In Another Lifetime

Chapter 21 - Betrayal..?

They headed to lunch before their home economics session in the afternoon. The menu today was particularly puke-worthy: a kind of meat in a sauce that wasn't clarified, some lumpy mashed potato and greyish peas that looked like any goodness they might ever have had was boiled out of them long ago. They decided to move on to dessert which wasn't fantastic but much better than the main course, some half melted ice cream and slightly runny jelly. The four of them decided that another midnight feast was in order.

They headed down to home economics, Rapunzel leading the way, giggling and excitable. The other three were less than happy.

"What d'you reckon?" Merida asked, "baking boulders for cupcakes or making a water bottle insulator like in year 3?"

"I'm betting water bottle." Jack raised his hand like he was voting.

"Cupcake boulders," Hiccup said dully. Merida sighed.

"What's the pointin this anyway?" Jack groaned, scuffing his shoes along the ground as he walked. Hiccup kicked a scrunched up piece of paper as far as he could - which wasn't far.

"Beats me." Merida let out a long sigh as Rapunzel looked back to see their bored faces.

"Come on! You'll really enjoy it once you try it!"

"You sound like my mother," Merida snorted as she imitated her mother's rather stronger Scottish accent. "'Hae do yeh knae if ye don' like it if yeh don' try it?'"

Rapunzel raised her eyebrows and sighed.

"Well, you've got no choice. It's on our timetable."

"Along with another group, apparently there weren't enough rooms available, who's in group five?" Merida frowned at her piece of paper.

"Oh gods," Hiccup's eyes went wide as he saw the other people waiting outside the room. It was Astrid Hofferson and her cronies.

"Hiccup!" Astrid smirked. "What a lovely surprise!"

"You back off," Merida glared her in the eye, "or I'll stab you with a French cook's knife. Clear?"

"Why doesn't your little boyfriend stand up for himself?" Astrid said rudely. "Why's he always relying on you?"

"I'm not," Hiccup walked forward, "you can shut it Astrid. No one likes you, just get over it."
Astrid merely smiled. The instructor had arrived; she couldn't say anything else now.

"Right, today we'll be making cupcakes," she said to the assorted group before letting them inside. Hiccup rose his eyebrows at Jack as if to say - told you so. They filed into the small room and saw that they had been placed into pairs which were already written on the board. They searched frantically for their names:

Rapunzel Corona - Tuffnut Thornston

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock - Astrid Hofferson

Merida Dunbroch - Snotlout Jorgenson

Jackson Overland - Ruffnut Thornston

Fishlegs Ingerman - working on individual project (not enough people)

"WHAT?" Hiccup shouted, earning a death glare from the instructor already.

"Excuse me Mr Haddock -"

"He can't go with her," Merida stepped forward, jumping into the conversation.

"Miss Dunbroch -"

"I can't go with her!"

"She's horrible to him -"

"It's not a good idea -"