Day 4!

I shouldered my floral handbag and followed Merida out the classroom. "Hey, Mer, wanna go stop by the dorm? I think I have some extra cotton swabs for our bio project."

"Sure, ah was headed there anyway." Merida pulled her frizzy red hair back into a ponytail. Merida was my best friend since we were little. The two of us had both applied for the same colleges and had both gotten into U of Burgess. We walked to our dorm room.

We both jumped when two figures quickly stood up from where they'd been sitting on my bed. One of them grinned mischievously and the other looked at the ground bashfully. They were Jack and Hiccup, our two best friends since high school. We had all decided to join the same college.

"Took you two long enough," Jack proclaimed. I laughed and we all joined into a group hug. Jack eyed me, smiling. "Rapunzel, me, Hiccup, and Frizzy here have something to give you."

"Really?" I asked eagerly, ignoring Merida's protests at being called Frizzy. "What is it?"

"Come on, follow me." Jack held out his hand and I took it. He led me out the door and Hiccup and Merida followed him, huge smiles on their faces.

"Jack, there's nothing here," I said, confused. We were in the cafeteria were my friends said there was a huge surprise waiting for me.

"Wait. Just wait," Jack told me, quickly walking away. I shot a questioning look at Merida and Hiccup, who just shrugged and continued grinning at me like idiots.

"Surprise!" Jack shouted, bursting back into the cafeteria. Behind him was the entire student body of the grade carrying huge balloons and banners.

"Wha-what?" I gasped in surprise.

"Happy birthday!" Jack came up to me and gave me a huge hug. Then, hesitating slightly, he kissed me on the cheek. "Happy birthday," he repeated quietly into my ear.

Merida came over carrying a large cake. "Save et fer later, Frosty," she quipped. She held the cake out to me. "Here, Punzie. Et's fer you."

"Really?" It was a beautiful double-layer vanilla cake with chocolate mousse. The top of the cake was covered with white frosting surrounded by pink, lace-y icing. The words on it spelled out, Have a Happy B-Day, Punzie! in yellow. But the best part was that my friends' faces were stuck on toothpicks on the cake, and mine was right in the center.

"Guys, this is beautiful!" I grabbed them into a group hug. It was a little squished, but comfortably squished. "Thank you SO much!"

"You're welcome," Hiccup managed. "Uh, I think you're breaking something." He groaned.

"Oops, sorry, Hiccup!" I quickly let them go.

"Hey, it's okay, Punz," Jack told me, smirking.

"Yah, just not so hard, 'kay, lassie?" Merida said.

I nodded and hugged them again, only gentler. "You guys are the best," I sniffled.

"Aw, Punzie, don't tell meh yer cryin'!" Merida said, backing away. "Ah don't know what ta do when others cry!"

Jack laughed and hugged me tighter. "Frizzy can't handle other girls crying?" he joked.

Hiccup laughed and put a teasing arm around Merida. "No, because whenever she cries I'm right there."

Merida pushed his arm away, but gently. "Shut up, you two! Ah cannot believe ah'm friends with you guys." The boys laughed right out loud at her statement.

Suddenly, the whole group of students started singing "Happy Birthday". I actually started to cry right there, I was so happy.

"Hey, don't cry, Punzie." Hiccup gave me a light hug. "Your mascara's running and you look like one of those football players."

I laughed. "Thanks, Hiccup." Merida handed me a tissue and I wiped my eyes and cheeks and blew my nose.

"Hey, we gotta go to class now, but here-" Jack handed me a folded note, then waved as he and Hiccup left. The other students followed suit, calling out Happy Birthdays to me.

Merida and I left, too. When we made it to our dorm, she finally asked me.

"So, what does that note say?" Merida asked craftily.

"Nice try, Mer, but this is strictly for my eyes only," I laughed.

Merida harrumphed. She leaped onto her bed and turned her music on. I sat at my desk and carefully unfolded the note, keeping an eye on Merida while I was at it.

Punzie-

Meet me at the Quad on campus. You know, where the four of us usually meet? Yeah. Meet me there at 9:00 tonight, sharp. I know you aren't late, so I shouldn't worry about having to wait for you. ;) See you there.

-Jack

9:00 tonight? Jack wanted me to break curfew? I faltered a bit on those lines, but told myself this would be a chance to stop being such a goody-two-shoes. Besides, I wanted to go.

I carefully pulled off my covers. I was wearing something different from my usual attire: black yoga pants, dark blue t-shirt with few sparkles on it, dark grey track sneakers, and my hair was in a high ponytail that snuck out the back of my black baseball cap.

I crept past Merida's bed and quietly opened the door. Then I snuck out and quietly ran down the hall and out the building.

"Hey, you made it!" Jack was sitting on a bench, but he stood up when I arrived.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I told him, smiling. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Come on, follow me," he said, taking my hand. We broke into a run. He led me up a set of stairs and through a set of doors.

When he opened them, I gasped. We were on the roof of the cafeteria! All the lights were off, so we saw so many stars twinkling in the air.

"Oh, Jack," I sighed. "This is absolutely beautiful!"

"I knew you'd like it." Jack was sitting cross-legged on the roof, grinning. Then he stood up and walked over to where I was sitting and sat down next to me. "Listen, Rapunzel, I . . ."

"Yes?" I gazed at him.

"I-I love you," he stammered, then looked down, avoiding my eyes. "I-I know that you just want to be friends, but I just felt like you deserved to know."

"Jack-I . . . I love you, too," I whispered. He looked up. "I've loved you ever since we first touched."

He smiled. "Same with me." He laughed quietly. "Remember? I was going to go throw away some trash, but you stopped me, and our hands brushed. And when I looked up at you, I knew-I was in love with you."

"Jack, you can be so romantically corny sometimes!" I laughed with him. But I leaned my face closer to his and gave him a kiss. Not the kind of brother-sister kiss or even a best-friends kiss. A I'm-in-love-with-you kiss. And he gave me one right back. And we just sat there, kissing under the stars.

Two pairs of hands clapped behind us. Jack and I both turned simultaneously to see Merida and Hiccup a few feet behind us. I grinned when I saw Hiccup's arm around her.

"Love is in the air, Jack Frost," I whispered to him as we kissed again. "It always has been."

Day 5 tomorrow! :)