I Don't Love You Too

Chapter 1 - Obvious

Hiccup's POV

"Astrid," I said, breathing hard and not looking at my girlfriend, "this really isn't working out."

"What're you saying?" Astrid's voice was laced with venom and it made me recoil slightly. "What are you talking about Hiccup?"

"You know what I mean," I sighed. "I think this isn't working out. Me. You. It's not going well. At all. We never speak, we're always fighting -"

"That's not it, is it?" she snarled. "I know what it is now. It's Merida. I should have guessed. You've gone and fallen for Merida."

"What? She's my best friend. What are you on about?"

"You've got to be blind to see she doesn't like you," Astrid folded her arms tightly over her chest and refused to look at me. "She's always looking at you. Talking to you. Laughing with you."

"And you're jealous of that?"

Astrid didn't reply.

"I just don't understand you Astrid. Why would you be jealous of her? Anyway - I don't know what you've heard about Merida but I haven't fallen for her at all. I just don't think me and you are going well at the moment. I'm calling it."

"What?"

"I, Gods - this is awkward - I don't want to go out anymore, okay?"

"You could have said."

Astrid lept up and stormed out of my room, slamming the door behind her. I felt no guilt, only a huge wave of relief. There was no way I was going to allow that to continue any further. It was the worst relationship (and only relationship) that I'd ever been in. It couldn't continue.

I had no idea what Astrid had meant when she said something about Merida liking me. She just wasn't that type of girl. We'd grown up side by side virtually; right from when we were little kids in primary school, through the changes of secondary school and here we were in year 11. It's awkward as hell, I'll give you that.

Everyone, I mean everyone, has changed. Some people, like Snotlout and Fishlegs, not so much. Bit of failed facial hair and some disgusting body odour but that's about it. Jack, my best friend, started secondary school with mousy brown hair. Now he's dying it white. We call him Jack Frost now. Me? I've grown. Not much else. My hair's longer and even messier, and I guess I'm not the talking fishbone of my youth. I've even got a bit of stubble. Nothing to be overly proud of but it's not too bad.

Merida hasn't changed much, but she's grown taller and she's just, different. She's been my friend for so long it was weird to see the change she made from young girl to young woman. Part of me knows she'd climb the nearest tree she saw or jump in the nearest puddle in spite of this. I love that about her. She makes me laugh and ever since Astrid said that Merida 'liked me' I sat down and had a good think. Merida had been pretty quiet recently, she hadn't been talking to me or Astrid. That was weird in itself. She often talked to Astrid, to be polite. They're not great friends but Merida put up with her because she was with me. Astrid that is.

I dug underneath my bed and got out a battered tin as I sat cross-legged on my bedroom floor. I lifted the lid and poured the contents onto the carpet. Mine and Merida's memory box we'd made at the end of primary school.

I found a note from Reception that had Merida's almost unreadable scribble -

Deer Hikup -

Can you meet me arfter skool tooday? We can play dragon and soljers.

From Merida