Hiccup's POV

"Astrid," I said, breathing hard and not looking at my girlfriend, "this really isn't working out."

"What're you saying?" Astrid's voice was laced with venom and it made me recoil slightly. "What are you talking about Hiccup?"

"You know what I mean," I sighed. "I think this isn't working out. Me. You. It's not going well. At all. We never speak, we're always fighting -"

"That's not it, is it?" she snarled. "I know what it is now. It's Merida. I should have guessed. You've gone and fallen for Merida."

"What? She's my best friend. What are you on about?"

"You've got to be blind to see she doesn't like you," Astrid folded her arms tightly over her chest and refused to look at me. "She's always looking at you. Talking to you. Laughing with you."

"And you're jealous of that?"

Astrid didn't reply.

"I just don't understand you Astrid. Why would you be jealous of her? Anyway - I don't know what you've heard about Merida but I haven't fallen for her at all. I just don't think me and you are going well at the moment. I'm calling it."

"What?"

"I, Gods - this is awkward - I don't want to go out anymore, okay?"

"You could have said."

Astrid lept up and stormed out of my room, slamming the door behind her. I felt no guilt, only a huge wave of relief. There was no way I was going to allow that to continue any further. It was the worst relationship (and only relationship) that I'd ever been in. It couldn't continue.

I had no idea what Astrid had meant when she said something about Merida liking me. She just wasn't that type of girl. We'd grown up side by side virtually; right from when we were little kids in primary school, through the changes of secondary school and here we were in year 11. It's awkward as hell, I'll give you that.

Everyone, I mean everyone, has changed. Some people, like Snotlout and Fishlegs, not so much. Bit of failed facial hair and some disgusting body odour but that's about it. Jack, my best friend, started secondary school with mousy brown hair. Now he's dying it white. We call him Jack Frost now. Me? I've grown. Not much else. My hair's longer and even messier, and I guess I'm not the talking fishbone of my youth. I've even got a bit of stubble. Nothing to be overly proud of but it's not too bad.

Merida hasn't changed much, but she's grown taller and she's just, different. She's been my friend for so long it was weird to see the change she made from young girl to young woman. Part of me knows she'd climb the nearest tree she saw or jump in the nearest puddle in spite of this. I love that about her. She makes me laugh and ever since Astrid said that Merida 'liked me' I sat down and had a good think. Merida had been pretty quiet recently, she hadn't been talking to me or Astrid. That was weird in itself. She often talked to Astrid, to be polite. They're not great friends but Merida put up with her because she was with me. Astrid that is.

I dug underneath my bed and got out a battered tin as I sat cross-legged on my bedroom floor. I lifted the lid and poured the contents onto the carpet. Mine and Merida's memory box we'd made at the end of primary school.

I found a note from Reception that had Merida's almost unreadable scribble -

Deer Hikup -

Can you meet me arfter skool tooday? We can play dragon and soljers.

From Merida

I found notes we'd passed to each other in classes; I laughed as I read our conversations from all those years ago. In one we'd been drawing our favourite dragons that we'd made up - Merida always had the best imagination when it came to the naming. I remembered one conversation we'd had in year three -

"What kind of name is a nightmare?"

"I thought it was good -"

"Hiccup, it's a dragon. It has to be scary!"

"Fine! Monstrous Nightmare then."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure. I think it's a more grown-up word for bad."

"I like it. You're getting the hang of this."

I smiled as I sifted through drawings and photos from long-gone sleepovers and parties, birthday cards and invitations. I got to the bottom of the pile and an A4 sized book fell out. Our Year 6 yearbook. I hadn't seen it for fiveyears; I tore it open and found my particularly cringe-worthy page. I had much shorter hair, really bad dress sense and a face full of freckles back then. I flipped to Merida's and grinned as I saw her as she was when she was younger. She wasn't very different, she just had braces back then.

I put the box back under my bed and picked up my phone. I tapped on my photos app and scrolled through. I grinned at mine and Merida's failed selfies and then found one where we actually were smiling properly. It was when we'd been out for the day in London with Jack and Rapunzel.

We'd visited everywhere there was to visit but Merida said she'd really wanted to go to the Tower. Rapunzel had wanted to go to Madame Tussaud's so Jack went with Rapunzel and I went with Merida. We'd had a really good time and seeing Merida like this made me backtrack. We'd taken it in the evening, just before we met back up with Jack and Rapunzel. I felt a kind of swoop in my stomach as I looked at her, genuinely smiling. Hang on, she wasn't even looking at the camera. She was looking sideways - at me. Maybe Astrid was right.

Part of me really wished she was. The other part of me screamed "what the hell? You literally just broke up with Astrid! The girl you said you loved! You should be crying your eyes out - not drooling over someone else!" To hell with it, the other part of me said. I'm a free man, I can do what I want. Astrid's gone. I was glad. I kept staring at the damn screen with that selfie for another hour. I couldn't get Merida off of my mind - no matter how hard I tried. Why? What was wrong with my head? I decided to call Jack. He'd been my best guy friend for a long time, he'd have to have some advice. No matter how atrocious it was.

"Hey Hiccup."

"Hey. Um - I need your advice."

"On what?"

"Girls."

"You're talking to the master. What's the problem?"

"I just broke up with Astrid -"

"Upset? I can help you with tha-"

"It's not that. I'm really happy I'm rid of her. But it's someone else that's the problem."

"Merida."

"Yeah - wait - what?" I exclaim. "H-how did you know?"

Jack sighed down the line. "Do you know how obvious it is that you two like each other?"

"What d'you mean?"

"The pair of you are just made for each other. You're always together -"

"Just as friends, yeah -"

"Always talking and laughing -"

"Yeah, as friends -"

"And she admitted to me that she really likes you."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, last week. That's why she didn't sit with you in the canteen. She's too embarrassed to. She's liked you for a while and when you started going out with Astrid she was heart broken."

"Why would she tell you?"

"Technically, no. She told Punzie, Punzie told me. You know what she's like with secrets."

I sighed.

"Did she say when she started liking me?"

"A couple of months back. About the time we went to London."

That figured.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you get Rapunzel to talk to her for me?"

"Why? Didn't you know she liked you?"

I groaned in frustration.

"No, I knew all along. Of course I didn't know you imbecile!"

I couldn't see but I knew that Jack was grinning down his end. Sure enough, I heard a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"It's so damn obvious you like her too!"

"I don't like her!"

"Whatever. Look - I really have to go. Rapunzel's coming over soon and I -"

"Need to get ready." I finished his sentence for him. "You've been going on about this date for centuries."

"What can I say? Rapunzel's just - woah..."

"Yeah yeah yeah," I snap, "I've heard. She's the sun to your sky, the stars to your night, the trunk to your elephant, all that shit, I know." Jack chuckled again.

"See you tomorrow Dragon Man."

"See you Frosty."

I hung up and chucked my phone onto my bed before collapsing onto it. I hugged my pillow to my chest and sighed. Why was this so damn comfusing? Why were girls so hard to understand? I took off my shirt and trousers and climbed under the covers to sleep. I'd shower in the morning; I'd had too much stress for one day.