I hope you guys enjoy my contribution for the Jackunzel: Valentine's Day edition :D For the sake of this drabble series, I have made Jack all human and Rapunzel - though with her blond hair - human too. And yes, I finally worked up the courage to join a fandom contribution. Review, if you would!
I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you, yes there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you...
-Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop; Landon Pigg
Day 1: Infatuation
Jack knew from the moment he met her that he was done for.
It wasn't like how the movies portrayed it – sappy violin music, slow eye contact and an instant chemistry – no.
It was worse than that.
He had gotten another detention for talking back during Biology class – it wasn't his fault, his teacher had caught him staring off into space when he was just memorizing the facts – hence why he was held back in school when he could've been with his friends, hanging out and watching a movie.
He glanced at his watch. If he could finish the questions in less than fifteen minutes, he would still have a chance to meet up with them later.
Jack sullenly stared at his punishment – fifty additional mathematics questions – and groaned inwardly.
By some grace and miracle, he had managed to complete the set of questions before the designated time. Mr. Edwards, had grudgingly let him go with a final warning of not insulting teachers and he nodded, barely listening.
He shouldered on his backpack and trudged down the hallways, muttering angrily under his breath. He made his way to his locker, remembering to collect his textbooks as the next day was a Saturday and he needed them for his revision (another miracle).
Jack looked around and noticed that he was one of the last students still loitering in the halls. He sighed for what must've been the hundredth time as he piled his books on one arm.
"Excuse me, what are you doing at my locker?" an indignant voice called.
Jack turned, scowling in his black mood when he noticed who was speaking.
She had her arms crossed and a glare on her face. Jack was struck speechless, openly staring at her like a moron.
She was beautiful.
Not as in superstar beautiful, but stop-in-your-tracks-holy cow-is-she-a-model-or-is-she-a-girl-next-door type of beautiful. He continued to gawk at her.
She prompted him with a gesture at the lockers. "I said, what are you doing at my locker and- hey, are those my books?"
Jack snapped out of it, returning her pointed stare with a look of confusion. "I'm sorry." He didn't even know what he was apologizing for. "But this has been my locker for the past three years."
Her glare faltered, doubt taking over her expression. "I-I could've sworn this was my locker, I-" She held out a piece of paper, her brow wrinkling. "It says 11A and this is the same one…"
She trailed off when she saw his smirk.
"What?"
Jack pointed to the locker beside his. "I think that's yours, if I'm not mistaken. Mine's 11A1."
The girl walked to the locker on his right and tried the code. It opened and she flushed a bright pink.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, it's just I thought that this was mine because it had the same dent on its surface…" She pointed to a flaw in the centre of the metal.
Jack scrutinized it and was amazed to see that his locker had the same dent, in the almost same position as hers.
She gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that, I…God, that was embarrassing." She cleared her throat. "I'm new here, just arrived yesterday and the locker system is a little bit confusing- okay, maybe a whole lot confusing."
He gave her an amicable smile. "Don't worry, I got lost and misplaced my stuff here on my first day, so compared to that, this isn't even awkward." He made a face. "What's awkward is confusing the janitor's closet for the Physics lab, now that is awkward."
She giggled and he found himself smiling at the sound. She had a pretty laugh and Jack thought it sounded like tinkling bells.
God, I sound like such a ninnie, he grimaced.
"Sorry, I never caught your name."
She grinned. "My name's Rapunzel. Yes, I was named after a fairy tale princess, you may laugh now." He didn't. The blonde gave him a grateful smile. "I just moved here from my home country, Germany."
Jack nodded. He had noticed that she had a slight accent. "My name's Jack," he said, offering her his hand. "So, is it officially nice to meet your locker stealer now, Miss Rapunzel?"
She rolled her eyes but shook his hand. "It's nice to see that he has a name that I could report on." Her eyes twinkled playfully.
Jack grinned, loving this girl's wit and humor.
Since they were one of the last ones in the school compound, he offered to walk her back home. The day was too beautiful to take the bus. On the way they talked about their family (she thought it was sweet that he had a younger sister who looked up to him), their favorite hobbies (he found that she loved painting and although he was horrible at it, he did like sculpting), their favorite books (he always found a girl who read Tom Clancy extremely hot) and anything and everything under the sun.
Every morning since that fateful afternoon, he would wait for her by their lockers, if only to say hi and ask about her day. It came up to a point that his best friend had noticed his infatuation with the new transfer student.
"Mate, you alrigh' there? You looked like youse just seen a Goddess or something." Aster followed his train of sight which landed on Rapunzel.
His Australian friend turned and gave him a smirk. Jack, noticing, glared at him. "What?"
Aster shrugged casually, still giving his trademark infuriating smirk (that his girlfriend, Ana, somehow loved and he couldn't fathom why). "I see you've met the new girl," he commented. Jack rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
The two friends stared each other down until Aster burst out laughing, his tall 6'1 frame shaking with gleeful tremors. "Oh, gosh, mate, you looked like some love struck chit." He continued chortling.
Jack's cheeks reddened. "No, I do not," he stubbornly replied.
"You sure? 'Cause I thought there was something lovely about her blue eyes."
"Her eyes are green," Jack automatically answered. His genial expression turned to one of mortification, realizing his mistake. "I mean, not like I noticed it's just that, you can see it and-"
"Aww, s'okay Jackie, I won't tell," Aster promised. "Besides, I think she's interested in you too."
The brunette perked up. "You think so?"
Aster gave an exasperated sigh. "Really, Jack, youse about as blind as a…a sightless bat, of course she's interested in you, besides, did you see the way she turned back to give you one last smile?"
He snorted at his friend's simile. Jack had noticed of course, but it had slipped his mind, in his haste to wave goodbye to her.
"Have you tried to ask her out yet?"
Jack deflated at that question, leaning against his locker. The hallway was almost empty, everyone scurrying to their next class. Soon, it was just him and Aster but he didn't mind. Mrs. Jones would never notice him coming in late for English. She would be too busy reciting Macbeth vigorously to pay attention to her class.
"No," he admitted. "Not yet."
Aster quirked one dyed eyebrow – dark blue, heavens know why he decided to color in his eyebrows – at him. "Why?"
Jack rubbed his head with his free hand. "I…I don't know how," he confessed.
His friend's green eyes – not as green as Rapunzel, more emerald and darker…He found it strange that he had noticed it – widened as he gave him a scathing stare.
"Coming from Jackson Overland, major flirt, I find it hard to believe."
"She's not like other girls, she's…she's different," he shrugged. "She leaves me tongue tied and stuttering sometimes it's just…it's just terrifying trying to ask her out."
"Listen, the next time you meet her, just ask if she's seen the latest Thor movie. If she hasn't, ask her out to the cinema. Sound easy enough Casanova?"
Jack rolled his eyes. Aster gave him a bemused smile.
"Seriously, mate, you really are done for, you know that?"
Grudgingly, he thanked his friend for the advice. On the outside, he seemed openly skeptical to the idea that Rapunzel had done him in but deep down, he knew it was true.
And he knew it was worth it, for her.
Wow, he really was done for this time.
