CHAPTER 3: How to Get in a Fight

"Okay, I got some wild news for you, but you have to swear, SWEAR, that you won't tell anyone, not a single soul in this school, not even a Dragon!"

Fishlegs was smiling wide, waiting anxiously for the big news. "Yes I promise. Come on! What is it?"

I looked around to make sure it was just us in the hallway outside the Dragon Study classroom. "She said… yes."

Fishlegs jumped with joy. "Oh my Gods! This is fantastic!" I smiled at my friend who was freaking out by this new love connection he has created. "So," he asked, "I was right? She likes you?"

I tilted my head once to mess up my hair a little and said. "Well, it's way too early to tell. The only way she'd go was if we go just as friends. She wants to keep it secret, I think so that the jocks don't know that she likes a dork like me." I gave myself a little chuckle.

"Well this is exciting," Legs said. "So you two are going, and Tuffnut is taking Verona. I wonder who Ruffnut is going with."

That was weird for Fishlegs to mention Ruffnut like that. "Why do want to know who Ruffnut is going with?"

Fishlegs looked back at me, "What? Oh, no reason," He started to mumble off, "No reason at all."

"Fishlegs? Do you like Ruffnut?"

Fishlegs punched the air beside him. "Okay yes!" He said. "I've liked her for a while now. I just never knew how to tell her. I mean, Tuffnut is one of my friends. Wouldn't it be weird to date my friend's twin sister?"

I thought about it. I've never been in this situation before so I didn't really know what to say.

"Hey," I told him, "If I can ask Astrid out, you can ask Ruffnut out. It's just a dance. I'm sure Tuffnut won't mind if you take her."

Fishlegs' odds started looking good and he smiled. "Okay," he said, "I'll ask her today."

I placed a hand on his big shoulder. "You'll do fine."

After lunch, I went back to my locker to get my books when a great force shoved me into it.

"Ouch, what the…" I turned around to see Snotlout, mad as hell, staring me down with a raised fist.

"What do you think you're doing asking my girl out to the Ball?" I thought I saw fire come out of his nose.

I started to stammer with fear. "I-I-I didn't ask her out. W-we're just going to go as friends." He twitched his fist in an attempt to scare me. It worked.

"Don't go near Astrid again or even talk to her or I will pound you!"

I was tired of the bull crap. "Well," I said, "I'm kind of taking her to the ball so I have to go near her sometime."

And that's how I got a broken nose.

I ended up in the nurse's office afterwards with a towel under my nose soaking up the blood. Fishlegs came in to check up on me.

"Hey buddy. I heard you were in here. Are you okay?"

I lazily looked up at him thinking 'Do I look okay?' That's what I would've said but something else was bugging my mind at the moment.

"How does Snotlout know that I am taking Astrid to the Ball?" He started to get nervous. "Fishlegs, tell me."

"Okay, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. It just sort of slipped out." I banged my head against the wall behind the chair I was sitting in.

"Ugh, Fishlegs," I groaned. "I trusted you not to tell anyone because I KNEW that it would get me into trouble like this."

"I know. I'm really sorry," He said again, taking a seat next to mine. "I was in the middle of asking Ruffnut to the Ball when I said, 'Come on. If Hiccup can take Astrid to the Ball, why can't I take you?' I knew immediately what I have just done and regretted it ever since."

I just closed my eyes; tired from the pain I was in. "Well," I said finally, "What did she say?"

"She said," Fishlegs started, twiddling his thumbs and smiling, "she would do it. She wants to go and no one has asked her yet so she's going with me. Lucky, right?"

I didn't open my eyes. "Yeah," I breathed out, "I'm so happy for you." I was a minute away from falling asleep in my chair when I heard a worried sweet sounding voice.

"Oh my gods! Is he okay? I can't believe this happened!"

I looked up through fuzzy eyes and saw a skinny girl with blond hair that was usually kept in a ponytail. I knew who it was. It was Astrid.

"Oh, hey Astrid," I said.

She knelt down beside my chair and placed her hands on my lap. "See, I knew this would happen. That's why I didn't want you to tell anyone." I shot a look at Fishlegs who tried to deflect it by looking away. She grabbed my towel and was dabbing away left over specks of blood on my face.

"Thanks," I said, taking back the rag. She started to smile at me.

"You know, it was really cute of you to ask me to the ball. I appreciate it greatly. And," Now she was squeezing my thigh, "I guess, now that the dragon's out of the cave, we can start dating."

The pain in my nose suddenly went away like her words somehow healed me. "You're saying that we are dating now?"

She nodded. "Um. If that's okay with you."

In my mind, all of the memories of her shoving me into lockers and pants-ing me in front of class got pushed out of the way. I could see the beauty and kindness in Astrid now that everyone else saw before.

"Yes. It's definitely okay." I smiled to her as well.

"Yay," she said, "I'll have a talk tomorrow with Snotlout. I need him to know that he shouldn't mess with you anymore. I don't want any more bloodshed."

I nodded, why do I keep doing that? "I agree."

"I will stay with you until your dad comes to pick you up, okay?"

I smiled again. "That sounds wonderful." Fishlegs left me and Astrid alone.