saturday mornings are for pancakes // a dream x reader fanfiction

CHAPTER 26: THE TRIO

It's been a week since I've been over to the guy's house. A week since I've sort of talked to Clay, other than a singular cat tiktok he sent me the day after.

Nick, on the other hand, has been trying to keep the connection between us. We've called every single day to talk even if it's just for a little bit. I try not to take too much time when I can hear laughter in the background or I notice someone was streaming.

He doesn't mention it though. He doesn't try to make excuses for the laughter, he doesn't cover it up, he doesn't mention the other guys living in his house.

Last week, he went as far as explaining a funny story about his 'housemate'. It was the biggest bull shit I've seen in my life.

"You don't have to do that," I said as he finished his story.

"What? Be hilarious?" He laughed at his own joke. "It's a hard thing to just stop doing."

I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me through the screen. "I mean pretending like they don't exist. I know they do. It's why we know each other, Nick."

He sighed, knowing that he couldn't have pretended for long. "He's being an asshole," Nick said, and I didn't know which guy he was talking about. Probably both in all honesty.

But I didn't care about George not liking me. That's his own preference, I guess. It's Clay that hurts.

I thought we were pretty close, but he seemed to have ditched me at the first sign of conflict with his other friend. He acted weird when I was at his house. He- They put Nick in an awkward position, which I think pisses me off the most. Who would do that to their friend?

"I'm going to fix this for you, y/n," Nick had promised last week.

"You don't need to do that. I'm not in the need to be saved," I said. Just someone who wants their friend back from jackass land.

"If not for you, then for me." Nick huffed. "I thought we were like this trio, you know? Not in the Dream Team type of trio, but like in our own kind of way," he explained, "It felt... Almost normal, having you around. Like we were like everyone else our age who had friends come over all the time and didn't have to hide from the public eye. It was really nice."

I sighed, wanting to go back in time and somehow get on the right foot with George, although I'm unsure how I got on the wrong one in the first place.

"Let me talk to Clay first," Nick said, "then we'll figure what to do with you and George."

"There's nothing to figure out," I argued.

"Obviously there is, otherwise I would be having this conversation in my room over skittles with you."

This conversation and the thought of skittles is what lingers through my mind as I pull a blanket over Gemma. Her and coffee shop girl broke up last week after the fight I had escaped.

It's been a rough week in the apartment.

My phone rings, causing me to jump. I quickly go to grab it in order to let Gemma rest for as long as she can since sleep has only been something to do between the tears for her lately.

I thought it was weird that someone was calling me at this time since Nick usually calls later, but I thought it was even weirder that the person calling me was Clay.

My finger hovers over the accept button, actually debating it. A little over ten days ago I would've already been in a conversation with him. We would be coding in his room for a couple hours before sending Nick on a snack run. We wouldn't have this strange silence between us.