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Cal was skipping his therapy session again. He understood that therapy was important and would help him process his entire childhood on the Isle, but that didn't mean he wanted to attend anyway. He walked all over campus, taking advantage of how empty it was these last few weeks before classes started again. He reached Turney Field and noticed the amount of shade under the bleachers, and also that no one would be looking there, so he went over, encountering someone he didn't expect.
—What are you doing here? —Cal asked when he saw her.
—What are YOU doing here? —Pomme asked, knowing that Cal never went to that part of Turney Field.
—I'm skipping therapy
—I'm waiting for Doug
—Wow —Cal said with a smile, grabbing part of the bench in front of him and noticing how confused Pomme was.
—What?
—Nothing —Cal said, letting go of the bench to walk around Pomme. He noticed she wasn't as wary of him as before— I didn't expect Princess Pomme to be kissing Doug under the bleachers at Tourney field —Cal saw Pomme grimace almost immediately.
—What are you saying? —she asked. Being so close, Cal noticed she was blushing slightly, so he smiled, pleased that teasing her had worked— We just got together to study; nobody bothers us here
—Sure —Cal said, starting to back away— don't worry, I'll keep your secret
Cal knew it was highly unlikely that Pomme and Doug were actually dating. After all, if they were, they hated acting like a real couple, but he still found it fun to tease her and ask indirectly if she had a boyfriend. From that day on, Cal tried to spend more time with Pomme, there was something about her that really attracted him; she was always so calm and kind. Besides, of the three people who talked to him in Auradon, she was the best option. He still felt too embarrassed and ashamed to talk to Ben, and Hellie had come back to the Isle because of her father. Sure, there was Loonie and Doug, but Cal didn't like them much, and he didn't feel like trying to make new friends in Auradon when classes would start in a few weeks and a new wave of VKs would be coming.
A couple of days later, Cal felt hungry in the middle of the afternoon, and knowing that the cafeteria was always open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., he decided to go and find something to eat. When he entered the cafeteria, he noticed there were very few people. During the holidays, only the VKS and several princes and princesses studying politics and other electives, which were practically mandatory for them, were there. He was going to ignore everyone and buy something from the vending machine, but he noticed Pomme sitting and getting ready to eat, so he decided to go and bother her.
—What are you eating? —he asked, immediately sitting down next to her.
—I told you that you could sit down? —Pomme said. Cal looked at her silently for a few seconds and, very embarrassed, started to get up— Oh my God, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd react like that —Pomme said with a small, embarrassed smile— Have a seat
Cal sat down again, trying to ignore the embarrassment he felt. He looked at Pomme, and she smiled to show what she was eating. She wasn't sure if Cal was asking to tease her or because he actually didn't know, so she added a bit of drama to cover up her confusion.
—This is an apple pie —she said, cutting off the end of the slice.
—Apple- aren't you Snow White's daughter? —Cal asked, confused. Pomme nodded as she chewed— Wasn't she poisoned with an apple?
—This is my little form of rebellion —Pomme explained proudly when she finished eating.
—Wow, you're so edgy —he said sarcastically as Pomme looked at him— the Vks should be afraid of you
—Shut up
Pomme was about to take another bite of the pie, but Cal grabbed her hand and took the fork to try it. They were both very surprised that Pomme had let him try the pie. After tasting it, Cal made a face and realized she hated it. He assumed he was just making a face since Pomme laughed immediately.
The next day, Cal wanted to see what Pomme and Doug were doing. He was very curious, so he went to the tourney field, climbed onto the bleachers, and lay down in the sun, waiting for them to arrive. He thought they would see him, but the way they had gotten there, there was no way he could see him unless he looked straight up. It was actually a study session. At that moment, Cal noticed why Pomme was the one offering study group pamphlets out of all of them, she had to repeat words, and he often heard Doug telling her to check the numbers again. Cal wanted to make fun of her, but he knew that if he did, Pomme would have even more things to make fun of him for. Cal was getting very bored, he didn't have a cell phone yet, and he hadn't had anything to fidget with since he buried the last of his dad's horns. He was about to interrupt when he got fed up with waiting until he heard some books closing.
—And we're done —Cal heard Doug say— see ya
—Bye Doug
Cal waited a few seconds, saw that Doug was far away, and spoke.
—Wow, that was really boring —he said, genuinely bored. He looked below the bleachers and noticed Pomme glancing around until she saw him.
—What are you doing? —she asked when she saw him.
—I wanted to see if what you said was true
After that, Cal went down the bleachers until he was standing in front of Pomme, who waited patiently, somewhat annoyed that they were being spied on.
—What do you want, Cal? —she asked, annoyed, with her arms crossed. Cal immediately felt panicked.
—I like being around you —Cal noticed that Pomme believed him, as her expression changed from annoyance to surprise— you're nice, even though I treated you badly
—Oh —she said, relaxing more and uncrossing her arms— We can hang out sometimes if you want
—Thanks —they both started walking— On one condition —Pomme said, pausing for a moment— don’t get mad at me if I act dramatically —Cal laughed.
—Even if you’re manic i will understand it
This was awkward for Cal; he'd said something he immediately regretted. Now he and Pomme were sitting on a couch in one of the many common rooms at Auradon Prep. Cal couldn't even see Pomme, while she kept staring at him, waiting for an answer. Nervous and embarrassed, Cal stood up, unable to bear being next to her any longer.
—Forget what i said —he said once he was standing.
He started to walk away, but then he heard footsteps nearby. Pomme stepped forward and stood in front of Cal.
—Why do you like me? —Pomme asked, but Cal was already too embarrassed.
—Because I don’t have to sit in a room with other people waiting for my turn to talk to you —he said sarcastically, not wanting to humiliate himself even though no one else was around— and you don’t interrupt me to say “that’s all the time we got”
—I’m serious —Pomme said, looking him in the eye.
—Your personality —Cal murmured— and the fact that you don’t talk behind my back after I tell you things
—Did you like me because I’m confidential? —Pomme asked, confused.
—Yes
—You’ll be the end of me, Cal
Cal was ready to back away from her, but Pomme was faster and hugged him. Even though she didn't appreciate the joke that he was using her like therapy, these last few days she'd felt something more than friendship for Cal. Maybe she was giving him the benefit of the doubt or ignoring how they met, but she was very happy that Cal liked her too. So they started dating.
At first, it was just a couple of dates while they decided whether it was a good idea to start dating or not, but once they decided to go for it, they opted not to tell anyone, at least not yet.