WARNING: Rated = M. For some profanity and mentioning drugs and alcohol (Just to be safe) - Sorry for the long chapter.
The sound of the running subway train faded away when Jack slowly climbed up the flight of stairs that led to the surface of New York City. The symphony of night was exciting and lively to the human ear, melodies and beats of incoming traffic and voices walking down the streets.
Jack's smartphone yelped a quick beep from the inside of his jacket's pocket. He reached inside and saw a text message on the screen.
"Hey, I'm at the corner of East 72nd and 5th Ave. Where are you?"
Jack pressed the call button on his phone and waited for the receiver to answer the other end. "Hey, I'm on my way. The 6 train was running slow tonight," He explained.
"It's cool, I'll wait for you. See you soon, babe," said a charming female voice.
"Do I need to stop and pick up something?" Jack asked her.
"Nope, I think Bradley has enough stuff for the party. Just bring your ass here," she giggled.
Jack chuckled, "Alright, I'm almost there." He hung up and put away his phone. Then picked up his feet, dashing down 5th Ave until he saw the numbers of street signs counting upwards.
"68...69...70…" He counted while fighting the chilly late November weather. Although, the season was changing and the cold never bothered him; it was the season that made Jack excited and free. But, he kept his level of happiness to a medium; happiness came with a price was a strange belief he followed.
He won't let his past toxicate his mind tonight. The aroma of liquor and cigarette smoke tickling his nose and waking up his senses, was something he prefered. Then the company of a gorgeous girl who grew to know and love would be nice too.
"72. Now where is she?" Jack came to halt at the end of the street, scanning for the young lady from the phone. They were both twenty-one; college students studying at different schools in the city, but, different social classes.
"Lourdes!" Jack shouted at the young woman that stood underneath a street lamp. Her olive skin glisten underneath the saffron light. She wore a white knitted beanie that hugged the top of her brown veil that fell gently behind her back and shoulders. A pair of almond size hazel eyes locked into Jack's sapphire eyes.
"Jack!" Lourdes formed a sweet smile while rushing towards him. Her arms locked around his neck as she pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. She felt a rush of cold tickling the skin of her silky edge of her mouth.
"Damn you're cold," she commented with her attractive raspy voice. "Have you been nipping people's noses lately?" Lourdes smirked.
"Just because my name is Jack and my last name is Frost, doesn't make me that myth that brings winter every year," Jack gazed passionately into Lourdes's eyes with a crooked smile.
"How's 'Old Man Winter'?" Lourdes chuckled. The sound of her laughter reminded Jack of an old friend. Her angelic voice matched peacefully with another voice he used to know. Beside the age difference of comparing a little girl to a young woman, they were both elegant and reserved at the same time.
Just comparing her voice to his old friend made him reminisced about the days he used to spent time with her. The days: in the meadows, running home from school, those late afternoons at her backyard; pushing the old rope swing while giving her baby sister as she reached for the sky.
"No way you're callin' me that," Jack responded with a frown.
"Quit frowning like a sad clown," Lourdes nuzzled her nose against his.
Jack laughed, "I will if you quit calling me these weird names."
"They're not weird, they're magical…" said Lourdes. "Like you," Jack grinned.
Lourdes's face turned red as her scarlet scarf. "If you say so," she said shyly, with a smile. Jack combed away a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. Their eyes left each others' gaze.
Even though they've known each other for a year, their opposite personalities matched them together like different ends of two magnetics. Since bumping into each other at a public library on a rainy weekend of May, they felt like their world slowed down for moment as they're naive eyes gazed warmingly at each other.
But, was love at first sight nothing except pure childish fantasy. Can that moment be true love? Jack pondered with that question since they met.
"C'mon we better get going before Bradley thinks that we ditched his party," Jack smiled, showing off his snowy white teeth. Lourdes chuckled while ruffling his hair, "For a dork who plays around with alcohol and cigarettes, you manage to have good hygiene." She commented.
"All just for you, my love," Jack replied in broken Spanish while softly tasting her lips again. "I see you've been practicing. But, you still have a long way to go," Lourdes stated while returning a kiss.
Without delaying another minute, the two young lovers dashed down a couple blocks until they arrived at an upper class neighborhood. It was decorated with luxurious townhouses and apartment buildings that reached to the sky. The streets was packed with vehicles where the one percent could afford more than one.
Lourdes scowled over the urbanscape. "Why didn't Bradley hosted the party at an old shipyard this time?"
"Didn't he say he's taking the opportunity to party at a new place cause' his parents wanted him to watch their apartment for the week?" Jack explained while searching for Bradley's place.
"I can tolerate Bradley, but, not the one percent. They're just cocky high-headed bastards." Lourdes said annoyingly. "They only think of their own kinds. Showering themselves with wealth. Spoiling every generation of their families. Not lifting a finger whenever they want something to be done or given."
Lourdes's family and her has a conflicting history with the rich. Short story, they treated her mother like a garbage since she was young. They ordered her mother around like a slave than a human, cleaning, helping, watching the rich like they were royals than commoners.
But, when it came to Jack and her, he hidden away his social status. He always had a bad gut feeling that might cause her to never accepted him as a friend, or even a lover. So he disguised himself as college student working nine to five at a coffee shop making ends meet, besides the fact, he has a vault; full of inheritance waiting for him to claim.
Jack's throat went dry over Lourdes's rant about the rich, he slowly swallowed his spit trying to hydrate this itchy throat. "But, they're not always evil. Some has good caring-hearts," Jack returned a contrasting opinion.
"Oh and you don't by chance know any?" Lourdes countered Jack's statement with sarcasm.
Jack bite his lip. "Used to," He replied back without saying another word. Lourdes looked at him with a bewildered stare. Just as she was about to ask him a question, Jack interrupted her, acknowledging that he found the place.
They walked into the entrance gate of an apartment building. Through the main double doors and pass the fancy main lobby, the two hopped inside an elevator. Jack pressed the button that led them to floor where the party would be held.
Bradley's parents owned the top floor of the building which was a modern-day loft that looked over the East River and Brooklyn. Jack didn't mind about his friend's financial background, he only care about how he presented himself in society. Bradley was a kind and goofy person who reminded him of another friend. He enjoyed telling jokes which made his friends; him and Lourdes, laugh and smile a lot.
The elevator came to stop and the double doors separated, revealing a spacious upscale living room with open glassed windows, showcasing a spectacular view. Music was rocking the interior, low lights illuminating the space while some laser lights dancing along to the tunes projecting from the DJ's sound equipments. The room was packed with other guests, igniting a party energy of laughter, dancing, and socializing.
A young man with dirty blonde hair and a messy bread walked up to Jack and Lourdes. With his arms wide open, each hand holding two opened cold bottles of beer. "Hey you finally made!" He handed him each a bottle. The couple took his generous offer.
"I see you went all out again, Bradley," Jack admired the atmosphere. The smoke from burnt joints danced around the ceiling. Bottles of bears and wine glasses clinking against each other. Laughter and chatter echoing beyond the room.
"Ain't nothing like NYC party without yo boy, Bradley hostin' this bitch," Bradley's smile stretched from ear to ear. "C'mon don't stand there, y'all go have some fun." He walked behind them, guiding them to the party zone.
After a hour or two, Jack was intoxicated with the mixed aromas of smoke, alcohol, and sweat. Despite the fact Jack was old enough to do these activities, he started at the age of eighteen. He started a few months right after his parents' death. Lourdes denied the joint that Bradley rolled up which he shared with Jack. She was busy watching over her relaxed boyfriend, making sure he didn't pushed himself over his limit. The three musketeers, shared a Lazyboy leather couch, busy talking about whatever came out of their mouths. The boys' brains were buzzed with current events. Lourdes sipped through her can of beer while watching them debate over copyright issues in the media.
Their speeches were nothing but, broken sentences to slurs of gibberish. Lourdes placed her hand over her mouth, contenting her laughter while watching the boys acting like stoned-drunk old man at bar.
Suddenly, the sound of someone's phone ringing interrupted the three's funny episode. Jack jump up from his seat. He dug into his pant and pulled out his iPhone. On the screen, he read the caller ID, Auntie Rayna. The name quickly woke up his toxicated system back to reality for minute.
"I gotta answer this," He told his friends. Before leaving them, he grabbed his drink while heading out to the empty balcony.
Outside the bittercold night air, Jack tried to hide the fact that he's halfway wasted, before talking on the phone. He inhaled the chilly air, then exhaled slowly. After clearing his throat he answered the call.
"Hi Aunt Rayna…" Jack began to talk.
"Jackson! Sorry to bother you from studying, but, something came up sweetie," Rayna said worriedly at the other end.
"Oh no you didn't Auntie..." Jack lied underneath his tongue while looking over his shoulders. The party was still going on. Good thing the music was trapped inside, the soundscape of the city was only heard through the phone. "What's wrong," He asked calmly.
"It-It's your uncle…" Rayna was stuttering. "H-He's been shot."
"He's been what?" Jack's eyes widen. "What happened? Where are you?" He questioned her while a sharp pain pinched tightly inside his head.
"Your uncle has been shot by a robber down in Broadway. It's alright darling, he's in stable condition at the hospital," Rayna kept her voice softly in order to keep Jack calm.
"A robber? What hospital?" Jack sounded like a lost child, calling out his lost parents. "Presbyterian? Mount Sinai? What is it Auntie?" He began to breath heavily.
"Presbyterian, sweetie," Rayna informed him.
"Alright, I'm coming down there. I'll try to be there less than hour," Jack proposed.
"Jackson it's alright, you don't have to go all through that trouble, your uncle will be alright," Rayna reassured him.
"No Auntie don't say that, I'm on my way. I'll call you when I get there, hold on I'm coming," Jack quickly hung up. As he turned around to run back inside, Lourdes was standing behind with her arms crossed. She wasn't mad at all, but, looked deeply worried.
"Is everything alright?" She asked politely.
Jack was stuttering, "Y-Yeah. Everything good." Lourdes grabbed hold of his hands and looked at him in the eyes. "I just need to go somewhere important right now," He told her. His lips pressed against her cheeks, tingling her fair skin. "I'll come back as soon as I can." He released her hands.
But before going inside to look for Bradley, Lourdes let out a tiresome sigh, "Jackson when are you ever going to open up to me?" She asked bitterly with her eyes staring seriously at him.
Jack bite his lips, "I'm sorry, but, I can't stay here right now." He cupped her round face with both of his hands, leaned in closer to kiss her.
But Lourdes pulled away from him. Jack noticed the look in her eyes, he hoped that he didn't shattered something inside her. But, suddenly, Jack's body had the urge to cause him cough. It wasn't a normal cough, it was a forceful kind. Jack turned away from Lourdes, to protect her from whatever might come out his system. After a few uncontrollable coughs, Lourdes noticed a trail of red paint leaking down from Jack's nose.
"Jack! You have a nose bleed," Lourdes rushed over to his help, but, Jack backed away. "It's cool, I'll go find a bathroom."
After washing his face in nearby bathroom, Jack found Bradley and he asked him for car keys. Without saying that much, Bradley just handed him the keys. Jack told him he'll come back to pick up Lourdes and return his car. Bradley weakly waved goodbye to him as he descended down the elevator.
Without wasting another minute, Jack turned on the car and rushed to the Presbyterian hospital that was located all the way north of the city. When he reached to the parking lot of the facility he ran to the entrance, while calling back his aunt. Jack's aunt told him where she was located. Jack managed to find the right floor and room that she was staying in.
He found his aunt seating on a chair nearby North's bedside. Rayna got up from her chair, but, Jack told her to sit back down. She was glad to see him, but, noticed the distressed look on his face.
"He'll be fine Jackson. Some crazy hooligan came out of nowhere, running away with a woman's purse. North heard the victim screaming for bag. So you know how your uncle is. He won't let an innocent person be victimized." Rayna went on telling him.
"So he had to pull off a 'Superman' move at a stranger," Jack stated while looking down at North. He's big boned body slept peacefully on his hospital bed, decorated with medical instruments and equipments attached to his body. "Doesn't he know he's just a human?" Jack asked furiously.
"Unfortunately, no. He believes he's invisible and will do whatever it takes to put others' needs first before himself." Rayna placed her hand over her husband's. "You know there's always a reason to why certain things happen. We just have the choice to whether try to find out why it happened or move on with our lives and forget about it."
"That's nothing, but, pure useless fantasy," Jack stated bitterly, hiding the emotions of him not wanting to see another love one sleeping on a hospital bed. Seeing his beloved grandpa during the same day he lost a friend, was nothing but, confusion and heartache. The sudden events of losing two love ones was very overwhelming for him. Now seeing his uncle laying helplessly, caused those haunting memories to come back.
"Jack?" Rayna saw Jack heading back to the door. "Where are you going?"
"I need…" Jack paused for a moment, gripping on the doorknob tightly. "I need to go get some air…" Without saying another word, walked out the room.
Back inside his friend's car, Jack was driving over the Brooklyn Bridge, heading to Brooklyn. He drove to a park that looked over the Big Apple and the East river. Jack noticed he wasn't far from the bridge, without hesitating, he ran towards the architecture. He climbed up a flight of stairs that led to top.
The sound roaring passing vehicles echoed beyond the bridge. Jack followed the walkway that led pedestrians to stroll down the place. Instead following the trail, he climbed a ladder that led him to the top of structure. He was literally standing at the very top of one of the main towers that held up the platform.
He looked down below and the city behind him, at the top of his lungs, he screamed at the sky, "I want to get better!"
Jack woke up from dream that took him back four years ago; when he was young and reckless. When he heard his phone ringing from the floor, he picked it up and saw a text message.
"Rise and shine! Day one of your training - Tooth"
Jack let out an annoyed groan while removing the covers. He sat up on the couch, staring down at his barefeet. Then checked on Anna who was a sound of sleep. He walked over and gently stroke her silky hair, "I'll be gone for the whole day, I'll be home from work before dinner. Try not to get into trouble while I'm gone."
He spread the blanket on her bed, to covered her little body; making sure she slept peacefully, before getting ready.
With his dress shirt and slacks on, he carried his blazer downstairs to the kitchen. Jack placed it over a chair while fixing his tie as he walked up to the cupboard, taking out a cup. Then grabbed a jar of orange juice, pouring himself a glass. While halfway chugging it down, he heard the sound of heavy books dropping. Jack quickly turned around and saw a young lady in her early twenties smiling awkwardly at him.
"Sorry...I mean. Morning!" She had a similar grin that Jack had.
"Morning. Last minute studying?" Jack pointed the stack of textbooks on the kitchen counter.
The girl nodded. She reached for a stool to sit on. Jack watched her take out a thin laptop from underneath the pile of books and turned it on. Without wasting more time, she plugged herself into studying mode. Jack saw several books opened to chapters discussing about medical terms, diagrams and illustrations of the human body.
"So how's school?" Jack asked her with great interest.
Sophia let out annoyed grunt, "Mind-blowing. More like a super head-rush of information slamming at your face at every lecture. But, I do enjoy the labs, they're fun." She explained. "I dunno how mom survived med-school."
"A lot of energy drinks, all-nighters, and napping during lectures." Jack smirked over his foolish remark, which had a hint of truth.
"Don't tell you've done that," Sophia looked up at her older brother.
Jack chuckled, "Just eighty-five percent of it. But, I don't recommend it if you never tried it in high school."
"You've done it in high school too?" Sophia raised an eyebrow.
Jack nodded. "If you want to try it, try it earlier in college, not later on. But, just take it easy kiddo." He sipped his orange juice.
"Easy for you to say, Mom and Dad, were proud of you for getting accepted to a top business school in New York. And graduating early while being placed at the top ten of your class…" As Sophia went on recalling the achievements Jack accomplished solely without his parents. He absorbed the caring comments his sister stated. Even though he was reckless minded student who was under the influence, he managed to gain an education.
"They've been proud of me all this time?" Jack murmured.
Sophia overheard him, "Yeah, Mama and Papa never stopped being so proud of us." She let out a soft chuckle, "There was one time, during a football match, I scored a goal and Dad jumped out of his seat and cheered like there was no tomorrow. 'Go Sophia! Freeze the house down!'"
Jack let out a shy chuckle, "I guess he was very proud of you."
"Yeah! but, urgh...That cheer was so cheesy. Did you experienced random jokes relating to ice and snow because of our last name?" Sophia grunted.
Jack thought back of the moments where strangers, classmates, even his old girlfriend made jokes connecting to his last name. "Yeah I was once called 'Frosty the Snowman' and some times called 'Old Man Winters'" He admitted.
"That's a good one," Sophia chuckled. "And 'Old Man Winters' sounds fitting for grandpa."
"Yeah," Jack bite his lip when heard Sophia mentioning about their late grandfather, one of the former CEO's of the family company.
"But I had a few. Some dudes at high school used to call me 'Emma Frost.' But I liked being called 'Killer Froze' in the football field."
"That sounds cool," Jack commented while checking his watch. "Love to talk more with you kiddo, but, I have my first day at bootcamp." He slipped on his blazer before leaving.
Sophia hopped off her chair and took Jack's arm. He paused for a moment. "Hey are you free later? Maybe we can go grab some ice cream, like the good old days." She asked him with this look in her eyes which Jack used to remember. A hint joy but, a sense of wanting; the wanting to reconnect with a love one.
Although, they only bumped into each other the afternoon he came back from hanging out with Hiccup, Sophia wasn't raging with hate and anger inside, instead, she ended up tackling Jack to ground, hugging him so tightly until Robert and Sasha suggested that she let go before her brother turned blue. She didn't treat him like a criminal. Either she hide away anything about the tragedy that happened to her brother years ago or had no clue of it because she was too young to understand at the time.
"Sure thing kiddo, I'll definitely come home right after work," Jack ruffled his little sister's auburn-brown hair. He looked down at her face, and realized how she was a split image of their mother. Before leaving, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Jack made it in time before his father's old business team arrived at the office. He managed to pick up some breakfast at local cafe before arriving. When approaching to the front desk; where the team shared the same secretaries and personal assistants, he greeted them kindly with cool army salute. Emily swoon a for bit, Geo returned a salute with a smirk.
Tooth texted Jack to meet them at the conference room. When Jack opened one of the double doors, he didn't know he'll have some company while waiting for his mentors.
Jack removed his messenger bag and placing his coffee cup on top of a large oval teak table. He softly cleared his throat before speaking, "Um good morning."
His voice startled a woman who accidently dropped several stack of papers. Jack rushed over to help her. He closely studied the way she was dressed in a teal blouse and neatly iron pressed dark pencil skirt. Her platinum blonde hair was tied into a bun, combed nicely to showcase a professional look.
"Sorry for startling you," Jack apologized while picking up the papers.
"Oh no, that's alright…" The young woman was suddenly speechless over Jack's presents. Even though, his silk black tie was quite loose, he looked sharp in royal blue dress shirt and dark gray slacks. He wasn't wearing his matching blazer, he prefered to work with his sleeves rolled up. A small tattoo on each of his wrist caught Elsa's attention.
"Hi Elsa," Jack grinned kindly. Elsa looked up.
"Morning Mr. Frost. But you should address me by, Ms. Andersen." She corrected him.
"You sure? You're welcome to call me…"
"Sorry sir, but, company rules that we must address co-workers by their last name with great respect." Jack was shocked to hear how formal Elsa talked. Although her raspy voice had a hint of harmony and grace, there was a sense of authority between her teeth, which was quite attractive.
"You're right. Please accept my apologies for offending you. Thank you for informing me," Jack placed a hand over his heart while bowing his head in respect.
It was something Tooth taught him when he was boy. Those dreadful days where Tooth taught him southeastern material arts in the mornings. Apparently Jack parents approved Tooth's idea of showing some kind of self-discipline and respect for the boy.
Elsa turned red as a firetruck, she was shocked to see a charming gentleman in front of her. Even if he looked kindly, she knew how Jack used to act when they were small. A reckless prankster who enjoyed joking around. Fun was always in his mind. But, Elsa admitted how Jack can also be kind-heart and was stubborn to point he made sure the people he cared about was alright.
"You're welcome Mr. Frost. Please make yourself at home while you wait for Mrs. Hawkins and the rest to arrive," Elsa proposed kindly.
"With pleasure," breathed Jack. Elsa blushed while her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She had lovestruck crooked smile on her face. But, that smile turned to a frown when she noticed Jack planting his feet on top of table with his hands behind his head. He took the statement literally, she reflected.
When she was about to lecture him over his posture and attitude, the double doors swung open and a big-boned man in a gray suit with a green tie walked inside. It was Fergus with Sandy and Tooth behind him. Sandy was the first to see Jack relaxing on his leather office chair, the way he sat didn't bother the small man. He just waved hello to him.
But, that was a different case through Tooth's eyes, "Jackson!" She shouted at him, looking so surprised.
"Morning Professor Hawkins" Jack smiled cheerfully.
"That's no way a future CEO presents himself," She firmly acknowledged. "Now remove your feet from the table, this is not your home. Well, we would like you to think of this place as a home. But, treat this company with respect." She tried to deliver a thoughtful statement.
"Crystal! General Hawkins" Jack stood up from his chair giving Tooth a salute. Everyone, including Elsa who was trying to contain her laughter, snorted a chuckle.
Tooth sighed, "Good thing my husband warned me about this side of him." Without any delay, she clapped her hands, "Alright let's get down to business…"
"To defeat the Huns?" Fergus randomly sung. Everyone in the room snorted another chuckle.
Tooth rolled her eyes. "Jackson make yourself comfortable because were going to teach all you need to become a CEO and prepare you for your exam."
"Yay...I'm gonna be a mighty CEO," Jack rolled his eyes, with a sarcastic tone. Sandy and Fergus couldn't contain their laughters. Tooth was starting to get annoyed, good thing, Elsa was by her side, ready to help her whenever she needed backup.
"Shall I hand out the packets that listed all the important duties of a CEO and the company's policies and business models?" Elsa asked Tooth in order to make sure her boss was in the right mindset to lecture a foolish young man.
Tooth nodded. "Please Elsa, save me from these buffoons," Elsa saw her boss smiling at her. She nodded and went on heading out the packets. Jack overheard his mentor calling Elsa by her first name instead of her last name. Elsa was still a sneaky little liar who could manipulate anyone's mind, Jack reflect.
"Same old Ice Queen," Jack whispered. When Elsa came by and placed a packet in front of him, he replied back, "Thank you Queen Elsa," he showed off his signature grin at her. Elsa blushed. It's been years since she was called by one of her childhood nicknames.
"Jackson, quit talking to my assistant at this moment. You two can finish your tea party later." Tooth began pacing around the room as she went on lecturing.
"I prefer beer and burgers, but, if Elsa is a classy lady then sure why not," Jack told himself inside.
Jack sat by the side of the table with his back behind high scale windows. Fergus and Sandy sat across from him. While Elsa sat where Tooth laid out her belongs, she was busy monitoring and running the various presentations her boss wanted to show through a company laptop which connected to a projector from the ceiling, projecting a boring slideshow.
While listening to Tooth's lectures, Jack was sketching on his sketchbook. He managed to multitask by turning the pages in his packet, showing that he's paying attention. But most of the time, he was sketching cartoon versions of his mentors. While sketching a quick drawing of Elsa whenever he had the chance.
"Jack, I hope you're writing down notes," Tooth had one hand on her hips while glaring at him.
Jack had a goofy grin on his face, "Sure I am. Now about meetings with clients and future partnerships. Will they be done digitally like video chat or do we still undergo the old school way; business trips?" He made up while hiding the fact that he wasn't completely paying attention.
"Well both, it depends on the type of meeting and how important it. But, you're jumping ahead. So hold on for a moment." Tooth happily stated while going back to her discussion on planning.
Jack looked up and saw Elsa busy watching the presentation. He didn't realized that Fergus saw him drooling over Elsa. The grown man nudged Sandy to gain his attention and whispered Jack's name into his ear. Sandy saw Jack passionately staring at Elsa for some time. The two quickly snickered like immature school boys.
"Is there something you two want to share?" Tooth paused and glared at Fergus and Sandy. The two shook their heads, feeling intimidated.
When Tooth went back to talking, Jack went back to sketching more drawings of Elsa. He played around with different angles and picked out what parts of her angelic face to draw. Jack grew fond of drawing her crystal blue eyes. Then focused on sketching a side profile of her serious stature.
Can she ever shed a smile at least? He wondered. Does she still has that classic smile I used to remember?
After a few pencil strokes, Jack had to glance up to capture more of her features, little that he knew, Elsa was looking back him which caused him to blush. He was shocked that she was looking at his direction. She had that graceful reserved expression that caused his heart to start beating rapidly, in order to calm himself down, he simply went back to drawing.
Elsa just smile over how adorable Jack looked whenever he acted awkwardly or uncomfortable.
The clock struck noon when Tooth ended her lecture. After stating that she'll continue with the second part right after lunch. Without hearing more, Jack ran out of the conference office and headed outside to the nearest street that had small cafes and restaurants.
Jack grabbed a sandwich and an energy drink at local cafe. He sat underneath a table with an solar umbrella; shielding him from the sun's harmful rays, outside the company's opened patio. Then a long shadows stood over him while he was busy eating. Jack looked up from his aviator glasses and saw a tall thin man in a black suit with fine lines of silver tracing down his clothes.
Jack swallowed the piece of sandwich inside his mouth before speaking, "Mr. Pitchnier?"
"Good afternoon Jackson, how's your first day going?" Pitch smirked.
"The training is alright. Hope you're not mad over the situation, sir," said Jack kindly trying not to offend the current CEO.
"Oh not at all. I knew one day this would happen. The board only titled me as a temporary CEO," said Pitch like it was no big deal.
"The board knew about my father's will?" Jack looked surprised while starting at the man towering over him.
"May I?" Pitch gestured, indicating if he could sit down.
"Oh yes of course," Jack let him sit across from him.
"Yes the board knew about your father's will. While he was the descendent of the founder of this company, they tried their best to fulfill his wishes. It's their way of offering their great respects for him and his family." Pitch showed a charming smile with a hint of trouble.
"O-oh that's good to hear," Jack nearly stuttered for a moment.
"Well I'm very pleased to hear you finally came home," Pitch's smile never faded away.
"Well dunno if I'm going to stay here. Well permanently wise." Jack confessed.
"Why do you say that?" Pitch raised an eyebrow.
"Dunno if I fit the board's standards of being a CEO. I hardly had any experience of running a business or lead a team or even a company." Jack said it without an sense of confidence.
Although Pitch had a kind-hearted expression, acting like a caring person towards his late friend's son, there was this hint of anger and jealousy growing inside his eyes. He was hoping the board won't go through their decision on replacing him. Jack's father was his rival after all.
"Nonsense. You can't say that unless you've had tried. Who knows? You might have your family's talent." Pitch chuckled.
"That would be?" Jack looked up at him.
"Running an empire that's what!" Pitch gave a gesture with his arms opens wide.
"Why does everyone thinks Frost Enterprise is an empire?" Jack pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well son, apparently it is. Do you know how many branches this company has, globally? How many other corporations do you know are voted to be today's best high-tech forward companies? How about this..."
"Mr. Pitchnier, I think I get the idea." Jack chuckled nervously.
"Very good. Now I better get back to work. And you better go back to training," Pitch got up from his seat. "It was a pleasure talking to you. Let me get one of my secretaries to make room for a lunch meeting with you in a few days."
"With me?" Jack looked surprised.
"Of course. I'm a generous man. I would love to show you how to run an empire," Pitch smirked. "What do you say?" He offered a handshake.
Jack put aside all the comments he made about Pitch being secretly evil for a moment. Even though there's remaining pieces of Pitch which Jack remembered from his past. The man who stood strongly in front of him was once a man who preferred leaving in the shadows. Only appeared when conflict occurred.
Jack got up and shook Pitch's hand, "Yeah that would sound nice. Thank you Mr. Pitchnier."
"Please Jackson, call me uncle Kozmotis. We're family," Pitch showed off a sincere smile.
"Right. Thank you," Jack offered a smile. Pitch smiled back. "I wish you the best of luck my boy."
Jack nodded. He watched the tall slim man in black follow the river of employees returning from lunch time, going back to either their cubic cages or lonely spacious offices.
"Best of luck my boy," Jack recited the last few words Pitch said to him. "Some things never changed." He lean against his chair and stared the umbrella. A memory slowly came back to haunt him.
Jack was only twelve at the time before being sent to live his uncle North in New York. A year after Anna's death, Jack assumed his parents wanted to get rid of him because of his crime. But, no one proposed that idea, little Jack was falsely informed about the proposal by no other than Pitch.
One afternoon Pitch stopped by the Frost manor to discuss something with Jack's father. Pitch found Jack sadly sitting alone in the family living room. He was busy sketching on his sketchbook.
"Hello Jackson," Pitch said kindly. "What are you drawing this time my little Da Vinci?" A smile on his pale skin stretched ear to ear.
"Hi Mr. Pitchnier. I'm just drawing superheroes that's all."
"Then why the long face my boy?" Pitch sat on the recliner across from where Jack sat.
"It's nothing. Really," Jack never removed his eyes from his sketchbook.
"Oh come on Jackson, you can tell me anything. We're like family. Tell uncle Kozmotis what's wrong?"
Little Jack sighed, "Is my parents mad of me because of what I've done?" The boy's eyes had baby teardrops forming at the corner of his eyes.
"Oh no my boy. Your parents are just..." Pitch started to carefully pick the right words for a young child to understand.
"They're disappointed at me, aren't they?" Jack stopped drawing for a moment.
"No my boy it's just your parents are going through some tough times right now. You know what you've had done was just an accident right?" Pitch lend over his chair, placing his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Jack, remember this: there's always a reason to everything."
"My parents has a reason why they're acting so sad right?" Jack started to form his hands into fists. Pitch nodded. "It's because of me!" Jack stood up from his chair, dropping his pencil and sketchbook.
"Jackson!" Pitch tried to calm the little boy down.
"If my parents don't want to love me anymore, than I should run away!" Jack shouted.
"Jack, don't think like that," Even though Pitch had a serious look on his face, little that Jack knew, a small curved line could be seen at the end of Pitch's mouth. He like the idea of Jack leaving.
"No I want too! Even if my parents sent me away, I will take it." Jack's voice sounded rough, then slowly went softly. "I'll do whatever makes them happy..."
Jack snapped back to reality when he received a text from Bunny. He was making sure if Jack was still alive from his crazy wife and her insane lectures. Bunny's text caused Jack to whip a quick grin on his face after his sudden flashback that reminded him of what caused him to think of leaving his family.
"Good to hear you're still in one piece. Now go on and finish your training. Good luck!" Bunny stated. Jack obeyed his statement.
When he was ready to go back to learning, Jack quickly ran for the nearest elevator that still had its doors opened. He shouted kindly for someone to hold it for him, hoping if there's at least someone inside. With a touch of luck, there was someone inside, and it surprised Jack for moment.
Elsa was holding the door for her future boss. Although in the back of her mind, she's just preparing herself of what might happen for the company, either she's getting a new boss or not. All that mattered to her was that if she'll manage to keep her second job. Her parents gave her a limit to only have two jobs, nothing more.
"Oh thank you. You're a life saver. I thought those doors were gonna slice me in half," Jack chuckled while rubbing the back of neck. The two stood side by side, backs pinned to the wall.
Elsa nodded. "You're welcome sir, are you going to the conference room upstairs?" She asked politely.
"Yeah, I gotta head back to the conference room. More training to do," Jack explained.
Elsa said nothing. She went and pressed the button that led up to the last floor of the main building. In seconds, the double doors closed and with a small thump, the elevator started to fly upward.
Jack's eyes moved to the corner, getting a good view of the young woman standing by his side. He observed her like an artist studying the appearance of a model in a figure drawing class. Without any newsprint paper and charcoal pencils with him, Jack rather used his eyes to act like a camera, hoping he could later on recapture this moment on paper.
Although the two hasn't said a word since passing a few floors and no one yet came inside, Jack was itching to at least have a friendly conversation; maybe have those talks they used to have as kids, but, that's pushing it. He doesn't want to see her like the way she looked the other way. In a trance with pain in her heart and sadness in her eyes.
Why was it so hard to talk to an old friend, Jack wondered. Even though, Elsa looked like a elegant goddess in business attire; arms hugging a small stack of folders, her platinum blonde hair neatly tied back to bun, and her face was the centerpiece of the artwork. Her reserved face was visually painted with care.
The first thing Jack would caught his eyes are her eyes. Then the light freckles that decorated above her nose was his little guilty pleasure. That was one of the few littlest things Jack adored about her physical beauty. Her inner beauty was another level of affection which Jack has yet to admire.
"So what do you think about the weather?" Jack broke the silence with a raspy voice.
"Beautiful as always," Elsa replied sweetly, but, didn't want to look at him.
"It's been awhile since I last felt the summer breeze coming from fjord. They always tickled your face while you bathed underneath the sun." Jack smiled.
"Well yes, but, Arendelle can be boring some times. It has always been a sleepy town by the water. Not like New York," stated Elsa.
"Yeah, but, sometimes I prefer a quiet town or the countryside over the city. It can be daunting, annoying, and full of endless temptations which you don't know if it was right or wrong to do. A town like Arendelle is a nice place to settle down or relax for a moment or two, admiring the beauty it has to offer," Jack observed.
Despite the colorful vocabulary and poetry Jack was reciting was elegant through Elsa's ears, the only thing that was buzzing her mind was why Jack never came back home.
"You make Arendelle sound more beautiful than it looks," Elsa finally looked at Jack.
"Well it has beautiful people," Jack gave her a smile while he met her eyes with his. Elsa redden.
After their brief conversation, silence filled up the space again. Not until Jack cleared his throat again and began to open his mouth. "Um, Elsa…"
Elsa looked to her side, "Yes?"
Jack bite his lip, he was contemplating whether to bring up what happened the other day. Should he even mention that him and their old friends are actually working together to grant Anna's wish? Is it selfish of him to tell her that Rapunzel could see Anna except her? But, he need to apologized at least, he reflected.
"I want to apologize about what happened the other day. You know what Hiccup mentioned. About you know who…" Jack this time avoid eye contact. He bow his head down, staring at his feet.
Elsa didn't responded back for awhile, she kept quiet for almost a minute or two. The silence and no responded by her caused Jack to tense up. The level of regret and guilt slowly started to build up again inside his system.
"Why does she looks like a walking book of Fyodor Dostoyevsky? Loving her is a crime. While her attitudes of ignoring me, is my punishment." He thought inside.
"Um, also. I-I would like to apologize about…" Jack stuttered.
Elsa bite her lips, she had the sudden urge to released her bottled up emotions. As much as she was glad to see an old friend, the past was slowly haunting her, likely eating her up to the point she can't hide away the questions and needed emotions to be heard and released.
"Apologize about what Jack?" Elsa shouted instead of asking politely, which shuttled Jack for a moment. He glanced up and stared at her with confusion. Teardrops started to form inside her eyes.
"El-Elsa, I-I want to…" Jack was tongue tied. What's wrong with you, just tell her already. Apologize of what you've done!
Elsa narrowed her eyebrows, looking a bit more serious than ever, "Whatever you're doing here, it's never going to help fix what happened from the past. Our past." She avowed while wiping a teardrop from the corner of her eye. "So please, do what's needed to be done for your family and forget about the rest."
Just as Jack was about to reply back, the elevator doors slowly opened. It wasn't the two's floor, but, someone wanted to ride on the same cart that they were in. A small man with sunburst yellow hair emerged inside. He waved hello to the two.
"Hello Mr. Knight," Elsa said politely.
"Hey Sandy, going up to same floor?" Jack asked him. The small man nodded. He happily filled up the space where Jack and Elsa stood. He looked comfy, standing between them.
Sandy looked at them, turning his head side to side. He was guessing if he interrupted something. Jack saw the little man's guilty expression, he shook his head, telling Sandy that he didn't do anything wrong.
The ride came to close when the three made it to the very top floor. Elsa was eager to be the first one to get out. Jack was second, while Sandy took his sweet time, the little man didn't want to go back to the conference room as much as Jack didn't want to.
When Elsa was heading back to her own workspace, Jack gently grabbed her wrist. "Elsa, can I have word with you?"
Even though, there wasn't that much people at work, Geo and Emily was eavesdropping from their seats behind the front desk. Tooth and Fergus was nowhere to be found.
"I'm sorry Mr. Frost, but I have no time to chat. I have a lot of work to do," Elsa used her hand to remove Jack's grip.
Jack clenched his teeth. "Can you for once talk like a normal human being? You sound like a robot for goodness sake! Please call me Jack like when were kids," He placed his hand over his heart, begging for her to listen to him.
"I'm sorry sir, if I don't fit to your liking, but, I can't disobey orders. Now, excuse me, I have work to do." Elsa implied with a serious tone.
"Elsa please if I can help..."
Elsa was beginning to feel flustered, "No, you may not. I-I need to go." She walked away, leaving Jack alone and confused. As she passed by the front desk, Emily and Geo quickly went back to work, hiding the fact they were busy watching a scene that came from a soap opera, even though they don't know what's going on.
Jack rushed over and this time grabbed Elsa's hand. Elsa gasped when she felt a cold sensation from the palm of her hand. She spinned around and stared at Jack with a confused and panic looked.
"What is it now!"
Jack held Elsa's hand tightly, the cold touch slowly turned to warmth. "Elsa, please, don't go…"
With that desperate look on Jack's face, Elsa had a sudden flashback. It was a rainy afternoon where Elsa was busy holding onto her yellow umbrella. Twelve year old Jack was standing in front of her. She noticed teardrops forming at the corner of his eyes. Without holding back, she walked over and gently wiped away the teardrops from his eyes.
"Jack what's wrong?" She asked softly.
"I-I'm. I'm moving away, Elsa," Jack clench his teeth, trying stay strong. But, the burst of emotions was taking over him.
"Moving down the street or a different neighborhood?" Elsa sounded so innocent.
"No I'm moving to America. My parents are sending me to leave with my uncle." Jack explained.
"Just you?" Elsa raised an eyebrow. Jack nodded. "Then let me come with you! Going by yourself to a new place can be scary. You need a buddy to keep you company." She smiled.
"I like that idea," Jack said sincerely. But then Jack realized something. He stiffened up and looked away. "But..."
Elsa rolled her eyes. She went over place a hand on his shoulder. But, Jack moved away. "But, Elsa you can't."
"Why not?" Elsa walked a bit closer to Jack.
"Y-you. You just can't."
Elsa's smile dropped. She tried not to get too emotional. The young twelve year old stood her ground, "No I need to go with you! We're Legendary Guardians. We help each other, we stick together." She placed her hand over her heart.
Jack couldn't stand another minute hearing his best friend comforting him. It made it more difficult for him to tell her that he'll never come back. Without thinking, Jack began to run away. Elsa watched him go, suddenly, shocked. She picked up her feet and chased him down under the pouring rain.
Elsa managed to keep up, but, she didn't watch where she was going. Her small shoe tripped over rock that caused her to fall onto the ground. She laid on stomach, touching the wet concrete ground. But, Elsa quickly sat up and noticed she scraped her knee. A deep thin red line tattooed her skin. It was slowly bleeding. The cut didn't bother her. Chasing after Jack was her priority. But, she couldn't move.
In the distance, she saw a young boy running in rain, fading away. Elsa didn't know if there's a hole in her umbrella or not, but, her face was wet with droplets. Regardless if it's own tears or the rain, sadness was filling up her little body. All she could do was shout, "Jack, please! Don't go!"
Elsa suddenly woke up when she heard Jack's voice guiding her back to reality. "Elsa please, tell me what's wrong? Can you give me a chance to fix it."
Elsa fought the tears that came back. "...Fix it?" She said weakly.
Jack saw Elsa's hurt face. It was too much for her to hold. She turned around and rushed away. Jack had a heartbroken expression on his face.
"...What happened to us thirteen years ago?!" He shouted.
The atmosphere inside the lobby was uneasy because of the two. Which caused Geo and Emily to be distracted from their work. Geo was quickly munching on some M&M's. She passed the bag along to Emily. Their eyes was glued at the two arguing couple.
"What happened back then?!" Elsa shouted back. "This is what happened!"
Just as Elsa was about to say more, Tooth ran out of her office. "What's going on here?" She shouted at the top of her lungs.
The room grew silent. Elsa bite her lips, but, when she was about to answer her boss, Jack cut her off. "Nothing. I was debating with Ms. Andersen."
Elsa's eyes widen. He finally said my last name, she reflected. Tooth raised an eyebrow, "A debate about what?"
Jack started walking to the conference room, he stopped when he stood over Tooth, "Who would win a fight? Batman or Superman." He grinned at her.
Tooth rolled her eyes. "You got to be kidding me Jackson," She placed her hands on her hips.
"No I'm dead serious. Just a little childish debate," breathed Jack while looking over shoulders. Elsa was avoiding their eye contacts.
"Fine, end this nonsense and lets get back to work." Tooth let Jack walk inside the room before shutting the doors.
Elsa's knees were beginning to feel weak. Emily stood up from her chair and asked if she was alright. Elsa nodded. Without wasting more time, she ran to her workspace, not to work, but, think over what just happened.
"Why can't you just opened up to him?" She whispered.
During the remaining of day, Jack was slouching on his chair like a drunk, starring and blocking out the voices of his mentors. His eyes were wide awake, but, his mind was far away. He was still thinking over what just happened.
"Right now, I want to go home," Jack whispered. "But, where is it?"
He glanced over whatever the three adults was teaching him. "Diagrams, pie charts, more graphs, more statistics, blah blah," Jack said inside.
"Why didn't I. Why is it so hard to open up to her?" He whispered.
When his first training day was over, he quickly picked up his things and ran out of the conference room like a school boy hurrying home to catch his afternoon cartoons. In the lobby he wave goodbye to Emily and Geo. But, Elsa was nowhere to be found. Emily told him that Elsa left early to go to her second job. The information cast a frown on Jack's face, he was hoping to apologize for his carelessness and at least give her a ride home.
As Jack's car parked at the driveway of the manor, he gather his belongs before heading inside. He noticed that the Bergmans weren't home, because Robert's car wasn't parked in the front or near the garaged. Jack assumed the couple went on a date or went to do some errands.
Jack went inside the house, letting out a big agonizing sigh. He loosen his tie and started heading up to his room. Just as he was about to climb up the stairs, Sophia came from the parlor with her hands over her hips with strong angry look on her face.
"You seriously have some explaining to do." She demanded.
Short Commentary: First day at "CEO Bootcamp" was something for Jack. He tried to be good camper but ended up making things worst with his old best friend. As for the dream that Jack had, took us a few years back in his reckless years. And yeah he had a girlfriend back then. (Lourdes, Bradley, and Rayna are my OCs). Now you know what led up to Jack's illness, he treated his body and mind really badly. We saw more relationship development from Pitch with Jack and Jack with Elsa. We'll see more of this interaction later on.
Updating Schedule: I used to at least post 2 chapters per weekend nights. (1 for Friday nights and 1 for Saturday nights) But next week I won't be able to update because I have other projects that are due. Hope you all understand. I'll update as soon as I can, I'm aiming for 7/18 at least.
Writer's Notes: I would like to thank those who took a time to read my story (AGAIN). Thank you for following, reviewing, and your favorites. Once again, THANK YOU! And stay tuned. :D P.S. Don't hesitate to share this with others. Sharing is caring!