, we sure have a lot of visitors today," Mal grumbled as she sat on her bed, though she wasn't actually annoyed by Honey's presence.

"Hey, guys," Honey plopped down in the seat across from Evie who was intently working on some homework. "You guys still up for baking? I'm in a really bad mood and need something to cheer me up," she said, though she was already in a better mood just being in their room.

"Of course! I just need to finish up this homework first." Honey looked over the textbook, notebooks, and worksheets Evie had sprawled out in front of her and scowled when she realized what class it was for.

"Oh, you have Science with Mr. Deley, huh? Gosh, I had him last year and he was the worst. I love Science, but he sure does take all the fun out of it."

"He sucks! He called me out today in class and I was completely unprepared." Evie's face scrunched up as she thought about Mr. Deley. "But I got the answer right, and Chad thought I was smart so he asked me to help him." Honey frowned at the dreamy smile that appeared on Evie's when she said Chad's name. She knew Chad could be...well, charming, but his looks just mask what an awful person he is. She had been on the receiving end of his bullying many times and it was safe to say she wasn't a fan.

"Yeah, and by "help him", she means do his homework for him," Mal spoke up, sending Evie a glare when the blue-haired girl glared at her.

Honey couldn't help the look of anger that crossed her face. Not at Evie, but Chad. The boy was no stranger to manipulating people to get what he wants, but taking advantage of Evie who barely knew him and just wanted to fit in was extra cruel.

"Evie, you don't have to do that," Honey spoke softly to the girl, reaching across the table to put her hand on the girl's arm. Evie dropped her pencil in surprise at the contact, making Honey instantly retract her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry! I should've asked."

"It's okay! I don't mind," Evie said quickly, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

"Oh, okay. Well, still, I'll give a warning next time."

"Next time?" Evie tried hard to fight the grin that was spread on her face as she nodded eagerly at the girl. "Okay. Thanks." Mal rolled her eyes at the interaction, scoffing at them.

"Ugh, people here are too lovey-dovey. Makes me sick."

a/n: im having mixed feelings about this chapter. i rewrote it twice and this version was the one i liked the most, but i still don't love it. idk why. i have the next chapter mostly written tho and i really love it so i can't wait to post it.

lemme know what you think! please comment and vote. feedback really means a lot to me. k byeee!!!!