Trials

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The next day, the crew were waiting as Hiccup arrived, cheering and clapping that he had dodged the bullet and escaped suspension. From the other side of the hallway, Astrid and her friends were trying to ignore them and gossip but the arrival of Snotlout and Tuffnut merely ramped up the volume and the taunting by the crew.

"Hey, losers," Snotlout called scornfully. "Got nothing to do? Ah-I forgot...you aren't in anything. All you can do is call names."

"Well there, Snotface, you're lucky we're so skilled at it," Hiccup called.

"What're you looking so cocky about, Fishbone?" Snotlout sneered. "I heard you were all upset because teacher wanted your little booky wooky!"

"At least I can read," Hiccup shot back, loud enough for him to hear.

"What was that?" Snotlout growled.

"Deaf as well as illiterate. Maybe we should tell Coach Rokeby," Hiccup taunted him.

"At least I'll be on the team!" Snotlout shot back. "You'll never be good enough!" Hiccup cast a look at the others.

"Dunno," Thuggory commented. "Maybe we  should come and show you Jocks how it's done!" There was a sudden eruption of laughter as Snotlout, Tuffnut, Eret, Fishlegs and everyone else openly laughed at them.

"Can't see why you're laughing," Dagur growled. "I'm bigger, stronger and faster than Snotface here so why would he make the team ahead of me?" Snotlout stopped laughing.

"One word: Grit. Determination. Chutzpah, G U T S!"

"That's technically seven words," Hiccup pointed out.

"And none of them beat S K I L L!" Savage added snidely.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup asked them in a low voice. He couldn't see his friends volunteering for and sticking with a school team. Dagur leaned close and draped his arm around Hiccup's shoulders.

"We're not going to join the team," Dagur growled. "We're going to sabotage it. If the best players don't get in, then they'll be ruined and the team loses." He scowled menacingly. "No one makes fun of Dagur the Deranged!"

oOo

"Can you believe that?" Astrid hissed to Heather in lunch. "I cannot believe that those troublemakers are going to try for the team!"

"What does it matter to you?" the other girl replied, chewing her sandwich. She flicked her jet hair off her face, "I mean...you'll be Captaining the Cheerleaders again so you'll cheer for whatever team we have!"

"But I want us to have the best team possible!" Astrid protested. "And I don't believe any of those guys cares two spits about Football. They'll disrupt the team or play the fool and we'll end up crashing and burning!"

"And the Coach will know that so no way he'll pick any of them to join the Team, Ast!" Cami soothed her.

"And besides-we'll have Cheer selection at the same time..." Heather reassured her. "Do you think there'll be any surprise candidates?" Ruff grinned.

"Don't worry, Heather," she shrugged. "You aren't getting rid of your three blondes!" Heather threw an apple at her and Ruff caught it, hefting it back at Heather, missing and hitting Snotlout. The Jock leapt to his feet, his fists balled to punch whoever had thrown it at him...and then he saw the girls laughing with Ruff bright scarlet. Snotlout forced a smile on his face and handed the apple back.

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