Hey guys! Wow, this chapter…. Actually takes a long time too, huh… I'm sorry but here you go… with the record of 6.168 words.
Hope you enjoy this one! Remember, I don't own RotG, Frozen, Brave, and many other movie characters.
Notice: There were deleted important dialogues and paragraphs, but I already fixed it. Stupid Microsoft Word.
Tattering Thrones
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7 : A Piece of Memory
Jack sighed for the umpteenth time. Sandy, who was beside him all the time, was starting to get annoyed by Jack's weird behavior. He had been like that since first period started. It was not strange when Jack asked to come over to Sandy's house, it was a usual thing, but the look on his face was unusual.
Sandy surely wanted to know what the hell was wrong with him. He was his best friend and he rarely look like this. So, Sandy slapped him with his Oxford dictionary. "Quit being so annoying." He said.
Jack rubbed his cheek and glared at him. "Watch it—God, is that your legendary 1648 page classical dictionary?! What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Oh, you remembered. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm okay!" SMACK! "God, stop slapping me with that fricking dictionary!"
"Tell me or my dictionary will do something to you again."
Jack sighed. He didn't know if telling Sandy about what had been inside his mind was right, but maybe it really was. He was his best friend and he was the only one that knew Jack too well for years. They knew each other so much. Sandy was always there for him.
"We're best friends right? Bros for life?" Jack let out a creepy wide smile and raised his fist.
Sandy raised an eyebrow and bumped his fists with Jack's unsurely. "Yeah... We are best friends...?"
Jack groaned. "Ugh, it's not the same!"
"What the heck do you mean?"
"I mean, when you say we're best friends, there's nothing wrong! I'm completely okay with it but when she says it—"
"Oh? Oh. OH." Sandy gaped. "You are totally clueless of what's happening to you, aren't you?"
"You said it like it's something that everyone must have known already."
"It is!" Sandy groaned. "I never thought I'd be more professional at this thing."
"What thing?" Jack said confusedly.
"Good afternoon and welcome to Love Is in The Air 101, Mr. Frost. It seems you've taken quite a liking to Ms. Blanche." Sandy said.
"How do you know I was talking about Elsa—wait, why do I like her!?" Jack jumped in surprise with his eyes bulging.
"The girl that dared to say you're her best friend is only her. And you seem to be quite bothered by it. I wonder why?"
"What, can you just tell me already?"
"Of course you're fine when I say you're my best friend. Nothing is wrong between us. But when she says it... You're quite disturbed. There is something us men call first world problems nowadays, and one of the problems is similar to yours. You either don't want to hear or you don't like it when the girl you like says you're her friend, or worse, her best friend. Because, aware or not, you're scared of being put in the—"
"Friend zone?" Elsa asked as she took a bite of her kiwi.
"Yeah. Too bad tho, I actually ship Bella and Jacob. I don't get why everyone ships Bella and Edward!" Merida complained as she blew a strand of hair off between her eyes.
"Because it's canon?"
"C'mooon. Don't be such a killjoy. Join the Bellcob army!"
"Is that even the pairing name? You're a bad shipper."
After the school ended, Merida actually invited Elsa to come to her house to hang out. Since it was Elsa's first time of going to a friend's house, she definitely said yes and called Kai to tell him she was going to go to a friend's house for a group project. She didn't want to repeat the same mistake again like the aftermath of when Jack kidnapped Elsa to Smoothie Island. Yes, Elsa lied, such a rebel. But she thought maybe she could make it up later.
Once they arrived at Merida's, Elsa gaped nonstop at how enormous and beautiful her house was. Merida had to shut her up by watching Twilight, a movie that Elsa hadn't watched yet because she thought it was so bad that everyone always made fun of it. Turns out she was pretty interested with the movie.
"Ye have to admit Bellcob isn't that bad. I mean, Edward? Pfft, he's sooo out of league!" Merida waved her hand.
"But he married her and had a kid together." Elsa deadpanned.
"Oh? Are ye a Bellward shipper?"
"I'm a Bedward shipper."
"Then that means war. Ye and me." Merida grabbed a nearby pillow. "Begone, traitor!" She hit Elsa's face with the pillow.
"Ow! Your ship is sooo going down!" Elsa attacked Merida with a pillow.
Soon they were engulfed in a pillow fight. The room was crowded by shrill laughter and bed creaking, and eventually the room was engulfed by the sound of Into The Groove by Madonna. They sang to the song as loud as they could, pouring their emotion out, while jumping on Merida's queen sized bed. Elsa used a big comb that must be Merida's as her imaginary microphone while Merida used a deodorant can. They were so busy with the moment that they didn't hear the footsteps of someone going up to the second floor and walking to Merida's room.
The door then opened, revealing a woman with long, brown hair with few gray streaks tied in pigtails. Her face showed surprise and shock at the sight of the two girls jumping relentlessly on a bed. "Merida?"
Elsa and Merida suddenly stopped jumping and looked at her surprisedly. Elsa blushed in embarrassment. "Mum? What are ye doin' here?" Merida asked.
"Well I was in the kitchen, preparing snack for you, but then I heard loud music coming from your room. So I decided to come to check up on you..." She trailed off and eyed Elsa. "Hello there. Are you a friend of Merida's?"
Elsa quickly jumped off the bed with her cheeks dusted pink and bowed slightly. "Ah, uh, good afternoon, Mrs. DunBroch! I'm sorry I have caused you disturbance."
"It's okay, it's okay! I assume it's Into The Groove? Oh, this was my favorite back then on high school." Elinor DunBroch said as she entered the room and walked closer to them, a hum escaped her lips momentarily. "What's your name, dear?"
"I'm Elsa, Elsa Blanche. I'm sorry I entered your house without your knowing, we thought you weren't home." Elsa said, straightening up her body.
"Dear, relax! Don't be so formal. You look lovely. In fact, your manners are lovely as well! Merida could actually learn a lot from you." Elinor smiled.
"Mum, not again!" Merida groaned.
Elsa giggled. She remembered her first encounter with Merida. She bought a ton of etiquette and manner books that her mother told her to buy and read and practice once she got home. Merida's mother looked graceful, from her posture to her way of talking, and she was the total opposite of her own daughter. But they looked they got along well with each other. Somewhat, Elinor reminded Elsa of her own mother, a little bit.
"Come, bonnies! I made tarts. You'll love it, Elsa. It's Merida's favorite." Elinor beamed and walked out of the room to the dining room with the girls following suite.
Elsa sat beside Merida who was already munching on a tart eagerly. Elsa took one and nibbled it. "It's delicious," she commented.
"Why, thank you." Elinor smiled.
"Damn right it is! Ye better not sweep all the tarts before me." Merida said between munches.
"Merida, don't eat all the tarts! Save it for your little brothers." Elinor said.
"Agh, not the wee devils again!" Merida got into a staring contest with Elinor, and then she looked away because of her mother's intensified stare. "Awrite, awrite. Three more tarts and I'm done."
Elinor shook her head with a smile on her face. She then stared at both of the girls with a merry expression plastered across her face. "I'm so happy you are here, Elsa. It's been a very long time since Merida brought a friend over... She rarely talks about school. How is she doing at school?"
Merida's munches suddenly quieted down and her gaze was fixed on the tart in her hands. Elsa noticed her, but she couldn't help but to feel curious. A very long time? How long was that? And who was the person Merida brought over to her house before her? Elsa was sure Merida turned quiet because of that.
"Merida is doing just fine. She's actually good at Math; she just hates it with passion." Elsa added a giggle at the end of the sentence.
"Ah, I knew it. I hope her report card will be good this time." Elinor smiled. "Speaking of Math... You used to excel at Math, dear. You always studied it together with him. I don't see him lately, where is he, Merida?"
Merida winced slightly, but it was enough for Elsa to notice it. "What are ye talkin' about, Mum? I don't know." She said.
"You surely know. I miss having him around, you know? You two used to empty the refrigerator just to feed the kitten!"
"No... I don't know—"
"Where is Hiccup, dear?"
"I said I DON'T KNOW!" Merida suddenly snarled. Elsa and Elinor jumped in surprise at her sudden outburst. Realizing her action, she stood up and walked away. "I'm going to my room."
When Merida was no longer seen, Elinor sighed, eliciting Elsa's conscience. She stood up and looked at her friend's mother for a brief moment, who was propping her chin on her knuckles. Elsa excused herself and walked away to catch up with Merida.
Elsa entered Merida's room and found her sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, with a medium-sized cardboard box in her arms. The wardrobe's doors were opened, showing its messy inside, like someone had rummaged the wardrobe for a hidden treasure. Elsa approached her, but she didn't seem to stir a bit. What had gotten her so... Gloomy like this?
Elsa sat beside Merida and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" She asked.
"No." Merida bluntly replied.
"What is that?" Elsa pointed at the box.
"I... I don't know. This box shouldn't be here."
"You know, Mer. You know it well to be in your arms."
Merida bit her lip and looked at Elsa. "I never keep my wardrobe neat. Mum hates that and she always scolds me about it. I don't care, because I just don't want to see... this." She traced the lid of the box. "I don't know how long this thing has been in the corner of my wardrobe that I couldn't reach. I should have thrown it away."
"No, you shouldn't have." Elsa held her shoulder. "This must mean a lot to you. If this box has been hidden for a long time, then why do you take it out now?"
Merida turned her gaze on the box. Slowly, her fingers made their way to open the lid and raked through the box. They resurfaced with a framed photo. There were a little girl with thick red curls, a little boy with auburn hair parting to his right and freckles that dusted his cheeks slightly, and an adorable black kitten in the photo. The children were holding the kitten together with a big smile on their face, big enough to make their cheeks rosy. They looked so happy. Elsa could tell the girl was Merida, but who was the boy?
"I was seven when I first met him. He was my only friend back then. The first and only friend. Sad, huh?" Merida smiled bitterly. "I don't know. He brought me happiness... and sadness at the same time."
"Hey look, it's the Red Furry!" A boy sneered.
"Where are you going, Red Furry? To your lair?" A girl joined him.
Soon, more children joined to tease Merida and called her names. But she didn't care. She just walked away with her head down and her hands gripping on her bag strap. Merida didn't know why they had to be like that to her. She never bothered them or even talked to them.
All she wanted was just a friend, and it seemed like impossible since all they did was making fun of her thick, curly red hair and her quiet behavior. Her mother always said that her hair was lovely and unique. So why her classmates were calling her bad names? She wanted to cut her hair badly, but Mum never let her do it. Why?
Her little feet took her to a park; her favorite park where she usually went to, no matter what the occasion was. She sat on a bench, rocking her feet up and down, and humming a lullaby Elinor always sang to her every night. Merida wondered, would she continue living a routine like this? Wake up, go to school, go to park, go home, eat, sleep? That would be... Bummer.
Then, Merida heard a very soft meow. It was almost inaudible, and when she heard the meow again, she was sure it was not her imagination. She quickly searched the source of the voice everywhere in the park, and found something lying on the grass, weakly. Something small, breathing, and black...
"A kitten?" Merida gasped.
There were wounds on its body. The kitten needed help real fast. But Merida remembered how her mother always said no whenever she asked for a dog or a cat. If her mother was allergic to furs, then how could Merida bring the kitten to her house and help it? There must be a way.
The little girl spotted an empty small cardboard box near the trash can. She took it and put it above the kitten, supporting it with nearby fallen sticks, so the kitten could be protected from the heat of the sun.
"Don't go anywhere, I'll be back!" She said and ran as fast as she could to her home.
Merida grabbed a first-aid kit from her parents' room and quickly dashed to the park. The kitten was still there, meowing and whimpering. She tended its wounds carefully.
"There! All done. What do you think?" Merida beamed.
The Bombay kitten gave soft meows, but its face looked no more in pain. "Hmm... What's wrong?" She asked. "Oh! Could you be hungry? Thirsty? Okay, I'll be back!"
Merida went back again to her house for a fish and a bottle of fresh milk, and then went again to the park. It was very tiring, but she didn't care.
A week passed, and the kitten would always sit on its usual position, below the cardboard box that had been its shelter. Merida always visited the kitten every day straight after school with a fish and milk. She had grown very fond of the kitten; she never missed to feed it and play games with it. The kitten also welcomed her warmly every time its dark green eyes spotted the girl with her bouncing red curls entering the park. They came to grow attached to each other.
But that day, that one cloudy day... Was different. Merida couldn't make it to go to the park straight after school. Elinor and her husband, Fergus, had come to her school to pick her up because her family was invited to a close relative's wedding. But of course, even after the event, Merida still wanted to go to see the kitten. So, even it was evening already, she sneaked to the park, carrying her backpack that contained her things she brought there usually, a fish and a bottle of milk. What she expected was the kitten welcoming her with a meow, not another presence that squatted in front of the kitten. Not to mention that the person was petting it.
Merida went stiff for a moment. She recognized that person... It was a boy, and according to her memory, he studied in her school too. He was petting her kitten! What should she do? She was nervous and didn't know what to do. She never talked to anyone but her parents. But she should do something. But what if he hated her too? What if he had bad intentions to the kitten? What if he called her bad names like all her classmates did after seeing her?
The girl wouldn't care. It was her kitten.
"What are you doing?" Merida snapped.
The boy turned around and stood up quickly after he spotted her. "Oh, uh, is this your kitten?"
"Yeah."
"Are you the one who tended his wounds?" The boy asked eagerly.
His? So the kitten was a male? "Yeah."
"You're amazing! No one can do this easily, you know."
Merida was stunned. No one ever complimented her other than her parents. She was confused. Should he be hating her? She didn't know what to do. Merida couldn't trust this boy yet. What if he suddenly be mean to her? And to the kitten?
"Go away." Was what she blurted out.
"W-what?"
"Go away. You are making the kitten uncomfortable."
"Oh, I-I am? S-sorry." The boy sheepishly grinned and walked away, but then the kitten bit his sock, making him stumbled backward a little bit. "Huh?"
Why did the kitten bite his sock? Was it trying to prevent him from going away? Did it... Want him to stay? But why... The kitten just met him today, didn't it?
The boy tried to wiggle away from the kitten, but then stopped when Merida said something. "Stop. It doesn't want you to go."
"B-but...?"
"Don't go. It wants you here."
"But, but, are you okay with it?"
"I'm okay," Merida muttered while looking away from him. "As long as it's happy, then I'm okay."
The scrawny boy beamed. "You know, I actually just realized this little guy has teeth. Last time I saw there was none! I almost called him Toothless. Stupid name, huh?"
"Last time? You... have been here before?"
"Yeah. I always come here every day since last week."
Merida's eyes widened. "What? But... I come here every day since last week too. How come I never saw you?"
"That's cool! I always come here on evening. I wonder why, too."
She realized that today she came in the evening. They would meet each other if their timing was same. The boy always came on evening while she always came on afternoon. That means he cared about the kitten too... He was actually a nice person and looked out for it every day. That's why the kitten didn't want him to go.
"Hey," The boy called, breaking Merida's train of thoughts. "I'm Hiccup. And you?"
Merida looked at his extended hand and then at his auburn hair that swayed by the gentle evening breeze, and his face that held a really sincere smile.
She took his hand and shook it lightly. "Merida. Toothless sounds cool."
Hiccup ran around the park frantically, searching for a good hiding spot. He spotted a big bush and quickly hid in it, but then his shoulder bumped with something else.
"Hey, what are you doing?! This is my hiding spot!" Merida whispered.
"Come on, can I hide with you?" Hiccup pleaded.
"No! Go away, Toothless will find us!"
"Aw come ooon. He won't find us, this bush is too big."
"You're wearing Skechers! Light up Skechers! You're ruining my spot—mmpph!" Hiccup quickly covered Merida's mouth when he heard a meow coming closer to them.
They sat in silence, waiting for Toothless to walk away. When his footsteps receded, Hiccup released his hand and they both exhaled with relief. They looked at each other and giggled, but then Hiccup accidentally stepped his shoe to the ground a little too hard that his shoes began to light up vivid colors.
"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Merida whispered in panic.
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Hiccup stomped his foot several times, but his shoes wouldn't stop lighting up.
"Just throw away your shoes! Right now!"
"I can't! Dad bought me this on a very special sale!"
"Forget about the sale—eyaaah!" Merida shrieked as Toothless ambushed them from behind the bush and tackled her down to the ground. "Now we're caught thanks to you!"
"Sorry," Hiccup laughed, helped her get up and ruffled Toothless' black fur. "You're getting friskier, aren't you buddy?"
Merida smiled and petted Toothless' head. "He's getting healthier. It's been a month, figures."
She picked up Toothless and held it in her arms. They walked together and sat down on bench, head tilted upwards to gaze at the evening sky. Both knew it was going to be late and their parents might scold them for going home late, but neither cared. They were enjoying each other's presence at the moment.
Merida turned on her side and stared at Hiccup. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure." He answered without looking away from the sky.
"Why do you want to play with me?" She asked, this time, with a timid voice. She didn't know, she just dreaded what his answer would be.
"Why wouldn't I play with my friend?"
Merida stared at him in shock. "W-what?"
"You're my friend," Hiccup tilted his head to her direction, gazing at her with an innocent smile. "Of course I want to play with you!"
Her lips did a strange thing. They twitched, making an alien movement unconsciously to Merida, but then she was aware what happened to her. She was smiling. "You don't hate me? My hair?"
"No. Your hair is pretty, why would I hate your hair?"
Merida didn't know why suddenly she wanted to cry her eyes out after hearing his words. No one had ever said anything nice about her hair except her mother. He wasn't lying, she could tell. His eyes showed everything.
So instead of bawling like a baby in front of him, which was not a usual behavior of her, she laughed.
She didn't need a lot of friends. She didn't need her classmates to like her. She just needed one boy and one kitten. One boy and one kitten that could easily make her day. And of course, especially the one boy, that accepted her for what she looked like.
"Thank you." She said it for the first time.
"Huh? For what?"
"For going to the park last month." Merida smiled. "You'll never leave me, right, Hiccup?"
"No, I'll never leave you. You're my friend! Because tomorrow, we'll be best friends! So you'll never leave me too, right, Merida?"
"Of course. Then the day after, we'll be best friends forever."
"Hooray!"
"But, promise?"
"Pinky promise!" Hiccup held out his pinky finger and Merida intertwined it with hers as their hearty laugh glittered the evening air.
Elsa eyed Merida pityingly. Her tone entire the story was happy and... forlorn. Whoever this Hiccup was, he must mean a lot to Merida. But why, if he really means a lot to her, she kept their photo together on a box and placed it on the place she couldn't reach?
"How long have you two been together?" Elsa asked quietly.
"If we are still talking to each other, ten years. Ignore the if, then seven years." Merida answered with a sigh.
"Seven years? Then what's with the three—oh. Oh, Merida," Elsa cupped her mouth with her hand. "I'm so sorry."
"Hey, what are ye apologizing for? You didn't do anything." Merida let out a crooked smile. "Yeah, he left me. No, he didn't die. He's still alive and breathing. He left me alone, because he was the only friend I had."
"But why? The seven years of friendship... Why did he leave you? That's cruel."
"He changed when we were in middle school... Ah, eighth grade. He was getting more distant, and I was confused by that. Usually, he would tell me if something was wrong, but no. I kept asking him about it, but then he snapped at me, telling me to shut up. I did. I thought maybe he had problems in his house, with his dad, or with someone, so I gave him space, hoping that would clear his mind. But no... He left me. He merely left me and started to hang out with other people." Merida shook her head. "And why he left me, I don't know. Maybe that's why I'm making a big fuss about it to myself. Maybe all this time he was sooo done with me, coz I'm not a good friend." She laughed spiritlessly.
"Don't you dare say that, Mer." Elsa exclaimed, as if she was the one who was offended. "Don't abase yourself without knowing your true self. You could just have let Toothless whimper in pain and die slowly at the park. You could just have had Toothless for yourself. You could just have ignored Hiccup's weird behavior and let your friendship go on drearily. You could have let me swept the entire sport hall alone." She sighed. "If those don't prove you as a good friend, then I don't know what else."
A silence fell upon them. Elsa slapped her face internally for saying such long speech, she didn't even know if she was saying the right thing. What if her words were wrong? But, a smile that crept to Merida's lips told her otherwise.
"I'm good?" Merida spoke, inspirited.
"Yes, you are." Elsa clarified and soon she was tackled in a hug.
"Ye don't know how much yer words make me happy." Merida beamed, pulling away from the hug. "Maybe this time I can let ye go from my ship. Go swim, swim away to the Bellward ship, child."
"It's Bedward. And didn't I just sink your ship? So you have to swim to mine. Come, let the waves of the ocean show you the right path, before the sun sets." Elsa flashed a teeth smile.
Soon they cracked up in laughter until tears brimmed in the corner of their eyes. They laughed for a good three minutes.
Merida put the framed photo inside the box and closed it, and this time, instead of putting it inside her wardrobe, she put it below her bed. She stood up and brushed off dust on her blue jeans. "Welp, let's go downstairs. Tarts are waitin'!"
Elsa smiled, seeing her friend back to her high spirit. But her eyes darted to the box for a moment before returning them to Merida. "Uh, sorry for asking this but... Where is Hiccup now?"
"I don't know. One month after he avoided me, I moved to another school. He doesn't go to West B, but his friends do." Merida answered with ease.
"Then... Toothless?"
Merida's smile faltered a little. "He took him away."
"Ah." Elsa frowned. Oh, how dare he? Her dislike toward the unknown boy had begun to sprout. "I'll make sure I'll kick his ass next time I see this Hiccup boy."
Merida let out a small laugh. "Thanks." She smiled. "I mean, for the pep talk. But if ye have succeeded kicking his ass then ye shall be rewarded with one more thanks in advance."
"How about one tart in advance?" Elsa sent her a whimsical grin and bolted out Merida's room.
"Hey, that's unfair! Come back here ye scumbag!" Merida sprinted down the stairs and chased her friend, creating an effervescent air in the DunBroch household.
Lunch time was pretty much the same like usual, but the only difference that time was the sudden rain. It had been dry in the morning for some reason, so when it rained, majority of the students was pleased.
Of course, because of the rain, Elsa and Merida couldn't go to their persimmon spot to eat their lunch. So, they had to go the cafeteria. It was crowded, but they managed to find a seat.
Halfway eating, Elsa spotted the five stars entering the cafeteria, followed by many girls, whom Elsa guessed was fangirls. She kept her head low so the five stars wouldn't see her. She did hear footsteps coming to her... But it sounded like it belonged to someone, not to five people.
"Hey. S'up?" A voice greeted them.
Inwardly groaning, Elsa looked up, and saw a pair of familiar blue eyes. Nothing more, nothing less. "Oh hi, Jack." Merida spoke while Elsa just nodded slightly at his presence. "What are you doing here?"
"Nothing, I'm just checking up on you two. Y'know, since it's raining, and your spot is always outdoor." Jack answered.
"Okay." Merida said. "But ye shouldn't be here. Yer fangirls would be very confused to see ye hangin' out with us. We're not exactly the 'sunshine'."
"Don't talk like that. You two are something, if I may say. And I don't really care about them. It's not like the end of my popularity affects my super swag life." Jack flashed them a cocky grin. Merida laughed, but not Elsa, she was looking at her lunch while fiddling her spoon. Call it a weird gut, but he felt what she was doing was unusual. "Can I steal your friend for a minute?"
"For what?" Merida asked with one eyebrow arched.
"I just want a talk, uh, friendly talk with her. Don't worry, don't stare at me like that. I'll return her in one piece."
"Fine. Be quick."
Elsa wanted to just stick her stare to her lunch forever, but she couldn't ignore her white-haired friend beside her. What did he want to talk? She was a little bit scared, despite Jack mentioned that he just wanted to have a friendly talk. Well, there was only one way to know.
Elsa followed him to a hallway, which was fortunately empty because it was lunch time; otherwise her back would be virtually wounded with numerous daggers sent by Jack's fangirls' stare. She gulped silently, dreading what he was going to talk about. There were unwanted scenarios in her brain, and she prayed that this wouldn't be like one of them.
"Uh, I'm sorry for yesterday." Jack started. "I know I was pretty rude, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I have a messed mind."
"It's okay. You were exhausted." Elsa said, remembering his excuse from yesterday.
"Exhausted?" Jack raised one eyebrow confusedly, but then he widened his eyes and smiled nervously. "Oh, yeah! Right! I was exhausted, right! I overworked!"
Elsa noticed his weird sudden so-called enthusiasm, but decided to shrug it off. "Yeah, I feel that. Overworking tires your brain to the hell. What made you overworked?"
"I had two part-time jobs, one in a daycare and one in a convenience store. That day the schedule collided, but that wasn't the part where it wasn't okay. The manager stocked lots of things and that time the only employees present were only me and a dude named Groundhog. So yeah, lifting numerous things was hard. After that, I went to the daycare and it was surprisingly crowded with a mass of children. Had to take care of them."
"Are you even allowed to work in a daycare?"
"Why not, it's my aunt's and she pays me good. She insisted."
"She is kind, then."
"Insisted me to work for her, mind you." Jack corrected with a frown.
Elsa laughed. "Don't worry, daycare dudes are cute." She looked at his surprised face, and then she realized she just said something wrongly. "I didn't mean the face, uh, I meant the cool skills at handling children. That's cute."
"That's cute?" Jack asked.
"That's cute." Elsa repeated.
"Good, I'm a cute daycare dude." He chuckled. "Anyway, you're in for Art Hall too, right? I'm wondering if we can make something together today, are you in for drawing? Painting? Sculpting Principal Baldy? Making voodoo dolls?
Today Elsa didn't have any lessons with Mrs. Corona and her father had left for another business trip, so why not? "Painting is fine." She smiled.
"Alright, let's do it at your house then."
"M-my house?" She stammered. "No no no. We will do it at your house."
"My house is small, you won't like it."
"It's fine, simplicity is better than big money-wasting mansions! I'm bored with mansions." This time it was Elsa's turn to smile nervously.
"Your house is a mansion?"
"No, no! I mean, uh, my house is completely normal! It's just that my house is not in the right time to be called 'visitable'."
Jack seemed to be in a fight with his mind, and eventually he sighed and gave her a smile. "Alright, my house it is then. I'll give you the address after I finished my daycare shift."
Like hypnotized by his smile, Elsa's lips moved on her own. "How about," She halted for a second, realizing what she was about to say. She didn't know why she almost said it to him. But then, she remembered something. "How about I join you to the daycare?"
His face showed mild surprise. "Huh?"
"Well if you don't want to, that's okay. That was rather a weird suggestion—"
"Nah, I'm okay with it. I just never thought you'd be interested. You can come, but only if you really want to go."
"I do want to go. Are you doubting me?"
"No, I'm just making sure." Jack gave her a lopsided smile. "Meet me in front of the school gate after school then, okay?"
"Okay." Elsa nodded.
"Good. So... See you later? I'm going to head to my friends now... Unless you want to come along."
"Ew, no. Bye." Elsa spun her heels and walked away while still hearing Jack's faint laugh.
As she sauntered the hall to make her way back to cafeteria, she recollected of what just happened. One side of her brain told her she was acting silly and one side told her she was changing. But she couldn't tell which side was siding with her. Her 'change' she was becoming aware of didn't surprise her so much. She had known, on the empty space of her heart, would lay her affection to her loved ones. She just knew, because somebody had locked it open.
If something ever happened between that somebody and her, she promised herself to try to fix it, even though it was not her fault. Trying was her keyword.
And Jack's somewhat unusually weird stance today was worth to be questioned.
Done! Whew.
Right… I'm so sorry for making Hiccup so mean here. He has his reasons and believe me HE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES UGH so just wait for it.
Sure Snowflake: Oh ho, nothing wrong with his past, don't worry I'm not planning to make the story plot that thick ;) wait for the upcoming chapters then, they will reveal a lot about the mysteries! Thank you though!
Pearlness4700: Yes! Thank you, I hope you don't get tired of waiting for this story!
lovinglovexx: Thank you! I swear I'm smiling madly at your words, I hope I can improve it more :D
You don't have any idea how happy I am to see you all are happy with my work. If something looks wrong or weird, you can tell me. I'm still learning English, it's not my first language, so yeah.
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Ciao!