IMPORTANT- I, myself, dislike reading authors notes, so I hate to be such a hypocrite, but it is suggested that you read them.
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Hello.
Thanks to everyone who took their time to read this, and for the reviews, favorites, and followers.
windstruck07- I inwardly cringed at making Elsa older than Jack at first, but then decided to for my own reasons, I'm glad you understand. Because Jack is centuries old, jelsa would make sense in an Edward Cullen and Bella kind of way (before she became a vampire). BUT, because Jack's body is immortal, and Elsa ages, she is physically more mature, even if she doesn't look like it. Get what I mean?
DesertSnowQueen- I enjoy reading your reviews! :) I agree with Jack being like Anna, but I also think he's less optimistic. Eugene is the best. 3
electricangel12- good suggestion, I'll keep it in mind.
Alice- Thank you! And as for Jack, I have a few ideas that'll affect his character ;)
Guest on July 19- Holding a bra is cliché? Wow, I don't know if that's happened in a movie or story already, but if it has it was purely coincidence that I thought of that! My apologies!
(I gave Jack blue eyes and brown hair. Go with it, for now, and trust me.)
Please excuse me for any grammar and spelling mistakes.
(I dont own anything :)
Chapter 3 and 1/2- A Blooming-
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Jack hated having plans on Wednesday nights. It threw his time off, making that night feel like friday, and the rest of the school week extra long. So this thursday morning, Jack was especially crabby.
"Aahughahhh!" The loud roar sounded across the plain white dining room/kitchen. You would expect the inhabitants of the Overland house to look over at the sleepy, blue-eyed fifteen-year-old who created such a sound, but no one gave him a second look.
Jack took a seat at the small round table, the one next to his sister, who moaned, "Jack, shut up. Your yawns are so ugly." She rested her head against the table so that her brown hair curtained her face, muffling any last whine she had.
"I don't know." The siblings' mother said, voice dripping in sarcasm. She didn't divert her attention away from her bowl of oatmeal. "It sounded a little throaty today. Is something the matter, dear?"
If it hadn't been obvious, the Overlands weren't morning people.
Jack's ten-year-old look-a-like, Pippa, glared at him through a gap in her hair. "Did you eat all the Poptarts?"
Because Jack's beloved little sister could be the devil at this hour, Jack resisted jeering at her and avoided the question. "Mom, did you ask Dad if he could pick me up from hockey today? I thought we could stay a while on the ice."
His mother lost her hard stare and replaced it with one of pity. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. You know your Dad is-"
"Busy. Yeah. Got it. It was worth a shot." He grabbed a banana, no intention of eating it. His mother watched as he pushed himself up, chair screeching, and left the room. A year ago his shoulders would have slumped from dejection. His heart would have broken at the realization that his father, again, couldn't attend his games or even have dinner with him. This happened so many times, too many times for Jack to even remember when he stopped caring.
Mr. Lunar Overland was a mysterious man. Jack hardly ever saw his dad, and believed he had no reason to anymore. When Jack was younger, his father got him interested in hockey, even trained with him everyday until sixth grade. He was the one who encouraged fairy tales and stories. He was the one to wake him up in the middle of the night on Christmas eve every year to catch Santa Claus. Now he only has any real conversations with him every few weeks.
Jack sulked to the bathroom, getting himself dolled up for the day and snatching his school bag and hockey gear off of the floor of his messy room. A few video games and dirty clothes caught on his feet on the way out, but it still didn't convince him that he needed to tidy up. When he got to the entry room he retrieved his house key from the coffee table, sighing at the thought of walking to school and back.
"Can't wait to drive." He murmured to himself.
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Rapunzel's bright expression almost made up for his hellish morning. She beamed at him, jumping up and down with excitement. Her purple wine skirt sprung dangerously high on her legs. Her silky gold locks were pulled into a thick mermaid braid (don't ask how Jack knew what kind it was) and her eyes were so round and large that she looked owlish.
"I think classes are shorter today for the club thingy at lunch! My parents might let me join one this year!"
"Clubs?" Jack mimicked. "Do you have one in mind?"
"All of them!" She squealed.
When she gained a few odd looks, Zel stopped, cleared her throat, and tucked her arms behind her back. She playfully swayed back and forth with half lidded eyes. "I mean, I don't know yet."
Jack returned to shoving his books into his locker, elbowing it shut. He didn't have time for clubs with winter sports season approaching. His main focus had to be on conditioning and extra hockey practice before and after school. He also had to keep up his grades. He may not sit well in a tight classroom, but he couldn't repeat last year's mistakes.
"Eugene was a little... affectionate last night, don't you think?" Her voice had a teasing ring to it.
"Oh yeah?" He didn't know where she was going with this.
"You know. The winks, nudges, sexy eyes..." She counted off of her fingertips. "The smoulder... Jackson Overland! Is there something going on between you and my boyfriend that I should know about?"
Jack sniggered and shook his head, "Do you think I'm trying to steal him from you?"
"Trust me, you're no threat. Eugene has dirt on you, doesn't he?"
Jack stared at her in mock offense, "He doesn't! And excuse me, I could so get a Eugene!"
"Guys, guys." Big arms came out of no where and draped themselves around the sophomores' shoulders. "There's plenty of me to go around."
Jack wrenched himself free of the larger boy's grasp. The man still hugged Rapunzel, who giggled as he attacked her with little kisses. Eugene. Of course.
"Get a room." He spat.
"Oh, Jackie." Flynn pulled away and played with the end of her braid. "I think you're jealous."
"This is the two hundreds building!" Rapunzel thought aloud. "Isn't your class all the way across campus?"
"Maybe I missed you, Blondie. And I needed to see my bitch!"
Jack held back his laughter when he saw Zel's expression shift from dreamy to furious.
"Eugene." She said, sickly sweet, "What did you call me?"
Eugene paled, seeing he screwed up. "I was talking about Jack. Jack's my bitch. I love you Zellie."
"I'm confused." Jack cut into the lover's spat.
"Come on, Jack, get with it! Every senior needs a freshman bitch."
"I'm a sophomore."
"Same thing."
"When did I become your bitch?"
Rapunzel didn't let them continue. "Why are you really here?" She condescended.
"I have to meet Elsa and Anna here to show her around. Hey Jack, why don't you join us?" Flynn smirked his way.
Jack gulped at the thought of seeing Elsa again, and would've jumped at the chance if not for Rapunzel interfering. "Gee, thanks for the invite." She scoffed, "but I have to get to class. I hate say, but Jack, you should too."
"Why? Who do you have next?" Flynn asked.
"Mordu." Jack groaned. "And after that Merida and I have Jafar."
Eugene made a face. "Ew."
"Yeah."
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"Overland, bring that here. It's blocking the walkway." Mr. Jafar barked.
Around this season, Jack took to carrying around his hockey stick wherever he went. Mr. Jafar's orders only made Jack despise him more.
His teacher was a bony, ugly fellow, with a weirder smell than the must of the drab classroom he worked in. His yellowed eyes always narrowed into slits, his skinny body always hung long, loose clothes, and his voice was always in a low hiss. He was a snake. Jack tried to pay attention to AP History but could only think of the creep's bouncing adam's apple and shiny bald pinhead.
"He's evil." Merida claimed, outraged as a teacher assistant passed out the rubric for an assigned two page essay. She blew a tendril of her fiery hair out of her face.
"That much was obvious." Jack's front row seat gave him a good view of the evil man rolling a spider he plucked from his desk in between his fingers and feeding it to his parrot. Yuck.
Merida flicked at her jeans. She never did very well in school, which sucked because her mother is a teacher. Elenor Dunbroch was disappointed in her. Jack felt bad because the woman made no effort to try to hide it, even when any of Merida's friends came over.
Merida may not see it herself, because she never cared much for opinions, but Jack picked up the way she avoided the subject. If they ever did touch upon it, she would rant for endless minutes without a breath, a glint of hurt in her eyes and a twist to the right side of her mouth. Her accent would get stronger and her voice a higher pitch. But she still didn't try harder, because she didn't give a damn about what her mother thought
Or maybe she did care, she just didn't want to.
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Just as Rapunzel had said, each class was cut short of ten minutes. Lunch was extended for clubs. Jack and Anna walked from their fourth period, Chemistry, and into the quad where they passed by few stands giving out various foods, brochures, and small tokens. They found three of their friends by the theatre arts club and Red Cross.
"Anna!" Charlotte waved them over. She wasn't hard to spot. Her low-cut, pink v-neck stood out against the gray sky and everyone else's fall apparel. Her sweet southern accent sounded like honey. Tiana stood next to the busty blonde, decked in a vertically striped blouse and an emerald-green scarf. Rapunzel was off to the side chatting animatedly with one of the Red Cross club presidents. She walked away with three flyers crumpled in her hands, stuffing them randomly into the bottom of her bag, where she probably held more. Anna grabbed two from Punzie.
"The black club? Really? And dance." Jack read over their shoulders. Rapunzel knew as much ballet as she could teach herself through YouTube at home, or, not much. The little she did know might not have been learned correctly.
"All of the race and culture clubs group together in spring for international week! Tia and Lottie are joining." Rapunzel grinned and wandered off to collect more.
A crazy smile split across Lottie's face when she discovered something, distracting her from the questioning gazes her friends shot at her. "Oooh, Tia, they have a culinary arts club! you can show them how to make your beignets and gumbo!"
" Tia doesn't need that." Anna pointed out. Tia was great in the kitchen.
"Welp." Lottie's expression filled with determination. She hiked the neckline of her shirt higher and hooked her's and Anna's arms together "We do! C'mon!"
Tiana shook her head, messy pontail almost whacking him in the face, at the sight of Charlotte yanking the redhead towards a table lined with many dangerous looking cooking tools. "I'm going to make sure they don't touch any of those." she looked at him expectantly. "You comin'?"
"Nah, I'll catch up later." They parted ways, and Jack walked along. He enjoyed the biting feel of the crisp autumn air against his face, and the sogginess to his grey converse. He could still feel chills slither down his back through his white long sleeve and brown winter coat. Many of the clubs caught his attention, but he repeatedly reminded himself of his reasons for not signing up. He passed a gay rights club, a movie club, robotics club, and as he walked by a stand with pink posters he caught a glimpse of a familiar tight blonde bun standing amongst a large group of more females.
Elsa had on a dark blue long sleeve. The purple eyeshadow she had painted over her eyelids last night was absent, but her eyes somehow still had the same dramatic effect that mesmerized him. At the second he saw her, she turned.
"Jackson?" She yelled over the crowd. She swept at her bangs and smirked. "Looking to join girls' league, are you?"
He smiled back, holding back his nerves and ignoring the annoying fact that Elsa had a good three inches on him as he came over to her. "Well, what would they have me do?"
Elsa looked thoughtful for a moment, "You could carry our shopping bags."
He chuckled and her eyes twinkled back at him with mirth.
"That was lame. And sexist. I wouldn't do very well in the feminist club, would I?" To make her point, she crumpled up the club's pink flyer and tossed it into the nearest trash bin. She frowned when she saw that he held nothing but his hockey stick and school bag.
"Are you joining any clubs? They sound fun." he shook his head. The appalled look that sprouted on her face amused him.
"Why not?"
"Too busy." She nodded in understanding, clasping her hands together in front of her like last night. She wore gloves again. They weren't ones to keep your finger tips warm in the cold, but fine lace that clung to her skin like frost. She informed him, "Some clubs have weekly meetings at lunch time. You could take one of those."
Before he could confirm, Elsa was already digging through the leather book bag she brought, taking out another paper. Jack could see how long and thick her lashes were when she looked down. "Do you dance?"
He shrugged and said with added confidence, "I'm not bad." He wasn't lying. His lithe stature and coördinated reflexes made him quick and light on his feet. The only thing was that it gave the bigger guys in hockey an advantage. A fifty pound advantage.
"Good, because I'm in need of a partner."
The paper she handed him had the silhouette of a man and a woman dancing.
"Ballroom dancing?" His heart fluttered.
"I can't dance." Jack doubted that. Elsa walked with perfect balance, the perfect flare of a figure skater. "For beginners. Lunch time, every monday in room three-oh-six." She recited, not even needing to look at the paper. Jack thought for a second, and saw no harm in it. Plus, it gave him a chance to become good friends with Elsa, or at least have something good to talk about. He pocketed the paper.
"We can find a club we actually like together, or my sister will probably force the both of us into drama and expressions. Or something like... origami and dining etiquette."
Jack strangely liked it when she said 'us' or 'we'.
"Wait, they have clubs for that here?"
Elsa motioned over to a table that had different forks on display, and another one that had free samples of colorful paper.
"Forks?"
"I've met your other friend earlier today, Ariel, I think. She would probably enjoy that club."
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Candle club.
"Ugh. Not that one." Jack declared.
"Why?"
"I don't need to learn how to make candles. And the rose one was nasty. It smelled like my aunt."
"I liked that one."
"Well then you like my nasty aunt. And I'm pretty sure that the Grand Canyon doesn't smell like strawberries. Why would they name a candle that?"
"What would you want it to smell like? Rocks? Dirt?" She tugged at the lace on her wrists.
"Just... don't name it 'Grande Canyon'. No one wants their living room to smell like the freakin' Grande Canyon."
"Well, good, because you said it smelled like strawberries."
"Why don't they just call it 'strawberry' , then?"
"I, for one, Jackson, have not been to the "freaking Grand Canyon"... I think it would be wonderful if it smelled liked strawberries."
"You're going to be very disappointed."
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Card Club.
Jack and Elsa sat across from each other. Their heated stares clashed. Blue on blue. Intense. Jack pricked at the edge of one of his cards, other hand gripping his hockey stick, while Elsa held hers in a fan shrouding the bottom half her face in mystery.
Slowly, so slowly, Jack drawled out, "six."
Elsa hid her sly smile. "Go fish."
"Damn it."
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...Some Club.
"I think this is the third free cookie I've gotten from that club. Have we already gone here?"
"Which one?"
"... I don't know. The one with the orange banners."
"Oh. Well, free food."
They split the chocolate treat.
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Ventriloquy Club.
The tall, greasy man smiled at the pair with a little version of him perched in his arms. The dummy winked at Jack, handing him a purple brochure with an eerie, "Join us!"
Jack instantly passed the note over to Elsa. He looked her dead in the eyes, skin crawling, "No."
Elsa placed the brochure back onto the counter with a tight, closed mouth smile.
"No, thank you."
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"How long is lunch break, normally?" Elsa asked him. She sat cross-legged, sorting through different club flyers and choices. She didn't sit too close to him, keeping the same two or three feet of distance between them, like always. Her bun had come just a bit looser, but stayed in tact.
"Like, thirty minutes."
"...It's really long today."
"Yeah."
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OKAY! Guys, help me pick the club they should join. It can be ANYTHING.
Um, so this is part one of Elsa's first day of school.
if you'd all be so kind...
Note that I don't have much time to write, type, or edit. The story may be a little rushed, some chapters may be short, there will be typos, and this will not be my best work.
This is one of my first fics and I'm mostly writing for the fun of it, so please go easy with the criticism.
Thank you!
Mawhn.