p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"After a few weeks of being ignored and avoided, alongside Hans, Moana approach me. She gives me a warm-hearted smile as she saunters her way through the cafeteria. By the time she reaches my table, she yanks me forward by the collar of my shirt. A deviant grin spread across her face./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""There's a /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"pa'ina/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" being thrown at my house tonight. Are you interested in going?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""A what?" I ask, befuddled./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""A party," Moana translates as her smile expands. "Most of the partygoers have to pay to get in, but for you..." Her pointer finger slowly traces its way up my chest until it rests beneath my chin. "I'm more than willing to make an exception."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"A reoccurring thought floods through my mind. "Have you considered...um... y'know..." I gesture at her belly; it may still look flat and toned for now, but soon enough.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I'm not one who believes in that sort of thing," she counters proudly, arms now crossed underneath her bust. "I've decided to keep the baby. I don't expect you to be willing to take responsibility, so I'll just ask Maui-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I'm sorry, who?" /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"The fuck is that?/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"The Polynesian girl waves her hand dismissively. "He's my best friend." I give her a doubtful look. "Okay, he's also my ex, but I trust him-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""And you don't trust me?!" I don't mean to shout at her, but it just happens. My possessiveness has already started to unveil itself towards her. I can't turn back now./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""It's not that I don't trust you," she assures me while scratching at her forearm. "I just..well...I never expected you to be the type who'd-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Take responsibility?" I feel my brow furrow. I can't believe she's already made that assumption about me. "Moana, I- I love you." Shit. Her eyes grow wide with horror. "I mean..fuck...I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to say it so soon, it's just..." Deep breath, bro. You can do this. "I can understand if you want to distance yourself from me, but just know that that is /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"our/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" child inside of you." I keep my voice low as I move closer to her. "Maui didn't put it in you. I did. I think that makes me automatically liable."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"She averts her gaze and chews her lip. God, she's gorgeous. "Kristoff, it's not that I don't want you around; I just don't want you to feel like I'm trying to tie you down."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"Why would that even be a problem to her? Does she not already see how I feel about her? /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""If there's anyone I wouldn't mind being tied down with, it's you. I wish I would've noticed you sooner- I'm actually disappointed that I'm just now...well, uh-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Realizing I exist?" She offers with a slight giggle. "The past is in the past; let's make good use of time right now." She draws closer to me, eyes half-lidded. "And I'm actually happy to tell you that I took a few tests this morning." She gives a dramatic pause, smile growing. "And I'm not pregnant."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"A sinking feeling rises in my gut, as does a wave of relief as well. I'm glad Moana is free to continue living a normal life, but...a part of me wishes... I shake the fantasy from my head. We're both still in college. I doubt either of us have wait it takes to be parents just yet. This also means we can continue school. I've heard it's much more difficult trying to raise a child and still be a student at the same time./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Moana slips me a piece of paper. "This is the address to my house. If you'd like, you can show up early and help me set things up, or..." Her eyes randomly scan me over, a smirk curving its way onto her round face. "You can help me with /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"something else/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" during the party."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Ahh, so /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"that's/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" what she has in mind. "I'll show up early to help, of course. Anything else will undoubtedly be /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"done/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"." Flirting has never been a forte of mine. I can tell she's not buying it, as she gives me a small, sassy head-shake. "E for effort?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I feel Moana place her hands on my chest as she rises on her tiptoes. Our lips meld together for an amount of time that just isn't long enough. When we part, everyone in the eating area has their eyes on us./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Including Hans./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"His lime-y eyes are more of a bold emerald now, burning with what I can only assume is a sort of jealous rage. That's when the possibility of Moana and Hans having history together now forms as a clear image in my mind. From the look on his face, I'm guessing she left him. That, I admit, would be a first./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I love you," she whispers into my ear before kissing it gently, lowering herself to her normal height. Damn, I bet I'm blushing right now, based on how hot it suddenly feels in the room. "a dir="ltr" style="color: #454545; -webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(69, 69, 69, 0.258824);" href="x-apple-data-detectors:/2"Seven o'clock/a, don't be late~." After one last excruciatingly slow kiss, /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"to my fucking neck/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;", Moana walks off to her next class./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I can't stop my eyes from following the sway of her hips. /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"Je. Sus. Christ./spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"That girl is walking temptation in the flesh. How have I gotten so damn lucky?/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""So," my roommate begins as soon as I get through the door. "You and Moana."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Uh huh," I mutter, tossing my backpack onto the bottom bunk. "What about us?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Since when was her type fat and stupid?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I can't help but cock a brow and snort. "I'll take shitty comebacks for $800."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Hans clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. The corners of his mouth curl into a grim smirk. "Nice rebuttal, Bjorgman, I'll give you that much." His eyes narrow even more. "When did you two become a thing?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I shrug nonchalantly, fighting a triumphant grin from exploding across my face. "Hans Anderson...are you /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"jealous/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Now it's his turn to snort. It's almost louder than mine. "Of what, YOU? Dude, please; I could win Moana over in my sleep. Don't get too comfortable with her."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"What a dick./spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" "You're already with Anna. What does it matter whether I'm with one of your exes?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I never said Moana was an ex of mine."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""You didn't have to," I retort. "The way you glared at me when we kissed said it all. It's not my fault you couldn't give her a real orgasm."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Hans falls silent after that. I know that last comment was too much. Still, I've wanted to snap back at him every time he's snapped at me. Every comment he's made about me has bordered the truth; mine, however, strikes its very core./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""How much did she tell you?" His voice comes out weak. It even cracks./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I can either bluff my way through it and break him even more, but I figure I can save that card for another time. "I don't want to reveal all of her business."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""It would technically be my business, too," he remarks pointedly. "I was her first..."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"My eyebrows raise to the point where I'm sure they've hidden beneath the blonde mop atop my head. "/spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"That/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" she did /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"not/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"mention."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Hans twiddles his thumbs absentmindedly as he continues, almost as if he's just thinking aloud now. "I guess she's still embarrassed...? Her parents hammered this idea in her head that-" He starts to stammer and stumble over his words. "-That the only time she should lose her virginity is the night of her honeymoon. Of course, they should've known better than to send her off to college. It's free range here. Fuck." He shakes his head. "She was so disappointed in herself...and disgusted with me."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"The sudden drop in my baritone voice shocks even myself. "Wait...did you fucking /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"force yourself on her/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"." /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Silence clouds the air. I shake my head, completely thrown. I know I should walk away and leave him to wallow in the guilt, but the malice in me shouts over my morality. I push myself up slowly, rising from the carpeted floor, and start to climb the ladder. With a few minutes worth of trials, I finally manage to swing myself over the wooden rim of the bed. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"My knuckles crack against his jaw. Rage swells within me as I gift him with hit after hit. His skin starts to bruise and blood begins to trickle from his nose, leaking down past his lips and dripping off his chin, but I don't care. I take another swing, this time square in the face. I can hear bones crunching under the pressure of my fists. My brain just barely registers the sound of Anna's screams behind me./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Kristoff, stop! YOU'LL KILL HIM! KRISTOFF!"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"A few more dorm mates rush in and yank me off of the little shit. They hold me down until the ambulance arrives and ushers Hans away on an emergency cot. Even after his face is no longer within my sight, I can still the rage boiling inside of me. Elsa's nagging words are nothing more than white noise as blood pumps loudly in my ears. God, if she could just /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"shut up/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" for /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"one/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" second.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I look down at the back of my hands and- oh...oh god. The blood practically stares back at me, coating my knuckles in ridiculous layers. Beneath the cherry-colored liquid are bruises of my own. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"The scene replays in my head and, for some reason, makes me feel.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"Happy?/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"No. The very act of him /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"breathing/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" may piss me off, but I'm /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"not/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" a murderer. I might hate him, but it's not like I want him dead./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"I mean, if he /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"were/spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;" to die, though, that'd be no sweat off /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"my/spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;" back./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Damn. Maybe I'm not that different from Hans, after all./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""There's a /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"pa'ina/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" being thrown at my house tonight. Are you interested in going?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""A what?" I ask, befuddled./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""A party," Moana translates as her smile expands. "Most of the partygoers have to pay to get in, but for you..." Her pointer finger slowly traces its way up my chest until it rests beneath my chin. "I'm more than willing to make an exception."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"A reoccurring thought floods through my mind. "Have you considered...um... y'know..." I gesture at her belly; it may still look flat and toned for now, but soon enough.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I'm not one who believes in that sort of thing," she counters proudly, arms now crossed underneath her bust. "I've decided to keep the baby. I don't expect you to be willing to take responsibility, so I'll just ask Maui-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I'm sorry, who?" /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"The fuck is that?/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"The Polynesian girl waves her hand dismissively. "He's my best friend." I give her a doubtful look. "Okay, he's also my ex, but I trust him-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""And you don't trust me?!" I don't mean to shout at her, but it just happens. My possessiveness has already started to unveil itself towards her. I can't turn back now./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""It's not that I don't trust you," she assures me while scratching at her forearm. "I just..well...I never expected you to be the type who'd-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Take responsibility?" I feel my brow furrow. I can't believe she's already made that assumption about me. "Moana, I- I love you." Shit. Her eyes grow wide with horror. "I mean..fuck...I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to say it so soon, it's just..." Deep breath, bro. You can do this. "I can understand if you want to distance yourself from me, but just know that that is /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"our/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" child inside of you." I keep my voice low as I move closer to her. "Maui didn't put it in you. I did. I think that makes me automatically liable."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"She averts her gaze and chews her lip. God, she's gorgeous. "Kristoff, it's not that I don't want you around; I just don't want you to feel like I'm trying to tie you down."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"Why would that even be a problem to her? Does she not already see how I feel about her? /spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""If there's anyone I wouldn't mind being tied down with, it's you. I wish I would've noticed you sooner- I'm actually disappointed that I'm just now...well, uh-"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Realizing I exist?" She offers with a slight giggle. "The past is in the past; let's make good use of time right now." She draws closer to me, eyes half-lidded. "And I'm actually happy to tell you that I took a few tests this morning." She gives a dramatic pause, smile growing. "And I'm not pregnant."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"A sinking feeling rises in my gut, as does a wave of relief as well. I'm glad Moana is free to continue living a normal life, but...a part of me wishes... I shake the fantasy from my head. We're both still in college. I doubt either of us have wait it takes to be parents just yet. This also means we can continue school. I've heard it's much more difficult trying to raise a child and still be a student at the same time./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Moana slips me a piece of paper. "This is the address to my house. If you'd like, you can show up early and help me set things up, or..." Her eyes randomly scan me over, a smirk curving its way onto her round face. "You can help me with /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"something else/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" during the party."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Ahh, so /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"that's/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" what she has in mind. "I'll show up early to help, of course. Anything else will undoubtedly be /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"done/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"." Flirting has never been a forte of mine. I can tell she's not buying it, as she gives me a small, sassy head-shake. "E for effort?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I feel Moana place her hands on my chest as she rises on her tiptoes. Our lips meld together for an amount of time that just isn't long enough. When we part, everyone in the eating area has their eyes on us./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Including Hans./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"His lime-y eyes are more of a bold emerald now, burning with what I can only assume is a sort of jealous rage. That's when the possibility of Moana and Hans having history together now forms as a clear image in my mind. From the look on his face, I'm guessing she left him. That, I admit, would be a first./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I love you," she whispers into my ear before kissing it gently, lowering herself to her normal height. Damn, I bet I'm blushing right now, based on how hot it suddenly feels in the room. "a dir="ltr" style="color: #454545; -webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(69, 69, 69, 0.258824);" href="x-apple-data-detectors:/2"Seven o'clock/a, don't be late~." After one last excruciatingly slow kiss, /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"to my fucking neck/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;", Moana walks off to her next class./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I can't stop my eyes from following the sway of her hips. /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"Je. Sus. Christ./spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"That girl is walking temptation in the flesh. How have I gotten so damn lucky?/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""So," my roommate begins as soon as I get through the door. "You and Moana."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Uh huh," I mutter, tossing my backpack onto the bottom bunk. "What about us?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Since when was her type fat and stupid?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I can't help but cock a brow and snort. "I'll take shitty comebacks for $800."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Hans clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. The corners of his mouth curl into a grim smirk. "Nice rebuttal, Bjorgman, I'll give you that much." His eyes narrow even more. "When did you two become a thing?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I shrug nonchalantly, fighting a triumphant grin from exploding across my face. "Hans Anderson...are you /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"jealous/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Now it's his turn to snort. It's almost louder than mine. "Of what, YOU? Dude, please; I could win Moana over in my sleep. Don't get too comfortable with her."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"What a dick./spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" "You're already with Anna. What does it matter whether I'm with one of your exes?"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""I never said Moana was an ex of mine."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""You didn't have to," I retort. "The way you glared at me when we kissed said it all. It's not my fault you couldn't give her a real orgasm."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Hans falls silent after that. I know that last comment was too much. Still, I've wanted to snap back at him every time he's snapped at me. Every comment he's made about me has bordered the truth; mine, however, strikes its very core./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""How much did she tell you?" His voice comes out weak. It even cracks./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I can either bluff my way through it and break him even more, but I figure I can save that card for another time. "I don't want to reveal all of her business."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""It would technically be my business, too," he remarks pointedly. "I was her first..."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"My eyebrows raise to the point where I'm sure they've hidden beneath the blonde mop atop my head. "/spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"That/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" she did /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"not/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"mention."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Hans twiddles his thumbs absentmindedly as he continues, almost as if he's just thinking aloud now. "I guess she's still embarrassed...? Her parents hammered this idea in her head that-" He starts to stammer and stumble over his words. "-That the only time she should lose her virginity is the night of her honeymoon. Of course, they should've known better than to send her off to college. It's free range here. Fuck." He shakes his head. "She was so disappointed in herself...and disgusted with me."/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"The sudden drop in my baritone voice shocks even myself. "Wait...did you fucking /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"force yourself on her/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"." /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Silence clouds the air. I shake my head, completely thrown. I know I should walk away and leave him to wallow in the guilt, but the malice in me shouts over my morality. I push myself up slowly, rising from the carpeted floor, and start to climb the ladder. With a few minutes worth of trials, I finally manage to swing myself over the wooden rim of the bed. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"My knuckles crack against his jaw. Rage swells within me as I gift him with hit after hit. His skin starts to bruise and blood begins to trickle from his nose, leaking down past his lips and dripping off his chin, but I don't care. I take another swing, this time square in the face. I can hear bones crunching under the pressure of my fists. My brain just barely registers the sound of Anna's screams behind me./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;""Kristoff, stop! YOU'LL KILL HIM! KRISTOFF!"/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"A few more dorm mates rush in and yank me off of the little shit. They hold me down until the ambulance arrives and ushers Hans away on an emergency cot. Even after his face is no longer within my sight, I can still the rage boiling inside of me. Elsa's nagging words are nothing more than white noise as blood pumps loudly in my ears. God, if she could just /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"shut up/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" for /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"one/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" second.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"I look down at the back of my hands and- oh...oh god. The blood practically stares back at me, coating my knuckles in ridiculous layers. Beneath the cherry-colored liquid are bruises of my own. /span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"The scene replays in my head and, for some reason, makes me feel.../span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"Happy?/span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"No. The very act of him /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"breathing/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" may piss me off, but I'm /spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"not/spanspan class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;" a murderer. I might hate him, but it's not like I want him dead./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"I mean, if he /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"were/spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;" to die, though, that'd be no sweat off /spanspan class="s3" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-BoldItalic'; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;"my/spanspan class="s2" style="font-family: '.SFUIText-Italic'; font-style: italic; font-size: 17pt;" back./span/p
p class="p2" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545; min-height: 20.3px;" /p
p class="p1" style="margin: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; color: #454545;"span class="s1" style="font-family: '.SFUIText'; font-size: 17pt;"Damn. Maybe I'm not that different from Hans, after all./span/p
