I'm SO sorry for how late this is!
"I can't believe we have to go through this stupid forest again," I mumble. Jack laughs. "I'm serious," I shriek, turning on him. "What if we run into another one of those tiger things? What if I can't somehow miraculously freeze it again?"
"Wait," he says, stopping. I tug at him until he starts walking again. The faster we get through here, the better. "You froze one?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"That's awesome!" He starts flying around, looking pretty joyful. "Do you think you can show me?"
"No," I say bitterly, looking at the ground. "I just my put my hands in front of me and it happened. My eyes were closed. I didn't even see it."
"Oh," he says quietly, his blue toes finally sinking back into the snow.
After a while, I can see the lights of the town shining ahead. I pick up my pace.
Today, the air wasn't as cold as I'd hoped it'd be, so I just put on a tank top. I know, not very professional for my first day of my first job, but melting would seriously suck.
Jack suddenly speaks up. "Are you still mad at me?"
I groan. "I already told you. No."
"But you seem angry," he protests. "I'm sorry," he says for the hundredth time.
"Look, I know you think that I can't handle the fact that you had to leave yesterday, but I'm fine. It was an emergency. I understand."
He sighs, "But it was your birthday."
I break out of the forest, trudging along in the snow. Yeah, it was my birthday, I think to myself for the hundredth time. However, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to be one of those silly, needy girlfriends who can't handle being by themselves for fifteen minutes. I'm not going to let this bother me.
"You know, Jack, you're being a royal pain in the highness," I quip.
"Urg! Enough with the jokes!" he screeches in his squeaky fourteen-year-old-boy voice. I laugh.
Once inside the schoolhouse, I see an old woman behind an even older desk sorting through a mountain of paperwork. She has light blue hair and bright green eyes. When she looks up to see us, a smirk flashes across her face. "Ah, Jack Frost. It's been a long time.
I glance at Jack, registered in shock. "Maridith? You still work here?"
"Of course," she snaps. "I haven't stopped loving to teach little brats like you."
"One, we're the same age," he asserts, coming out of his astonished stupor. "And second, you don't love to teach kids. You just like to yell at them!"
She frowns, making her wrinkles more distinguished. "So," she starts, ignoring him to look at me. "This must be your girlfriend."
"Hi," I awkwardly greet.
"Hello," she sneers at me, turning away to grab some papers. "Here are your teaching supplies," she barks dropping a box of classroom needs into my arms. "Your guidebook," she throws a large paper booklet into the box. "Your teacher's book," she throws another large booklet at me, except this time, it's hardcover. "And your teacher's pass," she says, dropping an odd metal circle on a chain into the box. At this point, I'm carrying so much weight that my knees are wobbly.
"And here's your book, Frost," she snaps, thrusting another book at Jack. "Now, get out. I don't need to see either of your faces 'til Tuesday." Then she's pushing us out the door and slamming it behind us.
Not moving from the top of the stairs, I ask, "Is she my boss?"
Jack sighs, "Yeah."
"Well, crap," I slur. I thought I'd be at least eighteen before I had one of those notorious bosses. "So, you said you know her?" I ask Jack as I start down the steps.
He looks away from me. "Oh, kinda. She's from one of the other immortal families."
Well, that explains why he said she was the same age as him. "Oh, that's nice. Were you two friends when you were younger?"
When I reach the bottom of the steps, he takes some of the weight off my pile. "Not exactly," he says quietly.
He starts walking quickly ahead of me, leaving me to catch up. "So, were you guys, like, enemies or something?" I ask, laughing.
"Eh, she was . . ." he glances at me for a split second, then looks away. "She was my first girlfriend," he says to the frosty air beside him.