Thanks to Disneyanimationfan for the next 2 chapter ideas!

Heads up for mild physical violence!


Entry 37

It's strange how much each new wave of humiliation gets to me. I would've thought I'd be used to it by now, and not let it affect me anymore, but here I am, once again questioning what I did to deserve this life.

Somehow, word about my crush on Astrid got out, and now, the rest of the teens have been even more unbearable than usual. How did it get out? I know Astrid wouldn't have said anything, because she doesn't want anything to do with me… my only explanation is that somebody overheard our confrontation at the forge that day and, after months of quiet, let it slip.

Fishlegs still won't talk to me, and the twins have been throwing mocking insults at me every chance they get, but of course, the worst of it comes from Snotlout.

I was just walking home from the forge yesterday, when Snotlout stopped me.

"Geez, Hiccup, just when I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic… you like ASTRID? For real?" He laughed, giving me a shove, which sent me to the ground because of course it did. "Not only are you inferior in body, you're inferior in mind, too! Only a delusional person would think that a runt like you has a chance with a girl like her. No, she needs a real man, like ME." He got into a position to show off his muscles, to which I just rolled my eyes. Then, a thought crossed my mind, a memory of that awful confrontation with Astrid. In all honesty, I should have just kept my mouth shut, but I'm notorious for not knowing when to be quiet. So, I said, "Really? That's going to be tough considering she told me that NO ONE in Berk is good enough for her… I figured that included you."

Immediately I regretted my comment as a hand grabbed my shirt and pulled me to my feet. I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but Snotlout's grip was deadly.

"What did you say?" He growled.

"N-nothing-" I tried to backpedal.

"No, I heard you. You just don't know when to shut up, do you? Well, running your mouth like that is going to cost you…"

Next thing I knew, I was being pushed to the dirt again, hitting my head hard enough to turn my vision black for a moment. Snotlout got a couple good kicks to my side before suddenly taking off running. I couldn't see what made him run, but in that moment, I was just grateful he didn't do more. The moment I tried lifting my head, my vision cut out again, and I had to lay back down. I don't know when I blacked out entirely, but the next time I opened my eyes, I was met with the roof of the forge. I went to get up, only to be interrupted.

"Stay there, Hiccup," Gobber's voice said from somewhere. "You hit your head pretty good." He handed me a block of ice and told me to hold it against the back of my head. I did, though my mind was still very confused about what happened. I don't know why, but I couldn't seem to think straight. I asked Gobber what happened, and he said he was on his way home from work and saw me on the ground, out cold. He didn't see what had happened, but noticed some blood in my hair, and put two and two together. It was then that my own memory finally came back, and I told him about what had gone down with Snotlout.

"That boy is trouble, Hiccup. If I were you, I'd try to work on my defense."

I didn't respond because I didn't know how I COULD respond to that. After a while, Gobber said it looked like the swelling had gone down, and I could go home. He said he'd talk to my dad tomorrow, to which I immediately pleaded against. If my dad heard about Snotlout beating me up, he'd be mad at ME for not fighting back… So, after some persuasion, Gobber agreed to keep quiet.

And now, I'm lying in bed with a headache that feels like it'll never go away and even more shattered confidence than usual. Sounds about right.

Until next time…

-H


Man, Hiccup seriously needs a therapist XD