Author's Note: *clears throat* Hey, people. Not too sure any of you are still around, what with it being a literal year since I've updated, but if you are, I am very sorry. I had not planned to take such a long hiatus, but that's the funny thing about life. It punches you in the gut, kicks you in the balls, stabs you in the back, and stomps on your face while you bleed out on the ground, begging it to have mercy on your broken spirit…or something along those lines. Suffice to say, it's been one hell of a fucking year. I battle crushing depression on the regular and it's been really bad these past few weeks especially but I decided that returning to my writing will help. I'd actually gotten a few messages from y'all this past year and I felt terrible about not answering them but I do tremendously appreciate it. It was in looking back at these messages a couple of days ago that really pushed me over the precipice I've been seesawing on. And besides, I do actually miss interacting with you guys. So, to conclude, I sincerely apologize for my absence but I do believe I'm back for the long haul.


She'd spent most of the night in a haze of throbbing pain, only successfully falling asleep just when the sun began to peek its head over the horizon. When she awoke after a few hours, her jaw was aching horribly. It hurt to sneeze, to cough, to yawn, and even attempting to swallow was met with a twinge of pain. Hopefully, it'd only be a few days of it. As always, she never realized how much she needed her jaw until it hurt to use it. It was the same with every injury. And then when the injury healed, a few weeks would be spent worshipping the area before the normal routine of taking her athletic body for granted was reinstated.

Knock! Knock!

"Hey Elsa, you've got a visitor at the door for you! Get your ass up and go be grateful!" Aurora called before returning to her own room across from Elsa's.

A visitor? And what the hell should I be grateful for, my jaw is one giant bruise right now, she angrily thought to herself as she threw her legs over the bed and stomped out of her bedroom. Making her way down the stairs, she swore under her breath as pain bounced around her mouth like a pinball when she missed the bottom step and came down hard on the ground floor. Rubbing it tenderly, she trudged over to the front door and pulled it open. "What?"

"Well, good morning, sunshine!" Anna greeted brightly as she took in Elsa's disheveled state. The junior was wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of blue underwear. Her hair was loose, long platinum locks slightly mussed up but it was without a doubt the sexiest bedhead Anna had ever seen.

"Anna?" Elsa smiled-well, tried to smile but her aching jaw only let the sides of her lips curl up slightly before complaining loudly.

Anna's gaze softened. "Oh, you poor thing, you're still in a lot of pain, huh? I have the perfect remedy!" She held up a brown paper bag. "I brought you some frozen yogurt! I would've brought ice cream but…you know, star athletes and all."

"Thank you, Anna," she croaked.

The freshman smacked her forehead. "Crap! There I go again, making you talk! I'm sorry!" She held out the bag and Elsa took it gratefully. "I got you chocolate. I hope that's cool." She fixed Elsa with a serious look. "Because if you don't like chocolate, we can't be friends."

Elsa nodded. "My favorite."

"No way! It's my favorite too! Oh, but I could go on all day talking about chocolate, so I won't. Anyway, I have studying to do but I wanted to make sure I dropped that off before I got started! I'll see you later!" She turned to walk away but stopped and turned back around. "Oh, before I forget! I'm taking care of you, so make sure you text me if you need anything." She grabbed Elsa's hands, squeezing them softly. "Anything, okay? You took care of me when Sn-when I almost got a concussion, so it's the least I can do to take care of you now, even if Oaken hadn't asked me to. So, I mean it, anything you need, text me, please?" With a wave, she was gone.

Elsa closed the door and removed her gift from its paper confines, scooping up a small amount and cracking open her mouth just enough to slip the spoonful in. She gave a low moan as the icy treat acted like a salve, helping to soothe some of the pain she felt. Anna, I think I love you.

"So, she brought you frozen yogurt?"

Elsa nearly dropped the item in question; she hadn't realized Aurora had been standing at the foot of the stairs, her arms crossed and her face oh-so-smug. "That was real sweet of her."

Elsa nodded weakly. "It was."

"She's a really sweet person, isn't she?"

The platinum blonde cocked an eyebrow confusedly but settled on replying with, "She is."

"Were you planning on doing something about the repressed attraction you two obviously share, or should we all assume you'll just dance around each other until you graduate?"

She almost choked on her frozen treat, smacking her chest a couple of times as she coughed. "Wh-what the hell, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Elsa, it's unbecoming. You don't have to hide it. We all know.

"I...I am in pain. I should not be talking," she ground out

"That's true. So I'll talk. I understand why you stayed with Snow for so long, I do. And I'm over the moon that you outed her for the conniving piece of shit she truly is. So why is it that you haven't acted on your feelings for Anna?"

"I…it's too soon?"

"Too soon?"

"Yes. I…I want to do it right."

"So…you want to court her?"

Elsa shrugged sheepishly. "Kind of?" Who the heck still refers to it as 'courting'?

She was unprepared when Aurora wrapped her up in a tight hug. "You are so adorable!" She twirled the platinum blonde once and set her down gently, mindful of both her jaw and her frozen treat. "If you need any assistance in that department, the girls and I would be more than happy to lend a hand!" She started ascending the stairs, calling back a, "Enjoy your fro-yo!" as she crested the steps and returned to her room.

Elsa took a seat on the bottom step, absentmindedly spooning another small amount of chocolate yogurt into her appreciative mouth as the gears in her mind started turning.


"Hey, Riley!"

Her friend looked up from her novel, a smile readily smoothing out the crinkles of concentration in her forehead. "Hey there, Ring of Fire!"

"Actually?"

"You were there when I said I was going to give you as many nicknames as I could with the word 'fire' in them, yeah? Wait, you had to be there, you were the only person I was addressing," she replied with a pointed look.

"Obviously I was. I just didn't think you were gonna be this dedicated."

"Damn straight. Go big or go home."

"Sure…" Anna plopped into the seat across from her friend, sneaking a peek at the title of her novel. "Whatcha reading?"

Immediately, Riley's eyes lit up. "It's a play called 'Waiting for Godot' and it is probably the best I've ever read. It's an absurdist play, a commentary on how people are constantly trying to insert meaning into things, even when and especially when there is no meaning to be found. The basis of absurdism is that even though we are capable of identifying and understanding meaning, it's pointless because the amount of information, as well as the unknown, is so vast that human beings will never be able to truly get it, with total certainty. This play opens the same way for both acts and ends pretty much the same way as well. It's been analyzed to the nines and the point, at least in my opinion, is that there is no meaning to be found. But other authors and critics and shit all took their turns trying to insert some meaning anyway." She sucked in a breath when she finished and gave Anna a wide grin.

At Anna's blank stare, she just waved a hand, her grin widening. "Unsurprising. Out of the thirty-five students in my class, a whopping total of three, myself included, are actually enjoying this book."

"I mean, I'm really happy that you enjoy it so much but I personally am not seeing the appeal."

"You're good. Like philosophy, it isn't for everyone." She marked her page with a Harry Potter bookmark and placed it next to her. "But if I had to venture a guess, you didn't come to visit to hear me gush about the play nobody seems to like. What can I do you for?"

"Actually, feel free to gush away. I've got an hour until my next class and Rapunzel is out with Flynn. I went by your room and your roommate mentioned that you normally spend this time on Thursdays out here, so I came searching."

"Ah. Well, I don't wanna bore you so let's talk about…Elsa! How are things there?"

"They're good, I think. I brought her frozen yogurt four days in a row. I think her jaw is feeling better, Oaken allowed her to practice with us yesterday for the whole thing. And Mulan's hand is almost all healed up too."

"Excellent. Your roster should be back to normal by your first game. And speaking of your roster, what's gonna happen with that lovely specimen of a human being?"

"I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that Oaken already had his talk with her."

"How do you know that?"

"She's been extra bitchy as of late. Which really is saying something; the rumor going around the mill is that Oaken will be kicking her off soon."

"Really? Even the largest teddy bear this here world's ever seen is fed up with her bullshit?"

"Even him. I wonder what she'll do, though. From what I understand, she was a shoe in for the team as a senior in high school. And she is certainly not happy with being kicked off her last year of university."

"Understandably."

"I can't bring myself to be sympathetic, though."

"Also understandable. But for some reason, I am sympathetic."

"What? You do remember what she's done? What she's said? What she said to you?"

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten. Nor have I forgotten how angry I was, or how badly I wanted to make her hurt for speaking down to me in such a manner. However, I can understand having something you love taken away from you."

"You've been on a college sports team and acted like such a raging bitch that it came back to bite you in the butt?"

Riley chuckled sadly. "No. No, my story is slightly more depressing than that."

"Oh. We don't have to talk about it, then."

"Thank you." She pulled off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. Anna pretended not to hear her muffled sniffle. "One day I'll tell you. One day soon, I promise."

"I'm always here and ready to listen, whenever you're ready to talk."

"I appreciate that, squirt. Means a lot."

"Of course. Moving on to happier topics, how goes it with Meg?"

Riley had been taking a sip of her water when Anna spoke, and instantly spat it all over the table. "What? Who-why are you asking me about her?"

"I think your simple reaction can answer that question," Anna replied with a sly grin. "So, when are you going to ask her out?"

"I'm not going to ask her out. We're friends, sort of. That's it. Besides, I'm pretty sure she's all hung up on her ex-boyfriend. And straight. And not interested. And not happening. And we're done with this topic."

"We most certainly are not! Come on, Riley, why are you so defensive every time someone brings her up?"

"Because you've all convinced yourselves that I'm into her romantically. Which I am not. Second, is it not natural for one to deny something that isn't true?"

"Not to that extent, no."

"Well, forgive me if I'm just a little bit tired of the questions! Rapunzel has been asking about it literally every time I see her! And I see her every day on the way to class!"

Anna smiled. "She's just trying to help. In her odd and in-your-face way."

"I know but really, there is nothing to help along as there is nothing between Meg and I. There never will be."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I am. Just…please leave it alone, Anna. I'm serious."

Anna looked her in the eyes. There was sincerity there, along with slight annoyance, but it was the pain that gave her pause. The pain that was stuffed into the back of her retina, nearly out of sight to all but the most observant. The pain that all but screamed of a badly broken heart. "…Alright."


"Did you hear about Snow?" Rapunzel greeted her as she plopped down in the seat to her right in the cafeteria.

"What about her?"

"The rumor mill had it right: Oaken's kicked her off the team."

Anna's eyes widened. "No way!"

"Way! Apparently, someone clued him in to what had happened with Elsa and he was furious. Not only because he's known Elsa for a long time but also because he has no time for shitty people."

"How did you find this out?"

Rapunzel smiled. "A magician never reveals her secrets. Anyway, I also heard that Snow-."

"-is furious?"

"No shit, Anna. I meant I heard she'll be leaving."

"That tends to happen when you're kicked off a team."

"What? No, dumbass, I meant leaving the university!"

"Where will she go?"

"Word on the street is she's gonna head over to Southern Isles."

"That actually makes sense, if it's true. Join our biggest rivals for a chance to take us down."

"I just wonder who Oaken will replace her with. The season starts in a couple weeks and we're down a center defender, kind of a ridiculously important position."

"I'm sure he'll figure it out, Oaken hasn't been the head coach here this long for nothing."

"True. Think he'll hold an open tryout, or just grab one of the girls from when we tried out?"

"Who knows? He's the master, he'll get it done."

"That he will." Both girls looked up to see Kristoff, Hans, and Elsa join them at the table. Elsa took the opposite seat of Rapunzel and smiled at Anna, who blushed lightly and smiled back. Rapunzel kicked her softly under the table and shot her a wink when Anna frowned at her.

"Oaken will be holding open tryouts for the position," Elsa said. "He's very big on offering anyone the chance to play at any time. There may be someone who wasn't at the first round of tryouts who may show up for this one since the position of center defense wasn't available before."

"Wait, wasn't center defense Snow's position?"

They all turned to see Meg standing by their table, a small smirk playing on her face. "Did something happen to Snow?"

"She's been kicked off the team," Hans replied. "Do you play soccer?"

"I played from the age of 4 up until freshman year of high school. I went to the same school as Snow did and she already had the center defense spot filled. I still tried out and made it on the team but I never would've been able to play where I'm best, so I decided to just quit. Anyway, when are the tryouts?"

"Next week. I think on Tuesday but Oaken is putting up an announcement on the school website, so I'd keep your eye out," Hans said.

"Perfect, thanks guys! Anna, Rapunzel, I'll see you guys around. And don't forget, tomorrow evening we're hosting a little party of sorts in the basement so I hope to see you there! And please make sure to tell Riley?"

"You got it," Rapunzel replied. "See ya."

Once Meg had moved out of earshot, she turned to grin at Anna. "Oh, Riley will love this."

"Ah, thank you for reminding me! You need to lay off the Meg stuff with her."

"Why? She's clearly attracted to her and I'm 90% sure that Meg returns it. I'm just trying to help."

"I know that, and so does Riley. Still, she asked us to leave it be."

"Alright, alright, I'll leave it be."

"Thank you."

"For now."

"Rapunzel…"

"What? It's all light-hearted ribbing anyway. If she can't take it, she shouldn't dish it."

"It's not the same."

"Yes it is! She teased you endlessly about liking Elsa-" The platinum blonde coughed pointedly and stabbed at her salad with more gusto than one should while Hans snorted with laughter. "-and she teased me a few times about Flynn. Why shouldn't we get to tease her about Meg?"

"Because she asked us not to. We never really said anything to her when she teased us. Had we, I'm sure she would've respected it. Like I intend to respect her wishes."

"Whatever. I'll lay off, promise."

"Thank you. And just, lay off a little in all areas for now, okay? She's been kind of…down the past couple days. In lab yesterday, I don't think she made one sarcastic comment. And the Weasel actually fell in class."

"That was hilarious," Elsa added. "But you're right. Something does seem off with her."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"Yes. She says she's just tired."

"She is an insomniac."

"This is different. She seems sad."

"I wonder why?"

"We'll eventually find out, I'm sure."


By the time the open tryout rolled around, however, Riley's mood had plummeted even more. The girl hadn't shown up at the basement get-together, had barely said a word during their next lab, and had been spending most of her time between the library and gym. Anna hadn't pressed for information, however; her friend would let her know when she was ready to talk.

"Hey, Anna, you wanna head down there now?"

Anna pulled herself from her thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, let's get going."

The pair made the walk to the soccer field, greeting the rest of the team. Several girls were bunched together by one of the goals, taking turns shooting at Mulan. At the other end, more girls were playing a game of keep-away. Meg was one of them, who turned and gave a wide smile to the roommates.

Rapunzel addressed Aurora. "Anybody looking real good out there?"

"Actually, yes. Your friend Meg is excellent, definitely holds a candle or forty to Snow. There's also a girl named Kida who's got some serious skills as well. The other girls are good, no doubt, but we want the best we can get. The final decision rests on Oaken, of course, but there's my two cents."

"Cool. Hopefully, and nothing against this Kida chick, it will be Meg."

"Why?" Aurora asked.

"Because of Riley," Anna answered with a warning look at her roommate, who just shrugged with a smirk.

"What's Riley got to do with it?"

"Rapunzel is convinced that she has feelings for Meg. I agree but we've been asked to cease and desist."

"I wonder-oh, look! Speak of the devil, there she is."

Before Anna could stop her, Rapunzel had thrown up a hand and yelled out, "HEY RILEY!"

The Irishwoman was jogging along the path that ran around the field and headed toward the center of campus. She was clad in a grey sports bra and white running shorts. She had her earphones in and didn't react when Rapunzel shouted at her. So, the younger girl grabbed a ball and threw it in Riley's direction. Everyone present winced when the ball smacked right into the side of Riley's head, nearly throwing her off her feet. She whipped around angrily, the slew of curses she'd been ready to release choked down when she saw who the culprit was. She waited until jogging over to them before saying anything. "What the absolute frilly fuck, Rapunzel?!"

"Dude, I am so sorry! I wasn't aiming for your head, I promise!"

"Yeah, cause that fucking makes it better! What the hell do you want?"

Rapunzel frowned. "I just wanted to say 'hey', actually."

"You couldn't have just sent me a text or something? Fucking hell!"

"Dude, what's your beef?"

"Oh, golly, I don't fucking know, maybe this asshole just threw a fucking ball at my head!"

"It didn't even hit you that hard, why are you getting all bent out of shape?"

"You're actually gonna sit there and try to turn this around on me? Are you fucking mental?"

Anna stepped in now, a placating hand going to Riley's shoulder. "Is everything okay, Riley?"

"No, everything is not fucking okay. And don't fucking touch me," Riley snarled, snatching Anna's hand and throwing it off of herself.

Anna refused to let the hurt show in her face, letting her hand drop back down to her side. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You…" Riley ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. Her scowl faded, along with any remnants of fury, only to be swiftly replaced with a downtrodden look. Anna was surprised at how out of place it seemed. "No, there's nothing you can do. Nothing anyone can do." She looked at Rapunzel now. "I apologize for being so…yeah. Just please don't do that again, alright? I'll see you guys around." She nodded at the rest of the girls and turned on her heel, heading back to the path. Only now, it seemed as though she were sprinting because not a minute later, she was already out of sight.

Anna rounded on Rapunzel. "What the hell, Punz? I told you to lay off!"

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"You-what?"

"I'm sorry." And damn it all, Rapunzel was dead serious. No humor in her eyes and her mouth was set in a grim line. "I definitely did not think she'd get so angry. You guys were right, something else is going on with her."

"No shit," Anna murmured. Hopefully she'll open up soon, I really don't like seeing her like this.

Oaken appeared about ten minutes later, apologizing profusely for his tardiness. He then set the hopefuls up with some dribbling and passing drills while the actual team went about their practice as usual. Halfway through, he pulled his girls aside. "Okay, girls, I had actually already known who I wanted on the team for the center defense position, ya? I held the tryouts on the slight chance that someone else would catch my attention instead but it was no good."

"Which girl was it, Coach?" Aurora asked.

"Meg. She went to the same school as Snow and their coach informed me Meg's freshman year that I should watch out for her and she was right, Meg is excellent. I think she's the perfect replacement, ya?"

"It's your call, Coach. But I agree, I think Meg's got what it takes," Aurora replied.

"Excellent! I'll call the tryouts in a little while and send the rest of them home."

Twenty minutes later, the hopefuls had been thanked for the time and sent on their way, except for Meg. "Congratulations, Meg, you've made the cut!" Aurora said.

"Seriously? That's awesome, thanks so much, you guys!"

"We're gonna end our practice with a mini-scrimmage. Let's see how you do when the pressure's on a little bit."

Meg was a little rusty, as it had been a few years since she'd played seriously, but with a few more practices, she'd be right as rain. She fit the team like a glove, too.

Later, when they'd cooled down and said their farewells, Meg joined Anna and Rapunzel as they trekked back to Baldr Hall.

"If you don't mind me asking, is everything okay with Riley?" Meg asked. "She seems quite down lately and I'm a little bit worried."

"We are too," Anna answered. "We don't know what's wrong but it's like a switch got flipped; she was fine a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure she'll talk when she's ready, though."

"I hope so. I'm so not used to her like this."

They fell into a slightly awkward silence. Anna decided to break it. "So, how come you didn't play for your high school team once Snow graduated?"

"I would've, except the head coach my freshman year retired and the new one was far more…of a bitch. It wasn't a surprise that she and Snow got along so well. Snow had convinced this coach that I was the spawn of Satan, basically. I never stood a chance but I wouldn't have wanted to play on a team with a coach like that, anyway. I'd like to be able to keep my love of the game, you know?"

"Geez, is there anything that asshole won't do to try and ruin someone's life?" Rapunzel asked angrily.

"I really don't think so," Meg replied as she swiped her I.D. to get into their dorm. She walked them to their room. "Thanks for today, guys."

"What'd we do?" Anna asked.

"You welcomed me into the fold with open arms. It was highly appreciated."

"Oh. Yeah, no problem! We'll all become the best of friends, I bet," Anna gushed.

Rapunzel lightly smacked her on the head. "You're so freaking lame sometimes, Anna."

"Who asked you?"

Meg opened her mouth to say something but turned upon hearing the front doors open again. It was Riley who walked through, her hands on her head to regulate her breathing. The taut lines on her abdomen were further accentuated with each heavy breath and Anna noticed Meg's eyes on them. She tried her hardest not to smile in victory.

"Hey, Riley!" Meg called out. She looked back at the roommates with a smile and a, "See ya around!" before heading off toward the front. "So, why weren't you at our get-together last week?"

"I, uh…I had to do…something," Riley answered lamely. "Sorry."

Meg crossed her arms. "Uh huh."

Anna pulled Rapunzel into their room. "No eavesdropping!" But that didn't stop her from keeping the door slightly ajar. Nor did it keep her from poking her head through the opening enough to still be able to see the pair near the stairs but not enough for them to see her.

"Yeah, I…sorry."

"You're fine. Anyway, I was wondering-."

"Look, I gotta…I gotta go do a thing. Like right now. Sorry. I…uh, I…goodnight, Megara."

"I told you before, call me-" But Riley was already bounding up the stairs, "-Meg." She sighed. "Goodnight, Riley."

Anna pretended not to notice the sadness in Meg's voice, or the way her head drooped a little. Surely the same way Meg pretended not to notice the red of one of Anna's braids poking out from behind their door. She trudged up the steps at a much slower pace after Riley.

The strawberry blonde slowly closed the door to her room.

She needed to get to the bottom of this.


A/N: I know it's kinda short. I had planned to do a big several-thousand-words update but it didn't really work with where the next couple of chapters are going. Perhaps next update will be that one, or the next one. Just not this one ^^ It was also slightly angsty. Sorry. I've decided Riley will be my angst-dumping character sorta thing. Most of the bad stuff, if any, will now be happening to Riley. It won't be anything too bad, she's just my dumping ground from now on. Hee hee. That's the kind of mood I'm in. DEAL WITH EET.

-DeanneYunFarron

P.S. Like I'd go anywhere without some SOCCAH HUMAH! Mkay…which football team uses the most toilet paper? WAIT FOR EEEEEEEET…..HERE IT COOOOOOOMES….ARSENAL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

GEDDIT?

P.P.S. BYEEEEEEEE!