The week went by pretty quickly, for once. Jack was actually semi-enjoying himself lately, being extremely grateful that nothing terribly bad had happened during the past few days. They were already preparing themselves for the play at a steady pace, and along the way, he had a taste of Cici's chocolates everyday. How exactly she had time to make a new batch every single afternoon was a mystery to him.
"So she brought the recipe back from Italy?" Cody asked as he snuck a truffle into his mouth behind the teacher's back.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. I liked Italians before, but now I like them even more. They're professionals at making sweets."
"That's shallow, liking them just because they're good cooks," Cody remarked, almost sounding good-natured. Almost.
Jack almost let the urge to grin get the best of him. Cody had appeared a lot less moody around him this week, and he was sure that it was because Cody was actually warming up to him, an action the former winter spirit had deemed impossible previously. Who knows, they might become good friends one day.
"What was that?" Cody interrupted his thoughts.
"What?" Jack looked around.
"I can swear there was just something in the window by the door." Cody's narrowed eyes fixated on said window.
"Really? I didn't see anything."
"Yeah, because you were daydreaming about whatever," Cody dismissed. "I know that there was something there but now it's gone."
Jack shrugged. "Your eyes might've just been playing tricks on you. If they weren't, whatever it was, I'm pretty sure it was nothing big."
Meanwhile, Anton crouched down under the other side of the window, camera in hand. That was way too close. Cody had almost caught him. But honestly, he'd rather let Cody catch him than let Jack catch him. He and Cody were already on really strained terms, so at least their relationship was remaining consistent even if he had been spotted. Jack, however... Were he and Anton friends? Anton supposed so. It would be a huge blow to both of them if Jack discovered what he was doing.
If you're so reluctant, then why did you promise Samson you would do this? A voice in the back of his mind whispered to him.
"I don't know! I'm conflicted enough as it is, and you're not helping!" Anton snapped out loud without thinking, then clamped his hand over his mouth, looking around for anyone who were possibly staring at him weirdly. Luckily, there was nobody.
Anton sighed, got up off from the floor, then went off down the hall, not wanting to be late for class. But he couldn't help but look back at the math classroom as he left, only one thing on his mind.
I'm sorry, Jack. I really am. I'm just not brave enough...
"Can I have some chocolate?"
Jack looked up from his lunch. "Excuse me? What did you say?"
"Can I have some chocolate?" Spencer asked again.
Jack, deciding to seize the chance to screw with his friend (He couldn't believe how long it had been since the last time he did that), smirked deviously. "You can, but may you? There's a difference between those two words in proper English grammar."
"May I have some chocolate?" Deciding to be meek, Spencer played along.
"A much more polite way of asking that would be using the word 'please.'" Jack's smirk grew, not exactly done with beating around the bush.
"May I have some chocolate please?" Spencer continued on persistently.
"Did I mention that you might wanna address the person you're speaking to? How do I know you're not talking to Zander? Oh yeah, and use Mister."
Speaking of Zander, he crammed a large serving of salad into his mouth in order to prevent himself from bursting out laughing at the current banter.
"May I have some chocolate please, Mister Overland?" Spencer, ever the patient one, showed no signs of exasperation.
"Nope." Jack stuck his tongue out.
Spencer's calm persona dropped abruptly and he shouted, "WHAT!"
"Dude, you're gonna attract attention! Lower your voice," Zander said irritably when a few heads turned in their direction.
Spencer, speaking in a much quieter tone but still shooting a furious look at Jack, protested, "You made me go through all that and you still refuse?!"
"It's because those chocolates are my gift from Cici," Jack spoke casually. "If you like Cici's chocolates so much, then why don't you ask her for some yourself? She's just sitting over there."
He pointed to a lunch table just two tables away. Cici was busy happily chatting away with her female friends about...whatever girls chatted about.
Spencer visibly paled, while Zander gave Jack a clearly impressed look.
"If you like her so much, then make a move already," Jack continued. "You'll end up regretting it if you don't. One day, she's gonna meet some handsome, popular jock and he's gonna snatch her up like a rag doll. And by that point, you'll be wondering why in the world you didn't do anything earlier."
"...But I'm shy..." Spencer mumbled almost incomprehensibly.
"Would you rather face your fears or let some jerk beat you to the finish line?"
Spencer, knowing full on well that he was going to lose this argument, got up defeatedly. "Alright, I'm going. If I melt into a sweaty puddle, you're in charge of mopping me up."
When he was out of earshot, Zander finally said something. "Man, you totally killed it! You hit two birds with one stone. You pissed him off and you're getting him to finally talk to Cici!" He high-fived Jack, which the latter returned.
"Coming up with good ways to get someone to do something is just my thing." Jack shrugged, then hesitated. "Though I never thought I'd be trying to hook a couple up together..."
Lunch continued in silence until Spencer came scurrying back excitedly thirty seconds later. "Guysguysguys I did it! I asked her for some chocolate and she said yes!" He squealed girlishly.
"Congrats." Jack smiled, choosing to ignore Spencer's sudden femininity.
"My heart was beating like I was on a treadmill and I'm sure I almost peed my pants at one point, but I did it!" Spencer rambled.
"...Okay?" Zander sounded weirded out. "I think directly talking to Cici has removed the filter that prevents you from saying everything you think. You might not wanna say you almost wetted yourself again."
Spencer crumbled onto the bench. "I did it..." he muttered dreamily, clearly on cloud nine.
Zander turned to Jack. "Maybe we should've let him take his time after all."
"Jack, can I speak to you for a minute please?" In the middle of sixth period, Miss McCarthy called from her desk.
Jack approached her. "Yeah? What's up?"
"I believe you asked Timothy Harris from third period to write the script for your play?"
Jack nodded in confirmation. "That's right. What about it? Is he already done with it?"
"He is." Miss McCarthy handed him a stapled packet of papers. "He asked me to give it to you once your period came. Tomorrow's Friday, so we're having another meeting. Then you could tell him whether or not you like it."
Jack looked down at the front page, which had the neatly typed title, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, clearly stated on there. "Thanks," he told his teacher then headed back to his seat.
"Is that the script?" Zander looked over his shoulder. "You should start looking through it already. Timmy's scripts take time to digest."
"On it already." Jack flipped to the second page, where the actual dialogue began. Five seconds later, he deadpanned, "I think I should've told him how I wanted him to structure the story more specifically."
"Why? What'd you have in mind?" Spencer questioned.
"Jack was alone for 300 years, wasn't he? I was planning on the play containing a prologue where it shows the moment when he rises up from the lake, not having it directly start in the middle of the battle with Pitch," Jack explained. He handed the packet over to the twins. "Here's what I'm talking about."
[JACK FROST pants heavily, lying on the ground. He looks up at the maniacally laughing PITCH BLACK, the BOOGEYMAN. He looks around him. SANTA CLAUS, TOOTH FAIRY, the EASTER BUNNY, and the SANDMAN are all in similar situations. The SANDMAN is struggling to fight off a batch of NIGHTMARES.]
JACK: [whispers to himself] Oh dear Man in the Moon... How did it end up this way...?
[Flashback starts]
"Okay, I've read enough," Zander said, as Spencer nodded in agreement. He handed the script back to Jack. "Yeah, a prologue does sound better than a flashback. It gives better insight to how Jack felt when he first realized he was invisible to the human eye."
"Jack was extremely shocked when he was first walked through," Jack continued on. "If we don't show that, I doubt Jack's character could be as developed if we do a flashback."
"You sound like you're speaking about yourself in third person, since your name is also Jack and all that," Zander pointed out. "It doesn't help how you're also so deep into his character, that you sound like you're Jack Frost himself."
Jack stiffened. "Yeah..." he chuckled awkwardly. "Funny thing, isn't it? I was the one who thought up this idea, so it's no surprise that I'm the one who fully understands him."
"True," Zander agreed. "But hey, you should probably finish reading. See how Timmy managed to incorporate your 300 years alone into the play without a prologue." He nudged Spencer. "Don't you agree?"
Spencer snapped out of his daze. "Huh? What?"
Zander shot him a flat look. "You're still thinking about Cici, aren't you?"
"N-No!" Spencer blushed. "I just really like her homemade chocolates! That's all!"
Zander was not convinced.
"How's that script?" Jamie asked as he and Jack walked home from school together.
"It's terrible and I hate it," Jack grumbled bluntly, not looking up from the script he was reading.
"Hey, that's harsh," Jamie defended. "Sure, it might not be exactly like the real thing and obviously it won't be as good as what really happened, but you shouldn't bash about it just because of that."
Jack handed the script to him. "Then you read it."
Jamie read aloud.
JAMIE: You're the Boogeyman! You're... You're real?!
[PITCH turns to JAMIE with a sneer on his face. JAMIE almost flinches at how grotesque his face was.]
PITCH: Of course I am, little boy. How rude of you to not believe in me like that.
JAMIE: How did you... Were you under my bed this whole time? [checks under his bed to make sure]
PITCH: Oh yes, I spend my time cooped up under your bed. Out of all the beds in the world, I choose yours to hide under. [rolls his eyes]
JAMIE: [suddenly realizes who he's talking to, shrieks, and hides under his covers] J-Just leave m-me a-alone... [shivers in fright]
PITCH: [sneers again] Not quite yet. I have certain plans of revenge for my nemesis, the Guardians. And it involves you. Say goodbye, Jamie.
[JAMIE peeks out from underneath his blankets just in time to see PITCH's darkness engulf him.]
"Well?" Jack questioned impatiently, tapping his foot. "How is it?"
"...I seem like a wuss." Jamie sounded overly incredulous. So he could kind of see what Jack was talking about when he said he hated it. "I don't recall ever being sucked into the Boogeyman's darkness." He looked up at Jack. "Or did it really happen and I was brainwashed into not remembering and the memory was replaced by that part where we saw all that gold sand?"
"Kiddo, I can guarantee that you were completely unharmed during our battle with Pitch. Witnessing Sandy brought back to life was all real." Jack sighed. "What was I thinking? Letting Timmy write this without telling him about the little details I wanted. There's no way he could magically know about how exactly everything happened like he's a mind reader."
"Hey, there's still time." Jamie tried to look on the positive side. "You've got plenty of time to get him to correct all these mistakes. I'm sure the play will be absolutely awesome by the time you perform it."
"Nah, that'll take forever to get it the way it's supposed to be. Maybe I should just type the script myself. Not tonight, since I have to ask Timmy if I can do that."
At his locker the next morning, Jack was confronted by the twins. Spencer was holding a newspaper in his hands.
"Jack." Zander sounded very serious.
"What's up?" Jack looked up as he finished twisting his combo and opened the locker door. His eyes immediately fell on the newspaper Spencer had a grip on. "Oh dear god. It has something to do with that, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it does," Spencer admitted. "It's not solely about you this time though. That's one way to look at it."
Jack put a hand to his forehead. "I'm almost scared to know, but my curiosity is begging me to find out. Gimme that." He grabbed the paper from Spencer and skimmed through the article it was turned to. After he was done, his left eye twitched, but other than that, his face remained absolutely unreadable. "The. Person. Who. Wrote. This. Is. Dead."
"Who, Erik? It says it was written by him again—" Zander was cut off by Jack.
"It wasn't Erik or whatever his name is! It was Samson Fisher! He's framing Erik for writing this so he won't get in trouble! Think about it, guys. If Erik really wrote this, would he be so honest and say it was him? Besides, I don't even know who the dude is, so there's no way he could be writing dirt about me if we haven't even met. Unless if he's just one of those people who likes picking on new kids."
"Erik's a well-behaved student," Spencer assured. "You're right, it'd be really uncharacteristic of him to write that. Samson's a much more believable culprit."
"So... You're mad," Zander pointed out brilliantly. "And I didn't think you would be any more livid than last time when you were gossiped about. I'm just hoping you're not stuffing yourself again."
"Wait, stuffing? What?" Spencer asked, confused.
"Long and humiliating story, don't ask," Jack dismissed. "But seriously—" He thrusted the paper into Spencer's face and quoted the headline of the article, "'Possible Couple? Jody?!' I'm not sharing those chocolates with Cody because I have a crush on him! I'm sharing those chocolates with him because that's my method of getting him to open up! Sure, it may seem a little misunderstanding at first, but sharing truffles does not mean we're in love! I'm straight, and Cody is too! People only accuse him of being gay because they think his last name is Gay when it's really not!" Wow, Jack, that was a longer rant than usual, he told himself.
"Wait, what? What's his last name then?" Zander asked.
"Gray. You two didn't know that either?" Jack inquired. Gee, Anton was right about a lot of people not knowing.
Spencer shook his head. "We didn't. See, he never spoke up about it and obviously people refer to him by his first name. It's weird, since our school usually catches on to info like this. I guess that just shows how much of a hermit Cody is."
"He's an expert at it," Zander added.
"Me and Cody were borderline on actually becoming friends. I was this close to getting him out of his tough shell," Jack growled. "And I am sick and tired of letting Samson intrude with his own crap. If Cody begins distancing himself from me again, which he likely will, I'm taking out all my punches and kicks on Samson." With that, he slammed his locker shut and trudged off.
Zander looked at Spencer. "Remember how he punched Samson's locker last time?"
"Yeah?"
"Compared to now, he was actually taking that anorexia accusation really well."
"He's still mad, isn't he?" Spencer asked his brother as they both watched Jack stab his lunch viciously with his fork.
"You know he's mad if he's trying to eat his pizza with a fork," Zander answered back.
"He didn't talk to me, guys!" Jack spoke irritably. "He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else! This just proves he heard about it and wants to avoid me!"
"Because it's still fresh in his mind!" Spencer tried to provide comfort. "Maybe he'll be better on Monday."
"When have you ever expected Cody Gray to let something go within a few days?" Zander pointed out. Even though his question was too blunt to give off assurance, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jack relax a little bit, probably from hearing him use Cody's real last name.
Spencer looked at him, annoyed. "Not helping, Zander!"
Zander was about to say something caustic when Jack took his phone out of his pocket after feeling it vibrate. "Text from Jamie. 'Hey Jack, I'm not going to come over after school today. Me and my friends are going to the park and bang for a while. Could you tell mom so she won't worry when you head home without me? I would do it myself but I'm in class right now,'" he read aloud flatly. Jamie, shame on you for using your phone in class.
"Bang?" Spencer questioned.
Zander just looked purely amused.
Jack shook his head and sighed. He swiftly texted back, Jamie, I know for a fact your mom's not gonna approve. I've known her long enough to say that she didn't raise you to be some perverted player, and I'm almost sure Pippa and Cupcake weren't raised to be slutty prostitutes. So no, you can't go. Your mom would kill me if I let you go.
He set his phone on the table, waiting for Jamie's reply. He picked up his pizza and bit into it.
"So Bennett's finally letting his hormones get the better of him? Maybe his mom gave him the Talk too soon," Zander remarked.
"I didn't think Jamie was like that." Spencer sounded disturbed.
The phone's screen lit up, indicating a new message. Jack read, "'Huh? What are you talking about?' That's what he says. What am I talking about. Like he has no idea." Jack was gradually starting to let a tone of mirth seep through his irritation.
Look back at your previous texts, he wrote back.
The reply came no more than a few seconds later. Oh gosh oh my god I wrote BANG?! I meant HANG! Ohgodohgodohgod
"Well? What'd he say?" Zander queried expectantly.
"He meant 'hang,'" Jack replied amusedly and smirked. He dialed a number and held his phone to his ear. After a few rings, the receiver picked up. "Hey, Mrs. Bennett? Jamie's gonna be hanging out with his friends in the park this afternoon ... So that's an okay? ... Alright, thanks, bye."
He hung up, then checked his texts again. Much to his bewilderment, Jamie had managed to send three more texts during that short amount of time.
I swear Jack I didn't mean that
I wanna keep my virginity
Am I annoying you now? Because you're not responding.
Jack rolled his eyes and texted back, Kid, I called your mom already and she said yes. Now shut up and go have fun. You don't need to spam me, especially not when you're in the middle of class. Now stop using your phone before your teacher catches you.
"Bennett's entertaining," Zander admitted.
Spencer opened his mouth to object, but then truthfully agreed, "He is."
"Okay, that was pretty funny," Jack muttered, trying to suppress his grin. "But I'm still really mad about the article."
Zander rolled his eyes. "Of course."
"Hey, Timmy. I read the script you wrote," Jack said to Timothy after school during the meeting.
"You did? How was it?" Timothy asked curiously.
Jack, not knowing how to tell him how badly he disliked it, simply asked, "Can I type it myself instead?"
"...So you didn't like it," Timothy deadpanned.
"No! No, I liked it, it's just that..." Jack trailed off. "Okay, I didn't like it. I'm sorry. But it's only because it wasn't the way I pictured it in my mind. And it's my fault for that, so yeah. I just want to type it myself since I have everything planned out in my brain."
Timothy nodded understandingly. "I totally get it. You could type it yourself if you want."
"Thanks." Inwardly, Jack let out a sigh of relief. He was afraid he would hurt Timothy's feelings. The poor guy was a freshman, so Jack was paranoid his emotions were too sensitive to handle criticism from a senior.
"By the way..." Timothy leaned in and whispered, "Are you and Cody an item?"
"What? No!" Jack frowned. "That article was bogus. You shouldn't believe one word."
Timothy nodded again. "I had a feeling it was false. I just wanted to make sure. You see, most people really don't believe it. There was that thing a couple weeks ago about how you were struggling with anorexia, which was already pretty surreal, and now that you're talked about again? It just sounds like someone's actually trying to accuse you of something."
Jack really let out a sigh of relief this time. "No one really believes it? Oh, thank god. You have no idea how stressed out I was all day long today. Anyway, I'll see you around."
He went back to where Zander and Spencer were talking.
"Did he say yes?" Spencer asked once he noticed Jack was back.
Jack nodded. "Yeah. Good thing too. The last thing I need is a freshman pissed off at me."
"Alright, we're making pretty fast progress now that we know what to do." Zander grinned. "We should hold role auditions on Monday."
"R... Role auditions?" Jack questioned, not expecting to hear that.
"Duh. What'd you think we do, randomly choose people who are interested in an acting part?"
Jack knew better than to tell Zander that really was what he was thinking. He had expected that he could just snatch up the part of Jack Frost by first come, first serve.
Anton, who was passing by and overhearing, decided to input his own commentary. "It's you and me who has to hold the auditions, by the way. You know, because the hosts are the ones who have to do everything."
Jack groaned. The last thing he wanted was to see some pathetic students fail epically at playing his part. Just thinking about it was enough to make him cringe.
Noticing Jack's blatant dismay, Spencer said, "Don't worry, me and Zander will join you guys. Just to help you get through the trauma."
"We will?" Zander stared at his brother.
"Yes we will." Spencer gave Zander a look that clearly had one message: Don't make me use blackmail.
Zander sighed. "Okay, we will."
Jack tightened the scarf around his neck as he left the school building. It was a chilly day out, and the wind wasn't being gentle either. Jack sighed as he looked up at the sky. Was the wind missing him? He was sure it was. It was just over a month ago since he got humanized, and mortal life really wasn't shaping up to be fluffy unicorns and beautiful rainbows. He swore he really was thinking that everyday recently. Well, things could be worse, he supposed. But still, he missed the times when he could go around in the snow barefoot. Now he could barely handle being out on a windy day without a scarf.
I'm craving some coffee, he thought suddenly. Coffee was warm and so rich, especially on a day like this, and the fragrance was so nice... Wait, I'm craving coffee? That's a first. It was true. He normally disliked hot drinks, so coffee was the last thing he expected to want. Oh well, a little coffee never hurt anyone. Except for making someone uncomfortably hyper, that is. He could head to the Starbucks where Cici worked. Yeah, that sounded like a decent plan.
Once he got there, he opened the door and let himself in. He was hit by a blast of warm air from the heater. Cici looked up from her place at the cash register, and smiled when she saw who it was. "Hey Jack! You want something?"
"Hey Cici," Jack greeted. "Yeah, coffee, venti size. I'm suddenly craving for some. Don't ask why, I usually hate coffee."
"Coming right up! Oh yeah, and it's on the house," Cici added. "We employees get a free cup of coffee each day. I don't want mine, so you could have it."
"Are you sure?" Jack asked skeptically.
"Of course I am. You don't need to sound all polite with me. We're friends, aren't we?" Cici pointed out as she got Jack's coffee ready. "Here ya go! Fresh coffee."
"Thanks." Jack took a sip, and resisted the urge to spit it out. "Ugh! Bitter!"
Cici rolled her eyes. "Of course it's bitter. It's coffee, isn't it? Please tell me you've had Starbucks before."
"Um... I have?" Jack's answer sounded too unsure to be truthful.
Cici rolled her eyes again. "You're funny. If it's really too bitter for you, then maybe the little hummingbird sitting on your shoulder would want some."
Jack chuckled. "Yeah, sure, and you say I'm the one who's funny. Anyway, I'll see you around." He left the shop, then shook his head in amusement. "My little hummingbird... Funny." He took a large sip of his coffee.
It clicked.
Jack really spit out his coffee this time. He ignored whatever looks he was possibly getting from bystanders, and shared a wide-eyed look with Baby Tooth, who seemed to have been trying to get his attention during the past few seconds.
My little hummingbird?!
Ah, cliffhangers. How long has it been since I used thee?
And update within two days. YEAH, SUCK IT BITCHES
However, the excessive use of line breaks makes me upset. I've been feeling that the quality of my chapters have been downgrading lately.
Not a lot to say today, so I'll go straight to replies.
RandomKrazyPerson: Yeah, I'll need a bunker. Not that I'm afraid of anybody, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'm the one who can drive the expert psychologist insane. I'm just good at that.
PuppetMaster55: Ay, you know giving the Guardians phones is one of my biggest regrets? I don't know what I was thinking. And yeah, Jack's forgetting Baby Tooth, isn't he? That's not a good sign. And you're the only one so far who noticed something going on with Jack's vision. I commend you for that.
Guest: The fact that you're considering that Jack's going to give up and leave the Guardians worries me.
Arkie: Honestly, I keep on forgetting that Jack took Wynter in. I've been forgetting her more than I forget Baby Tooth.
GhostGirl58: Did this other person happen to be Hatsu Yukiya? I remember her saying that. And this story is going where I want it to go. That's where it's going :P
likhitata: I chopped my bangs off when I was five because I didn't like bangs back then (What was I thinking?) so I looked like an egghead. And is your education system really that strict in Florida? We're allowed to do what Jamie did here in California :D And I don't think Jamie will ever find out that Kayla likes him. Fun fact: My twisted headcanon states that Pippa secretly has a tiny, innocent childhood crush on Jack. Yeah, that's complicated for everyone.
Lovepuppy316: That info is not irrelevant at all. You're actually catching on to what the sequel will be about. Also, my parents often use the toilet when I'm in there as well. So you're not alone. If it wasn't for my friends, I would not be missing my innocence right now. Curse you, friends! You're actually helping me develop Jack's ideal play, so thank you. And yeah, he'll be pretty pissed if anyone messes the play up. You know what that means? Someone's gonna mess up the play, just because I like Jack when he's pissed off. The squiggly line just means she prolongs the syllable in a sugar-coated manner. Jack will not let you take his shoe.
YandereGoddess: It's going to be Cici and Spencer. No love interest for Jack. And I heard you were in the hospital. Are you okay? Don't give up in trying to figure it out. Hint: I'm going to pull something extremely evil. You have too many stories in progress? I have never finished a story once. Finishing this one will be a major accomplishment for me. ((Jamie's a genius))
MagicGold34: I'm sure they did...did they? Look, now I'm not sure because you questioned it! D: I suck at history too. Did they even have ice skates in the 1700's?
Review!