Hello!

Here's the next chapter, sorry it's so late *hides* it's exam time right now and I'm a little preoccupied. But they'll be done soon enough and then it will just be me and this story because it's not like I have anything else to do.

On a happy note, Dragons 2 is coming out soon! Who's exited? I am! Probably too exited but just.. C'mon have you seen Valka! It looks amazing.

So yes, the normal. Comment and enjoy.

Sorry for the slow update but I'll be writing even more often when school ends.

Stay flawless (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

~Mona

I woke up when something heavy fell across my stomach. My eyes slipped open and it took a moment to adjust the darkness.

Is it actually still dark? What time is it?

Once my vision could see through the darkness I looked down to see it was an arm. More specifically, Jacks arm.

Not too long after, his head fell into the crook of my neck.

Who knew Jack was the cuddly type? Definitely not me.

To avoid any awkward moments I moved farther back so his arm fell away. Along with that I also fell off the fold out bed that we were sleeping on!

"Ouch!" I muttered and I rubbed my head where it connected with the hardwood floor, unlike the rest of my body which landed on the nice thick area rug.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jack groaned. Is it possible for someone's voice to actually drop five octaves in the morning? Because I'm pretty sure Jacks did.

"I just fell" I answered

"Why?" He asked. He was now more awake and more able the laugh it me.

"You kept on moving farther and farther onto my side, finally I moved over just a little too much"

Jacks smile dropped a little from his face and the sleepy expression was back. "Oh sorry. Ya, I'm like that. Next time just punch me" he told me.

Jack giving me permission to punch him? I'm definitely gonna take advantage of that.

His head fell back on the pillow and before I could get in another word he was passed out. At least this time it was on his respective side of the bed.

But who's bed?

I squinted my eyes and tried to see through the darkness. It all looked familiar but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

That's when everything came back to me. The late night swimming and star gazing. But I definitely don't remember coming back up to Sandy's apartment. Last thing I do remember was Jack and I getting out of the pool at about one or two in the morning and falling asleep on the pool side lounge chairs we were trying to dry off on. Or at least I did.

What ever. I climbed back onto the bed. Carful not to move it all that much and pulled the covers back up over me.

"Hiccup! Hiccup wake up will ya" was the lovely sound of Astrid waking me up. Definitely not the soft voice and gentle nudge- kind of girl.

"I'm up, I'm up!" I announced with my eyes still closed.

"Then open your eyes. We've got to get going"

"I'll sleep in the car then"

"You're driving, stupid"

"Gah" I exclaimed, finally opening my eyes fully and pulling my self up. " okay. Okay, I'm up but if I don't have a coffee in this hand in the next minute we're gonna have some issues" I said, motioning to my now out stretched hand.

"I've got you bro" Jack said from the kitchen. "It's crazy what a little swimming can do to a person, eh". Jack strolled in with two mugs in his hands. He handed one to me and raised the other to his lips.

I took a sip and sighed. "that hits the spot"

"great! Now you're awake, lets go, I can hear my mom yelling already" Astrid rushed. My eyes widened and I jumped up, running to the door along with Astrid. Until now I didn't even think about that. My dad is going to be so pissed. Like mega pissed. The kind of angry that will cause me to never be allowed to leave the house again. I wasn't even allowed to stay over at Astrid's until after ten until just this year. My dad might not like me but he's still strict about everything. I think secretly he's just scared that I'm going to have a panic attack or freak out out side of the privacy of our own home. Then everyone will see how crazy I actually am.

We all ran out the room to the elevator, waving rushed goodbyes and sending thanks as we flew out the door. Well, Astrid and I flew, Jack was going at more of a wandering pace. Just strolling out of the room, having an actually conversation with Sandy. His hands moving quickly and his expression intense.

"Jack we really don't have time for you to be discussing important matters right now" He rolled his eyes and waved Sandy good bye, giving him one of those man hugs before running to catch the elevator before it closed on him.

We all jumped into the car and took off. It was actually kind of silly, trying to rush home. We were already dead, I don't think a ten minute difference would matter much. But I guess every second counts. Better safe that sorry.

I turned on the radio to fill the silence. Some clanky pop song started and we all sang along anyways. Not obnoxiously like you see in the movies where everyones in a convertible and they're singing to some stereotypical prissy-teen-coming of age song as they go off and become better friends.

No, it was more of a quite humming.

"so, Astrid" I started

"Hmm?"

"How was your night" I sang.

"Oh ya know" He face was turning slightly pink and a smile was slipping onto her face even though I could see her trying to keep it back.

"Oh c'mon, spill it girl"

"Wow Hic, you sure you're straight?" Jack jumped in

"you stay out!" I retorted "Theres nothing wrong with being interested in my best friends love life"

"Thers nothing wrong with being gay either"

I decided to just ignore that one and I turned back to Astrid. "You're not getting out of this that easy"

"We didn't do anything"

"oh come on, tell me"

"there nothing to tell"

"don't lie to me, it's not very best friend like" I scolded

"gah, okay fine!" she exclaimed "we hung out at the caffe until it closed then we went to her apartment. All we did was eat ice cream and watch all the marvel movies. It was pretty fun"

"oh that's cool. Any cuddling?" I asked giving her the sly eyes.

"Maybe a little" she replied shyly, her face growing pinker by the minute.

"Awe, my little Astrid's found a pretty girl and she's going soft!"

"Soft? Astrid Hofferson is not soft!" she glared at me before punching me in the arm. Extra hard just to prove her point.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. But in all honesty, you gonna see her again?"

"well we exchanged numbers so I'd hope so"

I nodded slowly. Well that's great. Great and weird all at the same time. It was kinda funny to think about the fact that I used to date this girl and now she's basically dating my friends best friend.

"So how about your night" Astrid asked with the same sing song voice that I used on her.

Now was the time that I actually had to rack my brain for what actually happened last night. The memories were kind of blurry still. I don't think I'm totally awake yet. "Uh well, we went swimming" I told her, deciding to leave out the part about the boxers. "Ya, we went swimming and just chilled. I also met his friend Sandy, you met Sandy right?"

Oh ya, Sandy's cool. I met him when Ana and I came over at like five in the morning. He's pretty funny for a guy who can't speak or hear." she went on. "but anyways, Swimming sounds fun. Did anything else happen" She asked with her eye browns raised.

"What, no!" I burst "why would you even ask that. Do I not Seem totally straight?"

"No no, don't worry, Hic. Your manliness is still fully in tack. It's just that when we came in, you and Jack were in a bit of a compromising position. So I was just curious." Now it was my turn for my cheeks to burn red. I guess we fell back into the same position as we had been earlier that night. At least we were fully dressed.

When did I get dressed again?

It will probably come to me. I still don't even remember going back up to the room.

"That's just Jack, he's a cuddly sleeper" I said, turning back to Jack to see that he was fast asleep, his hair all messy and snoring slightly. Lucky him.

"Umhmm, A cuddly sleeper..." Astrid hummed.

"what do you mean by that?"

"what, oh nothing. I was just acknowledging" I knew she was thinking about somthing else but I just let it go. I didn't have the time or the patience to fight with a beast right now.

I swear the ride there was a lot longer than the way back. Maybe it was the disappointment of leaving after the best day ever or maybe it was the lingering fear of having to walk into my house in about five minutes and face my father.

"so you ready?" Astrid nudged me

"well ready as I'll ever be" there was no turning back. We rounded the corner and I could now see my house. "Just drop me off then take the car over to your house, I don't think I'll be coming back out anytime soon"

"you sure you don't want us to come in with you? We can explain and fight for your side" Jack piped up.

We both looked back at Jack. He looked so innocent, the face of someone who hasn't seen my dad in a rage.

"I don't think you're ready to see my fuming father"

Astrid nodded quickly beside me. "Ya, I'll drop Jack off too, I'll see you at work when ever, good luck" she moved forward and took my hand "don't let him break you down again. You're your own person and you're a strong one at that" one last squeeze and I opened the door to jumped out.

To anyone else that might have seemed silly; giving someone a pep talk before going home to talk to their dad, but for me, it was seriouse. I needed it. My dad can dig me right into the ground with only his words, with out even raising his voice. I'm a pretty tough person. I let things get to me but I normally don't let it show. Until Jack, Jack really messed me up but that's not even the point. The point is, I don't share, I don't talk, I don't show emotion. But my dad, my dad breaks me. He tears me down and distroys all the walls that I try to build up to protect myself. He makes me cry. I don't cry.

With a deep breath I opened my door and prepared myself for what was to come.

At at first I thought I might actually be able to make it up to my room with out my dad seeing me. I didn't see him in the front room. I then walked down the hall and I couldn't hear him. It wasn't until I had already reached the stairs and was holding into the banister, ready to climb up did I notice him at the kitchen table in the eyes were livid. Even in the dark room I could see his face with all it's creases and lines and the thick vile of anger that covered it as well.

"Where. Have. You. Been" he practically growled.

My mouth dried up and my hands grew clammy. I really should have practiced this. Or at least thought about what I wanted to say. Not that it would have really helped, everything drained from my mind along with the colour on my face.

"Hayden, I asked you a question" Hayden? It almost sounded foreign to hear. The only place I ever saw my real name was on my birth certificate. No one ever called me that. Never. Not even in the worst of situations.

"Dad, I'm sorry" I whimpered.

"I don't want to hear your bloody apologies, I want to know where you went"

"To town, I went to the city with Astrid and Jack"

"But I clearly told you not to"

"but-" I started. He cut me off.

"No buts! Hiccup I told you not to, how could you disobey me like that. You're not like your other friend, you don't know what's out there. You react to the smallest things and I can't have you going out and getting more messed up that you already are"

That was the the last straw. Something clicked inside of me.

"No dad! You can't tell me what to do. Belive it or not, I'm a legal adult. No matter what you say, I can go out and I can leave and I naver have to come back. You don't own me, you don't even know me. I'm not messed up, I'm just different. And different is okay. Jack said it was okay. He said I was ready. He said I've always been ready!" my breath was heavy by the end of my speech and my heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Jack? This was all Jack's fault wasn't it. He put these stupid ideas in your head. He's just a city boy. Out in the city they accept everything. The gays and the crazies. Hiccup, you aren't normal, I don't want you around that... Or jack."

"Jack is my best friend!" I burst. I didn't need his approval on who I was and wasn't friends with. "They do accept everyone in the city, I like that. I feel like I belong. For once I wasn't an out cast. I wasn't the retard, the demented kid, the hiccup who's mom died because he was an idiot!"

"Hiccup! Get out! Go upstairs! I don't want you to leave this town or this house. Not for a good long time. And no Jack. I will do everything in my power to remove Jack from this town. He's nothing but trouble"

"Dad! I know this is your sick sort of way to try and help me but-"

"Go!" He barked.

My mouth snapped shut and I turned on my heel with out another word. Why did it always have to end like this.

Tears were brimming and I felt as if my heart just dropped right out of my body and there was just a dark empty hole in it's place.

Why did he have to hate me so much.

I fell onto my bed and let everything out into my pillow. My sreams and my cries and sobs and curses and everything else from every other horrible emotion I was feeling. I was under house arrest and have basically been banned from ever seeing my friend again. My dad thinks that some how he's helping me just he just doesn't get it. He's the kind of person who can live in this small town for his whole life. Be born here, work here, marry here then die here. But I can't. My mom couldn't and neither could I.

I sometimes think that's why he hates me. I'm just like her. I hear it all the time. Your eyes are just as green, your smiles is just as lopsided, your nose, your hair your personality. I am her. I know I am. I'm proud that I am. But I don't think he is.