"Hellooo, nurse!" Jack howls as Elsa enters the room in the school infirmary where he is waiting.
"Yakko, we've got to stop meeting like this," Elsa sighs as she sees Jack holding his arm and wincing in pain. "People might start talking." Elsa inspects his shoulder. "What is it this time? You know, this happens so often that as soon as the nurse sees you, she just sends you in here and calls me. I never dreamed those first aid seminars would be so useful."
"Well, my body seems to respond best to your touch," Jack says, half-joking. "At least someone visits you in this lonely hole."
"You needn't worry about me being stuck here all afternoon. I get around." Seemingly reading Jack's mind before he can make a dirty comeback, she warns, "Get your mind out of the gutter, Jack. You know what I mean. All first aid volunteers go around during afterschool trainings to help the school nurse. You're just one of the few regular infirmary visitors. So what happened here?"
"The usual," Jack shrugs. "I tried to do a tricky move, and it didn't work out so well. Don't worry, third time's the charm, right?"
Elsa shakes her head. "I don't think I've ever seen a varsity super star get injured so many times in a week."
"Well, you gotta win big or go home, I say. Where's the fun in doing martial arts if you can't do the Bruce Lee moves?"
"Yeah, well you're still human, you know," Elsa says as she maneuvers his arm to test the range of motion. "You have to take care of yourself. What'll happen if you cause permanent and severe damage? What about your kung fu dreams?"
This time, it's Jack's turn to laugh. "It's not like I'm planning to make this thing my career. It's just a hobby - a hobby I happen to be naturally good at. I need excitement, so I gotta try the dangerous stuff."
"Oh, Jack, you're as cocky as a..." Elsa stops to think of a conclusion to her simile.
"As a co-" Jack begins to say before Elsa interrupts and finishes her sentence, "as a rooster." She places a small ice pack on the injury.
"I'm just telling it like it is," Jack says confidently. "But, I'm touched that you care so much."
"Don't think you're that special," Elsa says, grinning slightly. "I've built a bit of a reputation for being a 'counselor.' If your talent is in fighting, then mine must be in reading people."
"Aah yes," Jack leans back as Elsa begins to bandage his shoulder. "The famous and wise Elsa Isles, always ready to lend a hand, heal any wound, and fix a broken heart."
"I'd say the same thing about you, but I think infamy might be more suited to your reputation," Elsa quips.
"Is it my badassery that intimidates everyone?" Jack says, cocking an eyebrow and grinning devilishly.
"If that's what you like to call it," Elsa laughs. "Oh, and your habit of leaving a trail of broken hearts."
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy there?" Jack raises his eyebrows at Elsa.
"Oh, please," Elsa says dismissively as she finishes fixing up Jack's injury. "Let me guess. I'm the one girl you can't have, so you need a barrage of others to try to fill your humdrum life."
"Look who's cocky now?" Jack asks in mild surprise.
"I'm a fast learner," Elsa winks before standing to make some final inspections. "Well, Jack, you're as good as new. Just follow the usual home instructions, and I'll see you in a few days, right on schedule."
"Thanks, Elsa!" Jack says as he checks out his shoulder. "Always a pleasure! I count the hours until we meet again, oh fair one." He ducks out of the infirmary before Elsa can form a comeback. Deep down, she enjoys the moments she and Jack spend together. As much as she would hate to admit it, she does think that being a first aid volunteer wouldn't be as much fun if he weren't constantly injuring himself.
Just then, the nurse pops her head in the room. "Oh good," she says. "You're done with Jack. I have to ask you to head to the girls' volleyball team. A player seems to have sprained her ankle."
"A healer's work is never done," Elsa declares before heading to the volleyball court.
As she tends to the injury of the player, she asks the girl how her fight with her mother is. The girl updates her, telling her that the misunderstanding has been resolved, and thanks Elsa for her advice on the matter. She asks Elsa if there's any way she can return the favor to which Elsa sweetly but mysteriously replies, "No worries. My life is perfectly in order." Suddenly, she gets a text message from Anna saying that she's waiting at the library. "Oh no, I completely forgot! I have to tutor Anna. Will you be all right?"
"Yeah," the formerly injured player tells her. "Thanks for fixing up my ankle and my other problem! You're the best, Elsa!"
"No problem at all," she says before heading towards the library. As she hurries, she passes by the men's volleyball team. Several members call out to her, and she waves at them.
"Elsa!" one player shouts. "Wish us luck on our game later!" She responds enthusiastically by blowing them a kiss.
"Awww," another groans. "Does that mean you won't watch us play?"
"I'll do my best," she reassures them. "I just have to finish something." She waves at them one more time before leaving. When she reaches the library, she finds Anna quietly waiting for her. "I'm so sorry, Anna! I've just been doing some first aid volunteer work, and I completely forgot that we rescheduled to today."
Anna shakes her head and says, "No, it's okay! It's my fault that today's our first session when we agreed on Mondays and Thursdays. I know you're really busy too, so I promise starting next week to stick to the schedule."
"It's all right," Elsa tells her. "We won't be having any lessons today. First, I need to understand where your trouble with chemistry is coming from, so we can address it directly. So, what topics do you have problems with?"
"Well, I have no problems with topics that require memorization. I just have trouble with anything that involves equations, like charges, molecular mass, different units of measure, etc. I mean, I'm good at math, but once you mix it with science, my brain starts going into panic mode and shutting down." This explanation makes both girls laugh.
"That's simple then," Elsa says. "I've always known you're a smart girl, so I wondered how you could possibly have trouble with chemistry. It's not the subject that's difficult. It's a matter of confidence."
"Yeah, that makes sense," the younger girl agrees. "I mean, I know I can do the problems on my own at home, but it just doesn't translate in an exam."
"Don't worry, it'll be much easier since we've got the basics down. We just need to find a way to get you to clear your mind, so you can focus better on the problem at hand. Why do you start panicking?"
"I don't know. It feels like a cycle now. Ever since I realized that this was my weakness, every time a problem in the exam comes up, my brain just refuses to answer it properly."
Elsa thinks for a moment before inferring. "What I think, and tell me if I'm wrong, is that you might be pressuring yourself to not make any mistakes. Since you know that this is your weakness, any operational problem you encounter in a pressured environment, like an exam, automatically turns on your stress mode. Because you're more pressured to do well on something you perceive as your weakness, your thinking becomes less focused. So it is like a cycle where your desire to do well is actually the reason you don't. Does that make sense?"
"Wow," Anna says slowly. "I never thought about it that way, but it makes sense. I honestly just want to be as perfect as I can be. Like someone like Rapunzel."
"You don't have to compare yourself to others. You have many great qualities all on your own. Don't sell yourself short. You're very smart, likeable, respected, talented, and so much more. You've got to realize that you're already worth so much that you don't have to attempt to meet the standards of someone else."
"Okay, Elsa. I'll try."
"I believe in you. Anyway, I think that's all we can do today since we don't have any material for formal lessons. I'll see you on Monday. Send me your curriculum over the weekend, so I can track what topics we need to cover."
"Okay! Thank you so much! Even if we didn't have a lesson today, I feel like I already learned something." Anna smiles widely at the senior which Elsa returns.
They both leave the library, wish each other happy weekends, and go their separate ways. As promised, Elsa stops by the men's volleyball game to cheer for them. She only stays for a while since she is supposed to head home and get ready to go with her family to a charity event. She waits for the family chauffeur at the school gate. After a few minutes, she gets a text from her mother, telling her that she is still with the chauffeur and that Elsa should just wait until he can pick her up at school. She sighs in impatience but concludes that there is nothing for her to do but wait. Just then, a car drives up in front of her. The window rolls down, revealing Kristoff in the driver's seat.
"Hey," he greets her. "Why are you waiting here in the dark?"
"I'm just waiting for my car to fetch me," she answers.
"Oh, well, it doesn't look too good for you to be here all alone. Do you want me to wait with you?"
"No, it's all right," she tells him. "My house is just a few minutes from here, so the car should arrive any minute now."
"Oh, well, if you live nearby, maybe I can drop you off instead. I live nearby too, so it shouldn't be any trouble. Around what area do you live in? I'm from Frozen Hills."
"I'm just over on Burk Heights."
"Burk Heights? Inconceivable!" he exclaims. "We're practically neighbors! Well, now you'd be stupid to refuse."
"Well," Elsa reconsiders. "I actually don't think my chauffeur is anywhere near here yet, so if you're serious about the offer, I'd love a ride."
"Hop in," Kristoff says as he unlocks the car door. Elsa goes around and takes a seat on the passenger side. As they drive together, they begin talking. "Huh, it's weird that I never knew how close we live to each other considering how our parents are good friends, and that we've been schoolmates all these years. I don't think we've ever even spoken outside of school."
"Yeah," Elsa agrees. "You'd think we'd have been better friends given that we run in the same social circles."
"Well, I don't really think that's my fault," Kristoff teases. "It'd be crazy for anyone to attempt to break through the Isles sibling chain. You guys just seem to be in a world of your own whenever I see you in events and stuff."
"It's not our fault, either," Elsa says defensively. "I wouldn't mind mingling, but our parents taught us to be strictly formal and practically aloof. They say that it's key to stay out of the spotlight, and that this will make us seem more respectable and refined."
"I guess they were kind of on to something," Kristoff says thoughtfully. "I can't say people aren't intrigued by your family. It's just that no one has the courage to go up to you guys. It's like they're afraid you'll bite their heads off or something."
"I don't think that's the image mother was going for," Elsa smiles bitterly. "Well, I can't wait for tonight's charity ball. Another night of being stiff and distant from the world."
"Is this the ball in the Crown Jewel Hotel?"
"Yup."
"We're going to that too! Inconceivable!"
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means," Elsa says in a mock Spanish accent. This causes Kristoff to burst out laughing.
"Finally, Inigo Montoya," he says, drying the tears from his eyes. "You have no idea how long I've been dropping that word, hoping for someone to respond with that line."
Elsa laughs, as well. "Well, Vizzini, I guess you've met your match. I always thought only my brothers and I have seen The Princess Bride."
"Man, I know the feeling," Kristoff shakes his head. "It's like, I'm dropping movie lines half the time, and they all just go over people's heads."
"Well, I'm glad we finally found each other." They reach Elsa's mansion. She thanks Kristoff for the ride and steps out.
"Wait," he says. "I forgot to ask. Do you always go home late after school?"
She shakes her head. "Nope, my first aid volunteer work usually ends early. I just go home late now because I tutor Anna Arendelle. You know her?"
"Yeah, the sophomore. I was just thinking that we could ride home together on days that you go home late. Football captain duties keep me late after school on most days, so we can carpool. You know, for the environment and stuff."
Elsa laughs at the half-noble excuse to carpool together. "Sounds good," she agrees. "It would be a waste since we live so near each other. You know, for the environment and stuff. Thanks again for the ride! It was fun. I'll see you at the event. You can come up to chat later, farm boy."
"As you wish," Kristoff fakes a bow, rolls up his window, and drives off, leaving behind an amused Elsa.