Chapter 2

Saturday morning, 11 o'clock. And I still don't know what to wear.

I barely slept a wink last night. Thoughts of Elsa had raced through my mind all night. Every time I tried to think of something else, all a could see was her, sitting in the back of class, writing in her notebook. It was really the only time I'd ever seen her, so it was the only real image I had. I'd imagined us at the mall, getting pretzels and walking around stores, laughing and telling jokes.

But this shy nervous girl, she hasn't even spoken until yesterday, what makes me think she'll talk now?

And why am I so nervous?

All night, my feeling were a mixed bag of nuts. I've never felt this way before, except...

Except with Hans. The way my heart beats faster, how my cheeks get red when I see her, how I'm nervous to talk to her.

Shit, am I crushing on Elsa?

I push the thought to the back of my brain. Of course I'm not, I like boys not girls. I just haven't made new friends in a long time, I'm just nervous I all. Yea, that's it, nervous.

But I still don't know what to wear.

Clothes are tossed all around, on the bed, on the floor, on my desk chair. My room is a disaster. Not that it's every really clean, but now it's "Anna-fganistan."

"Oh Anna..." I hear as the bedroom door creeks open.

"Jesus Anna, what are you doing in here, it looks like a tornado came through!"

"Sorry mom. I'm just looking for something to wear. I'm going to the mall with...with a new friend today."

My moms eyebrow perked up. "Oh a new friend you say?" A smile crept across her lips. "It is a boy?"

"No mom." I sighed. Always trying to embarrass me. "It's a new girl in class. I just thought she needed a friend. So we're going to the mall."

"Well okay Anna. But drive safe okay. Your dad and I are going to the Anderson's today, so we probably won't be back until late."

"I will mom." I say, not even looking up from my dresser. "Love you."

"Love you too sweetie." She said as she closed the bedroom door.

Shit, it's 11:30. Fuck it, I'll just throw something on.

I ended up going with a bright blue sweatshirt, with icicle dressings running down the chest and sleeves, and a pair of jeans. I didn't have any winter boots, so a pair of white vans would suffice. I'll be in the mall anyway right, no need for clunky boots. Besides, white vans go with the white icicles on my jacket.

"Fuck it." I mutter under my breath. "Good enough. I'm just going to hang out with Elsa, I don't need to look perfect. I should just be myself.

As I leave the room, I grab my car keys off of the side table by the front door.

"Bye mom, bye dad, I'll be back in a little bit!"

"Be safe sweetheart!" My mom yells from the couch. My dad, as usual, is pretty silent. He's never been much of a talker. He merely lifted his hand and waved, not even looking away from the tv.

As a walk towards my car, I notice it's covered in almost 6 inches of snow. Shit. I should've covered it in a tarp or something. My poor little Civic.

My parent had bought me a used Honda Civic for my 18th birthday. It was black, which was good, because darker colors don't show dents as much. And my little car had many. Though I can't complain, I mean hey, I got a free car. So long as it ran good, I was happy. Normally Kristoff would come pick me up in his Jeep, because it handles much better in the snow. But today, I would have to tough it out.

11:40. And I still have to scrape all the snow off of my car. Luckily, I had a snow brush. You know, one of the ones with the ice scraper on the other end?

Luckily, the snow hadn't caused the windshield to ice over, so all I had to do was brush the snow off the windows.

11:45. And I'm just now on the road.

Shit, I'm going to be late. The drive to the mall usually only took 10 minutes, but with the roads covered in a blanket of sleet, I had to drive slow as hell. Though my car wasn't perfect, I didn't want to wreck my baby.

12:00. Fuck me, I'm late. I hope Elsa doesn't mind. I mean it's only a few minutes, right? Oh but I don't want her waiting out in the cold. Luckily, the mall is only a couple more minutes away. I hope she doesn't get mad at me.

Finally, Arendelle Pines mall. The parking lots is pretty packed. Most people are probably doing a bit of last minute Christmas shopping. I finally find a parking spot, close to the back of the lot.

12:08. Shit I hope she's not mad at me.

After putting my car in park and turning off the ignition, I quickly got out and sped walk towards the mall entrance. The parking lot was covered in a sickly mix of gravel and half melted snow, creating a gross gray mixture. It sloshed under my feet as I walked towards the main doors. But where's Elsa? I don't see her. Maybe she's inside already? Or is she late too? Is she in her car?

But as my eyes scanned around the doors and the parking lot, I felt a buzz in my pocket. As I pulled the phone out of my pocket, I saw it was from Elsa.

Elsa: I'm to your left. On the bench.

As I looked up on my phone, I saw her. Elsa had been sitting on a wooden bench by the doors the whole time. How did I not see her? I guess she's just really good at being unnoticed.

As I walked closer the blonde girl, she stood up, and I noticed her clothing. She's wearing clothes similar to what she wore yesterday, what she wore all the time. A black sweater, which hung loosely over her left shoulder, with a white sequin snowflake on the front. Her jeans were tight fitting, showing off her natural curves. Though I had seen her in tight jeans before, somehow today she looked different. She looked...beautiful.

She wore all black converse, matching the rest of her dark ensemble. And black eyeshadow to match it all. Even though I know she was doing it to hide her eyes, it made the blue or her iris stand out even more. Her hair was, as always, in her signature braid, which hung over her shoulder. She had no purse. Like me, she probably just had a phone and wallet.

I never understood the idea of having a purse. All you ever need is your phone, why would you carry around an extra bag?

"I'm so sorry I'm late Elsa!" I apologized. "The road conditions are horrible. I hope you weren't waiting out here in the snow too long."

She shrugged her shoulders, just glancing down at the ground. "The cold never bothers me."

It really must not. Though she wore a sweater and jeans, her clothes looked thin, and not very suitable for Arendelle's icy winters.

"Well, I'm, do you want to go inside, maybe find something to eat?" I suggested. I don't know how hungry she is, but I didn't eat anything last night due to my nervousness. I was starving.

She just nodded slightly, looking up to meet my gaze. I gave her a big smile, which she returned with a smaller one. I know she's nervous, I just want her to be comfortable around me.

We walked side by side, as I pushed the mall doors open.

Maybe the mall wasn't the best idea.

The hustle and bustle of the mall was insane. People darted from store to store, most carrying quite a few bags with them. The Christmas rush was in full swing, and everyone must be taking full advantage of the holiday sales. I turn to look at Elsa, and she's just glancing down at the floor, her shoulders hung down and her hands were clasped together. You could nearly see the aura of uncomfortable that wafted from her. We have to find someplace quite, someplace we can just sit and talk.

"Do you want to go somewhere quieter?" I ask, though I can see from her mannerisms that she doesn't like crowds. She simply nodded, not taking her eyes off the floor.

Before taking another step, I reached over, and put my arm around Elsa's, interlinking elbow to elbow. Her face quickly darted up and looked to me, eyes wide, obviously surprised by the contact.

"Wouldn't want you to get lost in the crowd." I said cheerfully with a smile. She opened her mouth slightly, as if she was going to say something, but just closed her lips and shook her head.

"I know the perfect spot." I said as I looked forward, and lead Elsa into the crowd.

People were everywhere, hundreds in the mass of shoppers all running around in a mad dash to find the best deals. The mall was packed like a can of sardines. People bumping into each other left and right. I tired my best to lead us through without running into anyone, and mostly with success. As the crowd got more and more packed, I could feel Elsa's grip tighten. I looked down to my arm, and saw that Elsa was now gripping it with both hands. My cheeks flushed red, and my heart beat increases. I can't believe she's actually holding onto me like this.

After bobbing and weaving through the crowd, we finally arrived at our destination, one of my favorite spots: Grand Pabbie's Coffee. It was a little coffee shop in the mall, nestled towards the back corner. It was almost always quiet, and today was no exception. The little shop was actually run by Kristoph's grandfather, Pabbie. Though his family all call him "Grand Pabbie". Since Kristoph and I have been friends since we were little, Pabbie considered me to be family. He even gives me the family discount.

With all the crowd worrying about their shopping lists, the small store only had a couple people in it, probably just the regulars. Soft music played over speakers, light jazz or piano music was what Pabbie always listened to. The inside of the shop was dimly lit, the walls were an earthy brown with green patches of moss on the walls, with fake trees in the corners of the store. It looked almost like a patch of woodland had been placed into the mall.

"Ah Anna, so good to see you." Said a gravely voice from behind the counter. Grand Pabbie was quite short, even shorter than me (which is pretty short if I do say so). He had a large nose and ears, and his leathery skin hung from his face. I'm not sure how old he really is, but most people would say he looked ancient. A mop of gray hair atop his head, matched the gray beard that lined his jawline. A thick mustache adorned his upper lip, nearly covering his mouth. And around his neck, her wore a small bottle containing a single coffee bean. His first bean. Though most of the coffee he served came from local bean farms, he had his own little patch of plants on his property, which Kristoff helped him maintain.

"Hi Grand Pabbie." I exclaimed with a smile.

"Oh, this is my friend, Elsa."

Friend. I hope she considers us friends.

Elsa looked up to the old man, and gave a nervous wave.

"Well good day to you Elsa. Any friend of Anna's is a friend to me." Pabbie said with a smile. "So, Anna, I assume you'll have the usual?"

"Yes Pabbie." I let out a small giggle. I always order the same thing: hot chocolate, with a shot of espresso. But I always got Grand Pabbie's coffee from his beans. That coffee, he reserved for his family.

"Of course my dear. And for you Elsa?"

Elsa looked slightly down, her gaze meeting mine. Every chance I could, I was looking at this beautiful girl's eyes. They plagued my mind, I couldn't get the icy blue orbs out of my head. When she looked at me, I let out a small smile. I'm sure that my cheeks were blushed, but maybe she'll just think it's because of the warmth inside the shop.

Upon hearing her name, her grip tightened slightly on my arm. It sent shivers down my spine. Why does this girl have this effect one me?

"I-I'll have the same." She softly said, nearly whispering. Luckily, with such big ears, Grand Pabbie heard her.

"Two Anna specials, coming up." He said with a smile. Elsa then released one of her hands from my arm, and reached for her back pocket, grabbing for her wallet.

"It's okay Elsa, I've got this." I used my free hand to grab my wallet from my back pocket. She looked back to me, eyes almost looking like a lost puppy.

"I-its okay Anna, I can..." she said nervously, now holding her wallet in her palm.

"No no, I'm the one who asked you to come with me to the mall, it's only right that I pay."

Elsa looked like she was about to speak again, but merely put her wallet back into her pocket. After I paid for the drinks, I led Elsa to a small booth in the back, away from the doors, where it was quieter. Once we got to the booth, she released her grip on my arm and slid into the booth, I slid in opposite of her. A couple moments of silence passed, before I broke it.

"So, Elsa..." she looked up as I spoke, eyes now on me, "what brought you to Arendelle?"

It was painfully obvious that she hadn't really spoke to anyone in ages. She was nervous, her body drawn into the booth cushions.

"...My dad, he moved us here." She said quietly. Good thing I picked a booth in the back, otherwise I wouldn't be able to hear her voice. Her soft, gentle, almost melodic voice.

"Too warm in Corona for a spa, so he moved us somewhere colder."

"Oh, Oaken? Is he your dad?" I asked, remembering the business card that Anna had written her number on. She shook her head no.

"My mom and dad, they passed away when I was a little. Oaken is my Uncle."

Shit. The first time I get her to talk, and I bring up her dead parents. It's no wonder she is so quiet, after having that tragedy in her life. Damnit Anna, way to kill the mood.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry Elsa. I didn't mean to bring up such a sore subject." I apologized. I really wanted her to open up. I hope I didn't ruin this day before it's begun.

But she just shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. I miss them sometimes. But life moves on." How she even leaves the house, I don't know. I don't even know what I would do if I lost my mom and dad.

A minute, what felt like hours passed, before I spoke up again.

"So, umm, a little about me..." I said nervously. "I'm Anna. Well, you know that already."

Shit why am I so nervous?

"Umm, I've lived in Arendelle all of my life. My parents are both architects, they helped design some of the houses around town."

Elsa just quietly nods, listening to every word.