#jevie

She scolds herself for letting her mind wander into such a stupid thought. The little voice in the back of her head that's always sounded so much like her mother reminds her of the real goal. Get off the Isle and find a prince, marry rich. Preferably much older, too. That way he won't be around too long and she -- they -- inherit his wealth and kingdom.

Jay ticks none of those boxes. She tilts her head, chin on her propped palm, watching him across the room from her table in the cafeteria. He's busy mucking around with Diego and Hadie, bullying Anthony Tremaine for something or other. It's less bullying and more of a disadvantaged scuffle considering he seems to be giving as good as he's getting, even without his usual posse to back him up.

Jay is certainly not a prince.

Well. In a way, she supposes he is. His father was, after all, a sultan, even if only briefly. Which kind of would have made Jay a prince, even if it was before he was born.

She can picture his red and russet rags and scraps as elegant royal attire like the kind she's seen around the Isle on the screens displaying snippets of Auradon. That Aladdin and Jasmine are such a dreamy couple, with their gorgeous outfits.

Jay raises his eyebrows and smirks, openly smug and amused about something Diego just said, and leans an arm against the wall with such elegance and grace that she understands exactly what makes him a good thief. She also understands why most of his tops have no sleeves; discreet muscles push and strain against the leather of his vest jacket, a silent form of intimidation. He would definitely make a good-looking sultan, at least.

But there's no denying he's good-looking, that was never in question. Every girl in the school gives him a second look and sometimes a third if they don't think they'll be caught by the deathly glare of his watchful pet dragon, aka Mal.

Even if she could somehow convince her mother that he had some royal claim through his father's brief and not totally legal stint as Sultan, he was still a completely unsuitable candidate.

Just as everyone else on the Isle, he is far from rich. Currency is few and far between for even the most terrifying villains, who prefer to steal and threaten and hurt anyway, so see no need for wealth.

Although, she supposes if anyone on the Isle would have a stash of money big enough to provide for things classed as luxuries to them, it would be Jay. What with his dad's shop and known penchant for being stingy, there's no way he doesn't secretly hoard coins and other forms of currency away from the rest of them. And even some of the items for sale in his shop could be used for trading, even on Auradon. What's to say that the rich royalty wouldn't pay good money for ancient possessions of some of the deadliest villains alive? Jay could easily get his hands on just about anything. He proved that when he stole her necklace on their second meeting.

She watches him now, seeing what no one else seems to. The way he tilts his head up and keeps all of Anthony's attention on his face -- and Diego and Hadie's constantly moving hands -- while his own hand sneaks down and delicately swipes a few rusted pins from the loop of his jeans. His fingers curl around each one with such care and gentleness that Evie actually feels herself begin to blush. He manages to snag his earring too, disguising it with a threatening pat on Anthony's cheek.

Okay. So, two out of three. But then, she supposes it doesn't matter too much that they're the same age. Perhaps that's better, actually, since a lot of the wealth and riches require Jay to be healthy and alive in order to steal them. And while he has no kingdom, he could steal one. Or at least, a sizable enough place for both them and her mother to live in. Maybe Jay's dad, too, though she's not so sure she'd feel all that comfortable.

She breathes in sharply and straightens like a lash to her spine. What is she thinking?! Living with Jay? Planning some future with him? None of that is ever going to happen. He's just a means to an end; a way to pass her class and her key to revenge on Mal.

To break a person, break their heart. And Jay is the closest thing Mal has to a heart, as Evie has witnessed.