=Astrid's POV=

{Friday, March 25, 2022-3 pm}

(Archian Preparatory)

I've seen Hiccup happy, sad, and annoyed before, but I've never seen him enraged like how I did last week when he and Stoick argued over Hiccup's choice to join the military after graduating High School. Things were calm with all of us talking, and then Stoick came home with Valka. Everything went downhill after that. It started with Stoick making a comment, Hiccup sarcastically saying something back, and then boom; yelling and anger from both sides. At 5:15 pm, I noticed Sigurd bring in Eret, Nadia, Camicazi, Thuggory, and Ragna along with their parents, or parent if only one. Everyone noticed them right away, but it didn't seem to stop Hiccup and his father from verbally going at one another. After Hiccup took off with Toothless, Gobber jumped in with reminding Stoick and Valka that Hiccup is not a baby anymore, and they are holding on to the infant who was born two months early and was given the grave diagnosis that he might not survive. However, Hiccup fought then, and still fighting today. Gobber made Stoick and Valka see that no matter what; Hiccup is eighteen-years-old, and grown up now. Stoick and Valka understood, thanks to Gobber, that if they didn't stop; they would push Hiccup away for good. The second half of the confusing evening was the five remaining populars were brought to Hiccup's house with their parents, to apologize to Hiccup and me.

I assumed it had to be part of a punishment, but I agreed to hear them out. It was everything I expected it to be, so I didn't hold back on all the things that happened to me after they abandoned me. The one thing I didn't mention was my miscarriage because I didn't want anyone else known. I knew that Eret, Nadia, Ragna, Thuggory, and Eret knew. Gruffnut probably did too, but he didn't appear to be with the others. And nobody had seen him since it came out he was gay and submissive. The rumor around the school was that Gruffnut dropped out after being humiliated, but I didn't know for sure, and still haven't had the chance to as Hiccup if he had anything to do with it. Hiccup was the only person who knew about my miscarriage because I told him willingly; the others found out by accident when I'd seen Nurse Mala. I didn't need everyone knowing; it was painful to talk about. So the apologies were everything I knew they would be, and it sounded rehearsed, but genuine regardless because they also apologized to Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Minden, Fishlegs, and Heather too for bullying them over the years when they did nothing wrong.

However, when Hiccup returned home, still in a ticked off mood; he was not so accepting of the gesture. Now, I said I'd take their apology, but not forgive them until they proved that they meant what they had said. And I was shocked to hear the five ask if we could be friends again, but I said that might not be possible without the approval from Hiccup and the others. And it was mentioned that they'd have to get Hiccup's forgiveness before the consideration of everyone being friends idea began. At that time, Hiccup was back and stated that he wouldn't listen to a word they said because he knew it was part of the punishment to apologize rather than doing it because the populars knew they had done wrong and chose to make amends on their own. Hiccup said that the I'm Sorry would be meaningless if done this way, and then Hiccup went to his room while the populars left with their parents. It's been a week since all that, and Hiccup still won't listen to them when they try to catch him during the day or at 2 pm before he leaves with our friends and me for dragon training.

At this point, the populars had missed almost an entire month of dragon training, and it was going to hit a point where it would be too late to catch up with the lessons. Finals were in May, and it was almost April. I could see that the five were losing hope of talking to Hiccup, and apologizing; I assumed that maybe Mogadon was praying if the kids said they were genuinely sorry, maybe Hiccup would come back as the dragon trainer. It wasn't looking so promising. I was thinking about jumping in to try and convince Hiccup to hear the populars out; it was a bit unfair that Hiccup was training our friends at his house when we had all been a part of the class. I know why Hiccup was refusing with them, but taking away their chance to get their licenses to fly and train their dragons…I didn't agree with that. Nothing should stop the bond between dragon and rider. Yeah, I was going to talk to Hiccup. It was the end of the day now; Hiccup was using Saturdays and Sundays to train us because we could use full days over just an hour every day from 2 pm to 3 pm. I was waiting by Hiccup's Jeep because we had work, and he said he'd be along in a second.

"Sorry that I'm late," Hiccup said while walking up.

"It's okay. Ready for work?" I inquired.

"Eh, kind'a tired today, so not really," Hiccup admitted.

"A migraine coming on?" I asked.

"No, I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night," Hiccup smiled a bit. I sighed now. "What's wrong? Is someone giving you trouble?"

I shook my head to him. "Will you please talk to Eret, Nadia, Ragna, Thuggory, and Camicazi?" I looked at Hiccup now, watching his face turn to slight irritation.

"Why should I?" Hiccup wondered.

"Because they've been trying to apologize to you for two weeks…And you refuse to hear them out. I knew it was part of a punishment too on Monday, but I still listened. And was surprised to hear them say sorry to Snotlout and them too…" I explained. "I believe they are sorry; I mean, Eret and Thuggory jumped in to help you that night at Archia Burger when I was almost kidnapped…Nobody told them to do it; it was their choice…And they haven't bullied anyone…Please? Just listen to them. You don't have to forgive them; I didn't. I said they had to prove what they said, but I still accepted their apology…" I tried.

Hiccup sighed, mumbling under his breath. "I stand by what I said on Monday night…It shouldn't have them getting caught and punished for their actions to apologize, Astrid. Those five should know when they've messed up, gone too far or whatever, and apologize because it's the right thing to do,"

"And I get that, Hiccup, but please? For me, will you do it?" I asked.

"Why do you want this so bad?" Hiccup stared at me.

"I know you're good at reading people, Hiccup. You can tell if someone is lying from a mile away just by how they present themselves and talk. I want to know if their words on Monday night were real and if you speak to them; you'll be able to tell…Please?" I looked at him again with hopeful eyes. Again, Hiccup sighed.

"If it were anyone else asking…I wouldn't agree to this, but for you, I will, Astrid. I'm pretty sure this is their last day of detention, so I'll pull them aside to hear out whatever it is they have to say. You take the Jeep to work, and I'll be behind on Toothless before the shift starts at 4 pm," Hiccup muttered. I hugged him and nodded. "Be careful driving. You can drive the Jeep, right?"

"Yeah, I got it," I smiled. Hiccup dug the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her.

"Alright. See you within the next hour," Hiccup said. I got in the Jeep and headed to get in line with the rest of the students leaving the school.

. . .

{3:20 pm}

It took forever to get out of the school lot and onto the main roads. There was a line of students trying to move in between busses; then, of course, there was waiting for the busses actually to move into central traffic. No one wanted to be behind the busses, so people wouldn't let them in. I decided to take backroads and merge in elsewhere. I was ten minutes away from work, and then I'd have plenty of time to get inside and change. I was sure Hiccup would be right behind me. I sighed out, hoping the talk went well with the five populars. Maybe if it did, I could convince Hiccup to continue training them, but it would be a bunch of make-up lessons to cover what they've missed these past three or so week. I sincerely prayed things were going okay back at the school. I was at a stop light right now and had a bit of a headache. The light turned green as I moved my foot to the gas and started forward.

Out of nowhere, someone from the right side of the intersection whipped through their red light and shot across. I hit the breaks to avoid being T-boned, but the front end of their truck rammed into the front of the Jeep but partially by the driver's side door too. The force jolted me right, then left as I smacked my head against the glass of the window and it cracked, then broke seconds after someone rear-ended the vehicle as I jerked forward and hit my head on the steering wheel. Everything got blurry; then it went black.

. . .

=Normal POV=

{3:35 pm}

(Archian Prep; Conference Room)

Thank God I have Toothless, or I'll end up late for my shift… Hiccup muttered as he was sitting in one of the main office conference rooms after speaking with Mr. Meatsen. Hiccup knew the five were serving their last day of detention, so he had to speak with Mogadon first about releasing them to talk. Of course, that was easier said than done when Mogadon was in a meeting until 3:20 pm, and then there was more unnecessary conversation for ten minutes while Hiccup had to explain to Mogadon why he wanted the others to talk to them. Finally, though, Mogadon brought Hiccup to the conference room and called for Eret, Nadia, Camicazi, Thuggory, and Ragna to come to the office. Hiccup knew this had to be quick because he had to get to Archia Burger to change into his work clothes before starting his shift at 4 pm. Hiccup already called Henrik to let him know he might be a bit late, and Henrik said not to worry about a thing. Hiccup had messaged Astrid, asking if she made it to work, but she hadn't answered yet.

The five entered as Hiccup looked over from his spot against the wall; he was leaning against it with his arms over his chest, and one leg over the other with the toes touching the floor but not the rest of the foot being down.

"Should I be present?" Mogadon asked.

"I think I can handle them by myself, thank you," Hiccup stated. Mogadon nodded as he stepped back, closing the door. "You have fifteen minutes to say whatever it is you've been trying to since Monday night; I will not be late to work over this. I'm only doing it because Astrid asked me to," he stated.

"We wanted to apologize to you for everything." Camicazi began.

"What defines as everything?" Hiccup asked.

"All the trouble we've caused for you," Ragna said.

"And the endless bullying," Thuggory added.

"And bringing up…" Nadia paused unsure if she should say anything. Hiccup raised his eyes to her now, waiting.

"For talking about your wife and daughter the way we did," Eret interjected. "We had no right to do that,"

"No, you certainly did not," Hiccup huffed. "And the one thing I can't seem to understand is why?" Hiccup said, staring at them now. "Why did you go through so much effort to bully me? I've never done anything to any of you. Someone…Anyone answer me that,"

"It's…Just what we did, Hiccup. We don't have an excuse for our behavior over the years," Nadia frowned.

"We liked to have control, and we became all those things you said the night of your party even though we tried to deny it," Camicazi stated.

"We didn't see how much damage we caused when we thought it was…Harmless fun," Eret added.

"I don't see how you five have made it this far in life on that belief. Did you honestly believe you weren't hurting anybody? How could you have thought that what you were doing wasn't hurting people? I mean, come on; I got my ass handed to me by Hookfang and had to go to the hospital. If that wasn't an obvious indicator, then I'm not sure you five are capable of processing basic information. It's like your adults with your brains wired to act like ruthless little toddlers; kids who don't know any better," Hiccup remarked. "Harmless fun is where it's harmless and fun for everyone, like wrestling or cracking jokes. What you all did? No, that was just awful,"

"We know, and we're sorry Hiccup. If we could take it all back, we would," Ragna said.

"Would you?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, in a heartbeat. We know we've done awful, unforgivable things…But we're trying to make amends the best we're able," Thuggory said.

"I'm having a really hard time believing you. I forgave you once, and you've not only continued to bully my friends and me but threw Astrid aside and started bullying her too. Relentlessly at that. For Thor's sake; you made her feel like she had nothing left to live for!" Hiccup said harshly but in a quieter tone. "Do you realize that she could go to the police, and they would charge you with attempted assisted suicide because you put it in her head, drove her to want to end her life. I could have had you arrested for trying to kill me with Hookfang. None of that was a wake-up call that the shit you do isn't funny?" he scoffed.

The five looked down. "Please…We're sorry, Hiccup. We really are," Nadia choked up a bit.

"We know we fucked up, and have been idiots for years. But we're trying to do the right thing, and be better people…" Camicazi informed. Hiccup stood there against the wall, and looked at them; then he sighed and turned his head to the window.

"You were right about everything you said when we learned about where you live and stuff…We were petty and jealous. But you are a good friend, Hiccup, and we want that kind of friendship in our lives," Thuggory stated.

"We could learn a lot from you," Ragna tried. Hiccup could see the sincerity in their words, and now he was faced with the choice of how to approach the matter. Sadly, even with such a decision; he already knew the answer. Closing his eyes, he faced them seriously.

"You wronged me time and time again with no real reason. As I said; I forgave you once, and you threw it in my face," Hiccup said as they tensed a bit. "However, I was raised not to hold grudges, and forgive but never forget. I am-," he stopped when his phone started ringing. Hiccup put his finger up to them, answering it. "Hello?" a pause. "This is him," another one as Hiccup's eyes widened. "What?! Where? When? Is she okay? Where is she?" he panicked. "I'm on my way," then he hung up and headed for the door.

"Hiccup? What's wrong?" Nadia asked quickly.

"I gotta go. We'll finish this later," Hiccup said as he bolted out of the room and ran out front. "TOOTHLESS!" he called. Seconds later, his dragon glided over, and Hiccup jumped on. Hiccup opened the tail, and they were out of sight in the blink of an eye.

. . .

{3:50 pm}

(Archia General Hospital)

Hiccup made it to the hospital in record time thanks to Toothless. Landing, Hiccup sent Toothless to the stables as he rushed inside to the emergency room where the desk was.

"A female crash victim named Astrid Hofferson was brought in within the last half hour, where is she?" Hiccup asked quickly.

"What is your name and relation to her, young man?" the nurse asked. Hiccup knew if he said best friend; they wouldn't let him in.

"Hiccup Haddock, and roommate?" Hiccup tried. He couldn't use girlfriend, Astrid might kill him. But he was a roommate, technically.

"Miss Hofferson resides with my family," Hiccup whipped around seeing his mother and father standing there. "I'm her Godfather, Stoick Haddock," Stoick added. The nurse nodded, pushing the button to allow them inside the emergency room.

"Alvin called to let us know what happened," Valka told Hiccup while they were walking inside. "You weren't involved, right, son?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No…I was at the school dealing with something. I told Astrid to take the Jeep to work, and I'd meet her there. She left the school at 3:05,"

"Police and paramedics arrived on scene at 3:30ish, little before. Witnesses placed the time of the accident at 3:20," Stoick stated.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked them.

"Alvin said that a gray truck sped through a red light and hit the Jeep's front end, but a bit on the driver's side door too. The accident caused another car to slam their breaks but wasn't able to stop in time to avoid another collision, so the Jeep was rear-ended too. It's still being investigated as the driver of the truck got away," Stoick sighed. Hiccup clenched his fist; that was all he needed to know this was intentional because Astrid was alone.

"Spitelout and Alvin said they'd meet us here once everything at the accident has been dealt with," Valka added. A doctor approached them with a smile and clipboard in hand.

"Here for Astrid Hofferson?" the man asked.

"Aye, we are," Stoick nodded.

"How is she?" Valka asked instantly.

"She's awake and resting in the room just over there. Son, why don't you head in to keep her company," the doctor offered.

"Go on, Hiccup. We'll let you know," Stoick said. Hiccup nodded and moved into the room past the curtain to see Astrid laying in the bed, facing the wall; she was hooked up to monitors and things Hiccup had seen before. Astrid had some scratches on her face and head, a few bandages, and ice on her left leg.

"Astrid?" Hiccup asked. Instantly, she looked at him and on the verge of tears. Hiccup went to her side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, Hiccup…" Astrid sobbed. Hiccup was taken aback by the apology.

"What…Are you sorry for?" Hiccup inquired quickly, his hand falling on hers.

"Your…Je-Jeep is ruined because of me…" Astrid tried to bury her face. Hiccup couldn't believe it; she was more worried about his vehicle? "I-I promise I'll find a way to get you a new one…"

"Astrid, stop. No, I don't want that," Hiccup said.

"B-But it's my fault. I leave your side for one second, and people come after me. Someone…Crashing into me because they ran a red light…You know as well as I do that it was on purpose to kill me, and even though I passed out after getting rear-ended, the other driver took off…I heard doctors talking to the paramedics when I woke-," Astrid cried a little.

"Astrid, enough!" Hiccup said quickly, silencing her. "I know it was intentional. I figured it out as soon as my dad told me that the other driver took off. If it's anyone's fault here; it's mine. I shouldn't have let you go alone; I swore you'd be safe with me…And that I wouldn't leave your side, but I did; this happened because I didn't do my job. And never again will it happen…I promise you that, Astrid. As for the Jeep…I don't care,"

Astrid's eyes widened a bit. "Wh-What?" she asked.

"I don't care that the Jeep is totaled. It's just a mode of transportation, Astrid; it's a material object that can be replaced…" Hiccup said as he moved in more and hugged Astrid gently. "You can't be," her eyes widened more. "I can't just go to the store and buy another Astrid. I can't get a new best friend," he said now as Astrid brought her arms up to hug him more while silent tears fell from her eyes. "You're irreplaceable to me,"