Face Value

Part 12

TWELVE:

It was dark when they got out of detention because it was still winter and Berk was northerly and cold. Astrid had phoned her mother to explain and after her initial disappointment, she understood why her daughter had gotten into trouble. Finn had been serious, outraged and amused in equal parts, advising her to learn from the experience and telling her how proud he was of her for standing up for her friend. Unsure what to make of the endorsement, he had paused.

"You are a straight A student, Astrid," he said. "You are kind and decent and brave and fierce. You don't breaks rules for the sake of it-but you stood up for your friend and for the decent and right thing to do. And people who pretended to be your friend don't even understand why that is important. But you did strike another student, so the punishment is justified, no matter the reason. behind that. And you won't get another detention before your school time is done-so use it as experience. Consider how you could have handled it better. And what you can do if the situation arose in the future."

"But it will be on my record," she murmured.

"And you can explain it if anyone asks," he reassured her. "Your father and I got up to much worse, I can tell you. But sometimes, doing something out of character and gaining an experience you otherwise would never have is a good thing in the long run. All experiences contribute to the person you become-and the memories of this, I think, will be valuable."

Hiccup was curiously more upset that Astrid, for his father was very invested in his son's record as a student. And though he was hiding it, he was nervous how Stoick would react. Not that he expected his father to be there, since Stoick Haddock had a trip booked to Copenhagen to extol the virtues of Berk as a potential wild camping venue for the summer season and should be gone. So it was shock when he pulled up to the house with Astrid and Heather to find Stoick's huge bronze SUV still parked on the drive-alongside a beat-up orange pick-up truck that bore the peeling legend 'GOBBER'S GARAGE'. Rolling his eyes, he rested his head on the steering wheel and muttered 'Oh Thor."

Astrid frowned.

"What is it?" she asked, reading his reaction. Hiccup straightened up like a shot.

"Um...nothing?" he tried, his voice an octave higher than usual. Astrid chuckled.

"You are the worst liar in history," she told him smugly. His eyes widened.

"Am not!"

"Are too!" Astrid retorted. "Okay-spill, Hiccup. It can't be that bad..." He gulped.

"No-it's worse," he explained, gesturing at the cars. She tilted her head. "My Dad is home...and Gobber."

"Gobber?"

"My godfather. Gordon 'Gobber' Belcher, mechanic extraordinaire. Owner of Gobber's Garage-officially the best garage in the Archipelago 2001-18, don't you know. And more importantly, he's a crazed two-limbed meat-headed lunatic with no filter, no boundaries and who loves to embarrass me..." Hiccup groaned. "Could we just stay in the car?"

"No. It's freezing in here," Astrid said and opened the door. "Come on, Babe-you can do this..." Glancing up, Hiccup shook his head firmly.

"Um, no I can't," he said with certainty. "I mean, I turn up late from school after my first ever detention with two beautiful Seniors...my Dad and Gobber will never let me live it down. Well, maybe when I hit eighty, they may ease up. A little. Possibly..." Astrid started at him and then shared a glance at Heather, who was grinning.

"You know, he did just compliment us," the raven-haired girl told her. Hiccup groaned by unfastened his safety belt and slowly got out of the car.

"Yeah," he said miserably. "Maybe I should have stayed in the Gym, hiding..." Astrid walked round and took his hand.