Heart's Promise

Chapter 1

It was raining. Again. Joe hmphed in frustration as his older brother Jin pressed his umbrella into his hands as he was leaving the car.

"Please don't make me use this." Joe pleaded with his brother. He held up the umbrella which was bright blue and featured Elsa from Frozen.

"You wanted it, now you use it." Jin shrugged.

"I wanted this when I was ten years old, not now!" Joe complained. "Why would you buy this now?!"

"It's not my fault that they didn't have another one at the store." Jin said. "Look, it's a perfectly good one, just take it."

"No, there's no way I'm walking into high school with this." Jin shook his head.

"Right, and then you will catch a cold." Jin commented. "And I will be the one to look after you. I have exams, I don't have the time for that. Stop being a baby."

"I am trying to be an adult if only you would let me." Joe made a face. "Adults don't use umbrellas with cartoon characters! I will be the subject of the teasing for the rest of the year. Please." Joe made a pouty face.

"Ahh fine!" Jin slapped the steering wheel. "Take mine." He gestured to his own umbrella which was resting in the backseat.

"Thanks!" Joe turned around and retrieved the black umbrella. "You're the best brother." He called out as he stepped out of the car and ran away without waiting to hear a response.

Jin sighed like an old man as he drove into the road. He prayed that the rain would lighten up by the time he reached college, else he would be the target of the entire college's teasing. Finally, Jin pulled into the college parking lot. The rain was coming down in torrents. He sat in the car, preparing for the worst. He had two choices. One, walk across in the pouring rain and sit in class soaking wet, risking a cold. Two, use the Elsa umbrella and risk everybody seeing it, culminating in the utter ruin of his tough boy image. Plus, there was the fact that he did have an exam tomorrow which meant that catching a cold was not an option. He could not sneeze his way through the exam.

Taking a deep breath, he took the umbrella and stepped out of the car. He made a run for it across the parking lot which was deserted. The college campus housed several buildings and he walked as fast as he could, hiding his face. Finally, he stepped into his building and closed the umbrella, coming face to face with his two best friends who raised their eyebrows at him. He groaned inwardly. They turned to look at each other and then burst out laughing.

"How's it been, "Elsa"?" Ren asked in between peals of laughter. Jin made a face at him as he stuffed the umbrella into the nearest bin he could find.

"Maybe, he's Anna." Mark suggested, his cheeks turning red from laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want." Jin pushed past them and into the class, the sound of their laughter following him. A moment later, the two of them sat on either side of Jin and huddled closer, telling more Frozen jokes.

"Really, grow up." Jin hissed at them as the teacher walked in.

At the end of the day, as they were leaving, it was still raining.

"What you gonna do now, Elsa?" Ren asked, earning himself a glare from Jin. The blue Frozen umbrella was nowhere to be seen. He had endured the teasing so that he wouldn't have to catch a cold and now it looked like he was going to get one anyway.

"Come on, I'll take you there." Ren raised his own umbrella. Mark waved at them as they parted ways. Reluctantly, Jin joined him and the two of them made their way across campus, huddled close under the umbrella.