A Million Reasons

The Second Reason

Jack P.O.V.
Okay, before you judge me, I didn't mean to do any of this. I didn't mean to hurt Elsa by dating Rapunzel, I didn't mean to have it happen at the same time Hiccup got a girlfriend so she had no one, and I didn't mean to forget to come over when her parents died. Rapunzel insisted that I stay, okay? And I didn't mean to take away Rapunzel, Elsa's last friend, so I could date her. And I especially didn't mean to make this mess and not have my best friend to help clean it up. I'm sitting in my room, crying in the dark while trying to seem happy texting my girlfriend. I really wish I could tell her about this, but I don't want her jealous. I got one less problem without her.

Rapunzel: Hey, babe. Whatcha doin'?
Me: Nothing much. Just working on homework.
Rapunzel: Yeah, me too. Haaaate Mrs. Nobert.
Me: Same. Oh, um, GTG.

I decide to just go to Elsa's house. She'll never love me anywhere near as much as she loves Hiccup, but I can try to come close. I walked over there, knocked on the door, and waited for an answer.

"Jack, oh! Hi, um... come in! It's cold out there." Anna ushered me in. Crap, I forgot about her. It's not that I don't like her, it's that I realize she lost her parents, too. It's so akward, I don't know what to say. I love both of the girls like a sister, but the only person I've ever lost is my little sister, Emma. In fact, she's still not lost. Just living with my dad, my parents are divorced.

"Hey, Anna. You guys okay?" I ask. I stop feeling weird immediately. Their home is so welcoming and comforting. I'm just concerned now. Like, how can you lose your parents and be okay? Unless you're Anna. Tomorrow Anna.

"Yeah, we're completely fine. Why wouldn't we be?" Ana breathes as she smiles. "Speak for yourself, Ana!" I can imagine Elsa yelling, if she were more open. Of course, Elsa would never yell this. But she can't be fine, can she? She's a victim of bullying at what I nicknamed Hell High. She's an orphan with a sister to care for. She's going to have to leave for college someday.

"I just thought...um...is...is Elsa home? I really NEED to talk to her." I stuttered. Anna escorted me to Elsa's room, then left us to be on her own. Elsa looks really pretty, just curled up on her bed in her light pink knit sweater-dress and skinny jeans. Her hair is in a fishtail- instead of a braid- and is draped over her left shoulder. But that's not what I should be worried about right now, I should be worried about my best friend.

"Jackson." She looks at me and nods then goes back to whatever she was doing. God, has it been that long? Jackson? She never calls me that. She's probably just mad. Or that's what I'll tell myself. Damn it, I suck at being whatever I am to Elsa. Fact of life: if someone like Elsa is mad at you, you've clearly done something wrong. Elsa doesn't overreact.

"Elsa," I try laughing to lighten the mood, "Come on, Elsa." I sit down on the bed, but she barely looks up. A fact of my life: Elsa won't stay mad at me. Or Hiccup. Or Rapunzel. In conclusion, shit, I've don't something really wrong. And trying to be cool about is killing me, but I need to. If I do it, then maybe I'll get Elsa's attention. "Elsa, come on Annie!" I can tell after I said that I've made a mistake.

"Annie?! Annie?! Bitch, you may not! You need to go, now. Like seriously, get the fuck out of here!" Elsa has never been this mad. Not at me, not at anyone. I just leave, I'm not gonna fight it. I walk home in tears, I just lost my best friend. I can't even talk to my other friends about it, they'll all take Elsa's side. I admit, I would, too. It's the more sensible side.

Merida P.O.V.
I burst through the doors of the high school with anxiety and excitement. Of course, I only show the excitement. I want the same image I built for myself at my old school, the tuff girl. Not chick. Never chick. I have a thick Scottish accent, considering I just moved from there. I have fiery red hair, and it goes down to my hips curled, and comes 2 inches off my head. If you stretch it out it's four feet long. I'm wearing a flannel shirt over a white tank top and skinny jeans with my white converse high tops for my first day.

My three rascal brothers have their first day, too. Triplets, of course. They're starting a kindergarten. A fancy expensive one, but noooo, I get this shitty public school. Noooo, I can't join the damn foot ball team. Who needs 'em? I've got a phone to talk to me friends. I don't need these American bitches with their Starbucks with their Ugg boots. More like Ugg-ly.

Today on the bus home I ended up next to a shy blondie. "Hi, I'm Merida." I said. I don't even know why, I just got bored.

"Hey, Elsa." She says. I think this is supposed to imply her name is Elsa.

"I'm new. Is this school gonna be as shitty as it was, or does it get better?" I ask. I'm dying to ask someone, and for someone I feel like I can trust Elsa, even if I just met her.

"Not if you're anything like me. But I won't bore you with me. You have an accent, are you Scottish?" Elsa asks. I wonder if that's the only sign of Scottish that shows through me. I think of my red hair going way above my head in loops and curls, and feel some small pain. I put up these walls, like I'm tough and don't care, but I have just as many insecurities as the next girl. I'm trying to teach myself not to think that way, to think my way, and so far, it's worked.

"Yeah." I say.

"Well, you won't have a hard time finding a boyfriend, you're gonna be popular." She says. Not like she wants a boyfriend, just that I could find one.

"I have a boyfriend. We met online, his name is Hiccup, and we spend tons of time together even though we've never in person." I tell her. I'm kind of proud of myself for this, even though I know I don't need a boyfriend.

"You're Merida? I live right next to Hiccup! He's like my best friend!" She says and she hugs me. I think we'll be good friends.

"He lives here? Goes to school here?" I ask after she lets me go. This is followed by the thoughts; what if he doesn't like me when he sees me? What if I'm too Scottish? What if he gets me pregnant?

"Yeah. He'll love you!" Elsa tells me. What does she mean? He already loves me. Maybe she just means he'll love my face. She and I talk for a while, and she invites me to get off at her stop so we can hang out.

Elsa P.O.V.
At school the next morning, I feel really bad about what happened with Jack, and I want to apologize, but I can't find him anywhere. In math class, Mr. Damion never pays attention to his students, so I manage a pretty long text conversation with him.

Me: Jack, I can't find you anywhere. Where the hell are you?!
Jack: Oh my gosh, Elsa, idk what got in to me last night, I'm so sorry!
Me: No, it's fine, I'm the one who should be sorry. It just hit a little too close to home. Like, too soon. So you haven't told me yet: WHERE IN THE HELL ARE YOU?
Jack: I'm home today, no duh.
Me: Jackson Overland Frost! How did you manage that?
Jack: Mom's gone to Dad's to watch Emma. Dad's gone to some place outside of his town. I called myself in.
Me: Jack! Do you're parents even know?
Jack: Just texted my mom. Why?
Me: Because if they didn't, I need to make sure not bring it up.
Jack: Bullshit. Why?
Me: Cuz I gotta tell on you!!!
Jack: I imagined you saying that in the voice you had when you were three.
Me: Well, no duh!
Jack: Look, you're gonna tell me you're okay now.
Me: Yeah, and?
Jack: And that is complete horseshit, and if you tell me you're fucking okay after your parents just died a gruesome death, then fuck.
Me: Horseshit?
Jack: Bullshit is too mainstream.
Me: You literally just said it like a few seconds ago.
Jack: Damn you're fucking memory!
Me: Or my ability to read texts back.
Jack: Nope, it's your memory.
Me: Well it's not my memory of this lesson, because I missed it because I was WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!
Jack: Relax, I'm fine, I should've told you.
Me: Jack, today is pizza in the cafeteria. You know that. And I know you wouldn't miss a Friday/Pizza day for the world. If you tell me you're okay it's horseshit!
Jack: Okay, I'm not okay.
Me: I'll be there after school.
Jack: It's no big deal, Elsa.
Me: Maybe it's a bigger deal to me than it is to you.

So I tried to get through the day, succeeding. Then I went over to Jack's house after school, like I said I would. But what I found out was completely heart-breaking. Even Merida cried when I texted her later. I know it's not a great thing to do to her Jack's problems, but hey, I didn't know what to do.

But Jack's big problem is nothing compared to mine. I would try to fix his first, but I can't. There is no second reason. I'm moving to the PlayBoy mansion tomorrow.