A/N: I haven't really been keeping a good job of keeping in my approximate schedule of an update every 6-12 days, have I?
I'm not sure if I should put in a definite trigger warning for this chapter. It scrapes the issue, but doesn't really get involved?
If you're real sensitive to anything dealing with self harm, I'd be careful with reading this chapter.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
Anna ended up falling on her rear with a loud thud and started to rub her face. It was numb now, but it'll start hurting soon and it will definitely swell. Her nose seemed to have taken the brunt of the blow, and she could feel a liquid running out of it. Rubbing under her nose it was clear that it was a deep red shade of blood. "Well, if that's how to say hello to people I'd hate to say goodbye!" The redhead tried to sound cheerful and make light of the situation.
"What the hell were you doing behind there?" Aleks sounded irritated when she came around and stared at the pitiful sight of the redhead on the floor, she almost wanted to laugh. "You look stupid like that. Get up." The command came as she leaned on the bar again and placed a hand on her hip.
Being careful not to get any blood on the hardwood floor, Anna slowly made her way to her feet before stumbling a little to catch her balance. The world was still spinning and everything only started to slow down after she caught on to the judgmental stare from the woman standing in front of her. She felt small in her presence, she imagined this is what it felt like to be a small dog with a hawk looming overhead. It was like she commanded obedience and fear just by her demeanor. She did a very good job at it too, Anna thought. She opened her mouth to greet her properly, but only succeeded in looking stupid when she couldn't find the words.
"Are you always this spineless or did I catch you at a bad time?" Aleks chuckled at her own comment. "If you'd like, I can come back a later time and sock you in the face again." She gave a smug half grin and shook her head, clearly not impressed at what she saw.
Anna took a step back and rubbed more blood from under her nose. "N-no no, no that's fine I think one time was e-enough." She stuttered as she gave a nervous chuckle. "It was my fault, I guess. I shouldn't have been hiding when you guys came in."
"Yeah, you're right. That was just plain dumb." There was a triumphant tone in her voice when she noticed the redhead slump a little in plain defeat.
"My name is Anna, by the way. Anna Aren." She tried to perk up as she extended her arm to shake the other girl's hand. Aleks scoffed as she gave her a belittling look. It was then Anna realized she had extended her bloodied hand and quickly retracted it before extending the other arm. Aleks rolled her eyes but played along anyway, giving a brief handshake that seemed to satisfy the redhead.
"Aleks. Aleks Delle. Do yourself a favor, honey, and don't get on my bad side. And while you're at it, work on growing a spine. It'll do you some good."
She has a good side? I'd love to meet it one day. "U-uhm yeah, y-yeah okay I'll get right on that." Anna rubbed under her nose again to find that it had stopped bleeding, she then made her way to the sink to wash the drying blood off. "I take it you're my roommate then, Aleks?"
"You're not that lucky. Your roommate is my sister, Elsa." She nodded in the direction of the table where Elsa had seated herself, hands crossed in her lap and looking at the two warily. Anna finished washing her hands and shot a glance towards the blonde. I have a feeling I'll be getting along with her much better than her sister.
"Oh, well alright. So is Aleks short for something?" She asked with genuine curiosity as Aleks rolled her eyes again.
"Aleksandra. I'm twenty one years old. My favorite color is yellow. And I hate excessive questions. Got it?"
Anna swallowed the lump in her throat and stood a little straighter to try and grow that spine she seemed to be lacking. "Y-yes ma'am." She locked eyes with the blonde who sat across the room, and offered a small wave but returned her attention to Aleks when Elsa looked away without returning the wave.
Aleks brought herself uncomfortably close to Anna to the point where you could barely fit a hair between them. Her voice brought low to a whisper. "Here's the deal, carrot top." She began and gave a chuckle that brought chills down Anna's spine as she grew stiff. "You hurt my sister. I hurt you." Aleks backed away and gave a half grin that sent another wave of chills through the redhead's body. She shook the feeling and stood up straight, trying to grow the aforementioned spine and nodded her head curtly.
The red took a painfully deep breath and took a couple steps back, bumping into the counter as she exhaled. "I-I don't p-plan on it, Aleks I actually c-c-onsider myself to be a pretty nice person I guess-" The unimpressed stare from the other girl shook Anna to the core. "-I mean I t-totally am, I mean we could play like board games or watch some television. I like old time classy movies but I'll even let her choose the m-movie because I'd totally be cool with whatever. And I'll take responsibility for cleaning the dorms in case cleaning isn't her thing, but she totally seems like a clean person but you know looks aren't everything and sometimes-"
She was cut off when Anna slammed her hand on the counter, causing a loud smack to echo through the room and Elsa to perk up. "Do you ever shut up, or am I going to have to carry around a roll of duct tape around with me to shut your mouth?" Aleks sounded almost comical, but Anna knew she was completely serious about the duct tape. Just shut up, Anna! Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup! If there is anything you do in your life worth while, shut up!
Her eyes fell to the floor as Anna gave another weak nod, fighting back tears and the lump in her throat.
She stood there for a good while in awkward silence while she felt the stare from the woman in front of her. Why am I here? Why didn't I just stay home. This was a mistake. Anna patted her pockets and felt the box cutter still in her pants. The corners of her eyes started to sting as she continued to assault herself for hoping college life would be different from that she left behind. The pressure from behind her eyes reached it's maximum capacity and her eyelids filled with fresh tears. She tried to compose herself and drug her feet towards the couch, trying to get away from it all. She was stopped short when she bumped into Aleks' outstretched arm, who glanced in her direction.
"Let it be known that I do not like you. You're impulsive and a complete fool." Anna felt more tears collect in her eyelids, threatening to fall. "But, I have no say in the matter of the dorm arrangements. Don't do anything to make me dislike you anymore than I already do." She sounded bored. Bored and completely nonchalant as she stood there and continued to stick little pins in Anna's heart. The redhead locked her own blue-green eyes with Aleks' piercing blues, and the tears finally began to fall under the hateful stare.
"You're weak too." Aleks chuckled at her own comment at the sight of Anna's resolve shattering. The redhead sniffled, failing to hold back the tears as they collected and trailed down her face. She dashed towards the couch and picked up her duffel bag, covering her face in the crook of her elbow as she made her way down the hallway and into a bedroom. The click of a lock proved that Aleks' had won.
"You didn't have to go that far." The comment from Elsa broke the still air. She stood up from the table and rested her elbows on the bar, now standing on the other side of it from her twin. "The punch in the face was enough to prove your point."
"Elsa, you're going to be stuck with her for the rest of the school year. I needed to set things straight with her as soon as possible. I-" Aleks dropped her head and clenched her fists, gritting her teeth she forced the rest of the words out. "-don't want her to hurt you."
The blonde knew that, she knew why her sister was the way she is towards other people. She had a reputation as an aggressive troublemaker throughout most of middle school and all of high school. Elsa crossed her arms on the bar and stared at her twin who now had her head in her hands. I know what she's going through and it's my fault. Everything is. All of this. She sighed and wondered to herself why she didn't step in while her sister was bullying the poor girl. It wasn't the first time something similar to that happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Because you're a weak person. You couldn't have stopped it. Her palms began to feel clammy as she recalled more distasteful memories of her twin sticking up for her. It was natural for her to do so, she never had to call for Aleks. She always just appeared out of the thin air at times, even if they were in separate classes. Aleks always knew, always had an eye out for Elsa. "I know, Aleks. But-" She muttered, trying to find the words that would both soothe Aleks and build herself up.
"But what, Elsa?" She strained, relaxing the strain on her face and desperately looked towards her twin.
"-but, I'm not totally defenseless... I, I can-" With a flick of the blonde's wrist, a flurry of snow condensed around her hand and settled in a lazy rotation around her delicate fingers. "-if worst comes to worst, I can try to-"
"That didn't help last time, Elsa! That didn't help all those years ago!" Aleks' sudden burst of anger shocked Elsa as the snow dissipated and she took a step backwards. Her eyes widened in a combination of shock and despair as her twin began to sob and cradle her head in her hands. In between sobs, she managed to find her voice. "I know you aren't totally defenseless, Elsa." She started and gritted her teeth to hold back another sob. Clenching her fists and slamming them onto the bar, jagged ice shot from them and surrounded her hands. "But I'll be damned if you have to suffer through anything alone. I promise you that."
"I know. And I love you for all you do for me, I'm not ready to be alone. I'm scared. I'm-" The lump in her throat halted her attempts at continuing the sentence. She took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp air that was a result from the increased amount of frozen water in the room. "-weak, Aleks. But I think you made a pretty sizable impression on my new roommate." She tried lightening the mood with a soft chuckle, and Aleks' gave a slight grin before raising her face to meet her twins and willing the ice to disappear.
"If she bothers you, let me know."
Elsa extended her arm and placed a reassuring hand on Aleks' shoulder. Sometimes I forget that I'm not the only one who needs a little reassurance from time to time. "I will." She checked the time on the oven stove, which read 3:15. "Let's go grab an early dinner, after that drive I feel like we'll both appreciate going to bed a little early tonight."
Aleks could only give a weak smile as she wiped her eyes and made her way to the door.
Anna sat at the edge of the bare bed in the center of the room. The bedroom had hardwood flooring like most of the house, but the bed didn't come with any sheets or pillows. A small closet sat on one side of the room, and a full-body mirror sat on the other side. A nightstand sat on one side of the bed, however it could probably only fit a small lamp and not much else. The only light in the room came from the window behind the bed.
The redhead rubbed at her puffy eyes, still thinking about the confrontation from barely an hour ago with Aleks. She was right. New tears clouded her vision, making her surroundings all look like one big blur. I am impulsive. I am a fool. I am... The corners of her aquamarine eyes were sore from the seemingly never ending physical manifestation of her sorrows. She clenched her fists in her lap and gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes tightly she failed at keeping her tears back. ...weak. A whimper escaped her shut lips and she sniffled. It's who you are. It's always been who you are. Her face fell into shaking hands as she tried to wipe away the tears only to have more form and fall as quickly as she could wipe them away. Her fingers slid their way into her hair as she gripped at her scalp and caused a few stray locks to free themselves from her twin braids and frizz. You can't change that, Anna! Why are you this way? Can't do anything for yourself, all you can do is royally fuck things up! A hand fell from her hair and covered her mouth, the other reached for her pocket. Disappointment. That's what you are. First to your teachers, then to your parents, even some of your closest friends. She pulled the box cutter from the pocket of her jeans and stared at it through a blurry haze. The plastic was warm to her touch from being in her pocket for so long but the metal was still slightly cool. Even to people you just met, you're a failure in their eyes. Never meeting expectations. She pushed on the slider and the blade extended, catching the sunlight and casting a glare into her sore eyes. What's the point in it all? Her entire chest felt constricted, as if a giant boa had wrapped itself around her and threatened to swallow her whole. There was nothing she could do to stop it, either. She was tired, her entire body felt sore as if she was desperately trying to pry the monstrous snake off of her. Why am I even here? Back home, at least people expected me to disappoint. Why did I think coming to a new place would change any of that? She continued to stare at the box cutter, twirling it around her fingers. Anna the burden. Anna the forgetful. Anna the annoying. Anna the let down.
Suddenly her other pocket vibrated. Anna retracted the blade and set it down beside her, choosing instead to focus on the text message from Rapunzel. 'Hey, I'm about five minutes from the campus. Meet me in front of the main building and let's get some dinner? I'm getting some gas right now, so you have a little bit to get ready.' Anna sighed and typed out a reply, vision still in a blur. 'Yeah, sounds good.' She added a smiley emoticon to the end of the text. She stood up and shuffled her way to the full-body mirror and grimaced at the sight. She looked like a complete mess, but that was to be expected. Her hair was strewn about in every which direction, barely resembling braided pigtails. Her face was much more red than normal and had a slight sheen to it, but her eyes probably looked the worst. Red from all the tears, and puffy from all the endless rubbing that failed to stop them. Like she had guessed earlier, her nose was slightly swollen from the unfortunate meeting it had with a fist from a very aggressive woman. She softly closed her eyelids as they continued to sting from the excessive crying as she started to undo her braids. The redhead loved the feeling of fingers in her hair, whether they were her own or someone else's. The gentle tugging at her scalp from having hands in her copper strands offered a strange kind of comfort to her. As the second braid was undone, her hair fell over her shoulders and reached about halfway down her spine. Her eyes caught the white strand that stuck out from the rest of her hair, it was something she was born with and like her freckles it was always a magnet for compliments. But unlike her freckles, Anna genuinely liked it, it was something that set her apart and made her unique. Her phone buzzed again and she reached into her pocket to pull it out.
'I was closer than I thought. You ready?' Rapunzel again.
'Be out in five.'
Anna walked over to where her duffel bag laid on the floor and pulled out a hairbrush. After a quick brushing with minimal knots she hurriedly put her hair back in the twin braids. Making her way to the bathroom, she splashed water in her face to try and make it a little less red. The cold water was a shock at first, but eventually turned to a welcome contrast against the heat of her face. After she deemed herself presentable, she left the apartment and stepped into the elevator to be greeted by a woman in a light brown dress.
"Hello." Her voice was calm and collected, but equally inviting. Anna looked beside her and marveled at how tan the woman beside her was. Her skin reminded the redhead of fine, polished oak. Flawless and radiant with almost no imperfections. It was then when Anna noticed her dress which had a very tribal look to it and fit her form beautifully. The dress was low cut and rested just above the girl's cleavage, and only had one large strap on one shoulder and was sleeveless. It went down to her ankles, but the ends were cut into little tassels and were adorned with blue beads. She wore a simple brown band across her upper arm, and a blue leather strap with a white stone hanging off of it laid across her neck.
"Oh, um, hello." Anna muttered as she ogled at the other girl's long black hair which descended all the way down her back in perfect straight strands.
"Going down?"
Anna shook her head and snapped back to reality. "Yes, first floor please."
The girl chucked a little before pressing the button on the elevator as the doors closed and shut the two in the small box.
"My name is Pocahontas, by the way. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around campus." She extended her arm to shake Anna's hand.
"Anna." She smiled as she shook Pocahontas' hand, and received a similar smile in reply. The elevator then gave a brief ding, indicating they had reached their destination. "Well, Pocahontas, I'm sure we'll end up bumping into each other again eventually." Anna waved goodbye as she left the elevator.
Pocahontas gave a small nod. "Until then."
The wall of humidity assaulted Anna when she exited the double doors into the parking lot in front of the main building. The sun had began to set slightly and it felt slightly cooler but it was still way too warm for Anna's taste. She scanned the parking lot and found her cousin leaned up against her silver car. The short haired brunette gave an enthusiastic wave as she walked up to the redhead and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
"There's my Anna-banana!" The tone in her voice was cheery enough to put a smile on Anna's face. Rapunzel backed up and held the redhead at arms length before looking her over. A quizzical look formed on her face as she noticed that her eyes were still a little red and her nose a little swollen.
Anna knew that look, it was the look she made when she was about to ask a million questions. She opened her mouth to offer an explanation, but was cut off when her cousin placed her hand over her mouth.
"Tell me later. I'm starving" She said with a warm smile, it was enough of a comfort for Anna that she let her shoulders drop and gave a smile of her own. "I saw this Italian place on the side of the road that looked absolutely delicious that I'm just dying to try!"
Not one to turn down food, Anna gave a quick nod and the two made their way back to Rapunzel's car.