The sound of screeching tires filled the air as the blue Subaru WRX drifted skilfully around the corner to cross the finish line. Fred pumped his first in the air triumphantly while the playstation controller dropped to the floor. "In your face, Frostbite, beaten on your home turf," he crowed.

"Shut it, Alfredo, no one likes a sore winner," Jack shot back, tossing his controller to Jamie who was laid back on the plush chair patiently waiting his turn.

Gloating, Fred reached over to pinch Jack's cheeks. "Aww, turn that frown upside down, Jackson," he teased. "Besides, if I remember correctly the loser has to go fetch the winner a drink. Get to it slave and don't skimp on the ice."

Jack groaned and slapped Fred's fingers away. Stretching his legs, he pushed the soft grey blanket aside and disentangled himself from the bean bag on which he'd been sitting. "I went easy on you, Pasta-boy," he smirked. "Last time we played you cried for an hour when I kicked your ass."

"Frostbite, Pasta-boy, remind me to thank my mum for giving me a relatively normal name. Also, I need to get the two of you a book on better insults," Jamie interjected as he moved to steal Jack's spot on the floor.

"She had to give you a normal name to make up for that thing you call a face," quipped Jack before poking his tongue out at his friend.

Smirking, Jack darted into the kitchen. He faintly heard the muffled sound of Jamie as he shot back a retort from the lounge room. Pulling open the cupboard, he found a large bag of potato chips and a plastic bowl. He settled them on the bench and moved to open the fridge, grabbing three cans of Coke. Ripping open the bag, he poured the chips into the bowl before popping one in his mouth. Grabbing the cans, he tucked them under his arm and made his way back towards the large lounge room.

As he neared the lounge room, he could hear the sound of Jamie cheering loudly. Grinning, Jack strode into the room just in time to hear Fred let out a loud moan.

"Not as cocky now are you, Freddy?" he smirked, tossing a can to his friends before setting the bowl of chips down on the nearby coffee table. A loud chuckle escaped his lips as the defeated man turned to face him, sticking his middle finger up in an act of mock frustration.

The sound of her phone ringing had interrupted Elsa and forced her to look away from the assignment that she had been working on. Hastily, she had reached for the small device. Her eyes had widened as she glanced at the screen to see Lana's name listed as the incoming caller.

Lifting the phone to her ear, she had taken a deep breath before answering. "H...hello," she had stammered. Her nerves had got the better of her and she had reached out to twirl a pen between her fingers as a distraction.

Lana's voice on the other end had been soft and friendly. If she had sensed Elsa's shyness, she hadn't mentioned it. Instead, she had launched straight to the point and had told Elsa how her boyfriend, Fred, was spending the day with Jack and Jamie and had left her alone. She had then gone on to inform her that she was heading to the mall and that she wanted to know if Elsa would care to join her. After a short pause, Elsa had found herself accepting the offer.

With less than an hour to get ready, Elsa had raced around the house and had thrown on a pair of dark blue jeans which she had paired with a simple long sleeve white shirt and a fitted black jacket. She had left her hair to hang loose with only a simple black band to keep it down and had managed to apply a light dusting of makeup before Lana had arrived to pick her up.

The twenty minute drive to the mall had started off quiet. Elsa had worried that it may have been a mistake, but Lana had been prepared. She had armed herself with simple questions and friendly observations and Elsa had felt herself relaxing by the time they had parked the car in the mall parking lot.

.

"So, now that you and Jack are friends does this mean you'll come sit with us some more? Maybe help balance the male- female ratio out " Lana probed as they browsed the clothes aisle of Target.

Elsa shook her head. "Are we friends, Jack and I? I mean I'm not really sure what we are," she admitted. Pursing her lips, she held up a simple purple dress and pressed it against her body.

Lana turned to look at her, a knowing smile on her face as she slid the belt that she had been admiring into her shopping basket. "I don't know if you class him as a friend," she began. "However, I do know that he's a nice guy and he cares deeply about you."

She could feel her cheeks heating up. Turning her head, she pretended to focus her attention on a selection of soft scarves that were hanging on a nearby rack. "I...err...it's complicated," she stammered.

Frowning, she replayed the question that Lana had asked and her follow-up response. She didn't know what the answer was, or whether her and Jack were friends or simply acquaintances. Her entire life had been calm and controlled. It followed a structured routine, one which didn't create waves or allow for drama. However, the last two weeks had seen her normally peaceful life turned upside down. She had been caught up in a rush of experiences which had left her confused. Suddenly, she had found herself starting to question the life she had lived for 21 years and the decisions that she had made as well as the ones that had been made for her. There was no denying that Jack had featured heavily in the recent upheaval and her thoughts on him were slowly changing, but that didn't make them friends, surely.

A pair of hands made their way to grip at her shoulders. Raising her eyebrows, she turned to find Lana beside her. "It doesn't have to be," she whispered.

She watched as Lana removed her hands from her shoulders and flashed her a smile. She had no idea what to say. Lana's boyfriend was Jack's friend. She clearly knew him better than Elsa did. Still, she had no idea whether Lana knew about the situation she faced at home, or the conflict that existed between her and Jack's family. Even if her and Jack did become friends, it could never last. Their family situation and their business rivalry would see to it that they remained adversaries.

"Hey, do you think this is my colour?" Lana asked.

Grinning, she turned to face Lana. Her eyes widening as she took in the sight of garish multi-coloured sequined beret that had found it's way onto Lana's head. She stifled a laugh as Lana proceeded to pout her lips and adopted a series of humorous poses.

"I...I…" she stammered between giggles. "If you like it."

"Ooh, Elsa, you must buy this," Lana shrieked as she brushed past Elsa to grab a soft blue scarf. "It would look amazing on you."

Beaming, she took the scarf from Lana and turned it over as she inspected it. After checking the price, she added it to her basket. "Well, it is a lot nicer than that beret you found," she teased.

As the hours wore on, Elsa found herself relaxing even more in Lana's presence. They had woven in and out of the shops and made a few purchases. Under Lana's insistence, the blue scarf had been purchased, along with the purple dress. The beret that Lana had tried on had been left abandoned on the shelf after Elsa had joked that it would be cruel for Lana to deny someone else from purchasing it.

"Elsa," Lana interrupted her as they sat in a booth with a coffee and a slice of cake in one of the small coffee shops that dotted the mall. "I'd like you to know that I've had fun today and I hope that over time we can hang out some more."

Blinking, Elsa wrapped her hands around her warm mug of coffee and looked up. "Me too," she replied with a smile. "It's been nice to do something that isn't work or study related."

"It must get tough," Lana added empathetically."I don't want to freak you out or anything, but I'm happy to be here for you. If you ever need to talk, hang out or even insult my fashion choices, I'm here."

She let out a small snort before gasping at the unlady-like gesture. Blushing, she raised her head and grinned at the amused expression on Lana's face. "My father would be so proud if he could see me now," she laughed. "I'm a good girl you know."

She watched as Lana pulled out her phone before scooting around the booth to sit beside her. "Well then why don't we get it on camera. Then he can share in our fun" she giggled.

She felt Lana throw her arms around her as she drew her closer before poking her tongue out and pointing the phone towards them. She let out a small snort as Lana pressed the button and captured the moment's silliness.

A few seconds later, Elsa's phone vibrated. Grinning, she pulled the phone out and swiped at the message from Lana. She let out a loud laugh as she caught sight of the photo Lana had taken. Her face was caught mid snort while Lana's tongue was poking out. She couldn't help smiling at the photo. It was similar to the sort of picture that Anna and Punzie took with each other, the kind that hinted at a close friendship between the subjects. Glancing up, she noticed the stares of other patrons were on her and Lana, but she didn't care. Not when she was having so much fun with her friend.

Settling back into the booth, she finished up her cup of coffee and signalled the waiter to bring another one over. She was just about to ask Lana if she was having a second cup when the sound of Lana's phone cut her off. She watched as Lana gave her an apologetic wave before excusing herself to take the call.

"So, that was Fred," Lana said as she slid back into the booth. "He's with the boys. They want to go see a movie and want to know if we want to meet them? He said that they can meet us here at 6pm and we can grab dinner either before or after the movie."

"The boys as in Jack? she asked, brushing a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, Jack, Jamie and Fred. Apparently they are bored of kicking each other's asses on video games and insulting each other. Now they want to annoy us," she laughed.

She let out a small gasp. "And Jack knows I'm here? That I'm with you?" she whispered.

She watched as a wide smirk crossed Lana's face and groaned. Burying her head in her arms, she mentally scolded herself as she realised how giddy and hopeless she had sounded.

Blushing, she turned to face her friend. "I didn't mean it like that," she protested.

Crossing her arms, Lana looked down at her. "Uh huh, sure you didn't," she teased. "Yes Jack knows that you are with me and that I'm inviting you. So, what do you say?"

Glancing down at her lap, she took a minute to compose herself before facing Lana. "Yes, I'll come."

Grinning, Jack watched as Fred hung up the phone. "So, what did she say?" he probed.

He watched as Fred made a show of sliding his phone into his pocket in an agonisingly slow manner before turning to face him. Groaning, he tapped his foot impatiently.

"Oh right," Fred grinned. "Lana, she uh, she said that she bought a new top and that she wants to get her hair trimmed sometime over the weekend."

Rolling his eyes, he watched as Jamie and Fred exchanged knowing looks. "And?" he probed, rolling his wrist as he urged him to continue.

Fred let out a loud sigh before shooting a grin at Jamie. "You better go get dressed, Frost, your girl's coming," he said. "Go make yourself all pretty for Elsa."

Smirking, he turned and raced up the stairs to his room. In the background, he could hear his friends making jokes and teasing him about his lovestruck behaviour, but he didn't care.

After deliberating for a few minutes, Jack had settled on a fresh pair of jeans with a new t-shirt. He'd been unable to lift the smile from his face when Fred had told him that Elsa would be attending. He'd known that she had spent the afternoon with Lana, but had not expected her to agree to the movies as well.

Less than thirty minutes later and he had found himself driving his friends to the mall. Despite having driven to Jack's house, they'd had to backtrack to Fred's house after he had decided that he wanted to leave his car at home.

"So, Jack. I'm thinking we should see a horror movie so that when you get scared you can bury your head on Elsa's shoulder," Jamie teased before turning to shoot a knowing grin at Fred in the backseat.

"Pfft, we all know it's not her shoulder that he wants to bury his head on," quipped Fred. "Am I right, Jackson?"

"Shut up, Alfredo," Jack grunted. Reaching over, he turned the stereo up louder in an attempt to discourage his friend's teasing.

Elsa watched as groups of people passed by her and Lana while they sat waiting in the cinema lobby. Nervously, she ran a hand through her freshly brushed hair.

She still couldn't believe that she had agreed to go to the movies, or that she was out in the first place. After telling Lana that she would join them, she had quickly made a call to her mum to let her know that she was going to be meeting with a few students from her classes. To her relief, her mum had agreed and had brushed her off. She had been too distracted by Anna who had been trying and failing to iron her shirt ready for her date with Kristoff.

Once she had hung up the phone, she had been dragged to the nearest bathroom by Lana who had insisted that they freshen up their make up and run a brush through their hair before the boys arrived.

"They're here," Lana announced.

Gasping, Elsa raised her head and blushed as she caught sight of Jack's tousled silver-white hair. She could feel the anxiety rising as he walked towards her and momentarily considered turning and fleeing.

Getting to her feet, she moved aside to give the guys room to join them. She could feel her cheeks heating up as Lana flung her arms around Fred's neck before planting a kiss on his lips. Beside her, she heard a soft cough and turned to notice Jack standing next to her, a slight tinge of red dotting his own cheeks.

"Hi," Jack whispered, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "So where do your parents think you are tonight?"

She let out a small laugh and turned to face him, noting how his blue eyes had been partially hidden behind a strand of hair which refused to sit neatly. "Oh, well I just told Mum that I was meeting with some students from class. She didn't ask me to elaborate and I didn't bother to. I think she was more concerned with ensuring that Anna didn't completely ruin her clothes before her date with Kristoff," she smirked.

Jack let out a loud laugh and moved to tug on the bottom of his jacket. "Why, Miss Blanchard, you really are starting to become quite rebellious," he teased.

"Shut up," she hissed and reached over to playfully slap his arm.

She watched as his eyes widened in surprise before he turned to grin at her. Blushing, she silently chided herself for her behaviour.

A loud cough sounding behind her ear brought her back to reality. Straightening up, she turned to face Jamie who was looking between her and Jack with his eyebrow raised. Frowning, she flicked her eyes to her side where Jack stood grinning wildly.

"How about we decide on a movie first and then you two can go back to flirting with each other," Jamie suggested and gestured to her and Jack.

"We're not flirting!" she sputtered in unison with Jack.

Blushing, she turned to meet Jack's gaze.

"Sure you're not," smirked Fred as he brushed past them towards the ticket counter.

Jack stretched back against his seat. His legs laid out in front of him in what he hoped would appear to be casual and relaxed. So long as his external image looked like he had it all together then he could pretend that internally he wasn't a bundle of nerves.

After selecting the movie and purchasing tickets, they had made their way to the sweets kiosk to purchase popcorn and drinks. Upon entering the cinema, he had held back while Elsa had settled herself in the seat next to Lana. He'd then shared a knowing glance with Jamie before brushing past him to take the seat next to Elsa.

She had turned to face him as he'd taken his seat and for a minute he had feared she would ask him to move, but she hadn't. Instead, she had simply flashed him a shy smile before settling back against her own seat.

He had waited until the lights had dimmed and previews had started to turn and offer her some popcorn. She had blushed slightly before bending down to retrieve the bag of sweets that she had purchased from her handbag. Sitting back up, she had held the bag out to him and smiled as he reached in to take one.

A slight tickling sensation startled him. Looking down, he noticed a few strands of Elsa's hair had fallen to rest on his hand as it lay wrapped around his drink. His eyes lingered on the back of her chair while he debated about doing the cheesy 'yawn and drape hand over the girl's chair' move. As if reading his mind, he heard a loud yawn coming from Jamie before he draped his own arm over the back of Jack's chair. Groaning, he turned to glare at his friend who simply shrugged and told him that he should have done it when he had his chance.

On the other side of him, he heard a soft giggle and turned to find Elsa watching him and Jamie with interest. Blushing, he leaned over so that his mouth hovered by her ear. He could smell the scent of her perfume as it wafted through his nose.

"Remind me to not invite him along next time," he whispered.

Shaking her head, Elsa leaned down to grab her bag of sweets and handed it to him. "Here, offer him one of these," she whispered. "It may buy you a bit of peace."

Gripping her bag, Elsa slid into the passenger seat of Jack's car and smiled as Jack shut the door behind her before running to the driver's side and sliding in.

After the movie had finished, she had made her way to follow Lana back to her car, but had been stopped in her tracks. Lana had whispered in Fred's ear before turning to face her. Frowning, she had apologised before explaining that her and Fred had to go visit her sister who lived in a different suburb. As a result, she would have to catch a lift home with Jack.

"You know what's funny?" Jack asked as he turned the key in the ignition. "Jamie. He lives nowhere near Lana's sister and yet he insisted on catching a lift home with Fred and Lana," he continued.

Blushing, she turned to face the window as she realised that she had been set up. "I...errr…" she stammered. "Thank you for...for driving me home."

Beside her, Jack laughed. "It's okay. You don't live too far from me. I kind of get the feeling that this may have been set up," he admitted and ran his hand through his hair. "I had fun tonight though, with you. I'm glad you could join us."

She could feel her cheeks heat up as she turned to smile at him. If she were to be honest, she would have to admit that she'd had a lot of fun with Lana earlier and then with the boys. She had enjoyed their company. The way in which they interacted with each other, having fun, telling jokes and exchanging playful insults entertained her. Yet, despite their teasing she had noticed that they still treated each other with respect and kindness. It was obvious to her that underneath the jokes and light-hearted digs, they were a group of friends who truly cared for each other.

"I had fun as well. Thank you for having me," she admitted. "It was a good movie too."

"You're always welcome, Elsa," Jack offered. "You have my number. Like I said, call me anytime."

She nodded and turned to look at him. Her eyes flicked over his tousled hair and his blue eyes as they focused on the road. Suddenly, she was hit with a deep feeling of guilt and frowned.

"Jack, I need to apologise," she confessed and turned to face him.

She watched as he turned to face her with a frown on his face, but said nothing.

Nervously, she fiddled with the ring on her finger before continuing. "All these years I've misjudged you. I thought you were some arrogant, self-obsessed, rich boy," she paused for breath. "Now, I'm getting to know you more and I'm liking it. I just wanted to say sorry for judging you."

She turned her head to look out the window. Beside her, she heard Jack take in a deep breath before exhaling. Biting her lip, she steeled herself for his response. She wouldn't blame him for being angry at her. After all, she had just admitted to completely misjudging him and allowing her parent's bias to influence her own thoughts.

"That's okay, Elsa," he confided as he pulled the car to a halt. "No need to apologise. I know that your parents put a lot of pressure on you. Honestly, I've known you for eight years and I'm just happy that we're finally getting to know each other."

Blinking, she turned to look past him as she realised they had pulled up in front of her house. Turning to face him, she reached down and unbuckled her seatbelt. Grabbing her handbag and purchases, she pulled them onto her lap before meeting Jack's gaze.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

"You're welcome, Elsa," he smiled.

Blushing, she opened the door and let herself out of the car. She turned to wave at Jack before making her way up the driveway. She paused at the doorway and smiled as Jack honked his horn before driving off.

Letting herself into the house, she stopped briefly to greet her parents before excusing herself and making her way up the stairs to her room. She dumped her handbag and shopping bag on her desk before kicking her shoes off and pulling her laptop out and settling down on her bed. She had only just booted up her laptop when her phone beeped. Grinning, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She smiled as her fingers swiped to reveal the message from Lana.

Lana: 'My apologies for not being able to drive you home. Still, I knew Jack would get you home safe. I wanted to know if you would like to come join me and watch the boys play hockey tomorrow? Their match is at 2pm and is at the Brechin rink. I'll text you the address if you're keen

Smiling, she read the message a few times. She contemplated toying with Lana and letting her know that she was aware that she had been set up, but thought better of it. Instead, she focused on the second part of the message. She had work in the morning, but she should be able to make it to Brechin university in time for the match.

E: 'That's okay, I'm home now. I'd love to come check out the hockey match. Check your Facebook, I'm sending through a request.'

Pulling up the secret Facebook page she'd created, she searched through the search bar to find the profiles of Lana Mills, Jamie Bennett and Jack Frost before sending through message along with her friend request to let them know who she was and that it was a secret account. She'd barely had time to hit send on the next message when she received a notification to say that Jack had accepted her friend request. Blushing, she typed the first honest Facebook status that she had ever written as she let her small group of friends know that she'd had a great night.