The NEWBIE

Chapter 9

***9***

JACK

"Er, g-good evening, Mr. Banccup." I greeted back, stiffly.

"Yeah, I'm just going to ask you something." He replied which made me more nervous. "Do you happen to see any teenagers with a bucket of paint and a pair of guilty hands?"

My mouth opened for a response but nothing seemed to come out. He waited for me to say something but the look on Mr. Banccup's face when the bucket fell on his head kept rewinding inside of my self-conscious. I went back to reality when Rap suddenly nudged my elbow.

"No, sir. The neighbourhood seems, uh," I turned my head to look at the houses across the street. "The neighbourhood seems normal, civilized, and peaceful."

The heat was about to begin until Hiccup and Merida's presence interrupted our conversation which is a big relief.

"Dad, you wouldn't find out who the culprits are if you keep on accusing my friends." Hiccup said as he placed his hand on his Dad's shoulder. "I mean, why would they even do things like that?"

Hiccup's words made me guiltier than I had before. He kept on defending me when the truth is, it was me who did it. What would Hiccup say if he'd find out that his best friend was the person his Dad was finding, after all? Everything seemed to get more complicated.

"Sorry, if I'm being too tacky around here, Hiccup." Mr. Banccup apologized. "Well, you kids go and start your film showing and I'll be here, spying on every kid that passes by. If everything is in my favour, I might catch those pranksters."

That was actually a close one. I was lucky that Hiccup was there to cover me up from his Dad. But at the same time, I felt pretty bad for him.

Am I a bad friend? I began to question myself as we made our way to the living room. I didn't know what to do after this. Rap was beginning to feel the guilt when I looked past her.

The genre of the movie we watched was actually Comedy but nothing really made me laugh. The way I see it, the only people that was enjoying the movie was Hiccup and Merida.

Whenever Merida or Hiccup would glance and tell me how funny it was I would just give them a smile, a fake one rather. How could I smile in a case like this? I made a prank for Elsa but I ended up having troubles with Mr. Banccup. How could I ever fix a problem as complicated as this? It was as though any decision I would make is a big risk. If I tell Mr. Banccup that I was the one who dropped a bucket of paint on top of his head, I might unleash the full wrath of his anger. And then, if I confess to Hiccup and tell him that the prank wasn't really meant for his Dad he would still question me of why I did that. It seems like the only safe option was to keep it as a secret. What kind of trouble did I put myself in to?

After the movie, it was time for us to go home. I didn't know what to say to Hiccup. My lips were too sealed and too guilty to speak. I just said my good bye and fled off as soon as possible.

***

MERIDA

I knew Rap would break her promise. I don't know why she took everything too seriously. It was only a skirt for God's sake but she made it look like it was a big deal. I thought that Rap was just exaggerating when it came to Elsa. What's her problem with Elsa, anyway? I know she isn't used of getting spilled a drink on, but I know Rap. She's a very considerate person but the way she kept treating Elsa was not her.

And then there's Jack. What's his deal? Why would he help Rap on planning a revenge for Elsa? Elsa looks nice but Jack seems to despise her all that much. I don't know what to do with the two of them. I had to make a move for them to speak up or else their "cowardness" might cost them something that's worth the price they couldn't even pay.