Elsa grinned. Her eyes glanced at her reflection in the mirror while she carefully adjusted the light blue babydoll dress and black flats that she had chosen to wear.
Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she turned to grab her carry-bag which held her graduation gown and mortarboard. She slung the bag over her shoulder and cast one last look at her bedroom before stepping out of the door and making her way downstairs to the lounge room.
Slowly, she made her way towards a display of family photographs. Her eyes settled on a picture that her parents had dug out recently to display. Smiling, she picked the frame up and looked at the photo. The captured image caught her five-year-old self all ready for her first day of school. Her platinum-blonde hair had been tied in pigtails and on her back was a large back which was far too big for her younger self. Still, she had been determined that she was a big-girl and had refused to let her mum carry it. Sighing, she looked at the empty space in the frame that had been left blank in preparation for the photo that would be taken today, on her very last day of school.
Placing the photo down, she moved on to a more recent one. A framed shot of her and Jack from before the prom. Picking it up, she lightly traced her fingers over their outlines. A small smile graced her lips as she thought back to the night they had spent in each others arms, dancing and making out.
"He really changed your life, didn't he?" Anna asked quietly as she moved to stand beside her.
She nodded and placed the photo back on the display table. "He did, he really did, Anna. It still seems surreal to me to think of how much he has changed my life in only a matter of months," she admitted, blushing slightly.
She still couldn't believe how different her life had become, simply because of Jack. If you had asked her ten months ago, her goals had been simple. She had wanted to finish her schooling, having begrudgingly accepted her fate to spend the year in the United States. Once the school year had finished, she had planned to return home to Arendelle and study at one of the local universities. She had not planned on making friends in the USA, nor falling in love. She had thought it would be useless to make friends in the USA as they would only be people who she'd have to say tearful goodbyes to when she returned to Norway.
Then she had met Jack and had found someone who truly understood her. He knew what it was like to feel ignored and unwelcome at their school and to be bullied mercilessly. Somehow, they had managed to move past their initial wariness of each other to form a friendship and later, a romantic relationship.
The very thought of her having a boyfriend still made her blush. She had never been one who considered romance or dating, that had always been Anna's area of expertise. Her younger sister had always been the boy-crazy one and was constantly discussing her latest crush, or planning her future wedding. She had always remained more reserved and had focused more on her studies, reading, movies and the odd video game for fun. The very idea that she could turn to mush at the thought of a boy, or fall in love had seemed foreign to her. Jack had changed that.
Even her career choices had changed thanks to Jack. Prior to meeting him, she had thought of applying to study law or journalism in Arendelle. Then Jack had entered her life and through him she had learned about Deaf culture. She had discovered that she had skills in communicating via sign language. As her knowledge had grown, so had her awareness of the roles translators played in assisting Deaf people. Not only did they help students like Jack, but they also assisted in everyday life such as emergency bulletins, or attending any appointments that a client may have.
She had been shy when she had first approached Mrs Frost, but to her relief the older woman had been supportive. Mrs Frost had told her that she was well on her way to becoming fluent in ASL and had suggested that she talked with Hans. She had then sought out Hans and had asked him how he had gained the skills needed to work as an interpreter. To her delight, he had been incredibly helpful and had provided her with pamphlets and the addresses of websites that would assist her.
The day that she had found out that she had been accepted into Beaconsfield University's B.S of American Sign Language/ English Interpreting course had been one of the happiest of her life. She had received the letter and had waited long enough to tell her parents before she had raced out the door and had run the few blocks that separated her and Jack's house. Once at the Frost's house, she had presented her letter of acceptance to Jack and Mrs Frost who had wrapped her in a hug and had insisted that she stayed for a special celebratory dinner. The day had been made extra special because Jack had received his acceptance into a B.A in Elementary Education at Gallamet University, a well respected university which focused on providing an education to Deaf students.
"You know, I wasn't going to stay in the USA. I was meant to finish the year of school here and then return home to Arendelle for uni. I had it all planned out. I was going to live with Grandma and Grandpa," she murmured, shaking her head at the thought.
"And then came Jack," Anna added, flinging her arm around her waist. "See, maybe moving here wasn't such a bad thing. Think of it, Els, we've got the best of both worlds. We have a home in the USA with people who love us and a home in Norway and loved ones back there."
She nodded. "You're right. We do. We have two homes," she agreed.
"Alright, that's enough mush from you. You are not allowed to be mushy today. Mum and Mrs Frost are going to be bad enough. They will be sitting together and crying about how their babies are growing up," Anna teased. "Also, we need to get photo's of you and Jack. We also need to get some family photo's and pictures of you and Jack in your graduation gowns, which, I might add, I am totally going to call a dress simply to annoy your boyfriend."
She chuckled and stepped out of Anna's grip as she made her way to find their parents. She knew that her mum was going to be a blubbering mess, but she was more than ready to farewell one chapter of her life. She wanted to take that next step.
Jack could feel his excitement building as his eyes fell on Elsa, standing with her family. Turning around, he urged his mum and sister to hurry up as they made their way along the footpath out the front of his school
He had talked with Elsa the night before and they had agreed to meet out the front of the school. Her parents and his mum wanted to take a photo of their graduating children in front of the main school building before they had to head inside to the auditorium where the graduation ceremony was being held.
He could scarcely believe that he had made it to his graduation. When he had first transferred to Burgess High School, he had hated it. The idea of being forced to attend a mainstream school where he would be the lone Deaf student and had to rely on an interpreter, had been nerve-wracking. Then had come the bullying which had left him feeling scared and intimidated. He had felt lonely, separated not only by communication troubles, but also the belief that he was nothing more than an outcast and hated by the students of his new school.
Then Elsa had come into his life. She had moved from Norway and had been suffering similar bullying. She had been teased for the minor mistakes she had made in speaking English and for her appearance. Although, he had long since come to the conclusion that Violet had targeted her primarily out of Jealousy. Elsa was incredibly beautiful and held a natural beauty that girls like Violet could never achieve. Regardless of Violet's reasons for tormenting Elsa, it still didn't take away the shame and hurt that she had felt and the way she had come to fear school.
The day they had met had changed his life. In Elsa he had found someone who understood the loneliness that he had felt at their new school, the fear that the bullies had instilled in him, a friend and eventually, a girlfriend.
It still surprised him to think that he, Jack Frost, had a girlfriend. Growing up he had always been too focused on having fun and spending time with his family. Relationships were something that other people had. People like Aster and Tia who had finally realised that they liked each other two years earlier and had gone on to form a solid romance built on friendship, respect and love. When the time came that he had realised that he was falling hard and fast for his best friend, it had shocked him.
Now, all he knew was that she was a part of his life and he never wanted to let her go. They may still be young, but he couldn't imagine being with anyone else but Elsa. She had been his first kiss, his first love and he was determined that she would be his only love. Sure, he'd had his share of worries. His insecurities had left him to fear that Elsa wouldn't want to be with him long term. He had feared that the way their lives would differ to that of a hearing couple would eventually drive them apart.
It had taken a lot for him to admit his fears to Elsa five weeks ago, but he had done it and it had allowed them to move forward with Elsa. She had wasted no time in taking him aside and pointing out how much she loved him. She had then claimed that she didn't want to spend her life with anyone but him.
His mother had playfully smacked him around the head when she had learned of his insecurities about the future of his and Elsa's relationship. She had pointed out that it was painfully obvious that Elsa was as in love with him and as devoted to him as he was to her. She had also gone on to mention that the modifications that Elsa would be expected to live with, were the exact same ones that she had made upon learning that he was Deaf and she'd had no issues making those changes because she loved him.
Glancing up, he felt his smile growing wider as he stepped closer to Elsa. His eyes flicked over her, taking in the sight of her light blue dress and her hair which she had left loose to drape over her shoulders.
"You look beautiful as always," he said, blushing.
"Thank you," Elsa replied, blushing slightly. "You look great as well."
Grinning, he moved to smooth down the black dress shirt which he had chosen to wear along with his dark blue jeans.
He was just about to reach out to take Elsa's hand to pull her out of sight of their families and steal a kiss, when he was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.
"I want to see you in your dress," Anna teased, pointing at the bag which held his graduation gown.
He groaned and rolled his eyes. "It's not a dress, Anna." he protested, poking his tongue out.
"It is too!" Anna shot back, smirking.
"Even if it was a dress, I'd still look more manly than all five One Direction girls put together," he teased, watching as Emily translated the unknown words to Anna.
"You take that back, Jack Frost!" Anna shot back.
He smirked. He couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped his mouth at the horrified looks on Anna and Emily's faces at the insult he'd thrown at their beloved boy band. Turning around, he focused his attention on Elsa and winked at her upon noticing the amused expression on her face.
Elsa blushed. Slowly, she made her way from her seat towards the stage. Climbing the stairs, she took extra care to not step on the hem of her long gown. Taking a deep breath, she made her way across the stage. She paused to shake hands with the principal and turned to hold her certificate of graduation up so that her parents could snap a photo before making her way back to her seat beside Jack.
Sitting down, she reached over and gripped Jack's hand. She smiled as he leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek before he returned his attention to Hans, who was sitting alongside the principal, translating.
They had been lucky that their teachers had set aside a few rows of seats at the front of the auditorium for the graduating students. Initially, she had been worried that they would be forced to sit in alphabetical order, with her and Jack being separated, but that hadn't been the case. Instead, the teachers had allowed them to sit wherever they liked, so long as it was in the designated senior rows. Her and Jack had taken a seat in the front row which allowed them to focus on the stage and to ignore the sight of Violet and Tyler, who sat scowling in the third row.
The last few weeks had been considerably better as far as their bullies had been concerned. Ever since the confrontation in the cafeteria, they had backed down and had only resorted to the odd glare in the hallway. She had feared that Violet and Tyler would target them at lunch, but they hadn't. They had even been left alone in class with both of them finding that they now had classmates who took it upon themselves to sit beside them in class.
The sound of Jack's name being called, snapped her from her thoughts. Grinning, she watched as he stood to his feet and made his way up the stage. He stopped briefly to high-five Hans before he accepted his certificate. She couldn't help but giggle when Jack shook his head which caused his mortarboard to fall off. Turning around, he flashed the audience his lopsided grin and flung them a thumbs up.
She watched as he moved back towards the seat. "You always have to do things your own way, don't you?" she teased, beaming at him.
"The crowd loved it," Jack bragged, winking at her. "What can I say, I'm a people-pleaser."
Rolling her eyes, she playfully swatted him before shifting her seat closer and resting her head on his shoulder while the remainder of their classmates were called onto the stage.
Jack wrapped his arms around Elsa's waist and pulled her closer before resting his head on her shoulder and breathing in her scent.
He couldn't believe that they had done it. They had actually graduated and were no longer school students. After a long and boring ceremony filled with a lot of speeches that had left him wanting to snooze, they had been released. The younger grades had been sent to class while the graduates and their families had been sent into the school gymnasium where a series of tables with refreshments had been set up.
To his relief, Tyler and Violet had not stuck around. He had watched as they had ran out after snatching their certificate. He'd glanced over his shoulder and had seen them slinking out the doors. They hadn't even bothered to stay for the remainder of the ceremony.
He felt Elsa's hand reach up to stroke at his cheek before moving to cup his chin. Gently, she lifted his head and directed his eyes to Hans. Grinning, he let go of her and moved to shake hands with Hans and his partner, Tim. He'd been introduced to Tim earlier while Hans had snapped their photo's. The young man had come up to him and had signed to let him know that it was about time he met the student that his boyfriend had been raving about.
"So, this is where we say goodbye," Hans said, frowning. "I'm not going to lie. I will miss you, mate. You've been a joy to work with."
He nodded. Thanks, Hans. Thank you for being there for me and for all your work," he replied. "I don't think that I'd have handled my time here quite as well if I didn't have you, or Elsa."
"You did it all by yourself, Jack," Hans pointed out. "You're a smart guy and you are going to make one hell of a teacher. I am so excited for your future. For both your and Elsa's futures. The two of you are going to do great things."
Blushing, he watched as his mum moved to stand beside him. She pulled out a small card and a gift that they had purchased for Hans and handed it to him
He grinned and handed the gift over, letting Hans know that he had been the one who had chosen the gift. He watched as Hans' eyes widened as he unwrapped the paper to reveal the small Spiderman figurine.
"You remembered?" Hans asked. "I can't believe you remembered. I told you that Spidey was my favourite superhero during our first week working together. All these months later and you remembered!"
"How could I forget. You are clearly deluded. I've already told you that everyone knows the two best Marvel characters are Wolverine and Loki," he sassed.
He watched as Hans furrowed his brow while he considered his response. He couldn't deny that he was going to miss seeing him during the week. He had come to enjoy the rapport he'd had with his interpreter.
"Oh, before I forget," Hans began. "Strictly speaking, I shouldn't be doing this. However, as of now, you are no longer my client and I feel no guilt in saying that I have a little something for you. Well, it's for both you and Elsa."
Tilting his head, he watched as Hans dug into his pocket and pulled out a gift card for a nearby restaurant. "Here," Hans said, handing him the card. "There is fifty dollars on this card. I want you to take your girlfriend out on a date- just her and you. The pair of you deserve a nice night out for all the work that you have done this year."
"Thank you," Jack replied, pocketing the gift card.
"You're welcome," Hans said. "Just promise me that you two will keep in contact. Your mum has my email address and I know that both Tim and I would would love to hear how the two of you are doing."
He nodded and reached out to pull Elsa towards him.
"Also," Hans continued. "Tim and I expect that we will get an invite to your wedding, because lets face it, you two are made for each other. Plus, I kind of figure that I should be at the wedding. Especially seeing as I called it before the two of you had even realised that you had feelings for each other.
He watched as Hans frowned and stepped away from his partner before beckoning for him to follow. Turning around, he pressed a quick kiss to Elsa's cheek before excusing himself.
"Listen, mate," Hans began. "I just want to say, all jokes aside, that working with you has been great. I couldn't have asked for a better young man to assist. I am so proud of you, of everything that you have achieved. I'm so proud of all the great changes that you've experienced over the last year. I'm proud to have been there to witness you getting into university, meeting Elsa and then to see you standing up to your bullies. I want you to remember that you are more than capable of anything and everything you want. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't do something, or that you don't deserve what you want, because you can and you do. You are a great man, Jack Frost, and the future is yours for the taking."
Elsa smiled. Leaning back, she pressed herself against Jack's chest while sipping on a cold drink.
After a long day, they had finally returned to her house. Their parents had expressed interest in continuing the celebration and had given her and Jack the choice of how and where they wished to celebrate. Together, her and Jack had looked at each other and had asked for a simple barbeque in her family's backyard. They had preferred to celebrate in a relaxed atmosphere with their loved ones and had invited Aster and Tia to come over. It had been the only way they had seen fit to celebrate their special day.
They had left that morning as school students and had returned mid afternoon as graduates. One part of their life had officially ended and had made way for their future. She couldn't deny that the future seemed intimidating. She would have to get used to not attending university with Jack. Instead, she would have to travel the forty minutes to her campus while Jack remained at home. He had opted to study his course externally as opposed to moving interstate. Still, she knew that they would get through it and that she would see him regularly. They had already made a pact to try and not go a day without seeing each other.
"Come with me," Jack spoke, his mouth hovering by her ear.
Nodding, she placed her empty can on the ground before disentangling herself from his arms. She watched as he stood up and signed to let their friends and families know that they would be back in a minute. Taking his hand, he led her indoors and into the lounge room before sliding the door shut behind them.
"Jack," she warned. "If my father knows that we are in a room alone together with a closed door, he will get mad."
"Relax, El. I just want to talk to you. I want a moment to ourselves. We haven't had that all day," he replied.
She watched as he closed the gap between them and threw his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "I love you," he spoke. "I don't ever think I can get over how grateful I am for you, for the fact that you came into my life. I know that if it hadn't been for you, my last year of school would have been hell, but then you came, and changed my life for the better."
She felt like she could melt. She was blown away by the kindness and sincerity of Jack's words. She knew exactly how he felt. It was exactly the same as how she felt about him. He had been the best part of her life so far. Frowning, she tried to think of a way to express herself and to tell Jack that she felt exactly the same without sounding too cheesy.
She felt his hand reach to stroke at her face and lightly cup her cheek before he leaned in to press a soft kiss on her lips. Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tightened her hold on him while he deepened the kiss. His tongue glided over her lips, begging for entrance which she granted. They stood in the centre of the room, sharing in kisses for a few minutes before she pulled away and rested her forehead against his.
Breaking apart, she looked at him. "I love you," she said. "You really are the best part of my life. I can't imagine my life without you."
Her eyes shifted towards the closed door and she sighed and stepped out of Jack's grip. "Now come on, lets go get some food before our friends and families eat it all."
Smirking, she grabbed his hand and tugged him in the direction of the backyard where their loved ones were waiting. Passing through the kitchen, her eyes glimpsed over the small Norwegian flag which sat on top of the fridge. The flag was a subtle reminder of her past and her homeland. She felt a squeeze on her hand as Jack indicated towards the back door and smiled. Norway was her home and her past, but Jack was her future.
A/N- As always, thanks for your reviews, follows and support. The next chapter will be the very last one, although will likely post it after I've posted first chapter of my next Jelsa fic (Gah, I'm so addicted to these cuties!) .
In case you're wondering, whilst the universities they are attending are fake, they are based off of real universities and the courses they've been accepted into are real courses.
Elsa's university- dubbed Beaconsfield University is fake- but based off of Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, USA, which really does offer a BS in American Sign Language/ English Interpreting.
Jack's university- dubbed Gallamet University, is actually based off of Gallaudet University and is a university which caters for Deaf students, and Jack's course, which will enable him to be an Elementary school teacher, is a real course.