"Do you have any other bruises?" Merida asked. Rapunzel nodded.
"Where?" Jack said as he locked his bedroom door. Rapunzel's hands flew to her stomach and she cowered back onto the bed. Merida sat down next to her.
"Punzie, you have to show us. If you want, the boys will leave," Rapunzel looked down at her hand. She then grabbed the edge of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing her bra and tons of black and blue bruises. The other three gasped. Rapunzel started crying. Soon the four were all hugging the girl.
After about ten minutes. Rapunzel wiped her nose and placed her shirt back on.
"I need to go. Mother will be angry," she muttered as she headed for the door.
"Oh, no you don't," Jack said, stepping in front of the door.
"Jack, move!" She pushed out of the way and bolted for the stairs. Merida dived for the girl, tackling her feet. Hiccup than ran ahead of them blocking the front door. Jumping off the floor, Rapunzel shoved Hiccup towards the side.
"Ow," Hiccup grabbed his side. Confused, Rapunzel stopped. He didn't hit his side. But something had happened for every time he inhaled, he would wince in pain.
"Oh my God, Hiccup, I'm so sorry," Rapunzel said as she knelt down next to him.
"What's up?" Jack came up to the two.
"Nothing, I'm fine." Hiccup said, trying to get up but then fell back down.
"Hiccup," Jack warned. "Tell us what happened right now or we'll do it by force." Hiccup looked up at him and then looked down.
"Oh, crap," he mumbled before lifting his shirt up. There, right underneath his last rib, was a huge back and blue bruise about the size of a fist.
"Oh my God, Hiccup. Did I just do that?" Rapunzel gasped.
"No, it's okay. I already had it," Hiccup sighed.
"Hiccup, did Flynn do it?" Jack asked, kneeling down. Hiccup stared at Jack. Then finally, he nodded.
"I'm sorry I am such a wimp, Jack," Hiccup mumbled. They all, then, sat down on the couch.
"So… Anyone else have any other secrets?" Jack asked, breaking the silence. Everyone looked at Merida. She sighed.
"Yeah, I do." She admitted. The others waited.
"What level in math are you guys?" she asked.
"Average Algebra, but I don't see how-," Jack started.
"Just answer the question," Merida huffed.
"Geometry," Rapunzel answered.
"Honors," Hiccup told them.
"Okay, what level are you in in Reading and English,"
"Average, again," Jack said, quite annoyed.
"Honors," Rapunzel said.
"Same," Hiccup nodded towards Rapunzel.
"Well, you see, in Scotland, I was homeschooled. But I could get out of it really easily. And instead, I learned archery and horseback. In math and science, I am at 5th grade level. Reading and English, I'm at 6th grade." Merida admitted.
"What about history?" Rapunzel asked.
"Oh, I'm average in history," Merida answered.
"Well, it just so happens, you have befriended some pretty smart people," Jack said, motioning to Hiccup and Rapunzel. They laughed.
"Yeah, I guess I did get lucky there," She smiled at her friends.
"Your turn, Jack." Hiccup said.
"What, me?" Jack said. He was tempted to tell them his secret. No, they wouldn't believe me and would leave. He decided.
"Yeah, you," Rapunzel said.
"I don't have any secrets," Jack replied.
"That's bull crap," Merida stated.
"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. I am-," he was interrupted when there was a knock in the door. Rapunzel gasped.
"It's Mother!" She whimpered.
"Did you tell her you're here?" Hiccup asked. Rapunzel shook her head.
"Frizzball, go hide with Rapunzel, quickly," Jack whispered. Once the two girls got out of site, Jack opened the front door.
"Hello, can I help you?" Jack asked.
"Yes, I'm here to pick Riley up," the woman stated, trying to look behind Jack.
"Rapunzel? She's not here. She left about two hours ago," Jack quickly did the math in his head.
"Oh, really? Then how come her phone is here? I tracked it to this house," She smiled.
"Oh, yeah," Jack turned, "Hiccup, go get Punzie's phone. She left it on the kitchen counter." Jack turned back to Rapunzel's mother.
"May I come in and wait?" it wasn't that much of a question. Before Jack could answer, she pushed past him. Hiccup came carrying her phone.
"H-here you –hic- go," Hiccup stuttered as he gave her Rapunzel's phone. The woman snatched it out of his hand and started looking around.
"Umm, are you looking for something?" Jack asked. The woman just glared at him.
After 10 minutes, she seemed satisfied.
"Let's go upstairs," she said, starting up the stairs. The boys followed each other. They watched as the woman looked in every possible hiding spot. Jack caught his breath when she opened up his bedroom door. Rapunzel's stuff was still on the bed. They walked in. Jack sighed with relief. Punzie's stuff was nowhere to be seen. But he did notice the window was open.
Eventually, the woman decided that Rapunzel wasn't there.
"I'll be watching you," was all she said as she left the house. As soon as the door closed, Hiccup ran upstairs. Jack followed him. The two went to the open window.
"She's gone," Hiccup called out. He bent out of the window and helped pull Rapunzel back into the house. Merida climbed in after her. They were all quiet.
"Now what am I going to do? She'll kill me if I go back now," Punzie whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"We'll figure something out," Jack told her. They all froze when they heard the front door open.
"Jack!" Jack ran out of the room, the other three following him.
"Hey, North." Jack greeted. The other three looked between Jack and the big Russian man.
"M-Mr. North is your-," Hiccup stuttered. Jack laughed.
"No, legal guardian," he assured them.
"Yes, yes," North said. "Jack, Aster, Sandy, and Tina are coming tonight."
"Cool, um, we have a problem," Jack said, glancing at Rapunzel.
"Yes," he saw Jack glance at the blond. Punzie rubbed her wrist. He understood. He walked over to the girl. She stepped back.
"How long?" North asked. Rapunzel hesitated.
"Two years," she mumbled, confused on how he knew.
"What do we do? Her mom came over and searched the whole house. She and Merida hid outside." Hiccup said.
"Well, she knows about this house so Ms. Corona can't stay here," North said.
"I told her about Merida," Rapunzel admitted. Everyone looked towards Hiccup.
"My dad wouldn't allow it," he mumbled.
"Don't worry, we figure something out," North told them. Just then someone knocked on the door. The four teenagers jumped. Hiccup, Jack, and Merida stepped in front of Rapunzel, hiding her from view. North got the door. In walked Aster, Sandy, and Tina. The kids relaxed and stepped back.
"Hey, mate." Aster greeted North. He had dark hair with a navy blue tint and was very tall. Sandy waved. His clothes were golden and matched his spiked up gold hair.
"Hi, North. Hi, Jack! Who are your friends?" Tina buzzed. She had dark brown hair with strands of purple, blue, and green.
"Oh, this is Hiccup, Frizzball, and Rapunzel," Jack motioned to each one as he said their name.
"What kind of names are those?" Aster laughed.
"Nicknames. I'm actually Merida," the red-head said as she glared Jack.
"And what about you two?" Aster motioned to Hiccup and Rapunzel.
"Oh, well my name is Riley but everyone calls me Rapunzel," Punzie told them.
"I'm Henry Haddock, but you can call me Hiccup," Hiccup said.
"And everyone, this is, um, Aster, Sandy, and Tina," Jack told his friends.
"Enough chitchat! Aster, Sandy, Tina! Follow me. We must talk," North boomed. The three guest followed the Russian out of the room. The four teens then went up to Jack's room.
The adults talked for a long time. Bored, Jack turned on some music.
"Oh, I love this song," Rapunzel squealed, grabbing Merida and swinging her around. The boys laughed. The two girls danced next to each other, mimicking the others dance moves. After that song ended, Rapunzel spun over to where Jack was sitting. She grabbed his hands and pulled him up. They started dancing together. They kept at it through to the next song. Merida grabbed Hiccup's arm and pulled him to the other two. They all spread around the room, laughing and doing their own dance moves.
Finally, the song ended. They all plopped down on the bed, breathing heavy.
"That was fun!" Rapunzel gasped.
"Anyone want to get a snack?" Jack asked, standing up. The others followed him down to the kitchen. He got four cokes and popped some popcorn. They headed back up to the room and piled onto the bed. Jack then turned on the TV.
Hiccup woke up about an hour later. The other three were sleeping still on the bed. Smiling, he laid back down.
"I'm glad you're all my friends," He said out loud before falling back asleep.
