September the 14th

Elsa woke up and promptly wished she hadn't.

A beaming ray of sunlight was bursting through the partially closed curtains and straight into her tired eyes. Rather than invigorating her into wakefulness, it just made her feel hot and sticky. Rolling over and spitting blonde hairs out of her mouth she glanced painfully at the clock on the side, acid green digits informed her it was three in the afternoon.

She scowled, she always slept too little and too late without Anna.

There was a mental pause, as if thinking the name could summon the person, but when no chirping red head burst through the door she merely closed her eyes and buried her faced in the pillow once again. A buzz from the side table told her what had pulled her from her unrest, the message icon flashed brightly on her phone. Elsa growled and grabbed the offending device, not checking the sender she stabbed the red phone icon and threw the phone across the room, where it hit the wall and slid behind her desk.

She'd get it later.

For now, she would have to get up. If she went back to sleep now she would only wake up later and be groggy and useless the whole night. She needed to focus if she wanted to get anything done today. With a grumble Elsa rolled out of bed, standing in her pyjama t-shirt and shorts she scooped back her scraggily mess of hair, normally tied out of the way but for some reason she had left it down last night. She looked at the side table one last time, eyes skittering over the clock that now said three twenty two, mind abuzz until her movements stuttered as she focused on a familiar freckled face grinning out of the famed photograph at her bedside.

Oh yes. That was why.

She tied her hair to sleep but she left it down last night because it felt strange to not wake up with hair in her mouth, accidentally left there by an incessantly wriggling girl whose bed head was truly legendary. She often awoke with hair smothering her face, or tangled in a strange pile of limbs. Not today. She grit her teeth, eyes shining.

Not tomorrow either.

Or ever again.

Wrenching her eyes from the beloved photo and grabbing the essentials Elsa stumbled towards the shower. Fighting the lump in her throat that felt like she had tried to swallow a brick dry she peeled off her clothes and jumped in the shower. Maybe her tears wouldn't be so obvious if she had a hot shower. Maybe.
Closing her eyes as she scrubbed shampoo through her hair it was all she could do to not cry as her mind drifted back to happier mornings.

One year ago:

"Elsa!"

No, no. not now.

Elsa was in the middle of a wonderful dream that involved chocolates, rivers of them, rivers that trailed enticingly down pale skin and long legs that lead to-

"ELSA!" a tremendous weight suddenly landed on her bed and Elsa was catapulted to awareness as she was flung at high speed to the floor.

Her shoulder and head collided painfully with the floor, quilt tangled around her legs as she flailed to get free.

Ow. She thought, trying and failing to count the spots in her vision.

"Oh geez! Elsa I'm so sorry!" Her eyes streamed as she blinked upwards, a slim hand was extended in front of her; "Are you okay?"
Elsa smiled up at the cause of all the chaos of her morning;
"Apart from the brass band leaping through my skull, I'm all right. What are you doing here so early Anna?"

Because of course it was Anna: she was the only other person who had a key to her room, having insisted that they made copies the second they got them from the warden's office.

Anna smiled in relief that Elsa was unharmed by her boisterous (but well meaning) morning greeting. Elsa was not a morning person; it was unlikely she would get up before noon which was an unacceptable eon after Anna's own body clock ringing her awake at six o'clock. That is, she used to be. To be fair they hadn't seen each other for nine years, Elsa had decided not to tell her that she had been getting up on her own just fine for six of them. That's what happened when there were no parents to wake you up anymore.

Elsa reached up, pulling herself out of her own bad thoughts and grasped her friend's hand firmly.

Hauling her old best friend to her feet, Anna's grin was nearly splitting her head. She was so excited to finally be here! It had taken so long to drive down and it wasn't until a week before they were due that she even knew Elsa was coming to this university.
Wobbling up to her feet Elsa smiled back, which was a much quieter affair but nonetheless still as happy. She had missed Anna. She was a brilliant ball of sunshine who seemed to make everything feel better.

"Now," Elsa began, as she ran fingers through her fringe until it had returned to its customary backwards-waves she turned towards the clock. "I suppose I should get ready, do I have time for a show- ARGH! ANNA! WHAT THE HELL?"

It was only six thirty. They weren't due in for first class until nine.

Rounding on her sheepish and soon-to-be-ex best friend unless she had a very good explanation, her face screwed into an annoyed grimace. "I. could. be. sleeping!" She growled, as she poked Anna in the chest, who raised both hands as a surrender.
"Uh, I'm sorry? I was just so happy to see you! And it's the first day and do you think our classes will be anywhere near each-other? And What if people don't like me, I mean it's basically impossible to not like you, you're amazing but I'm all thumbs and annoying as we've proven this morning and-"
"Anna." sighed Elsa forcibly cutting off Anna's ramble, a tired grin crept its way back onto her features as she looked at the enthusiastic red-head "It's going to be okay, you don't have to worry about me."

"But what if-" Elsa put her hands on her hips, her posture daring Anna to argue with her;
"It'll be fine. Stop worrying, how can anyone not like you? You'll knock them into next week." Anna giggled weakly at Elsa's praise.

"Now," Elsa sighed "when did you actually wake up?" Anna smiled sheepishly,
"About three? I couldn't sleep, too excited." She explained, Elsa grinned fondly down at her and shook her head as she laughed.
"What am I going to do with you?"

Her shower tastes like salt.

She really shouldn't be this pathetic, but how could she be expected to recover from this?

It's only been a week.

Elsa chewed her knuckle until it bled, then watched the pink swirl down the drain and tried not to think about anything at all.