Readers!
This is dedicated to my lovely friend Lola (aka u/5291141/wonderlqnd) and her love for Jarida. Not to mention I love Jarida (along with all my other ships) and I came up with this after talking to the darling of a girl about the particular ship. So I thank her for it. If you have any questions about what the heck Merida was saying (I used an English to Scottish translator) please feel free to ask. For the clarification this does take place in a modern middle school AU.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
~Matteo :33

Jack Overland Frost was starting to regret not asking anyone to the dance. Or at least taking someone with him to it, as friends. Not that people hadn't asked. He was quite popular in his classes with many of the ladies. But they were all... not exactly what he wanted, to be nice. Too girly, too pink. It simply grossed him out. Everyone was in the middle of going from being little and cute to being and adult. Everyone was in that awkward stage. Which was also known as Middle School. Plus it wouldn't even matter if he went with someone or not, they would just end up dancing at arms length, trying to touch as little of the other person as possible. He would look and feel extremely stupid. And for the cool-kid he was, Jack couldn't let the happen.

So he had gone to the dance alone.

Well, not technically alone since Rapunzel and Hiccup were there too. But they were too busy getting lost in each other's eyes, spinning in circles to the hypnotizing waltz music. Jack had been surprised when Hiccup had asked Rapunzel if she wanted to go to the dance with him. It was so sudden and shocking that the four of them had sat there in shock. Merida and his own mouths dropped open, while Hiccup had flushed redder than Merida's curly locks. And even more surprisingly, the older girl had said yes.

Rapunzel was very popular. Her long flowing mane of beautiful blond hair was known through out the school. And on top of that, she was very pretty. Which made boys and girls adore and despise her. Hiccup, on the other hand was the complete opposite of that. His frumpy, short physique basically screamed NERD!, and his matching chocolate brown eyes and hair didn't really stand out. He had a lot of freckles, like a TON of freckles, they dotted his body like a whole universe had spit stars across him. But what really made people recognize him was his name. Who calls their child Hiccup?

Jack poured himself a glass of stale punch that was sitting in a corner of the gym. The disturbing red liquid filled his paper cup halfway, swirling around aimlessly like a fish out of water. It looked like jello. He leaned against the table slightly, the plastic legs squealing under his weight. He looked around the packed dance hall. People were everywhere, holding on to each other for dear life, yet not seeming to want to touch each other at the same time. He chuckled to himself, almost upset that no one was there to hear his joke. Almost.

Yet again, he was Jack Frost.

The perfect Jack Frost with his dark brown hair with light highlights, the Jack Frost that made all the ladies squeal in delight whenever he walked past. The Jack Frost with the beautiful grey eyes that always seemed so sad. He wasn't the perfect Jack Frost that he had once thought he was. He wasn't what everyone was all over all the time. He could almost feel his face start to fall from the gleeful chuckle it was only moments before. This was it, he thought, this was what was going to end his carrier of being the most popular boy in school. He would never get a date ever in his life. And he was bound to be some random homeless guy on the street that nobody looked-

"Jack?"

He could recognize that voice anywhere. Merida DunBroch.

Merida DunBroch was an exchange student. A Scottish exchange student. Her fiery ginger hair flowed from her head like a lion's mane, crazy and all over the place. She never bothered doing anything with it, at all. And it often had a tendency of invading the personal space of anyone she was sitting next to. Which was very often, Jack. He found quite a bit of curly orange hairs in his mouth, school supplies and food. Which he didn't particularly mind, but he didn't like at the same time. She had magical blue eyes that had a strange determination about them, but were kind all the same.

She stood next to him, looking up at him and tilting her head slightly, concerned. And it hit him. She must have not been asked to the dance by anyone, simply because of the fact that most guys weren't attracted to girls who acted more manly than them. But yet, she had still shown up, like Hiccup and Rapunzel had asked, all dressed up in a beautifully tight emerald green dress that looked a bit burnt and ripped at he bottom. It looked like she had been forced into that dress. Not because she was too big for the dress. Just that she had literally been forced into the dress, shoved feet first, clearly with a sign of a struggle. The back of her corset could be seen, tightly knotted and tied, a piece of duct tape coming into view for only a second when she moved.

"Ur ye alrecht, Jack?"

He translated in his head to 'Are you alright, Jack?'.

"Fine."

"Yoo dornt seem orkee..."

This he couldn't even understand. Even though he spent most of his time with the girl, her accent was sometimes just too strong. "What?"

"Yoo. Dornt. Seem. Orkee." She looked slightly annoyed. Her blue eyes seemingly staring daggers into his soul.

"Geeze, can't you speak English?" He grumbled, absentmindedly.

She looked hurt for a moment before responding, at full force. "It's nae mah faut ye can't urnderstand mah accent!" She thought for a moment before adding, "Mabbe, yoo shoods learn tae spick Scottish, if ye want tae urndertand me sae badly!"

Something wasn't right, Jack could tell. The ginger looked more upset than usual. That or he had pressed her buttons too much (usually it took quite a bit longer, along with quite a bit of arguing between them). Her fists were clenched tightly, and she looked as if she was about to sock him in the eye. But she was shaking, looking like she was trying to keep her tears in her eyes. Determined not to break.

This wasn't the first time he had seen this look. Of course, he'd never seen it on the curly upbeat ginger, but he had seen it before. On his mother. About his missing sister. But that was a long droning story that would bring his cool down quite a bit. He didn't want to think about what could have happened to her.

But now that his mind was on the topic of his sister, he couldn't not think about the little girl. He could picture her perfectly from the last time he saw her. Long brown hair, down to about her elbows, flowing in the wind as she waved goodbye. And he had let her go too. It wasn't as if he had asked where she was going, it was just that he had said bye, and she had left. Her phone lying on the dining room table. Never to return again.

The police were still out looking for her.

He didn't want to think about his sister at that particular moment though. But what was done, was done. He looked over at Merida, who had a weird look on her face. As if she knew what he was thinking about. But she didn't say anything. She just looked at him, with his mother's little expression on her face.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked quietly, hoping the awkward slow dancers near them wouldn't hear.

"Talk aboot what?"

"Don't do that, Merida. I know something's up."

She looked at him for another moment. Debating whether to tell him or not. He looked over at her with one darkly colored eyebrow raised. He was curious, but just a little more confused, than curious. He cared for this girl, and she was thinking about not even telling him. He cared for her so much. To the point that he might say that he loved this girl like she was part of the family. Even though they had only just met last semester.

He felt as if they had connected. The ginger with her crazy accent and the brunette with his strange name. Misfits in the world, no secrets hidden from each other. They were almost considered best friends. Well, he almost considered them to be best friends. He didn't know what she thought about him.

"I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," He rephrased his words into something kinder. "I... I'm just worried about you, Merida."

Well that just sounded a lot more over the top then he wanted it to. His whole face flushed a deep red, thinking about what she could have thought he meant.

Stupid, he thought, stupid stupid Jack.

But she did something unexpected. She clenched her jaw and took his hand, dragging him out the back doors of the gymnasium. She pushed him through the door quickly and closed it behind her quietly, making sure no one had seen them leave together. The night was cold, colder then it should've been, tiny flashes of light indicated that there were stars up in the dark sky, even though they were hard to see.

Jack could see his breath, imitating from his very core. Why did she need to drag them both out here, into the cold night, to sit and talk about some problem that she was having. Not that he didn't like the cold. He was glad to be out again, out of the warm, sweaty embrace that was the gym. Where awkward people were dancing in circles slowly to the light of a giant disco ball. The almost florescent night lights of the school buzzed, flickering ever so slightly into the night.

"A'm goin' awa." She whispered.

"What?" She gave him a look that plainly said, learn scottish stupid. "No... I understood you... You're leaving...?"

"Aye."

"Back to Scotland?"

"Aye."

"Why?" He was so very confused. Why on earth would she leave now? Everyone loved her oh so much here, he thought.

She seemed to read his mind. "My mither has arranged mah marriage."

This took a moment for it to sink in. Marriage? Her? She was the least likely person to get married. Not because she wasn't pretty, she was very pretty in his mind's eye, but because of her personality. She was the most outgoing, feministic person he knew. She wasn't just going to give in to anyone, and it would take her awhile to admit anything that she didn't want to. She had never liked anyone, that he had known of, and she wouldn't admit it, even if she did. She was one heck of a strong girl. And everyone admired her for that.

Just like everyone knew Hiccup because he was extremely smart. They knew Rapunzel because of her beauty and her kindness. And they knew him, Jack Frost, for being the most fun to hang with, and for being the most attractive boy in school.

And oh, how he liked being the most attractive person in school.

"To whom?"

"I dinnae know." She said, with a sigh.

His expression fell. The sadness overwhelmed him. He knew in his heart that everyone should be treated fairly, especially his friends. And Merida? She deserved better then some snotty rich boy who her mother had arranged for her to marry. She needed... She needed... Who did she need to marry?

Him?

What? No. How had that thought even entered his cool-kid brain? She was strong enough to live all on her own. He was just being stupid. He needed to focus, ask the important questions, and not let his emotions take over his mind.

"When are you leaving?" He tentatively asked.

"Next week." She turned to face him. She looked truly very scared. From what he had heard about her mother, he knew that he really just didn't like her. And he hadn't heard a lot.

The DunBroch's were royalty in Scotland, so he had been told. Merida's mother was the queen and she ruled over her kingdom with an iron fist. She had cold eyes and a permanent look that made her look extremely angry. Her husband, Merida's father, was a rather large, muscular man, and Merida clearly looked up to him quite a bit. She must have earned all her fierce-ness from him. He had taught her how to fight. But she wasn't here now because she fought. She was here because she ran away.

A princess who ran away from her throne.

That was certainly a new one.

Before he knew what he was doing he had wrapped an arm around Merida's shoulder, pulling her into a hug. Resting his pointy chin against her ginger curls. He squeezed his eyes closed tightly, hoping that she could feel how much he cared about her through the hug. Which was literally impossible. But it was worth a shot.

"Jack?" She sounded confused. Almost surprised even.

He didn't know what to say. 'I'll miss you' wasn't even good enough. 'I'm sorry'? Nah. He just wished that his feelings could be transferred through the simple gesture of a hug. It felt like eternity as they stood there in deep silence. He could feel Merida's warm breath on his neck, shocking compared to the frozen darkness that surrounded them. Her balled fists pressed up against his chest. And in that simple moment, he realized something. He loved her. He loved this girl more than just a friend.

She was so different than any other girl in the school. She had an actual personality, glowing with what she felt was right. Fighting like an alley cat defending her young. She wasn't the type of princess that you rescued from a tower and gave you a slobbery, sticky kiss. She was the type of princess who climbed her way out of her misery and found you. And that's what she had done. She had found him.

His heart was pounding so quickly he thought he was going to have a heart attack and die spectacularly. She surely could feel his nervousness, couldn't she? Oh he didn't want her to. He didn't want to come on to her so quickly, but he couldn't help himself. He had to show her how he felt. How much he loved her.

He was shaking slightly, taking his chin off the top of her ginger curls and looking down at her. He was going to do it. He had to. There was no other alternative. She was leaving soon, and he had to make the most of what he could. He put a hand on her chin and tilted it up so she was looking up at her. He couldn't even start to imagine what his face looked like. Probably tomato red.

"Jack, whit urr ye daein'?" She sounded shocked, and a little frightened. Not the usual tough to the bone, Merida. But it didn't matter.

He leaned down towards her face, about to place his lips against hers. He could feel the warmth of her body against his. He couldn't even begin to imagine what her lips felt like. He rearranged his hands, putting one on either side of her face, pulling them closer together. Her blue eyes pierced his, so shocked at what was about to happen. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see her expression. He leaned down further, about to press his lips to her own-

A hand was abruptly put over his lips. This couldn't be good. He opened his eyes quickly, looking at the short ginger girl in front of him.

She started to laugh, to cackle. A low roar of a giggle pierced through the night. Her hand was against his lips, and she was laughing so hard she was starting to snort.

"Ah git yeh sae hard, Frosty!" She snorted, almost collapsing onto the cold concrete from laughing so hard.

Which was when he realized. Merida had played a trick on him. A senior trick. It was their last few weeks of the eighth grade anyway. He supposed that she had decided to get back at him for all the times he had tricked her. Which was a lot.

Oh god he had fallen so hard.

"So... You're not leaving?" He groaned at his stupidity.

"Nope!" She chuckled some more.

"I can't believe you even did that, Shorty." He tried his best to keep his hurt inside him. True, it was a joke, but he didn't think that it would hurt him so much.

"Oi! Ye'v git tae admit, that yin wis pure gild."

"Yeah. Funny. Ha. Ha." The sarcasm dripped from his words like dew from a spiderweb.

"Och come 'ere yeh!" She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him down towards her aggressively. She pulled their faces together, pressing his lips against her own. Her lips tasted strongly of stale punch. She must have been drinking it as well, he thought to himself. She smelt strongly like lavender, which was probably her perfume, if she was wearing any. Or maybe it was just her shampoo. Her eyes were shut tightly, and he stared at her in shock for a moment before kissing her back. He put his hands on either side of her waist, pulling her closer to him. The kiss lasted for only a moment before she let go, breathing hard. She looked a bit shocked that she had done that. She stared at him awkwardly, wondering if he'd enjoyed it or not.

"Well that was..." He didn't know how to finish the sentence. "...Interesting." He was breathing quite heavily. He could still smell her flowery scent on him and taste her lips on his own. He licked his lips awkwardly.

"Shuid we..." She swallowed, trying to find the right words.

"Kiss some more?" He blurted, hoping that's what she trying to get at.

"N-Nae, Jack!" She sputtered, her face nearly as red as her hair. "Ah wis ganna say: Stank th' dance."

"Oh." For once, he actually understood what she was trying to say. "We could do that too... I guess." He shrugged. His cool-kid persona was coming back.

"We cuid winch some mair though..." She bit her lip awkwardly. "If yi'll realleh waant tae..."

"I'd like that, ginge" He winked one icy blue eye.

She grinned at him, grabbing his hand awkwardly. He smiled back at her, and she was surprised that it wasn't his usual smirk. It was a truly genuine, affectionate smile. She squeezed his hand slightly, pulling a strand of her uncontrollable ginger hair out of her eyes. He ran a hand through his (now messy) brunette hair, eventually bringing the long-fingered hand down to rub his own neck. They grinned at each other, and for the moment, nothing else mattered. The two lovebirds skipped out into the darkness, laughing at their new found attraction.

And for once, Jack Overland Frost was glad he didn't have a date to the dance.

Whelp! That's it! Please review and favourite! I'll love you forever~!