Chapter 9
The next few months settled into a pattern of lectures, reading, assignments and time in the study group. Hiccup started to settle in, finding his way around the Hall, wandering around the town and going for walks along the river and thinking about what things would be like back in Berk. He and Cami skyped at least once a week. She was practically foaming at the mouth when Hiccup told her about Heather and her engagement. On one of the days she and Hiccup would talk she relayed to him that Throk had finally asked her out and Hiccup was so happy for the new couple. He knew the two would get together, if they stopped dancing around each other. Cami's mother might have even won the bet the street had on how her daughter and the Throk would get together in the end. At least that was how it sounded from the story Cami was relaying to Hiccup. "I'm telling you Hiccy, Mom was practically skipping through the house while shouting 'IN YOUR FACE STOICK! I WIN!'." Hiccup remembered from the conversation and while it was an odd sight to see the serious Berta skip he was wondering what his dad had bet.
Back on campus Hiccup liked to take long walks, just to get the stress from classes out of his shoulders and imagine how his parents and his hometown were doing. He would often close his eyes, feeling the damp breeze on his face and imagining the frost edging the grass and the fir trees in the parks. He could see his father's face, red with the cold and his mother swathed in her ultra-long brown woollen scarf, laughing as she walked alongside her husband, holding hands as if they were still a young couple. At home he imagined his father trying to feed the ficus his mother's cooking while Gobber would barge in with an extra large pizza and his ukelele like a godsend. Music nights were always fun and Hiccup wondered if his mother would ever find out the cause of all their houseplants dying so quickly.
Back in his room, Toothless had settled in, marking his preferred spots and getting Hiccup to move his litter tray four times before having it put back in the original position. Hiccup carefully worked his way through his jobs and wondered idly if he would see Astrid again.
Classes were difficult but Hiccup realised he was scoring above average in his marks and found that thinking around legal processes wasn't that far off the problem solving he was used to in his Engineering studies. Certainly, he was doing very well in Professor Queen's class and pretty well in the others-with one exception. Professor Grimborn's class was difficult for everyone and though Hiccup was scoring on average a B-, he was joint top in the class, not managing to move from the hot seat and finding himself in the firing line every time. He had taken to revising before the next day's class so he could manage to answer at least one of the questions Professor Grimborn fired at him.
One day, Professor Grimborn paused at the end of the class, after setting them another fiendish assignment that had everyone groaning and moaning over their laptops. Clasping his hands behind his back and sweeping his icy brown gaze across the assembled class, he gave a small smile.
"I am happy to announce that at the end of the year, I will be offering four student internships in my firm. I invite you all to apply and I will be assessing your performance through the rest of the year. Please submit your resumes if you are interested." He looked around. "Dismissed."
Hiccup stared at him as the students filed out, many approaching the Professor to verbally indicate their interest. He knew it would be a good opportunity but did he want to spend his summer with Professor Grimborn? The man was snide, sarcastic and enjoyed making whoever he was speaking to feel stupid-but he was brilliant and Hiccup knew he could learn a lot from the man. If he could win a place.
Who am I kidding? he thought defeatedly. How would I win a place anyway? And then he looked up and saw Heather laughing with Fishlegs. Determinedly, he got up and walked down to the Professor, who was gathering up his books. Grimborn looked up and actually managed a small smile.
"Ah-Mister Haddock," he said cheerfully. "I was hoping you would consider applying for one of the internships."
"M-me?" Hiccup babbled and then grimaced. He took a deep breath. "Sorry-me?" Grimborn gave a small smile.
"I can see you are working on the stammer-and while there are fields of law where it will not be so much of an impediment, you are a talented and brilliant young man with incisive reasoning and an excellent memory. My question is-are you ruthless enough to succeed?" Hiccup swallowed.
"I guess?" he managed. "I mean,..... I think I am." There was a pause as Professor Grimborn stared into his face.
"We'll see," he said with a nod. "Have you a resume?" Hiccup automatically pulled out a printed copy in its own plastic wallet and handed it over. "Well done, Mister Haddock. You are the only one who had a resume ready. Always be prepared for the unexpected-because you never know what could happen next." Blushing, Hiccup nodded his thanks and headed for the door-to almost run into Heather and Fishlegs, who were waiting for the Professor to emerge. The girl's face was shocked.
"You're not going for the internships, are you?" she asked him incredulously and he stiffened and looked into her face. Now, he wondered why he had been so enamoured with her, because the Heather that he was encountering now was spiteful, mean and cruel-a world away from the loving and sweet girl he had believed that she was. And he wondered whether that had ever been her true nature or another act.
"Yes, I am," he said in a puzzled voice. "Why shouldn't I? My marks are far higher than yours, we take the same classes, I answer at least twice as many questions correctly than you do...why shouldn't I?"
"It's time you stopped this nonsense and swapped to that Engineering course where you know you belong," she told him. He stared at her. Just stared at her for a moment not even saying anything. He noticed Heather getting that frustrating twitch in her brows. In the past he thought it was cute but now.......
"Do you feel threatened, Heather?" he asked her pointedly. "I am a student on the same course. I won my place by merit. I am doing better on this course than you. Why do you keep saying I should quit? If anything, you are the one floundering-maybe you should consider your future." Hiccup snapped not even regretting the words as Heather's eyes widened.
"Hey-that was mean," Fishlegs pointed out and Hiccup's head snapped round to look at him.
"Fish-you're a nice guy but she was clearly cheating on me by going out with you while we were together," he told the husky man honestly. "I was out with her and was about to propose to her in June at the Graduation Dinner that we went to together as a couple..." He got out his phone and showed Fishlegs the picture and Fish's eyes widened. "That isn't a lie or a fantasy-it's a fact. As was when she dumped me because I wasn't good enough for her because I was planning to go for Engineering, because I would be too poor and insignificant to go out with a lawyer...notwithstanding how well engineers are paid anyway, by the way! I decided to change to Law and come here-and I was good enough to get a place. That is the truth as well. But despite all of that, despite the fact that we went to the same school, that we went out for a year, that I was going to propose and that I am on the same course as her now and doing better than she is, I'm still not good enough for her. I'm never going to be good enough for you, am I?" By this time Hiccup was breathing hard as he stared at his former girlfriend. Fishlegs kept his mouth shut as the husky man tried to process all the information Hiccup just ranted out without breathing.
"You just...don't fit in here," Heather told him bluntly. "I mean, if you want to be a lawyer, you can always transfer to Archipelago University and go to their Law Department. But Harvard? You're out of your depth. And your class."
"Sorry...has my father suddenly ceased to be the Mayor of Berk?" Hiccup asked her pointedly. "What do you mean out of my class?" Heather slid her arm through Fishlegs' and gave a smile. Fishlegs for his part looked decidedly uncomfortable now.
"Look around you," she said sweetly. "This is a place of old money and privilege. Not a place where your Classic 'Star Wars Episode IV' T-shirt is considered appropriate wear. Or a place where you and your weird friends and cat are welcome."
"I think you need to look out of your own delusion and see that not everyone fits your narrow little idea of who a Law student is," Hiccup retorted, his mind drifting to the twins, Snotlout and even Eret. "Observation skills are essential for a lawyer. Maybe you should develop some." And he turned away. "See you, Fish," he added as he sped away, bursting through the doors into the cold afternoon and taking a few deep breaths as he fumbled with his coat. He had clung onto the faintest hopes but Heather's persistent hostility had finally convinced him that he had lost her. And more-that he didn't want her back.
He blundered blindly on and found himself colliding with something soft as he wrestled with his gloves. He looked up-straight into Astrid's mildly annoyed blue eyes. He started and backed away, extending his hands to steady her.
"Boy-do you ever look where you're going?" she asked him dryly. He shrugged.
"Um, approximately 99.6% of the time," he admitted. "The only problem is that I keep meeting you in the 0.4% of the time I'm not..." She found herself giving a smile at his sassy reply.
"Are you okay?" she asked him suddenly. "You don't look happy."
"Not happy? Me? Nah. I'm always ecstatic," he said quickly but she tilted her head and rested a hand on his arm.
"You know, you don't have a poker face. At all. Even slightly," she told him with a smile. He sighed.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "It's just...well, one of my friends...well, one of the people on the course...just keeps telling me I'm kidding myself by being here, that I don't belong here, that I'm not good enough to be here...that I shouldn't go for the internship..." Astrid smiled and turned around, steering him towards the nearest coffee shop.
"Grimborn's internship?" she asked and he nodded. "Those are pretty competitive."
"So I'm told...but I'm kind of joint top in his class," he revealed. "So I should have a shot? Please tell me I should at least be considered?" She inspected him thoughtfully.
"Did he ask you to apply?" she checked. He nodded.
"Um...yeah. I gave him my resume at the end of class," he revealed and then she smiled.
"You're Mister Haddock," she said with realisation in her voice. He blushed.
"I did tell you my name when we first met..." he reminded her. "How many Haddocks do you think are in the School?" She chuckled as she led them up to the counter and bought two extra-large mint chocolate lattes.
"I just didn't make the connection," she admitted. "I mean, I've heard Grimborn complaining about the students in the Freshman Class but I didn't pay much attention...though he did mention Mister Haddock a few times. I think you may have impressed him." He blushed and then he looked puzzled.
"How...?" he asked. She led them to a table and the waitress brought them their lattes and a pair of iced buns.
"Grimborn is my boss. I'm a junior Associate at his firm," she revealed. "I sometimes do research for him-which is why you see me around the School sometimes. But you, sir, have impressed him-and that is something that only happens very rarely." She paused. "And apart from your inability to look where you're going, you've impressed me too." He blushed even more fiercely.
"Um...how?' he asked. "I mean, you're smart and beautiful and kind to some total Freshman loser but how could I impress you?"
"I've seen your assignments," she reminded him. "You're smart and sassy and cute and...is that a Star Wars Episode IV tee-shirt?" Hiccup slapped his hand over the garment and looked at the table.
"Yeah, sorry," he mumbled. She smiled.
"No-I love that film," she said, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "It was where it all started and even now, with all the additional CGI and tweaking and everything, you can still feel the power of the essential good vs evil tale underlying the incredible effects and imaginative setting..."
"I know...and there is such an innocence and hope in the film that seems to be missing from later entries in the series," Hiccup enthused. "And when Han comes flying in from the sun and saves Luke from being blasted just as he's about to blow up the Death Star..."
"My favourite part as well," Astrid sgreed, sipping her latte. "Hey-there's a late night showing at the Cinema by the River tomorrow. Episode IV. Would you like to come with me?" He almost choked on his iced bun.
"Um...like in a date?" he coughed. She patted him on the hand.
"Yup-just like a date-provided you survive this coffee," she said. "Just as friends. You look like you could use one." Hiccup found himself smiling, even though his eyes were still watering and he was still coughing a little.
"Thanks-I would love to," he said. "You know-I haven't been out alot since I got here." And then she gave a knowing smile.
"Oh, we can definitely do something about that as well..."
Hiccup walked back to the dorms with a spring in his step after he managed to get a date with Astrid on friday. He was about to walk up to his building when he spotted a familiar figure leaning against one of the trees while smoking a cigarette. "Eret?" Hiccup called out to get the other man's attention. Eret's gaze snapped up as Hiccup approached. "Is everything alright?"
Eret let out a sigh as he blew out some smoke. "It's..... Uhm..... It's just my stubborn old pops." Eret mumbled.
"Do you...... want to talk about it?" Hiccup asked. "Maybe out of the cold?"
"I don't know......" Eret shrugged.
"Well...... I have cookies and cream ice cream. We don't have to talk..... But do you want some?"