The noise level dropped for a moment and Dagur gave a wide grin.

"The party's arrived!" he announced and grinned, his pale green eyes sweeping the packed room, holding up bottles of spirits.

"Hey!" Tuff called, ambling forward. The male twin was athletic build but not massive, his blond hair in long dreads and his grey-blue eyes hard. "You guys weren't invited!" His eyes fell on the skinny auburn-haired shape. "Especially him!" Dagur gave a humourless grin and rested an arm round Hiccup's shoulders.

"Hey, this guy's on my crew and we all go together!" he said easily.

"But I didn't invite you!" Tuff protested.

"Neither of us did!" Ruff added, walking forward. Heather, Cami and Astrid all walked up to support her as did Snotlout.

"No? Oooh...but I think you invited the person who invite the person who invited the person who invited me!" Dagur pointed out. "And then I invited my boys!"

"You're not welcome!" Tuff said firmly.

"What? Not even my boys who helped our team do so well when our Quarterback was so stupid to get suspended!" Dagur asked. Snotlout growled and bunched his fists.

"Hey! You were suspended too!" Cami growled.

"But Thug and Savage weren't!" Dagur pointed out. "And they played. So aren't they welcome, Tuffykins...wait, you are the girl, aren't you...?"

"Hey!" Ruff growled.

"You weren't invited..." Tuff insisted...which would have come out more menacing if he hadn't been drunk and swaying.

"Your front door is open. Anyone can wander in and out!" Hiccup pointed out. "Half the people here weren't actually invited..."

"Well, you certainly weren't invited!" Ruff sneered. "You rolled on the team and got Snot suspended for a week!"

"Hey...also suspended!" Dagur protested. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"How many times do I have to say it? Never happened," Hiccup protested with a shake of the head and scowl.

"Not what everyone else says," Snotlout growled, his blue eyes narrowing. Dagur lurched forward a step, squaring up against the other boy.

"You insulting me?" he growled.

"No-that scrawny sneak!" Snotlout growled and gestured to the scrawny teen. Hiccup glared back at him, his green eyes flashing with anger.

"I would never turn you in," he growled. "You don't do that!"

"Oh yeah? What if I don't believe you?" Snotlout snarled as Astrid leapt between the two, her arms extended to keep the two antagonists apart.

"Hey! HEY!" she snapped. "Guys! We're all here to have a good time. Park it and deal with it on Monday!" She turned to look at Snotlout. "SNOT! DROP IT!"

"But I..." Snotlout protested.

"I said drop it!"she snapped.

"Babe..."

"I am NOT your babe!"

"I just..."

"Snotlout. Do you want me to want me to tell Eret you borrow his deodorant?"

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me!" She folded her arms and smirked.

"So now he's out the way, you wanna try a real man, Astrid?" Dagur asked her in a sneering voice. "I bet we could..."

"NO!" she snapped, turning back to him. "I am NOT going out with any of you! Gah! Can't I just come to a party and have some fun?" Then she grabbed Heather's hand and stormed off through the double doors and onto the back patio where she stared at the garden-massively overdecorated with strings of lights-and sighed, sitting on the seat and staring into the darkness. There was a forest burning and several couples were just visible a bit further into the gloom, already eating each others' faces. Heather sat at her side, handing her another paper cup of so-called punch. Astrid took another sip and sighed.

"I really thought punch was meant to have some sort of fruit component?" she murmured and inspected the cup. Heather took a sip and frowned.

"Traditionally," she murmured. "I mean...the nerve of those guys! They must know no one wants them here!" Astrid sighed.

"Look, they just come to cause trouble," she admitted. "I just don't want more fighting. We got into so much trouble last time-and my parents will go stratospheric if I get caught in a raid at a Thorston party. I just want to have a good time without some huge disaster happening," she sighed. "And now I can see this party just going the same way..."

"Ast...it's a Twins party!" Heather reminded her as they stared into the gloom. "I just hope we don't get the Coast Guard again!' Astrid remembered.

"Yeah-what was that all about?" she giggled, recalling the chaos that had ensued from the last party.

"Um...I think Tuff...or was it Hiccup Haddock?...called and said there was a boat in distress at these co-ordinates and they came here to investigate!" Heather reminded her. Astrid collapsed into giggles.

"Um...I think we had gone by then when the first cops turned up," she admitted.

"Ruff said they were really pissed!" Heather giggled. "But so were the twins and pretty much everyone else here...!" Astrid sighed and Heather grasped her arm. "You worried about your parents finding out?" The blonde girl nodded, her azure eyes downcast.

"They...they meant the best but I just feel I'm missing out so much," she sighed. "I know they want me to do well and keep talking about 'a well-rounded portfolio' but they don't want a well-rounded daughter. They just want a little geek." Heather rubbed her arms reassuringly.

"Anytime you want a break, call me," she invited her. "Look, you can always 'sleep over' if you want a break...and I'll always look out for my BFF!" Astrid lifted her head and smiled, then gave a nod.

"I'll definitely take you up on that," she grinned and got up. "I fancy another dance. Coming?" Heather nodded.

"I've got your back, Ast!" she grinned.

oOo

Hiccup really wasn't enjoying the party. He had been surprised when Dagur had texted him and more or less ordered him to come but he had sneaked out despite his promise to his Mom and had joined up with the gang. There was an undertone, though...making him feel like an outsider, not a proper member of the crew. He knew Dagur didn't believe him and it was obvious that Snotlout blamed him as well for their extended suspension. And after two days, he still had no idea who had actually turned in the other and if he couldn't find out by the time Dagur returned to school...well, he might have to get suspended himself to avoid the other boy. Possibly for ever. And emigrate.

He had listlessly got a paper cup of something alcoholic and was drinking sparingly because he didn't trust anyone and his mates were more or less ignoring him. Everyone else was treating him like a leper and he was wondering how soon he could get out of the house and head home...if he could manage to sneak in. It was very likely Alvin would have deadlocked the doors and checked his window was locked to prevent him sneaking in. Otherwise, he might be sleeping in the shed.

Fed up of being jostled, he set off through the house, seeing groups of students chatting, laughing and joking, though when he passed, he heard his name whispered like a hiss and there were eyes looking and fingers pointing. The next room was gloomy with a pounding beat and lots of bodies bouncing and grinding obscenely. It was pretty late and cold air wafted in from the open front door. He saw Dagur and Cami dancing together and he also glimpsed the hilarious sight of Eret dancing with Ruff...well, Eret trying to escape Ruff would be more accurate. The female twin had grabbed the tall, powerful football player and though he was trying and clearly not into Ruff at all, the girl was grinding against him with a blissful expression on her face.

"Hey-why're you here!" a voice sneered. "You're not welcome!" He turned-to see Gustav, one of the Juniors. The boy was always hanging around Snotlout, his idol and the Bad Boy crew had nicknamed him 'mini-Snot'.

"Since this is a Senior party, why're you here?" Hiccup shot back. "You weren't invited either!"

"Snotlout invited me!" Gustav proclaimed superiorly. Hiccup hitched up an eyebrow cynically.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Well, he would've if he'd thought about it..."

"So why're you giving me a hard time?"

"Because you ratted Snotlout out and got him suspended for a week!"

"Have you considered that if he hadn't been so stupid to rise to Dagur, he wouldn't have been suspended at all?" Hiccup asked him dryly. "Oh what am I saying? This is Snotlout we're talking about! The guy has rocks for brains! Of course he got himself suspended!"

"So you did trade him for yourself!" Gustav announced triumphantly. Hiccup grabbed his arm and hauled him to the patio.

"Will you shut up?" he hissed. "I did not. But I was there-as were Eret, Fish, Tuff, the rest of the crew and Miss Perfect and her friends. We all knew what idiots started the fight. But I know I didn't hand them over-so someone else must've!"

"Funny how you were the only one who had his suspension cancelled." Gustav accused him.

"Yeah, it was hilarious!" Hiccup snapped. "Because I would want to spend more time in school? Yeah, that's gonna happen!"

"News flash, fishbone!" Gustav sneered. "No one believes you. Everyone thinks you cut a deal! And boy are you in trouble when Snot gets back!" Hiccup turned to inspect the cold garden. The couples had moved inside as the temperature dropped and his breath was coming in small clouds as the grass began to sparkle with frost.

"Wow, can't wait," he sighed. "What popularity. At this rate I could Berk's most wanted!" Gustav grinned.

"Gonna enjoy seeing that," he sneered and vanished back into the house. Fists clenched, shoulder tense, he stared into the darkness and wished desperately that he could get his hands on the person who had landed him unto his neck in yak dung. Then he sighed. He really didn't need any more abuse today. Alvin had forced him to spend the day cleaning the yard and front drive to make up for his delinquency the previous week and he had helped his mother with her tasks as well when Alvin went out. He'd been watched like a hawk for the last two days, slapped and starved-but Valka was taking her meds and she was already improving. He was exhausted, hungry and fed up but he would endure it if his Mom was getting better.

Dispiritedly, he turned to weave through the house and escape. It would be a long walk home but somehow, the party had made that seem appealing. He was just passing the hall and glanced up the stairs when he saw a flash of red and instinctively, he peered. Quietly, he walked up the first half-dozen steps until he could peer at the upstairs hall.

Wearing the attractive red dress he had noted earlier, Astrid was being held tight in Dogsbreath's arms and was being inexorably dragged into one of the bedrooms. She was struggling desperately against the much more powerful opponent, kicking and clawing at him. And as he focussed on her, he could hear her voice over the pounding beat of the music.

"GET OFF ME! HELP!!!"