Guys, I'm really sorry that I've taken so long to release this installment. Things got busy. Lacrosse and grades. The usual. I hope this satisfies you all. I don't think I'll be able to meet my one chapter a week quota. I'll just go with the flow. By the way, I have a Tumblr: themightyreindeerking
I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner!
The car ride back to Elsa's host family's house was silent. It wasn't an awkward silent. It was more like a "savor-the-moment" kind of silence. Anna's small, smooth fingers intertwined with Elsa's, resting their hands next to the gear shift. This was the first time the blonde had ever felt so comfortable around anyone. Anna made her feel special. Anna made her feel important. The redhead became the foreign girl's home away from home. She was the embodiment of perfection.
The feeling recprocated in Anna. Although she wouldn't dare show any facial expression indicating it, the redhead was absolutely ecstatic. The date occupied so much mental space that Anna would accidentally spend hours trying to plan out the right things to do. It was all worth it in the end. The redhead mentally patted herself on the back, believing she had won Elsa's heart. In Anna's thoughts, Elsa was the personification of everything good in the world. When they were together, nothing else mattered.
The sedan's brake squeaked as they approached the dimly lit neighborhood. Anna could feel Elsa's grip tighten. When she turned to look at the blonde, the warm and welcoming smile was gone. In it's place was this look of worry and terror. One would have to be completely oblivious to not notice something was wrong.
"Elsa? What's the matter?" Anna tried to say with a consoling expression on her face. The redhead prayed that it wasn't her doing that led the French girl to be filled with such anxiety.
"Je vais bien. It's nothing, Anna." Elsa lied through her teeth. In reality, her mind was forming the consequences she'd have to endure for disobeying her host's orders. Only once had Elsa seen the wrath of the Karn family. Mr. Karn simply lost control of the acceleration pedal on his car and made a small collision with the garage door. Mrs. Karn heard the commotion and walked outside, absolutely red with rage. Elsa saw the exchange from the window in her room. She heard the power booming from Mrs. Karn's voice as she relentlessly scolded and yelled at her sorrowful husband. The blonde actually felt sorry that the man had to endure that for such a small accident.
"Are you sure? I'm here to listen, Elsa. I'll be right here." Anna said with concern. "You can tell me anything.
Elsa knew that she could trust Anna. For the short time they've known each other, the redhead had proven to be someone worth trusting. However, she didn't want to share her burden. Elsa knew that telling Anna about her problem would only pile up on the things that she would have to worry about. Elsa didn't want that for Anna. "It's my situation, not hers. Je dois le faire seule." Elsa thought to herself.
"Thank you, Anna. You're so sweet. Nothing is wrong. I promise!" Elsa could feel the tension rise as the obvious lie escaped her mouth. To avoid further confrontation, she kissed Anna on the cheek, thanked her, and opened the car door to leave.
"She's hiding something. She's a bad liar." Anna concluded in her head. She realized that Elsa obviously didn't want to talk about it. "Goodnight, Elsa. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Call me later?"
"Bien sûr. I will!" Elsa let out with a poorly constructed smile. She closed the car door and made her way through the cobblestone pathway leading to the door.
She approached the dark red, wooden door. Elsa could feel her heart racing. The consequences awaiting her on the other side of the door tormented her. She slowly lifted her shaking hand and opened the door, trying her absolute best to not make a sound.
Not even ten seconds later, the lights flashed on and in the now lit room was Mrs. Karn, hands on her hips, face burning red. "Where the hell have you been!" The rotund woman shouted.
"I was-"
"Shut up! Don't speak! I'm sick of your damn accent!" She scolded, not letting the frightened girl form a proper sentence.
Elsa flinched under the cussing. Swearing always made Elsa uneasy. Adding an angry woman yelling at her did not help soothe the situation.
"We feed you, we clothe you, and we give you a place to stay, and you repay us by sneaking out doing God knows what! I was about to call the police. Damn it!"
Elsa was nearly in tears.
"You know what? I'm sick of your damn face! Go to your room and don't you think about fucking leaving it!" Mrs. Karn said before storming off into her bedroom, hand on her head trying to comfort her growing migraine.
Elsa ran to her room, tears streaming down on her face. She slammed the door behind her and proceeded to shed tears on her pillow. It was hell living with that family. She savored every moment away from those people. Even the mind-numbing hours in school proved to be a suitable oasis for her. Her beautiful, romantic evening was turned sour in a matter of minutes. The blonde spent the rest of the night bawling to herself.
Anna drove half-mindedly. She was occupied with thoughts of Elsa. "What could have made her look so mortified?" Pointless scenarios and hollow theories filled her mind. Before she knew it, her driveway came into view. Anna continued to her empty house. Empty. "I wonder where dad is right now."
Anna scrolled through the numbers on her phonebook. She passed Elsa's name, and she smiled in remembrance of the night. Williams. The name was illuminated as she pressed the dial button.
*Riiing* *Riiing* *Riiing* No answer. She attempted to call again.
*Riiing* *Riiing* *Riiing* Still, the only answer she got was from the voicemail.
Hm. I-I guess he's busy… Anna managed to convince herself. Trying to brush off her worries, she walked into her messy room and jumped on the bed. Exhausted from the day, she fell asleep almost immediately.
The weekend was blur. The girls texted every now and then. Anna was actually quite stunned at the lack of communication between her and Elsa and also her and her father. It seemed like the world was shutting her out. It was as if doors were constantly being slammed in her face.
Elsa struggled on through the next couple days. It was agonizing. Mrs. Karn kept piling on her chores. Something always needed to be done, even if Mrs. Karn had to make up the most trivial matters just to occupy the blonde. She was convinced the host family was trying to make her life a living hell. The french girl knew she was about to reach her breaking point.
At school, first period seemed to fly by. The only thing that distracted her was Elsa's absence. The redhead began to worry. She knew something was wrong. Her mind drifted to the way Elsa looked last night. She saw the stunning smile turn into a terror filled frown.
The day went on.
Anna was collecting some books from her locker when she saw Hans approach. "Fuck." She thought. "This is last thing I need."
"Hey, Anna."
"Hey," she monotonously responded.
"Look, I know I haven't been giving you proper attention." He held out a rose. "I know you deserve better."
That just rubbed Anna the wrong way. She snapped.
"Then why don't you treat me better!" Anna wailed, slamming her locker shut. "I miss the old you, Hans! The sweet guy! The boy who swept me off my feet! Not this loser who drinks every night and looks like shit everyday!"
"That guy is gone! He was a nobody! He had no friends! He has no one!" He yelled.
"He had me!" Anna countered, eyes getting glassy.
"Why can't you accept that this is me now, Anna!"
"Because, this isn't you!" She said. Anna was just about to walk away when Hans angrily grabbed on to her bicep. "Let go!"
"No, listen! I love you! Don't you know it hurts when I see you laugh with that.. that outcast! I did this for YOU. I changed for YOU. I want to be someone you're proud of! I want you to be able to say your boyfriend is some introverted loser! I became this for you! Now you're hanging out with the fucking ice queen" Hans shouted.
Everything went dark. Anna was blind with rage. Before she knew what was happening, she saw Hans stumble back. All she saw was her hand, slapping him. Hard. She couldn't control it. It was more than just a physical hit. She saw a piece of him die. Anna would never recall that she could have sworn there was a tear on Hans' face.
"Oh my God, Hans, I'm so sorry." Anna pleaded, lending out her hands.
Hans, still in shock, just looked at the redhead. "I.. You.." He couldn't muster up the words. He was a drunk. He really did change from what he used to be. What Anna didn't know was that he changed for her. He wanted her to be able to say her boyfriend was popular, was cool. All he wanted was to be someone good enough for her, even if that meant changing who he was. All the guys around school partied. They all drank. They all smoked. He took things too far, but now was not the time to apologize.
Hans walked away, fists clenched. Anna just stood there, trying to take in what happened. "For me?"
Anna became overwhelmed. Everything was beginning to crumble. She didn't have the slightest clue as to where her father was, she was worried about Elsa's well being, and now Hans brought up another situation.
The girl's brain was throbbing. She attempted to rub her temples to console the pain, but to no avail. Her breathing shortened.
The world went blank. She fainted.
I'm thinking I'll probably be updating this. Writing a fic while exhausted is not a good idea.