TWENTY THREE:

Ruff had succeeded in her job of taking some excellent videos of the performances and she and Fish had posted them on BerkBook. Neither Hiccup nor Astrid had been aware this had been in the plan but they managed to laugh at their performances-and Astrid made Hiccup watch himself perform, pointing out he actually looked like a rock star with his wild auburn mop and searing emerald eyes.

"And I hope you realise that they're only for you," he pointed out, smiling.

"Good answer," she murmured, squeezing his hand.

Ingrid, Finn and Stoick had been shown the videos and they all agreed that the surprise had been amazing and that Hiccup and his friends had been astonishing in their skill. They also agreed that Astrid's response was pitch perfect and that the teens were a sweet couple and deserved each other. Hiccup spent Saturday evening over with Astrid, Ingrid and Finn and Stoick had come round as well, joining his old friend and having what for all intents and purposes was a good old-fashioned family meal together. Afterwards, Finn and Stoick had retired to the living room with beers and Ingrid had bustled round to tidy up then retired to let the teens spend time together in the kitchen.

"You know, I was scared I would mess it up and you would drop me like the worthless loser I am," Hiccup told her, his tone dry. She sighed and shook her head.

"You doofus!" she scolded him. "That was the best surprise that I ever had. And you kept the fact that you're a kick-ass musician from me!" He gave a small chuckle.

"I'm not that good-I just play for fun,' he murmured.

"Interesting choice of songs," she commented. He blushed.

"I play what I like-and Dad and Gobber have had some serious influences on my musical tastes," he confessed. "Besides, classics are classics because they're really, really good and stand the test of time."

"You changed the words to 'Angels'!" she pointed out and he sipped his hot chocolate-Stoick had made his special chocolate for the teens and Ingrid as a thanks for the invitation-before smirking.

"I prefer Valkyries," he murmured. "More precisely...you! And no one minded..."

"Ruff muttered but you're right," Astrid confessed. "And it was very sweet."

"Well, you made me into a Viking and gave me a coda...so the least I could do was to serenade you and try to tell you how much you mean to me,' he explained. "I mean, you have stood by me through some of the worst days of my life and you just light up my day. And I'm sorry this sounds a bit pathetic and needy but it's all true. I can never apologise for how I treated you when you first arrived and how I should have made up for it sooner..." She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his.

"Hiccup-we both know I wasn't going to accept anything until I was ready," she told him honestly. "And maybe it took Mom's illness and Finn's return to give me this chance. But what stuck was that you asked if I was okay. You knew I looked sad. And it was so telling that you were the only person who noted. I neglected you as well, you know. It was my fault that you ended up in that dumpster. I gave them the opportunity and you ended up hurt. And I never wanted that. Ever."

"I think we both needed the push," he smiled. "And I will never regret stepping up at the Valentine's Dance because you needed me and I had to be there for you!"

"You are so sappy," she told him. "But I was so happy that you came when I needed rescuing..." And then she smiled. "You know that I want you to be my date at the Prom?" His eyes widened and he gasped.

"Me?' he checked and then he pulled back to look into her face. "Are you sure? I mean, I was kicked out of the last dance I was at for fighting. I'm a scrawny auburn fishbone and you are the sizzling Valkyrie and soon-to-be film star! And...I would love to." She gave a relieved sigh.

"I thought you were about to turn me down!" she mumbled. He quickly kissed her.

"I am completely honoured," he reassured her. "I just had to give you the chance to reconsider your offer before you were landed with a hopalong Hiccup as your date."

"You mean my sizzling, smart, sassy, singing boyfriend?" she teased him. He chuckled.

"Still not sizzling but I get the idea," he winked. "Now...Milady...what shall we do now?"

oOo

Atali and Mindy returned to school the following week and when they had walked into the Hallway, both had expected the immediate recognition and adulation they had basked in prior to their suspension. Yet the crowds had been indifferent and the two Senior had been forced to shove their way through, the bustling junior students treating them like normal students. Especially when they looked up as Astrid, Heather and Ruff walked in, followed by Hiccup, Tuff and Fishlegs. Atali's face had twisted in anger at the looks of admiration and smiles that appeared at the sight of the Seniors. Heather had paused and spoken to a young, upset-looking Sophomore that Atali wouldn't have given the time of day to, leaving the younger girl smiling and looking less unhappy. So the two returnees had planted themselves firmly in the middle of the Hallway in the path of the friends.

Ruff sized them up and down in less than a second and flipped them off.

"Hi Atali-got a new job as a Hallway pillar?" she asked. There were gasps.

"Is that any way to treat a friend?" Atali asked her sharply, her eyes hard with anger. She hated being ignored and if she had to start a fight in the middle of the Hallway to make herself the centre of attention once more, then she was more than prepared to do it. Though Ruff wouldn't have been her choice of opponent.

"Not seeing a friend, to be honest," the female twin snarked back. "Just a nasty vicious spiteful lying self-centred needy bitch who dumps on the people she surrounds herself with and uses them to validate a narrative that bears no resemblance to real life or to your lacking people skills, personality or intelligence!" There were more gasps as Hiccup stood behind Astrid.

"Did Atali really challenge Ruff?' he murmured.

"I think she hoped to get me first," she replied softly. "But I know that Ruff has been spoiling for this fight."

"You know, you should be thanking me for taking you on, you weird skank!" Atali sneered. "You're strange looking, you have insane taste in clothes and you can't appreciate what good fortune you have in being friends with the most beautiful and cultured student in the school!"

"Except that ain't you!" Ruff snarked, folding her arms and staring hard at Atali. "Astrid is far prettier than you-always has been. You have all the culture of a tub of cottage cheese and none of the appeal. You are the boringest student in the school with no opinion and just a vacant echo of whatever influencer or pop star you idolise this week and you're spiteful and shallow. You only wanted to befriend Astrid because you thought she had a famous relative-after years of treating her like dirt and telling everyone she was cheap and worthless-despite her patently being prettier, more interesting and smarter than you. And what a surprise! When you 'generously' welcomed her to the group, she showed you up for the phoney you are. And you were so jealous that when the Valentine's Dance came round, you couldn't handle it. You had to bring some big I am to the Dance, a guy who was a total ass and who tried to force someone who didn't want to dance with him. And you harangued her when she didn't want to dance with your date! You are pretty messed up! You couldn't wait to support Snot's lies, you told people to bully and troll Hiccup and Astrid and you got suspended for basically being such an evil bitch. And by then, you'd already lost half your friends for your vicious behaviour!"

The gasps were louder and you could have heard a pin drop. Atali's face was red with anger and her green eyes flashed. Then she looked past Ruff.

"Heather," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "You'll help me out..." The raven-haired girl looked surprised.

"Excuse me?' she asked.

"We were friends from the start of Freshman Year and you were a loyal and good friend," Atali said, her tone whining. "You can see I was undermined and betrayed but this weirdo and that treacherous Astrid..."

"My original best friend whose friendship I maintained despite you wanting me to cut her off as a rival from when she had to take time out of school after her father tragically died?" Heather asked sharply, standing shoulder to shoulder with the blonde. She suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to wipe the slate clean for once and get all her frustration off her chest. "What kind of evil bitch ostracises someone who has just lost her Dad and tries to make everyone blank her just so they can be the top dog? A decent person would be kind to someone who had lost a parent so tragically. Instead...you chose to be callous and a total bitch."

"But I welcomed you! You owe me! You must help me make up my work and succeed and..." Atali protested.

"I don't have to do anything," Heather told her bluntly. "I've found much better friends, true friends who support you through good and bad. And if you asked for assistance to catch up, I would consider it. But there is nothing I have to do."

"And you! You treacherous bitch!" Atali sneered, rounding on Astrid. "I welcomed you to my circle..."

"Because you wanted to get your hands on my Uncle, who you found out was famous," Astrid told her calmly. "So after three years of treating me like dirt, you suddenly decided you wanted into my life because you might get to see the inside of a Movie Set. How shallow are you? You expected everything immediately, treated me like a servant and there was always the feeling that I was a second class citizen..." Her blue eyes hardened. "You really weren't subtle or patient. And I admit I was desperate for friendship...but even I could see it wasn't right and in the end, it was no challenge to decide that I choose people who really wanted to be friends rather than users like you."

Atali gaped and stared. The students were all wide-eyed. Mindy looked embarrassed and Eret and Thuggory-who were standing back-made no move to help Atali. Then Astrid shook her head.

"The bell's gone," she announced. "Some of us actually come here to learn, rather than just bitch and pose." And then she turned, brushed past Atali as if she was nothing and headed for her lessons. Hiccup didn't even spare the redhead a glance as he walked after his girlfriend and the Hallways rapidly emptied. Lips pursed, Atali glared after them.

"This isn't over," she swore.

oOo

"You don't think Atali will try to strike back at Astrid?" Ruff's voice was thoughtful as she sat opposite Heather in lunch. Astrid and Hiccup had headed out early for their AP English as they had an assignment they wanted to plan before the lesson started. The raven-haired girl frowned and then nodded.

"I think...it's inevitable," she confessed. "Look, we've been 'friends' with Atali for three years..." She mimed 'air quotes' around the word 'friends' as Ruff snorted in amusement.

"Friends being a loose term for 'people who may be of use to Atali at some point as long as they agree with her and flatter her a lot," Ruff put in. Heather nodded.

"We both know her whole worth is built on being what is expected of her as Queen Bee, as most popular girl...as Prom Queen..." she commented. "Atali had her entire High School career planned-and when Astrid arrived at school on day one, it was likely Atali would be thwarted until Asti lost her Dad. She's a ruthless bitch and the way she treated Astrid was cruel...but since Astrid had her chance, she showed that she's a much better person. This is Atali's last chance."

"And she'll use it to be small and venal," Ruff guessed. "She's on the Prom Committee, isn't she?" Heather nodded.

"And she'll use that to try to get back," Heather sighed.

"I thought that Prom was a School function, not Atali's personal party," Ruff commented. "And any attempt on her part to treat it like her personal event should be thwarted."

"But who is going to know? And who is going to stand up?" Heather sighed. Tuff popped up, handing candy bars to the two girls.

"I think it's our duty," he commented. Ruff punched his shoulder half-heartedly.

"But Atali isn't likely to just spill her plans to us," she pointed out. "I mean, I just chewed her a new one in the School Hallway."

"So we use a Trojan Horse," Tuff suggested. Heather frowned.

"What?" she asked. Tuff paused and took a big bite of his candy bar.

"We put someone on the Prom Committee who will feed back to us what she's up to," he explained and then looked around, leaning close and lowering his voice. "Justin."

"Justin?" Heather frowned.

"Justin," Tuff said knowingly. "I tutor him in Chemistry and have since last year. He's an okay guy who just wants to work in the cosmetics industry."

"He's the skinny guy, about seventy pounds dripping wet who's more camp than a summer in Camp Twilight Of The Gods who wanted to drape the Hallway in pink feathers for Valentines?" Heather checked as Tuff nodded.

"That's the one. I mean, how many Justins are there in a Viking-themed School like Berk High? Atali thinks he's wonderful because he does most of the work with no desire for any recognition," he explained. "He's very artistic and loves romance...hence, he wants to see the Astrid and Hiccy show..."

"We all want in on that one," Ruff commented, fist-bumping her twin. "Are you sure he would be up for this?" Tuff winked.

"He came up to me at Break and asked if I wanted him to feed back information," he revealed. "Astrid was really nice to him when Moomin and Boarnose started picking on him in Corridor E. After she's kicked their asses, of course..."

"Hey-when did that happen?" Heather asked with a frown.

"Friday lunchtime-when you were helping those three Freshman not have nervous breakdowns because they had been given 'Beowulf' to read over the weekend..." Tuff explained. "She sorted them out, dusted him down, helped him sort out his sheepskin vest and then walked him back to his class before she joined us for lunch."

"That would explain why Moomin was moaning so much in Viking History in the afternoon," Ruff commented unsympathetically. "I would have teased him more if I'd know he'd been beaten up by our own Valkyrie..." Heather frowned.

"Do you know when the publicity shots are coming out?" she murmured, lowering her voice. Ruff frowned.

"What are you planning?" she asked.

"Atali can scheme all she wants but she won't want to be the person who bars the Valkyrie from her own Prom," Heather murmured. She nodded. "Tuff-get Justin to act as our spy. I will contact Fearless Films and have a word with Finn. I don't want Astrid to be upset but I know her Uncle will want to help her have a perfect Prom with Hiccup."

"That's what we all want," Riff sighed and glanced over to Dagur, who was thumbing his way down his BerkBook feed. "Well that and getting aboard the Dagret train..." Heather rolled her eyes.

"You cannot force people to acknowledge what they are unless they want to," she sighed. "And my brother knows that." The twins shared a look.

"But what if there was?" Ruff asked. "I'll recruit Fishface as well-and then we can make sure that Astrid and Hiccy have a Prom to remember and your brother gets a shot at his happy ending..."

oOo

Quietly working in the library, Hiccup was so absorbed in the task at hand that he completely failed to notice someone coming up to him-until a familiar voice shattered his concentration.

"Um...Hiccup...could I have a word with you...please?"

He started and looked up at Snotlout's familiar stocky shape, his blue eyes piercingly fixated on the seated Hiccup, Straightening up, the auburn-haired teen swallowed.

"About what...Simon?" he asked guardedly. Snotlout chewed his lip and took a deep breath.

"Please...I just need your help," he said. Hiccup sagged.

"Everyone else turned you down, didn't they?" he guessed dryly. Snotlout scowled.

"Well, yes-but I'm not talking about tutoring," he admitted and Hiccup's eyes narrowed. Now he was perplexed.

"Then why are you here?" he asked.

"Please-could I sit down?" the stocky boy asked. "My leg does hurt and though I don't want to appear weak in front of the kids, I would hope you could understand that at least..." Mentally kicking himself, Hiccup gestured to the chair opposite and Snotlout manoeuvred himself to sit at an angle and look at his cousin.

"Okay-speak," Hiccup invited him, his tone guarded. He had experienced more than his fair share of Snotlout's unpleasantness and knew full well who had decided to trap him in the dumpster and who had pushed him down the stairs. Snotlout nodded.

"I...need your help, your advice with Mindy," he said quietly. Hiccup blinked in shock and stared: that was the last thing he expected to come from Snotlout's mouth.

"Um...not sure someone who's 'Useless' could have anything to offer you," he replied sarcastically. Snotlout scowled briefly before he forced his expression neutral.

"I'm sorry," he forced himself to say-and to Hiccup's ears, the words sounded very grudging. "That was a cruel thing to say. Because it's pretty obvious to everyone-including me-that you aren't useless. You are a smart guy. You understand this school stuff in a way I never will. You have friends who stick with you, no matter what. You've got a girlfriend who clearly really likes you. You're some freaking rock god, for Thor's sake! And what am I? Dumb as pond weed, no future at all left with my busted knee and now Mindy has dumped me." Hiccup frowned, inspecting Snotlout's face. There was a flicker of insight that was unusual as well as the overwhelming self-pity.

"I'm sorry," he said automatically. "I saw her storm out of Muttonhead's."

"She was really impressed at how you and the guys were playing and I..." Snotlout deflated, his shoulders slumping. "I was jealous. I kept bitching and she told me I was being an immature self-absorbed asshole and stormed out."

"Ah." Hiccup wasn't sure what else he could say. Snotlout rubbed his chin.

"I wanted to ask you if you could help me. Please," he asked quietly. "I-I don't know what to do. I've tried calling Mindy but she won't answer. I've texted her. I can't get close to her because Atali tells me I'm a waste of space. I-I don't know what to do. And you're smart and you seem to understand how this relationship thing works..." Hiccup gave a small, bitter laugh.

"You have no idea," he replied quietly, sitting back in his seat. Snotlout was about the last person he wanted to spend any time with, let alone bare any of his inner feelings to-but Hiccup could recognise an attempt at a genuine plea when he heard one. "I tried to communicate with Astrid for years but she brushed me off." Snotlout opened his mouth and then snapped it shut.

"So what happened?" he asked.

"She was angry and didn't want to listen," Hiccup told him neutrally. "But I didn't give up. I didn't get snarky. I just remained her friend until she decided to give me a chance." Snotlout frowned.

"That doesn't sound like a plan," he said accusingly.

"If someone doesn't want to talk to you, then you can't force them," Hiccup reminded him. "You can't force them to give you a chance."

"But Mindy has to," Snotlout protested. "I really really care for her. And I want to go to the Prom with her."

"Does she want to go with you?" Hiccup asked him.

"Of course!" his cousin responded immediately. "I mean-why shouldn't she? I'm awesome and handsome and..." Hiccup raised an eyebrow and Snotlout sighed. "I haven't asked her."

"So why should she want to go to the Prom with you?" Hiccup asked him carefully.

"Because she's my girlfriend," Snotlout answered as if it was obvious.

"Is she?" Hiccup asked him pointedly. "She may not think so. Not any more."

"But we've been together for years..." Snotlout commented. Rubbing his brow and wondering just how oblivious his cousin truly was, Hiccup sighed.

"You paired up because you were in the popular group," he pointed out. "But did you take her on dates, do anything special with her apart from in the group?"

"I gave her a Valentines card every year."

"You gave all the girls a Valentine's card-even Astrid, who binned it and called you out," Hiccup pointed out.

"I went to all the dances with her."

"And..."

"And I took her to the Bar," Snotlout said suddenly. His cousin blinked.

"Really? That is the only date you've taken her on?" he asked in astonishment. Snotlout reluctantly nodded. "And is it any wonder she's not convinced that she wants to be with you?" Eyes wide, Snotlout stared at him in shock.

"But I'm her boyfriend and we've been together since Freshman Year!" Snotlout protested.

"So that's an obligation? She can't change her mind?" Hiccup prompted him.

"But dumping a guy because he's had some bad luck? That's shallow!" Hiccup narrowed his eyes at the outraged tone that his cousin had used with no hint of irony.

"Your friends are shallow-as are you," Hiccup told him pointedly. "You dumped me when I was injured in an accident. It's hardly a shock they ditched you when you no longer were perfect..."

"But I'm just hurt, not crippled!" Snotlout protested as his cousin folded his arms and looked at him unsympathetically. He shouldn't have been surprised at the cruel words but they still stung-especially when he hadn't told Snot to go jump off a cliff as he should have.

"You think your gang of deep thinkers can tell the difference?" he asked pointedly. Snotlout frowned.

"But I'm their leader!"

"Not any more, I think," Hiccup told him bluntly. "Atali has rejected you as have Thug and Eret. From what I saw, the rest of the Football team are blanking you-even though you insist on turning up to all the practices..."

"Well, my Dad told them I was still part of the team and the coaches..."

"Humoured him," Hiccup said quietly. "The Coach knows you're never playing again-for the school or in college. The team do as well-and good friends would make you feel included-but there seems to be a disease in this school which means the popular and sporty guys and girls treat anyone who isn't them as inferiors or nothing. Normal people don't behave like that."

"They're good with me..." Snotlout argued as Hiccup sighed.

"Whatever," he said suddenly, gathering his books. "You know what? I don't have time to listen to you delude yourself. Dagur's on the team, remember? I know exactly how things go down. Have fun." He rose and Snotlout suddenly looked alarmed.

"No-please don't go!" he begged. "Please, Hiccup..." The auburn-haired teen paused.

"Snotlout-I can't help you if you aren't honest with yourself, let alone me," he told his cousin.

"So that means you'll help me?" Snotlout said, jumping onto the words.

"Not without honesty-and maybe an apology for what you did," Hiccup told him, exasperated.

"But..."

"But what, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked him, glaring. "You have treated me badly since I suffered the loss of my leg in a fire. You and my friends all dumped me, you treated me like crap, you locked me in a freezing dumpster with no thought for the consequences, you and your friends ambushed me in the bathrooms and you shoved me down the stairs. You could have killed me-so why the Helheim should I lift a finger to help you? By all rights, you should have been expelled! Or at least suspended! Instead, you come here, still arrogant and entitled and deluding yourself and never owning what you yourself have done! If your relationship with Mindy is in trouble, it's because of how you have behaved towards her-or not behaved. But in the end, it's not my problem!"

"I'm sorry!" Snotlout spat. "Okay? I'm sorry!"

"Real sincere," Hiccup told him sarcastically. Snotlout opened his mouth...and then he shut it, his eyes glittering. He fiddled with his fingers and shifted in his seat. Finally, he looked up.

"I'm jealous of you," he said through gritted teeth. "Because all I am-I was-is bound up with being a jock, a sportsman. I mean, no matter what I tell myself, I'm not book smart and I will be lucky to graduate without summer school. I've lost my Scholarship and College place because...well, I won't play football again. When you got injured, we were pretty foul to you. But you made new friends, you remained a decent guy and you managed to make friends with Astrid. You're not bad looking, your Dad clearly likes you and she...well, she really likes you as well. Me-well, I lost everything. But I really like Mindy and I always wanted to go to Prom with her." He paused and looked up. "You never wondered why I wasn't going out with Atali-you know, Queen Bee and Football Captain type of thing? It's because I always liked Mindy. I turned Atali down-boy, she was pissed. And out of all the group, Mindy is the only one I wanted to keep in my life."

"And did you ever tell Mindy this?" Hiccup asked quietly. There was a pause and Snotlout shook his head.

"I'm not good with words," he explained sheepishly. "I kind of hoped she would know. And the others would just rib me if I said anything soppy." Hiccup sighed and sat back down.

"Word of advice: women like the soppy stuff..." Hiccup told him ironically. "You need to tell Mindy what you think and ask her-humbly and genuinely-if she would do you the honour of going to the Prom with you."

"I know Atali will want her to double date with her so they can go with Eret and Thug," Snotlout grumbled.

"Do you want my help or not?" Hiccup asked him as his cousin looked up. Snotlout nodded but sagged.

"Yes-but she won't even listen to me," he admitted in a defeated voice. Hiccup sighed, cursing himself. Snotlout had been a pain in his ass for most of his life: a bully, self-important, selfish and aggressive...but there had been moments when he had been good. And sometimes, Snot had been there, helping his skinny cousin and playing with him when others wouldn't. Those moments had become fewer and fewer as they got older but there were still some that Hiccup could recall.

"Leave that to me," he told his cousin, seeing Snotlout stare at him in shock. "I have a plan."