Chapter 7
After spending an hour in the library-which was the closest thing he had to a comfort blanket, Hiccup emerged. He had spent ten minutes just staring at the image of Heather and him from Senior Prom and wondering why she was being so cruel. It wasn't that he was being weird or stalkerish at all, right? He was just doing what any guy in love would do to try to win his girl back...travelling across the country, completely changing his entire life plans and applying for and getting into the most difficult school in the country. Anyone would do that, right?
He had missed a discussion about study groups which he presumed he would catch up and then he made his way back and resumed his seat as they waited for the next tutor-Professor Viggo Grimborn, one of the most celebrated lawyers in the Eastern US. Hiccup was ready to work, trying to ignore Heather who was leaning against Finlay-had she really called him Fish?-and whispering obviously. Professor Grimborn wore all black, his manicured beard and cold brown eyes topped by expensively cropped black hair. His frighteningly intelligent gaze swept the assembled students and landed on the moderately scruffy shape sitting expectantly with a 'Dalek' pen in his hand.
"You-name!" he snapped.
"H-Hiccup H-Haddock, sir," Hiccup stammered, caught off guard by the man's aggressive tone.
"Define evidence!" he demanded.
"Um...the-the t-term evidence refers t-to anything that is p-presented to p-prove something else is true or exists. In the legal system, evidence is any t-type of p-proof p-presented at trial, for the p-purpose of convincing the judge and/or jury that alleged facts of the case are t-true," Hiccup stammered, blushing fiercely. Heather sniggered.
"He can't even manage a full sentence," she scoffed. Professor Grimborn frowned.
"Almost word-perfect," he commented. "Your knowledge is adequate...BUT you MUST be able to speak to construct your case, Haddock!" His voice had risen and he shouted the last few words at the shocked Hiccup. "And when I want your opinion, girl, I will ask for it. Until that time, I would insist you keep your opinions to yourself." Then he smiled coldly. "But since you are so opinionated...give me the definition of subject matter jurisdiction..."
Heather's mouth opened and closed, her eyes wide with sudden panic. The Professor frowned and then put a hand in his pocket.
"Nothing to say for yourself now?" he taunted her. She blushed fiercely and Hiccup stole and glance, then bowed his head and stared at his pad. A tiny piece of him felt a twinge of sympathy for her humiliation and a shameful larger piece felt a sort of pleasure that she wasn't being allowed to get away with targeting him. But he knew as well that it wouldn't make a difference ultimately: she had made her position clear.
Over the next fifteen minutes or so, Professor Grimborn quizzed the class, ruthlessly exposing the fact that almost none of them had done their pre-course reading. Heather failed to answer any of her questions, Finlay managed one out of three and Hiccup got all his right, though his stammer became more obvious under Grimborn's icy glare. Finally the Professor raked the exhausted students with his icy glare.
"Well, this is a sorry class," he commented sneeringly. "Only one student has bothered to do the necessary preparation ahead of this lesson-and he is unable to communicate what he knows." Hiccup blushed scarlet, his cheeks scorching with shame. "Mr Haddock-B. Mr Ingerman, C. The remainder of you-are all a D. Read chapters one through six by the next class. Anyone who has not done his preparation on the exercises will be expelled from my class. Dismissed!"
As he swept out, Heather gave a sneering laugh.
"Poor Hiccup," she scoffed. "All that knowledge and you can't even speak a simple sentence. Maybe you should head back to nerd school now!" Finlay rested his hand on hers, his big face crinkled in a puzzled frown.
"Heather-where's the kind, sweet girl I met in April?" he asked, stealing a glance at Hiccup, who had flinched at her words. "I mean-this horrible behaviour isn't you!"
"It's him," she complained, gesturing frustratedly at Hiccup. "I mean him stalking me has really put me off my game..."
But to Finlay Ingerman's eyes, Hiccup didn't look so much like as stalker than a young man who had worked hard to attend Law School and been the only one to have looked at the required pre-course reading. Making fun of his stammer had been unworthy in Finlay's eyes-both by the teacher as well as his own girlfriend. And one thing was for sure: there was more going on than Heather was admitting. And he was determined to get to the bottom of it-one way or another...
Hiccup could be seen dragging his tired body back to his dorm after the first day of classes. He was ready to just flop into bed and then he remembered the 'light' reading he still had to do for Prof. Queen's class. When Hiccup stood at his door he didn't immediately insert the key because a chicken was sitting on his small welcome mat.
'Uhm,' Hiccup said and the chicken clucked at him but didn't rise from her spot.
"Okay this is weird," Hiccup mumbled as he looked around the empty hallway. "I can't just leave you here," he mumbled as the hen clucked at him again.
"I swear if this is a prank, it's one of the weirdest pranks I've ever seen." Hiccup looked around again and was nearly going to shoo off the chicken when a loud wail of "WHERE IS MY CHICKEN?" filled the hall. Hiccup startled but the hen seemed quite used to it and went back to preening.
"I think I found your owner," Hiccup mumbled and carefully picked the pet poultry up. He stopped when he saw what was underneath the hen. "Really?! On my mat?" Hiccup asked as the bird only clucked.
Hiccup had the bird firmly under his shoulder when he knocked on the door the wail had emanated from. Surprisingly, it was only three doors down and across from him. The person who opened the door wasn't what he had expected. "Chicken!" The blonde-dreadlock wearing man shouted as he saw the bird all cozy next to Hiccup. "My baby! You came back sweetums!" The man cooed and then turned to thank Hiccup. "Thank you! Thank you, kind sir, for reuniting me with my one and only love!"
"YOUR ONE TRUE LOVE!" a shout came from inside the room and Hiccup saw another blonde, this time a woman, approach them. "I AM YOUR SISTER AND BETTER HALF! I AM YOUR ONE TRUE LOVE!"
"Don't listen to the mean lady," the man cooed to the chicken who merely clucked.
"Oh and here," Hiccup said as he gave the man the egg that the bird had laid on his welcome mat. "So I'm Hiccup, Hiccup Haddock."
"I'm Raquel Thornston, and that is my idiot brother Theo, but you can call us Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Ruff and Tuff, or your Evil overlords," she joked. "And thank you for making my brother stop crying. He's been going on about that bird for half an hour now."
"Oh, it really wasn't a problem," Hiccup shrugged as Ruffnut thought for a moment.
"Say, do you already have a study group?" she asked.
"Not yet," Hiccup told her. "Wait... you're inviting me to yours?"
"Sure, why not? You just did everyone in the hall a favor. Least we could do is help you study as well. First meeting is tomorrow night at the library second floor."
"Alright. Thank you!" Hiccup said as he bid them good night.
The following evening after classes, found Hiccup entering the library with a spring in his step. After Professor Grimborn's scolding yesterday Heather seemed much more subdued in class. Making his way towards the second floor Hiccup looked around curiously to see if he could spot the twins.
"Hey, over here!" He turned to see Tuffnut waiving to get his attention while others around shushed him. Tuffnut sat at a long table half hidden between the large bookcases and Hiccup approached but stop when all the occupants at the table were visible. With a audible gulp his gaze landed on Heather who was there with Finlay. Besides Heather, Finlay and the twins two more of his yearmates sat at the table. 'Mindy and Thuggory' his mind supplied as he remembered their names from the classes they shared together.
"Oh great," He heard Heather scoff. "What are you doing here?"
"I...... I... was invited," Hiccup stuttered. 'And here I thought I'd have more courage when speaking to her again,' his mind lamented.
"Who would want to invite you?" Heather continued not noticing the disapproving glance her fiance shot her, nor that of the twins.
"I did!" Ruffnut shot back causing the occupants at the table to turn to her. Thuggory and Mindy stayed silent, choosing to watch the scene unfold instead of butting in. Ruffnut had a tick in her brow as she stared down Heather, willing her to argue against her.
"Heather that was rather rude," Finlay commented as he looked at her. Heather's eyes widened as if she had realized something and she sputtered a bit before swallowing her pride and saying "I'm sorry, that was out of line." towards Hiccup. She seemed remorseful to everyone around her and even invited Hiccup to sit.
"Actually....." Hiccup mumbled. "I think I better go."
"But... But.... I invited you!" Heather said wide-eyed.
"Doesn't mean I actually have to accept it," Hiccup shrugged before turning towards the twins. "Thank you for the invite but I think I might be better off studying elsewhere."
"Wait Hiccup!" Tuffnut said as he and his sister started packing up their books. "We'll join you!" This caused Heather to splutter again.
"You guys are leaving too?!"
"Well yeah," Ruffnut shrugged. "Hiccup seems like a cool guy." Ruffnut told her. "You just seem rude."
"But...but we've already agreed to the study plans and the assignments to summarise the subjects!" Heather protested.
"I guess you'll have to reassign them," Tuff told her. "I mean, you clearly need the work and our boy Hiccup here is far smarter than you anyway."
"And we're not as dumb as we look," Ruff added.
"Wouldn't be hard," Heather muttered as Finlay stared at her, his eyes wide with shock. Ruff stabbed her finger at the raven-haired girl and gave a triumphant smirk.
"See?" she exclaimed. "RUDE!!!"
"SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" everyone hissed.
"Bro-grab Hiccup! We are out of here!" Ruffnut ordered as Tuffnut gave a mock salute before steering a still clearly shocked Hiccup down the stairs. Hiccup heard Finlay tell Heather "Great job Heather, half of our study group just bailed!" before they were completely out of earshot.