Chapter 10: Swimming and showering.

Hiccup's POV

I hate swimming. I absolutely hate it. Why do I have to do this as part of my gym requisite? Why? I didn't asked for this. I didn't asked to participate in this unit.

I shiver as I stand near the pool with all the rest of the girls. All of them are cheery and happy as they compare themselves to each other in their bathing suits. They seem excited over doing this unit. Well not me.

I hate my swimsuit. But at least it's not a bikini. I would be even more naked than I was in my own underwear and I feel like I already am in my clingy swimsuit. My swimsuit is a plain black one piece suit. It's pretty basic and has the most coverage compare to other girls, but I hate how low the back is.

People were shock that I showed up in swimsuit for the unit. Last year, I sat on the sidelines with my monthly flow excuse. I would have done it again, but I don't want to have another argument with my dad. So I have to tough it out.

A girl named Heather comes up to me. She's Dagny's little sister, but she is nowhere near as bad as her. Even if she is a bit superficial.

" Man. You are flat as a board." She says to me. " By the looks of it you don't need to wear a bra under you shirt. Does your family not have boobs or something?"

I glare at her as I wrap my arms around my thin frame. I hate that she has to mention my body like that. I already feel uncomfortable as is in this body.

Gobber comes over with the boys in their swim trunks.

" Alright. Let's get in the pool. Boys on one side. Girls on the other. I don't want another underwater groping incident, so that's how it's going to work." He says. The boys groan.

I scrunch my nose. Just why to the boys is it all about girls and their butts? Can't they ever treat them with simple decency and respect?

I ease myself into the pool. They did not at all heated it. It is cold. Really cold, but I'm used to the cold thanks to the cold showers I have been taking for two years of my life. I look at the rest of my class and see the look on everyone's face. They are shaking and shivering from the temperature.

Astrid stands next to me. " Just how can you tolerate this?" She asked shiveringly.

" I'm just used to the cold." Was all I can say looking down at my hands.

Since today was the first day, Gobber really was just testing everyone on their swim skills to place them in different groups based on the level of swimming they are in. It was an easy day really, but I didn't like to subject myself to swimming in front of people. Especially with boys looking at me in my clingy swimsuit.

Nevertheless it was finally over and Gobber place me in the level of novice for swimming. I wasn't the best, but I wasn't the worst either. I can swim, but I can't compete. Astrid on the other hand was put in a higher level. Makes sense since she is a more active person and is doing lots of sports.

When we were let out, I immediately made straight for the swim locker room showers. If I wasn't required to take a shower before and after swimming, I would ignore the detail. Unfortunately I have to, so I do it but I would wear my swimsuit just so people won't look at my naked body.

It was a public showering area. That's what makes it worse. Being surrounded by other girls is not what I want to be doing. Why can't this school make shower stalls? Don't they know anything about people like me? No.

I let the warm rain drench over my body as I tune out the naked girls around me. I don't like looking at them because I feel so wrong with doing so. I feel so uncomfortable in this environment, but the faster I shower the faster I can get out of here.

I hear a couple of girls next to me talking obviously about me.

" She's so weird." One girl had said.

" Yeah." Another had said.

" Yeah. What a freak. She doesn't change with us and she showers in her swimsuit. Guess Dagny's right. She might have a skin disease. " One snickered.

"Now that's a girl with self conscious issues." Another joined in.

I wrap my arms around my thin frame. This was another reason I hate gym. It seems my body is opened up for conversation. People talk about how thin I am. I hate it. I didn't ask to be like this. I didn't ask to me.

I twist the knob on the shower to shut it off. I wrap my towel around my already covered body as I slowly walk silently out of the public showering area. I look over to the girls and see them turn away snickering.

I come out of the locker room in my clothes feeling more exposed than I have ever been subjected to in a long time and it was only the first day. The first day out of three weeks.

I want nothing more than to go home, but again I have counseling services that I have to go to. Oh great another session with her.

Ms. Briggs just can't stop sticking her nose where it doesn't belong. I don't like talking about my life. I don't. I'm just here as a sentence. Not by choice. She just doesn't get that.

I walk over to her office and knock on the door at the time of my appointment.

" Come in." She said.

I walk in and sit back in the interrogation chair. Ready for her to give it all she gots.

" Hello Henrietta." She smiles.

I don't say anything. I am not in the mood to talk to her.

" You seem a bit unhappy. Do you want to talk about it?" She asks.

" No." I grumbled. I really don't.

" Ok." She says.

We spent a few minutes looking at each other. I don't want to talk about my problems and she can't make me. It's as simple as that.

" I heard that you are in the art showcase. It must be great." She smiles.

" I hate it." I responded.

" Why?" She asks.

" I just do." I stubbornly.

" You can't just simply hate without a reason."

" Well if you must know. My art teacher made me participate. Said it was a part of my grade."

" That must have made you mad." She notes

" Tell me about it." I groaned.

" I would be mad too if I was required to do something. Especially if it was something I hate. Like my mom made me play the clarinet even though I hate it so much that I chucked it out the window."

I raised an eyebrow. " Seriously? You did that?" I asked.

" Yep. Made my mom furious." She smiles. " But she eventually forgave me and finally understood that it wasn't for me."

" Wish my teacher would be that understanding. But it's not like I hate art. In fact I like it. A lot. I just didn't like the fact he went behind my back was all."

" Maybe he wanted you to go outside of your comfort zone?" She said.

" I like my comfort zone." I said stubbornly.

" What is your comfort zone?" She asks.

" Not getting noticed. Overlooked. Just ignored. I like it that way." I sigh.

" Why do you like people not seeing you?" She asked me.

" It's what makes me comfortable." I shrugged. " It's all I've ever known."

" So no one's really noticed you until now and that's what makes you mad. Being suddenly noticed." She said. " That is really sad Henrietta."

" It's fine." I groan. She thinks I can be sad over something like this. "Nothing I don't cry about. I'm used to it."

" But everyone deserves to be noticed. Otherwise It would sad just to live a life like that."

" You don't know that." I frown. " You don't know my life."

" But I want to know." She said. " You can talk about it here. "

" I'm not spilling anything to you." I said. She can't just simply judge my life by what she hears. She doesn't know anything about me. Nothing at all and here she is judging me.

" It's ok. This is a safe environment. Anything you say will be confidential." She said.

" You're just paid to listen to my problems." I told her. " Not like you care."

She frowns and says to me, " I do care. I chose to be a social worker for a reason and caring is one of them. I am here to be ears for people like you who need to be heard."

" People like me?!" I said in outrage. " What is that suppose to mean?!"

" It's as bad as it sounds." She says.

" So I am now just crazy!" I shout. " You know what? I hate being here and I hate talking to you! If you want to transfer me to detention, that's fine! I rather be there than stuck talking to you anyway!"

I grab my backpack and throw open the door before she says anything as I run out of her office. At the moment, I was too angry to even care about the consequences.


Ms. Briggs POV

It has been two hours since the disastrous session with my student. I really shouldn't have that to her. This is not what she needed to hear.

" And she ran out like that!?" The dean said in outrage.

" Yes." I said sadly. " She really has some anger issues that we need to work on. All though she really is too mad at me to speak to me now."

" I will have to transfer her to detention." He said.

" No. Don't do that" I said to him. " She needs this. It's part of therapy that she is in need of. We put her in detention, she will become more self-destructive."

" How do you even know that she will come to her session after this one?" He said.

" Just give her a chance. We can't just punish her and continue with our lives ignoring her. It will be more trouble in the future for her. I really think she needs this." I said my case to him.

He hesitates but he says, " Alright. I'll let you continue working with her. But she needs to take this seriously."

I nod as a promise. I hope with more time, I can get to the source and be able to help her before something bad happens to her.


Another Chapter is up and this was actually influenced on a real conversation I had with my psychiatrist. Not fully though because there are some private things that I want to keep to myself for that matter.

I will keep this more on Hiccup because this is his story, but I will bring in some other characters' POVs for a more perspective change kind of thing to make this more versatile I guess. But I'm not going to be doing that a lot unlike my Unknow Child story. God! It has been over a year since I became a writer and a lot has changed.

Please Review and See you later.