It had been mere hours since he had set foot inside school grounds, and Jack was already bored out of his damn mind. He spent the last few moments of semi-freedom with Andy and Hiccup outside, gorging on junk food and avoiding unpacking until the very last second possible.

"I can't believe we're back already..." Jack mumbled, lying down on the railing with his hands intertwined under his head.

"Gee, don't sound too excited now," Andy said, nudging the silverhead with his sneaker.

Not bothering to articulate a reply, Jack flipped the other guy off, then returned his hand back to its place.

"So when are you and the girls stepping down from the Student Council again?" Hiccup asked as a bag of chips was passed around.

Andy hummed. "Not before we train the new batch."

"It's gonna be weird not having you three in charge anymore."

"I hear you," Andy agreed with a chuckle. "I'm gonna miss all the paperwork."

With a shake of his head, Jack scoffed, "Of course you are, you big nerd."

"Say whatever you want, you wouldn't have pulled half the crap you did until now if it wasn't for me covering your ass, you jerk."

Jack smirked as he gave an over-the-top salute. "And for that, you have my eternal gratitude, Andrew."

"Well, let us know when the official handover is so we can throw you guys a party," Hiccup said, patting Andy's shoulder.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not."

The silverhead frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Andy let out a heavy sigh. "I just want a nice and quiet retirement, that's all."

"You're a disgrace, Davis."

"Shit tends to happen when I'm not around to keep you guys in check."

Hiccup shrugged. "I mean, he's got a point—"

"Hello, gentlemen," Wilbur Robinson greeted as he approached with Hiro trailing next to him.

Hiccup waved at the newcomers warmly. "Hey, Wilbs. How was your holiday?"

"Probably not as fun as your little coed party," Wilbur replied with an arched eyebrow.

Jack smirked, sitting up. "Don't you feel left out now, William. Lucky you, we were just planning another party—"

"No, we were not," Andy stated, throwing a threatening glare at the others. "And if you throw one, I am personally signing your detention slip."

"Sheesh, Davis," the silverhead grumbled, throwing his arms in the air with annoyance. "Stop ruining all the fun, will ya?"

"Okay, that's an official veto on the party," Hiccup quickly added with a shake of his head. Looking back at the pair, he asked, "So? What are you two up to?"

Wilbur cleared his throat, gesturing between Hiro and himself. "I'm glad you asked, Haddock because Hiro and I were just thinking about a little escapade to the pool tonight."

"Isn't it kinda cold for swimming?" Andy wondered.

"You know, there's this amazing modern invention called 'heating system'," Hiro said matter-of-factly. "It keeps the water temperature just nice and warm for assholes like you."

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck with a hum. "I don't know, man…"

"Is the pool even filled?" Jack asked.

"What's with all the excuses?" Wilbur laughed, his eyes moving around their little circle. "Could the legends of school be scared of a little sneaking out in the dark?"

"How the mighty have fallen…" Hiro added, crossing his arms.

One of Jack's eyebrows shot upwards as a sudden rush of anger made his fists itch. "Excuse me?"

"Well-mannered on top of that!"

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Somebody throw him a biscuit."

Jack immediately jumped onto his feet and shortened the distance between him and Hiro. Narrowing his eyes, he hissed, "Watch it, kid..."

"What's the matter, Frosty?" Wilbur asked, jumping in front of the silverhead with a stupid smirk on his lips. "Don't wanna get your pretty hair wet?"

"Says the moron who douses a whole bottle of hair gel a day!"

If Wilbur was affected by the comment at all, he did a good job hiding it. His grin widened and he confided, "You're good boys now, and you don't wanna tarnish that prestigious reputation. I get it."

"We won't bother you idiots anymore," Hiro said.

Jack laughed, but his laugh sounded more like a poisonous snarl than anything. "Who said we're not going?"

"You sure, Frosty?"

"We will be there, fuckface."

"Great!" Wilbur clapped excitedly before turning on his heels. "Now if you'll excuse us, Hiro and I have club matters to tend to."

"Midnight," Hiro announced before leaving. "Don't be late."

"Same goes to you, assholes," Jack grumbled through gritted teeth and continued to burn the back of his friends' heads with his mind until they were out of sight.

He was about to complain about some idiots not knowing their places when he realized both Hiccup and Andy were glaring at him with crossed arms.

"You know," Andy said with a sigh, "for someone who prides himself in being a genius troublemaker and all, you sure can be easily manipulated."

"... Shut up, Andy."

"Alright, I'm calling it a night," Andy stated after he sneezed for the third time in a row. Swimming was fun and all, but he missed feeling warm. He grabbed his towel off the floor and started patting himself dry. "I need a hot shower."

"Let's get out of here before someone finds us," Hiro added, receiving grunts of agreement from the rest of the boys.

In varying levels of drippiness, they retrieved discarded possessions and headed back to the door only to discover a setback in their way.

"It's locked," Wilbur stated, pushing the door again to no avail.

"What do you mean it's locked?" Jack snarled, shoving the other guy to the side.

"I mean the door won't budge, and we can't get out, dumbass," Wilbur answered, rolling his eyes.

With a cross of his arms, Hiro turned to stare at Hiccup. "Hiccup was the last one in. The fuck did you do, Haddock?"

"What, you think I locked us in here on purpose?"

"Well, you obviously did something or we would be outside by now!"

"Sure," Hiccup scoffed, waving his arms in the air. "Because dying of hypothermia was so part of my plans tonight."

Feeling the tension growing between his friends, Andy sighed, raising both arms in an appeasing gesture. "Calm down, you guys. None of this arguing is gonna help us unlock that door."

Hiccup groaned, turning away from the rest of the group, and started pacing back and forth with his eyes on the ceiling.

"What do we do now?" Hiro asked.

"You tell us, you're the genius who wanted to swim in the middle of the night." Jack laughed with contempt. "Brilliant idea, by the way. I am having the time of my life, buddy!"

"I don't remember dragging you here, Frost," Hiro replied, pushing Jack's shoulder back. "You came on your own will, just like everyone else!"

Jack's eyes slowly moved from the point of contact on his shoulder to his assailant. "Do that again, and I'm gonna throw you inside that pool, you son of a bitch."

Tired of listening to his friends arguing, Andy closed his eyes. "Guys, please…"

"We're gonna die here," he heard Wilbur muttering. "We're gonna freeze to death, and our popsicled bodies are gonna be found in the morning..."

"How about—"

"It's only a matter of time until our animal instincts kick in and we're resorting to cannibalism," Hiro added.

"We're gonna have to eat Hiro to survive," Jack said.

"Why me?!" Hiro protested.

"Hey, guys—"

Jack shrugged. "You're the shortest. Probably easiest to take down."

"Nothing personal, bud," Wilbur added, patting Hiro on the shoulder.

"What if we—"

"Oh, sure," Hiro scoffed, pushing the other guy's arm away. "My supposed friends just admitted that they'd be okay with killing me in cold blood and eating my flesh. No big deal."

Andy shook his head. "Nobody is eating anyone—"

"WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR A MOMENT, YOU BUNCH OF MORONS?!"

Hiccup's shouting successfully silenced their blabbering, and they all turned to glare at him. Hiccup flinched at being in the spotlight, then straightened his posture and pointed up. On the wall, above their heads, there was a window.

An open window.

Violet really didn't expect the night before to go as it did. When she coincidentally overheard the boys' secret plans, she just figured it was a good opportunity to give them a little scare. She'd lock the door for a couple of minutes, she'd mock them for a while, then she'd rescue their sorry asses, and that would be it. But before she could do that, the boys were climbing their way out of the natatorium on their own, landing on the shrubs on top of each other like slices of baloney in a sandwich. They were so freaked out about getting caught that they didn't even notice her presence, and she enjoyed watching from the shadows as they parkoured up and down campus like a bunch of clumsy baboons. Her only regret was that she was not able to record their brilliant escape for posteriority...

"So where did you go last night?" Astrid inquired her as the girls sat down together at breakfast.

"What do you mean?" Violet asked, nibbling on her toast.

"I heard the door opening."

From the corner of her eyes, Violet checked Jack and the rest of the boys: They looked sour and miserable. Perfect. Looking back at Astrid, Violet smiled her best innocent smile. "Oh, you know, when nature calls…"

"You were out for a long time."

"That is not a very polite thing to point out," Violet said, scrunching her nose.

"Please tell me we're not gonna find another Jello fiasco today," Elsa begged, pressing her eyes shut.

"That Jello thing was all Frost's doing."

"Then what is your deal?" Astrid asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion. "You're grinning like the cat that got the mouse."

Violet shrugged, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "I'm just relishing the head-start on some friendly competition."

Astrid and Elsa exchanged wary glances, and Violet continued to shower them with her sugary sweet smiles.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Astrid snarled.

"I think you're better off not knowing."

"Violet…"

Despite her friends' wariness, the brunette's grin simply widened in delight. "Hell of a year we have ahead of us, ladies."

Sighing, Elsa shook her head. "You could say that one again…"

"Kristoff!" Anna called as she spotted her tutor across the hallway.

Kristoff perked up at the sound of her voice and waved when he spotted her in the crowd. She excused herself from her friends, not wanting to pass the chance to talk to him out of their study sessions, and trod to where he waited, leaning against his locker.

"Hey, Anna," he greeted her with a nod. "How's it going?"

"I'm great! Super happy to be back!"

"Well, isn't that a surprise?" Kristoff mused with a chuckle.

Anna pouted, crossing her arms. "What are you implying, mister?"

He shrugged. "No offense, but you're not really the academic type."

"Even if I'm not," Anna scoffed, "school is not just about studying, you know."

Kristoff hummed, eyeing her with a hint of skepticism.

Straightening up and keeping her chin high, Anna continued, "Yeah, like I get to see my friends again. Back home, it was just me and Elsa, but then she ditched me, and it was just me, and—"

"Did you two fight again?" he interrupted her with a frown.

Anna snorted, shaking her head. "Of course not." Then, she looked back at him with an arched eyebrow. "What, were you worried about me just now?"

"As if." Kristoff rolled his eyes, then dropped his head back. "I don't wanna have to deal with you being sent to the tutoring program again because of another breakdown, that's all."

"Your faith in my emotional stability is definitely something, dude," Anna grumbled, leaning her back against the lockers as well. "Thanks a lot."

Kristoff laughed, nudging her on the shoulder, and because of their height difference, Anna had to raise her head to maintain eye contact with him.

"I'm joking," he said with a cross of his arms. "I know you're gonna be just fine even when I'm not around breathing down your neck anymore."

"Right…" Anna clicked her tongue, feeling soreness on her throat like she had just been punched there. Her hands were getting clammy, and she could feel her heartbeat ringing in her ears. She started feeling dizzy...

"... Are you sure you're okay?"

Her eyes snapped open, and before she could think about it, Anna blurted out, "Do you wanna do something? With me? I-I mean, I should thank you for putting up with me all this time—"

"You really don't need to worry about that."

"But I want to," she argued. "You were a great help, Kristoff, and I appreciate you being there for me."

Kristoff hummed, and he scratched the back of his head hesitantly. His cheeks looked a little pinkier than normal, when she thought about it. "I guess it could be fun to hang out without textbooks and homework for a change."

She smiled, trapping her lower lip between her teeth, and chanced a micro-step in his direction. "How about this weekend? We could have ice cream together."

"Sounds great. But we should get going now, the bell is about to ring," Kristoff said, as he showed her his watch.

"Oh, shit, I was supposed to talk to Rapunzel before the next class…" Anna facepalmed, groaning with irritation. Running her fingers through her hair in panic, she started walking backward down the hallway. "I'll text you later, okay?"

"Sure, Anna." He chuckled as he watched her nearly tripping on her own feet.

"Saturday. It's a date! I mean, not a date date, but, you know, a—"

"Go!"

Their little pool adventure had put a fraction of the team in a cranky and sick mood, meaning that they would be holding off on any operations for the time being. That being the case, Hiccup and Jack killed some time outside, throwing a ball back and forth to at least move their muscles amidst their boredom. Hiccup was just about to toss the ball for the umpteenth time when something caught his eyes: Hiro and Elsa were laughing together, discussing something rather fervently, with a lot of words thrown back and forth at a quick pace. Too bad he couldn't hear shit about what was being said from that distance.

"Ever noticed how close those two seem to be?" he asked, gesturing with his head at the pair walking down the lane.

Jack craned his neck and watched them as well, his quiet judgment lasting for way longer than Hiccup figured was socially acceptable.

"I guess…"

"Hiro doesn't really talk about being friends with Elsa."

Jack hummed, glancing back at the pair. By then, the two had parted ways, Elsa heading inside whereas Hiro continued strolling down the outer corridor.

"What do you think the story there is?" Hiccup wondered.

"Only one way to find out…" the silverhead mumbled, pulling his arm to launch the ball again… but not towards Hiccup.

"Jack, what are you—"

"YO, HIRO, HEADS UP!"

The warning barely gave Hiro time to react. Instinctively, he brought his arms up, but the ball slipped through his defenses and smashed right into the poor boy's face.

"Why would you even do that?!" Hiccup shouted as he and Jack rushed to Hiro's aid.

Their injured friend crouched on the floor, hands clutched to the left side of his face, and curse after curse bursting out of his mouth.

"Hey, buddy…" Jack approached carefully. "You okay there?"

"What the fuck is your damage, Frost?" Hiro snarled, glaring at the silverhead.

Hiccup's eyes widened as he noticed the smudge of red across the boy's cheek. "Oh, shit, Hiro, you're—"

"Oh my God!"

They all froze at the panicked cry that Elsa let out. Apparently, the girl had decided to come back, and she didn't seem very pleased with the little conundrum she found there. Elsa had both hands over her mouth, and her eyes kept shifting between frantic and infuriated as she looked from one guy to the other.

Hiccup noticed that Hiro slightly shifted in place as an unsuccessful yet commendable attempt to hide his split cheek from the girl.

"What happened here?"

Jack cleared his throat. "Look, Your Majesty, before you say anything, it wasn't my fault—"

"I'm sure it wasn't," she interrupted him with a roll of eyes.

"It was a simple accident—"

"And that is such a relief," Elsa scoffed.

"Will you stop that?"

Tiredly, she rubbed circles on her temples. "Can't you stand still for just one day?"

Jack snorted. "Now, where's the fun in that?"

"Fun?" Elsa repeated with a contemptuous laugh. She pointed at Hiro's covered cheek. "You call that fun?"

"It's just a scratch!" Jack snarled, glaring at the blonde, but her stance didn't waver a single inch, so he cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway. I put too much trust in Hiro's reflexes." Under his breath, he added, "Never making that mistake again..."

"You poke a hole on my face and it's somehow my fault?!" Hiro grumbled, throwing his head back, and Elsa seemed on the verge of having a heart attack, so he quickly added, "I'm joking! Doesn't even hurt that much."

Jack threw his arms in the air exasperatedly. "See? He's fine."

Elsa pursed her lips and exhaled heavily through her nose. In defeat, she mumbled, "At least go to the infirmary to get the cut disinfected."

"I really don't think—"

Hiccup stepped in, throwing an arm around Hiro's shoulders with excessive enthusiasm. "Worry not, Elsa, I'm on it."

The girl nodded, then took the football ball from Jack as she stated, "I'm confiscating this. And you're coming with me."

"Finally asking me out, aren't we?" Jack mused with an attempt at a flirty smirk.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Of course. I'm sure the headmaster will also enjoy an afternoon with you."

"Okay, that's kinda creepy," the silverhead mocked, folding his hands behind his head.

Her eyes narrowed. Having Hiro's injury taken off her plate, Elsa could focus her mind on being pissed, and she was taking none of Jack's crap."Now."

"You know you can't do that, right? You don't have that authority anymore."

"Wanna bet?"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Elsa started walking, and, after a moment of inner struggles, Jack frantically jogged after her.

"Hold on, I can see you're distressed, Elsa, how about we just talk this out like friends..."

"Why, and deprive Headmaster North of your company? I don't think so."

"Oh, come on, Your Majesty!"

"You can shout all you want, Jack—"

The bantering continued long after the two of them were out of sight, and Hiccup couldn't help but listen to it with a smile on his face.

"What are you grinning at, you weirdo?" Hiro asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

"Nothing." Hiccup shrugged, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "Let's get you all patched up, buddy."