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Of Hearts and Sapphires
Red noticed her best friend pulling away from her, she didn’t understand what was happening or why the sudden distance. But, she decided that she wouldn’t let anything ruin their friendship, especially after what they went through in Wonderland.
Chloe seemed aloof, almost distracted, and sometimes when her eyes landed on Red the other girl could see frustration. Red thought about all the possibilities, maybe she was still mad about the fight with the chess players, maybe she was annoyed because she ate her lunch the other day, maybe about the potions class incident. Whatever the case, Red could see that something was bothering Chloe.
The blue-haired girl wouldn’t budge, and everyday Red felt the distance grow, so she came up with a plan.
Chloe opened the door to her dorm in silence, hoping that her best friend was off with Luis, but she was greeted by the room filled with snacks and a couple of movies set on her bed. “Wha-”
“You’re home!” Red gave Chloe a big hug, making the other girl yelp in surprise, “I did something for us”
Chloe giggled, “I see that, what is this exactly?”
Red led her inside the room, letting the other girl see what she had planned, “I feel like you’ve been pulling away from me lately” Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but Red stopped her, “Don’t try to deny it, I’m not dumb” the blue-haired girl looked at the floor, ashamed that her jealousy had gotten the best of her, “I don’t know what I did, but I want to make it better! So, I decided that we will be having a weekly movie night, just us”
Chloe smiled, “You did all of this for me?”
Red nodded contently, “I don’t want us to fight, you’re my best friend, Chloe”
‘Friend’ that word was becoming increasingly annoying for Chloe, but she nodded in return. She could see that her distance was hurting her friend, so she decided to make an effort as well. “And you’re mine” she blushed, “Best friend, I mean, anyways…” she sat down on the bed, “Let’s see what you picked up”
They browsed Red’s selection for the night, settling on a teen movie. The movie was boring, but Chloe could see that Red was intrigued so she watched contently with the other girl curled on her side. “So, is that what parties look like here in Auradon?”
Chloe giggled, “I mean, most of them anyways”
“I don’t know Chloe… we didn’t do parties in Wonderland” Red said, standing up and pacing the room “Besides, tea parties, classical music, it sounds so boring! I would throw a big party”
Chloe laughed, a little bit disappointed that her friend stood up from the comfortable position they were in, “Well, what would you do for a party?”
Red moved around the room with excitement, “Something big! Neon colors, loud music, good food, and obviously my best friend!”
Chloe let out a giggle, “Oh, am I an important part for the mix?”
Red rolled her eyes, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “Well, duh! It wouldn’t be fun if you aren’t there, princess” she sat down again, finishing the movie. “Hey” she hesitated, watching Chloe’s sleepy face, “is it a normal occurrence for people to get presents?”
Chloe nodded her eyes getting heavier as she tried to stay awake, she hugged Red closer, “Sometimes…” she was drifting off, almost falling asleep.
Red moved, letting the girl cuddle up in a comfortable position “And if you were to get a present, what would it be?” She turned off the TV. She smiled at Chloe, while brushing the girl’s blue hair softly with her hands.
Chloe mumbled something, from that strange sentence, Red only understood one word ‘Blue’. She thought for a couple of minutes, feeling Chloe’s body getting heavier as she was falling into a deep sleep. Blue, blue, blue, the word kept repeating in her mind, many things coming to mind. A dress? A fluffy pillow? Some type of animal?
No, nothing felt right for the sleeping princess in her arms. A gift for Chloe had to be something incredible, amazing, exactly like she is. But, Red couldn’t come up with the answer that night, she closed her eyes, falling asleep and thinking about all things colored blue.
Four months later…
Chloe told everybody about her party that Friday. She managed to recruit Pink to organize everything, and the rest of the crew to help set everything up in her castle. Well, everybody but Red, who seemed to be out of the loop with everything regarding the party. No one seemed to realize something, but the party was not out of the goodness of her heart, it was to celebrate her birthday. Red, however, knew that, how could she not, she was Chloe’s best friend.
Red got some details, Pink wouldn’t shut up about it, “We decided to make it a Neon Masquerade" Red nodded, studying her book, pretending not to care, “Hazel made a cute playlist for the party, and there will be food, and drinks, and dancing, it will be so much fun!”
Red smiled, it sounded familiar, almost like the party she had described for Chloe all those months ago, “Sound really awesome, Pink”
Pink patted her back, “Are you still upset about the break up?”
Red giggled softly, “Not at all, we’re always going to be friends”
Pink beamed at her sister’s answer, “That’s good to hear” she stopped for a second, “If you don’t mind me asking… Why did you guys break up?”
“Oh well…”
Two months ago…
Red was giggling about something that Luis had said, the boy always knew what to say to make her laugh. Though it wasn’t the same laugh she had with Chloe, the blue-haired girl was funnier, in a way that doesn’t take effort to smile. “You’re doing it again” he said, his smile faltering a little.
Red watched his eyes, “What?”
He sighed, “You’re trying to laugh at my joke” Red shook her head, she hugged the tall boy closer, “It’s alright” he said, laughing it off.
Luis watched Max from the corner of his eye, he was pretending to be occupied while eyeing the taller boy. “And, you’re doing that again”
Luis smiled, “What?”
“You’re looking for Max’s gaze” she giggled softly, “Luis, I really enjoy hanging out with you, but I don’t think you’re that into me”
He gasped, “How could you say that, princesa?” he touched his chest dramatically to make a point. Red smiled at his antics, he was cute, a great person to be around, but his focus would never be completely on her. “I really like you”
She put both her arms around his neck, “Alright, then kiss me”
He did as she told him to, but when they moved away from each other, their looks of disappointment were evident, “I-”
She patted him on his shoulder, “I know, let’s just call it off, you should be with the person you keep on looking at” her eyes locked on Max’s eyes, the boy cowered and ran away, she chuckled “Don’t keep him waiting too long”
He smiled softly at Red, “Thank you” and with that he ran away to find Max.
Luis ran around campus, trying to find the purple-haired boy. He looked at every place he could think of, but he wasn’t able to find him. Disappointed, he turned around to the entrance of the school, there he saw Max staring at the King’s statue. He ran towards him, “Hey! I’ve been looking for you everywhere”
Max snickered, “Did you look here?”
Luis smiled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “What are you doing?”
“Everyday, at twelve, the statue of the king morphs into his beast form” he grinned, as the statue changed forms, “I just find it neat…”
“Cool” he grabbed Max’s arm softly, “I want to talk to you”
Max stared up at Luis’s brown eyes, trying to figure out what he was going to say, “What’s up?”
“I-I…” he cleared his throat, “I was wondering… what are you doing Friday?”
Max shrugged, “Probably going treasure hunting with Hazel, why?”
“I wanted to…” he shrugged, “I don’t know, ask? Maybe, would you be interested in… having some coffee with me?”
Max smirked, “Are you asking me out, Madrigal? What about Red?”
Luis fidgeted with his hands, trying to find the right words, “We broke up” he coughed, “It is cool if you have other plans, I’ll leave you to it”
He turned to leave, but Max stopped him in his tracks, “I could arrange the hunt for another day”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah” Max smiled.
Back to the present…
“Oh…” she shrugged, “Well, I guess it makes sense”
Red nodded, “It absolutely does” she nudged Pink forward, “Now, where are our invitations?”
Pink shrugged again, “I don’t know, Chloe said she’ll be giving them out today”
“Cool”
Most people got an invitation, everybody except for Max, Squeaky, Squirmy, Hazel, Robbie, Felix, Luis, and Red. At the end of the day they were shocked, they had not received their invitations for the party. “Wow! Rude! We helped her set everything up”
Hazel nodded, rolling her eyes with disgust, “I even set up a little playlist for the party”
Chloe appeared around the corner, “Don’t be angry with me… I made special invitations for my closest friends”
Red smiled as she received her invitation, together with a beautiful red mask that had little blue details embroidered into it. She touched the details softly, she could tell Chloe made her extra special for her “Chlo… these are so beautiful” Red said, hand going to her chest in awe.
Luis touched Red’s mask, “Yeah, they’re cute!” Red noticed that Luis’s mask had less details. She realized then and there, Chloe definitely had put more effort into hers, she was going to keep it forever.
The next day, Red skipped school entirely, deciding to make a quick trip to Wonderland. After many many hours, and five months of thought, she finally realized what she wanted to give to Chloe. Something special and unique, something that reminded Chloe how much Red cared about her.
She ran through the forest with a carefree smile on her face. Tonight, she was going to show Chloe just how much she means to her, and she couldn’t stop imagining the look on Chloe’s face. She wanted the princess to be happy, and she wanted to be the source of that happiness.
“Hi mom!”
Her mother skipped the steps to the throne, almost throwing herself towards her daughter, “My rose! Why are you here? Are you hurt?”
Red chuckled nervously, letting go of her mother’s embrace, “I am fine, mom, I came because I need a favor”
“Oh, alright, darling. Whatever could you need?” She asked, genuinely intrigued by whatever her daughter might need.
“I know that it is a family heirloom, and I know that it is special, but I want to give the sapphire ring to Chloe” she stopped, looking at the floor, “Today is her birthday”
Her mother grinned, “Well, she must be really special”
“She is”
“Alright! The thing is, the ring is guarded by the Jabberwocky’s spawn”
Red’s eyes opened up in fear, “What now?”
“Oh, yes, my rose… After the whole incident with Maddox, I decided to keep precious treasures under careful watch”
Red sighed in disbelief, “So that means”
Her mother nodded softly, “I’m afraid so… How about we look for something in my jewelry box?”
But Red shook her head aggressively, “No, I need to give Chloe the best, and if the best means fighting the monster, I’ll do it”
The older woman sighed, “I was afraid you’d say that,” she ruffled Red’s hair, “But, I would expect nothing else for you!” she smiled, nudging Red to walk with her. They got to a weapon room, where the queen gave her armour and a sword to fight the Jabberwocky’s spawn. “Are you sure you want to wear your outfit for the party under the armour? I’m sure I can get you something else”
Red shook her head again, “No, I can’t lose time, I need to be there for the party” she gulped, “I don’t want to disappoint Chloe”
Bridget looked at her daughter with knowing eyes, she found the whole ordeal ironic. She knew her daughter hadn’t realized it yet, but there was no way she was doing all this for her ‘best friend’. “My rose… I think-”
“I know mom, this is dangerous, but I care about her way too much and I want to make her birthday special” Bridget could only look at her daughter with admiration. She smiled one last time before smacking the horse for it to run forward. The horse went at full speed, both ready to face the Jabberwocky’s spawn.
While the horse ran, she took out the mask Chloe had made for her, a small smile gracing her face. Her heartbeat began to race, and it wasn’t precisely because of the anticipation.
She went to a deserted place, looking for a gigantic beast, however, when she descended from the horse, there was nothing to be found. She shrugged, maybe the beast was asleep. She looked at the clock on her wrist, night was about to fall, she had to get the ring quickly.
Then she heard it, a loud growl coming from the distance, she grabbed the white sword her mother had given her, “Alright… here goes nothing” The beast launched itself forward. It was, in fact, enormous, it had purple and green scales covering its head and body. And the worst of all, it talked.
“What are you looking for, knight”
Red gulped, disgust written all over her face, “I-I need Wonderland’s Sapphire ring”
The beast hummed, almost as if it was thinking, then it spoke again, “Why are you searching for a ring?” it moved, its tail wrapping Red’s legs, she shivered, “I see, you’re looking to gift Wonderland’s treasure, but why? Who is this person you’re risking your life for?”
Red made a face, “That’s none of your business!”
The beast let out a loud cackle, flying away, “You don’t wanna talk? Fine. Then die!”
It pulled itself forward, crashing against the floor, Red moved away just in time. She took out the sword, swinging it, trying to get the monster away from her. “Damn… Chloe was right, I should take fencing classes” She ran, the monster following close behind her. It opened its mouth, fire coming out, hitting Red’s shield, “You have to be fucking kidding me” she closed her eyes, a memory flowing through her mind.
A month ago…
Chloe and Red ran back to their dorm after being discovered, both laughing hysterically. Red looked at her friend, she bit her lip while watching her laugh. It suddenly occurred to her, Chloe had the most amazing laugh ever.
The blue-haired girl stopped laughing, gasping for air, “Thank you”
Red grinned, “For what?”
“You know, taking us out into the night to do ‘something fun’ this was definitely what I needed” Chloe hugged Red, who hugged her back. A strange warmth filling her body, something that she had never felt before.
They separated, both looking intently into each other’s eyes. Red smirked once again, grabbing Chloe’s chin affectionately, “You know I would do anything to make you smile”
Chloe’s smile flattered for a second. She knew Red said it because she was her friend, but deep down she hoped those words meant something else. The redhead noticed her friend’s change of demeanor, but when she was about to ask the other girl turned around. “I’m going to change for the night, don’t wait up”
She walked forward, entering the bathroom, and leaving Red alone with her own thoughts. Her heart began to race, and for once it wasn’t her usual anxiety burning up her chest. No, her heart was racing because of Chloe. The way she laughed, her warmth when she hugged her, those beautiful brown eyes staring down her own. Something changed for Red that night, from then on she took a decision that would change the course of her life, she wanted everything with someone. But that someone was not Luis, it was Chloe.
After she made that discovery she jolted up from her bed, running towards the door and to the corridor, she had to talk to someone. She quickly dialed Luis’s number, “Red… it’s two in the morning…” he replied grogily.
“I’m sorry, it’s just, remember when we broke up. We knew we just weren’t a good fit for one another, and you found your match”
Luis stared at the purple-haired boy laying on his chest, he smiled, “Yeah… so?”
“I’ve been looking for someone to make me feel that way, the way you feel with Max, I thought I found it when I met you… but…”
Luis chuckled, “Let me guess, you finally realized you’re head over heels for Chloe”
“What? How do you know that?”
Luis scoffed, “How did you not?” he sighed, “Look, Red, we all noticed. The way you look at her, how your smile brightens whenever she’s near, those little touches on her chin… Princesa, that’s not very ‘best friend’ of you”
Red giggled, “Well, I must sound like an idiot”
Luis shook his head, even though Red couldn’t see him, “You’re not an idiot! But we are certainly dense people, it just took us a while to figure it out”
Red nodded, “Now what?”
She turned to open her door, watching Chloe’s sleeping figure, “Now you get the girl” he finished the call before she could answer.
At the present…
Red opened her eyes, no overgrown lizard was going to keep her away from the perfect present for her princess. She moved the shield, making the spawn stop breathing fire. She jumped, hitting it in one of his overgrown legs. The creature yelped in pain, falling to the ground. “You’re not keeping me from the ring!”
The beast roared in return, the sound making her lose some of her balance. She ran, looking for the entrance of the spawns lair, where she hid. The monster roared outside, but she didn’t care, she walked inside, looking for her treasure. The ring was front and center, she smiled. The ring was small, so she was able to put it in one of her pockets.
She ran away, managing to get on her horse before the beast was able to attack again.
Back in the castle, her mother waited with a small velvet bag on her hand. “Red! What happened to you”
She watched her daughter’s torn and burned armour and outfit, “That thing wouldn’t give it”
The queen laughed lightly, “Well, I’m just glad you’re alright” she turned to look at her clock, which showed it was already ten o’clock. “My rose! It is getting late!” she gave the bag to Red, “For your princess” Red blushed, she pointed to the horse, “Yeah take the horse, good luck, darling!”
A hug later, Red was riding the horse at full force to get to the party. The journey was still long, but she was on her way, with her horse and her gift.
When she was getting closer, she saw her friends walking back to Auradon Prep, “Hey guys!” Pink smiled when she saw her.
“Going to see your princess?”
“Yes!” she answered confidently, they all cheered, but Hazel stepped forward.
“You better hurry, she’s distraught that you didn’t show” she took out a pocket watch from her jacket, “Run, you still have ten minutes”
Pink cheered her forward, “Good luck, sis!”
With that she left in a hurry, she had to get there, she needed to apologize and see her princess before it was too late. She saw the castle in the distance, there in the steps, her princess sat, her face showing a broken heart. That made Red continue faster, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “CHLOOOOO…EEEEEEE”
She saw the guards closing the gates, “Chloe!” the guards turn to see Cinderella, and then Red again, “Don’t close the gates!”
Thankfully the guards helped her, they left the gates open, letting in that crazy girl moving at high velocity. Red stopped the horse however she could, jumping down in a frenzy, almost stomping herself on the ground in the process.
She ran towards Chloe, pulling her into a big hug as soon as she was close again. The girl was torn to shreds, burned, all her body aching, but she was there, for her princess. “I am so, so, sorry for running late!” she exclaimed, gasping for air.
Chloe stroked her arms, watching her burned clothes, but the mask she made for Red was completely intact. The blue-haired girl gave her a bright smile, that sole gesture made all the pain disappear, “It doesn’t matter” she pulled Red into a hug again, “You came” they moved apart ever so slightly, Chloe staring intently at Red’s brown eyes, “Red, I-”
Red stopped her, “Wait” she let go for a moment, grabbing the small velvet bag from her pocket, “I got you something” from the bag she took out the sapphire ring. The ring that almost made her lose an arm and a leg for, “Once, almost asleep, you told me you wanted something blue” she took a breather, taking the moment to place the ring in Chloe’s finger, “I had to fight the Jabberwocky’s spawn… which was not that fun” she let out a soft giggle, “But, I got one of Wonderland’s biggest treasures” she grabbed Chloe’s hand, placing a small kiss on her knuckles, “And now, I’m giving it to you”
Chloe looked at the ring in awe, she hadn’t expected to get any gifts, she didn’t even know that Red remembered her birthday. She gasped softly, “Red, you didn’t have to”
Red pulled her close to her again, just enough to see her beautiful brown eyes. She gave the blue-haired girl a smile, “Of course I did!” she placed a soft kiss in Chloe’s cheek, “Happy Birthday, Chlo”