She didn't know when or how, but one day, Rapunzel realized she had a major crush on Jack Overland. Worse, she realized it over the weekend, meaning she would be quite the mess when he showed up at school. Him, of all boys, him, her best friend's older brother. Well, he was only one month older than Cassandra since she had been adopted, but he stepped into the role fairly easily. Even now, as Rapunzel watched the two of them walking towards her, Jack was looking over Cassandra's shoulder, helping her with some homework. Rapunzel subconsciously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she watched Jack patiently explain the problem to Cass.

"Do you think you have enough of a grasp on the concept to pass your quiz?" asked Jack. The two stopped walking mere inches from where Rapunzel stood.

Cass let out a breath. "I think so. I'll probably need a refresher course when it comes time for the big test."

"Well yeah, I wouldn't expect you to remember all of this once you've graduated." A grin slowly formed on Jack's mouth. "I plan on forgetting a lot of this, anyhow."

Cass rolled her eyes. "Of course you would."

"Oh come on, you wouldn't need half of this information later on in life, you just need it to take your quizzes and the final test." He glanced at Rapunzel and winked. "Right?"

"Well, you will need some of this . . ." began Rapunzel.

'But not all of it." He turned back to Cassandra. "You see? Even Raps knows you don't need to know everything!"

"Well . . ."

Cassandra scoffed. "Oh, come on we're going to be late!" She grabbed Rapunzel's arm and pulled her into the school, Jack trailing behind. The day went fairly well, for the most part. Rapunzel acted almost normal, just barely, she feared, to keep Cass and Jack from guessing at the changes. Maybe as time went on, she could hide it better, but right now, she was just barely able to get through the day without becoming too big of a mess. For the most part. Someone did notice.

"Hey Raps, you alright?" Cass took Rapunzel aside, just inside the bathroom.

"U-um, sure, yeah! Why are you asking?"

"You have just been a little weird," said Cass slowly as she eyed Rapunzel.

"Oh, I'm fine! Thanks for asking. I'm probably just a little tired, stayed up a little too late last night."

"But this isn't your tired weird, this is different," said Cass matter-of-factly. "Come on Rapunzel, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yes, but . . . well, this is kinda different, and I'm not sure about it myself."

"Well, let's talk about it, maybe we can figure it out together."

Rapunzel began stroking her hair nervously. "Um, OK." She took a deep breath and blurted, "I have a crush on Jack!" Cass's mouth and eyes dropped. "OK, listen, I know this is weird . . ."

Cass interrupted her with a whoop. "Girl, what took you so long?"

Rapunzel blinked. "Wh-what?"

Cass laughed. "Come on Raps! I'm your best friend after all! You've been crushing on Jack since we first met!"

Rapunzel's mouth dropped. "Say what? No I wasn't!"

"Oh yes you were! I could tell too. After growing up in an orphanage, you pick up a few things." She grinned. "But what baffles me is that it took you this long to figure it out." She chuckled.

Rapunzel blushed slightly as she chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I-I guess I'm a little slow when it comes to things like this."

Cass nudged her shoulder. "You're fine, at least you did figure it out. Some people don't even get that far and need it spelled out for them."

"I suppose so." She glanced at Cass. "So, you're not weirded out by it?"

Cass blinked. "Why should I be weirded out?" She paused and gasped. "Oh, the whole best friend's brother bit. First off, Jack isn't my blood brother, and even as an adopted brother, I don't feel weirded out. Secondly, you two would actually make a great couple!"

Rapunzel began to brighten. "Really?"

Cass nodded vigorously. "Really truly!" She winked. "I'm the best person to help you, after all. I am Jack's sister!"

Rapunzel laughed. "That is true, I suppose."

Cass scoffed. "You suppose?"

"OK, OK, yes, you're right, you are Jack's sister." Rapunzel began fiddling with her hair again. "So, um, what do you think he would like for Christmas?"

Cass snickered. "We'll worry about that when it gets to November, Jack could have changed his mind several times by then."

Rapunzel tilted her head. "True."

The two jumped when a loud pounding was heard. "Hey! Hurry it up in there!"

"Just a minute!" Cass shouted back. She turned to Rapuznel. "We're not finished with this conversation."

Rapunzel sighed. "I guess not. Do you want to come over and work on homework tonight?"

Cass put up her finger. "Plus talk about this, yes."

"OK, just don't tell Jack, please."

Cass nodded. "Don't worry, he won't hear a word from me." She turned and unlocked the bathroom door. The two walked out while other girls walked in. Rapunzel nearly turned and ran when she saw Jack walking towards them. He shot her a worried glance.

"Is everything alright?"

"Just peachy!" said Cass.

"Are you sure? Raps has been acting weird and . . ."

"Wait, you noticed too?"

Jack blinked. "Uh, yeah, we are friends. Why wouldn't I notice?"

Rapunzel glanced down. "Oh."

"Something is wrong, isn't it?"

Cass placed an arm around Rapunzel. "Nah, nothing you need to worry about. It's girl stuff, and I'm going over to her place tonight."

Jack seemed to relax at that. "Well, so long as it's nothing too serious . . ."

"It's not," replied Cass rather cheerily. "At least, nothing seriously bad, this could end up being something seriously good though."

"Oh, well, that's different." Jack glanced between them. "Can you tell me what it is?"

"Oh no!" Rapunzel's exclamation took Jack by surprise.

"Well, that is, not quite yet," Cass quickly said. "There are some things Raps has to work out before she can let everyone else know."

Jack glanced between them. "Alright." A loud chime began going off. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Oh, Dad's here."

"Then my ride should be here too," said Rapunzel.

Jack pocketed his phone. "Then let's not keep them waiting." The three dashed towards the front. As they ran, Rapunzel realized she knew what she wanted for Christmas, and she hoped Cass could help her get it. She wanted to have a date with Jackson Overland and have their first kiss under the mistletoe.