I Don't Love You Too

Chapter 11 - Talent Shows

A/N I've changed the last chapter slightly so it fits better with this one, so you might want to refresh it and reread it - sorry!

"I'm in love," I threw my hands above my head, "so what does that prove?"

"It doesn't necessarily prove anything," Rapunzel pondered, "but if you really loved her, you'd go after her. You do, don't you?" I nodded. She was right. Just thinking about her made my heart ache because I knew she hated me. "Then you have to do something to get her back. It doesn't have to be big. Just something."

When I didn't respond, she slapped me on the shoulder. "C'mon Hic! You never give up! Not on classes, not on anything! And you won't give up on Merida. We know you won't."

"We?" Jack said, confused. Rapunzel shot him the death glare and he started. "Yep, we know you won't..."

I let out a hollow laugh. "How on earth is Merida going to come back to me? Why would she come back to me? Be realistic Punz."

"I haven't figured that part yet if I'm completely honest," Punzie bit her bottom lip and Jack grinned, "But I know we'll find a way. We have to."

"Or The Big Four will become The Slightly Smaller Three," Jack smiled and I chuckled in spite of myself.

"I've got it!" Rapunzel cried, but the second she said it the bell went. We had to go, but Rapunzel made Jack and I swear we'd meet her in the library at break. I headed to my first class. French. Sitting with Merida. Oh crap.

She didn't look at me, or speak to me. Or make any human contact at all, actually. It hurt, I'll tell you that. It hurt like hell but she couldn't know. I couldn't stuff up in front of her again. I'd done enough of that.

When we were told to work in partners with the increasingly stupid dialogues we had to improvise on, it just got worse and worse. I cleared my throat and asked:

"Que pouvez-vous voir à l'extérieur de votre fenêtre ?" (What can you see out of your window?)

Merida flicked through her dictionary and replied with no hesitation:

"Je vois un bâtard mensongère." (I see a lying bastard.)

I slammed my book shut and sighed deeply. It took a lot of effort to not let myself start crying in the middle of the lesson. But I managed it. Merida could see me, I knew that. She could see what was going through my head, the battle raging inside my brain. She turned away, inhaling slowly as though she was fighting from saying something. I didn't say anything else for the entire lesson.

Engineering passed quickly and then I almost ran to the library. Rapunzel's idea had better be good, I thought as I ran.

Rapunzel and Jack were already there and they dragged me to a table where we wouldn't be heard. They sat me down and Punzie leaned in to make extra sure no one could evesdrop.

"What's the idea then?" I whispered.

"There's a talent show coming up right?" Rapunzel asked and I nodded, asking what that had to do with anything. "Well I could say to Merida that I'm in it, and could she please come and support me, but it's actually you. Once she's in there she can't come out because she'll still be waiting for me to come on and she'll see you whether she wants to or not. Even when she finds out I was in the audience with Jack the entire time. I was thinking you could sing!"

"Me? Sing?!" I started and looked at Jack incredulously. "You've got to be kidding right?"

"I thought it was a really good idea," Jack shrugged.

"I thought you could play the piano and sing to her," Rapunzel explained. "I know it'd mean the world to her."

"Really?" I asked after a short pause.

"Well, there's no denying that it's cheesy as hell," Jack grinned, "but girls love that. Right Punz?"

She nodded.

"It's perfect!"

"It's embarrassing."

"Would you do it for her?"

"... Yes."

"Then you'd better start searching for a good song," Jack grinned, "because we've already put your name on the sign-up sheet."

I grinned at them.

"When's the talent show?"

"This Thursday."

"What? That's four days away!"

"Take it or leave it Dragon Boy," Jack looked at me, dead pan.

"Well you've already signed my name up so I don't have much choice in the matter do I?"

"Nope," Rapunzel smiled mischievously. Jack was definitely starting to rub off on her.

"Fine!" I threw my hands in the air in mock surrender. "As long as the pair of you promise to help me?"

"That was part of the deal," Jack grinned. "As much as we hate you Hiccup, we don't want you and Merida to break up."

"We already have," I sighed.

"Well, we want to get you back together. But you have to do your bit too."

I nodded. I still couldn't believe that they were willing to help me out, however embarrassing it was.

The rest of the week passed quickly in a haze of awkward refused eye contact and many trips to the library. As well as a lot of practising. I had to get this song perfect.

 The night of the talent show arrived and I was scared as hell. It felt like the whole school'd be watching me, but that wasn't what I was worried about. It was Merida But I had been practicing this song for ages anyway, even before I knew I was doing it for the talent show so I was confident, in that scared-and-confident-all-at-once kind of way.

I was dressed in a black suit and tie, very simple, but very smart. It's what everyone else was wearing anyway. As I waited in the wings I nervously straightened and re-straightened my tie and kept running my fingers through my fringe. I couldn't see Merida in the audience from the tiny crack I was staring through from backstage but I knew she was there; Jack had texted me. I knew I'd see her the moment I went on stage though.

I was the very last act, and it couldn't have been more painful as I sat there, watching and waiting for them to call my name. The evening was drawing to a close and I realised it was going to be me in a matter of minutes. Sure enough, the teacher announcing the acts called my name and my breathing turned slightly ragged. I wiped my sweaty palms on my trousers and picked up my sheet music. Before I could change my mind, I walked on stage.