Anna lays on her bed, propped on her side so she can stare at the cactus Elsa gave her yesterday. She hums gently in its direction, wondering if the action will help it grow. After all, music helps babies develop, right? Maybe plants weren't much different. At the very least, humming and singing to her cactus wouldn't hurt it. It would just be weird.

She sighs, turning to stare up at her ceiling instead. Elsa hasn't texted her yet, even though it's nearly two in the afternoon. It's definitely possible that her dad took away her phone, but Anna was hoping that wouldn't be the case.

Man, she really messed things up. What kind of person thinks a party would make for a good first date? And then she just had to ask Elsa if she wanted to drink and break into Weselton's pool with her. That was so idiotic. Even if Elsa didn't tell her dad the whole story, he'll probably figure out she was up to something illegal just by mentioning Anna's name.

A knock on the front door has her hopping off her bed to answer it; her mom is still sleeping off last night's shift, and any persistent knocking is likely to wake her up. Trudging out to the entrance, she swings the door open, expecting a delivery person or a solicitor.

Instead, Principal Anders looms over her, a stormy expression on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she exclaims out of reflex. But then she remembers she's not just talking to Principal Anders now, but Elsa's father, and she tacks on a reluctant, "...sir."

His eyebrows raise slightly at that addition, since it's the first time she's ever called him 'sir' in a non-sarcastic manner. "May I come in?"

Anna swallows hard. "S-sure." She opens the door further and steps to the side, allowing him to pass her.

He gives the space a cursory look before settling in at the kitchen table. He gestures to the seat across from him, but Anna is too nervous to sit down right now. She leans against the kitchen counter, crossing her arms over her chest as if it will protect her.

He stares at her for a long moment, sizing her up. She should be used to that strong gaze being on her, but she's always the one to look away first. This time it's different though, because she knows this isn't about school. So she stares back at him defiantly, daring him to look away first.

His dark eyes briefly flicker to the counter behind her. Steepling his hands on the table, he calmly says, "I don't want you to see my daughter anymore."

Anna bares her teeth. "You have no right to come here and tell me I can't see her—"

"Yes, I do," he says, his voice carrying over hers. "Congratulations, Ms. Kicklighter. You have gotten my attention, so there's no reason to continue seeing her."

"What?" Anna gapes at him. "I'm not trying to piss you off by seeing her. I like Elsa. I really do. And I'm not asking for her hand in marriage, but I...she makes me happy. And I make her happy too."

Anders is silent at that, eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly to reassess his arguments. He shakes his head after a moment. "That's irrelevant. I don't think you would be good for her. You do nothing but cause trouble and leave other people to clean up your messes. You do the bare minimum to stay in school, and you've maxed out the amount of days you can skip your classes without being expelled." His jaw works, and he says his next words slowly and deliberately. "You're a toxic influence to those around you, and you are not good enough for my daughter."

Anna's hands shake in anger, and she clenches them by her sides, blinking hard. Damn him, he is not going to make her cry in her own home. She opens her mouth, ready to say something that will prove him wrong, when she hears her mom's door slam open.

She stomps towards the kitchen, still in her pajamas. Her face is bare of makeup, and the half-moon circles under her eyes are clearly visible. She stops next to Anna, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Anders hastily stands up, apparently expecting Anna to be alone. "Mrs. Kicklighter, I apologizing for intruding, but—"

"May I ask why you're here?" her mom asks curtly, leaving pleasantries by the wayside. While she's met with the Anders plenty of times, the two of them have never been more than coolly polite to one another. "Has Anna caused any trouble?"

Anders straightens slightly. "Not quite. It has to do with my daughter, actually." Anna's mom stays silent at that, waiting for him to continue. He shift uncomfortably and clears his throat. "I don't want Anna to see her anymore."

"And why is that?" she asks bluntly, not letting him off that easy.

Anna tilts her chin up, knowing what he's about to say. He clears his throat again. "I don't think they're well-suited for one another."

Tense silence hangs in the air.

"No." Anna stiffens at her mother's tone; she's never heard her voice sound so cold. Her grip tightens slightly on Anna's shoulder. "You do not come to my house and tell my daughter who she can or cannot see." She turns to Anna. "Do you like this girl?"

"I've never liked anyone as much as her," she answers truthfully.

"And does she like you?"

Anna nods silently.

Her mom turns her attention back to Anders. "Then I don't see a problem with them dating."

Anders frowns at that. "She took Elsa to a party last night, and I know it won't be the only time she drags her into a questionable situation. Elsa should be with someone like her, not someone—"

"Not someone like my daughter?" her mom steps towards Anders so she's between him and Anna. The move reminds Anna of a mama bear protecting her cub. "Kids will be kids, Alaric. They'll make mistakes and hopefully they'll learn from them. If Anna and your daughter like each other, it would be worse to try and split them up."

"Elsa has a future!" Anders says loudly, temper flaring. He jerks a finger in Anna's direction. "I will not have that future put in jeopardy because Anna pushes her into bad situations with bad people. She has worked too hard for that to happen!"

Anna pushes off the counter, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her mom. She's had enough of him talking like she's not here. "You don't want any future for her besides the one you've chosen!" He stiffens at that, and Anna continues, "Yeah, I know about the 'options' you've given her for school. Those would make her miserable, but you don't care."

Without pulling her eyes away from Anders, she says, "Mom, do you know what I'm going to do after high school?"

"No, I don't."

"And does that bother you?"

Her mom's arm comes back up to wrap around her shoulders. "No, honey. I know you can find somewhere that makes you happy, and I trust you to make your own decisions."

"See?" Anna says to Anders, having never been more glad to have such a good relationship with her mom. "Elsa is smart, smarter than I am. She's capable of so much. Trying to force her into something she has no interest in will just distance her from you. She would resent you for that every day."

"That's…" Anders' mouth thins into a hard line. He shakes his head like the words won't compute. "You break too many rules," he says eventually, "how do I know you won't drag her into any of your problems?"

Anna rolls her eyes. "Your teenage daughter went to a party with me, it's not the end of the world. I would never put her into a bad situation." In fact, she should probably start distancing herself from bad situations anyways. As her mom said, she won't be seventeen forever. The last thing she needs is a mark on her permanent record.

"That's not good enough," he says decisively. "I need your guarantee that you will be a better student this year. I don't want to hear any rumors of your involvement in a prank, I don't want to see your face in detention, and I don't want you to be skipping any more classes."

Anna's mouth drops open. "That's…" That's impossible is what she wants to say out of impulse. But she can see a victorious light appearing in her principal's eyes. He doesn't think she's any more than a hoodlum, and he's making the assumption that she'd rather continue to cause mayhem than date Elsa. Well, he's fucking wrong.

"I can't promise you zero detentions," she says after a moment of consideration, "and I can't help it if there's rumors of me being involved in things. But I'll try not to skip any of my classes."

It's clearly more of an agreement than he expects, and his eyes widen before he thinks her words over. "Fine, then no more than two detentions for the year and you must have perfect attendance."

Is he trying to haggle with her? Two can play that game. "Two detentions per semester, perfect attendance, and I'll join an extracurricular." She's planning on trying out for the cross country team anyways, so it's not much of a sacrifice on her part.

She can feel her mom's gaze on her while Anders considers her deal. After a minute, he nods and steps forward, stretching out his hand. "Fine. But if you slip back into your old ways…"

Then I'll still see Elsa, no matter what you say. "Then you can yell at me some more," Anna responds with an infuriating smile, grasping his hand and shaking it firmly.

Anders nods, but he seems vaguely confused, like he couldn't possibly imagine the conversation would unfold like this. "Then I'll take my leave." He starts to walk towards the door, flanked by Anna and her mom. He's halfway over the threshold when he turns back to Anna. "I'll try not to...interfere with you and Elsa." He looks slightly pained when he adds, "Just...treat her well."

"I will," Anna says quietly, knowing it will be the easiest promise she's ever made.

He nods curtly at that, eyes sliding to her mom. "I apologize for disturbing you, Lydia."

Her mom nods, though she still doesn't look happy with him. "Hopefully this will be the last time we meet under these conditions. Have a good day." And with that, she closes the door on him.

Anna expels a relieved sigh. "That went better than I thought it would."

"The gall that man had…" her mom shakes her head. "He's lucky I didn't throw him out the moment I saw him."

With her rumpled auburn hair and wrinkled pajamas, her mom doesn't look all that threatening. But she had defended Anna without hesitation and believed in her without a doubt.

Anna takes a few steps towards her mom and throws her arms around her. "I love you, mom," she says, voice muffled by the fabric of the pajama top underneath her.

"I love you, too," she says in return. After a few moments, she pulls Anna back to look at her. "And I expect this Elsa girl to come over so I can see what all the fuss is about." She smiles impishly. "Is she pretty?"

"Mom," Anna groans dramatically. "Of course she is."

Her mom slowly shakes her head. "I still can't believe it. The principal's daughter...how exactly did you two meet?"

Anna coughs, suddenly looking anywhere but at her mom. "That's an interesting story, actually…"

Elsa shifts her car into park when she arrives in front of Anna's apartment, not quite believing that she's actually here. Her dad had handed back her phone when he returned home, suggesting she go visit Anna (a suggestion that looked like it caused him to strain a muscle).

It was a complete 180 of how he was acting earlier. Last night had been...unpleasant. Trying to remain calm, she had given him sparse details of where she had been and who was there with her. He didn't really explode until she mentioned Anna, and what she meant to Elsa. Then he was angrily pacing around the room and insisting they stay far away from each other.

When he told her that he planned on 'setting things straight' with Anna earlier today, Elsa feared the worst. But here she was, and with his apparent blessing.

Just what had Anna said to him?

Taking a calming breath, Elsa turns her car off and makes her way to Anna's door. The first time she knocks, there's no answer. She knocks harder, wondering if she should have texted Anna and to make sure she's even home.

The door opens right as she's reaching for her phone, revealing a woman wearing pale blue hospital scrubs. "Hi, can I help you?" she asks with a smile.

With her hair and that smile, she could only be Anna's mom. Elsa nods politely at her. "Hi, I'm Elsa Anders. Is Anna home?"

"Ah, so you're Elsa." It seems like Anna even inherited that mischievous glint in her eyes from the woman in front of her. "I've heard a lot about you recently." She opens the door further, ushering Elsa inside. "Come in, come in."

Elsa steps into the apartment, unable to keep herself from looking around. Anna wasn't lying when she said her home had bars on the window, but the place is cozy in a way her own house isn't—the mismatched furniture and various pictures and book lying around lend the place a comforting atmosphere.

Elsa walks over towards one of the walls, drawn to a picture of Anna. She must have only been about twelve, her hands on her hips and giving the photographer a toothy smile. "She was already getting into trouble at that age," Anna's mom confides to her, "She had made a small business of helping her classmates pull out their loose teeth. Made an impressive amount of money before her teacher found out."

Elsa laughs quietly. "That does sound like her."

The woman gives Elsa a considering look. "I think you'll be good for her," she says, nodding as if coming to a decision. "And she certainly likes you."

Elsa blushes at that, but the words are good to hear. She didn't know how much the approval of Anna's mom meant until now. "She'll be good for me, too" Elsa tells her.

The woman beams at the words, looking proud of her daughter. "Well, I won't delay you any further. Anna's room is right down the hall, and if you go quietly, you might be able to hear her sing. She has a lovely voice."

Elsa raises an eyebrow at that, but needs no further prompting to head down the hallway, tiptoeing as best she can.

Anna's door is cracked open, and Elsa gently opens it further, allowing her eyes a moment to adjust to the amount of light filtering in from the setting sun. The walls of the room are nearly entirely covered in band and movie posters, with a line of fairy lights strung up over the bed.

Anna's on the center of the bed, one leg up and crossed over the other, foot bouncing slowly to a beat only she can hear. She's facing the window, and Elsa can make out the silhouette of her cactus sitting on the window ledge. Though she's facing away from her, Elsa can see that her eyes are closed.

"I watch the ice melt on the glass / while the eloquent young pilgrims pass / and leave behind their trail / imploring us not to fail," Anna sings, and Elsa almost gasps.

That voice is pure melody, light and carefree, sweet as honey. It's the most beautiful thing Elsa's ever heard. She smiles when she recognizes the song, and takes her first step into Anna's room, singing the next verse with her. "Of course I raised to gather courage from those / lofty tales so tried and true / and if you're able—"

Anna jumps up, startled, when she hears Elsa's voice accompanying her own. Then she sees Elsa, and a broad smile comes over her. "You're here!" she says happily, bounding over to her. Wasting no time, she pulls Elsa towards her. "And you never told me you could sing."

"Neither did you," Elsa counters, but then she closes the distance between them and kisses Anna fully on the mouth.

Anna squeaks in surprise, taking a step backwards and falling onto her bed. She latches onto Elsa during the fall, causing her to tumble on top of her. Anna's quick to roll them over, pinning Elsa's hands above her head. She situates herself comfortably on Elsa's hips, leaning forward to kiss her again.

"You should come with a warning label," Anna mumbles as she nuzzles into Elsa's neck. "You are way too addictive. I'd need a twenty-four step program to get you out of my system."

Elsa bites back a moan when Anna gently sucks on the sensitive skin under her ear. "W-wait," she says, struggling to remember why exactly she wants Anna to wait.

Anna pauses in her ministrations, pulling back so they're nose-to-nose. Her lips begin to quirk upwards. "Yes?"

"How did you get my dad to agree to let us date?" Elsa asks, shifting slightly under Anna.

Anna hangs her head, groaning. "Way to be a mood-killer, Els." She releases Elsa's hands and gently gets off of her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "If you must know, I promised to basically be a freakin' girl scout for the next year." When Elsa moves to sit next to her, Anna bumps her shoulder. "I suppose you're worth it, though."

"Damn right I am," Elsa teases, startling a laugh out of Anna. "Thank you though, for convincing him. I didn't think it'd be possible."

Anna shrugs, staring at her cactus. "He's just worried about you, is all. I'm not saying I like him or anything, but I can see where he's coming from."

Elsa lays down on the bed and stares up at the ceiling, smiling when she sees a galaxy of glow-in-the-dark stars and planets stuck up there. Anna lays back down too, curling towards her. Elsa mimics the gesture so they can face each other.

For a moment, she gets lost in Anna's eyes. They're almost pure teal, but from this close she can see tiny flecks of gold around her pupils. "You're so beautiful," she breathes, and maybe she's already a little in love with Anna.

Anna grins, but it's soft and genuine. She hooks a loose strand of hair behind Elsa's ear. "You're beautifuller."

Just a few weeks ago, Anna Kicklighter was nothing more than a name. A name that mean trouble and caused endless headaches for her dad. Elsa had seen her in the halls before, possibly even shared a class with her at one point.

She could never imagine a day where she'd be in Anna's room, staring into her eyes and thinking of nothing but how they'd spend the rest of the summer together. To think this all started because Anna vandalized her yard and poured bleach across her garden.

She leans forwards and kisses Anna because she can. Curls her hand around her hip because she wants to. Whispers her name because there's no one else she'd rather be with.

There's a quiet knock on Anna's door and her mom cautiously steps in. "Sorry to interrupt you two," she says, unperturbed at the sight of the two teens kissing on Anna's bed. Nonetheless, Elsa sits up and smoothes her hair back into place. "Elsa, did you want to stay for dinner? I'll have to leave soon after, but I'd love to talk to you some."

Still lying across the bed, Anna nods her agreement. "You totally should. It's taco night at the Kicklighter house. No one should miss taco night."

Elsa smiles at her. Everything seems like it's settling into place now, and she can't remember ever being happier than this. She reaches across the bed and squeezes Anna's hand. "I'd love to stay."

A/N: Okay, so this is officially the end of Cheap Thrills. However, there will be an epilogue that cuts to specific moments in time, including college. Just like in real life, there are loose ends that need to be addressed (namely, Elsa's university situation with her dad), which the epilogue will lightly cover. As user Katarr wrote, this is 'Grade AAA Fluff' and it isn't meant to be anything more or less. I hope you will revisit this story once summer comes back :)

Lastly, songs! The song Anna and Elsa sang was Young Pilgrims by The Shins. And if you lovely readers must listen to one song that fully encapsulate the atmosphere I was trying to create with this story, it would be Coffee Talk by Broadside. Thank you for reading and I hope to have the epilogue up within the next week!