Guardians and Angels

Chapter 2: Rapunzel

Distractions can be a great thing. If provided at the right opportunity, a distraction can become a survival technique. I live by that concept on a daily basis. I used my distractions to take me away from them, but it could only do so much before they took over and proceeded to punish me.

School was one of my many distractions, and I valued my time in this building because it limited how much time I spent with them. I considered this place a sort of safe haven; sure I was still in danger here, but not nearly as much as I would be elsewhere.

One of my best distraction was walking by my side, where I knew she would always be. A bold and confident girl sauntered next to me, swinging her arms back and forth, with her red curls springing out of control. She always held her head high, and carried a proud smile on her face wherever she went. I had come to appreciate her wild and rambunctious personality and wished I could be more like her.

I was currently linking arms with my best friend, Merida Dunbroch, while on our way to lunch. My previous classes were surprisingly short and only informed us of rules and procedures. I listened thoroughly to the expectations listed by the teachers, in order to prevent punishments later on.

Merida and I sat at a nearby table in the cafeteria and began eating our food. It wasn't long after we sat down that Merida's phone buzzed with a message. She pulled it out and tried to hold back a smile.

The way her eyes lit up and her cheeks became slightly pink, I knew it was her boyfriend who had texted her. She only gave that look when it was him.

"What did Hiccup say?" I asked in a high-pitched mocking tone.

Merida couldn't help but grin more from my comment and blush harder. "He just wanted to wish me luck on the first day of school."

From the way that she quickly hid her phone from me and stared at the ground, I could infer that she wasn't telling the whole truth. The sass in her tone also exposed her lies.

"That's nice, but what did he really say?"

She chuckled under her breath and showed me her phone, where I found myself looking at a picture instead of a text.

In the picture was a brunette boy with a jade shirt that matched the color of his eyes. His brown hair was styled in a ruggish kind of way with two tiny braids at the end. He had a big smile etched across his face and was giving Merida a thumbs up. Underneath the picture was a message.

Hiccup: Good luck with your first day of school. I love you. <3

"Aww..."

I've seen thousands of pictures of Hiccup but I've never had the privilege of meeting him. I felt as though I were Merida and Hiccup's number one fan; I adored every story, every picture, and every little thing about their relationship. They were adorable in my eyes and I gushed about them all the time. Merida rolled her eyes at me and tried to act cool, but I could tell that she secretly liked it.

"Can I ask you something?" I blurted out.

She shot me a quizzical look. "Uh... sure, I guess."

"So, you and Hiccup have been dating for almost a year and a half, and-"

"Let me guess, you want to meet him?"

"Yes! I deserve to meet the love of your life."

"Okay, fine. I'll ask," she sighed and got up from the table.

"So you agree he's the love of your life?"

She looked at me with her eyebrows raised.

"I mean, you didn't deny it so it must be true," I teased.