Disclaimer: I don't own anything. There will be mentions of OCs in the future as teachers 'cause I'm too lazy to search up stuff.


Chapter 8 - Do You Feel It, Too?


"I know that we were made to break. So what? I don't mind." - Excerpt from Stay The Night, Zedd ft. Hayley Williams


A/N: Let's make a few things clear. I'm not trying to label anyone as a 'villain' or anything (this is basically high school at an academy), but for the story to be interesting, there obviously needs to be things to move the story along. I was previously going to add more of Hans in the story earlier, but it was at that point when I was deciding a lot of ways this could happen, so that obviously didn't happen. However, I will be putting a bit of Han's POV to explain it (because it wouldn't work being explained from Jack or Elsa's POV...well, maybe Elsa's, but...yeah).

Now, even though this chapter title is 'Do You Feel It, Too?' no I'm not just going to make Elsa and Jack get together. Actually...considering that this chapter has only 20 chapters total (each 10,000+ words), maybe this isn't too early. But no, no yet. Of course, the mindset of Hans was...quite different to write.

And I would explain more, but you know, can't reveal the magic to it all. At least, not yet...

Enjoy. ;)


"You have anger issues."

"No, I don't! I just...have a very creative way of expressing myself."

Flynn rolled his eyes. "You are terrible."

Jack snorted. "Tell that to the school."

"The problem is that they know you're terrible but won't admit it because they're scared you'll make their life a living hell by starting up some rumor or publicly shaming them or something," Flynn said. Now, that was an exaggeration. The only time he had started something that made someone's life a living hell had been a little teasing, which they took well. But it was their best friend that didn't take it well...so yeah. Not exactly one of Jack's best moments.

Flynn knew this, but of course, the little monster had to mess with him just for the sake of messing with him.

And, of course, by the fourth grade, Flynn had figured out that Jack cared about him too much to really do anything to him, hence all the horrible comments and other crap that Jack had to deal with—but, you know, it takes a idiot to know an idiot, right? Not that Jack was an idiot, but...ugh, where was he even going with this train of thought? Nowhere.

Jack shook his head ruefully at Flynn. "That's not...true," he finished lamely.

Flynn did an exaggerated eye roll and shook his head. "Right," Flynn said, blinking rapidly at Jack. "Yeah...you might want to convince yourself before you try to convince me. Yeah, you do that." Flynn then smirked and said, "I heard that Flynn asked Elsa out yesterday, by the way."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Without asking for my permission?" he thundered.

Flynn stared incredulously. "He doesn't need your permission to ask someone out!"

"I was being sarcastic."

No, you weren't.

Shut up.

Jack rolled his eyes as they continued to walk towards the cafeteria. It was breakfast time, and (like a normal person), they were going to eat. And by 'eat,' Jack meant 'pig out.' He was surprised that the academy had that much food anyway. However, he wasn't complaining because food was a very important part of his life. Yes, a very important part of his life.

A tiny part of Jack felt like if there was anyone (besides Jack himself) that could charm someone like, say, Elsa on a date, it would be Hans. Hans could be very charming when he wanted to be—because if he wasn't, what explained how Hans got A's and B's in his classes when he skived most of them off most of the time? And that perfect attendance record. Puh-lease. No wizardry or witchcraft in the world could get Hans in his seat for every class.

Not that Jack had anything against Hans. He was a great friend, not as good as Flynn, of course, but were any of them really 'good'?

"Man, you gotta get your life together."

Jack's head snapped up. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"

"No." Flynn rolled his eyes. "Why do you think I told you get your life together."

"Actually, you said—"

"—are you going to keep arguing with me?"

"Or you could give in like a sane person—"

"—so you're implying that I'm not sane, person who has a voice inside his head?"

"That's so not the point!" Jack fumed. "If you opened your ears for five seconds, I reckon your head would explode from all the information you failed to take in!"

"I'm not the one failing math. And English. And Science. And History—"

"—I'm not failing them!"

"Of course you're not."

Jack shot a fierce glare at Flynn that Flynn completely ignored because he was Flynn, ever so oblivious.

Sometimes, it was stupidly hard being him.

Behind Her Smile

"You said you had the date in the bag!"

Hans force his face to remain calm as Naveen crowed at him through a bite of ham sandwich (they were in the cafeteria). Some friend. Hans took a deep breath. His ego had taken quite a blow after his failed attempt at winning a date with Elsa. There was just something about her. She wasn't like most girls. Sometimes, in French class (mind you, the only class he had with her, but that was okay because Hans was the happy-go-lucky type), he could see her eyes sparkle like deadly icicles while the rest of her remained calm, as if she had wanted to say something but hadn't brought up the courage to—as opposed to the other half of the class (because really, Hans was one of the only guys in French...and why did he take French again?) who acted like dumb idiots half the time.

And yes, Hans knew that being dumb was the same as being an idiot, but don't judge his word choices.

French was actually one of the few classes that Hans attended. Actually, that was a lie—sort of. In the beginning, Hans had skived off his classes. But after a while, he realized he didn't want to be some dumb jock—like half of the school—so he made an attempt at his classes. However, he started the rumors that he didn't go to his classes just because—hello, he had this reputation to keep up.

It wasn't always easy, and the classes were really boring (but at least that meant that he knew the stuff [in his case]), but he would do it.

He hadn't been sure when he had first had feelings for the quiet girl who sat in the back of the classroom, near the windows (which probably drew the least attention, so he was willing to bet that she had lots of experience keeping quiet and generally invisible [not a bad idea, really]). He remembered watching her doodle in class—she was quite the skilled artist—and admiring the way she would vigorously tap her pencil against the spine of her French book as she thought about what to sketch next.

He guessed that that was the first time he had really noticed her—okay, and maybe it was also because the teacher had asked a question [Hans couldn't quite recall the question, but it must've been something the students were interested in because everyone had raised their hands]. Well, everyone except Elsa. She hadn't, and that was what brought his attention to her. She hadn't even been paying attention to the teacher—by the looks of it—but he remembered when she had gotten her first test back—a perfect A+, so she must've been quite good at it. Unless she had a photographic memory—which Hans was very interested in because on one hand, would it be an information overload or something?

It was also strange that he sort of had a crush on her because she was so quiet. It wasn't that she wasn't friendly or anything, but with the vibes she gave off, no one openly went to talk to her or anything—unless forced to with some class assignment. But her talking would be minimal—Hans only noticed because he really noticed her. Her talking was quiet, but it was like his ears were tuned to her quiet, musical voice. She was intriguing. Hans also knew that Jack wouldn't want anything to do with the girl—because last Hans had heard, Jack had been friends (not close friends or anything, mind you, but friends) with the girl.

There was also something about Elsa that made Hans nervous. He would stutter and stammer and lose his nerve whenever he thought he had mustered up the courage to talk to her. Partly it was because he had no idea, really, how she was—he wanted to get to know her, of course, but they sat at pretty far ends of the French classroom, and he couldn't just stare at her through his lunch time and be deemed a psycho.

His cheeks colored as he thought of the time he had asked her out, only a few minutes ago...

Hans entered the library. He had an book that was nearly overdue, and he had to return it or face a punishment (probably some chastisement and some detention) from the librarian or someone in charge. Hans wasn't usually the type to hang onto his library books for a while, but this book had been for his Science class, where they had been studying the human anatomy. Hans had wanted to get a good grade because so far, science was his worst class, so he had checked out the book. Sure, he could've used the internet, but it would've made him look dedicated and stuff if he was caught holding a book like that and stuffand you know, the girls were always impressed.

The librarian looked up briefly to catch his eye, her grey eyes twinkling with amusement, as if she knew he was here. Judging by his flushed cheeks and the book laden in his arms, he knew it was probably pretty blatant. He handed over the book and flashed his student ID card at her, even though it was probably quite obvious who he was—before stowing the ID back in his pocket.

His intense jade green eyes searched the library. He usually observed his surroundings (a trick his father had taught him), and nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye.

Except the slim girl entering the library.

Blink, and you might miss her. Han's breath spiked out in a raspy puff as his head whirled around to the girl. Elsa Wynters. Gorgeous and delicate as, well, as snowflake. She was beautiful, with her winter-like good looks, she might've just stepped off a movie of The Snow Queen or something. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and she was carrying a book, though Hans could not decipher the lacy writing on the cover.

He wondered if he had been the only one that noticed her.

He stared at her, a million thoughts racing through his mind (most of them panicked), but a sudden thud brought him back to his senses. She had dropped the book as a couple thundered past her, the girl giggling and the boy smirking, as if they had done some naughty deed. Hans couldn't help but come over to her side and pick up the book (his mother had always taught him to be a gentleman). "You alright there?" he murmured, not wanting to scare the girl away.

Her wide blue eyes surveyed him. A look of faintly masked distaste crossed her features, followed by hesitance. Then, a slow smile curled onto her lips, though she looked as if she wanted to get away. He handed her the book and stepped back a fraction, letting her know that he wasn't going to attack her or anything. She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks." She wrinkled her nose. "Hans, was it?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You're...Elsa." Then, like the blubbering idiot he was, he said the first thing that came to mind: "Jack talks about you."

Elsa's eyes widened, though from surprise or horror or rage Hans could not decipher. "Oh." Her voice was soft, lined with a hint of steel.

"Nothing bad," he said quickly, slightly taken aback. "I, um, I..." Aren't you proud of his wide vocabulary?

"Yes?" Her crystal-like eyes watched him expectantly.

"I was, um, wondering, um, if y-y-you'd like to, well..."

"Huh?"

"What's the best movie to watch around here?" he blurted out, feeling his face warm up.

Elsa blinked, frowning slightly. "Well, I guess it depends on what you like..."

"What about that new science fiction movie?"

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I'm not really into science fiction. But if you like it, go ahead."

"Uhm, how about that new horror movie?"

Elsa frowned. "I don't exactly like horror movies. They are often unrealistic and focus on blood and guts." Her tone was matter-of-fact.

Hans stared at her, slightly dumbfounded. Um...what? He cleared his throat and mumbled, "Oh, okay. Well...see you around."

Hans saw Rapunzel peeking through a bookshelf and groaning as she caught up with Elsa. Hans stowed his hands away in his pockets, face burning.

That was certainly a disaster.

"I wasn't rejected!" Hans protested. "She didn't get it."

Naveen smirked. "What's not to get? All you had to do was ask her on a date."

"Um..."

Naveen groaned. "Don't tell me you bailed!"

"I didn't bail!" Hans defended, slightly offended at the thought. He tried not to show it and instead smoothed his face into a carefully composed expression. "I asked her what movie she would've liked to see, and she didn't get it! She actually gave me her opinion, and it just—it didn't work out, okay? But technically, I didn't bail... I tried, okay? She's just..."

Naveen groaned. "So you didn't even ask the girl out."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!"

"Oh?" Naveen made a face. "All you had to do was go up to her, look her right in the eyes, and say, 'Hey, you wanna go out on a date with me some time?' There really isn't much complicated about it!"

"You weren't there! Don't you dare judge!"

"Of course I wasn't there—else you would've gotten a date." Naveen let out a long sigh. "Why must I do everything?"

"Are you saying I can't get a date on my own?"

"Um...no. No? No."

"Yes, you are! You implied it!"

Hans turned away rather crossly from Naveen though he wasn't really mad, not really. A deep sigh resonated from the back of his throat. Somehow, his disastrous attempt at asking out Elsa gave him a sense of hope. There was something about the way that she didn't catch on...it reminded him of his childhood, in a weird way. No...it reminded him...of innocence.

It hit him like a tidal wave. Innocence. That was what Hans always felt when he turned towards Elsa. She seemed so pure, so innocent. Of course, no one could be completely innocent—but there was something about the way she moved and the way she spoke that reminded him of innocence. He had realized that he had been searching for that all along. Elsa was...special. Maybe that was a cliched line, but it was true.

Hans' face must've been doing something because Naveen waved a hand in front of his face. "Dude...are you...out of it?"

It took Hans a moment to recollect. "No," he said, very adamantly. "I'm...fine." His voice was softer somehow. Strange.

"You sure?"

Hans nodded. His gaze scanned the cafeteria until it landed on Rapunzel, more specifically, the girl next to Rapunzel. Hans was mesmerized. Ever since he found the word to describe Elsa (or what his depiction of her was), it was like he felt he knew her even more. A few conversations was all they had, but she was the perfect picture of innocence.

Except for the hard, frustrated look in her eyes.

Hans frowned, wondering what on earth was going on in her life. Then, her face relaxed, though her eyes still held that tight, distrusting expression, and a smile lit up her perfect lips. She looked fine, she looked perfect. Posed. Fake. That was what it was. He frowned, wondering what demons lay in her world. Beyond that carefully composed mask, was it possible something deeper lay behind her? Was this what Jack meant when Jack had complained about how he wasn't able to figure her out? And was Hans the only one noticing her? How many times had she carefully put that facade out?

Or maybe he was imagining things. Because right now, her eyes were bright and happy. A fluke. That was all he saw.

"Dude, stop staring at Elsa like a gawking idiot. Besides, Jack's here."

Hans' head turned sharply towards the seats opposite of him, and he saw Jack and Flynn slip into those seats casually. "I totally deserved an A on that exam!" Jack was protesting as Flynn shook his head ruefully. Hans couldn't help but exchange a rueful glance with Flynn, who rolled his eyes as Jack continued. "I mean, I got almost every question correct!"

"You mean almost every question wrong?" Flynn said sharply.

Naveen snickered. "Or did you mistake that girl's—what was her name?—paper?"

"I did not!" Jack said hotly. "And her name was Jacquelyn."

"Surprising how you can remember the smart girl in your class yet you can't remember most—cough, cough, I mean any, cough, cough, of your flings."

"I do remember them!" Jack blinked. "Well...one had curly hair. And one had brown eyes. Or was it hazel..?"

"You are so lost," Hans remarked.

Jack glared. "Hey, I'm not good with names!"

"That totally explains that notebook full of conquests you have," Flynn said dryly.

"I don't have a notebook full of conquests!" Jack protested.

Naveen shook his head. "Dude, it's like you forget about the girl after you've had the fling. That's messed up. Now me and Tiana—"

"—shut up," Jack interjected. "No one cares about your perfect love life. Besides," Jack said, sniffing obnoxiously, "a perfect love life is cliche. It's boring."

Naveen scowled. "Jealous much?"

"Come on," Jack said, rolling his frosty orbs. "If anyone's jealous, it's you. And if your love life is so perfect, isn't it awfully boring?" Naveen hesitated, which made Jack smirk more like the foolish guy he was. Hans couldn't help but shake his head in wonder. For someone so popular, Jack had an ego bigger than the academy—or, well, the world, if he was being honest.

"It's not boring," Naveen said, offended. "It's great, she's great. Dude, you're really not good with commitment."

"I just—haven't..." Jack shrugged in his devil-may-care way. "The variety isn't that high at this school."

Hans' eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Jack smiled, soaking up the shock value. "Yeah, well, if you look at it," he argued, "they're practically all the same—and that hardly counts as a good variety."

Hans scoffed. "I can't tell whether you have high standards or low standards?"

"Maybe it's a bit of both," Jack said defensively.

Hans took a deep breath, shaking his head. Honestly, it was beyond him how Jack had so many admirers considering he treated most of them like dirt. Of course, maybe it was because Jack treated people like dirt that made him so desirable (not that Hans personally found Jack desirable—he could just see how he could be). It spiced up Jack's character, it made him more interesting.

...maybe Hans should've taken a few lessons.

Behind Her Smile

"You. Are. The. Most. Clueless. Person. I. Have. Ever. Met."

Elsa let out a gusty sigh as she glanced over at Rapunzel. They were currently in the library, though judging by those not-so-subtle glares the librarian was shooting in Elsa's direction (and maybe Rapunzel too because Rapunzel had a very talkative, very vivacious personality that was well known throughout the school), Elsa doubted they would be here much longer. Three strikes, and you're out. Elsa smiled ruefully at the thought. If a strike counted as a glare, she was well over out.

However, Elsa let her attention drift back to the ever expectant Rapunzel. "What are you talking about? Was it that history quiz?"

Rapunzel then—quite unnecessarily—grabbed the first book she saw and began whacking her face with it. Elsa hastily grabbed the book out of Rapunzel's hands, carefully setting it down and steering Rapunzel away from the bookshelf. "History quiz? Seriously, Elsa?" Rapunzel said, letting out an exaggerated groan. Elsa only glanced over curiously at Rapunzel as she sifted through the books in her bag.

"What?" Elsa said defensively. "I wasn't sure if I wrote the correct way the Roman army—"

"—who cares about the Roman army?!"

"Well, I actually find it quite interesting, you know. Julius Caesar in particular had such a gruesome—"

"Elsa!"

"Shh," Elsa murmured. "Any louder, and we'll be kicked out of here."

Rapunzel glared. "Then maybe it'll get through your thick skull."

"Whatever are you talking about? Ooh, Reboot. Haven't read this in a while... HEY, Rapunzel, that's my book!"

"Listen to me!" Rapunzel said, clearly exasperated. But she handed back the book, which thankfully was unharmed. Elsa sent a silent prayer of relief before fixing her eyes expectantly on the girl. She just hoped that Rapunzel would calm down. After the 'screaming fights' with Jack in the library, Elsa didn't want to be given a permanent ban, much less because of Rapunzel. The library had a great selection of books.

"I'm listening, I'm listening," Elsa muttered, slightly irked—but if it would get Rapunzel to quiet down, she was all for it.

"What do you know about boys?"

"Next to nothing."

"God, no wonder." Rapunzel face palmed, and Elsa's body tensed up, ready to move Rapunzel out of range of any of the books. She didn't want a repeat of the 'whacking book against face' session. "You know earlier?" Rapunzel said, her tone flat and emotionless. Her tone could rival a robot's. However, it was the fierce, feverish look glazed over Rapunzel's light green eyes that made Elsa frown.

Elsa watched her curiously. "What?"

"When Hans was talking to you..?"

"Oh. What about it?"

"'What about it,' she says," Rapunzel said, groaning. "He was asking you out!"

"No, he wasn't," Elsa said, frowning. "He was asking movies. And honestly, he doesn't have very good taste. I mean, science fiction is just so—" Elsa stopped short as she watched Rapunzel's expression grow more and more incredulous with each word that escaped her lips. Puzzled, Elsa tilted her head, much like a confused puppy. "Rapunzel," Elsa said gently, "he was asking about movies."

"So he could see what you liked to ask you out!" Rapunzel finished incredulously. "For such a smart person, Elsa, you just—I—oh God..."

Elsa frowned. "Why couldn't he just ask?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Because he's a guy—they have naturally slow brains. Anyway, he's cute. Would you have accepted?"

"Er...probably not."

"Why not?"

"He's not my type."

"Then who is?"

"Er...is no one an answer?" Elsa blushed crimson as Rapunzel groaned. "Come on, Rapunzel, I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

"Yeah, well, you can't not have a type," Rapunzel grumbled. "What about Jack?"

"Are you serious?" Elsa narrowed her eyes. Why was it that every time she had a conversation with anyway (her self-conscience didn't count) that Jack was mentioned? Was God trying to torture her? Okay, maybe torture was a bit out there. But just because she didn't hate Jack's guts anymore didn't mean she liked hearing about him every five seconds. Like seriously? Did people even have lives?

Rapunzel rolled her jade-colored eyes and burst out into a fit of giggles. "Of course not! You should've seen your face! You looked horrified!"

"Um, that's because I was horrified."

Then, Rapunzel laughed out loud as if Elsa had told a funny joke.

...Elsa must be losing her mind.

Behind Her Smile

"Wait—what did he ask us to do again?"

Hans glanced at Naveen, shrugging. He wasn't sure how hard Jack hit his head, but he was sure it was pretty serious. Of course, everyone else else thought Jack was crazy, which was completely viable, you know? Because Jack was...um, Jack Overland.

"He told us to fly! Come on, people! Let's get to it!"

Okay, one person didn't think Jack was insane.

Hans exchanged a look of disbelief with Naveen. Hans directed his gaze back to Pitch. The guy literally worshipped the ground Jack walked on. He was also the weirdest person ever. So Jack wasn't the craziest person ever. Pitch was. Pitch Black was the most annoying guy in the universe. He was also absolutely brainless. One of those days, Hans was just waiting for Pitch to just do some outlandish gesture to get noticed by Jack.

...yup, not exactly working.

"And how, pray tell, are we supposed to fly?" Eric said testily, annoyance dripping off his voice.

"We jump off trees, of course!" Pitch said excitedly.

Uh. WHAT.

"We'll break our necks!"

Ugh. Charm. Hans' lip curled in disgust. Okay, okay, it wasn't that he absolutely loathed Charm... Okay, that was exactly it—but it wasn't his fault. Charm was such an attention seeker. Hans had no idea why he was somewhat of a hit with the girls, but it clearly wasn't because the guy was smart. He had the sort of 'I'm better than you' aura around him.

Hans rolled his eyes. "Let's just get this over with, then."

Naveen's eyes widened. "Why do we have to do this, again?"

"Jack said it was for some school experiment thing," Hans explained, shrugging.

"He said we had to, so let's go do it!"

You can probably guess who said that.

So that's how they all went up to a huge tree. The thing loomed in front of them, and all Hans could think was how cold it was and how grateful he was to have worn his second favorite jeans. Eric cleared his throat and sighed. "I guess...I'll go first?" His teal eyes flashed uncertainly as he gripped the tree and began to climb it. Ugh. Hans was never going to follow Jack's orders ever again.

And why wasn't Jack here to observe his 'experiment' anyway?

Hans began to climb the tree. It honestly wasn't that hard once he got the hang of it. It was quite refreshing actually, and Hans enjoyed the climb.

Of course, the hard part came next.

"I'm not jumping off this tree!" Charm exclaimed.

Hans rolled his eyes. "Then I'll shove you down," he threatened. "If Jack thinks he can get us to fly..." He shook his head, bewildered and not sure exactly why he agreed to do this again. And what was he thinking about again? With a long, drawn-out sigh, Hans tensed his knees. "I'll go first," he declared. Please, please, please don't let me break my neck.

And he jumped.

His landing was sort of weird. He sort of rolled (which got rid of the force behind the jump) and then landed sort of awkwardly. He didn't really land on his feet like one of those superheroes you see on TV, but he thought it was pretty good for first time jumping off a tree. He glanced up to see the others. He shouted, "I'm fine! Who's going next?"

Behind Her Smile

"I am gonna kill Jack."

Hans nodded appreciatively at Naveen's words. "I know, right? And I'll take his little side kick—that Flynn Rider."

The 'jumping experiment' wasn't a complete failure—and Hans had briefly enjoyed pushing Charm off one or two or nine times off the tree. It hadn't been the worst thing to do, but they would all probably be brought into counseling because of the little stunt. He expected all sorts of 'Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem' and all that crap. Not that suicide wasn't a serious topic, but seriously. If he was going to kill himself, he would be a lot smarter about it. Jumping off a tree? Ridiculous and painful. As if.

And yes, he still had nightmares about 13 Reasons Why.

The only one who seemed to remotely enjoy the experiment was Pitch. But he didn't really count because, you know, insanity tended to mess with the mind.

"There he is!"

Hans looked up to see Jack Overland with Flynn Rider by his side. Hans crossed his arms, glaring at the boy with frost-colored eyes. He shook his head in disbelief. "If we're in counseling later on, I hope you're pleased," Hans said crossly, feeling his annoyance spike as Jack started laughing. Boy, he had the nerve to laugh after what he put them through.

"Oh, I enjoyed it very much," Jack said.

"Where were you, then?" Naveen demanded. "We didn't see you."

"We were watching from the roof," Flynn said, smirking. "Good work, Hans. I saw how you shoved Charm off a few times. It was hilarious."

"No, it wasn't," Charm protested. "It was painful."

"You're barely scratched!" Hans scoffed. "Get over it!"

Naveen rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm gonna ditch. Later, losers."

After Naveen left, Hans saw no reason to torture himself by staying with Charm or Pitch or Jack and Flynn for obvious reasons, so Hans left soon after. He actually headed to the cafeteria to grab a snack because after climbing and jumping off trees continuously—well, that sort of thing tended to work up an appetite. He grabbed an apple when he saw Elsa sitting at a table, quietly working on something.

Go get her!

What! Are you insane?

Go on! She's literally right there.

You have a point, Hans grudgingly admitted to his self-conscience. He wondered how Elsa would feel about that if she knew...yeah, she'd probably think he was a freak. No problem. It wasn't that hard not to mention it. So Hans strolled over to Elsa's side. He saw her writing down something in a notebook, her handwriting neat and full of curlicues that no one bothered with anymore.

"Is that for French?"

Elsa jumped. She looked up and closed the book, a bit bewildered. "Oh. Er, no. It's just, well, it's something I...I've been working on. I guess."

Hans smiled amiably at her. "Really?"

"Um. Yeah." She squinted. "Hans, right?"

"Yup, we have French together," Hans reminded her, and the girl nodded slowly. He took a deep breath, trying to shake off how uncomfortable he felt. He was still holding his apple, but the bright red fruit now felt too large in his hand. "I, um," he stuttered. Then, lamely, he said, "You want to go on a walk?" She frowned slightly, a bit confused. "With me? If you're up to it? I mean, it's okay if you're not. I just thought I might ask because I kind of felt like going on one, and—"

"—yes, I'll go on a walk with you," Elsa interrupted, a slight twinkle in her eyes.

He smiled, feeling both relieved and stupid. Relieved she hadn't rejected him, stupid because what the heck was about that rambling he was just doing?

"Alright," he said, smiling. "After you."

Behind Her Smile

"You think they're a thing now?"

"Naw. She's probably just too polite to refuse."

"Ah, so you were eavesdropping."

"How could you not! There was barely anybody in the room!'

Flynn shook his head ruefully. "Jack, if you didn't want to listen, you wouldn't have. I mean, you don't listen to Mr. Pabbie in his classes."

Jack rolled his frost-colored eyes. "Yeah, well, I can be curious about how Hans does his stuff. I mean, he was laying it a bit flat. He really sucks at the whole flirting thing. It was just so awkward. Did you see him rambling? And I bet you anything she knew it was just as awkward." Jack shook his head ruefully. "And she probably only agreed to shut him up."

"She could've refused," Flynn pointed out.

"Yeah, but then, they'd have a really awkward silence," Jack told him.

Flynn shook his head in amazement. "You know, I think I overheard Mr. Pabbie wanting you guys to do another play since the first one did so successfully." Jack's jaw dropped in the are you serious? sort of way, and Flynn grinned. "I heard he wanted you two to perform one of the classics because, and I quote, 'They have so much energy and such great chemistry.'"

"Did you forget that we once hated each other?" Jack said incredulously. "And besides, we're not even that close. We're friends, but...that's it. Not close."

Flynn shrugged. "Yeah, well, hate is a strong emotion. With all the passion behind it—"

"Ew, gross, we're in the cafeteria, and I want to eat something—don't make me lose my lunch."

"You know, I don't get how you're not obese yet. Hell, every night when you came to my house for dinner, you demanded ice cream. I don't see how you aren't some—some obese monster!"

Jack smirked. He didn't understand the mechanics of that, either. "Dude, remember: born godly."

"Gross, I'm trying to eat, Jack."

Jack snorted. "All you think about is your stomach!"

"Hey!" Flynn said indignantly. "All you ever think about is your stomach!"

Jack scoffed. "No, I devote five percent to my hair. You don't think it looks this good on its own, do you?" Jack said sarcastically. Then, he grabbed a slice of pizza and chomped off a third of it. "I don't even get how the academy still has so much food. Where do they get it from? And it's not the really fancy stuff either. But not the cheap kind." Jack paused. "It's the good kind."

Flynn rolled his eyes. "Oh, you just noticed?"

Jack took another ridiculously large chomp. "Mmm."

"You shouldn't eat that much," Flynn said.

"Seriously?"

"Just looking out for your health, man," Flynn said, smiling.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. Besides, I've been feasting like this for forever. I don't think my 'health' is going to change or anything if I eat another pizza or two or eight, alright?" He finished off the pizza and worked on the crust—this was the good kind of crust. Crunchy and smooth under the tongue and just plain delicious. It was really a piece of heaven. If only there was some pepperoni or sausage on it...but you take what you can get.

"All that stuff you're eating is dripping in fat," Flynn said, scoffing.

"Look who's talking!" Jack retorted. Flynn was holding two pizzas stacked on top of each other—and the whole thing was wrapped in bacon and topped with a few sausages, some fries, and—oh yeah: an ice cream sundae. Jack wasn't even sure where Flynn had gotten the food without him paying attention. But then again, this was Flynn we were talking about.

Flynn scoffed and stuffed his face. "Pure fat? This is pure deliciousness."

"Pure sugar, and I can sense you having diabetes," Jack scoffed before reaching for another slice of pizza.

Flynn sniffed. "How dare you. That's low. And pathetic."

"What's pathetic is your 'so-called' comeback," Jack told him cheerfully. "Now somebody get me some fried dough."

Flynn shook his head, amazed, but he joined Jack in his search for donuts.

Behind Her Smile

It wasn't that Elsa thought Hans was a bad guy. On the contrary, he was very nice and very charming and, really, he wasn't that bad a looker, either, but it was just the simple fact that though some might find him handsome and attractive, well...okay, she'd be lying if she said she didn't think he was attractive because he was. She just wasn't attracted to him. That was all.

But, he was nice company—a nice break from Anna's cluelessness, Rapunzel's talkative persona, and Jack's...er, well, everything.

But it wasn't like they had a ton of things to talk about—having not really talked much at all. She wasn't sure what brought him to talk to her, and ask her on a walk, and she found her thoughts drifting to Rapunzel's earlier words about Hans trying to ask her out on a date. Elsa wasn't sure what to make of it. She didn't think Hans was really going to do anything of the sort... But then again, she wasn't really good in the subject of boys and doubted she ever would be.

But since the guy was obviously trying to make conversation, she doubted that it would be right to just ignore his attempts.

"You're pretty good at French, aren't you?"

"Huh? Well..." Elsa shrugged. "I guess it's fine. It's sort of interesting, really."

He smiled. "Maybe you could tutor me." His smile turned sheepish. "I am so lost."

She wasn't sure how to respond to the comment. "Why'd you decide to take French?" she inquired. Hans frowned slightly, and Elsa bit her lip. "Was it because you have to learn a language at one point or another?" Elsa guessed, and Hans' answering smile was bright, so she guessed she got the answer correct. She grinned. "But why not Spanish or something?"

"I don't know," Hans admitted. "I guess there was something about the French people I found fascinating." He smiled. "Or France. Paris. I thought it'd be pretty cool to speak in French when I go there someday, you know, and impress everyone when I order some fancy cuisine or something." He grinned. "And I guess it'd be easier to swear in French because the majority of the school learns Spanish or something." His tone was teasing, though.

Elsa smiled. "Have you always wanted to go to Paris?"

"Who doesn't?" Hans smiled softly. "I always wanted to climb the Eiffel Tower."

"Is that why you were jumping off trees earlier?"

Hans blushed as crimson as his hair. He smiled sort of sheepishly. "You heard about that... Yeah, well, it was for an experiment—for Jack." Elsa groaned inwardly. Why was Jack always mentioned in a conversation? Then, the rest of the sentence came to her. Her eyes widened, and Hans smiled. "He didn't say for what experiment, but..." He shrugged. "Jack is a bit out there."

"You're friends with him?"

"I guess," Hans said. "Not that close, but yeah. Or, at least, we have mutual friends at the least. You?"

"Er, sort of." Elsa shrugged. "He's a massive jerk most of the time. And sometimes...he's actually kind of nice. But then again, he's also a huge jerk."

Hans grinned, obviously delighted. "Yeah, well, I guess you've heard of his reputation?"

"That's the part that disgusts me the most," Elsa scoffed. "He treats girls like dirt. And honestly, I wouldn't really call us 'friends.' I mean, distant friends at best..." Elsa frowned. Somehow, those words didn't feel right on her tongue. If she was being honest, Jack wasn't really much of a jerk anymore—at least to her. He was funny and joking and—get back on track, Elsa. "I just don't get why he thinks he's, like, a God or something."

"I agree," Hans conceded.

A strange silence filled the air as they walked, and Elsa desperately groped for a topic inside her head. She wasn't sure what exactly to do because...she had no idea who this guy was—apart from his name and the fact that they had French together—so yeah. The air was awkward, and she was trying very hard to ignore that. Elsa swallowed hard.

Then, she said, "Well, I should get working. I've got a project."

"Oh, okay."

Elsa was wondering if he was going to say something like 'see you around' or something like that, but he just stood there...staring at her. It was kind of really creepy. Who did that sort of thing? Or did he just do this all the time? "Okay," Elsa muttered, brushing past the weird guy. She figured she could fill Rapunzel in on everything that just went on...if she even knew where the girl was anyway. It seemed as if she was at multiple places at once, which, quite frankly, was kind of creepy. But that was just Rapunzel for you.

"Elsa?"

Elsa's heart raced, but her blood returned to normal when she recognized the voice. She turned to see Jack Overland. Sigh. And here she was thinking she wouldn't see him for the rest of the day. Actually, really, she wasn't thinking that... Elsa was surprised when she smiled at him. "Hey, Jack." Was that even her speaking? Maybe it just felt weird for her to be sort of dissing him in front of someone then being all friendly to him. Yeah, that must be it.

Jack smiled at her. "Was that Hans you were just with?" Was there an edge to his voice? And why?

"Yeah," Elsa said, a bit weirded out. "Why?"

"No reason," Jack said breezily.

"Hey, did you ask Hans to jump off a tree for your 'experiment'?"

"Oh." Jack blushed. Elsa was sure she had never seen him blush. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that," Elsa scoffed.

He smiled. "Sort of."

She stared incredulously. "How do you sort of ask someone to jump off a tree!"

"Actually, it was Flynn who asked him," Jack corrected, smirking in that superior air he always had around him.

"Jack." Elsa groaned.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Jack protested. Then, he smiled sheepishly at her and shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn out jeans. "Well, sort of. Anyway, it was very entertaining. They all just climbed up a tree and then jumped off like crazy idiots. Flynn and I—man, we'll have some good stories to tell later. Of course, it was I who came up with the idea because you know, me being brilliant and all."

"Wait—it wasn't just Hans? Jack..."

"Don't Jack me," Jack huffed. "They didn't even get hurt!"

"Ugh, I just don't know what to do with you," Elsa groaned. Then, she started walking away.

"Hey, Elsa—ELSA, wait up!"

She froze as his fingers circled around her wrist. His fingers were warm, which surprised her (because he always reminded her of winter and snow and ice and—well, you get the deal). She turned, surprised, and glanced at him. He seemed slightly flustered, slightly embarrassed as he released her hand. Her wrist remained warm where he had touched her. Where had that warmth come from?

"I thought you were cold blooded," she teased.

He grinned. "You wouldn't be the first."

"And I certainly won't be the last," she declared. "Anyway, I need to find Rapunzel."

"Why? Is my company too stellar for you?"

She scoffed. "As if. Bye...Jack."

"See ya 'round."

When she glanced back at him, he was staring right at her. He sort of looked like he wanted to do something, but he wasn't sure. Since when was Jack Overland unsure about something? She shrugged and walked away, heading towards Rapunzel's room (and praying that Rapunzel would be in there). She rubbed her wrist, feeling the lingering traces of warmth between her fingertips.

She smiled softly, to herself, and then knocked on the door.

Behind Her Smile

Jack stared off after Elsa 'Snow Queen' Wynters, feeling dumbfounded. He glanced at his fingers. He had touched her. He had surprised himself by the gesture. He closed his eyes, trying to picture the electric jolt that went through his fingers that made him stop and think about what happened. Maybe...it was just...shock? He had sort of expected her to feel like ice. She wasn't quite there, but she wasn't exactly warm, either.

"Who just stands—in the middle of the hall, no less—with their eyes closed?"

Jack's eyes shot open. He saw Flynn watching him with an amused look.

"Did you fall asleep with your eyes open?" Flynn said, obviously going to mess with him.

Jack rolled his eyes. Flynn's sudden—and very unwanted—arrival had distracted him from his train of thought. Jack glanced back down at his hand briefly, and he tried to remember what on earth had happened. A soft sigh escaped his lips, surprising him. And judging by the look on Flynn's face, Jack wasn't the only one surprised by the sudden noise.

"You alright?" Flynn's tone was now soft. "Anything up?"

Jack took a deep breath. "Nothing's up," Jack grumbled.

"I heard it's going to snow tomorrow," Flynn said.

Jack groaned aloud. "Ugh! I hate snow!" Despite his frosty demeanor (though, really, he had a very charming demeanor), he really didn't like snow or the cold or winter very much...for very personal reasons. And again, Jack wondered why the heck did he choose Rosethorn Academy if it was going to snow. Gah, curse God or whoever was in control of the weather.

Flynn looked amused now. "Don't we all know that?"

"Thanks for ruining my good mood," Jack said, scowling.

"In my defense," Flynn said, "I'm not entirely sure. But I have a feeling it will."

Ugh! I hate it when it snows!

"Look at your face—you're really upset, aren't you?"

"Of course I am!"

Then, Flynn had the audacity to laugh. Ugh, jerk. Why isn't he taking my anger more seriously?

I agree with Flynn.

Shut up, you good-for-nothing, self-conscience. If you love Flynn so much, go hop into his mind and torture his conscience.

Hmph. You don't appreciate me enough.

Maybe if you'd shut up I would.

Jack shook his head darkly at Flynn. The guy was just so irritating sometimes. God, Jack would swap out Flynn for Elsa right now...and not just because he wanted to test out the 'electric jolt' thing. Ha, and Elsa accused him of not thinking so many things. Boy would she be surprised if she took a look into his mind right now... Actually, that might not be a very good idea right now seeing as he was thinking about something that had to do with her.

"Don't bother me right now," Jack grumbled.

"Better get out your winter gear," Flynn joked.

"I'm going to hit you if you don't leave," Jack threatened, but Flynn only laughed like a hyena because of course, Jack couldn't actually injure Flynn or anything like that. Stupid Flynn. Ugh. Why couldn't Jack have a best friend that was easy to manipulate? Of course, where was the fun in that? Jack and Flynn joked around and acted like crazy, but they were still brothers—maybe not blood-related brothers but still brothers.

"Sure you will," Flynn choked out after finishing his bout of laughter.

"Stop it," Jack said, shoving Flynn in the shoulder lightly.

Flynn smirked. "Is that the best you've got?"

Jack rolled his eyes and started walking. Flynn followed like the annoying stalker he was, falling into step with Jack easily. Jack glanced over at his side and scoffed but was unable to stop a small smile on his face from spreading. "You are really annoying," Jack said. He huffed and added, "And you're going to be the death of me, Flynn Rider."

Flynn winked. "What a pleasure."

"You don't have to be a sarcastic broom."

"You don't have to be an egotistical, arrogant, snarky mop."

"Hey!" Jack protested. "I only used one adjective!"

"Not my fault you don't have a wide vocabulary."

Jack rolled his eyes at Flynn, thoroughly annoyed. Flynn knew how hard to push each and every single button on Jack. It was annoying. But, of course, Jack supposed that he could read Flynn pretty easily as well, so there was that. Jack begrudgingly admitted it inside his head but had no intention of saying it out loud. He sniffed and said, "Is your life really so sad you have to stalk me?"

"I'm not stalking you!" Flynn said in mock-hurt. "I'm just looking out for you, brother." But there was a genuine note in his voice.

"Oh, is that what they call being a creep these days?" Jack said sarcastically, unable to prevent a smirk from spreading across his lips. He whacked Flynn lightly on the side, and Flynn smirked—of course, Flynn could never reach the level that Jack had with his smirks. Jack even had a personal title he called himself because of his smirks: King of Smirks. Or was it Lord of Smirks? He wasn't quite sure—you know, he did have quite a few things to keep track of: AKA food and his hair gel.

He was joking, just joking...sort of.

Then, Flynn tackled him—yes, TACKLED him—for no reason, and then, they ended up doing some sort of childish wrestling game—that Jack won (obviously!). Flynn ended up fuming about it afterwards because hello, who wouldn't? Of course, Flynn should've considered it an honor to have lost to the great Jack Overland (like a normal person would).

"I won!" Jack said childishly.

"Only because I tripped!" Flynn fumed.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Nah, you didn't trip. Pure clumsiness made you lose—what can I say? You were born with it. Whereas me—I was born with—"

"—a big fat egotistical head!" Flynn rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I heard that chick Aurora wanted you."

Jack wrinkled his nose in distaste. "What?"

"I know, right!" Flynn said cheerfully. "I mean, with both of your combined egos, there would be no room for a relationship!"

"Excuse YOU."

"Hey, only speaking the truth, man," Flynn said, smirking.

"Why you..."

Jack suddenly wished he had a hammer that he could clock Flynn over the head with. Flynn was being utterly ridiculous about the ego thing... Well, yeah, Jack knew he had a big ego—but that was only because others kept feeding it. Did he ask to be acknowledged like a God (well, sort of, but that wasn't the point)? No. Did he ask for everyone to worship him? No. But it just happened. Now, Aurora was a nice girl and all...but she had a really high voice that was supremely annoying.

Yeah, maybe Flynn had a point.

Not that Jack would ever admit that to him because Flynn would never let him live it down.

And then, Jack was reminded of that electric jolt again, because someone walked past them with a book about electricity. Did Elsa feel it, too? Or was it just him? Maybe Jack should've asked to borrow that book...and study about it. Pah, nah, too much work. If he wanted to do that much work, he wouldn't be failing—er, NOT that he was failing because, you know, he was all awesome and stuff, and what the heck was he even talking about again?

Then, Flynn made a rude comment about Jack's hair.

Oh, he was so going down.

No one messed with Jack's hair.

Behind Her Smile

"Thank God, Rapunzel. For a minute there, I thought you wouldn't be here."

The green eyed girl smiled. "Nope. I'm here. Come on in, my frosty companion."

Elsa smiled softly a she entered Rapunzel's room. Rapunzel's room was fairly simple. There for a few items scattered across the place, and there were messy piles of papers, books, paperclips, and about anything else Rapunzel could get her hands on. Elsa took a seat and clasped her hands together as Rapunzel lay on her bed, stomach to the sheets, arms propped up with her chin resting in the palm of her hand, legs swaying back and forth in the air, an expectant look in her light-green eyes.

Elsa took a deep breath. "Earlier, Hans just...asked me if I wanted to go on a walk with him."

Rapunzel raised a brow. "What?"

"It was the weirdest thing ever—but I wasn't sure how to say no..." Elsa bit her lip. "So...I said yes."

Rapunzel groaned. "If this situation wasn't so ridiculous, I might be laughing right now."

"So...what does he want?"

"Geez, Elsa, I don't know, maybe he wants to get to know you?" Rapunzel said almost mockingly. She shook her head and flipped over so she was lying down on her back on the bed. She sighed. "I don't know how you survived with me. I mean...seriously? Elsa, obviously, Hans likes you and wants to build up some courage to ask you out. Of course, right now, he's taking baby steps."

"Isn't that...a bit weird?" Elsa pondered.

Rapunzel snorted. "So is your intricate way of seeing all of this. How do you see it?"

Elsa thought about it. "Well...I don't know... It just feels...I don't know, weird."

Rapunzel cracked a smile. "Don't be shocked. Weird is good. Or, at least, it's normal. Guys are always weird." That was a statement Elsa had to agree with. "It's against human nature if guys are normal," Rapunzel joked. Then, she shot a look of disdain towards a particularly large book. "Ugh, got that history test coming up. I don't know how I'll survive." Rapunzel was shooting a pleading look at Elsa.

Elsa grinned, catching the hint. "I'll help you."

"Thank you," Rapunzel breathed. "You are a lifesaver."

Elsa tapped the cover of the book. "So, have you even opened this?" she remarked as she opened the book. She was shocked as a layer of dust escaped the pages, causing her to blink a few times. Then, three quick sneezes followed in quick succession. Rapunzel had an amused, sheepish expression on her face, and Elsa raised a brow. "Wow, I'm guessing never."

Rapunzel looked defense. "I have... Maybe once...or twice. To hide the fact that I was using my phone."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "And you think I'm lost. Come on. Let's start."

It was strange how quickly they changed subjects from boys and their weird habits to studying about the upcoming history test. However, it wasn't like Elsa was complaining. She was no expert in the category of boys, which made her uncomfortable. She didn't like not knowing things, but boys? She didn't really see the purpose of needing to know their boyish habits.

Boys generally all acted the same, really. Some just showed their colors more than others.

...and in Jack's case, he showcased them all.

As Rapunzel eased herself off her bed to head over to the book, Elsa couldn't help but think about Jack and the way he had touched her. No, it wasn't just that. It had been...the look in his eyes. That had been the factor—the surprising factor. She hadn't paid much attention to it earlier, but...he had looked nervous. And Jackson Overland did not look nervous. It was just weird and wrong and just...

Maybe she was losing her mind.

"Maybe you should just go talk to him."

Elsa's eyes widened. Did Rapunzel just say that? Or was that a figment of her imagination?

But Rapunzel was busy looking at the book with a bored, slightly frantic expression.

Yup, she was definitely losing her mind.


QotD: Have you watched AGT? Who's your favorite act?


A/N: Ugh, I am NOT pleased with how this chapter turned out. Firstly, it was all over the place. I was doing Hans' POV, Elsa's POV, Jack's POV in all sorts of crazy rotations. And I just absolutely LOATHED the way the chapter ended. Now, this chapter IS important. It's a tiny building block. The good news is that I've altered the outline, so the drama should be coming up soon. I ended up merging some chapters so I could focus a few chapters solely on a few things. Chapter 17 in particular is going to be VERY important. We're going to be exploring more of Jack's background.

Now, I'm sorry if I'm updating extremely slowly. I wrote, like, half of it today. Life has been a bit hectic, but if I'm being honest, I'd blame it on me being the lazy fool I am. Honestly. After I upload a chapter, I just chill for, like, two weeks before starting to work on the next chapter. I'm trying to change that (obviously), but you know...it gets hard.

Now, the drama really intensifies soon. Chapter 10 in particular is a sort of turning point (ish). And then more drama leading up to more things as the chapters progress. The next chapter is particularly important, and it's going to deal with loss and such. It's hard for me to write without some sort of humor (sarcastic or not), and really, humor isn't really...I don't think it would be appropriate to put humor in the next chapter. So it might take a bit longer. Maybe I'll put some in the beginning.

Now, I would say that the next chapter would be a harder chapter to write. The next ones should be easier (I hope) seeing as the outlines I have for the rest of the chapters are WAY longer. You've probably noticed that I haven't been adding a lot of scenes where they are actually AT school. Don't worry, that's definitely going to be for the next chapter.

Also, should I write more in Hans POV? Not too much, of course, but he plays a role... Well, he's definitely not going to have one in the next chapter. I know that.

Well, thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated (criticism and praise) though not necessary. But what writer doesn't like reviews? ;)

~Darkwind