Hi Guys! I'm back and I updated pretty quickly. I think I'm just excited because the story is literally almost done. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now!

I'm sorry it's pretty short but I felt like that's all it really needed.

I think it's a pretty sweet chapter and was actually really relaxing to write it.

So I hope you enjoy this really chill chappy and have wonderful days too! ^_^

So like always, thanks for reading and please let me know how your liking this story in the comments. Let me know what you think happened to Jack... ;)

Stay wicked(ly awesome) ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

~Mona

Jack kind of became a taboo subject around here. I could never talk about him around my dad because he basically hated him. I couldn't really mention him around Astrid either. She was pretty peeved with him too. I didn't really want to think too much of him either. And for the most part I didn't.

Life pretty much continued like nothing had ever happened. Once Jack was truly out of the picture I could really see how little he really mattered. It almost felt like the whole town and my whole life revolved around him when he lived around the block.

But in reality he was just a speck in the universe. He wasn't actually anything really important to me.

Sure if I thought about it too much I get a little sad. But only part of me. The other part of me is glad. I'm glad I met him and I'm glad he's gone. Thanks to him I know I really can leave this town. I can be out in the city on my own. I know that I am a little odd but it's actually totally okay. He did some good things for me, really. But now he's gone and I can prove to myself that I really can do this on my own.

I can honestly say my life had gotten substantially better this time around. In Berk I mean.

I've pretty much decided that I'm gay. And I've also decided that I'm totally okay with that. I'm not interested in any of the guys here but really who would be?

I don't let my dad scare me too much anymore. He doesn't control me and I think he knows that now. Not that we really talked about it but I think the city just gave me a new aura. A don't mess with me because I'm my own person-aura.

So I guess, what I'm saying is that Jack was good for me. He was probably the best thing to ever happen to me. Maybe if he had told me sooner about how he felt, we could have actually been something.

Am I sad? Yeah

Am I moving on? Definitely.

Am I moving out? Yeah! In fact I just recently got my acceptance letter to Burgess U. With a scholarship and all!

That residence deal I have with Jacks mum might not be open anymore but that doesn't stop me from getting a cute little apartment. Maybe a place close to where Astrid and Ana will be moving. Though I'm gonna leave before they do.

"Alright Hiccup, let's be real….. do you really need all these dragons?" Oh shoot, she found them.

"Oh course I do!" I said snatching the clear plastic bag from her clutches. A bag that contained a plethora of assorted dragons. Different breeds and sizes, ranging from plushies to collectable figurines. My most collectable ones still stayed on display on my desk.

"There's nothing wrong with collecting things" I added setting the bag down on my bed. They had had been sitting in the back of my closet for years now. It's not that I had forgotten about them, I just got tired of my dad glaring at them every time he passed my room.

"Hic, maybe for a five year old"

"They have sentimental value" I shot back.

Her face softened a little. "I know"

I turned away quickly and started doing that thing where you just pick things up and put them down just to distract your self from the current situation.

Astrid sighed and stepped up beside me. "Hiccup, you don't need these…_ She said softly, pulling the floppy dragon plush from my grasp, "to keep her with you" Astrid put the doll down on the bed and put her hand on my shoulder "You already have her here" Just to add to the sentimental cheesiness, she put her other hand to my heart.

"I know. But I still like them" I told her earnestly. I really did. They did mean something to me. They gave me more than just memories of my mom. All these lame dragon toys game me something to hold. I could touch her and smell her perfume. All the games and stories and fun we had stayed with all these toys. If I lose them I'm scared I'll lose her too.

But you've already done so much to move on this year. You rode a motorcycle! Don't you think this is the next step?"

I bit my lip and closed my eyes for a moment, "can I at least keep some of them?"

"Obviously" Astrid replied, in her usual tone again. "Just enough so that when you move out and you eventually find out that build-a-bear sells a whole dragon line from that dragon movie you like so much, that you'll have enough space in your one room apartment to store them all"

"Ha Ha, very funny" I said with a smile spreading back onto my face.

Together we dumped the bag onto my bed and started sorting.

Maybe I was just keeping them as a pitiful, halfhearted reminder that I was really happy once.

But now I actually am happy so what do I need all these for?

"Hey. I still need that one" I shrieked as Astrid picked up a particularly ratty one

"Dude, it's missing both its eyes"

"Exactly, it's blind. It needs extra love and care!" I whined.

"You really are a pitiful young adult"

"Your missing the key word there. Young" I said while hugging my little ripped up dragon stuffie.

The packing was finished before I even had a chance to blink. Boxes were sitting in a sort of organized fashion near the door. Not that it was all that surprising. I mean, I don't have that much stuff. Which I guess is a good thing and a bad thing all at once.

Good for the packing.

Not so good for the living part.

Thankfully I've been saving my pennies so hopefully I'll have enough to furnish my new apartment. Most likely with mismatched thrift store finds from the local Value Village because my tuition is already costing me more than I have. Even with the scholarship.

Not to mention that my dad wasn't giving me much help. He wasn't giving me any help actually. He hadn't really spoken to me since the night I told him I was accepted and moving away. I remember it pretty clearly. The look on if face. His head nod.

I was really nervous when I was going to tell him. It was hard you know. I knew no matter what he said, I was going anyways but I really didn't want to just burst out of my house with my dad feeling more resentful to me than ever.

"Hey dad, can me talk…" I asked quietly, slipping my head in the kitchen.

His head shot up quickly from where he was reading the paper at the little table. Where he always sat.

"Uh, what is it son" He said with that tone where it sounded like he was trying to act fatherly but really just wanted to find a way out.

"It's about university" I started

His eyes flared and he opened his mouth to speak, "Hayden! What did I-" God, don't call me that.

"No Dad!" I said sternly. I didn't yell but I wasn't really all that soft either. "I've done a lot of thinking and growing this year and I know I'm ready for this."

"You have no money."

"But I do. I've been saving up since I was like fifteen. And I can take out loans too."

He just huffed and grumbled about something.

"dad, you don't own me. I'm almost for twenty god's sake! I know what I want. I don't care what you say. I'm going!" Now I was sort of yelling.

"Fine! Make your mistakes. But just remember where you trying to do things on your own got you in the first place"

I gave a silent gasp and bit my lip hard to stop the pain that was bubbling up. "Don't say this dad. Please dad, don't. I don't want us to end like this" I whispered.

He just turned away. "I won't be here to fix your mistakes next time. You don't have anyone."

"Don't worry dad. I've never had anyone anyways." I spat "Thanks for giving me that last push I needed to get out of here" My voice was dry and cold again. Like it always ended up being at the end of one of our talks.

I watched his back for a little bit. Waiting to see if maybe he would turn around. Maybe want to look at me one more time. Maybe he would apologize for all those years. Tell me I actually wasn't so bad. Maybe he would even wish me luck.

But he didn't. He turned around and acted like I had already moved out and left.

"Thanks for nothing" I finally mumbled.

Then he never really said anything else to me again. He never even really looked at me anymore.

Already a week had passed since that day and I still haven't even seen him around. I think he felt early in the morning and never came home until after I was asleep. I did spent a lot of time at Astrid's too so he probably snuck home then too.

"Alright, I'll grab all these boxes and you grab that pile" Astrid instructed. "That way I think we can make it out in just two trips each!"

I obliged and scooped up a tower of boxes filled with who knows what and lifted it. Remembering to bend with my knees.

Astrid was already slowly making her way out of my room and I followed her, Keeping a good distance between us incase of falling boxes. Or worse, falling Hiccups.

Just as Astrid had calculated, two trips later all my stuff was in the car and I was giving my front hall one last look-about. My eyes followed the old runner that led down the hall. Stopping at the intersection between where my dad would go off to hide and where I would go off to fine refuge. I walked across the floor like it wasn't even my house anymore. I didn't even bother going up the stairs again. I didn't really want to see any empty bedroom. All the miscellaneous clutter I had collected over the years gone. Just an empty echoing room with four walls and a clear, sort of scratched up, hardwood floor.

I turned on my heels and walked back to the front door. It was almost looming over me as I neared it. As if telling me that once I walked out I wasn't welcome to return.

I was some how okay with that.

I went to go turn off the hall light when I noticed a little paper sitting on the little table we had in the front room. You know, the one everybody would always throw their gloves and keys on when they came home. There, sitting on top of that table was a little note with, in messy writing, was the name Hayden.

I cocked my head to one side but picked it up anyways and looked down at it curiously before cautiously opening it.

My eyes widened at it's contents.

Dear Hayden.

I think for this little letter I'm going to call you Hayden. It's been a long time hasn't it? But I guess this is just my way of telling you that you're not a hiccup. You're not a mistake. You're as far from it as they come, exactly like your mother. And you proved that you me this week. Though in all honesty, you've been proving that to me all your life.

Though it often might not seem like it, I am proud of you. I'm so proud. Everyday you prove to me that you're going to do amazingly on your own.

I'm sorry that you're only hearing this through a letter though. I just couldn't bear to watch you leave. I couldn't say all this to you in person and then watch you walk out of my life forever.

I just really wanted to tell you that I was sorry. I'm sorry for never telling you how talented you really are. You're just as brave and smart as your mother was.

It's hard to think that I'm losing someone else that I love but even though I'm sad and I really don't want you to go, I just want you to know that I'm still so proud of you. You make me so proud every single day.

So I just wanted to let you know all of that. I love you so much and I wish you luck.

~Dad

I felt the lump in my throat grow and rise with each line of his letter. All these years I felt that my father hated me. That he didn't understand me. That he wished I was never born. I always thought that he considered me just a huge mistake.

But then he goes ahead and writes me this awkwardly sentimental letter. And tells me all this.

I just want to smile and cry and laugh all at once. I'm happy that he actually loves me but why couldn't he have told me all of this sooner. Like maybe before I swore I would never return.

What ever, I still probably won't but at east I know now that if I have to call home when I'm lonely, there'll be a happy voice on the other end.

What an amazing way to end this part of my life.

Or maybe this is more like a new beginning.

Definitely the beginning.

I smiled and continued to turn off the light and gave one last look to my childhood home.

Good-bye Berk.