Hiccup And The Gang Short Stories

A High-Speed Collision Part 3

FOUR MONTHS LATER...

Astrid sat by herself in the coffee shop, a pencil in her hand and a coffee cup in the other, working on her homework. It was late in the evening. The clock in the shop read 7:27. She was alone excluding the coffee shop employees, and even they were being quiet as if the silence of the shop was contagious.

The jungling of a bell let Astrid know that someone else had entered the coffee shop. She didn't look up from her work. She was busy. She heard the pattering of claws against the floor; whoever walked in must have had a dog of some sort.

"Hey," One of the coffee shop employees said, "no pets allowed."

"Oh," a voice replied. Astrid's hand froze in the middle of writing a number. Something about that voice was...familiar. "The sign said that service dogs were allowed."

Astrid turned around in her chair, looking at the speaker. He had auburn hair, emerald eyes, freckles and a prosthetic left leg.

It's him. Astrid remembered him. He was the boy she had met nearly four months earlier; the boy in the car crash, named Hadley.

There was a black border collie standing at his side, his tongue flopping out of his mouth. The dog looked happy, yet at the same time, serious, with a harness around his back. Well, he is a service dog, after all.

"He's a service dog?" The cashier asked, leaning over the counter. "Oh, alright, he is. Okay, what will you have?"

"Hot chocolate please."

"Alright. That'll be one dollar and seventy five cents."

After just another moment, Astrid stood up and approached him. She wondered for a minute if he would remember her...either way, she supposed it didn't matter in the end.

He turned to look at her for a brief second, and a look of shock and recognition seized his face. He does remember me, then, Astrid realized.

"Hey," he said quietly, hesitation only for a moment before continuing. "I think I know you. Do I?"

Astrid nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I remember you."

Hiccup paused. "You were the girl I found after I was in the car accident," he said. "You... you have no idea...wow, this is awesome. I never thought I'd see you again."

Astrid smiled. "Why would you want to see me again, anyway?" she asked. "It's not like I'm anyone special-"

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Don't say that!" he said. "Are you kidding me? I don't think you realized what you did for me when I was hurt."

"All I did was hold your hand and tell you to stay awake," Astrid said simply.

"Well, yeah," Hiccup said, "but to me, that was...it was amazing, um...Astrid, right?"

Astrid nodded.

"I was scared out of my wits," Hiccup explained hastily, yet at the same time, hesitantly as if it was a subject he didn't like talking about. "You were the one who made me keep my cool."

"Your drink, sir," The coffee shop attendant said, putting down a cup of hot cocoa down on the counter and rushing back to the kitchen to resume her chore. Hiccup took the cup off the counter, swirling its contents.

"Do you want to sit down?" Astrid offered, and Hiccup shrugged. In a few moments, they were sitting across from each other, Hiccup's dog laying under the table.

"What's his name?" Astrid asked, looking at the border collie.

"Toothless," Hiccup replied.

Astrid frowned. "Why's his name Toothless?" she asked.

Hiccup put up his finger, opened his mouth, and sighed. "I actually have no idea," he admitted. "My Mum got him for me after I lost my leg. I don't know. For some reason, I wanted to name him Toothless...don't ask why, because frankly, I have no idea."

Astrid nodded. "I have a dog named Stormfly," she said, "only she's not as cute. She's a weird looking yorkie with the strangest sounding bark you have ever heard. I'm serious, Hiccup, you wouldn't believe it."

Hiccup nodded. "That's funny," He looked down at his cup briefly before meeting her eyes again. "You know," he said, "If I hadn't been in that crash, I never would have met you."

"Me neither," Astrid said. "Although I wish we could have met some other way, when the situation wasn't so serious..."

Hiccup shrugged. "Well," he said, "I suppose it isn't too late for another introduction." He extended his hand towards her. "Hello," he said. "I'm Hiccup."

Smiling, Astrid took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Hello," she replied. "I'm Astrid."

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Last part done. I will update again soon. Hope you like it.

Toothlesslover23