Face Value

Part 14

FOURTEEN:

Astrid's eyes widened and stared as the three buff football players cornered the tall lean shape of Hiccup, shoving him back and pressing him against the wall, holding his arms. As she watched, Snotlout stabbed his finger into Hiccup's chest.

"I want a word with you, Haddock!" he sneered. "It seems someone just can't take a hint..." The words were clearly audible on the feed, the images sharp. The sidebar displayed three other views, all of the same scene. Fishlegs swapped views to better capture the drama. Especially as Hiccup stared into the stocky Snotlout's eyes.

"Well, none of you seem to be especially on the ball so that could apply to all of you..." he sassed back, earning himself a punch in the gut from Snotlout.

"I'm doing the talking here, Fishbone!" Snotlout sneered. Hiccup grimaced and took a shuddering breath.

"Maybe you should listen," he suggested, earning himself another blow. "OW!"

"Aww, baby boo!" Eret sneered. Hiccup glared at him.

"Look, guys-what's your problem?" he asked directly.

"You!" Thuggory sneered.

"Why?" Hiccup asked. "I mean, we used to be friends..."

"Emphasis on used to," Snotlout sneered. "You changed, man. You were no longer worthy of our friendship."

"You mean I ended up losing a leg through no fault of my own in a fire and you dump me because of that," Hiccup snapped. Eret nodded.

"I think he gets is," he sneered.

"Real friends don't care!" he protested. "And Snotlout-you're my cousin!" Instantly, Snotlout's face twisted into an ugly scowl and he closed to a few inches, slamming Hiccup back into the wall and winding him.

"You say that again and I'll break your arm!" he threatened.

"Why?" Hiccup asked. "You ashamed of me, Snot? Is that why you and these muttonheads shoved me in a dumpster after school and left me there to freeze to death?"

"Why are you whining? You're alive!" Thuggory taunted him.

"I nearly wasn't," Hiccup protested. "Not that you cared! You locked it. My phone was dying. I had hypothermia when my friends found me. If they hadn't, I would have died there in the trash. Don't any of you asses understand that? Your supposed prank could have killed me-and you wouldn't even have cared!"

"Why should we?" Eret asked him sneeringly. "You're no one and nothing. A one-legged reject who lost all his worth when he lost his leg." Eyes fixed on the screen, Astrid leaned close to Fishlegs in the canteen.

"This is streaming live?" she asked and he nodded.

"It's on BerkBook-and everyone got an alert," he confirmed. Heather glanced round and saw many heads bent over phones, eyes focussed on the screen and all looking shocked and appalled.

"And I think they're getting the point," she murmured as they focussed back on the screen.

"You know-that is the most pathetic and superficial thing I have ever heard!" Hiccup snapped, angry despite his promise to himself not to be bitter. "We did everything together, guys. We had each other's backs. We were round each other's houses all the time. Nothing changed about me. I am still the same person. And real friends would have helped me when I had my terrible accident-but the moment you found out what happened, you bailed!"

"We're the Football Team," Snotlout told him obviously. "You weren't-not any more."

"I still was your friend," Hiccup argued. "I was the same person who joked and laughed with you, who gamed with you, who bought you pizza and slept over and helped you with homework and..." He shook his head. "And you really don't understand why that hurts, do you?"