Hiccup started as Dagur grabbed his arm. "You are with us, aren't you?" he hissed. Blinking in surprise, he nodded. The guys were his friends and friends stuck together-no matter how stupid they were being. Not that there was any hope of not being with Dagur: though he was supposed to be his friend, he guessed the other teen would punch him as soon as look at him if he refused to help out. But being part of a brawl with seven Football players was his vision of Hel because though he was taller than he had been, he was still skinny and lithe but nowhere near as strong as they were.

"Of course," he murmured. " You know I've got your back. But...what're we doing, Dag?"

"We're gonna beat their asses!" Dagur grinned, jerking his head towards the door, where Snotlout, Eret, Tuffnut and Fishlegs were already heading.

"Again, why?" Hiccup asked thoughtfully. "I mean...much as I love the chance to get my ass kicked, this is crazy."

"Hello-deranged, right?" Dagur grinned. Hiccup nodded.

"And the fight...?" he asked. "C'mon, Dag-this isn't you. What're you really after?"

"Apart from a few days off school?" he replied. "Half the Team suspended, that idiot Snotlout eating his words...maybe getting off with Cami?" Hiccup's eyes popped. "Or the ice-queen?"

"Wh...Astrid?" he guessed. Dagur gave a leer that made Hiccup feel unsettled as the auburn-haired boy followed the jock with a slightly defeated slump of the shoulders. The girls were following as well, with Cami, Ruff and even Heather jogging alongside the jocks, launching an impromptu cheer-leading section for their boys: only Astrid was hanging back. Hiccup stole a glance at her. "I guess it would loosen her up a bit," he said dubiously.

"Yeah-being suspended would certainly stop prim Miss Perfect, wouldn't it?" Dagger grinned. "Maybe she'd realise she wasn't so special..." Hiccup stared at the blonde girl and saw her expression: she looked alarmed.

"Maybe," he conceded and swung out of the main door by Dagur. Trailing behind them, Astrid was seeing how she could get out of this. She was alarmed because she knew her parents would go crazy if they found she had been involved in a public fracas. She glanced around and the only person who didn't seem to be completely enthusiastic was Hiccup. As Dagur jogged forward, he trailed back and she accelerated towards him, wondering why he didn't look so keen. It honestly surprised her: she would have thought he would have been overjoyed at the prospect of causing all manner of chaos...but he looked almost...scared. She drifted closer to him and his expression closed to one of exasperation.

"I don't need another lecture from Miss Perfect!" he snarked. She scowled at him.

"I'd have thought you'd be aching to get fighting and cause some more trouble!" she accused him but he sighed.

"Yeah, because I love being hit," he told her sarcastically. "Have you seen those other guys? They are all built and I'm a twig. And yeah, my strengths are sarcasm and sass not brute strength! So I'm gonna get my ass handed to me on a plate! I'm sure you'll enjoy that!" She opened her mouth and then shook her head.

"I have no feelings one way or the other," she said primly. "I just actually want to be somewhere else."

"You and me both," Hiccup sighed, lengthening his stride. Her anxious face contrasted with Dagur's unsettling look and he sighed. She really didn't want to be here and he guessed he would regret what he was going to say. "Look-stay away from the Mall, closer to the road so if anyone turns up, you can vanish quicker." She stared at him and he caught the disbelief in her face. "Fine. Whatever! Stay by the Mall and be the first one a guard grabs! All the same to me!" And he walked away, speeding up to join his friends as they headed away from the door to the south parking lot, a poorly-lit and thinly parked space. The guys squared up against one another and the girls stood away to one side-with Astrid right at the edge, closest to the road.

Dagur grinned, raised his arm and charged. Immediately, Snotlout, Tuffnut and Eret raced towards the others, with Savage and Thuggory following their leader. Fishlegs gave a less than enthusiastic whimper and ran straight at Hiccup, who backed away, raising his hands urgently.

"Um-Fishlegs! Hi! I'm sure you don't wanna do this any more than I do so...maybe we can...just talk this out?" he suggested really fast but Fishlegs hit him at chest height and flattened him with an off. Hiccup managed to roll away but the husky boy was almost as quickly up, surprisingly light on his feet and fists swinging. Hiccup dodged back and paused...then ran forward, sweeping the other boy's legs away with a skilled move that Gobber had taught him. As Fishlegs went down, Hiccup punched him hard in the face with an apology then scrambled away as the larger boy scrambled up but the auburn-haired boy was off and running, dodging through fights, bodies flying and people rolling on the ground, grunting, punching and shouting insults. The girls were cheering and egging them on as a hand grabbed Hiccup's ankle and he landed on his face.

"Where're you going?" Snotlout snarled, hauling the skinny teen closer by the ankle.

"Um...anywhere but here, meat-head!" Hiccup told him, kicking and trying to get away. He managed to land a kick on Snotlout's shoulder and scramble away...until a hand snagged the back of his jacket and hauled him back...into an iron-hard fist. Snotlout grinned as he staggered back...but Hiccup shook his head and grinned.

"Is that all you can do, Snotface?" he sneered, watching the bigger teen turn puce and lunged at him like an enraged bull. He swiftly gripped Snotlout's wrist and twisted as his Dad had taught him years earlier. Snotlout gave a pained cry and whined.

"OW! Let go!" he protested. "That's not fair!"

"Sorry-not sure there are rules in this thing!" he scoffed. He heard steps close and ducked as Eret punched at him, watching the jet-haired young man punch Snotlout in the face. "Result! Thanks for joining our team, Eret!" But the powerfully-built senior turned and grabbed Hiccup, punching him a glancing blow across the cheek. Jamming his heel into the soft inner part of his ankle and foot. he watched Eret bellow and release him...as Dagur hit him from behind and the two powerful boys rolled, trading punches and insults. Hiccup scrambled up, a hand to his bleeding lip and saw Fishlegs running for him... There was a bruise on his face and he stared in shock: he hadn't ever hit someone on purpose before and he had just done it on instinct because the other boy had jumped him. Snotlout deserved his because he had picked on Hiccup for years...but Fishlegs had always been fairly neutral. But now he looked bigger, stronger and mad...and Hiccup already had enough huge strong people mad at him. He ducked behind a bench and tried to keep it between himself and the husky boy...then Fishlegs hopped over and leapt over at Hiccup...but the skinny boy dodged away lithely and skipped past a flailing leg that brought Fishlegs down...

...and then he heard cries behind them. Mall guards ran out having seen the fight on the CCTV, shouting and grappling with the scuffling teens. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder and sprinted away, finding a car about twenty yards away and ducking down behind it, breathing hard and hoping the security were concentrating on the others who were there in their grasp rather than chasing escapees. He peeked around the fender as Astrid appeared at his side, also breathing hard as she hid from security. The security had rounded up all the others-including the girls-and were giving them all a serious talking-to...and there was another shape there as well, a huge bearded shape that had his heart sinking and stomach fluttering with fear...

...improbably, Alvin was there, lecturing half his Football Team and the senior Cheerleaders for participating in a brawl. Astrid stared as he slid down to sit on the ground, staring into the darkness and going very pale.

"Are you okay?" she asked unthinkingly and he shook his head, jerking a thumb behind him. She peeked round and saw the Principal...staring her way. He frowned and began towards them.

"I think he saw me!" she hissed. He rolled his eyes and swallowed.

"I'll run...that way...and then, when he's after me, you run straight down to the main street and go home," he said quickly, seeing her anxious face. She had never been in trouble and though he guessed it would do her good, something told him she was incredibly nervous of upsetting her parents. "Tell your parents you left when the others decided to go and have a fight...that you walked home...now be ready..." He sprang to a crouch, stole a look...then ran determinedly to the left. As predicted, Alvin Treacher bellowed and he just laughed and ran harder, making sure the Principal and the remaining security guard sprinted after him. Astrid paused, then dashed the short distance to the road and ran at full pelt almost to the next intersection, stitch cramping her side. She glanced back...and through the trees, she could see Mr Treacher holding a struggling shape. Mindful of his words, she put her head down and began the walk home, painfully aware that this was another one she owed Hiccup Haddock.