The tiniest squeak of surprise bursted out of me when I felt strong arms lift me into the air. I kicked for a moment before I realized it was Kristoff, as if his gruff laughter didn't give it away. He was so playful, and to be honest, sometimes I hated it. I mean, suddenly floating off the ground while you're trying to open your locker doesn't always come across as a calming, sweet act in the morning. But, I was in his secure grasp, where I always felt the safest. Even if his arms could crush my tiny frame like a toothpick.
"Come on, mountain man. I have to get my books," I said with a laugh. I heard him make fake whining noises while he slowly set me down. Books were my second concern, however. As soon as my feet made contact with the tiled floor, I spun around to see Kristoff standing with his arms already outstretched to grab me. Which is exactly what he did when I threw myself at him. I snaked my slender arms around his neck and took the time to bury my nose in his solid chest. The silky material of his varsity jacket tickled my nose, but that didn't matter. His arms wrapped around my body and pulled me closer to him; as if I wasn't close enough already. I never really was. I would melt into him if I could.
I inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar scent of my lover. He smelled of pine and cold air. I wasn't even sure cold air had an actual scent, but it was there. It was refreshing, almost, just to breath in his presence. Pine, cold air, and sometimes even running water. Like how it smells when you sit by a river in the woods. Kristoff just smelled like nature, and it was the most calming scent I'd ever inhaled. I wanted to pull him back in when he let go, but I knew the bell would ring soon. I wasn't late, fortunately, which meant Elsa wasn't either. She was probably in her classroom by now, getting her assignments already.
"So, shorty," Kristoff said, ruffling my damp crop of hair. "You wake up late today or what?"
I thumped his chest with the back of my hand, moving my head away. He'd probably just messed it up, even though it probably didn't look like a masterpiece in the first place. He always knew whether I slept well or not, whether I had a rough morning, everything. And he knew I was late due to the fact that my hair obviously wasn't dry; there were damp streaks down the front of my green shirt where my braids rested. I turned my back to him and rotated the dial on my combination lock, twisting it this way and that until it clicked open. A laugh fell from my lips while I pulled out my English and History textbooks, along with a binder.
"You're right, and you wanna know why?" I pushed my locker door shut and then twirled around, clutching my materials to my chest. "It's 'cause I was having such a nice dream about you."
The corner of Kristoff's mouth raised into that dreamy half-smile he always used on me. God, it made my heart race. I returned the smile, raising my eyebrows at him only to see his mimick my expression. We both erupted into laughter that ended with him placing a large, rough hand on my cheek. Before I knew it, the scene from this morning was being recreated in front of me, except this time, Elsa wouldn't be knocking. My lips finally met his and it gave me a tingling feeling just like every other time. He tasted how he smelled; refreshing, cool, outdoorsy. I could keep our lips together for an entire day and not get sick of it. Unfortunately, he pulled away sooner than I wanted, smiling down at me the way he always did after a kiss.
"I guess dreams do come true," I mumbled. It was probably the corniest thing I'd ever said, but hey, what's a relationship without cheesy comments?
"I suppose they do," Kristoff laughed. He gave me one last hug before strutting off down the busy hallway. Our first classes were pretty much on separate sides of the school, as I headed in the opposite direction. I didn't make it far, because someone nudged my shoulder hard enough to make me gasp in surprise, dropping my books on the ground in front of me. Before I could turn around and snap on whoever it was, there was a giggle and Elsa was already kneeling down in front of me. She scooped up my things in her arms and rose, handing them to me.
"Sorry sis, didn't mean to bump you that hard," the older one apologized. I took my things back and laughed as she did. I'm pretty sure Elsa was the only one who could do that and not get my knuckles to their nose. Before I replied, I admired the outfit she had chosen today which I didn't pay attention to in my rush this morning. She wore a slim-fitting, blueish-green blouse that hugged her figure nicely. It reminded me of the ocean, the way the fabric folded and dipped. She wore a black skirt with it that stopped at her knees. The skirt wasn't as tight as the blouse. It flowed out further down, the hem having a slightly wavy design rather than being a blunt line all the way around. I could ever get over how amazing her hair was, either. It was such a strong shade of blonde, it nearly looked white. The way she braided it was like a form of art compared to my messy ones. Each strand of hair twisted around perfectly, like puzzle pieces meant to fit together.
"It's alright, I'm a big girl remember?" I teased. We laughed some more and started down the hallway, where I discovered that we were going to be in the same first period today. Elsa was the assistant for my History class today. I found that extremely ironic, but helpful; History was my worst subject, but it was my sister's strong point. She always helped me with homework and studying. Sometimes, she even made flashcards for me to remember definitions.
My seat was closer to the back of the room, in the corner by the window. Surprisingly, I never got distracted. Being further away from the teacher helped me focus more. It's not as stressful when she's not looming over my desk. I hated asking for help though because she always looked at me like I was hopeless, even though I really did try my best. For some reason, I just couldn't capture the information like I could in all my other subjects. So, I never raised my hand, which only led me to more confusion. About halfway through the period, Elsa noticed me struggling with the assignment. She could just tell, since she saw the confused expression all the time at home. When I lifted my head, there she was, pulling up a chair to sit by me.
"Alright, so what's going on?" She asked, tapping the bottom of her black pen on my open book.
The remainder of the class was spent with Elsa and I reading sections of the chapter together, taking notes, me making mistakes and her double-checking my work before I handed it in. I don't know where I'd be without her. I'm sure I'd have an 'F' in History instead of a 'B-'. The bell rang and the classroom was filled with the sounds of chairs scraping against the floor and kids shouting in the hallway.
"We can work on this more later on," Elsa said while I packed up my things. Later on? I had a softball practice right after school, and she'd already have to take the time to stay with me for that.
"Don't you want some time to yourself? I mean, you were stuck with me for a full hour, and you're with me for two more after school. You really don't mind helping?" I questioned. It was a nice offer, but she had to get sick of me sometimes. I could be impossible when it came to schoolwork. I got frustrated very easily when I didn't understand things.
"Of course I don't mind. I love spending time with you," the blonde said warmly. She patted my back, smiling at me. "Now go on, get to class. I'll meet you at the back field at 2:30."
As I walked back out into the hallway, I smiled. Elsa was an amazing big sister and every day, I thought more and more about how miserable I'd be without her.