Here's the next chapter for you guys! I'm so happy you appreciated the last chapter!

FrozenLanterns: XD Yes! They are annoying. But they're Punzie's friends so, I guess it works out too.

I do NOT own Tangles, Rise of the Guardians or any brand/company I place in this fic.


Chapter 6: College?

Jack kept her close to him. He tried not to make eye contact with any girl at the mall but they still stared at him. A group of teenage girls whispered to each other when he and Rapunzel passed by. He didn't want to hear anything from them about him but his ears just have a mind of its own that he heard every word they said. The group of girls agreed that he was drop dead gorgeous and that they wondered what his name was and what school he goes to. He suddenly remembered the scenario earlier at Shakey's. It wasn't the best time of his life. He sighed at the thought of being surrounded by a group of crazy women asking for his name, number or whatever they wanted to ask him. Am I really what they say I am? Handsome?, he asked himself. It can't be true, can it? He always knew he had a bad boy look that Tooth claimed to be what girls find awesome in a guy, but he never really thought that he was good looking.

Sure, he'd joke around, saying he's cute or something but he never really meant it. He just said those to tease people. He always thought he was weird-looking—especially his hair. His hair! It spiked in a way that it looked like he used wax or gel for it to stay like the way it is. He rake his hair back with his fingers and sighed heavily. Rapunzel noticed this and looked at him. She panicked that he might be bored or mad or something.

"Are you okay? Jack?" she asked.

He looked at her with a grin, "Of course I am! What made you ask?"

Her lips tightened as her gaze wandered around the tiled floor, "I was thinking you might be bored because of your sigh."

They stopped walking. He frowned a bit, "I'm not!" his frown turned into a smile, "I'm actually having a good time, Goldilocks, so thank you for bringing me here." He said, his smile so genuine that Rapunzel stared at his lips then his eyes. He looks really charming, she thought. No matter what smile or smirk he does, he always looked handsome. His thick, now brown, hair and also now brown eyes added to the charm. He looked like one of those guys who could be in a drama series or a rock star on stage. She stared at his eyes and almost saw her reflection on it.

Unknown to Rapunzel, he was also staring at her eyes. He thought that she was really pretty, like, really. When he first saw her, he thought she was 'alright' with freakishly long hair but staring at her made him see a little bit more. He noticed that her eyelashes were abundant, trailing thicker and longer as it went to the end of her eyes. She had freckles so light that it almost wasn't noticeable. Her eyes were so green that he thought he saw grasslands reflected on them. And then, there were her lips. It was small and it was almost scarlet in color. He never stared at a girl for that long like he did to her. Whenever she smiled, she looked prettier than she was.

He tugged on her hand, "Let's go." He made a curt smile.

Rapunzel nodded and smiled, her cheeks tinting a bit red and nodded. They decided to go home so they got the roll of cloth from the baggage counter and left. She didn't want him to carry it while walking so they took a cab. Although, Jack insisted he could walk all the way back but Rapunzel insisted. He didn't want her pout again at him, even if it was so adorable, so he gave in. The two of them sat at the back of the cab with the roll of cloth in-between Jack's knees. They were both looking outside the windows, looking away from each other. The entire ride was silent. When they got down, Rapunzel paid for the fee and Jack carried all the luggage. The cab left and Rapunzel got her keys and unlocked the door, opened it and they both went inside.

Jack headed upstairs and placed the cloth standing against the wall near her cabinet. He was going for the door when it flung open to reveal Rapunzel taking off her bag. She threw it on her bed.

"I'm gonna start sowing." She said.

He could only nod and when he got his staff, he faced her, "Goldilocks, I'll be leaving for a bit." He said.

She looked at him with slight sadness, "Where are you going?"

He went near her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He smiled, "To Santa's workshop. I'll be back by dinner time, okay? I'll just have to get some things fixed."

She smiled gently, trying not to show her sadness, "Alright. What would you like to have for dinner?"

He turned around and headed for the window but stopped. She stared at him. Jack twisted his body to look at her and smiled, "Surprise me." He said and changed back into his winter spirit self and stepped on the window sill and bent forward and then straightened himself, holding on to the beams, inclined sideward and called the wind.

"Wind, take me to North's workshop!" he said and then the wind took him and sent him flying away up to the North Pole. It took him a while before he could go to the place but when he got there, he was greeted by yetis. He set foot on the wooden floor and went inside and saw the four other guardians talking. He wondered why they were together. He also wondered if Pitch was the reason for their assembly. But if that was the case, why didn't they call him?

North saw him walk towards them, "Ah, Jack! I didn't see you there."

The three others turned to look at him. Bunnymund frowned slightly, Tooth gasped excitedly and Sandman waved at him. Tooth was the first to go to Jack. She hovered in front of him and held her hands together with her face near his, "Welcome back, Jack! I see you changed your outfit." She grinned.

Jack frowned at himself, "Damn! I forgot to change!" he mumbled to himself but Tooth still heard him.

Bunnymund walked towards them, "Where'd ya get the clothes, mate?"

Jack looked at him then back at Tooth then at North and Sandy. They all anticipated for his answer.

"I…" he trailed off and walked towards the huge globe with twinkling lights on it, "…I got it from someone." He said as he slowly turned to them.

The four guardians looked at each other then back at him. North smirked at him a bit, "Who is it from, Jack?" he asked, tracing his beard with his fingers.

Jack honestly wanted to smile so widely but he held it back a bit to hide his happiness at the moment, "From a believer, who else?" he said, throwing back his staff over his shoulder.

"I doubt a kid that big will believe in ye." Bunnymund raised a brow as he smirk at Jack too.

Jack returned the smirk, "I never said it was a kid."

"Well," Tooth started, "Whoever he is, he's really nice to lend you his clothes." She said. Sandy nodded in agreement.

North laughed, "A teenager believes in you, Jack!"

Bunnymund looked at North then at Jack, "A teenager can believe in beings like us?"

It was Jack who laughed this time, "First of all, it's not a he who gave me this and second, this—" he said, tugging on his shirt and pants, "—is her dad's."

The four's eyes widened. They didn't see that one coming.

"It's a girl!?" Tooth exclaimed happily. She fluttered around Jack and asked him a lot of questions, "What's her name? Is she pretty? How old is she? What does she look like? Where does she live? How did she believe in you? Did she tell you?" she asked him so fast that he almost didn't understand her.

Jack smiled and leaned on his staff. He looked at Tooth, "Well, I don't really know about her belief in me. I saw her one night researching about me and then the next morning when I came back, and I ate her cookies, she could see me." He explained, "I was also surprised—" he looked up at the huge globe beside him, "—that a teenager could believe… in someone like me."

"She's probably childish to believe in ye." Bunnymund said.

Jack was insulted. He felt his chest tightened, his mind rambled through words and his hands clenched into a fist, "Don't talk about her like that!" he glared at the over-sized Pooka, "She's not childish!" he said loudly that it was almost a shout.

Everyone was startled. They never really saw him get worked up like that because of a girl. Hell, they never heard him defend a girl, even. Bunnymund smirked, "Oh, I'm sorry, mate, I didn't notice she was your girlfriend."

Jack slammed his staff on the wooden floor and made laces of frost crawl on it, "She is not my girlfriend!"

The two of them argued. Bunnymund just kept attacking and Jack kept defending Rapunzel and himself. The other three guardians watched them throw insults at each other until Tooth settled them down and hovered over them. North chuckled at the familiar scene and went over to Jack. "So, Jack, this girl—" he looked at Jack's eyes seriously, "—who is she?"

Jack inhaled, "Rapunzel. She's Rapunzel."

Tooth looked confused and looked at Sandy then at North and Jack, "The fairytale princess?"

Jack shook his head, "No. Her parents named her after the princess." Then he smirked at the memory of her, "She had freakishly long hair that went down to her knees." He said then he went to the bookshelf nearby and saw fairytale books, "Her hair was near the color of gold and her eyes were as green as a pasture during spring time." He said. Her lips were scarlet, he thought. When none of the four spoke, he continued as he went to the huge globe again, "She went to show me around their neighborhood in Corona. We even went to the mall when I transformed myself into a human." He shook his head with a smile, "We got into trouble too. Well, at least I did. I told her friends that I was going to the Corona University. I didn't know they go there. Then her friends squealed that they went to the same University and now they expect me to go—"

"That's so exciting!" Tooth exclaimed.

"College, eh?" North smiled at him, "That's a good idea, Jack!"

Bunnymund glanced at Tooth and North, "Why is it a good idea?"

North laughed and let out a ho ho ho, "Jack can take a time off from guardian duties. Maybe this is what Manny was saying earlier."

"You mean to say that Manny agrees to let Jack take a time off from his winter spirit duties and experience college?" Tooth's eyes widened with excitement, "Manny's really nice!"

They all looked up at the moon. Jack was so confused. Manny's letting him stay with Rapunzel?

"Why, Manny, why are you doing this?" Jack asked up at the moon above.

The moon shone brighter as if it was telling something to him. Jack tightened his lips and looked at the other guardians. North nodded at him, Sandy gave a thumbs up, Tooth smiled at him while Bunnymund only shrugged. If it was Manny who said something, they couldn't argue about it. Jack let out a sigh and looked at Manny, "Alright." He said. Maybe Manny was planning something they don't notice yet so he just agreed even though he knew it was a bit of a hassle on his part. But hey, it was the least he could do for the…thing that took him out of the dark.

"I still can't believe Manny's letting him do this.." Bunnymund whispered to Sandy.

Jack looked at the four other guardians, "Why don't you get the same 'privilege'?" he asked.

Tooth smiled at him, "I can't transform like you Jack. And I'm not a seasonal spirit like you."

North laughed again, "I'm too old and I have a lot to do. Listing kids in the naughty or nice column isn't easy."

Jack looked at Bunnymund. As expected, Bunny just rolled his eyes, "I'm not even human and turning back into a small Pooka ain't fun. Kids get'ta hug you too tight until you run outta air. Ain't good memories."

Jack turned to Sandy. He just shrugged then an image made of his own sand appeared above his head. It looked like a boy and a girl standing side by side with a heart in-between. They all looked at him. He had this dreamy sigh and pointed at Jack then at the image on his head which turned into a girl with freakishly long hair. Not long, the image shifted into another image which looked like a heart. North was the first to understand. He laughed loudly like he always used to.

"Oh, Sandy!" he cried happily, "You are right. They should get together, no?" he looked at Jack, Bunny and Tooth who were still confused but Tooth got it too.

"Oh, yeah! They're going to be so cute together, eating out and watching movies and—" Tooth was interrupted by Bunny.

"You mean date?" Bunny snickered evilly at Jack.

Jack frowned and inhaled at the same time. What in the name of Manny were they talking about?

North patted Jack's shoulder, "Ah, Jack, you will understand soon when you realize."

Jack looked at North, eyeing him, "Realize what?"

North was about to answer him when Manny suddenly shone brighter and dimmer and brighter again as if he was trying to tell them something. They all stared up at him. They watched him intently. It shone brighter and longer this time and showed an image of a girl and food on the floor. Everyone wondered what it was. Then it suddenly hit Jack.

"Crap! I forgot!" Jack hit the side of his head with his palm, "I told Rapunzel that I'll be home by dinner time!" he said, motioning to fly but what Bunny said made him stop.

"Aww, you two are already playing married!" Bunny laughed and the others followed and gave him an "aww".

Jack frowned, "Quit it, kangaroo. We're not." He said. Bunnymund was the least of his worries that time. He didn't care whether the Pooka threw insults at him. The only thing that mattered was what he told Rapunzel. He didn't want her to get upset again for the unknownth time for the entire day. So, he just waved at them and flew off. He asked the wind to take him to Corona the fastest it could. The wind was so fast that it immediately made potential typhoons by the ocean.

"Wind, when I get to Rapunzel's room, slow down the typhoon or make it turn around, away from civilization as best as you could." He said. He and the wind communicated in a way that only he could understand. The wind told him that it will follow what he tells it. Jack made a one-sided smile, "Thanks, wind." He said and soon, he could see the outline of Corona. The wind assisted him to Rapunzel's house and swiftly landed him on the dark alley nearby. He transformed himself. He did promise he'll be human in her house.

He walked to the door when he felt the wind leave and knocked on it. Not long, Rapunzel opened it. She was glad to see him. So glad that she hugged him, throwing her arms over his shoulders and gave him a tight I-missed-you hug. Jack was surprised for a bit but hugged her back and when they pulled off, he arched a brow at her with a smirk, "I was only gone for three hours and you already missed me?"

He saw her eyes widen, hinting that she was going to pout again, so he smiled curtly at her, "I'm joking, Goldilocks." He said and looked at her with pleading eyes, "Can I come in?"

Her expression swiftly changed. Her lips curved upward and her cheeks flustered a bit, "Of course!" she said and let him in.

He walked inside and smelled what she was cooking. The smell was familiar but he couldn't really pin point what it is or what it's called, even. He looked at her, "What's cookin'?"

Rapunzel ran to the kitchen, "Take a look."

He followed her and looked over her shoulder. It smelled sweet and when she removed the lid, the full force of the smell entered his nostrils. The dish looked familiar but he couldn't really remember what it was called.

She glanced at him, "Buttered shrimp. Do you like it?"

He nodded, "Yeah…" he trailed off. Oh, the smell! It makes me hungrier, he thought, swallowing his saliva.

She returned the lid and faced him, "You can go change your clothes. I got a fresh set of clothes on my bed for you to wear." She said and got the whole spoon and dipped it into the saucepan and got a bit of the soup. She blew on it and tasted it. She blinked a few times and scooped another and blew on it again. This time, she lifted it to him.

Jack took a moment to look at the whole spoon then at her then back at the whole spoon with a bit of soup in it. Her eyes looked so insisting that he gave up and held the handle and neared it to his lips and sipped the soup. This is pretty good, he thought while looking at the whole spoon. He looked at her with a smile, "I can't wait to eat." He said and sped up to her room to change.

Rapunzel couldn't help but smile and blush. Her heartbeat went fast again. She didn't know what the feeling is but it was complicating. It felt tight yet light. She couldn't breathe but it was fine. She was absorbed by her thoughts again. Maybe… it was what her friends called a 'crush'. She was so preoccupied that she didn't here Jack's loud thumping footsteps when he came down the wooden stairs. She only realized that she was deep in thought when he called her.

"Goldilocks? Hey, Goldilocks!" he waved his hand in front of her.

She almost jumped back when she realized Jack was already in front of her, dressed in plain white V-neck type shirt and grey cargo shorts.

"O-oh I'm sorry! I'll get the plates!" she said, putting down the whole spoon on a chopping board.

"No, I'll do it. Just go get yourself cleaned up." He insisted, pulling on two plates, bowls and utensils from a kitchen cabinet.

"But—"

"Go on, I insist." He smiled at her, reassuring he was fine with it. After all, if they were going to live together, he might as well learn a few things about what to do in a house.

Rapunzel could only nod shyly and cleaned herself with a damp cloth and took off her apron. She sat down opposite him and they started eating. Jack was really fast with eating. An entire plate full of food was all eaten within eight to ten minutes! Rapunzel smiled at the realization and got more rice for him. She started a conversation since it felt awkwardly silent.

"So, what did you do in North Pole?"

Jack slowed down and looked at her and shrugged, "The usual—having a talk with all four of them."

"Not that I'm feeling close or anything of some sort but, what did you guys talk about?"

You, he thought. "About what Manny told them." He said.

"Who's Manny?" she stopped eating.

"Oh, it's the Man in Moon. He's the one who chose us. Y'know… the one who chose us to be guardians."

"I see…" she looked at her food then looked at Jack through her lashes, "What did he tell them?"

Jack smirked and shook his head in utter disbelief on what happened earlier in North Pole. He still couldn't believe Manny allowed him to be relieved of his duties for a while. "Eh… about the problem we had back at Shakey's." he said as he forked a skinned shrimp. He looked at her with his eyes, "About me telling your friends about my being going to CU." He said and ate the shrimp.

Rapunzel grabbed her glass of water and drank before she spoke, "What about it?"

He kept quiet for a moment. His lips tightened to a straight line, eyebrows furrowed and then, he sighed. Rapunzel wondered what was in his mind. He was acting a bit strange for a bit there. She was going to open her mouth, about to say that he doesn't have to answer her question but he spoke first. She saw that he was smirking but he felt kind of hopeless, at least along those lines.

"He allowed me to go to CU."

Rapunzel's eyes widened.

She definitely didn't expect that.

End of Chapter


I hope you guys liked this chapter! D: xD I rushed this earlier before going to school. It's weird for Manny to do that but, what the heck, right? Who knows? Manny might be as nice as what Tooth said he is.

Questions, reviews and the like are welcome!