Final chapter, let's do this
George's pounding heartbeat echoed through his ears as he entered the building. He had one person in mind, and that person only.
His determination twisted into a sense of dread the moment the school doors clicked shut behind him. The need to find Dream grew more urgent with every step he took.
Soon, the bell rang, leaving his search unsuccessful.
"Guess I'll catch him later," George frowned as he scrambled to the other side of the building, still keeping an eye out for the masked boy.
As classes began, George had no interest in the lesson and instead let his mind wander to his and Darryl's conversation the night before.
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George slung an arm over his face, allowing his entire weight to sink into the mattress. Dream was right, he'd been treating him horribly. Guilt creeped up George's spine as he tried to come up with an excuse for the sudden anger towards his friend.
He didn't have to think too hard though, the answer was right in front of him.
Just as he reached for the sealed bottle beside his bed, his phone rang loudly, startling the poor boy. He fumbled around for the device before sliding a shaky finger across the screen.
"Hello?"
"Hey George, what's up?" Darryl's chipper voice echoed through the room.
George retracted his hand from the bottle and returned to his original spot. "Nothing much man, just watching tv."
That wasn't a total lie. He had been focused on the tv before his thoughts returned to a certain dirty-blond.
"I see. Well, I heard you and Dream are having issues?"
He sucked in a harsh breath, "No? Where'd you hear that?"
"George, I love you, but you're a terrible liar."
He huffed and switched the phone to speaker, setting it down on his bed.
"Fine. So what if we're having issues? It's his fault anyway," George mumbled.
"Is it? Or are you trying to convince yourself it is?"
George chewed on his lower lip. Darryl knew him too well, but he was standing his ground.
"He yelled at me!" George argued.
"Did you deserve it?"
"..."
"George?"
"I might have been a little hateful."
"A little? Oh George, you have no idea how badly you've hurt Dream."
"Trust me, I have a clue," He mumbled bitterly.
"He's come crying to me more than once because of how you've treated him. He misses you George, and he blames himself for opening up to you."
George gulped; he hadn't been that cold, had he?"
"Is...is Dream okay?" He asked quietly.
He knew it was a dumb question the moment an exasperated sigh came from the other end of the line.
"No, he's not okay. You need to put your pride aside for once and apologize, let him know you still care."
George sighed, bringing his knees up to his chest and thunking his head against them.
"It's not like I meant to fall for him! I'm scared Darryl, I don't know what to do.."
Silence fell upon the two, and George began to feel worse by the second.
"Meet me at the park in ten," Darryl said, before hanging up.
Seeing as he had no other choice, George began wrestling to pull his hoodie on once more. After shoving his phone in his back pocket, he checked to make sure the coast was clear before slipping out and beginning his journey down the road.
As he passed Dream's house, he noticed one of Dream's grandparents carrying a box labeled "Clay's room."
He thought nothing of it though and continued his trek to the park. The crisp fall breeze nipped at his nose and ears, making him regret not wearing something warmer.
After what felt like forever, he stopped in front of the old, long-abandoned town park. Despite his situation, he smiled at fond memories of him bouncing off the now worn down equipment.
A soft tap on the shoulder startled him back to the present. He spun around to greet Darryl, who was smart enough to dress warm.
Darryl offered a kind smile, holding out an extra beanie.
"You forget things when you're upset," He said, forcing the soft material into George's grasp.
George gave a weak smile and thanked his friend. He then slipped the beanie over his head, staring expectantly at the other boy.
"So, why are we out here again?" George asked, rubbing his clothed arms in an attempt to warm them.
"I figured it would be easier to talk in person, and we haven't been here in a long time," Darryl answered, motioning for George to follow.
They walked down the path until a small bench came into view. George took one look at the rotted plank and rusted poles before settling for the concrete instead. Darryl did the same, sitting across from the smaller boy.
"I know you're scared George, but that doesn't give you the right to hurt other people. Dream has been in shambles the whole week but has tried so hard to make it not seem like a big deal so he wouldn't worry us," Darryl paused, preparing his next words carefully.
"You have to apologize, no matter how hard it may seem."
George was silent for a while as his fingers busied themselves with a few loose pebbles.
"You're right..but how do I apologize? I blocked him the other day, and just walking to his house is out of the question."
"Why don't you just unblock him?"
"No, that'd be too awkward."
Darryl pursed his lips, thinking for a moment.
"Do it at school on Monday; that way, you guys can talk face to face and he knows you mean it."
George grimaced at the thought.
"I know it might make it more difficult, but it'll mean more and it seems to be your only other option right now," Darryl reminded him.
He sighed, but understood. "How should I go about it though? I can't be like 'Oh yeah, sorry for ignoring you for a week, wanna be my boyfriend?"
He winced at the word "boyfriend."
Darryl rolled his eyes at his friend's exaggerated sarcasm. "Of course not. You need to vocally admit that you know how badly you messed up and that you didn't mean to upset him. Apologize for being short-fused and ignoring him. Let him know you still care about him, because he thinks you don't."
"You're suspiciously good at this," George commented slyly.
"I've made my fair share of mistakes, but this isn't about me."
George nodded and made a mental note of Darryl's suggestions. A genuine smile stretched across his face, the dull light in his eyes regaining their sparkle.
"Thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you."
"No problem. Let's leave now, it's getting colder.
George agreed and after sharing a warm hug, the two began their trips back home.
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The next couple of periods were a blur. An unsettling feeling crept up George's spine as the day went on, but it seemed to skyrocket as he walked towards the cafeteria. His arms felt like jelly as he grabbed his tray and sat beside the others.
He frowned, glancing around. Dream usually sat here, so where was he?
"Glad to see you again," Zak greeted him with a smile, though it was clearly forced.
George nodded dismissively, his eyes still scanning the cafeteria.
"Hey guys, where's Dream?"
Nick, Darryl, and Zak glanced between each other, guilt clearly written on their faces. After a shared moment of silence, Nick was first to speak.
"He, um- doesn't go here anymore," He mumbled.
George wasn't sure he heard that right.
"W-What?"
"He moved again.." Darryl's voice was barely above a whisper.
George's breathing quickened as he felt his entire world crumbling beneath him.
"No, there's no way! Stop messing with me!" His voice broke, praying that this was some kind of sick joke. The pity-filled look his friends gave him told him it wasn't.
His hand flew to his mouth as tears began flowing down his red cheeks. "No, no, no, no!" He cried out, biting his lip hard enough to make it bleed, just to contain the sobs he so desperately wanted to release.
Before anyone could stop him, he jumped from his chair and slammed open the cafeteria exit. He dashed outside, the breeze hitting his face and attempting to brush away his salty tears.
Ignoring the concerned looks from other students, he eventually found himself behind the high school building. He slid down the rough brick wall, finally hiccuping out a sob.
"I'm so sorry Dream, I didn't mean it."
He repeated the phrase, though his voice was strained.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"
One thought echoed louder than the rest, ringing loudly through his ears. George's vision became blurry, it seemed as though his mind was being torn in half.
"He hates you now, you can never apologize."
His head was pounding, the reality of the situation began kicking in. He had broken Dream and left him alone. He felt so, so disgusted with himself, knowing he'd pushed his best friend to the point of leaving everyone else behind just so he could get away from him.
His head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. Furiously wiping his eyes, he whipped around to meet Nick, who was slowly approaching.
Nick gestured to the spot beside him, silently asking if he could sit. George nodded, scooting over a bit while his eyes pooled with tears once more.
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner. Darryl insisted we wait until lunch, so we could figure out how to tell you."
When met with nothing but muffled sniffles, Nick sighed softly and opened his arms, his shorter friend instantly falling into them.
"You weren't the last straw for Dream. He was going to wait a while and see how things turned out, but things changed."
George glanced up, his brown and blue eyes glistening as more tears spilled.
"What changed?" He squeaked.
"Techno beat the shit out of him and ripped his mask on Friday. He texted me on yesterday, saying that he'd had enough and was moving. I tried to convince him to stay, but his mind was set."
George let out a broken whimper. "That's when Darryl and I spoke. He made me realize I needed to apologize, which I was planning on doing today..."
Nick pulled his friend closer, letting George's head rest on his shoulder. "The guys and I are here for you," He said.
Those words flew over George's head as anger began blooming in his chest, creating a dangerous mix of rage and heartbreak.
"I promised I'd be there for him. If I had put my feelings aside, he wouldn't have gotten hurt and I'd still have him, at least as a friend," George growled, though the hostility in his voice wasn't directed at Nick.
"Techno's attack wasn't your fault."
"But the fact that he faced it alone is!" George viciously scrubbed at the tears flowing steadily down his cheeks.
Nick pulled George's hands away from his face and held them by his sides.
"It'll be okay, I promise. He let us know he was going to be safe before he left," Nick assured, with hopes of calming his fragile friend.
George nodded, small hiccups and sobs still spilling from him.
After a little while, his anger settled from a burning rage to a low boil, and his desperate cries became soft whimpers as he clung onto Nick.
"I th-think I'm going home for today," George whispered, his determined, hope-filled eyes now drained and bloodshot.
"That might be for the best. What about Alice though?"
"I'll walk back up here to get her."
As the bell rang, the two shared a tight hug before George swung by his locker and texted the others that he was leaving. He then signed himself out and began the torturous walk home.
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The rest of the week seemed to simultaneously slip through his fingers and drag on forever. The only reason George bothered getting out of bed was for Alice. He promised himself to never abandon her like everyone else had, and he intended on keeping that promise.
He didn't smile as often though, because it always felt fake when he tried. Sure, he would crack a faint grin at his friends' stupid jokes every once and a while, but not the way he used to when Dream would make a dumb comment or have a snappy comeback.
He didn't look forward to Art as much either. The empty seat always seemed to be mocking him, taunting him for his mistakes.
His heart ached at the thought of never hearing Dream's "stupid wheeze," as he called it, at George's misfortunes, only to double check that he wasn't actually upset moments later.
Now that George thought about it, Dream had seemed to care a lot about him. Buying him the hoodie he couldn't afford, being more cautious after learning he didn't like fast movement, not waking him up at the sleepover after falling asleep on Dream. Though, from what he guessed, the last one wasn't just because Dream cared.
God, he messed up, didn't he?
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As that Friday dragged on, George's heart broke a little more. Everything reminded him of Dream; hell, even his hoodie smelled like Dream.
It was like the universe was twisting a knife into his open wound, rubbing it in his face that he's now nothing more than a mistake of Dream's past.
The weight on his shoulders only grew as he arrived home. Alice, after checking to make sure he was okay, was staying at a friend's house, leaving George alone with his thoughts.
What Dream had said before he stormed out the week before bounced around George's mind, every repeat hurting worse than the last.
"Loving you is a losing game George, and I'm done playing."
He winced as the line replayed in his head. He had been so wrapped up in the fear of being rejected, both as a person and a partner, that he'd failed to realize his feelings were reciprocated.
He collapsed onto his bed, gripping his head in his hands as warm tears tricked down his cheeks. The cruel words were louder now, ringing through his ears and pushing away any hope he had left.
Dream was the one person he'd wanted most, but George never got what he wanted.
This time though, it was his own fault.
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2422 words, wow. After six long months, we're done! I was rereading this the other day and am probably going to start re-writing soon, but take my time this time around. I'm also planning a possible sequel, but who knows? If anyone has questions about anything in the story, feel free to leave them here! Again, thank you so much for reading and all of the support, I'll see you guys later and have an amazing day / night!
-Smol <3