PAPER RINGS , georgenotfound

chapter nine , how the turntables.

george :)
rory

rory :]
who is this sapnap guy
he's your friend right?
i'm confuzzled, he's also famous

george :)
sapnap is a friend
but i can tell him to leave
i know you have a platform but-
if it's too much then that's ok

rory :]
it was shocking tbh-
but it's okay :]
he seems chill

george :)
let me know if anything is uncomfy

rory :]
i willlll
crazy how nice you are
y'know
when i stop holding grudges and when
you don't slam a door in my face
wonders never cease

george :)
you're hilarious really
ALSO I WANTED TO ASK

rory :]
ASK AWAY

george :)
I WAS THINKING
DO YOU WANT TO COME OVER
AND SEE MY STREAMING SETUP
YOU CAN SAY HI TO SAPNAP
I KNOW ITS KINDA EARLY BUT

rory :]
WAIT REALLY
THAT SOUNDS SO COOL
SORRY
POGGERS**
YES I'LL BE OVER IN 15

george :)
OKAY SEE YOU THEN
read 8:15 am

real life !

When the clock struck 8:30, Rory was right on time, knocking on her neighbour's door. George let her in right away, smiling broadly. Rory beamed back, "Hey, famous neighbour."

"Look who's talking," George chuckled, letting her in and closing the door. Rory kicked off her Vans next to George's shoes and followed him as he walked into the living room. His apartment was minimalistic, a few photos of family and old friends sat on shelves but it was empty. Too empty for Rory's taste. It lacked colour but the hints of blue that George could properly see were a nice touch.

"My social media kind of blew up," Rory confessed, standing awkwardly as she held a staring contest with her socks. "You and Sapnap made me a bit of a ten-minute sensation."

George peered down at her, dark eyes filling with concern.

"Rory, I can tell people to maybe back up a bit. I know it can be overwhelming," George said gently, Rory lifting her head with his words.

"It's alright, I had a small platform before. It's just not so small anymore. If people get too weird, I'll let you know," Rory said, smiling at George. George returned it, holding out his hand timidly.

"So, how about a grand apartment tour?"

Rory giggled and attempted to cover the laugh but George smirked as she took his hand. The two took a tour of George's apartment before reaching his bedroom, which was also his streaming space. Rory leaned forward and looked at the gaming setup and the monitors, her eyes wide with delight.

"This may be the coolest thing I've ever seen," Rory said, whistling. George swivelled the chair and Rory took a seat, spinning around childishly with a laugh.

"We could call Sapnap, if you want," George offered, spinning Rory. She placed her foot on the ground to stop the spinning and nodded enthusiastically, looking up at George, who was towering over her.

"Sounds good to me. Where is he from again?"

"Texas," George said, "Dream is the one from Florida."

"Right," Rory hummed, watching George lean beside her and pull up Discord, opening dozens of text messages, servers and group chats. Dozens of messages littered the screen and George navigated his curser to a separate text chain with Sapnap.

"Rory, just remember that if you don't-"

"George, it's okay." Rory put her hand over George's and squeezed gently, their eyes locking during the intimate moment. Rory cleared her throat awkwardly and pulled it away as quick as a flash, George's wide mocha eyes still trained on her.

"So," Rory said hurriedly, "We're calling with Sapnap? What time is it in Texas anyway?"

"Three in the morning," George said nonchalantly. Rory's eyebrows flew up, eyes as wide as saucers.

"I swear I can barely make it past eleven," Rory laughed, trying to ease the tension between her and George. She wished she never put her hand over George's, although it was a warm and wonderful feeling when she did.

"Well, Sapnap doesn't sleep," George simpered. "You ready?"

"You betcha," Rory said lightly, flashing a winning grin. George clicked on the call icon and in less than three rings, Sapnap picked up.

"George! What's up?"

His voice was filled with happiness but it was slightly raspy, most likely due to the late hour in Texas. George smiled at the sound of Sapnap's voice and wiggled his eyebrows at Rory.

"Hey, Sap! Remember the girl you tortured on Instagram? Rory?"

"Oh my god!" Sapnap screeched. "The pretty neighbour that doesn't hate you anymore! Dude, she's like ridiculously pretty-"

"Sapnap-"

"—She's completely out of your league. So, what's up with Rory?"

The young woman's face was scarlet, trying to hide her smile as she kept her gaze on George's keyboard.

"Sap, she's here. Like right here. I texted you about a call."

"Oh shit! Uh, hey! Ignore whatever I said before, I'm Sapnap!" Sapnap recovered poorly and Rory giggled, covering her mouth with her hand,

"Hi, Sapnap. Uhm, as you know, I'm Rory. I guess George told you about me already?"

"Not that much," George mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. Sapnap chuckled, a yawn following shortly after.

"He has. You seem cool, putting him in his place like that after he was a total idiot. Props to you, Rory," Sapnap cheered. George threw his head into his hands with a groan and Rory grinned, tilting her head to the side. She had already grown tremendously fond of Sapnap within the few minutes they had spoken to each other.

"Well, he's pretty alright now," Rory said gently, elbowing George. "I think he's pretty cool."

"Sometimes, I like to imagine that George is cool," Sapnap pondered. "But I don't even have his phone number. Rory, I think he's a fake friend."

Rory pouted, "You poor thing, I reckon he is. George, give Sapnap your phone number."

George's jaw dropped as his lips fought a smile, "Are- are you serious? Rory, don't turn on me now."

"Sorry, George," Rory grinned, "Sapnap is your replacement."

"Oh, how the turntables!" Sapnap cackled.

"You're lucky I love you both," George mumbled, his smile betraying him as his face met Rory's. She elbowed him again with a merry face, collapsing into giggles.