Getting up for school the next day had been struggle. If there had ever been a morning where Anna just wanted to sleep in and ignore the world, it was that morning. Her sleep had been anything but peaceful, and because she'd spent all of last night moping she hadn't started her history paper. It was due tomorrow so she'd probably be up all night writing about foreign dictators whose names she couldn't pronounce. Plus she had to go grocery shopping with Kristoff and tell him everything that had happened this weekend, which would probably take at least two hours.

She pretty much had her day planned out by the time she'd driven to school, and there was no scenario that ended with her going to bed until after midnight.

So she trudged into school that morning with a scowl on her face, ignoring the questioning looks thrown her way as she made her way to her locker. She was going through her schedule in her head, trying to remember what books she needed and what she could do without. She opened up her locker and retrieved her math notebook, and the things she'd need for English class.

I'm pretty sure we're still watching that documentary on, um… meteors or something in astronomy. I swear… when I signed up for that class I thought we were gonna be learning about constellations, not calculating planet mass and gravity. Thank god Hans took it when he was a sophomore, otherwise I'd never pass.

Anna blew her fringe out of her face and zipped up her bag. At least we get to watch movies every other week. Thank the lord we have Professor Delbert… I've heard that the other chick is terrifying. Amelia something or other… does she even have a last name?

"Hey, Christian."

Anna jumped, gasping as she hugged her backpack to her chest and turned around. The surprise on her face fell into irritation (with maybe just the slightest bit of fear) when she saw Hercules staring down at her. The ginger boy had his backpack hanging off of one shoulder, his hands buried deep in his pockets. The look on his face was stuck somewhere between angry and nervous, and the moment she'd turned around his eyes had dropped to the floor.

Anna stood silently, casting quick glances up and down the hall. No one seemed to be paying them any mind, so she glanced back up at Hercules before breathing in deeply. Straightening her spine, she threw back her shoulders and glared up at the young man. "What do you want, Hercules?"

He scratched at the back of his neck, glancing off to the side. He was clearly uncomfortable, which made Anna uncomfortable by proxy. "Um… how's it going?"

Anna narrowed her eyes. What the heck? This boy had always been one of her main problems at school, him and a few of the other boys on the football team. They all usually had angry scowls on their faces whenever she passed by in the halls, and if they ever stopped to talk to her it was only to tell her that her brother was a psycho who deserved to rot away with all the other 'crazies.'

It had been a long time since any of them had treated her like a human being.

So naturally, Anna found the whole situation totally fishy.

"I'll say it again, what do you want, Hercules?" She couldn't keep the slight nervousness out of her voice. The boy did have forty pounds on her, easy.

And now he was glaring at her… but there was something sad in his eyes. Anna cocked a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't know much about Hercules, just that he'd only started playing football this year… she didn't really remember seeing him around at all before that. All she really knew was that he was disturbingly muscular for someone who didn't take steroids (all the school athletes were subject to random drug tests), and that he and Meg used to date.

"I want my girlfriend back." Hercules barked.

…oh. So that's it. He doesn't actually care about me.

But Anna was still confused, and she frowned. Was he asking for her help? How did he even know that Anna and Meg were friends? After all, Anna hadn't seen him since… actually since the day that Anna had first met Meg. "Um… look I don't know what happened between you two but-"

"Because it's none of your business," he interrupted her, crossing his thick arms over his chest. He didn't say it angrily or even all that loudly. It came out in a sort of morose mumble, bordering on whiny. His eyes were definitely sad now, and despite herself Anna grew curious. She half-turned to close her locker before turning back to Hercules.

Anna raised her hands defensively. "Okay then… classified." She paused, nose scrunching up. She mirrored Hercules' pose and crossed her own arms over her chest. "How am I supposed to help you get your girlfriend back then?"

"She…" he looked really uncomfortable now, rocking back onto his heels. "She um, told me I had to apologize to you."

Anna's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait, what? Why would Meg even… I-I don't get it. How will apologizing to me make you two boyfriend and girlfriend again?"

Hercules looked down at her, posture still tense even as he managed a half-smile. "Well, really she told me to stop being an asshole."

Wide teal eyes blinked owlishly. Anna was dumbfounded. "And… what, apologizing is supposed to just make months of harassment go away?" Anna felt anger bubbling up inside her, anger and disbelief. "Look, Hercules, if you wanted to make a good impression then maybe you shouldn't have told me you were only apologizing because your ex-girlfriend told you to! I mean, did you actually think it was gonna be that easy?"

Hercules had the decency to look embarrassed, and his shoulders sank as defeat caused his face to fall. "Look, Christian I…"

Anna raised a single finger to silence him, wagging it at him disapprovingly as her eyes narrowed in anger. "First thing's first, it's Anna, not 'Christian.' Second, if you actually want to apologize, do it because you're actually sorry, not because someone told you to. Because then, maybe the apology might actually be worth something. If you want your girlfriend to take you back, try fixing whatever split you guys apart in the first place! Wait…" Anna paused, her stance wavering as a thought entered her head. "You didn't cheat on her, did you?!"

Hercules' eyes widened, horror springing up in his eyes at the mere thought. "No!" he cried, "I love her! I would never, you don't understand I-I, I can't even look at other girls. Meg's been the only one who ever really cared about me, the real me. Before football, Meg was the only thing I ever had. A-and even now, she's the only thing I ever think about. Meg's it for me, don't you get it? I miss her so much… and I'd do anything to have her back!"

The boy looked close to tears, his eyes misty. His hands were clenched into fists at his side, and his backpack was in danger of slipping off his shoulder.

Anna silently watched the emotions overcome his face, and felt a headache coming on. With a sigh, she stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm. "Look, I didn't get any sleep last night and I'm really not my feeling like myself right now. Honestly? Part of me doesn't care about what you want but… I dunno. I don't usually see guys cry, so who knows. Maybe you are telling the truth and you are sorry." Not necessarily for the right reasons, but we can work on that. "But… that doesn't mean you and Meg are just gonna magically get back together. At least, I don't think that's how it works… I'm not exactly a love expert." She finished with a pained smile, reminded horribly of how at a loss she was with her own love situation.

Before her brain had the chance to run away with thoughts of Elsa, Anna shook her head and looked up into Hercules' eyes. They were still watery but he was giving her all of his attention. From up close he didn't look all that intimidating; his posture was slumped in a way that suggested insecurity, and for the first time Anna noticed that there was a fatigued pallor to his otherwise-tan skin.

She tilted her head. "But… I'll tell you what. Go talk to my friend Kristoff. He won't admit it, but he misses throwing around a football. I mean, that is if you're serious about apologizing. Lord knows he's way more patient than I am, maybe he'll know how to help. But… for now, I won't accept your apology. Come back when you mean it, okay? When you actually understand what you did wrong."

With that she left Hercules standing in the hallway, staring after her as she trudged to her first class. After a while he heaved out a great sigh and turned to head off in the other direction, his head low.

Hours later, after what seemed like an eternity the final bell rang, and Anna felt the urge to sing praise bubble up in her stomach. When she succeeded in keeping it down she compensated with a tired smile, leaning far back into her seat and cracking her back with a content sigh. "Finally…"

The redhead hurried to her locker, eager to get out of there and settle herself onto her couch at home. Maybe she'd actually try one of those video games she always watched her brother play. There was that one set in Italy that looked really cool… Assassin Something-or-other?

That one didn't seem too hard… all you have to do is hide in hay bales and do that really cool counter-attack thing whenever one of the guards swings a sword at you. Plus they speak Italian! Hm… but what if I get hungry listening to them talk? Maybe I'll order a pizza beforehand… pizza's Italian.

An irritated shout broke through her musing, "Anna! Anna, wait up!"

She turned and grinned at the sight of Kristoff heading her way, shoving his way past other people. Her grin shriveled at the realization that Kristoff did not look happy. Before she could find the power to run he was standing before her with his arms crossed, brown eyes narrowed at her in irritation.

Her grin grew nervous and she brushed her fringe away from her eyes. "H-hey there, buddy. What can I do you for?"

"You can explain to me why Jerkules of all people just asked me to meet him on the football field in ten."

Anna's brows lifted up in mild surprise. "Wow… didn't think he'd actually listen."

"Didn't think he'd listen to what?"

Anna winced at her best friend's tone. "Well… see Hercules kinda cornered me this morning and basically told me that he wants to get back together with Meg but she's still mad at him and apparently she told him to apologize for being a jerk to me. But I could tell that he wasn't actually sorry, he just wanted Meg back. And he kinda, actually really sounded sad about it so…" she paused, eyes apologetic. "So I might have told him to ask you for advice since, I dunno, you're way smarter about these kinds of things… and I really just didn't want to deal with him."

Kristoff cocked a brow at her words, concern appearing in his gaze. "Didn't want to deal with him. Right. Bad day?"

Anna groaned, nodding her head and letting her eyes fall shut. "Try bad 48 hours."

"Does it have anything to do with Elsa?"

Anna's eyes flew open and she stared at Kristoff in shock, mouth flopped open in surprise. "How did you know?!"

Kristoff just chuckled, uncrossing his arms so he could ruffle her hair. "Because I'm your best friend, feisty pants. I can see right through you." When she puffed her cheeks out in a pout he grinned, but after a moment he gripped her shoulders and leaned in. "Is it anything… y'know, bad? She didn't… uh, do anything crazy, did she? I-I mean since you're still here in one piece it can't be anything too bad, right?"

Anna seemed to deflate, eyes closing once again. She let out a sigh, heavy and deep from her very core. "…I don't know, Kristoff."

Kristoff didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug, and she pressed her face against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and enjoyed the warmth and security of her best friend's embrace. She felt his chin on the top of her head, and he squeezed her once. "You're alright, feisty pants. I got you."

Anna smiled tiredly. "Thanks, Kristoff." She squeezed back, hanging on for a moment before pulling away. When she looked back at him her face was peaceful, and Kristoff smiled at the sight. But when her lips curled up in a mischievous grin his forehead creased. "So… here's the deal. You go deal with Jerkules, and I'll find out why Meg broke up with him in the first place. Between the two of us, they could be back together by the end of the week!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes and groaned. "Anna, we're sophomores, not match-makers."

"So? Hercules is only junior! And Meg's one of my best friends!"

"Yeah, and you're telling me you want your best friend to get back together with a jerk?" Kristoff was eyeing her oddly, genuine confusion in his gaze. If Anna hadn't known better, she would have labeled that look as 'suspicious.'

Anna shrugged. "I'm not so sure he's a jerk. He practically bawled his eyes out in front of me this morning. He was even sappier than Eugene gets when he talks about how he fell in love with Rapunzel." Kristoff's eyebrows shot up and he stared down at her in disbelief. She frowned and stomped her foot. "I'm serious! You should have heard him! He was all like, 'oh I love her, Meg's it for me, don't you see?'" She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and began to fan herself, trying to hold back the grin as her voice took a turn for the dramatics. "'Oh, I think about her day and night, what shall I do if we never get back together? Oh, I'll never play football again!'"

Kristoff tried to choke back a laugh but when Anna erupted into giggles he gave up and the pair laughed together. Kristoff ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll play along, but only because that was actually hilarious and part of me's hoping I'll get to see him cry. So here's what's gonna happen." He straightened up and puffed out his chest. "I'll go play football with the beef head. You," he flicked Anna's forehead. "Go take your lady friend out for coffee."

Anna frowned. "Why?"

"Get her to spill why they broke up in the first place, duh."

"…Oh." Anna's brow furrowed as she realized that she'd never actually bothered asking Meg why her and Hercules had broken up. For all she knew, Meg could have still liked him.

Wow, I'm a poopy friend.

She pulled out her phone and gave Kristoff a mock salute. "Aye-aye, captain!" And she ran off before Kristoff could reply, pulling up Meg's name in her contacts.

She pressed the phone to her ear after pressing 'call' and waited impatiently for her friend to pick up as she made her way out into the parking lot. She grinned when Meg picked up.

"Gingersnap? What's up? Please tell me you aren't actually in need of a prosthetic leg."

"Nope, not today. But I am in need of hot chocolate. Are you busy?"

"Never too busy for you, short stuff."

Anna giggled, pushing through the school doors and out into the sunlight. It was May now, the end of spring. Summer would be on its way soon. And it was utterly gorgeous outside, the sun bright and the sky blue. The grass was finally green again, too. Real green, not that yellowed, nasty brown-green winter grass always was.

"Good, did you leave yet? I know you like to skip last period sometimes. I can come pick you up if you want."

"You know, I don't think I've ever actually been in your car before. Please tell me you know how to drive, and then pretty please tell me you're not going to make me listen to pop music."

"Hey!" Anna shouted indignantly. "I'm a good driver! And there's nothing wrong with pop music!"

She heard Meg laughing on the other end. "Whatever, Gingersnap. I'll text you my address. Call me when you're outside."

When Kristoff finally made it out onto the football field, he found Hercules sitting up in the bleachers with his back slumped and head down. His hands were folded in front of him and he looked about as pathetic as Anna had described him to be.

The blonde frowned and scratched his head as he approached. He glanced to the football by Hercules' side and cleared his throat. "Yo. I'm here." Hercules looked up, surprised. Something in his eyes made Kristoff wonder if Hercules had actually expected him to show up.

When Hercules remained silent, Kristoff nodded to the football. "Toss it."

Hercules glanced down and nodded to himself, grabbing the ball as he stood up. He gave an underhanded toss and Kristoff caught it no problem. As Hercules descended onto the field Kristoff rolled the ball between his hands. A smile curled at his lips.

Anna had been right, he had missed throwing. Hans had taught Anna how to throw, but she could never throw it very far and wasn't exactly all that good at catching. The ball always seemed to slip out of her hands and even though it was entertaining, throwing with Hans had always been more of a challenge and a lot more fun.

"I'm surprised you came."

Kristoff looked up and saw Hercules facing him, eyes hard. Kristoff's gaze didn't waver however. Hercules didn't scare him. If anything, Hercules made him angry. He knew for a fact that the other boy was one of Anna's main antagonists. He always seemed to be the one that went out of his way to bother Anna, like it was his job and he had something to prove.

"You asked me to," Kristoff replied, voice clipped. "But I only came because Anna asked too."

Before Hercules could reply he cocked his arm back and threw, drilling it right at the boy. Blue eyes widened in surprise and for a split second Kristoff thought he would try for it, but he grinned in satisfaction when Hercules side-stepped and the ball went flying past him.

"Well damn. Who'd have thought reindeer-boy had an arm." Hercules glared at him from over his shoulder as he went to retrieve the ball.

Kristoff frowned and shouted in reply, "It's because I'm a reindeer boy that I have an arm. I actually use these guns for something useful, and I don't have to spend eight hours in a sweaty gym with a bunch of other guys in tight pants either."

Hercules had been leaning over to pick up the ball, but Kristoff's words made him pause. He was silent for a moment before his shoulders lifted with a great sigh. He picked up the ball and turned around, tossing it up absentmindedly in the air. "…how do you two do that?"

"Do what?" Kristoff asked, eyes suspicious.

"You and Meg are a lot alike. You don't give a crap about what other people in this school think. And when they try to make fun of you for it, you turn their insults into compliments." A gentle smile spread across Hercules' face, and his eyes grew distant. "Meg used to play this game where she'd give herself points for every insult thrown her way, and if she could make the offender eat their words she'd take points away. If she ended up in the negatives she considered that day a win."

Hercules shook his head with a chuckle before his arm came up and the football was thrown. Kristoff let it come to him, cradling it with his arms as he caught it with no difficulty.

"I remember this one time one of the cheerleaders tried to make fun of her bike and she goes, I swear, word for word she said 'Better one bike than half the football team,' and God, I swear I thought the girl's head was going to explode!"

Kristoff snorted in amusement and threw the ball back. The pair was silent for a while and Kristoff watched as the smile slowly faded from Hercules' face, his features growing sad once again. He caught the ball once more, but he didn't throw it back this time.

"…how did I end up the bad guy?" And even though his question seemed genuine, something in Hercules' tone told Kristoff that he already, albeit partially, knew the answer.

So this was where Kristoff was supposed to help. He crossed his arms. "How do you think?"

Hercules frowned, shaking his head from side to side. "I don't know. Everything was great last year. Meg and I were happy, I wasn't always angry, and people didn't hate me. Teased me yeah, but... whatever. Meg… Meg said that-"

"Don't rely on Meg's common sense," Kristoff interrupted firmly, his voice hard. "If you don't like the way things are, it's your job to figure out what's wrong. And then, it's your job to fix them. It's not Meg's, and it's not mine. Toss it."

Hercules did as he was told, though he was glaring at Kristoff from across the field. Kristoff ignored it, and continued on once the ball was in his hands. "Anna and I didn't know you when you weren't a jerk. You only appeared in our lives after Hans. And you weren't a welcome addition."

"Look, I know I haven't exactly been Prince Charming but-"

Once again he was interrupted, with a football to the gut. He hadn't been expecting the throw, and the force behind it was staggering, but he held onto it even as pain flared in his abdomen.

"You ganged and the other guys ganged up on a 16 year old girl half your size and made fun of her, threatened her, and went out of your way to make her life difficult when things we're already difficult enough for her. Do you have any idea how hard these last few months have been on her?"

"Hard on her?!" Hercules shouted in disbelief, eyes angry. "In these last few months I've lost my girlfriend, our school championship, and two of my teammates. You know they aren't coming back to school this year, right? Any of them. Hans beat them so bad that not one of them left the hospital for a week! Eric was a senior! He needed this season to get noticed by scouts so he could get a scholarship and afford to go to college! Shang was in a coma for two days, because her brother bashed his head against a wall!"

"Yes, hard on her," Kristoff growled protectively. "Anna didn't lay a hand on your teammates. Blaming her for what her brother did is cruel and you know it! Because of what happened she lost the only family member she had left. Her parents died when she was just a kid. Her and Hans grew up alone. They meant everything to each other. When Hans went to the institution, Anna was scared. She had to stay at my house for a week because she was terrified of going back to their apartment alone. Without her brother."

Hercules' eyes were wide. He'd clearly had no idea. But Kristoff wasn't done yet. He began to approach the older boy, eyes threatening. "She stayed out of school for a few days because she was terrified of that too. Do you have any idea how hard it was to convince her to go back? And when she finally did, the very first day she came back, you and all your other friends threatened to not only kick the shit out of Hans, but her too. Remember that, Jerkules?"

Hercules' cheeks burned, and he looked away. When Kristoff saw the denial in his eyes he bared his teeth in a snarl and shoved Hercules backwards. Hercules stumbled but stayed upright.

"And not a day went by without a threatening glance, a vicious note in her locker, or some idiot prank by those floozies in those ridiculous skirts that trail after you morons like flies after my buddy Sven." Kristoff shoved him once again and this time Hercules did fall, tripping over his own feet and hitting the ground hard. "Do you think she deserved any of that? Was what Hans did in any way her fault? If you actually used your brain you'll remember that she always used to cheer you guys on at every football game, even in the winter when it was freezing or even if she had a whole load of homework to get through when she finally made it home. She always helped with your fundraisers, and even offered to be water girl for you guys. The only reason she wasn't was because Hans wanted her up in the stands, cheering."

Kristoff glared down at the boy sprawled out before him, hands clenched into fists at his side. Hercules laid limp on the ground, shame overcoming him as he remembered. He hadn't really known Anna before the incident, had never paid her any mind. Granted, that was around the time he and Meg had started having problems, so that might have been the reason.

Was it true? Had the team always meant that much to her? Had she really gone out of her way to be there for them? For her brother?

…and afterwards, had she really felt like he did? Alone? Scared?

Kristoff leaned down and grabbed a fistful of Hercules' collar. "You've been an asshole. Get over it. Figure out how to make it right, and maybe you'll get your girlfriend back. If not then hey, maybe you'll at least get some good karma going." He yanked upwards, and Hercules was lifted halfway off the ground, Kristoff's face close to his own. Again, Hercules was surprised by the younger boy's strength.

"Anna asked me to help, so I'll give you a hint. Try, put that tiny brain to work, and try to imagine how Anna felt. Every day when you teased her. Try to imagine what it feels like to be terrified of going to school, and of going home. Remember how you felt when you lost Meg? How do you think Anna felt when she lost Hans? Try and feel for a change, like a normal human being."

They stared at each other for a moment more before Kristoff let go of him. Hercules fell back against the grass with a huff, the football rolling out of his grasp. He heard footsteps and knew that Kristoff was walking away.

Terrified, huh?

Hercules looked up at the sky, and spread his arms out at his sides. He watched the clouds go by, head swimming with all the new information and perspective thrust upon him.

He'd had no idea the Christians were orphaned. Hans had never said anything. Granted, Hans had never talked about his personal life much. He never fancied any girls, and even though he went to parties all he ever really did was play beer pong and mix drinks for people. Even though he was charming, he was never all that social.

And outside of the teasing and the bullying, Hercules knew next to nothing about Anna. She was a firecracker, that much was obvious. But that was about as far as his knowledge extended.

Terrified of going to school, terrified of being alone…

An image flashed through his mind: his father, standing over him… belt in hand. Despite the heaviness in his heart, Hercules began to laugh. He threw an arm over his eyes to hide the water collecting in their corners as he continued to chuckle, the self-deprecation clear in the way his forehead creased, in the way his hands curled into fists.

Yeah. I know all about that.

A waitress brought their drinks and Anna let out a quiet 'Yes!' as she dragged her hot chocolate towards herself. Meg chuckled from across the table as she sipped at her iced green tea. "You know it's hot out, right Gingersnap?"

"So? People eat ice cream in winter, don't they?"

Meg cocked a brow and finished her sip before putting the cup back down. "True. So. What's up? Usually I'm the one that has to drag you out for coffee dates. What prompted this sudden burst of forwardness?"

Anna grinned mischievously. "What? Can't I just invite you out for coffee like a normal friend, without any ulterior motive?"

Meg grinned right back. "Of course you can. One thing you can't do however, is lie. So, Gingersnap," she leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table top. "Do you have an ulterior motive here?"

Anna bit her lip, nervous. Of course Meg would see right through her. She shouldn't have been in such a hurry… she could have at least waited until she'd gotten home. "Uh…"

"Don't you try and lie to me now, we both know you're no good at it."

Anna huffed, sipping at her hot chocolate and taking a big lick of whipped cream right off the top. "You're no fun. Yes, I have an ulterior motive. I, um… actually wanted to ask you something."

Meg froze. "And…" she paused to prop her elbows up on the table and carefully lace her fingers together, "What would that be?"

Anna took another lick of whipped cream before boldly stating, "I wanted to ask you about Hercules."

Meg's eyes immediately narrowed. "I'm sorry, what?" The words came out in a tumble, rushed and slightly high-pitched. Why the hell was Anna asking her about Wonder Boy of all people? That had been pretty much the last thing she would have expected. But then a thought occurred to her, an unpleasant thought. "He hasn't been bothering you again, has he? Because I swear if he has I'll-"

"No, no, don't worry about that. He hasn't been bothering me. I just um… well, I-I was wondering if you'd tell me about him. I mean, like… why you guys broke up." When Meg just stared at her in disbelief Anna shrugged, a shy smile on her face. "I realized today that I never really ask about how you're doing, or what's been going on in your life. I figured today was as good a day as any to start."

Meg was silent, weighing the possible truth of this in her head. She'd said it herself only minutes ago: Gingersnap was a terrible liar. And everything she'd said sounded genuine. So, maybe the younger girl really just was curious.

It's not like she doesn't have the right to be, I mean I did used to date one of the boys who's been making life difficult for her since her brother, well… did what he did. Then again, I did tell Herc to cool it… and if Anna says he hasn't been bothering her lately then maybe…

…no. We're not doing this now.

Meg took another sip of her tea before settling back into her chair. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before letting it out in an irritated sigh.

"Wonder Boy and I dated for about a year. When I first met him, he was a dork. He didn't play football, wasn't a meat head, and he was actually a sweetheart. He actually used to be a bookworm, loved Greek mythology and the long stories about the heroes like Perseus and Theseus. That's actually how we met; I was skipping class and I found him buried nose-deep in a book."

She paused to smile, reminiscing. "He was always so nervous around me. Always stuttering, apologizing if our hands ever accidentally touched. I… kinda liked how honest he was. He was cute too, even back then before all the muscles. And he was a gentleman. He was always holding doors for me, offering to carry my books even though he had practically no upper-body strength. It was adorable. It was like that for most of my junior year, his sophomore year. It was sweet, and easy and honest."

Her smile broke when the unpleasant memories started to come back.

"But something happened over the summer. Something family-related. All of a sudden, he was missing dates and canceling on me and we barely saw each other. He never even told me why. And when school started back up again, he was almost unrecognizable. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll never say no to muscles but… it was weird, seeing him like that for the first time. I mean, I saw the slight changes over the summer; his shoulders would seem slightly broader, his arms less, well… twiggy. But when I saw him at school on the first day, a poster boy for Muscle Milk, and he acted like nothing was different, it threw me for a loop."

"So… wait. He just decided to spend his summer at the gym instead of with his girlfriend?"

Meg nodded, her eyes distant. "Mm-hm. And then he told me he was trying out for the football team."

When Meg was silent, Anna ducked down to try and meet her friend's gaze. "And… that's… bad?"

Meg blinked in surprise. "No, no it's not that it was bad. I just… he'd never once expressed any interest in football. Ever. And honestly I never really liked any of the guys on the team. Your brother was alright, kept himself out of trouble. But… Herc wouldn't listen to me. He just kept saying 'I have to,' and he never answered any of my questions. Which wasn't like him."

Anna nodded, fingers drumming on her hot chocolate mug. "So… where's the part where he turns into a jerk?"

Meg chuckled sardonically. "Right about then, actually. He made it onto the team no problem, and after that things were back to being great. For a while. But then all of a sudden the people who'd made fun of him started treating him like a long-lost brother… and it started to go to his head. He forgot who he was. He forgot that he used to be one of the kids he was now antagonizing. He became the person that he'd come crying to me about before that summer."

Meg sighed, hands clenching so hard that her knuckles were white. "But that wasn't what bothered me the most. That wasn't really what broke us up. I broke up with him because… because he shut down. Emotionally. I tried to find out what was wrong, I tried to help him talk about it because I know him, and I know that there was something he wasn't telling me. But he kept acting like everything was fine, told me to stop being ridiculous."

Anna frowned. It was weird, how well she understood. Understood both of them, actually. Now she was curious. She reached out and laid a hand on top of Meg's, and smiled when Meg glanced up at her. She rubbed her thumb against Meg's warm skin, comfortingly.

"Maybe he's just scared. I know how that feels."

Meg's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're defending him. He's been an ass to you!"

Anna shrugged. "I know."

Doesn't mean he's hopeless.

Hey guys, sorry about the wait. Life was a bit tricky for a while, had a lot of shit happen and the words stopped flowing so I had to take a break. I'm back into it now though, so don't worry. And thanks for being patient :)

I personally enjoyed writing this chapter a lot; I know that because there's barely any Elsa some of you might be disappointed but I really wanted to explore the similarities between Herc and Anna, and even Meg and Kristoff. I personally see a lot of parallels between their dynamics. So it was a lot of fun to explore them in such a different setting.

As always, love you all!

-Cel