Anna felt awful as she walked into school. Not only was she still upset about seeing Ms. Neige with another woman, but she knew that she was going to have to face Merida ... and maybe even Kris. Other than texting her friend that she was home, she hadn't given Merida any explanation as to why she had suddenly fled. She knew how strange her behaviour must have looked, and she felt more than anxious about it now. Judging by the flurry of texts she had received from Kris, Merida had apparently told him about the incident. I bet they're both furious with me. She hadn't bothered to reply to anyone.
"Anna!" Kris suddenly appeared behind her. Merida was with him, too.
"H-hey..."
"We need to talk."
Anna sighed. "I guess..."
They sat down on a nearby bench, and Merida started talking. "Ye really scared me, and ye left me all alone in the middle of nowhere!"
"I… I'm sorry. I really am ... Did you have a hard time finding your way back?" Anna asked, feeling even worse.
"I managed," she said flatly. "But Anna, whit's going on? There's definitely something nae right here. Why did ye freak out so suddenly?"
Anna sighed and her shoulders dropped. I … I …" but then her voice faltered.
Kristoff stood up and walked over to her. "Anna, just tell her …"
With her lips trembling, she turned to Merida. "I-I'm in love with … Ms. Neige," she confessed. "Seeing her… so happy with her girlfriend…"—she choked up for a second, but then steeled herself—"it really hurt."
"Oh," Merida simply offered.
"Yeah..."
Kristoff nodded.
"When did all this start?" Merida asked.
"Right when I saw her the first time. It was so… so strange. It completely blew my mind. She's so pretty, and gorgeous, and … I know this is crazy, but it was love at first sight. Up until then, I never would have even believed that that was real."
Merida chuckled. "I see. Everythin' makes sae much more sense now! So, yer gay?"
"Yes," Anna answered. "I mean, I never knew until I met her… it's… it's like I had no idea … but, yeah."
"Do ye think I'm bonnie, I mean pretty?" Merida asked, taking Anna by surprise.
"Well… uh… I mean, you don't have to be gay to know if someone's pretty."
"Hmmm… fair point."
"But yes. Yes, you're pretty. Although I only have eyes for Ms. Neige, in case you think you have a chance," Anna replied with a wink.
Merida chuckled. Turning toward Kris, she asked, "I guess ye knew?"and Kris nodded in affirmation.
"I've been trying to convince her to just let it go, but that didn't work."
"Really? Why?"
"Come on, Merida, we're talking about her teacher! And look at the damage it's already done! I don't want to see her hurt any more than she already is."
"Pfff, Kris, yer bum's oot the windae. Ye can't give up so easily, Anna!" Merida proclaimed.
"Wh… what do you mean?"
"Well, if ye want her, go get her! Don't mope around and wait for something tae happen. Failing means yer playing."
"Merida ... there's no way I have a chance. You're asking me to reach for the impossible," Anna explained.
"Why? We already think she's a lesbian. Yer half way there already."
"She's her teacher, and Anna's her student," Kris interjected. He dramatically raised his arms in the air. "Can't you see how ridiculous the situation is? There's just no way Ms. Neige would risk dating one of her students."
"Are ye kidding? Have ye listened to the news lately? This kinda thing's in the media all the time! Well, if not all the time, at least once a month."
"Yeah, because those teachers end up in jail. Hello? Jail. Doesn't sound like such a good idea to me."
"Only if they get caught. I'm pretty sure a lot of them manage tae do it secretly," Merida countered.
"Well, I won't say it never, ever happens, but I've never heard of a teacher-student relationship that worked out," Kris fired back.
"Actually..." Anna threw in, "there's the French president… he married his highschool teacher."
"See?!" Merida crowed triumphantly. "And, remember, Ms. Neige is French! Who knows what's normal there? Maybe all their teachers have affairs with their students!"
Anna chuckled, but Kris facepalmed.
"Now you're encouraging her! She's going to get hurt even worse than she already is!"
"Well, what's she got tae lose? Right? I mean, at this point, she can only go up. If she really loves Ms. Neige, she should give it her all! That way she'll have nae regrets."
Anna couldn't help but think that Merida was crazy, but somehow all this craziness was actually cheering her up. What if Merida's right? She didn't have anything to lose. Right now, Ms. Neige won't even talk to me. There's not much more she could do to make me feel worse, except if she found out how I feel about her ...
"I… I don't even know how to get her attention," Anna admitted. "It was going fine when she used to talk to me, but now she just shuts me out. And I don't even know why."
"Hmm… I can only think of two reasons ... Either she figured out how ye feel about her and wants tae keep ye at arm's length, or she feels the same way ye dae, and doesn't want trouble."
"Forget about reason two … There's no way that a woman as gorgeous as Ms. Neige is going to fall for someone like me, even if she is a lesbian, and as for reason one … I think I'd die if she ever found out how I feel about her," Anna explained.
"The two of you are killing me. How 'bout this? She just wants to act professionally? You know, exactly how a teacher is supposed to act?" Kris offered. "Especially since she's probably in hot water after her sexy photos were leaked."
"Yeah… I gotta agree with Kris," Anna commented..
Merida sighed. "Don't listen tae what he's saying. When it comes tae love, it's not about logic, it's all about the heart. Listen to me; I'm going tae take care of ye, Anna!"
Anna smiled. It was nice to see how Merida rallied behind her. "Well, what do you think I should do?"
"Well, we still have tae make sure Ms. Neige is gay. Any idea on how tae do that?"
"Not really..." Anna admitted, although she was eager to find out.
"We're gonna have tae think about that. Maybe we could stalk her tae make sure the girl she went shopping with really is her girlfriend. That would settle it."
"Yeah… that would really settle it! It would mean there's no hope for me."
"Are ye kidding? That would be great news! Just think about it … yer a girl and if she's into girls, then yer playin' in the same field. You'll just have tae lure her away from that woman."
"Sure," Anna replied sarcastically.
"Anyway, we'll work on that later. Right now, I've got an idea for today."
"Like what?" Anna asked, interested.
"Just before French class, we'll stop by the lavvy and fix yer skirt. Just raise the hem a wee bit so that it's shorter. We'll see if she notices. And I'll fix you up with some light makeup, too."
"You two are crazy. Even if she's gay, she's not going to be staring at Anna's legs in class!" Kris complained. "And makeup's against school rules! Anna's going to end up in Weselton's office!"
"Oh, Kristoff, ye dinnae know how any of this really works, do ye?" Merida replied. "Don't listen to him, Anna. If ye follow his lead you'll never date anyone! And Kris, look at her! She's already feeling better, right?"
Anna had to admit, Merida did manage to lift her spirits. She had just regained enough hope that maybe, just maybe, she thought she might have a chance with Ms. Neige. Merida was right, if she really loved , she was going to have to go all out before giving up.
"Well… okay… but for how long? I'm just worried that this is all going to end up as a trainwreck..." Kris commented.
"Don't worry, Kris. I know my chances are slim, but Merida's right, nothing ventured, nothing gained."
"I give up," Kris finally admitted, throwing his hands in the air out of frustration.
"So… exactly how short should my skirt be?" Anna inquired mischievously.
Elsa was waiting for her students to show up. Weird, shouldn't Anna and her friends be here already? Normally, they're here early. Half of the students were already standing by the door, while Anna's group was still missing.
Well, maybe she finally got over me? But the fact that she was late worried Elsa. I hope she doesn't turn into a slacker and lose her interest in French. Maybe Merida's a bad influence on her? She suddenly remembered her dream. Could they be dating? A series of jumbled feelings ran through her head. It's none of your business, Elsa!
But then she spotted them, and Elsa gulped. Oh my God! Anna was even cuter than usual. Was she wearing a touch of makeup? If that was the case, it really enhanced her natural beauty. But what really caught Elsa's attention was Anna's long, slender, delicious legs—did she just think delicious? Yes she did, and they were delicious. She gulped again. She must be wearing a much shorter skirt than usual. It made her look both incredibly cute and unbelievably sexy.
Alarms began sounding in Elsa's mind, and she quickly turned her head away to focus on her class.
Once all her students were ready, she promptly started class, trying her best to avoid looking at Anna's bare legs. Unfortunately Anna was sitting in the front row, and Elsa had a direct line of sight of her student's long, shapely legs, all the way up to her thighs. At least Anna had her legs properly crossed instead of flashing Elsa with a view of her panties.
God knows what I'd do if her legs weren't crossed… the word, "delicious" floated back into her consciousness. Damnit, Elsa! Focus! It would be terrible if Anna caught her peeping, and it would be even worse if someone else caught her staring at a student.
It took all her will to avoid looking at Anna. However, at some point she also realized she was completely avoiding looking in her direction. This can't work either, she'll notice something's wrong.
Elsa did her best to act as natural as possible, forbidding her eyes to wander beneath Anna's desk.
Her new strategy resulted in catching a few glimpses of Anna's bare legs, and it was affecting her. Maybe I should say something? I haven't read all the school rules yet, but I'm pretty sure this goes against them. There must be a rule about skirt length… but damn, that uniform really looks great on Anna… Elsa!
She was still wrestling with herself. As a teacher, she should say something about Anna's skirt, but on the other hand, she didn't want anyone to accuse her of ogling her students. Well, they don't know I'm gay… so nobody would think it's weird if I said something. But what about Anna? What if she did this on purpose? Wouldn't it be better to pretend I didn't notice? Then she chastised herself. What are you thinking? Why would she even do that? You're losing your mind, Elsa!
She couldn't make up her mind on how to handle the situation before the bell rang, signalling the end of class. When Anna got up to pack her things, she uncrossed her legs, revealing her pink panties. Elsa found herself unable to look away.
Fuck…
I need to say something now. She can't go around flashing the entire school. Elsa was just about to intervene when she heard Hans comment, "Nice skirt, Anna! I like it."
"Fuck off, you lavvey-heided wanker," Merida replied, and Elsa pretended she hadn't heard a thing. To be honest, she hadn't understood everything that Merida just said, although she was sure it wasn't nice.
Elsa noticed that Anna was blushing though, and her hands went to her skirt to straighten it and lower it a bit. So cute...
Elsa shook her head, and waited a bit before leaving her class for break. She stopped by Rapunzel's classroom, and noticed her best-friend sitting at her desk.
"Hey, Punzie!"
"Hi Elsa. How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. Hey, I've got a question ...Have you ever noticed Anna wearing her skirt really short? Isn't that against the rules?"
"Anna? No, that's not like her, not at all. A lot of the girls do though. Don't hesitate to call them on it."
"Oh. Ok, thanks."
"I'll keep an eye on her. Oh, and on a side note, some of my students want to speak with you. Remember the girls we met while shopping? They want to know about modelling."
"Oh. Is that a good idea?"
"Well, maybe you could talk to them. Just make sure you don't tell them to ditch school to become models and it should be fine," Rapunzel joked.
"I'll try not to corrupt their innocent minds," Elsa replied. "Aren't you going to the teacher's lounge?"
"Nah, unfortunately, I've got too much work to do. I'll see you later on! Oh, by the way, how's it going with Esméralda?"
"Great! She's been working a lot recently, though."
"Well, we should visit her store once it opens. Maybe I can find something Flynn'll like!"
"I'm sure you will," Elsa said with a wink. "See you later!"
She was walking to the teacher's lounge when she ran into Mr. Weselton.
"Oh, Ms. Neige! I need to talk to you," he mentioned.
"Okay, I'm listening," Elsa said a bit defensively, afraid of what this could be about.
"Some representatives of the students' parents want to meet you. It's about your former career."
"Oh," Elsa simply said. "I thought that had blown over by now. The students stopped talking about it at least two or three weeks ago."
"I know, but it seems it took some time to reach the parents. I've agreed to meet with them on Friday after the end of class. Is that good for you?"
"Y… yes, of course," Elsa replied. Fuck, I really thought I was done with this.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it will go fine."
"Shhhh! Here she comes!" Merida whispered as Ms. Neige came out of the school.
Anna, Merida and Kristoff had been waiting for fifteen minutes, hidden behind a low wall nearby.
"This is a bad idea; we shouldn't be doing this!" Kris whispered, but Merida hit him in the gut.
"If you're only here to complain, you should just go home!"
"What? No… no, I'm staying with you."
"She takes the tram on Tuesdays, anyway," Anna commented. "I already know that."
"Hmm… it doesn't look that's going tae happen today," Merida pointed out, and Anna saw that Ms. Neige was indeed walking away from the tramway stop.
"Let's follow her, but be careful! I don't want her to notice us!" Anna told her friends.
"Kris, get your car and follow us in case she gets a ride!" Merida added.
"What?! You're crazy!"
"Don't argue! And hurry!"
Kris mumbled something, but did as he was told, which made Anna chuckle. She had rarely seen her best-friend so docile.
"I think that's the same woman we spotted her with last time..." Merida observed as they watched their teacher enter a car through the passenger door.
"Yeah, I recognize her hair, but that's Ms. Neige's car..." Anna told her friend. She had already seen it twice before.
"Strange… they share the same car?"
Anna winced when she saw Ms. Neige lean over and kiss the other woman.
"Relax, it's just a kiss on the cheek. It doesn't mean a thing," Merida told her, as if she was reading Anna's mind. "Maybe she's French, too."
Still, she's supposed to be kissing me, not her, even if it's on the cheek!
"Ah, Kris is finally here!"
Anna followed Merida into the car, sitting in the back. If they got caught following them, she didn't want to be recognized.
"Hurry up, we're gonna lose them!" Merida urged Kristoff.
"How did I let you talk me into this?" he complained. "We could get into real trouble!"
"Just follow them sae they don't spot us. Haven't ye ever watched spy movies?"
"Of course I have, but if you haven't noticed I'm not exactly a spy! I've had my driving licence for less than a year."
"Ye know, that's too bad. I've always thought spies looked really cool and were so mysterious."
"Well… I mean, I did ace my driver's exam. It's just… I mean, yeah, you're right, I can definitely do this. Just call me Bond. Kris Bond."
Anna smiled when she noticed how Kris took on their new mission, although the last line had her thinking Austin Powers instead of 007.
"Don't get too close, though," Anna warned him.
"Don't worry, I've got this!"
They drove for a while, until Ms. Neige's car stopped. They were far enough away that they went unnoticed and they watched the scene unfold from within Kris' car.
Ms. Neige and her alleged girlfriend left the car, and Anna sighed when she saw the dark-haired woman rest her arm around Ms. Neige's waist.
"Well, I guess there's no doubt now," she concluded.
"Hmpf. Not sure, but it does look like they're together," Merida agreed.
The two women entered the house, and Anna lowered her head. Ms. Neige's girlfriend is so lucky…
"Well, if it's true, that's good news!" Merida proclaimed. "I know what yer thinking, but that means she truly is gay. The good news is that they're not married or even engaged, so it's definitely possible for ye tae step in! Besides, Ms. Neige was definitely checking ye out in class!"
Anna wasn't so sure about that. True, she had caught Ms. Neige looking at her legs a few times, but probably because it was against school rules and Ms. Neige was thinking about reporting her.
Anyway, she didn't know how a boring and plain teenager like herself could compete with a gorgeous full-grown woman for Ms. Neige's affection, however she was done wallowing in self-pity. She was going to do everything she could to win Ms. Neige over.
"Maybe we could sneak up tae the house and look at the name on the mailbox," Merida suggested. "Then we can see if both their names are written there."
"No, no way. Nobody's sneaking up to that house," Kris said firmly. "We're done here."
"Aw, come on! Don't chicken out now!"
"Merida, stop. Enough is enough. I'm driving us back even if I have to take you kicking and screaming. I'm not going to sit here and watch the two of you get arrested, or God knows what."
Anna had rarely seen him being so assertive, and Merida looked at him, a bit surprised. "Well, whatever ye say then, Mr. Bond!" she said with a smile. "Ok, James, drive us back home!"
Notes: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! Glad you liked it ^^
Also you must have noticed I switched to a chapter once every two weeks. I know you'd prefer once a week like, but it's much more comfortable for me that way! Also, it allows me to publish better written chapters (mainly thanks to IceWraith though :p)