all that glitters » david dobrik au

fifty six

"Moner Greene," David's offputting southern accent greeted me in the hallway where I was talking to Corinna and Gabbie. "Are you ready to go?"

"Never call me Moner again," I instructed him, giving both girls a quick goodbye hug. "Bad connotations."

"True connotations," he countered, an annoying, devilish smirk on his face. "Let's go. Em's been texting me all fucking day wondering when school was over and if there's any way we could get off early."

"I know. I told her to the second you said it was pissing you off," I smiled cheekily, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. "Bye guys! I'll see you Sunday at 12, right?"

"Yes! Bye! Have fun!"

David led us out to the Ferrari, opening my door for me. "What are you guys doing Sunday?"

"School's out next week," I reminded him. "We're doing a little girl's day thing for our last week as juniors. By the way, I know I say it, like, all the time, but I would've had the worst year of my fucking life if it weren't for you and your friends. I love you."

David slid his hand across the center console to grab mine. He reassured me, "I love you too."

He had just turned on the car when someone stepped in front of it, stopping us from going anywhere. It was Zane, a worried look on his face. He made his way to my side, pulling a book out of his bag and passing it to me. It was my copy of A Tale of Two Cities. He told me he had never read it in December, so I gave it to him for Christmas. Everyone needed to read about the angel that was Sydney Carton.

"I wanted to give you this," he told me. "I'm done with it."

"What'd you think?" the question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I didn't know why I cared what he thought, but I did.

"I liked it," he answered earnestly. "Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the people we love."

I wasn't sure if it was shading me or not, telling me I sacrificed my friends to be with David. He also could've been telling me that he sacrificed me for his friends. Either way, it wasn't a necessary conversation.

"Thanks," I responded with a light smile, tucking the book into my bag. "See you later."

He stepped away from the car, allowing David to drive off. I sat silent for a moment, giving myself some time to absorb the situation, before David asked, "What was that?"

"I have no idea," I shakily laughed, glancing back towards the school as if I could see him. "The book was a gift. I didn't think he'd give it back."

"He's fucking weird," David replied. "And the thing about sacrifices? What the fuck? Was he talking about you being the sacrifice?"

"I think so," I nodded in response, looking off to the side. "I get what he means, but... kind of mean, you know. I know I wasn't here first, but I'm fucking fragile, bitch! You can't say that kind of stuff to me. I'm going to be overthinking it for the rest of my life."

"You shouldn't overthink what they say, Mona. They stopped being friends with at least two people because they didn't have loaded parents. Clearly, their views on the world are a little twisted," David replied with ease. He had a way with words; he always seemed to know the right thing to say and just when he needed to say it.

"While we're on the topic of them being twisted..." I started, turning in my seat so I was facing him. "In the bathroom on prom night, I ran into Liza and she said something like he hasn't told you, has he?. Is there, like, something I wouldn't know? I'm pretty sure she was just bluffing to mess with me, but I don't want to look stupid. Please don't make me look stupid."

"Sweetheart, I swear on my life that there is nothing I'm hiding from you," he gave me a reassuring squeeze on the hand. "You have to remember you were friends with her at one point. She knows what makes you tick. She knew you'd be thinking about that all the time ever since she said it. She's manipulative, babe."

"Yeah," I nodded with a sigh, resting my chin against the palm of my hand. "I guess you're right."

We listened to Big Time Rush for most of the way to the lake house (... don't ask, David was obsessed with BTR). It was pretty silent, aside from me singing the times Boyfriend and Til I Forget About You came on. I was focusing more on Zane's weirdly cryptic (and mean) words, and thinking about seeing Emily with a baby bump. Since I learned she was pregnant, I had yet to see her in person looking pregnant. It was exciting to know that she was moving on with her life in a big way. I couldn't wait to kind of be an aunt! As an only sibling with no parents, it wasn't often that I had new members of my family come in. David's family slowly becoming my family was one of the highlights of my life.

As we passed the road we turned onto to get to Trevor Aldrich's on my first lakehouse trip, I got a little curious. "David?"

"Mmhmm?" he halfheartedly replied, turning down Worldwide to give me a chance to talk.

"Have you ever done cocaine?"

It was at Trevor Aldrich's house that I had my first and last encounter with cocaine. It was a valid question. David seemed to tense up, as if he was worried that his answer wouldn't be what I wanted to hear.

"I'm sorry," I immediately burst, feeling my prior confidence deflating tenfold. "I shouldn't have asked."

"I said I'd tell you anything, didn't I?" David's weak smile showed me he didn't want to talk about it, but he continued anyway, "I... was ten when my mom died. I met Trevor when I was 14. He was exactly the same back then as he is now. Total dick, you know. Um... it was freshman year, and freshmen always think they're on top of the world. I would do some every time we came up here, until Sam found out and told my dad. He freaked out and threatened to send me to rehab if I didn't stop, but it was easy to stop. I wasn't addicted or anything."

"Why'd we even go there?" I asked.

"Something to do, I guess," David shrugged, but when I gave him a pointed look, he sighed and added, "I don't know. I guess I wanted you to think I was cool."

"You were cute," I laughed at the memory. "God, I was so fucking pissed that you talked me into that situation, but you were cute. I had to keep telling myself not to catch feelings."

"Look how that turned out," David smirked confidently.

"Yeah... look how that turned out."

Guys i lowkey got bullied today in choir we were talking about after and then we started talking about fanfiction so immediately i got real real quiet and they were talking about this girl we know that writes fanfiction and laughing and i was zipping my mf lips and my friend that knew was looking at me and laughing it was so bad but so funny lmao

Also like 4 more chapters??? Im not ready??? U guys arent ready???? Xoxox abby