Chapter Text
“And that’s another point for Ever After High!”
The announcer called, and the whistle cracked through the stadium like thunder.
The girls celebrated, shouted, and hugged each other before returning to their positions so she could serve.
Apple had to fight the urge to roll her eyes when she watched the white hair tied into a ponytail make its way to the back of the court. The ball rested in her hands, and she smiled as though she’d already won, as though this were just another little game instead of a league every girl there gave blood and sweat to win.
“Come on, girl.”
Her mother murmured beside her, one fingernail caught between her teeth, a serious expression on her face. Apple knew things had gotten serious whenever she put on her glasses and let them slide down the bridge of her nose.
Of course her mother would be nervous.
Even though the set was practically won.
Even though the girls were already four points ahead of the opposing team.
But that was how it always was, wasn’t it?
Her mother would always be willing to stay at the top; she always wanted the best team, even when the match was practically decided.
Because she accepted nothing less than perfection.
Apple clenched her jaw.
She knew exactly who her mother was watching.
Who everyone was watching and applauding without her even having to do anything.
The whistle blew, and a red blur leaped into the air to serve.
That hit looked strong enough to tear someone’s head off, and the ball shot across the court like a missile toward the opposing middle blocker.
Apple rose from the bench, adjusted the jacket over her shoulders, and headed for the gym restroom.
The noise was deafening; the cheers, the boos, the squeaking shoes scraping across the court. Apple needed a little peace.
When she reached the restroom, she took a good look at herself in the mirror and came to the conclusion she’d already expected.
She looked flawless.
Then again, that was to be expected. She was always beautiful and ready for every match. After all, she attended every single one alongside her mother, Ever After High’s head coach.
Which was a shame, because Apple couldn’t stand any part of that life. Even though she was very good at pretending in front of the cameras.
And it was always the same questions:
“How come you never got into volleyball, considering who your mother is?” or, “It’s such a shame you didn’t make it.”
And Apple always gave the same answers, a plastic smile plastered across her face.
God, she couldn’t understand why her mother insisted on dragging her to those tournaments. It almost seemed like she enjoyed displaying her there, just to remind her what a disappointment she was.
Whether intentionally or not, Apple was forced to endure all of it.
And worst of all, she had to put up with those volleyball girls.
All of them arrogant and full of themselves, as though they were better than everyone else. Especially that would-be star, the team’s starting player and the best athlete Snow White had ever coached.
Just looking at her made Apple’s stomach twist.
So she straightened herself as best she could, let her blonde curls fall over her shoulders, and reapplied her lipstick. She knew she’d attract attention. There were always interviews asking about relationships, whether she was seeing anyone, whether she was satisfied with the match’s outcome.
She sighed and smiled again.
When she stepped out of the restroom, the roar of the crowd and the chatter burst into her ears.
As she walked, the hurried voices grew louder and louder. That was when Apple noticed the players gathered around her mother, who spoke loudly and barked out orders like a colonel rather than a coach.
“…Feel sorry for them?” was what she heard her mother shout.
“No, Coach.”
“Then hit harder. Bring your arm down on them!”
And Apple watched the white-haired girl nod.
The girls around her drank water and wiped the sweat from their faces.
Then Darling Charming turned toward her.
Their eyes met for a brief moment before Darling looked her up and down, as though Apple were an outsider who had wandered into the wrong place.
Apple clenched her jaw and held her gaze until Darling finally looked away.
“Good. Just two more points. Don’t lose focus now. Poppy!”
The outside hitter lifted her chin.
“Avoid the block. Don’t throw yourself straight into it.”
“My bad, Coach.”
“Stay focused. We’re almost there, and then we’ll qualify in first place.”
“As if we didn’t already know that,” Lizzie muttered to Darling, nudging her with an elbow.
“It never hurts to reinforce the obvious, does it?”
Darling walked over to the bench beside Apple and picked up her water bottle, smiling arrogantly.
Apple tried with all her might not to look at her; she tried not to notice her mother walking over to them, not to speak to her own daughter, but to Darling.
“Try attacking number twenty-two on their team, got it?”
Darling nodded and remained silent, listening attentively.
“When Holly sets the ball for you, put it away.”
“Yes, Coach.”
Snow White patted Darling’s shoulder and nodded.
“Good. Keep it up, sweetheart.”
The referee blew the whistle, and it didn’t take long for the girls to return to the court. The scoreboard lit up again: twenty-three to eighteen for Ever After High.
But Apple couldn’t bring herself to watch the rest of the match.
Her head seemed to boil with anger every time Darling Charming touched the ball.
The match was over.
Three sets to none for Ever After.
Another victory, just as everyone had expected.
As soon as the final whistle blew, the girls celebrated, and the giant screen announced the victory, even though the stadium was already in complete chaos.
Apple pulled her phone out of her pocket and mentally checked out from the court, where she already knew every tedious, repetitive step that came next.
Her mother and, most likely, Darling as the team’s starter and the match’s MVP
would be called over for a quick interview, while the rest of the players would get ready for the press conference later that evening.
The girls looked euphoric, happy, excited. Even Lizzie, who usually wore such a permanent scowl that it made Apple look like she was having the time of her life just by standing there.
They gathered around Snow White, and in all their excitement barely seemed to notice how much noise they were making.
“All right, all right,” her mother said. “That’s enough celebrating. Go get changed.”
Even though the order sounded stern, Snow White was smiling.
A smile of pride.
Apple buried herself in her phone again and stood up. Now that the match was over, there was no reason to keep standing around.
“Apple!”
She turned when she heard her mother call her name.
“We’re not done here yet. Go get Darling for me, please. I need her at the press conference.”
Apple clenched her jaw.
“Apple! Tell her we’ll be in the locker room, please!” Holly shouted, already halfway down the hall.
Honestly, how did everyone admire those girls who thought they were better than everyone else?
Apple turned toward where Darling was being interviewed; that ridiculous smile, those perfectly white teeth, that flawless sun-kissed skin.
She walked over slowly, careful not to interrupt either the reporters’ questions or the smiles directed at Darling. Because Apple could dislike her all she wanted, but she would never ruin a moment like that.
She wasn’t rude.
So when she stopped beside the reporters, Darling looked at her, and Apple simply raised an eyebrow.
Darling seemed to understand immediately.
She excused herself from the journalists and walked over to Apple.
“Did I keep you waiting?” she asked with a small smile.
“The girls are in the locker room. They sent me to get you.”
Apple turned on her heel and headed toward where her mother was waiting, assuming Darling would follow behind.
Snow White was talking to one of the reporters a little farther away from where they’d been before, and Apple decided to leave her there. She picked up her handbag from the bench and turned to Darling with a polite smile.
“Tell her I’ll be heading back to the hotel, all right?”
“Already? Aren’t you going to—”
“Thank you.”
Apple walked past her and headed toward the side exit of the gym, where she knew there would be fewer people.
She pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her bag just in case and rested them on top of her head. After all, it was already nighttime, and the peak of fashion was wearing sunglasses at eight o’clock in the evening.
When she reached the side exit, she waved at the security guard, who recognized her immediately and opened the large iron gate.
She pulled her car keys from her jacket pocket and was almost there when she heard hurried footsteps behind her.
“Apple!”
Not again, she thought as she turned around.
And she was surprised to see Darling.
“Whew, I almost didn’t catch up to you,” she said with a smile.
Did she always smile?
“What is it? Did I forget something?”
“No, not that.” Darling replied, resting her hands on her hips as she caught her breath. “It’s just… after the press conference, we’re all going to a Mexican restaurant.”
Apple nodded and waited for Darling to catch her breath before she continued.
“If you wait until the press conference is over, you can come with us. Poppy had one of her little excitement fits and said she’d pay for everyone. I mean… why not take advantage of it?” She laughed. “At least until Holly finds out.”
That was certainly strange.
She hadn’t been expecting the invitation, much less one so unexpected.
She seriously doubted those girls would have invited her if it weren’t for her mother and probably her insistence that Apple be included in everything they did.
“You mean… go with you? On the bus?”
Apple tried not to laugh.
“Thanks. I’ll pass.”
“Oh…”
And of course Darling Charming hadn’t expected to be rejected. Who in their right mind would say no to a pretty face like hers?
Something inside Apple smiled with satisfaction when she saw the disappointment cross Darling’s face.
Now she’d have to tell Coach Snow White that she’d failed to convince her daughter to get on that noisy bus packed with volleyball players.
“That’s okay. No problem,” Darling continued.
Then a heavy, awkward silence settled between them.
“Anyway…” Apple clicked her tongue. “I should get going. Have a good night.”
“Y-Yeah. Sure. Good night.”
She didn’t wait to watch Darling head back inside the gym.
She got into her car and, for the first time that night, felt relieved to be alone, surrounded by nothing but silence.
A long sigh escaped her lips as her hands found the steering wheel.
She turned the key in the ignition and started the engine, ready to leave that place behind and drive straight back to the hotel.
Soft music drifted through her earbuds as her fingers flew across the keyboard of her laptop.
Apple sat at the desk in her hotel room. Though small, it was cozy and elegant, with a minibar stocked full of sodas and a bottle of wine resting on the counter.
Comfortable as it was, she still had to finish a client’s case. The soft bed, the thick comforter, the wine, and the warm glow of the bedside lamp would have to wait.
The sooner she finished, the sooner she’d be free to enjoy the little the hotel had to offer.
Then, a knock at the door pulled her out of her trance.
She didn’t remember ordering room service.
Stretching her arms high above her head, she let out a long, satisfying stretch before standing up. She slipped her earbuds out and left them on the desk, adjusted her glasses, and settled a polite smile onto her lips before opening the door.
The smile vanished the instant she saw Darling.
“Darling?” she repeated, more to herself than to the woman standing outside.
She pulled off her glasses with surprising speed, cleared her throat, and, wearing the calmest expression she could manage, crossed her arms.
“Yes?”
“I brought you some food,” Darling said, holding out a paper bag from which the delicious aroma of fresh food escaped. “It’s a beef burrito. I asked them to put the hot sauce on the side. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it.”
Apple blinked a few times, eyeing the bag with unmistakable suspicion.
When she finally took it, she looked back up at Darling and tried to hold her gaze.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Your mom asked for one too. I figured you might like one as well.”
Oh. So that was the reason.
Apple offered a faint smile and, already prepared to get back to work, rested one hand against the door.
“Thanks again, Darling. Good night.”
“Wait, Apple!”
Apple stopped, raising an eyebrow.
Darling cleared her throat and shrugged, as if searching for the right words.
“Um… are you coming to practice tomorrow?”
Apple bit back a laugh.
“Your practice?” she asked. “Why would I do that?”
“We’re training in the morning, and afterward we’re going to explore the city a little. The girls have never been to the North before, and they wanted to see a few places. Especially the restaurants.”
Something clicked in Apple’s mind, stirring an unfamiliar feeling in her chest.
Did those girls really want her there?
Or was this just another one of her mother’s attempts to shove her into a group she’d never truly belonged to?
She lowered her eyes for a moment, thoughtful, then looked back at Darling, who waited with a quiet, hopeful smile.
“I’ll think about it,” and she smiled back. “But I have work to finish.”
“Of course.” Darling nodded. “Good night, Apple.”
“Good night.”
This time, Apple remained standing in the doorway until she watched Darling disappear down the hotel hallway.
Only then did she step back inside, setting the still-warm food on the desk beside her laptop.
A small smile escaped before she could stop it.
It didn’t last long.
The moment the invitation to join them the next morning crossed her mind again, the smile disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.
Honestly, how could that insufferable Charming girl be so unbelievably irritating?