Reminder: Anna mentioned Ariel to Elsa's parents as the girl Marshall was trying to get with back in chapter 15.
The pair of sophomore girls shivered by the front steps of the school as a cold breeze blew past. It had been ten minutes since they'd stepped outside and while it wasn't as cold as the previous months, Elsa still found herself rubbing her palms together and blowing hot air on them.
Beside her stood Rapunzel, rubbing her own elbows to keep warm. "You're really going?"
"It's just a vacation."
"Right after Marshall's graduation, right? Are you serious? Two months is a long time." The brunette frowned. "And what about work? Your parents', I mean. Can they really be gone for that long?"
"I don't know." Elsa shove her hands inside the pockets of her jacket and shrugged. "They said they'll think of something. Maybe they'll use up all their leaves?"
"For two months?"
Elsa winced. "I don't really know, Rapz. They said to just let them worry about it. If everything else fails, maybe we'll even come back earlier than expected."
Rapunzel opened her mouth but later stopped as something behind Elsa caught her eyes. Elsa turned around and saw Vanessa walking over to them. Rapunzel squared her shoulders and raised her head in defiance, facing the senior head-on. "What is it this time?"
"Is it true?" Vanessa asked, facing Elsa and ignoring the brunette's existence. "You're leaving?"
"Excuse me. I don't think that's any of your concern," Rapunzel spat.
"Answer the question."
Elsa frowned, wondering where Vanessa got the news. Rapunzel was not speaking that loudly and there weren't any students outside the building. Most of the school's population had already left about half an hour ago. She pursed her, mulling over how she could have figured it out. And then it hit her.
"You were the one outside the clinic."
The senior rolled her eyes. "Does it matter?"
"It does? You were eavesdropping."
"You know, if you really meant what you said, you should've told her while she was awake."
Elsa's fingers twitched. "What were you doing out there?" she asked, narrowing her eyes when the senior didn't say anything. "She told me what happened between you and her." It was subtle, but Elsa was able to catch a tiny flinch and a mild widening of the senior's eyes. "Why did you do it?"
Vanessa did not answer, determined to simply stand there in silence as Elsa drilled a hole into her head. Rapunzel shifted her gaze between the two. "I heard you used to be best friends," she said.
Elsa snapped her head to Rapunzel. "How did you know?"
"Anna. She told me back at the hospital. I asked if she was really worried about you or if she's just being nice to get revenge later on." She stared Vanessa down. "That's when she told me about you and how she knew how it feels to be betrayed."
Elsa pressed her lips and eyed the senior.
"I don't know what happened between you and her. But whatever it is, it's clearly a big deal if it's affecting her this much," Rapunzel continued.
Elsa curled her fingers in a tight fist as the senior remained silent, her nails digging right into her now-sweaty palms. "Not everyone is lucky to be given closure, Van."
"I could say the same about you," the senior said. "You didn't answer my question."
Elsa sighed. "I am. But only for a short while."
"Does she know?" When Elsa didn't say anything, Vanessa huffed and hitched her bag higher. "Don't make the same mistake I did, Elsa. Take your own advice. Not everyone is lucky to be given closure."
The breath caught somewhere on the back of Elsa's throat and she shivered at the cold bite of air penetrating her lungs. She then glanced at the senior and watched her fix the scarf around herself. With another huff, she stepped down the stairs and went on her way. Elsa briefly wondered if she lived nearby.
"Elsa!"
Marshall, Ariel, and Anna stopped in front of them, with the couple panting heavily. Elsa glanced at Anna and noticed the lingering gaze on the brunette senior. A tiny twinge of something sparked inside her chest. She pursed her lips and focused back on her brother.
"Sorry, got stopped by Ms. Mode." Marshall panted.
"It was interesting though." Ariel giggled. "You should think about it."
Marshall scrunched his face. "Yeah, maybe next time. Sorry, Elsa. Have you been waiting long?"
"A little," the blonde admitted, eyes sliding back to Anna.
Ariel glanced at her cousin. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"
Anna shook her head. "Meg and I already made plans for tonight," she said, and then she met Elsa's gaze. She smiled. "Enjoy your dinner." Elsa swallowed whatever words lingered on her tongue and nodded. Marshall and Ariel shifted their gazes between the two until Anna cleared her throat. "I should go."
"Be careful."
"Wait, I'll come with you!" Rapunzel ran after Anna and left the three on their own.
Their walk towards the Dalton household was way warmer than any of them had expected. It was as if winter was simply reminding them that it was still there and that it will be back. Elsa smiled at the thought. She tuned out the idle talk between Ariel and Marshall and enjoyed the remaining bits of cold.
It didn't take long for them to reach their destination.
Their parents had been there first, reaching the house while Marshall and Ariel were trapped in a conversation with one of their talkative teachers. They hurriedly greeted the trio and led them inside the house for some warmth, all the while insisting Ariel feel at home.
"It's too bad Anna couldn't come," their mother said. "I miss that girl."
"Her sister needs her for something," Ariel explained.
"Oh, it's alright. There's always a next time."
Marshall grabbed a bowl and offered it to the redhead. "Yeah, but a double date would be nice too."
Ariel thanked Marshall and smiled ruefully at Elsa. "We'll get there."
"So I wasn't able to ask when we were in Corona," King started, placing the pitcher on the table after filling his cup. "How did my son and Anna manage to make you fall for him?"
Elsa nearly choked on her drink when the question spilled from her father's mouth. Of course they were going to ask about that. It shouldn't have come as a surprise. In fact, what should be even more surprising was how it took this long for them to ask about it. Elsa could only hope that Marshall was able to inform Ariel about Anna's supposed 'excuse' when they first mentioned her to their parents.
"D- Dad! Come on!" Marshall chuckled nervously, setting the bowl down. "It's embarrassing to talk about that."
"Oh come now." Their mother giggled. "Anna went through this interrogation, didn't she?"
"You just admitted it's an interrogation!"
"Son, let it go." King shook his head and glanced back at Ariel. "I find it interesting is all. They said he couldn't get your attention before."
"Uhm..." Ariel bit her lip, her brows furrowing as she glanced at the siblings. "Actually, I was... I already liked him for a long time. It's just- I had a lot of things going on."
That's good enough.
"Ariel's one of the top students in her class," Elsa jumped in, remembering the scores posted on the bulletin boards for each class. "I guess she was too focused on her studies to think about romance."
"A studious lady, huh." King nodded, causing the redhead to blush. "I like her. I'm surprised you managed to catch her attention, Mars."
The poor guy groaned.
"What are your plans for college, Ariel?" Queenie asked, twirling the pasta around her fork. "We were just talking about it recently since Mars is going to college soon."
Ariel sipped on her glass. "I'm thinking about either marine biology or theater."
"A biologist and an actress! Mars–"
"Dad!"
"Oh stop it you two!" Queenie hissed, pointing at the father and son with her fork. "I'm trying to have a conversation here."
"Sorry," the two said. Ariel giggled at the guys' expense and Elsa covered her face with a hand, hiding a cringe. She was already comfortable with Ariel but seeing this scene unfold before her eyes embarrassed her more than anything.
Their mother huffed and then turned back to Ariel. "What do your parents do?"
Ariel lowered her hands and smiled. "My father is a marine biologist and my mother is a film director."
"Ah, that explains your choices then." The redhead nodded. "Well, if you're one of the top students in your class, I'm sure you'll be fine with whatever you choose."
Ariel grinned. "Thank you."
"That reminds me." Queenie tapped her chin. "Anna is also smart, isn't she? She's a junior and she's only sixteen if I remember correctly."
"Oh yes."
"Impressive," King agreed. "I would love to see that girl again before we head to Corona."
Elsa froze. Marshall spluttered and looked at his father incredulously. Queenie tilted her head and King raised his eyes on the ceiling and cupped his chin.
"Say, what do you usually do for summer?" King asked the stunned redhead.
"I'm sorry?"
"Mars won't be coming with us," Queenie reminded.
"Right." King snapped his fingers and scratched the side of his head. Oblivious to the looks his children were giving him, he faced Ariel. "We're going to Corona for Elsa's summer break. I was thinking if you'd like to come. Mars will be staying here, but you're welcome to come with us!"
"Oh." Ariel glanced at Marshall. He chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. She looked back to Elsa and swallowed as the blonde bit her lip. "Anna and I will be taking advanced classes this summer in preparation for college."
"Oh, I see. Good luck with that," King said.
After that, her parents told Ariel some embarrassing stories about Marshall's childhood, much to the senior's dismay. They had also mentioned Cindy in those stories, but this time, there wasn't any lingering tension unlike the time it was Anna who came by for a visit. Elsa was... grateful for it, but she wasn't oblivious to the glances Ariel had been throwing her way since her father mentioned the vacation.
Once dinner was over, Elsa offered to wash the dishes to which Ariel also jumped in. "I want to help," she had said as she grabbed the sponge from Elsa. Elsa surrendered and grabbed a towel instead to dry the dishes, occasionally glancing at the redhead to see if she was doing alright.
She's better at this than Anna.
Elsa pursed her lips and looked at the plate on her grip.
"You're really going?" Ariel's voice carried through the still air.
Elsa's fingers twitched. "For a vacation."
The redhead nodded slowly and turned the faucet off. "Does Anna know?"
"I'm not planning on keeping it a secret," Elsa promised, setting the plate aside. "But things are still awkward between us. I don't know how I'll open this up."
"As long as you're not planning to keep it from her, that's fine. Just... don't leave her in the dark." Ariel sighed and faced her. "I only ask that you don't disappear on her without a warning."
It was a fair request. Elsa knew that, of course. Her best friend and cousin had already left Anna once. Elsa knew the pain that instilled in Anna. She was familiar with it because she had experienced it herself with her parents and Marshall.
"I promise."
Anna was dragging herself towards her classroom, hair untied and messy, when she heard a frantic yell. Her head had been hanging low, shoulders drooping so early in the morning like she woke up to the news that the world was ending and there was no way to save it anymore. When she lifted her eyes to see what the commotion was about, she stopped in place.
In the middle of the hallway, Vanessa was staring unblinkingly at the same group Anna had once saved her from. "I don't owe you an apology," the senior said.
Surprised, one of the girls gasp. "We're trying to be nice here!"
"Sure," Vanessa grumbled, rolling her eyes. "By saying sorry if I apologize."
"It's only fair!"
"How? I didn't do anything to you."
"You didn't even apologize to Ariel, and Anna, and Elsa!"
"She did," a voice chimed from behind a frozen Anna.
Anna, along with the other students, looked at the owner of the voice. There stood Ariel, a couple of books on hand and raising an eyebrow to the girls whose mouths fell open.
"What?" asked one of them.
"She apologized," Ariel repeated.
The girls snapped their eyes to Anna who jumped at the sudden attention. She tightened her hold on her own bag and leveled them with another glare. The girls squeaked and scrambled as they left. Vanessa rolled her eyes again.
A locker shut close, capturing Anna's attention. Elsa and Rapunzel were standing beside the lockers and looking at the brunette senior who had her arms crossed.
"That was interesting," Elsa said.
"I bet it was," Vanessa scoffed and carried her notes to her room.
Rapunzel shivered. "I still can't get used to that."
"Neither can I." Jasmine twirled her hair around and followed Vanessa to the senior's room. Aladdin waved at them before running after the tanned girl, leaving the usual group behind.
Ariel walked over to Marshall. "What happened?"
He shrugged. "The usual."
Ariel hummed and waved at Elsa with a smile. Elsa muttered a simple "Hi" before her eyes fell on Anna who immediately tensed. Elsa raised a hand to Rapunzel, silently asking for a moment.
"Hey."
Anna's grip on her bag tightened. "Hi."
"Can we talk? Later, after school. I need to tell you something."
Cold dread washed over Anna's veins. The last time they had a talk, Elsa asked how she truly felt about her. Until now, she was not able to give an answer. She couldn't. And hearing Elsa say these things only made her think about everything bad.
"O- Okay."
Elsa smiled and rushed back to Rapunzel, resuming whatever conversation they were having. Ariel nudged Anna on the shoulder and gave her a worried look. She shook her head, breath shuddering, and made her way to class.
She wished time would stop. Even if she could barely concentrate on anything lately, she wished classes would go on forever. Whatever Elsa wanted to tell her, she was not looking forward to it. A lot of scenarios played out inside her head, each more negative than the last.
Why would Elsa use such an ominous phrase?
Despite her silent pleas, time only seemed to move faster than ever before. Every single time Anna wanted it to last longer, the opposite always seemed to happen. She swallowed past the dryness of her throat as the last bell rang and she gathered her belongings.
When she stepped out of her room, she released the breath she had been holding when she did not see any signs of Elsa. She walked briskly towards the side doors, desperate to reach her car and avoid whatever conversation the blonde wanted to have.
"Hey."
She tensed.
The blonde was leaning against Anna's car with her bag and a few notebooks on hand. Of course she knows my car. Anna cursed inwardly and reached for one of her braids.
"I figured you'd run here."
"Elsa..."
"Are you okay?"
"What? Oh, yes. Yeah, I'm fine," Anna lied. Elsa watched her for a second too long so she decided to change the subject. "You wanted to talk?"
Elsa fiddled with the strap of her bag and cleared her throat. "Yes."
Pushing back the lump slowly forming on the back of her throat, Anna coaxed. "So..."
There was a pause before Elsa licked her lips and straightened her back. "Remember when I told you my parents wanted me to live with them again?" Anna's fingers twitched. She swallowed hard, hand trembling against the strap of her bag, and nodded. "They asked again the other day and... they want me to live with them in Corona."
Anna's jaw dropped. The blood pumping through her veins rushed to her ears in an instant and for a moment, she thought they were clogged enough that she heard it wrong. Her fingers stopped trembling around her books and she waited with bated breath. When Elsa didn't say anything else, she forced out a single, soft "What?" because she didn't want to believe she heard it right.
"They want us to go back to Corona," Elsa repeated. "I think I'll go with them." Anna whipped her head back and stared at Elsa wide-eyed. "But only for the summer."
Though the words were delivered gently, a dreaded feeling began to grow deep within Anna's chest. The whispers were back—lies, lies, lies. Her breath shuddered as she forced the air in, trying to calm the racing thoughts. The last thing she wanted was to break down again in front of Elsa, even if she was severely close to another one of those moments.
Some part of her wanted to scream. To push Elsa in a corner and ask why she was leaving. But another part of her also knew she couldn't exactly do that. This was Elsa she was talking to. This was Elsa's decision and ever since Anna became fond of her, she made it her life's mission to honor the blonde's wishes and respect her boundaries. If this was what Elsa wanted, she would give it to her. She couldn't force her way against that because what if Elsa got mad?
It was only for summer. But it's going to be for two months.
Two months could easily become three, four, five months... even years. Maybe even forever.
Elsa's face softened and she reached out to hold Anna's hand in a poor attempt to comfort her. It was not helping. It wasn't calming her down at all; instead, it succeeded in making her eyes water. Elsa pursed her lips and gently wiped the first tear that fell with the back of her hand.
"Why?" The question was barely heard through the ringing in Anna's ears, but she figured it was audible enough because the hand touching her face paused.
"My parents think they need this to move on and I want to help them."
Anna took a step back and pulled her hands away from Elsa's gentle touch. "How is that going to work? You're going back to where it all started!"
"You told me you don't want me to live in regret," Elsa said, reminding Anna of their conversation at the mall after coming back from Corona. "I'm scared that this won't work, but I want to give it a try again. I think I'm ready."
Anna stilled. Those words... Anna genuinely meant those words when she had said them.
Damn it.
"This time, I know they're trying their best, too. To actually get to know me and to make things right. This isn't the same as when they asked me to come here."
"Els- Are you sure?"
"Two months, Anna. We'll leave sometime after Marshall's graduation."
"This is all too sudden. I don't... Why didn't you tell me?"
A voice at the back of her head mocked her. How could she tell you when you've been avoiding her? It repeated similar questions over and over again that it caused another set of tears to rush out. Anna sniffed, cursing inwardly because, wow, she really had a natural skill for breaking everything she deemed important.
"I wasn't sure about it until recently."
Anna bit her tongue, barely stopping herself from asking when, exactly, did Elsa come to this decision. Had she already thought about it before Anna visited the studio? Or was it only after that?
"I want to see this through," Elsa continued. "You've always looked after me and I'm really thankful for that. But this time, I want you to look after yourself, too."
Her breath hitched. That last statement—
"I'm not tired of you." Elsa reached for the redhead's hand and held it tight. "I'm not leaving because of you. I'm going because I think it's what I need to move forward."
Anna nearly let out an empty laugh. These reassurances... Was she that obvious?
"Two months is a long time, Elsa. A lot can happen. Two months was all it took for me to... to like you."
As the words left her lips, Elsa's fingers twitched against her touch. Anna whimpered. Her head hung low, unable to lift it up to meet those blue resolute gaze. Saying those three words never became easy no matter how many times she confessed it to whoever. After Elsa's question the other day, it became even more difficult. Even wrong. And Anna didn't like that.
Her head throbbed.
"I need to do this, Anna. And maybe you need it too."
Anna was behind one of the shelves in the library, looking for some book. At the back of her head, she knew she should be looking for books to study in preparation for college, but her mind had been floating around endlessly while her hand had been blindly feeling around the lined-up publications.
You drove her away.
It's your fault.
With a groan, she pressed her forehead against the shelf. "Snap out of it," she kept saying as she reminded herself that Elsa was not like other people. That she also had her own life and own problems to deal with. This is what you wanted, right? To not be special enough to matter in those decisions. The mere thought had her gritting her teeth. Family was important, she knew. She remembered how much Elsa agonized over it. But still, it did not stop the pitiful whine from escaping.
What if Elsa doesn't come back? Or what if she was just using this situation as an excuse to get away from her?
Come on, Anna. It's not always about you.
Her soft grumbling was interrupted when someone tapped her shoulder and made her jump.
"Hey."
Anna blinked and licked her lips. "Rapz..."
The brunette smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "I heard she already told you. About this summer?"
Anna tensed. We're talking about this? Rapunzel tilted her head and it was then that she realized she had actually voiced out the question. She cleared her throat and turned her gaze back to the shelf. "Yes, she did."
Rapunzel grabbed a book and absently rubbed a hand against the cover. "Feels weird. They're doing just fine here as far as I can tell. Why leave, right? But... I mean, it's not like they're going to stay there forever...?"
The careless pause and intentional trailing off were all it took for Anna to understand what it was the girl was trying to do. She hadn't expected this conversation, but at this point, nothing about Rapunzel surprised her anymore. Rapunzel could tell when something was going on with her, that much was a fact. Oftentimes, she would even hit the mark. It seemed like this time was no exception.
Closing her eyes, Anna swallowed past the dryness of her throat. "I know. She already told me."
They fell silent after that. Anna inhaled softly and opened her eyes again, staring blankly at the covers of the books lined up by the shelf. Rapunzel was flipping through the pages of the book on her grip so fast, Anna had to wonder if she was even reading it. She gritted her teeth and curled her fists by her sides.
Finally, Rapunzel shut the book with a huff and faced her. "Hey, I'm sorry for blowing up on you in front of your locker before and... for everything I said, really."
Anna sighed. She must be losing her touch if people could read her easily by now. "It's fine. You were right. I was being unfair. That's why this... thing with Elsa won't work. Not now when... when I'm a mess."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to. I already know, Rapz. I told you I can't do this when I'm still going through something. And now, she's leaving and I can't even bring myself to spend more time with her. I just... I keep messing things up."
The brunette pursed her lips and watched Anna intently. Seconds passed by in agony; they felt like hours or even days. Anna just wanted to excuse herself, but if there was someone she could be open to about this that wasn't Meg and not be afraid of the possible consequences, it was Rapunzel—the only person she considered a friend other than Elsa, but still not as close.
Rapunzel sighed. "I know it might not mean much coming from me, but you're still my friend, Anna. Even if there are times when you aren't making any sense anymore, I'm not going to give up on you. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here. I mean it."
Anna's fingers twitched and her legs weakened. Everything about Rapunzel's statement brought the never-ending worries back. She almost denied the unspoken accusation and defended herself, to say that she would be fine on her own. She stopped at the last second.
Enough.
Rapunzel had tried more than once to get her to open up. Even when Anna kept quiet just as many times, she didn't tire saying it again and again when the situation would permit it. Anna's answer was mostly still the same. This time, however, a small realization hit her. She was tired. Tired of lying. Specifically, lying to herself. She was getting tired of pretending she could handle everything in front of people while quietly carrying this heavy load inside her chest. It was exhausting. Suffocating.
"I don't know how," she admitted softly. "How does one even try to explain irrational thoughts?"
The brunette's eyes widened, surprise evident in her face as if she hadn't expected Anna to say anything other than 'thank you' or 'okay'. Once she was able to pull herself together, she placed the book back on the shelf. "Maybe stop thinking about them as something irrational? If they don't make sense, ask questions. Break down the list. What are you thinking about? Why are you thinking about it? When did it start? How did it start? Those kinds of things."
"I've tried." Too many times, in fact. And yet, she just kept running around in circles.
"Maybe you're not asking the right questions then. Or the right person." Anna flinched. "If you want to understand something, keep asking until there are no more questions left. I know that's what I'm doing." It took a few seconds before the meaning behind her words clicked. Anna blinked, staring questioningly at the smiling brunette. "I would rather ask you directly than keep mulling over things because, then, I'll only end up jumping to my own conclusions. I don't really want to do that with you involved. As I said, you're my friend. Even if sometimes, it feels like I'm the only one who thinks so."
QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT!
Because I don't want to shock anyone when the time comes, I want to let you know as early as now that there are only four chapters and an epilogue left for this fic. Everything has already been written and beta'd (massive thanks, averiarose!). This also explains how I was able to post a chapter every week for the past three weeks. I decided to write the remaining part of the story before coming back to updating online. Rest assured, I have my beta's seal of approval and go signal and I can't wait to share it all with you.
