Chapter 18

Rapunzel Corona

I wouldn't be freaking out right now if not for Jack Frost. I was at a sleepover at Ruffnut's house with our other friends Mavis, Merida, Heather, and Heather. We spent the night giggling, talking about boys, and giving each other makeovers. But the air grew tense when Ruffnut brought up the subject of Astrid.

"She's been my best friend since forever, you know?" Ruff had said, staring at her hands as we sat in a circle on the carpet. "We're still really close; it just feels wrong leaving her out of stuff like these."

"Astrid is a sweet girl, when she's not angry and demanding death," I'd agreed.

"And overprotective." Heather had rolled her eyes. "Remember when I was new at school, back when she and Hiccup were dating? She was SO jealous that I might be making a move on her boyfriend, when all I wanted to do was be friends with him!"

"He's a great guy." I had winked at Merida and she turned bright pink.

Mavis stretched her arms. She was wearing a cute black nightgown that showed off her arms. "Well, I remember when Johnny and I were dating. It was the best feeling in the world. Now Once-ler and I are dating, and there's only one word to describe him: adorkable!" We laughed. "Seriously, though, he's so sweet and cute. Though sometimes I feel like he's a different person when I talk to him."

"Maybe he's got Multiple Personality Disorder," Ruff had suggested.

Mavis shrugged. "Maybe."

"Ooh! Let's play Truth or Dare!" I had squealed. The other girls agreed. "Okay, I'll go first. Ruff, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Ruff grinned.

"Hmm . . . I dare you to . . . call Hiccup and ask him to sing the periodic table song!"

"The what?" Ruff asked.

"It's a song he showed me during free time." I waved it away. "Just call him already!"

"Okay, okay!" She pulled out her phone and called Hiccup. She put him on speakerphone, but motioned for us to stay very, very quiet. "It's ringing!" she whispered loudly. We giggled.

Hiccup's voice came through. "Hello?"

"Hey, Hiccup. This is Ruffnut."

"Hi, Ruff. What's going on?"

"Could you sing the periodic table song? I, um, need to learn it for Chemistry."

"Yes! Oh, yes! There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium . . ."

I had giggled behind my hand. "He went on for an hour, singing that song over and over again to me yesterday," I whispered to Heather. She snorted, then clamped a hand over her nose and mouth, eyes dancing.

"Okay, Haddock! That's enough!" Ruff had shouted into the phone when he got to curium.

"But there's only one more stanza!" he had wailed.

"No! No more!"

"Fine," he'd grumbled. Then he hung up.

"I am SO not choosing dare again." Ruff rolled her eyes. "Mavis, truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

"What is your honest opinion about my brother?"

Mavis had tapped her chin, thinking. "Umm . . . how do I put this delicately . . .? BLEGGGHHH!" She pretended to barf all over the carpet.

"That's my girl!" Ruffnut draped an arm around her and laughed.

"Rapunzel, truth or dare?" Mavis asked me.

"Dare." I grinned, and the other girls oohed because I never chose dare. Like, ever.

"I dare you to . . . sneak over to Jack Frost's house and watch him while he sleeps like a creeper!"

I sat, frozen, as the other girls howled with laughter. They knew I'd never do this. They knew I'd back out and say "Truth" and they knew that they'd have to oblige.

"Fine. I'll do it."

My friends had stopped laughing and stared at me with wide eyes. I turned to Ruff. " Can we sneak out of your house undetected?"

She had snorted. "Of course we can! I've done it a million times before."

I'd smiled. "Good. Then let's go."

Which leads to now as I'm standing on the driveway leading to Jack's house. I took a deep breath and walked onto the lawn. I'd changed into my flowing pink shirt, jeans, and sneakers before coming. The girls tiptoed behind me. They had changed as well. What a sight we would've been walking around in the middle of the night in our pajamas!

I carried the ladder from their shed to the side of the house. Ruff had said I'd need to watch him for 5 minutes. She'd originally said ten, but I had argued that we might get caught and be in huge trouble. I climbed the ladder, strings of curses running through my head that I'd learned from Flynn. I peeked through the window and saw Jack in a dark blue T-shirt and gray shorts. He was reading a book on his looked up and I quickly ducked. When I looked through the window again, he saw me!

"Shoot," I muttered, scrambling down the ladder. He opened up his window.

"Yo, Punzie."

I cringed and looked up at him.

"Come up."

I did as he said and climbed through the window.

"What were you doing?" he asked me as he pulled out a swivel chair for me to sit on.

I sat down and told him all about the dare. "And I'm sorry if you thought I was stalking you," I finished.

He smirked. "It's kinda hard to believe," Jack said. "that you would actually choose dare!"

"Well, I decided to change a little," I said defensively.

"Aw, don't change, Punz. I like you just the way you are."

I looked up and he was staring at me intensely with his ice-blue eyes. Then he leaned forward and lightly brushed his lips against mine.