Chapter two

Due for a good one

Elsa strolled into her dorm, tossing her overnight bag into the corner. "Hey, Tiana," she said cheerfully.

Tiana, who was currently at her laptop finishing up some homework, waved. "Hey, Elsa," she said.

The room was the same as she had left it – one half clean, one half messy. The only difference was that Tiana's bed was now also unmade.

Tiana turned to her. "Hey, thanks for clearing out last night," she said.

"No problem," Elsa said. "How's Naveen?"

"Oh, he's good," she answered, turning back to her computer. "How's your sister?"

"She's good," Elsa said. "In fact, she's going on a date tonight."

"That's nice. With who?"

Elsa grinned. "Me!"

Tiana didn't even glance up. "All right. You do you."

Elsa giggled. "Not literally, of course." She explained the events of the previous night.

"Ah, I see," she said. "That's pretty nice of you."

"Yeah, so that's where I'll be this evening," Elsa finished.

Tiana raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say you had a study group this evening?"

Elsa clapped a hand to her forehead. "Ah, fuck, that's right. Fucking Diff eq."

With exams coming up, Elsa had resolved to put more of an effort into studying than last semester – which would be no great feat itself. It was a decision she'd come to hate, not the least because of her Differential Equations class. It was easily the most frustrating class she'd ever been in, but her study group really helped.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I guess…I'll just have to study on my own," she said, mostly to herself.

Tiana turned to her, slinging an arm over the back of her chair. "You could probably reschedule your thing with Anna," she said. "I'm sure she'll understand."

"Yeah, she'd understand," Elsa said. "But it'd still be a big letdown, and to put that on top of last night…no. I can't reschedule that."

Tiana grinned. "You're a good sister, you know that?"

Elsa cracked a smile. "Well, that's good news, because I'm a damn lousy student."

xxxxxxx

"So we're meeting at Vito's tonight!" finished Anna with a flourish.

"Oh, that's a good restaurant," Rapunzel said.

"Yeah," agreed Eugene. "Not too pricey, either."

Anna waited a few seconds, watching them across the table. Neither of them said anything. "Well, is that all you have to say?" she asked, a little irritably.

"Not at all," Rapunzel said quickly. "It's just kind of a lot to process, that's all."

"Yeah," Eugene said, pausing to eat a spoonful of mashed potatoes. "One day you're going out with Kris, the next day you're going out with your sister?"

"Oh yeah," Anna said. "I forgot you have first period with him. How's he doing?"

Eugene swallowed. "All right," he said. "He was a little down, but not as much as when the last chick dumped him."

Anna felt a pang of guilt. "I wish things could've gone better," she said.

"It's okay," Rapunzel said, placing her hand on top of Anna's. "It wasn't your fault. You're still figuring things out, vis-à-vis, who you're attracted to."

Anna brightened. "Yeah. And now I have Elsa to help me with that!"

Rapunzel smiled, but weakly. Anna's own smile faltered. "That's not weird, is it?" she asked, suddenly grateful that their table was relatively empty.

"No, of course not," Rapunzel said quickly. "It's not weird at all."

"It's a little weird," Eugene said.

Rapunzel glared at him.

"What?" he said. "I didn't say it was a bad thing."

The brunette turned back to Anna. "Look, it's great that you're figuring this stuff out about yourself," she said. "And if your sister can help you with that, all the better. But having your first date with a girl be with your sister, even if it's a fake date…might cause some complications."

"Like what?" Anna asked.

"Well, let's say you are a lesbian, but you don't want to date your sister. Obviously, that's going to send some mixed signals to your brain," she pointed out.

"Or," Eugene chimed in, "what if you discover you've actually been madly in love with your sister this whole time? Boy, you'd be in trouble then!"

Rapunzel stomped on his foot. "You're not helping," she hissed.

Eugene raised his palms placatively. "I'm trying to lighten the mood, okay? You can get so dramatic sometimes."

Anna chuckled. "It's fine. I appreciate the concern, but I'll be okay. Elsa texted me this morning, saying that if things get weird, we'll stop the date immediately. I trust her to know when to stop."

"Exactly," Eugene said. "Elsa's got a lot of experience dating; she'll know what to do and what not to do."

"Of course I trust your sister to know what's best," Rapunzel said. "All I'm saying, Anna, is that you're a bit…sensitive. I just don't want to see you get swept up in emotion again."

"I won't. I promise," Anna said determinedly.

Eugene glanced to the side, then grimaced. "Speaking of…" he said.

Anna turned her head. Then her blood ran cold.

He had just left the line, carrying a tray of food. That smug, ass-licking smirk that He wore so well was on His face, making His unusually high cheekbones look even higher. And He was walking right at them.

"Shit," breathed Rapunzel. "What is he doing here? I thought he had a different lunch period."

"I don't think he gives a shit," Eugene said, scowl growing on his face.

Rapunzel grabbed Anna's hand again and squeezed it. "Don't worry," she said. "We're here for you."

Anna said nothing. She had ducked over her lunch tray, trying to look small.

He was right behind her now, walking slowly. Two of His goons, – she wouldn't call them friends, as that implied mutual respect – followed behind him. He turned to look at them. "This seat taken?" He asked innocently.

Rapunzel and Eugene had already dashed around the table, sitting on either side of Anna. "Back off, asswipe," Rapunzel said. "She doesn't want to talk to you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? And why can't I sit next to my girlfriend?" he said.

Anna started shaking, and she gripped her fork and knife tightly. Both Eugene and Rapunzel were staring Him down now. He didn't seem fazed.

"Heard you dumped Kristoff," He continued. Anna said nothing. "Good girl. I figured you'd know a loser when you saw one. Now, are you ready to end this charade?"

"G-go away," Anna managed.

"Hey, don't be like that," He cooed. "Why don't we just talk things over?" He reached down, his grubby hand reaching for her hair.

Eugene stood up, putting himself between Him and Anna. "You heard the lady," he snarled. "Get lost."

The noise of the cafeteria died down. Everybody had turned to watch the two men glaring at each other.

"Oh yeah?" He said, drawing Himself up. "Why don't you get lost, Fitzherbert, before I make a mess out of your face?" His goons advanced behind him, grinning with lopsided smiles.

Eugene smirked. "Try it, if you think you can. It'll be nothing compared to the one Majercak makes out of yours."

His grin faltered. He and His goons looked at the near wall. The school's security guard stood there with folded arms, watching them intently. His biceps seemed as thick as tree trunks, and his body was tense, as if poised to leap in at a moment's notice.

"You'd better get moving," Rapunzel added venomously. "I heard him complaining yesterday about how he never gets to use his taser."

Majercak carried the weapon openly in a holster. Nobody had ever seen him draw it, and nobody wanted to.

He tried to maintain an intimidating façade, but His goons were not so clever, and they backed away. He sighed. "Fine, have it your way," He said. He pointed at Anna. "This isn't over between us," He said.

Finally, He walked away. Majercak relaxed slightly, and the bustle of the cafeteria resumed.

"Ugh, can you believe that guy?" Rapunzel fumed. She put her hand on Eugene's shoulder. "Good job, Flynn," she said affectionately. "You did good."

Eugene puffed up his chest, the mention of his nickname swelling his pride. "No need to thank me. It's all in a day's work for…" He glanced at Anna, and his swagger faded.

Anna was still staring down at her food. Her shaking hadn't stopped, and her knuckles had turned white. Even though He had walked away, she could still feel His eyes on her.

Rapunzel placed her hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Anna, it's okay, he's-"

Anna jumped at the touch. She stood up, grabbing her tray. "See you guys in Biology," she mumbled, then started walking toward the hallway out of the cafeteria.

Rapunzel dashed after her. "Anna, wait," she said, grabbing onto her wrist.

Anna turned to look at her. "What?" she said, her voice thick.

Rapunzel sighed. "Go on that date with Elsa tonight," she said. "Go there and have a good time."

Anna blinked twice.

"You're due for a good date," Rapunzel continued. "Sooner, not later."

Anna managed a weak smile. "Thanks, Punz," she said, her voice cracking.

Then she walked away.