Punctuality was not one of Jack Frost's strong suits. It wasn't that he intended to be late, it just seemed that things would conspire against him: either he'd sleep through his alarm, fail to set his alarm, get caught up in traffic or get held up by someone or something.
This particular morning, it was a combination of failure to set his alarm and getting held up by someone. The failure to set his alarm could be blamed on his pure laziness. He had been too busy stalking the Facebook profile of his long term crush and had simply forgotten to set the alarm. He hadn't realised his mistake until he'd woken up twenty minutes later than he was supposed to. The someone, was his teen sister.
Now, at 8:15am he found himself dressed and growing impatient while waiting for his thirteen-year-old sister, Emily, to join him down stairs. It was his responsibility to drive her to school, something which had been easier before she hit puberty and discovered boys.
"Em, if you're not sitting in the car in five minutes then I'm going without you!" he shouted. "Also, I'll use the time I save to upload and tag all of your embarrassing photos to Facebook. I bet Caleb would love to see them."
Moments later the teen appeared at the top of the stairs, hairbrush in one hand and shooting a glare at him. "You wouldn't dare!" she gasped.
Jack shot her a look. "Just try me," he dared, brushing past her to grab her school bag.
Sitting in his black Lexus, Jack couldn't help but think of how much his kid sister had grown up. Gone was the little girl who used to pester him to take her skating, play dolls, or to see the latest Disney princess movie. In her place was a young woman, who was more interested in boys, fashion and her various social media accounts. Still, he loved her. She may have been a pain in the butt at times, but she had also been the one who had kept him focused when he needed it most.
After the accident that had killed their mother, ten year old Jack and two year old Emily had been sent to live with their Uncle Nick, Aunt Clara and their fifteen year old cousin, Thia, in Arendelle. The move had not been an easy transition. Jack had initially refused to accept that their mother was really gone and refused to comply with the rules of his new home. Emily was his one constant. He doted on her and would spend every spare moment he had with her, desperate to ensure she grew up knowing how loved she was.
"I'm here. I believe that's 4 minutes 59 seconds," Emily said, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat.
"Pity," muttered Jack "I was looking forward to your friends reactions to those photos."
"Jaaack!" Emily whined. "Can't you be nice for once?"
"Nice...nice...nope, not on the agenda for today." he teased, starting the motor.
The drive to Corona Grammar School had been a quiet affair. Emily had spent most of it hunched over her smartphone. Occasionally she stopped scrolling to tell Jack about something funny she had seen on Tumblr, or the latest fight being played out on Facebook.
After taking a few shortcuts, he had managed to arrive at Arendelle University by 9:08am. He'd quickly parked his car, grabbed his bag and had sprinted through the halls to reach his lecture room.
Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for the abuse that Professor Weselton would likely direct to him and pushed open the door.
He could feel the eyes of the room turn to watch him as the professor stopped talking to glower at him. "Mr Frost, how kind of you to join us. Why you're only thirteen minutes late," sneered the uppity man.
"Sorry, Professor. Next time I'll try and weasel it so that I make it on time. After all, can't have you missing me too much," Jack snickered, running a finger through his silver-white hair.
Gulping, he watched as the professor's face hardened and wondered if he'd gone too far.
"Just take a seat already. There's a spot right next to Miss Blanchard in the front. If we're lucky some of her habits may rub off on you, Frost," snarled Weselton.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Jack turned and sauntered towards the student in question. His eyes glanced towards his best friend, Jamie, who shot him an amused look before turning to nudge their friend, Fred. He knew what they were talking about and smirked. His eyes glanced back at the professor who glared at him. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but chuckle at the man's idea of 'punishment.' Especially not when it saw him getting the chance to sit next to the girl he'd been hopelessly in love with since the moment he'd first laid eyes on her.
It had been eight years ago. Jack had just started at Corona Grammar School. He had been walking to class one day when he had caught sight of the beautiful and mysterious Elsa Blanchard. With her light, platinum-blonde hair, her blue eyes and pale skin, she had looked like an angel. Despite the fact that she had not bothered to even look his way, he had been smitten and had decided there and then that she was the only one for him.
His friends were all aware of his crush on her and loved to tease him about it. Elsa was an enigma. She was known for being aloof and was rarely seen speaking to anyone outside of her family. In the years that he had known her, he'd never seen any inclination that she had friends or a social life. Her life seemed to revolve around work. Her isolation and sharp wit had seen her unfairly referred to as a 'cold-hearted ice queen'. However, Jack knew that wasn't the case and was determined to one day be the one who knocked through the walls she seemed to put up around her.
Taking his seat, Jack couldn't help but smile. His eyes glanced over at Elsa who remained stubbornly focused on the whiteboard as she bent over taking notes. Leaning in close, he breathed in the subtle scent of her vanilla perfume. "So, how do you plan to rub off on me? he purred and turned to wink at her.
He watched as Elsa stopped long enough to roll her eyes before returning her attention to the board. "Shh, trying to listen," she hissed.
"You do know that any other woman would be honoured to sit next to me, right?" Jack boasted, flashing her his biggest smile.
"In that case, you should get here on time so that you can sit next to them," Elsa quipped, brushing a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.
Jack groaned. 'Good one, Frost, if she didn't already think you were a player than she does now.'
He inwardly cursed himself for the slip of tongue. He knew he had a reputation. His family's wealth, together with his appearance and his position on the university's championship hockey team saw to it that he received his fair share of female attention. He was well aware that many assumed him to be a playboy and while he couldn't deny that a few women had tried to catch his interest, it hadn't worked. He didn't want to waste his time with just any woman, he wanted her.
After the lecture, Jack tried to talk to Elsa, turning in his seat only to watch her hastily shove her papers and books into her bag before rushing out. He noticed the way her arms wrapped around her body as she wove her way through the crowd. He could feel his smile faltering. He wasn't sure what he had expected. After all, she probably thought him to be a complete sleaze by now.
Groaning, he shoved his books into his bag and made his way to the door.
"Hey, Snowman, wait up," Jack spun around, watching as Jamie came running down the aisle.
Grinning, Jack stepped aside, holding out his palm to give the secret handshake that he and Jamie had created years ago after meeting as kids on their junior hockey team.
"So, yet another example of the Ice Queen giving you the cold shoulder," Jamie taunted. "What did you say to her this time?"
"Oh you know, the usual. I just asked her how she planned to rub off on me." Jack groaned. "Then I decided to remind her of the fact that half the school seems to think I'm some male slut."
"Chin up, Frosty. Look at the bright side - you pissed off Weaselton," Jamie pointed out, a wide grin appearing on his face. "Now come on, I've got to get this book back to the library."
The sight of a familiar blonde sitting hunched over one of the library tables caught Jack's attention. Normally, with a three hour break between classes he'd either head home, or meet with friends. However, he suddenly found himself feeling a bit more studious. Beside him, he heard Jamie let out a groan as he followed Jack's line of sight.
Reaching out, he grabbed Jamie by the sleeve of his jumper and pulled him into the library. "Come on, I think it's time we hung out in here a bit more," he grinned.
He watched as Jamie turned to smirk at him before rushing ahead. Shaking his head, he watched as the lanky brunette dumped his bag on a table opposite Elsa's. Grinning, he joined Jamie at the table. His eyes glancing over to steal a look at Elsa.
If she was annoyed by their presence, she didn't show it. She was far too engrossed in a thick textbook to care about others. He studied her for a while, taking in the way her platinum-blonde hair hung loose over her shoulder. He couldn't help wondering what it would feel like to run his fingers through her hair while stroking her smooth, porcelain face. He shook his head when he realised he had been staring. Digging in his bag, he pulled his laptop out and placed it on the table.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp kick delivered under the table by Jamie. Raising his head, he shot a glare at his friend.
"Elsa's up," Jamie whispered, nodding in the direction of the fiction section where Elsa was standing, browsing through the titles. "Now's your chance. Go talk to her. I dare you."
"Dare accepted," he replied, winking. "Keep your fingers crossed, Jamie, I can't afford to mess this up."
He could feel his heart racing as he walked towards Elsa. He waited until he was right behind her to speak. "Don't you think you should be working?" he teased.
If his presence had taken her by surprise, she didn't show it. "Don't you think you should be entertaining all your fan-girls?" she shot back, filing past him.
"Elsa, wait," Jack called out, reaching out his hand to grip at her arm. His eyes glanced to Jamie in the background who was busy making a love heart shape with his hands
"Sorry, Jack, some of us actually value our education," she retorted, not bothering to look at him as she walked back to her desk.
Glumly, Jack made his way back to the table. Taking his seat, he buried his head in his arms." She hates me. She actually hates me," he moaned.
"I doubt she hates you," Jamie pointed out. "It's just you get so nervous around her. That's your downfall."
Jack grunted "So what do you suggest I do now? Got any other suggestions for me to humiliate myself in front of the girl of my dreams?"
Jamie leant back in his chair, pondering the question for a while before replying. "Talk to her. Go apologise to her. Ask her to sit with us at lunch. Just stay calm and don't say something you'll regret."
"You're right," Jack said, raising his head. "I'm going to invite her to lunch."
Jumping to his feet, he crossed the divide and pulled out the empty chair beside Elsa.
Jack plopped himself down on the chair next to Elsa.
She let out soft huff before raising her head to look at him. "Are you lost?" she smirked
He could feel his breath hitch as she studied him. Her blue eyes glanced over his face before catching his gaze. Blushing, he dropped her gaze and focused his attention on the light dusting of freckles that lay over her nose and cheeks. "Come eat lunch with me," he stammered.
A small gasp escaped her lips. "I..I can't, Jack. I'm sorry," she whispered, wringing her hands.
Dejected, Jack slunk back to the table where Jamie was waiting with interest. "Come on," he whispered, packing up his belongings. "Let's get lunch."