Hey! I am back again, this time with chapter 11. If it took longer than you hoped, then I'm sorry – I've just been – well, busy. It turns out playing baseball and running track at the same time takes even more time than I thought. Add school and other activities to that, and writing ends up getting put off. So my updates will most likely be severely delayed. But I am now a Varsity baseball catcher and a top-grade track runner, so I am happy.
Anyway, I was hoping to get a little further than I did in this chapter, but I didn't. It took too long to close out Henry's first day of school – hell, it's not even over yet. The reason why is I needed to introduce a few more characters and I also decided to add a major scene – actually based off of a conversation I had with some reviewer, I forget who, about who was stronger, Henry or Scott. So thank you, whoever that was, you helped inspire most of this chapter. :)
And I am so proud of myself! I think I replied to every single review that wasn't a guest review. If you reviewed after the posting of chapter 10 and I forgot to answer, then sorry about that. But now I only have all the guests to reply to. Here you all go!
Calamityhicca: Thank you so much! I love it when people enjoy my stories, it makes the time I put in worthwhile. Thank you!
Rugbyrunner: That name sounds like a sports guy – LOL. But I'm glad you got hooked! There's nothing I like better than people just telling me I did a good job. Thank you so much, and I hope you check in time to catch this chap. :)
Imogen: Wait, Imogen? I'm in the middle of reading a book series in which a character's name is Imogen. LOL. It's the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielson. Anyway, thank you so much! I love reviews with all caps, they stand out and make the story look even more awesomer. :P
hicca101: Well, here you go Hicca! Next chapter for you. :)
Guest No2: Thank you! I hope to keep it up and I'm glad you like it. Cheers!
Anon42: Thanks so much, man! That's one thing I've been getting praised consistently on, the unique setting and plot that this story has. I'm far too proud of it.
Mark Andrew: Yeah, if I went off the second movie/RTTE, which is about the age that Henry is in this story, then that height would be about right. But I'm not, so the height was mine to choose. I made Henry a bit shorter, and just made Snotlout/Scott a lot taller. I plan on having Henry grow a little bit, but not too much. After all, he's sixteen, almost seventeen.
But I LOVE cliffies so much, man! *Whines*
And I'm not planning to focus a whole lot on grades and school in this story, but yes, Henry will be a smart guy. He doesn't fail any classes, and he's got good enough grades to get good colleges interested in both his grades and his running.
Thanks a lot! I am glad I'm back, too. :)
anon: Sorry I made you wait so long, pal! But here you go, next chapter. Hope you like it.
killer name 12: Sorry I didn't update faster, but I did my best. Here you go. Enjoy!
Guest No. 1: I'm glad you like it! Yes, I'm trying to show that Henry is getting popular fast, and that he makes friends easy. And yes, I hope I do it again soon, too! It was awesome.
Thanks for the reviews, all of you! On with the story. Cheers.
NatB.
Henry, moving quickly through the crowd of students in the halls, was keenly aware of the fact that he was being looked at. Many kids took a thorough glance as he passed, and others even went so far as to stop in their tracks and stare. Henry didn't appreciate the attention. After all, who would, after living in almost total solitude for ten years? So many eyes in one place made him feel threatened and he wished he was allowed to carry a knife – or even better – a pistol, to school. Stupid laws.
The attention was beginning to get on Henry's nerves. He was a loner, not a guy who people stared and talked to –
"Hey!" A female voice snapped, and Henry immediately knew that the voice was directed at him. He turned slowly, half expecting to see Heather or Astrid, but it was neither.
Coming up behind him, a scowl on her face, was a smoking hot blonde girl that was an immediate attention-grabber. Henry, after a brief look, recognized her – he had seen her on Heather's phone, getting knocked out by the only girl that was prettier than this one was. It was Riley Thorston.
"You!" The girl said angrily, pointing at Henry and striding forward at a firm pace. "Yeah, you! Who do you think you are, beating up on my boyfriend like that -?"
Henry had turned around all the way by now, and as the girl saw him face to face, she immediately stopped. She froze in her footsteps. Her tongue left her and her mouth hung open. Henry, raising an eyebrow, spoke.
"Am I getting yelled at? If so, get on with it. I have class to go to."
The girl snapped out of her shock, and she abruptly shifted her look from one of anger to a sweet, eyelash-batting smile.
"Wow," she said, running her eyes up and down Henry with longing. "Wow! I didn't think - who are you?"
The corner of Henry's mouth went up. He spoke.
"My name's Henry. Henry Haddock. I'm new here, as you probably know. And you are -?"
"Riley." The girl smiled at him, extending her hand. "Riley Thorston. I'm sorry I blurted at you – I didn't realize you were so -" She stopped, flustered.
"So badass?" Henry finished, grabbing her hand and shaking it. "It comes with practice, Riley." Inwardly, Henry was disgusted. So this was Riley Thorston. She liked how he looked – he was flattered, but now it was plain she was just after the cool guy. He was repelled by her style.
Riley, however, was blushing like a rose. "Where were you for the first week of school?" She managed to ask, letting Henry's hand go.
"I was busy," Henry answered. "I had to get moved up here and straighten out all kinds of knots and tangles with the school system. It was a long and slow process, but being a millionaire sure helps."
"A millionaire?" Riley's eyes were wide and surprised, and a hint of devious cunning appeared.
Henry allowed himself a smile, while kicking himself for telling Riley he was rich.
"Why does everyone act so surprised?" he chuckled. "I'd like to think that my natural awesomeness would -"
The school bell rang.
"Oh, shit, I'm late," Henry muttered, pulling out his paper. "Sorry, Riley, I've got to go. I suppose you're not in second period math with Mr. Fremaux?"
Riley shook her head. "No. But I wish I was – now."
Henry closed his eyes, trying not to laugh.
"Right." He turned to leave.
"Hey, I'll see you after school!" Riley called after him. "I want to get to know you!"
"Sure," Henry replied with a groan, and went back into the crowd of students. Following his school map, he found room 7 and saw the teacher's name on the front, Mr. Fremaux. The door was open a crack, and he entered, swinging the door inward. He stepped into his second classroom.
And got hit in the face with a paper airplane.
"Ohhhh!" Everyone laughed, as Henry recoiled. In the blink of an eye, he dropped to one knee and snatched the paper airplane out of the air as it fell. It crumpled in his palm. His other hand had went immediately to his belt, and was groping unconsciously for a gun that wasn't there.
The whole room, which was full of students but no teacher, fell utterly silent. Henry looked down and realized that he had destroyed the airplane. It was crumpled in his hand. With a shrug, Henry grimaced, crumpled the airplane into a ball, and tossed it at a trash can four feet away. The paper landed in the can smoothly.
"Sorry about that, guys," Henry grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets embarrassedly. "Just - keep it away from the door."
"Hey, no, I'm sorry, man," a voice said. "I didn't realize someone was coming. Didn't mean to hit you."
"No problem," Henry answered, turning to look at the boy who spoke. It was an overweight, chubby boy with a mat of blonde hair and a cool smile. He was sitting at desk near the back. "It happens," Henry added.
"I haven't seen you around yet," the chubby boy commented, leaning back in his chair. "A new kid, huh? Who are you?"
"I'll tell you who it is!" a voice shouted, one that Henry recognized. A tall, lean boy with long blonde hair jumped in through the door and threw his arm around Henry.
"This," Tommy Thorston announced to the class, "Is Henry Haddock, badass extraordinaire, who just got done kicking Scotty's ass this morning!"
The classroom laughed and cheered, but just then the teacher, Mr. Fremaux, strode in from a side door.
"Tommy Thorston, shut your loudmouth!" he snapped. "Sit at your desk and for crying out loud, don't open your mouth again!"
"Yessir," Tommy said meekly, and, clapping Henry on the shoulder, dropped into a desk by the aisle. Henry expected, just based on the teacher's entrance, that he would being yelling again, but he didn't, and the student were all smiling and grinning. Henry got the impression that this teacher was a unique kind.
"You." Mr. Fremaux, his scowl vanishing, pointed at Henry even as the teacher sat down at his desk. "You the new kid, huh?"
"That's me," Henry answered with a wry grin. "Rockin' and ready to go."
"You look like you've gotten a nice little welcome," Mr. Fremaux grinned, gesturing to Henry's lip. "Who won?"
"I did," Henry admitted. "And sure, what better way to start my school career than by kicking a jerk's ass, huh?"
"Watch your language, Henry," Mr. Fremaux chuckled. "And I'm no supporter of bullies or cursing, but if you swear or get into another fight in my classroom I'll kick your ass myself."
The class laughed, and Henry shook his head. "Great. Should I just grab a desk, Mr. Fremaux?"
Mr. Fremaux pointed. "Only one left, just for you. Right next to Fishlegs Soda-guzzler."
The class laughed again, and the chubby boy in the back raised his hands in protest.
"Whoa, I'm the guy that's been letting you win money on the football bets for the past year, Coach John," he complained. "You should be glad I'm fat."
The class laughed for the third time.
"I'm not encouraging betting in any way," Mr. Fremaux grinned, "but yes, I do owe you a favor, Fishlegs. I was a richer man after last year's season. However, the most I ever won on a bet with you was in last year's PIE eating competition."
The class laughed once again.
"All right, Henry," Mr. Fremaux turned back to the chuckling boy, "Go ahead and take a seat. As you probably just noticed, I like having a relaxed and friendly environment in the classroom. Most people would call me lax, but don't get me wrong, if you perform poorly, I'll have to start cracking down on cell phone use and inattention, or anything that could interfere with your studies. Don't make me do that. Get good grades."
"I fully intend to, sir," Henry replied.
"And you can ditch the sirs and Mr.'s," Mr. Fremaux added. "John is good enough for me and it's good enough for you. Take a seat, pal, class is about to begin. Have fun but keep the noise down."
"Righty-o." Henry, a grin still on his freckled face, turned and went to the one and only empty desk in the room. It was right next to the chubby boy who had hit him with the paper airplane. Fishlegs.
Mr. Fremaux was beginning to start his class presentation, and Henry leaned over to Fishlegs and extended his hand.
"Fishlegs is what they call you, right?" he smiled. "I'm Henry Haddock."
Fishlegs shook his hand. Henry liked his handshake, it was smooth and solid.
"That's right," Fishlegs replied. "They all call me Fishlegs, and I really don't mind too much. I don't know, it just seems to me that having a school nickname gives you a sense of everyone being best pals with you, you know what I mean?"
"Not really," Henry laughed. "This is my first day of school, like, ever. I have no clue as to how the social standing and stuff works around here."
"Really." It was a statement, not a question. "That's interesting, since you already seem to know how to get popular fast." Fishlegs pointed to Henry's lip. "Beating up the quarterback is a great way to start. The girls will be all over you tomorrow, I'd say a 97.45% chance of it."
"They're all over me today already," Henry grinned. "In fact, Astrid and I have really hit it off. I've met her before, so that was a plus."
"Hey, man!" Fishlegs high-fived Henry. "Good going, pal. Astrid's a hottie."
"She sure is." Henry plowed a hand through his hair embarrassedly. "Do you know her well? I mean, if I decide to take her out, which I certainly will, what's her favorite place to go?"
"Oooh, that's a tough one." Fishlegs grimaced. "Whenever we all hang out together she likes Bear's Tooth or just plain old Subway. She's a runner, you know. Freakin' health maniacs. But for a date, I would try Rustic Goat. It's a little restaurant-bar off of Northern Lights. Astrid likes it and it's a nice place."
"I'll keep that in mind," Henry said appreciatively.
"So, are you looking to take her out soon?" Fishlegs asked. "How long have you known her?"
"Well, I met her once a while back," Henry said. "And then I saw her again today and we hit it off, I think."
"Maybe a little soon for a date, then? Fishlegs queried.
"Why not sooner than later?" Henry shrugged. "Hell, the sooner the better. I might even take her out tonight. It's Friday. Why not."
"If she says yes," Fishlegs chuckled. Then he sighed. "That's always the tough part."
Henry raised an eyebrow at the way Fishlegs looked downcast.
"Are you after a girl, Fishlegs?" He asked.
Fishlegs snorted. "Yeah, you could say so," he answered. "But it's all a joke. I mean, why would the head cheerleader ever go out with a guy like me?"
"The head cheerleader?" Henry looked surprised. "You mean that blonde, Riley Thorston?"
Fishlegs looked up. "Wait, you know her?"
"She introduced herself just a few seconds ago," Henry grinned. "She was about to yell at me for beating up Scott, and then she started to flirt with me. Not my kind of girl. Maybe you've got a chance now, Fishlegs, she's probably dumping Scott to try me."
"And you aren't going to go for her?" Fishlegs was astounded.
"Of course not," Henry laughed. "Astrid's got me already. And Astrid's prettier than Riley is, admit it."
"No way."
"Yes way."
"Riley is the hottest girl in the school. No one questions that."
"I do."
"Well, you have no authority, Henry."
"The girls love me, man. I must have a natural talent at all things girl-related."
"Oh my God."
"You're just jealous, Fishlegs."
"I am! In two seconds you got Riley Thorston breathing on your lips and I've been trying to get just a hint of that for two full years."
"Riley isn't exactly a catch, Fishlegs," Henry said slowly. "I mean, holy Thor, she's a scheming covetous little weasel, and I'm being nice there. I would SERIOUSLY question her fidelity, her honesty, and pretty much everything else about her, too."
Fishlegs looked downcast. "Huh, maybe you're right," he admitted.
"Hey man." Henry clapped Fishleg's shoulder. "Forget about girls, as hard as that is. Give me a pep talk about sports. I'm going to have to do Cross Country Running, since Astrid thinks I will be good at it. What's the scoop on that area of sports?"
The next hour of class was spent with an eager Fishlegs explaining every meticulous detail of Cross Country Running to Henry. How West High School's boys and girls teams had been the state third-place finisher and runner-up for the last year, and that with Astrid the girls would have a big chance to win it all. How the practice schedule worked out, how easy/hard it was to make Varsity, who the best state teams were, and how many people watched the races. The West High boys' team was in need of an anchor, and Fishlegs kept hinting that Henry could be the one they needed.
It's amazing how much time passes when you're having fun. In the next two classes Henry and Fishlegs were together and they bantered and laughed for several hours. By the time lunch hour rolled around, the two students were best pals.
"So this is where all the action happens," Fishlegs grinned, as he led Henry through the halls. "Where all the food is, of course. Welcome to the cafeteria."
Henry and Fishlegs strode into a large room that was clustered with tables and chairs. Along the walls on one side were stations of food and students were busy getting their lunches and eating. The noise was quite impressive. It was like a giant party.
Henry started to walk in, as people began to stare again, but Fishlegs grabbed Henry's sleeve to stop him.
"Hey, man," he whispered. "Riley's coming over to us."
"Well, wonderful," Henry groaned, turning to see where the blonde was. "She's going to annoy me all lunch long, ten to one odds. Where's Astrid, Fishlegs? I'd much rather-"
"Hi, Henry!" Riley Thorston pushed her way through the crowd and came up smiling to Henry. She ignored Fishlegs, who was right next to Henry.
"Hey there," Henry smiled back. "How is it going, Riley?"
"Wonderful, now that you showed up." Riley showed a playful grin. "Come on over to my table, Henry. Have lunch with me and my friends. They'll love you. Please, come on."
Henry looked at Fishlegs, who wasn't looking back. He was looking at Riley.
"Sure," Henry sighed. "Fishlegs and I will come and sit with you. Where are you at?"
"Table 20," Riley smiled, and gestured. "Come with me." She tugged on Henry's hand and led him and Fishlegs through the crowd.
"Table 20," Fishlegs muttered to Henry, as the two boys followed Riley past rows of tables. "It's in the middle of the room, and therefore the center of attention. All the cool guys sit there, which is why I think this was a bad idea."
"Like what kind of guys?" Henry asked. "Why was this a bad idea?"
"Like football quarterbacks," Fishlegs said pointedly.
"Oh." Henry stopped walking and frowned. "I didn't know that. Look, Fishlegs, I have no special wish to go up to Scott Jorgenson again and make him get the idea that I'm stealing his girlfriend -"
"Here we are!" Riley announced, and, looking up, Henry found himself facing a table of what looked like the elite high schoolers. They were all confident and cocky-looking, the boys and girls both. And there, right in front of Henry, was Scott Jorgenson. The two boys immediately stared in surprise and then began to scowl at each other.
"Hey, everybody," Riley smiled, not noticing that Scott was there. "This is the new guy, Henry." She placed a hand on Henry's shoulder. "You should all -" She trailed off as Henry shook her hand off his shoulder. Scott had gotten up from his seat, and he and Henry were now glowering at each other with enough animosity to kill an elephant.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing here?" Scott hissed.
"Scott!" Riley was angry. "Don't be mad just because -"
Henry grabbed Riley's shoulder and moved her away from the two boys, rather forcefully. Riley stumbled backwards. Henry ignored her and stepped forward to Scott.
Scott was sneering, his swollen and bandaged nose standing out like a sore thumb.
"What are you doing at my table?" he demanded. "Coming over here like a swaggering pig. You've got the nerve of a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest."
"Look, Scott," Henry stated firmly. "Believe me, I do NOT want to hang out with you. Riley invited me over here and I went. As for nerve, I like to think I have some, actually. In fact, an ass-kicking contest is exactly what you and I might have going on here."
Scott was about to retort, and then hesitated. By this point the entire cafeteria had directed their attention to Table 20. Hundreds of eyes were on Henry and Scott. Almost everyone had stopped eating and were pulling out their cell phones, hoping for a repeat of what happened in the morning. Henry took one step closer, leaned into the taller boy, and whispered fiercely.
"That's right, Scott," he hissed. "You're thinking it over. You're wondering how much of an idiot you'll look like getting your ass kicked for the second time in a day in front of the entire school. Not a good thought, huh? Sit down."
Scott purpled in rage. "No," he snarled.
"Then fight me."
"No."
"Then get out of my way."
"I have the feeling that you and I will be in each other's ways very often," Scott smiled.
"So do I. And I also have the feeling that you'll be the one getting knocked out of my way."
"I'd like to see you try."
"I already tried. I already DID. Your nose should remind you of that."
"Oh, you think you've won this, do you?" Scott smiled and whispered to Henry. "Get this, new kid. It's all about public opinion around here. You got lucky this morning and beat me in that fight. Now you have a chance to become the school badass instead of me. But that's not going to happen. Because you're coming down right now."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Henry grinned.
Scott straightened up and shouted to the entire cafeteria.
"Listen up, everybody!" he shouted. "It's time to settle a score here! Me and Henry here are going to arm-wrestle each other to decide who's the real man!"
The crowd of students roared in approval, and leapt from their seats to form a giant, cheering circle around the occupants of Table 20. Henry gaped.
"Wait, what!?" he exploded. "What is this!?"
Scott was taking off his jacket. "Try backing out of this now, kiddo," he laughed. "Like I said, it's all about public opinion. You're about to be embarrassed in front of EVERYONE, no matter what you do now. If you back out, you're a pussy. If I beat you, you're a pussy. You're on the short end of the deal, shortie. Now come on and arm-wrestle me."
The crowd yelled in encouragement.
Henry stared, and turned to look askance at Fishlegs. His friend grimaced and nodded, even as the hundreds of students all around began to chant.
"Go, Go, GO!"
Henry, with a look of disgust, took off his jacket. The crowd roared, and Scott, with a big smile on his face, took a seat at Table 20 and rolled up his sleeves. Riley, still in awe, cleared off all the food and dishes that were in the way of the contest.
Henry handed his camouflage coat to Fishlegs and took a deep breath.
"Well, Fishlegs, my Regular Neighborhood Einstein*," he grinned, "Now might be a really good time for you to figure out how I can beat a guy arm-wrestling who's clearly about twice as strong as I am."
Fishlegs grinned. "You might actually be able to do it," he said. "Listen up, Henry. Scott is trying to save his reputation right now. Since he can't beat you in a fight, he has to do it like this. But the whole school is watching. He's going to want to beat you quick. He'll waste all his energy on an immediate push, and waste approximately 80.5& of his energy. If you can hold out on that and then hammer him as he weakens at a high rate, you might get him."
Henry grinned. "Thanks mate."
Fishlegs clapped Henry's shoulder. "Go get em, Tiger."
Henry stepped up the table, rolled his shoulders, and sat down. The crowd of students were cheering. Hundreds of cell phones were all over.
"All right!" It was Tommy Thorston, having just arrived on the scene. He stepped up to the table as Henry and Scott sat down. "I'll start you two," he stated. "Right arms in the middle, use your left arms to brace. That's it. Lock hands. There you go. Let me test your grip there." Tommy held his hands over their two clenched fists.
"One, two, three, GO!"
Henry and Scott's arms powered against each other with such force that each boy grunted. The plastic table creaked. Their arms shaking with power, Henry held his own against Scott's first powerful onslaught, and their arms were locked upright, neither one gaining an inch. The crowd of students cheered.
"Good God, what is that noise!?" Callie asked, as she and Astrid walked into the cafeteria. "What's going on!?"
Astrid stopped to stare. There was a sea of people all crowding around in a massive ring and cheering.
"Is it a fight?" Astrid asked, but Callie was already gone, waving through the crowd to get a better look. Shrugging, Astrid followed, darting through elbows and bodies.
Callie was an aggressive crowd-pusher, and all Astrid had to do was follow behind her friend in order to get through quickly. Before she knew it, she was right on the edge of the circle, where she stopped to stare in shock.
Henry and Scott were locked in an arm-wrestling match. The two boys were bent over the table, their faces six inches away, glowering at each other. Between them, Scott's huge, thick bicep bulged as they powered against Henry's not-actually-that-much smaller one.
"Holy shit!" Callie cheered. "Get him, Henry! Hammer him down! Get his ass!"
The veins in Henry's bicep looked like they were about to pop, and his face was contorted and savage. His eyebrows were bent in a vicious scowl over his hard green eyes, which bored into Scott's dark brown like daggers. Scott's picture was slightly different. He was clearly exerting himself. His shoulder and arm was shaking with force as he strained to push Henry down, and his temples and forehead were bulging from the effort. Yet Henry was holding his own.
Astrid, her mouth still open in awe, tried to blot out the cheering of the crowd as she saw Henry's lips move. But she couldn't hear what he was saying. Tommy Thorston helped out.
"Hey everyone!" he yelled. "Shut up! We need to hear what they're saying to each other!"
The crowd quieted as if by magic, and then Astrid and the rest of the school could hear was Henry was saying through gritted teeth. The corner of his mouth twisted, and he spoke up.
"I thought you were a strong guy, Scott," he taunted. "I mean; you look like it. But come on! Are you going to start yet?"
People oohed and awed even as Scott purpled with rage. He slammed more force on Henry's arm, which Henry took in by adjusting his arm slightly. Astrid thought she saw a slight grin play across his freckled face. Henry was in complete control.
"My, but you're a weakling," Henry laughed. "Am I too muscular for you?
Scott was clearly straining now. He gasped out, "Just you wait, you piece of shit! I'll get you."
"I've been waiting long enough." To everyone's surprise, Henry yawned. "Should I end this now, or give you another chance?"
Scott roared in rage, and poured all his energy into one final push. For a second Astrid saw Henry's face shift from a look of supreme confidence to a look of pain and shock, but then it faded. However, Henry's arm faltered two inches down.
The crowd yelled. "Scott's getting him! He's going down! Kill him, Scott!"
But even as Astrid watched, she saw it was all over. Scott's breath was coming in ragged gasps and pants, and Henry was as cool as ever. The pressure that Scott was applying on Henry's arm faded, and Henry spoke again, this time with finality.
"Nice try, Scotty," he grinned, and then let loose.
Astrid heard Callie shriek in sheer astonishment as Henry threw his weight into his first – and last – push. Scott groaned aloud as he tried to counter the drive, but it was too late. Henry's arm regained the lost two inches and then more. He kept pushing, pushing, and pushing, and then finally, with a growl of triumph, he hammered Scott's arm down on the table.
The crowd exploded, everyone making a noise so loud that Astrid could not hear anything for the next minute. When the hubbub finally died down, Henry was standing on his side of the table, with Fishlegs and Tommy pounding him on the back, and Scott was still sitting on his side holding his arm, a look of shock and utter defeat on his face. As the crowd quieted down, Scott spoke, still gasping.
"How?" He whispered. "How! I'm stronger than you! How?!"
"Oh no." Henry was panting too. He leaned down and tapped the table with his finger. "You're wrong, Scott. You're stronger than me, yes, but, - you'll never be stronger than me."
The crowd laughed, and Henry shook his head. "All right, enough of this. I want some food, Fishlegs."
Fishlegs was about to lead Henry over to the serving areas, but before he could move, Henry was draped in a hug by Riley Thorston.
"Wow!" Riley sighed dreamily, showing no care that her boyfriend had just been humiliated. "I've never seen anyone do that before. You're amazing!"
Astrid scowled. Fishlegs looked sick to the stomach, Henry looked exasperated, and Scott looked furious. But he was wasn't the only one. Astrid was also mad. She stepped forward just as Riley let go of Henry. However, she kept her arms on Henry's shoulders and was smiling like a Barbie up at him. Astrid was upset.
"Hey Henry," Astrid said.
She got the result she wanted. Henry turned and a look of relief washed across his face. He brushed Riley's arms off of him like twigs and turned to Astrid with a smile coming across his slightly sweaty face.
"Astrid!" He grinned. He made a muscle pose with his right arm. "You're looking at the new 'strong man' of West High, Milady."
Astrid laughed, and opened her arms slightly. Henry took the chance and wrapped her up in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground and shaking her. Astrid laughed, and looked over Henry's shoulder at Riley. She looked outraged. Astrid loved it.
Henry set Astrid back down on the floor, and Callie cleared her throat.
"Right. Nice job, Henry. I had no idea you could do that. I mean, I didn't think you were stronger than Scott."
"He's actually a lot stronger than me," Henry admitted. "He's just dumber than me, or rather, dumber than Fishlegs. He had the idea of waiting until Scott wasted all his energy." Henry jabbed a thumb back at Fishlegs, who was now busy trying to engage Riley in conversation. It wasn't working.
"Fishlegs is a smart guy," Astrid acknowledged. "You were right to take whatever advice he gave you. I would have. I mean, it's not like I'll be arm-wrestling anybody any time soon, though."
"Did you see the whole thing?" Henry asked, as the three walked over to the food vendors.
"No," Callie sighed. "I wish we had. We got there right as you started to mock Scott. Was that Fishleg's idea too?"
"Actually, that idea was mine," Henry grinned. "And it almost backfired on me. I thought that my teasing him would just cause him to use more energy, and he did, but he almost got me. He's a beast."
"He is," Astrid admitted. "He's good at football, sure, but that's pretty much his only high point."
"I would be inclined to agree," Henry answered. "And hey, where's Heather?"
"She went out to get lunch," Callie explained. "Too bad, too, she would have loved to see this one."
"Hey!" It was a boy with brown hair and blue eyes. "What a match, Henry! You killed it!" He high-fived Henry, and then disappeared. That began a storm of congratulations. People from all over came up to Henry and told him both the fight and the arm-wrestling had been awesome. It was such a mess that Henry wasn't able to get food for a solid ten minutes.
"Well," Astrid laughed, turning to face Henry when it was over. "You've had one hell of a first day, Haddock. You've fought and won, and now you've arm-wrestled your way to the top. The school loves you. So, what else do you plan on doing today?"
Henry chuckled. "Nothing. I will take the rest of the day off. I will do nothing."
Which was exactly what he did.
AFTER SCHOOL -
"Where are we going, Milady?"
"To sign up for Cross Country Running, you big dummy!"
Henry and Astrid were hurrying down a back hallway at West High. School had ended a half hour ago, and Astrid had dug henry from a crowd of admirers and dragged him off. Now they were going to see someone, and Henry didn't know who. He let Astrid know that.
"Oh!" He grinned. "Well, you could have told me that, blondie. I thought maybe you were taking me to a random back hallway."
Astrid scowled. "No. You wanted to sign up for Running, right?"
Henry nodded, plowing a hand through his shaggy hair. "I think I'd be good at it. I've ran a lot in my life, believe me."
"Right, smartass. So here's your chance to show the world how fast you are. Welcome to the holy ground of Coach Naomi's office."
"Holy ground?" Henry teased, but Astrid walked into the open door and rapped on the frame with her knuckles.
"Naomi?" She asked.
A middle sized, middle aged woman appeared from around a corner as she heard the knock.
"Oh, hi, Astrid!" she smiled. "How are you today?"
"I am fine, coach," Astrid smiled.
"Will you be here at practice on Monday?"
"Of course. You can't keep me away from running, Naomi."
"I'm sure you're right." Coach Naomi put on her glasses.
"Anyway, coach," Astrid went on, putting her hand on Henry's shoulder, "this is Henry Haddock. He wants to run with us this year."
"Really?" Coach Naomi stepped forward around her desk and ran a careful eye over Henry.
"Hmph," she said, almost to herself. "You're a strong lad, Henry. Your build is slightly more muscular than the greatest runners, but I think I could turn you into a formidable force in the 5K, providing you work hard." Coach Naomi took her glasses off and poked Henry in the chest with them. "Are you used to hard work, Henry?"
"I've never known anything else," Henry grinned. "And I've got legs like steel engines. I can run hard and fast. Especially if you put a bear behind me."
Naomi looked at Astrid.
"He's probably not lying," Astrid laughed. "I haven't seen him run, but I have seen him doing – other things. He's probably faster than Johnny."
Coach Naomi's eyes widened. "Faster than Johnny?"
"I think."
Coach Naomi's eyes went back to Henry. "Well, Henry, Astrid thinks you're a fast boy, and she's the best female runner in the state. I can also see that you've been fighting earlier today. That shows aggression and spirit. I like both of those traits in my runners. Join the team, Henry. All you need to do is have a sports physical and the necessary paperwork. If that's all turned in by Monday you can come practice with us, and then I'll see what you're made of."
Henry grinned. "I've already got most of my sports paperwork all turned in. I just didn't know what sport to try – until Astrid kinda decided for me."
"Well, I think you – or she – made a good choice," Coach Naomi laughed. "All right, Henry, I'll look forward to seeing you run. What grade are you?"
"A – a – a what do they call it?" Henry turned to Astrid.
"A Junior, stupid," Astrid laughed.
"Right." Henry grinned. "A Junior."
"Great." Coach Naomi smiled again and shook Henry's hand. "I'll expect to see you run on Monday."
"You will." Henry grinned. "Catch you later, Coach."
Henry and Astrid turned and walked out of the office.
"Well, that was easy," Henry chuckled. "But you made it look like I was a State Champion the way you pumped me up. Who's Johnny, who I'm supposedly faster than?"
"Johnny Trotter," Astrid replied. "He's West High's fastest runner, the third fastest in the state. He's been the boy's team anchor for two years, since he was a Freshman. I've seen him on film and in practice. He's good, but he's a big goof-off."
"And you think I could beat him?"
Astrid turned and smiled up at Henry. "Yeah."
"Well, thank you so much, Milady," Henry sighed, draping an arm across her shoulders and walking along once more. "Of course, you do realize that if I'm NOT faster than Johnny, you will look like a liar."
"Then don't make me a liar." Astrid was smiling.
"I'll do my best. Now, now that you have dragged me into a room to sign up for Running, where are we going?"
"Umm, good question." Astrid laughed. "School is over and you're now on the running team. What do you want to do?"
"I want to eat. I'm starving. There was such a crowd at lunch that I hardly had time to eat. Funny. I thought eating was what lunch was for."
Astrid grinned. "So it is. And I'm hungry, too."
Henry looked at Astrid. "Want to go get a bite to eat?"
The corner of Astrid's mouth went up, and she leaned her head against Henry's arm as she looked playfully up at him.
"Is this a date?" she asked cheekily.
"Call it that if you want." Henry was smiling. "I prefer a date myself."
"I only just learned your name today." Astrid argued.
"So what?" Henry laughed. "You promised me your number, which I haven't gotten yet, by the way. And if you give your number to someone that usually means that they will call you and take you out on a date, right? I mean, I just moved to civilization and even I know that. So you have no excuse. It's a date. My very first. Come on, let's go."
"Do I get to see your car?"
"Even better. You get to ride in it. Come on, Astrid."
Astrid laughed.
"All right. Fine, smartass. We're on a date."
"Yes!" Henry did a dramatic fist pump.
*Ha ha! Angel, that was for you. Hope you liked it. You got a cameo. LOL.
All right! I was kind of hoping to get more in this chapter than I did, but I guess I failed. Next chapter should have a date and maybe a weekend fun outing/stuff. That's the tentative plan.
And a huge thanks to PuppeteerOllie for betaing this story for me. He's a great author, go check out his HTTYD AU, Release Your Problems. It's worth a read. :)
Catch ya'll next time,
NatB.