A/N: The great cover art is used with permission by Dillautris, find their other work on tumblr! This is partly inspired by the prompt, 'Me and my buddies vandalized your backyard trampling your mini garden in the process. Now I feel really shitty cause you're really upset about this. Look I'll help fix it okay just stop with the sad faces.' Expect nothing but summer fun and some enjoyable romance!

Anna and Hans give each other a silent fist bump as they take their first steps into the principal's backyard. And what a nice yard it is; a great oak tree stands in the center, and a brick path meanders around the property and leads to an artificial pond filled with koi. A small garden full of different flowers and vegetables Anna isn't familiar with is pushed to the back corner, near where she and Hans entered from.

"Let's give Anders his 'last day of school' gift," Anna says as she shrugs off her backpack. "After all, we'll miss him this summer."

"I won't," Hans mutters under his breath. His parents are making him take summer classes to better fluff up his college applications, as well as play student ambassador for the incoming freshmen. While he certainly doesn't look the part of 'malcontent teen'—what with his designer clothes and perfect grades—he's usually the one who takes the most pleasure in their illegal activities.

"Dibs on the tree!" Anna points excitedly at the oak in question, hoping to cheer Hans up. "I wanna do the tree."

He smirks at her enthusiasm, seemingly pushing away his thoughts of summer. "Go for it. Just remember that we only have an hour or so."

Right. One hour until Anders gets back from some school board meeting, one hour until he'll flip his shit when he sees what they've done to his precious yard.

She and Hans quickly get down to business—he takes a giant jug of bleach from Anna's bag and starts to carefully pour it around the tree. Anna gets a good grip on some of the one-ply toilet paper she bought earlier and takes careful aim.

By the time they're finished, the once majestic oak is covered liberally in gauzy toilet paper and the area around its trunk is bleached into the shape of Arendelle High's logo; a giant, supposedly menacing snowman.

Hans and Anna step back and admire their work. "It's beautiful," Anna breathes, wiping away a fake tear. "I think we really captured the spirit of our school."

"A-plus for execution," Hans nods in agreement. "Your aim has really improved this semester—you even hit the top branches."

"And your pouring technique..." Anna clutches dramatically at her heart through her shirt, "it's so powerful, so full of emotion."

Hans snorts. "Yeah, the emotion being 'I hate this fucking place'. Glad it came across clearly."

The fun ends—or really begins, in Anna's opinion—when they hear a car pull into Anders' driveway. Anna throws a silent victory hand in the air and allows Hans to catch it and drag her towards the fence. But Anna digs her feet into the ground when she realizes Hans left the bleach by the tree. What is this, amateur hour?

"What are you doing?" Hans hisses when a light comes on in the house. "It's not like they're going to brush it for prints."

Anna snatches the bottle anyway and hurries back towards him. "If you start getting lazy, it sets a bad precedent—" her lecture is cut short when her foot tangles in the wire surrounding the garden.

She flails as the ground comes up to meet her, letting go of the bleach so she can try to catch herself. The landing is still rough and she feels thorns scraping against her palms. Nearby, there's a faint glug glug sound as the bleach empties out of its container and into the surrounding plants.

Before she can grab the bottle again, Hans is hauling her up and over the fence. "Leave it!" He joins her on the other side just as the door to the backyard slides open, and they both peer through the slats in the wooden fence to see the principal's reaction.

Principal Anders steps out onto the patio, looking formal as always with his pressed pants, crisp white shirt, and dark blazer. "What in god's name…" he starts, gaping at the tree.

Anna clamps a hand to her mouth, trying to hold back a peal of laughter. Beside her, Hans is breathing hard from their close call but a smile slowly forms on his face as Anders notices the bleached grass.

The man pulls out his cellphone and runs an aggravated hand through his hair. "Yes, I'd like to report a crime," he says through gritted teeth. Anna and Hans share another fist bump.

Movement near the door draws Anna's gaze and she finds herself staring at Elsa Anders. The girl is dressed conservatively in a blue blouse and a white skirt that goes past her knees, her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She takes in the sight of the ravaged yard with a neutral expression until she spots the bleach container in the garden.

Even though Anna knows next to nothing about Elsa, the look on the other girl's face is still a sucker punch to her gut. The girl is colloquially known as the 'Ice Queen' around school because of how silently condescending she is, choosing to eat and do class activities by herself rather than mixing with everyone else. But now she sees Elsa's eyes widen and her lips part as she assess the damage of what must be her garden. She kneels down to pick up the now-empty bleach jug, her grip tightening around the handle.

Anna shifts slightly, some of her enjoyment beginning to dissipate at the sight of Elsa. The movement causes the grass beneath her to rustle, and Elsa jerks her head up at the sound. Stormy blue eyes lock onto her own through the wooden slats, causing Anna's heart to feel like it's somewhere in her throat.

Shit.

She doesn't waste another moment; she's halfway down the street before Hans even realizes she's not by his side anymore.

They're back at Hans' place twenty minutes later, both of them panting over the kitchen table. "What the hell was that about?" Hans asks, wiping sweat away from the back of his neck.

"She saw me," Anna answers between gasps, trying not to freak out. "Elsa saw me through the fence. Do you think she'll point the cops in our direction?" There's only a handful of redheaded girls at their school and she's the only one among them who likes to play chicken with the law.

Hans grimaces, his hands curling into fists on top of the table. "I'm not sure," he says in a calmer voice than Anna expected. "She doesn't know us at all, right? And maybe she didn't really see you."

It sure looked like she did. "What should we do?" Anna bites anxiously at her bottom lip. Her mom would kill her if she had to be picked up from juvie one more time.

"Just stay away from their house, I guess," Hans suggests, running a hand through his auburn hair in thought. "There's really not much we can do—it's not like we can bribe the Ice Queen."

But the words have Anna perking up. "What if we could?" she wonders aloud. When Hans gives her a questioning look, she elaborates, "She only saw me because we were right next to that little garden of hers. The bleach I dropped probably killed most of the plants there. Maybe I could buy some flowers for her or something."

Hans expels a dismissive snort. "And then what, wine and dine her?"

"I don't see you coming up with anything!" Anna says defensively. Whatever, she's definitely onto something with this idea.

"That's because I don't think she saw me," Hans points out, moving to get some soda out of his fridge. He tosses a bottle of root beer towards Anna, who snatches it out of the air before it has the chance to hit her head. "This is your problem, not mine."

"You suck," Anna mutters around the rim of her bottle. It was his fault she was even in this position—if it weren't for that stupid bleach jug he forgot to pick up, they would both be in the clear.

"I'm not the one who got caught," Hans replies. With an irritating smirk, he adds, "Looks like you'll have to brush up on your botany."

Anna waves her hand in a dismissive fashion. "Whatever, they're just plants. You stick them in the ground and put some water on them. How hard could it be?"

Elsa doesn't care about the tree or the grass around it, even though her dad's acting like it's an absolute travesty they got vandalized. While he curses and dials the number for the police, Elsa is drawn to her garden, a twisting sensation churning in her stomach.

She sees the empty bottle of bleach first, tipped on its side. She smells it next—the dizzying, almost overpowering scent of chemicals seeping into the soil, choking the roots and seeds and life underneath it.

They were gone for less than two hours. How could somebody have done so much damage to her dad's yard, to her garden during that time? She had spent months selecting and planting seeds, studying what could grow in a mixed garden and what she would have to plant separately. She came out here everyday to water her plants, to check on the progress of her flowers, herbs, and vegetables. It had been her place of peace and quiet when the house became suffocating under the weight of her dad's expectations.

Now all of that was gone. Destroyed.

Poisoned.

It was obvious someone from school had vandalized the yard—the giant snowman bleached into the grass was evidence enough of that—but Elsa couldn't pinpoint a suspect until she picked up that damn bleach bottle and heard a noise coming from the other side of the fence.

When she looked up, she found herself staring right into someone's large, teal eyes. A pang of familiarity strikes at Elsa's chest, but the sensation is quick to pass when the criminal bolts.

Hours later, Elsa's sitting at her desk, staring out the window that overlooks the backyard. It's pitch black, which is probably a good thing because otherwise she'd see her ruined garden. She absentmindedly taps her highlighter against the pages of Cold Mountain—number four on the list of college lit books her dad suggested she get through before senior year starts. But her attention is elsewhere, beyond the pages of the book.

She still can't stop thinking about those beautiful eyes.

More than that, she can't stop thinking about who those beautiful eyes are attached to. Because there was also a few loose strands of hair going across the person's forehead. Soft, copper hair that could only belong to the one person in the entire school who would do something so vile.

Anna fucking Kicklighter.

Oh, Elsa knows all about that little delinquent, even though they've never spoken a single word to each other. She's heard every known exploit of the girl from her dad over the dinner table; how she locked Mr. Weselton in a supply closet and taught his Western Civ class for three periods straight, how she played a recording of pornographic noises over the speakers during a pep rally, how she superglued all the senior lockers shut on their prank day.

Her dad knew Kicklighter was responsible for all those incidents, but never had enough proof to do more than give her detention or an occasional suspension. The girl would probably cause him to have an ulcer or stroke due to stress. What made it even worse was that she was considered popular by her peers. Apparently all it takes is above-average looks and a fondness for illegal activities to be well liked.

Popularity had never been a concern of Elsa's; she never sought it out and had no intention of ever doing so. Being the principal's daughter already made her an outsider, and thanks to how incredibly strict her dad was, anyone who ever did something even remotely against the rules tended to avoid her. The rare students that did try to befriend her did so in order get her dad's attention, presumably to weasel their way into a letter of recommendation for their college applications.

Elsa finds it easier to keep to herself.

Being alone with her thoughts was so much simpler than trying to fit in with her classmates. She didn't have to worry about liking the right songs, hanging out at the right places, or wearing the right clothes. All she had to do was focus on her grades until she couldn't think straight anymore.

She's brought out of her thoughts when she sees a flash of light outside her window. Squinting, she leans forwards and sees it again, this time accompanied by a shadow cast against the fence.

Someone is in the backyard again, and Elsa thinks she knows exactly who it is.

She slams her book shut and marches her way outside, careful not to cause any noise when she passes her dad's room. Sliding open the back door, she slows her pace as she comes near the figure, who is kneeling over Elsa's garden.

The person is busy doing something to the soil, one hand gripping a flashlight. "Who are you?" Elsa demands when she's right behind them.

"Holy shit!" the figure squeaks, throwing up their hands in surprise. The flashlight goes whizzing past Elsa's head. "Are you actually a ninja?!"

They turn around and Elsa's suspicions are confirmed; Anna Kicklighter is once again trespassing in her garden. "Haven't you ruined enough already?" Elsa nearly growls, pretty sure that in her current state she could take on the troublemaker in a fight.

Anna stands up awkwardly, wiping her hands against her jeans. "I wasn't trying to ruin anything...not here, at least." Her gazes shifts back to the soil. "This...kinda just happened. I umm, I wanted to plant some flowers and stuff."

Anna looks strangely...vulnerable standing here and rubbing at the back of her neck. "You wanted to plant flowers?" Elsa echoes flatly, trying not to buy into this whole 'cute delinquent' act Anna is pulling.

"That's what I said, right?" Anna kneels back down and picks up a wrapped item for Elsa to inspect.

Confused and still a bit angry, Elsa takes a step closer. In Anna's hand is a bouquet of cut flowers, looking exactly like the kind one would buy in a grocery store. Elsa looks at them for a long moment before saying, "You know flowers need roots to grow, right?"

Anna stares blankly down at the bouquet. "...yes?"

Even though this whole thing is completely Anna's fault, Elsa can't help but smirk in amusement. "You can't just stick flowers with no roots into the ground and expect them to grow, especially when that ground is full of bleach. What are you really after?"

Anna's reddening cheeks are visible even in the dark. "Look, we both know you saw me earlier," she starts, not a trace of guilt in her voice. "I take full responsibility for the rest of the yard, but nothing was supposed to happen to your garden. I wanted to replant the stuff that the bleach got on. Make it look okay."

"And why is that?" Elsa asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't tell your dad about me. I'm pretty sure he would try to get me twenty five-to-life for murdering the yard." There's no real fear in the words, as if she's asking a favor for a friend. It's bizarre, to say the least.

Elsa considers her her request carefully. On one hand, she would be able to see Anna get hauled off (or at least in a lot of trouble) for ruining her garden. On the other hand, there's something almost...magnetic about the other girl. Her nonchalance and laid-back attitude are unintentionally drawing Elsa in, and she can't help but want to see more of her, especially since she won't have anyone else her own age to interact with this summer.

(The fact that Anna is practically her dad's mortal enemy has nothing to do with it...nothing at all.)

She makes her decision a few moments later. "I won't tell him about you," she says, feeling surprisingly satisfied when she receives a small smile...which is quick to drop when she continues, "In return, I want you to help me make a new garden. You'll be with me when I buy the supplies, pick out the seeds, and build the barrier around it."

"Oh," Anna says in a small, subdued voice. One of her sneakered feet pokes at the soil. "You can't just use the same area?"

"Once bleach enters a garden, it kills everything in it." It's not a lie per se, just an exaggeration. Besides, now she has an excuse to buy some new plants.

Anna levels a thoughtful stare at her. "Okay," she shrugs after a minute, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out her phone. "I'll help you out. Can I have your number? That way you can tell me when to come over."

Elsa's taken back by how easily she agreed. "O-okay," she repeats unsurely. There's a pause and Anna raises an eyebrow in prompting. "Right, my number," Elsa says, trying to inject some confidence into her voice. She lists it off and Anna types it into her phone.

There's more awkward staring after that, until Anna's mouth tilts into a lopsided smile. "Text me whenever. I'll make myself available." With that, she walks past Elsa to snatch her flashlight from earlier and begins to climb over the fence. When she has one leg on either side, she adds, "Feel free to keep those flowers; I'm not going to do anything with them."

By the time Elsa nods and bends down to pick them up, Anna has vanished.

Elsa walks back into the house in slightly higher spirits than when she left it. Anna's bouquet is quickly deposited in a vase filled with water, and she situates it on the corner of her desk.

Her phone vibrates from its spot on the bed, and when Elsa opens it she sees a text from an unknown number simply reading 'ANNA' in all caps. An unbidden smile crosses her face at the sight; one of the most notorious troublemakers in Arendelle High's history is going to help her with gardening.

Summer break is certainly looking up.

"You did what?!" Hans exclaims, looking away the tv screen and towards Anna in total surprise. In response, his Yoshi promptly topples off Rainbow Road. "Why the hell would you give her your number?"

Anna simply shrugs, not allowing him to break her concentration. She's going to win this round, dammit. "It seemed like a decent idea at the time. I doubt she'll actually want my help." She clearly isn't the gardening type, something Elsa probably realized five seconds into their conversation.

"This means you're basically at her beck and call," Hans persists, cursing under his breath as Yoshi gets hit with a green shell. "She can blackmail the hell out of you if she wanted to."

"She's not like that!" Anna protests. Sure, that's a premature assumption to make since she's only had one interaction with her, but it feels right somehow. Elsa's only interest seemed to lie in her garden. For some reason, the idea of helping her doesn't grate against her nerves as much as she thought it would.

Last night's talk with Elsa had certainly been interesting. She tried so hard to come off as cold and angry, but seemed so flustered when she actually got Anna's number. It was...almost cute. Anna's not entirely sure how she could be the offspring of Principal 'Stick Up My Ass' Anders.

"Yes!" she whoops a minute later when she wins the track. She shakes Hans around the shoulders as he mutters darkly at his controller, having never been one to lose graciously.

Her mom happens to come through the door right in the middle of Anna's victory lap around the living room. "Hey kids," she greets them tiredly as she heads into the kitchen. "You two haven't set anything on fire today, have you?"

"Of course not, Ms. Kicklighter," Hans says with an easy smile, attitude turning on a dime. He always did have a soft spot for Anna's mom, probably because his own was never around. "We save arson for Sundays."

"I'd expect nothing less from you," she responds as she begins to heat up some leftovers. "Anna, I'm only here for a couple hours; I have to go back to the hospital to cover for someone. You can hold down the fort by yourself, right?"

"Mom, I've seventeen," Anna groans dramatically. This is far from the first time she's been home alone at night, but her mom always double checks with her regardless.

"I'll make sure she stays out of trouble," Hans assures her, looking so innocent he might as well have a halo shining around his head.

"Speaking of trouble…" her mom starts, causing Anna to stiffen minutely. "I heard your principal's house got vandalized yesterday. You guys wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Hans opens his mouth to respond but Anna starts talking first. "Of course not! Why would we do such a thing?" She nudges at Hans. "We were at your place all day, right?"

He obliges her with a nod. "Yep. A couple of my brothers are back from college and we were hanging out with them until it got late." Will and Charlie were actually back from their posh universities and didn't care if they were used as alibis; nearly all of Hans' brothers were into mischief of their own and were happy their youngest brother was following in their footsteps.

Anna's mom side eyes them as she settles onto the couch. "Mmhmm," she hums doubtfully. "That had better be true, because I would hate to see either one of you end up in trouble again. Especially you, Anna. I don't like that I'm on first name basis with all the officers around here. You won't be a kid forever—life will get a whole lot harder when you turn eighteen and keep causing trouble."

"I told you we didn't do it!" Anna protests, feeling frustrated despite—or maybe because—her mom is right on the money. She doesn't want this lecture, no matter how well-deserved it might be.

"Alright," her mom sighs, holding up a hand in surrender. "I'll drop it for now. Just try to keep your noses clean this summer, okay?"

Hans and Anna murmur their assent before turning back to their game. "Ready to lose again?" Anna asks playfully as she picks a new racetrack, trying to push her mom's words out of her mind.

"Don't count on it," Hans retorts, gripping his controller tightly. "You're going down this time."

Anna's mom watches them as she eats, alternatively cheering both of them on and then giving Anna a high five when she she inevitably wins again. "Alright, I'm off," she says after she finishes her dinner. She stands up and gives Anna a kiss on the head and squeezes Hans' shoulder. "Don't stay up too late."

Anna turns and gives her a grin. "We'll behave. Have a good night!"

Her mom nods as she grabs her keys. Pausing before she opens the door, she says, "Could you add 'bleach' to the grocery list? It seems like we ran out of it last night."

Anna's smile fades. "Sure thing, mom," she answers weakly even as her mom closes and locks the door.

Beside her, Hans' eyes are wide with surprise. "I think we just got played."

A/N: Expect a new chapter every 24 hours!