Chapter 22

On Saturday, Elsa was in her bedroom, sitting curled up next to the window with her incomplete sonnet on her lap. The windowpane was covered with white mounds of snow and the sound of loud laughter muffled from across the street. When Elsa looked out the window, she caught sight of a few children playing in the snow and enjoying the wintry day.

With a sigh, the senior looked down at her opened page yet the words looked blank and blurred. Her mind was clouded with the events of the dance, making concentration somewhat of a challenge. Sniffing, Elsa frowned deeply and rubbed her forehead.

"Damn it focus Elsa! This thing's due Monday." she groaned in increased irritation. Picking up her pencil, Elsa sighed and began to write.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Elsa?" a curious voice spoke up behind the door.

Elsa set her notebook down and turned to the door, actually glad for the distraction. A few seconds later the white door opened and Anna poked her head in.

"Hey sis, can I come in?"

Elsa nodded and closed her notebook. She sat up straighter as Anna walked across the room with a mug of hot chocolate in her hand.

Anna smiled and held out the hot beverage. "Here I thought this might cheer you up."

Her sister returned her smile and took it. "Thanks." she took a small sip and closed her eyes, wanting to enjoy every bit of the hot, chocolatey taste.

As Elsa slowly sipped her drink, Anna bit her lips and fumbled with the edges of her purple sweater.

"I…I want to thank you for last night. I had a wonderful time and I want to let you know that it meant a lot to me." she said in a nervous stutter.

"You don't have to be the guilty one. I'm happy for you, really I am." Elsa said.

Concerned, Anna approached her and took Elsa's hand into her own. "Are you okay? I know you had some conflict with Jack."

Elsa winced at the name and gave her sister a mere shrug. "I was wrong about him, let's just put it that way."

"Are you sure? Maybe he…" Anna began.

"I don't want to talk about it okay?" Elsa cut off in a sharp voice. She gave Anna a cold glare that reminded the girl of her sister's cold and reserved demanour.

Anna gave her a quick nod and stood up from the bed. "Okay, I won't ask anymore."

A lengthy and strange silence took over the air before Anna cleared her throat and rolled on her heels. "Hey so I came to ask if maybe you want to come with Kristoff and me to the tree farm. We're going to pick out his Christmas tree and we're even thinking about asking Astrid and Hiccup to come along."

"No thanks, I gotta work on this stupid sonnet." Elsa explained, opening her notebook and glancing down at the page.

"Okay." Anna nodded and turned to leave.

As she approached the door, the girl turned back to her sister to find Elsa glancing outside her window. If only she could find some way to comfort her sister's broken heart.

"Bye." Anna whispered.

"Bye, have fun." Elsa responded with a light smile.

As Anna walked out of the room, the door creaked open and Walter entered in after her. The moment Anna was gone, Walter smiled and looked behind his shoulder.

"It looks like your sister and Kristoff are getting pretty tight. Should I be concerned?" Walter teased, slumping down on the edge of the senior's bed.

"I heard that!" Anna's voice shouted from below.

Walter and Elsa both laughed before the older man turned back to his daughter.

"So how was dance yesterday? Any new crazy dance videos on Vines?" he asked.

Elsa tapped her chin and gave her father a playful smile. "Oh definitely, its called Hunky Hans Gets His Hit. It's the most popular upload now."

Walter laughed. "Really? Then I better see that."

"I'd rather not, Anna plays quite a huge role in it. She was the one who punched Hunky in his package." Elsa revealed.

The smile upon her father's face disappeared. "Anna did what?"

"Nothing, let's just say that some of my badass genes got rubbed off on her." Elsa said with tease.

Walter sat still for a brief moment before he let out a whistle. "Wow."

Elsa arched a brow. "What?"

"I gotta say Miss. Northland I'm impressed." Walter revealed.

When Elsa looked at him in stunned silence, her father only gave her a small smile. "You know, fathers don't like to admit it when their daughters are capable of running their own lives. It means we've become spectators. Anna still lets me play a few innings. You've had me on the bench for years. And when you go to Notre Dame, I won't even be able to watch the game."

Elsa sat up straighter, suddenly catching the meaning. "When I go?"

Walter looked up and gave her a small grimace. "Don't tell me you've already changed your mind! I had Anna personally mail the check this morning!"

Elsa shook her head, her lips curving into a huge smile. "You're seriously letting me go to Notre Dame?"

Walter opened his mouth but he was silenced when Elsa reached out and threw her arms around his neck.

"Thanks Daddy," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you Snowflake." Walter said, hugging her tight.

A few hours later when the skies were growing dark, Elsa pulled into her driveway after spending a few hours at the ice rink. Walter's small car was not in the garage so Elsa had to assume that he went out for the evening. Grabbing her skates and bag, Elsa opened the door and slipped out.

I wonder if Anna's still with Kristoff. Elsa thought as she stepped onto the snowy porch. When she reached the door, Elsa looked up and noticed a single light coming from the kitchen. A slight frown appeared on the girl's face as she reached out and opened the door.

"Hello?"

The moment she stepped foot into the house, One Direction's "Steal My Girl" filled her ears. At the sound of the music, Elsa let her frown disappear and she shrugged off her coat. She could only guess who was in the house.

"Anna?" Elsa spoke up, pulling off her hat.

"Elsa? Is that you?" Anna's voice spoke up from the kitchen.

"The one and only. What are you up to?" Elsa teased.

"Oh you know…just chilling." Anna answered back.

Elsa hung up her clothes and left her skates on the ground beside her boots. The cold began to leave her body and a distinct, heavenly aroma filled Elsa's nose as she began to make her way through the small hallway that led into the kitchen.

"Anna what are you…" Elsa stopped and froze in her tracks.

Her younger sister was in the brightly lit kitchen and bending over at the oven. All around her, the rest of the room was a complete mess. Flour, sprinkles, chocolate smudges, and one cracked egg covered the countertop. When Elsa looked on the floor, she noticed that there were sprinkles covering the floor as well. The dishwasher was piled with dirty cups, spoons, and bowls, and the electric mixer stood next to the sink, splattered with gooey chocolate dough. Turning to the dinner table, Elsa's eyes widened at the sight of the cooling rack and the dozens of double-chocolate cookies that were laying on it.

"Anna? What's this?" Elsa breathed.

Her sister straightened and moved from around the island. Elsa had to cover her mouth to hold back the giggles at the sight of her sister. At the moment Anna looked dishelved in a pair of sweats, an oversized T-shirt, and her favorite snowman slippers. Over her clothes she wore a large apron with the phrase I'm 1 Badass Baker written on the front. Her long hair was piled up into a messy bun on top of her head with a few strands streaked with flour. Chocolate and flour streaked her freckled cheeks and when Elsa looked down at Anna's hands, she noticed a large bowl of chocolate.

"Hi sis!" Anna grinned, blowing a strand of hair from her face. "Oh don't mind the mess, it'll be gone in no time!"

Elsa giggled and shook her head in playful disbelief. "What are you doing?"

Anna bit her lips and looked down at her untidy appearance. She then set the bowl of chocolate down on the island with a small sigh.

"After we picked out a tree at the farm, Kristoff and I drove back to his house and I….well you know…. I turned him down on a movie night to spend the rest of the evening with you. I didn't want to leave you here all by yourself."

Elsa's smile grew as she glanced at her sister and then at the tray of cookies. Fidgeting, Anna watched Elsa as she approached the table and picked up a cookie. After taking a whiff of the freshly baked treat, Elsa closed her eyes and took a bite. The warm chocolate dissolved in her mouth and before she knew it, she let out a purr and opened her eyes.

"Anna these are amazing!"

Anna smiled wide as Elsa set down the cookie and grabbed her in a hug. As Anna wrapped her arms around her sister, Elsa felt her heart flutter with warm joy as she imagined Anna running around the kitchen and fighting with the mixer to make her sister happy. On top of the happiness, Elsa could not help but feel a little guilty at the way she treated Anna for the past few weeks.

"I love you sis." Elsa whispered.

"And I love you." Anna pulled back and took her sister's hands into hers. "C'mon! Let's decorate these babies! Then for the rest of the night it'll be you, me, and…"

The younger girl giggled and picked up a stack of DVDs from the nearby table. "A Girls' Night movie marathon courtesy of the Northland sisters!" she said in a grand voice.

Elsa laughed and took the DVDs from Anna. As her sister moved to grab the chocolate bowl, Elsa went through them each of the DVDs – Pitch Perfect, The Breakfast Club, Mean Girls, The Princess Bride, Pretty in Pink, and Breakfast at Tiffany's. It was a few of the millions of movies the sisters loved to watch when they were alone.

"Let's do it!" Elsa exclaimed, grabbing the first movie from the stack.

After helping her sister clean up her appearence, Elsa and Anna baked two more batches of gingerbread and double chocolate chip cookies while singing along to Elvis Presley. Then they licked the bowls of chocolate and cookie dough until they were full and cleaned up the rest of the kitchen. As Elsa washed the remaining dishes, Anna grabbed her large fleece blanket and made them both some hot chocolate. Once the kitchen was sparkling clean, the happy sisters settled down on the living room couch with their drinks and a plate piled high with cookies.

While they watched The Princess Bride and Anna commented every few minutes on how adorable Cary Elwes was or how Prince Humperdinck reminded her of a certain Jerk that Will Not be Named, Elsa could not help but feel so at ease with herself. It was a long time since she and Anna did something as silly as watch movies and stuff themselves with cookies.

"Hey Anna." Elsa spoke up as they watched Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Anna turned to her and wiped the crumbs from her mouth. "Yeah Elsa?"

Elsa smiled and laid her head against her sister's shoulder. "We should do this more often."

Smiling herself, Anna reached out and draped her free arm around the older girl. "I agree."

With a long, loud yawn, Elsa approached Astrid at her locker before their first class.

It was Monday morning and the hallways were bustling with students getting ready for another day of school. At the sound of her approaching steps, Astrid turned around and smiled. Yet the moment the girl saw her best friend, her eyes widened at the bags underneath Elsa's eyes and the sleepy smile her friend wore.

"Looks like someone didn't get enough sleep last night."

"No I didn't." Elsa let out another large, loud yawn that would have swallowed two dozen flies. "I stayed up for hours."

Astrid laughed. "I can see that. Here." she reached into her bag and pulled out a pack of spearmint gum.

Elsa took out a piece and popped it into her mouth. "Thanks, so how was tree picking last Saturday?"

Astrid was about to open her mouth and answer her when she caught sight of Hiccup walking towards them. As he passed, the boy gave Astrid a small wink and the blonde girl could not help but smile wide in return.

"Hey babe!" he greeted.

"Hi dork! Stop checking me out and get to class!" Astrid sassed back.

Hiccup chuckled. "Okay see you later."

"Bye."

Once Hiccup was gone, a surprised Elsa turned to her friend. Her eyes widened at the happy twinkle in Astrid's eyes. "Babe? Are you and Hiccup…dating?"

Astrid blushed and played with the end tuff of her braid. "You can say that. He did 'propose' to me after all and…okay yesterday some secrets were spilled between us when we hung out."

"Like what?" Elsa asked with a smile.

"He admitted that he had a huge crush on me since third grade. And you know what I said? I told him that every time Heather or any other girl wanted to rub up on him I'd cut up her panties in the lockeroom." Astrid explained with a shrug. "And to answer your question, we didn't go to any tree farm. Urgh that's the last place we'd like to go on a perfect snow day."

Elsa starred at her friend curiously and Astrid smiled. "We hung out at Hiccup's place and had an all-day Vikings marathon."

Elsa began to speak, yet her voice lost its sound as a silent Jack passed by her and Astrid and into the classroom. Fumbling with the edges of her sweater, Elsa shrugged. She tried hard to forget the glum look upon the boy's face.

"That sounded like fun." she said.

"It was." Astrid nodded. She then tugged on her bag strap and gave Elsa a small smile. "I gotta get to class. Wanna go to ice rink after school?"

"That sounds great….oh darn I can't. I forgot my skates at home." Elsa rolled her eyes with an irritated huff.

"Then we'll hit someplace else." Astrid decided.

"Okay, see you around." Elsa said as Astrid gave her a final wave and the girls went their separate ways.

Turning to her classroom, Elsa let out a deep breathe and walked in, her notebook pressed to her chest. She felt her teeth chew her bottom lip as the final bell rang throughout the hallway and the door closed behind her.

Here goes nothing.

"Okay mates let's all settle down and get our butts into our chairs! Looks like we got a long day ahead of us with these sonnets." Mr. Aster said over the excited chatter of the class.

Elsa slumped into her chair and set down her notebook. When she glanced back, she noticed Jack playing with his pen, his eyes glued to his own book. Just as Elsa was about to turn around, she caught the boy lifting his eyes and giving her a blank glance. Elsa bit her lower lip and returned her gaze to her own notebook.

Conceal it, don't feel it, don't let it show.

At the front of the room, Mr. Aster looked up from his book. "So I assume everyone had some time to finish their sonnets. Everyone except Mr. Westergaard that is..." the teacher's lips curved into an amused smile.

Elsa lifted her head and followed the teacher's gaze, her eyes widening at the sight. Hans sat behind her in complete silence, the lower part of his face covered with a handkerchief and his eyes hidden behind a large pair of shades.

Mr. Aster shook his head and chuckled. "...who had to make a few trips to the ER."

Nearby, a smiling Sinbad raised his hand. "Sir, is it true that wearing sunglasses in the classroom violates the school's dress code?"

"Yes it does." Mr. Aster confirmed.

He then turned to Hans with a grimace. "Take of them buddy."

A loud, annoyed sigh came from Hans as he reached out and removed the handkerchief, revealing a dark, broken nose taped with gauze. When he took off his sunglasses, a black, ugly bruise surrounded his right eye, looking just as severe as his nose. Around him, a few students snickered in amusement and Mr. Aster actually burst into laughter.

"Oh man, that had to hurt mate." he admitted in between chuckles.

Turning to the front, Elsa bit her lips to keep herself from smiling at her little sister's artwork.

"Okay so let's get these sonnets over with! Who'd like to start us off?" Mr. Aster asked, looking up from his clipboard.

A nervous silence filled the room, and Elsa found herself glancing around at her shy classmates. When she turned to Jack, he kept his eyes on his paper, not looking up once. Realizing that no one was going to raise a hand anytime soon, Elsa straightened and lifted her arm into the air.

"I'll go." she spoke up.

Mr. Aster let out a low grumble and moved to sit in his desk chair. "This should be interesting."

Standing up from her chair, Elsa grabbed her notebook and walked up to the podium. She felt everyone's' eyes upon her as she set down her notebook and stroked down the creases of her sweater. Once Elsa was comfortable, she lifted her gaze and cleared her throat, ready to begin. Nearby, Mr. Aster watched her with a tight frown, his pen tapping on his clipboard. In his seat, Hans let out a small snicker, while Jack leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

At the podium, Elsa straightened and looked down to her poem. She felt her hands twitch as she picked up her notebook.

I hate the way you talk to me

And the way you brush your hair.

I hate the way you drive my car.

I hate it when you stare.

I hate your big dumb combat boots

And the way you read my mind.

I hate you so much it makes me sick.

It even makes me rhyme.

Elsa smirked before she released a forceful sigh and continued:

I hate it…

I hate the way you're always right.

I hate it when you lie.

I hate it when you make me laugh;

Even worse when you make me cry.

As Elsa stopped for the small pause, she suddenly felt a large lump form in her throat. Before she knew what was happening, Elsa felt the stupid hot tears appear and threaten to fall. With a shaky hand, she brushed the tears away and straightened her shoulders.

I hate it when you're not around

And the fact that you didn't call,

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you;

Not even close;

Not even a little bit;

Not even at all.

The tears were now falling down her cheeks as Elsa bit her lips and broke down. Clutching tightly onto notebook, Elsa lifted her head to the rest of the class.

Her eyes blurred, Elsa"s gaze fell right on the silver-haired boy in the back, who could only watch her with a thoughtful look upon his face. Mr. Aster, the other students, and even Hans sat straight and unmoving, unsure of what to say. Quickly Elsa brushed a hand across her face, yet the tears only continued down her cheeks in quick little streams. She had to get out of here before she lost it.

"T-thank you," Elsa wept.

Without anything more to say, the girl bowed her head and turned to move back to her seat. Yet, just as Elsa thought she would return to her desk, she let her feet turn. Soft sniffles escaped from the girl as Elsa found herself moving past the desks and right out of the room. The moment the door closed behind her, a stunned silence fell in the classroom. Jack shook his head and picked up his pencil, his own hand twitching.

At his seat, Mr. Aster stood up and glanced at the rest of his class. His usual stormy eyes were wide with surprise. "Damn!"