Major time skipping around here- at first a week's time difference, and then there's a couple months. Hopefully it'll all tie together soon! But on another hand- yea im tying up loose-ish ends (in a shitty way lol, it's really bad and out of the blue. all the events, i mean). Also its really cliche like for real it's friendship-is-magic rom com type of cliche. Its really sappy and unbelievable and gah it just plain sucks. Anyway, don't kill me after you read this, okay? Next chapter's gonna clear up some more confusion. Also, the story itself will be ending soon :)
Rapunzel knew something was wrong the second she set foot in the school hallway. There were whispers and hushed conversations and most notably, there were sympathetic looks that suggested the student body felt sad for her. Rapunzel scrutinized her face in a pocket mirror, looked down at the skirt she wore, but found nothing out of place. She'd just never been used to everyone staring at her. Confused, Rapunzel studied her phone and tried texting Merida. Usually, Merida would be glued to the thing and to the gossip spread by the soccer team, but today she got no response. Weird. She tried Jack and Hiccup next, but still nothing. They were probably busy, she decided, shrugging and opening her locker to put away her schoolbooks. They usually got to school before her, but maybe they'd stalled to do whatever.
"Hey, blondie."
Rapunzel slammed her locker door shut, hitching her bag up her shoulder and turning to face none other than Flynn, who holding a few pink roses in his hand. He looked apologetic, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh," Rapunzel tried to sound upbeat, failing miserably, looking everywhere but at him. "Hi, Flynn."
"Look, I'm really sorry for what happened," Flynn offered her the flowers, which she took out of politeness, trying her hardest not to make a face. "No one deserves to go through that…I just wanted to make sure you were okay-"
His statement made Rapunzel fume, and she hardly ever got angry, especially never at him. He'd always been the one she rearranged her schedule for. He'd always been the one who could do no wrong. How dare he try and act all concerned, if he was the one who split her heart in two in the first place!
"Well," Rapunzel said in what she hoped was an even tone, "I'm not okay. What did you expect, Flynn?"
"Rapunzel, it'll be okay…"
"No!" she exploded, feeling the familiar sting of tears, willing herself not to cry. "Don't you get it, Flynn, I'm not okay! And I'm sick of you trying to win me back after what you did and what you said. So keep these," Rapunzel spat, pushing the flowers back into Flynn's hands. "They're my friends, and I'd rather have them over you."
Flynn's eyes were wide in shock. "Wait, Rapunzel, it's not that. Did no one-?"
"Goodbye, Flynn," Rapunzel sniffed, turning to stalk away, finally letting herself shed a few tears once her back was to Flynn. The man she had supposedly loved…he was gone. He'd turned out to be nothing but a jerk.
Rapunzel turned the edge of the hallway, and found, to her surprise, Tooth standing there with Aster, as if they'd been waiting on her normal route to class.
"Rapunzel," Tooth breathed out shakily. Rapunzel stood still; it seemed like Tooth had been crying. The girl's signature pink mascara was smudged under her puffy red eyes. Aster only had a grim expression, hand on Tooth's shoulder, occasionally squeezing soothingly.
"Hi, Ana," Rapunzel managed out of civility, moving to walk past them.
"Wait!" Tooth blurted. She ran over to envelop Rapunzel in a tight hug, letting a few silent sobs escape into the light pink of Rapunzel's tank. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "He didn't- they didn't- I'm so sorry."
Rapunzel was even more confused, but she patted Tooth's back albeit awkwardly. "It's okay, I'm...it's okay…" If only she knew why Tooth was upset.
"I'm so sorry," Tooth repeated. "And- I'm sorry about everything. You can- you can call me Tooth if you want."
Rapunzel gave her a dumbstruck look. Of course she knew all about Tooth's preferred name, she only let people refer to her by it when she was close to them…or she at least liked them. Rapunzel sidestepped the couple, trying to get to her class.
"Okay," Rapunzel mumbled, like it wasn't weird at all. "Okay, I'll…call you Tooth. Is there something wrong?"
"He's a pain in the arse, he is," Aster said, his voice low. "Doesn't mean he deserved it."
"Will you- be alright for cheer practice?" Tooth asked, rubbing at her eyelids. "Mavis was saying that if you wanted, we'd postpone practices. For as long as you want."
"I'm fine," Rapunzel said, still in the dark about what they were even talking about. "Um- what's going on? Why is-"
"We should probably leave her alone," Aster mumbled quietly to Tooth, who nodded through more tears.
"I'll see you at practice, then, Rapunzel," Tooth said. "I- I'm just-" she turned to hug Aster's arm.
"Yes," Rapunzel said slowly, like it was a trick question. "Yes, I'll see you there…"
She walked away from the two, going faster than normal, trying to get to class before the bell rang. She made it to her first period English class, the classroom still half empty, and sighed. Strangely, Merida still wasn't there, and the two usually sat together. Rapunzel scanned the room, but no telltale red hair looked back.
"Ah, just the girl I wanted to see," the teacher came closer, shaking her head slowly. "I'm terribly sorry about this, Ms. Corona. It's just horrible. Do you think they would like their work put together if they recover?" She gasped, glasses going askew. "My apologies, Rapunzel. When. When they recover."
"I'm sorry," Rapunzel said, still horribly confused, "What do you mean? Did- did something happen?"
The teacher seemed to go limp with sadness. "You don't know."
"Don't know what?"
Jack blinked, groggily, feeling like his eyelids weighed a thousand pounds each. A white blur greeted him, and a few slow going blinks brought clarity. He could see a white room and a bewildered woman standing next to him. She immediately dropped her clipboard, growing frantic.
"Doctor!" she yelled, and the noise hurt Jack's ears very much. "Doctor, he's awake!"
Jack squinted uncomfortably and tried to talk, but his throat was too dry. He struggled to pinpoint where he was...and then he remembered. The car crash. Hiccup's body being tossed like a rag doll. Merida's bleeding head pressed against a deflated air bag. Jack looked down at his fingernails, but the ones he had left were clean, not like he'd seen them in the crash; they'd been clawing and digging into the upholstery on Hiccup's car seats until he'd hit his head on something and he could remember glass raining over their bent heads.
Still, that didn't explain why he was here. Why he wasn't dead. He'd wished for it when his eyes had closed. Jack looked around the room at a steadily beeping machine at his right, but otherwise found no answers.
The woman, probably a nurse, ran back, panting, with an older man on her tail. "You've got a friend," she said, shakily, "A friend who wants to see you, if you feel up to it." Quickly, she backpedaled. "You've only just woken up and I understand if you don't, but the poor dear's been out there for days and-"
Jack tried to sit up, fearing all the while for the others, cutting off the nurse and only half-hearing her. "What about Hiccup? What about Merida, are they- are they okay?"
The older man solemnly marked something on his clipboard. "We don't know if they'll be alright just yet." He looked at Jack over the glasses perched on his nose. "You are my main priority right now, I'm afraid. The crash left you with a broken arm and some internal bleeding; I'll need you to be easy on your ribs, too- they're battered and bruised."
The nurse gave Jack a sympathetic glance. "Shall I send her in?"
Her. "Yeah," Jack mumbled. The nurse walked outside, most likely to the waiting room.
The doctor cleared his throat. "Your foster family has requested you be transferred again." He sadly shook his head. "I know it's not news you want to hear once you've woken up, but I do need to have you settled as soon as you leave. I imagine it'll be tough to adjust, especially with your injuries, but a case worker is already set to-"
"Why?" Jack suddenly piped up.
The doctor looked at him. "Why?"
"Why don't they want me anymore?" Jack asked, in a small voice.
The doctor looked at the floor rather than at Jack. "They believe your reckless actions caused the car crash, and they wished to no longer put up with your antics." He quickly added, "I believe they only did so to avoid paying medical bills, Jackson. I wouldn't take it to heart. There are people ought there who will quit going when the going gets tough." When Jack didn't answer for a long pause, he closed his clipboard. "I'll ask the nurse to send up a meal." He left Jack alone.
Jack didn't know what to think.
It had happened again.
Jack gripped the hospital sheet in his one un-bandaged hand, pinching it between two fingers. This was the fifth foster home he'd been in during the last three years...he'd never get adopted, and besides, he would be legally obligated to take care of himself in a few years anyway, so what was the point? A tear threatened to make its way out of his eye, but it wasn't a sad tear, it was a burning hot one that came with anger. Well, fuck them, he resolved bitterly to himself, because he'd never liked them anyway. His next foster family would probably be the same, and then he'd repeat the same cycle.
His door opened, and Jack was suddenly reminded of Merida and Hiccup and what the doctor had said about not knowing if they'd be okay. He was struck with actual sad tears, thinking of his friends...and hoping they were alright. That they'd pull through.
"Jack?" a timid voice loitered by the door, and Jack looked up to see Rapunzel. She looked like she'd seen better days- her signature blond hair, usually glossy and brushed, was pulled up messily on top of her head. She wore an oversized shirt and baggy basketball shorts, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
Jack gave her the biggest smile he could muster, which wasn't large. "Hey, Punz." He opened his mouth again to crack a joke, but never got far enough to do that. Wordlessly, tears started to leak out of his eyes.
"Jack," Rapunzel whispered, mirroring his actions and rushing to his bedside. She tucked herself into his arm, rubbing her face into his shoulder. Slowly, she looked up and pressed the palms of her hands on his cheeks, tentatively brushing strands of hair away from his pale face.
Jack sniffled, and Rapunzel wiped the tears from under his eyes with gentle fingers. "Sorry," he mumbled, and got worried, knowing that she'd probably skipped sleep worrying over the three of them and that it was their fault...
"It's okay," Rapunzel said, her voice sounding thick. "You're- you're okay." She leaned so that her forehead touched his, her tears dripping to fall onto his nose. Her shoulders shook anxiously with shuddering sobs.
Perhaps on a impulse, Jack leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.
She was stone still for a moment, tears streaming down her face, but then she returned the kiss slowly, her lips moving carefully like she was testing the waters. Gently, Jack's hand moved to cradle her head. Her hands clung to his shirt tightly, and while her kiss was soft, she seemed to be restraining herself from deepening it, instead screwing her eyes shut tightly.
It was as if the world stopped spinning. Jack only opened his eyes once and counted every freckle on her nose before his eyes closed again and something akin to butterflies started in his stomach.
She was the first to pull away, reluctantly, and Jack leaned back against his pillows. Rapunzel blinked a few times, looking lost, before her cheeks burned and she scooted away from where Jack was seated on the bed. Her lips parted like she was about to talk, instead, she stood up.
"Wait," Jack blurted, already cursing himself in his head, "That was- that was my fault, I never wanted-"
"It's fine," Rapunzel said, her voice quiet and tranquil, but she picked at a spare thread on her shirt rather than face Jack. "I'll- come back to visit you."
"Did I mess this up?" Jack asked frantically. "I'm sorry, I just- I think I like you." He most definitely knew that he did, but nonetheless, he clamped his mouth shut before he could keep talking.
"I have to go," Rapunzel mumbled rather than answer, and she practically ran out of the room.
Groaning, Jack rubbed his face with his good hand. Great. He'd ruined his only chances with the girl he liked, and his friends were probably in a lot worse shape than he was. It was hard not to worry about them- the crash came back in fragments, each little memory a horrific one of blood and screams and moans of pain...The nurse came in a few minutes later, a tray with food in her hands, and she gave him a little smile.
"That girl's been there in the waiting room for days," she said. "Just waiting to see which one of you'd wake up first. When I said you were awake, her whole face just lit up. Started weeping, the poor thing." She set the tray next to Jack on the bed.
"How long have I been here?" Jack asked, his voice cracking, willing himself not to think of Rapunzel and what she must've done to be in that waiting room- the lies she told her mother, the cheer rehearsals she'd missed, the classes she'd skipped. The nurse handed him a little cup of water and soothingly stroked the top of his head.
"About a week," she said. "Now eat something. Rest." She patted his forehead and made to leave.
"And my friends?" Jack asked, refusing to drink from the cup until he knew. "Is Hiccup okay? What about Merida?"
The nurse sighed. "I'm not really allowed to say," she said, then gave Jack a look. "But you have a right to know." She sat down at the edge of his bed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The girl- Merida- she's had severe injuries in her spinal cord. It'll take her months of healing, lots of physical therapy, and she'll wear a brace as well. She currently can't take visitors unless they're immediate family, and she can't move at the moment." The nurse paused to take a second to think. "The boy Hiccup, he's- he's in bad shape. His head was damaged, luckily, his brain wasn't, but part of his skull was fractured. Both of his arms, his ribs, and his one leg is broken. He's-"
"One leg?" Jack interrupted, and the nurse jumped.
"Oh," she breathed out. "His leg was amputated just under the knee- it was crushed in the wreckage beyond repair." She looked at Jack, who was digesting this information with a strange look on his face. She stood up to get out of his way, her rubber shoes squeaking. "You rest now, dear." She gave him a sympathetic look and looked like she wanted to say something more, but instead, she quietly stated: "Don't worry yourself about it. The doctor says it's uncertain, but your friends are fighters. They'll make it."
Jack nodded, but just barely. The nurse finally left him alone.
Like everyone did.
_
Rapunzel sat herself on the familiar blue plastic chair, looking at the same magazines she'd stress-read through sitting on the same place. Across from her, an ancient vending machine looked her in the eyes with a dull light demonstrating pretzels and granola bars- things she'd basically lived on since spending days in that hospital waiting room. The nurse who'd sent her up looked at her curiously to see her back again.
"Still waiting, honey?" she asked kindly. Rapunzel nodded, picking at the threads of her shirt. The nurse tilted her head. "It'll be a few more days until they others can have some visitors. Maybe you want to go spend more time with the boy Jackson."
Rapunzel forced a little smile. "He's tired. I left to let him sleep."
The nurse looked like she didn't believe her, but she smiled nonetheless. "You've probably got other places to be, huh, a girl like you. Your parents know you're here, hon?"
Rapunzel nodded, not looking the nurse in the eye. "Yeah, they know."
The nurse tsk-tsked. "These kids friends of yours?"
"Yes," Rapunzel whispered, the syllables breaking midway. "I'm just worried."
The nurse reached over and laid a hand on Rapunzel's arm. "You should be getting back home, don't you think so? Maybe school, if you're up to it."
"But-"
"They'll still be here," the nurse gave her a sad smile. "And the second they start accepting visitors, or if you want to come by after school, I'll make sure to let you know."
Rapunzel eventually accepted her offer, feeling guilty because she'd left poor Jack all alone in that hospital room. He hadn't been visited by anyone else, she could tell, and she wondered how he lived when he'd said so little about his personal life. No parents or aunts or siblings had ever passed by asking for Jackson Overland Frost, and Rapunzel felt like it was her own fault for it. Merida Dunbroch got a steady stream of a large family waiting around in the waiting room at various times during the day, and Rapunzel had noticed Hiccup's dad always coming right at visiting time and leave the very second after it ended. Jack- Jack never had anyone stop by.
Rapunzel...Rapunzel was the only thing he had without Merida and Hiccup. Reluctantly, she left the hospital, her bag over her shoulder and a sob threatening to escape the back of her throat.
She didn't know how far or how long she walked, but all she knew was that she ended up on her street. Her old street. She'd left her home after her mother threatened to homeschool her and keep her away from the hospital. Now, she avoided being there. Her mother had scoffed at her when Rapunzel had threatened to run away. Go ahead, Gothel had said spitefully. I won't care. You'll come running right back. With nothing but clothes and her school supplies, Rapunzel had left. Mavis had immediately offered a place to stay in the large hotel her dad ran. Rapunzel refused, refused to become a charity case, but Mavis insisted. The rest of the cheerleading squad did, too. They tried to make sure she was always looked after, and that her homework and schoolwork was delivered to her every day when she was at the hospital. Rapunzel was thankful that her friends were so understanding, but she worried. She was worried that the accident would ruin her friend's lives. She wanted to be there to help them recover. It still pained her that she didn't know anything about what was wrong with them.
Rapunzel paused next to the little playground near her block. A little girl sat with her parents on a blanket, twirling a daisy between her pudgy fingers and laughing every time the young mother kissed her cheek. Like an outsider, Rapunzel stared for a minute and turned to leave.
She had no family. Her family was in the hospital.
Rapunzel reached the high school just as last period was starting. Rather than go inside and try to make the class, she sat in the damp grass under the flagpole and wrapped her arms around her knees. Stragglers rushed out of cars to get inside the gates of the school, backpacks flapping against backs and hips before disappearing. No one turned to look at Rapunzel anymore. Her hospitalized friends were old news. She no longer had anything to call her own- not a home, not her schoolwork, not her friends. She was just there. She'd even let Mavis and Once-ler take over the cheerleading team for her for the past week, and she probably intended on letting them continue for as long as she wanted, which might've been all the way to graduation. Who knew. Who cared anymore. Rapunzel ripped a few blades of grass out of the ground and toyed with them in her fingers.
"Rapunzel. Um, hey."
Rapunzel looked up and saw Flynn standing there, above her, car keys in hand.
Not cracking a smile, or conveying any emotion, she simply stated, "You have to go to class, Flynn."
Flynn pocketed his hands. "Yeah. I know. Saw you outside, and I just wanted to talk to you."
Rapunzel looked up at him and shrugged, seemingly impassive, but her insides cartwheeled. "So talk."
Flynn looked around. "Privately?"
Rapunzel reluctantly followed him to the passenger seat of his car, breathing in the familiar smell of stale french fries and cologne. She sat there, waiting as he stepped into the driver's seat and closed the door. For a while, he looked out at the campus before he turned to Rapunzel.
"I was an asshole."
"Flynn-"
"I was," Flynn spoke over Rapunzel beginning to talk. "I probably still am. Hell, I was a complete asshole to you, and that's what matters." He looked at Rapunzel. "When I met you, I thought you were the prettiest girl at Dreamworks High." He paused. "You are, still."
Rapunzel involuntarily flushed pink, thinking back on how much she'd freaked over Flynn, the upperclassman, asking her to be his girlfriend in such a sweet way. She remembered the notes he left on her locker, the pink roses presented to her the night of a pep rally, and she even remembered the red-lipsticked kiss she'd left on his cheek.
"My friends told me no, not to ask you out. Said you were out of my league. You still are, too," Flynn picked at his worn jeans. "I didn't have much to offer besides my looks, you know? I'm just a kid who lives at an orphanage and steals things from convenience stores. I didn't expect you to say yes."
"Flynn-"
"But you did," Flynn continued, quietly. "And I made the most dick move ever- I treated you like something to show off. Something I'd earned for doing fucking nothing. Suddenly, too-cool for school Flynn Rider was dating the cheerleading captain and he was upped in social ranks."
Rapunzel found interest in her knee, but she couldn't stop the dull ache that flared in her chest. To think that Flynn had, unwillingly, liked her popularity status more than herself- yes, it stung. But he looked so sorry and apologetic, she let him continue.
"People weren't just treating me like the former juvie bad boy. They were treating me like a decent human being, because the school's princess saw something in him no one else did," Flynn looked into Rapunzel's eyes, looking sincere. "And I took advantage of it. I created a new, popular image of myself, and I guess when you strayed away from being Miss Popularity, I just-" he took a deep breath. "I messed up what mattered. And I lost you in the process."
Rapunzel didn't know if she'd believe anyone who fed her those lines. She didn't think that Flynn was even capable of pouring out his heart the way he did. She took a deep breath. "Flynn. It's- what you did wasn't okay." She glanced up and reached over to smooth a piece of hair away from his forehead. "You hurt my feelings. A lot. You tried to ruin my friendship with Jack, and then with Hiccup, and-"
Flynn nodded. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry. It's probably doesn't mean much to you, my apologies, but...I do regret what I did. I shouldn't have been so hard on Jack. I guess it's just because he reminded me of the guy I used to be." He stayed silent for another few seconds. "I don't expect you to forgive me, either. I just wanted to apologize, at least, for being a major douche."
Rapunzel didn't smile, but one corner of her lips lifted appreciatively. "Thank you." She leaned over and kissed Flynn's cheek.
He pressed his fingertips to the area that she kissed. "What was that for?"
This time, Rapunzel smiled. "For not being a major douche."
And Flynn smiled back.
_
"Are you sure yer okay? The pillow's not digging into your back? I told you, Fergus, we should've gotten a smaller one to put there-"
"Mum, ah'm fine," Merida stressed, scowling at her elevated broken legs. "The pillow's not hurtin' me, ah can barely feel mah back as it is. Just keep goin'."
"Alright, dear," Elinor said slowly, through a pinched face as she wheeled her daughter through the doorway of their house. Merida pretended not to notice the dark circles under Elinor's eyes- Elinor usually looked professional and presentable at all times, and the accident had lost her lots of sleep. For her father, too- it might've done the same for her brothers, but Elinor never disclosed the full story to them. They spent many days with Maudie, since Elinor thought the triplets couldn't handle Merida's state. Merida agreed, because it meant her hospital room was quiet, the way she liked it to be. She got frequent headaches with every little noise nowadays.
"I don't want you going back to that school. That boy put your life in danger, and if it wasn't for him, you'd still be playing soccer. I'm pulling you out of archery, out of soccer, and getting you a new phone without those people's contacts-"
"Mum," Merida whined, her voice loud. "I already told yeh. It wasn't Hiccup's fault! Someone messed up his brakes, it's not like he wanted to kill himself!" She guiltily wondered how Hiccup and Jack were. It was her first day leaving the hospital, and she hadn't even gotten to see them. She'd asked the nurses and got nothing out of them. One doctor disclosed that Hiccup wasn't fit to take visitors outside of immediate family, and that Jack had already been released, but Merida was already itching to get the gang back together and getting to the bottom of the whole mess. Who would even mess up Hiccup's brakes in the first place? Surely not Hiccup's father- he'd always seemed so sane and normal. And with Hiccup's attentiveness to his car, it's hard to believe that something like brakes that didn't work would escape Hiccup's notice- Merida knew he took care of his vehicle.
"Merida," Elinor said sharply, and Merida snapped to attention. She was wheeled in front of the couch, facing her solemn parents. "I don't care if Hiccup did it or not. I was the one who let you stay overnight at a boy's house, and I won't make that same mistake again. Me and your father have decided something."
"What?" Merida grumbled, clearly upset. It wasn't Hiccup's fault, he was the driver, and he was unaware of the sabotage. It was unfair that everyone was placing the blame on him.
"Yer mum thinks it'd be best if yeh went to school in Scotland," Fergus said softly.
For a minute, Merida gaped. They had to be joking. Scotland? Scotland school? They were joking.
"Mum," she said, "Ye can't be serious."
"Boarding school will get you away from here," Elinor said, shoulders back, talking with the posture of a queen. "We've decided to move back to Scotland. It'll be a welcome change for us, and for your brothers- the school over there is highly recommended for disabled students."
"Ah'm not disabled!" Merida exclaimed. "Mum, please- my life is here! I can't uproot everything and just move!"
"Merida," Elinor said, like it pained her, "Please. I want you away from this negativity. Regardless of the brakes stopped working, or if someone messed with them as you said, it's clear that you won't regain full use of your legs without therapy and care. In Scotland, we can do that. I've quit my job, and your father has already put in a transfer to a Scotland company. I'll take care of you, Merida." She laid a hand on Merida's knee. "Please do this for us. For yerself."
Merida shook her head as much as she could without straining her neck. "Mum, yer askin' me to leave all my friends here."
"You'll make new friends in Scotland," Fergus said, his voice too jolly for Merida's liking. "Yer gonna love it there, Merida. We haven't been to Scotland since you were a wee babe."
"Dad," Merida said, her eyes full of tears, "This isn't what I want."
Elinor exchanged a look with Fergus. "We'll allow you to say goodbye to your friends. You may invite them here if you'd like, but we're leaving next week. The plane tickets have already been booked."
"Mum!"
"Merida," Elinor sternly interjected, "It's been two months since the accident. You need stability and fresh air. We are going to Scotland. End of the discussion."
_
The first day Jack returned to classes, Rapunzel was surprised to see him. His arm was in a cast, his trusty skateboard tucked under his good arm. He looked at Rapunzel. She lifted her hand in a wave. He looked away.
"Punzie!" Mavis cheerfully joined Rapunzel's side. "I've been looking for you. Once-ler's gonna think we ditched him again. C'mon, I have to talk to you about that transfer student Johnny. He's hella cute-"
Rapunzel half-listened as Mavis talked on, but she didn't really catch every word Mavis was saying. "Uh huh."
"Yup, and then I'm gonna move to Vegas and become a stripper," Mavis deadpanned sarcastically and shot Rapunzel an annoyed look. Rapunzel, are you even listening to me?"
Rapunzel looked up at Mavis, who had crossed her arms and tapped her shoe impatiently, eyebrows raised. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize," Mavis said, looking over at Jack, who was alone and leaning against a building. "He's your friend. You should go talk to him."
Rapunzel bit her lip. "I think he hates me."
"For what? You were at that hospital every day to-"
"Not every day," Rapunzel mumbled.
"Well, you were there several days, so I think that entitles you to best friend status," Mavis decided.
"Mavis-" Rapunzel sighed. "I only visited him once."
Mavis blinked in surprise. "Oh. I thought-"
"He kissed me."
Mavis stared at Rapunzel. "You're joking." Rapunzel shook her head. Mavis grabbed Rapunzel by the shoulders. "Wait. You're saying that Jack Frost- kissed you. And that's why you never visited him?!"
"Keep it down," Rapunzel hissed. "I just- I think I might-"
"You like him!" Mavis cried in glee. "I knew it! Oh God, Once-ler owes me five bucks. I knew it!"
"Shh," Rapunzel looked over her shoulder with a flip of hair, but Jack had his hoodie over his forehead and it was unclear as to what his face looked like, even in the heat.
"Go do something," Mavis whispered. "Apologize. Slap him. Actually don't, he's still recovering. But do something."
Rapunzel took a deep breath. "Okay."
"Go get 'im," Mavis slapped Rapunzel's back proudly.
It took fifteen steps, one foot in front of the other, to reach the spot where Jack was. Rapunzel felt self-concious, like the gaudy red bow in her high ponytail seemed too childish and that her cheerleading skirt was too short. But that was ridiculous- it was only Jack, her friend. Emphasis on friend. She had to remember that. It had taken her months to get over Flynn, and it had been two months since their kiss. That meant she had to have gotten over it.
"Hi," Rapunzel said softly. Jack didn't meet her eye.
"Hey."
Rapunzel reached to her cheek to instinctively twirl a strand of hair, but there was none; it was all put up. Rapunzel let her hands fall to her sides. "How do you feel?"
There was a quiet, bitter laugh. "Like hell."
Rapunzel lifted her hand to touch his shoulder, but he shifted to the side. "Jack," she almost whimpered, voice hurt.
"It was my fault, okay, please let's just- forget everything," Jack said, his voice low. "I was the one who kissed you. Let's forget it even happened."
"I kissed your cheek, that first day we met. After detention."
Jack suddenly looked up at Rapunzel, a look of surprise etching itself onto his features. "I didn't think you'd remember that."
"Why not?" Rapunzel gently pushed the hoodie away from Jack's head, and he let her, until she was standing a few inches away from his shoulder.
"I don't know, it just seemed like it was something you'd do. To be nice."
Rapunzel looked down at her hands. A chipped red manicure courtesy of Mavis looked back at her. "I've only kissed Flynn on the cheek before." She gave a rueful laugh. "I've never even kissed my mother's cheek."
"Then why'd you kiss mine?" Jack prompted, his face looking red.
Rapunzel locked eyes with him. "I don't know. It felt right." She swallowed hard. "We feel right, Jack."
Jack was silent. "You're just overthinking things. Flynn-"
"Flynn doesn't matter," Rapunzel sighed. "That day in the hospital, I-"
"Rapunzel-"
"I was still afraid, yes, but you-"
"Rapunzel," Jack said, louder this time.
"Jack, just listen!" Rapunzel snapped, more angrily than she'd intended. "I like you! I've liked you for a long time! I don't know why-" She covered her mouth with a hand eyes wide. A muffled "Ohmygod" escaped her lips. "That wasn't- I probably-"
Jack kissed her hard, cutting off the rest of her sentence. Rapunzel was shock still for two seconds before her hands fisted in his hoodie and she pulled him closer. His good arm went around her waist and he smiled against her lips. Rapunzel giggled, silently, but she refused to let him go and kept pressing their lips together.
A faint "woohoo!" came from across the field, and Rapunzel broke away long enough to shot Mavis and Once-ler a saucy look before she went back to kissing Jack.
She was the happiest she'd been in a long time.