THE ACCIDENT
George's phone rang throughout the apartment, the trilling noise loud and obnoxious. He didn't bother checking it - Sapnap and Bad had been calling him randomly throughout the day, and he didn't feel like talking about Dream. He let it ring as he absentmindedly chewed his grilled cheese, in the midst of a conversation with Amanda.
"Why is he lying to you?" she asked, giving a heavy sigh as she rested her forehead on her manicured nails. "He should just admit it at this point - he cheated and you know it." There was a slight edge to her tone that appeared every time they discussed Dream.
George chewed his bite slowly, trying to think of the right way to word the thoughts circling through his head. "He seems so... sincere though," he said finally.
"He would," she said darkly. "He used to act, you know."
The phone started ringing obnoxiously again, and George groaned. "My friends Nick and Bad - Darryl," he corrected, not wanting to deal with Amanda's confusion - she seemed to think it was weird he called Clay 'Dream' - , "have been trying to call me all day." He stuffed the phone under his chair cushion and the sound muffled. "But he was crying and everything," he told Amanda, sighing. "I can't tell if he's lying or not."
"He is," she said. "I saw him, you know that." She looked down, a frown crossing her usually cheerful face. "I'm sorry, George," she said sincerely.
He looked away from her, his slight hopes squashed, swallowing down the lump in his throat that seemed to have been prominent the entire past week. After a few moments of silence, the phone started ringing yet again, muted by the cushion, and he smacked his head, annoyed. "What do they want me to say to them?" He picked his phone up, and his eyebrows furrowed. The contact showed Dream's mother, Mrs. Johnson. "What does she want?"
After a few seconds of deliberation, he answered it. "Hello?"
He heard what sounded like crying in the background, and he furrowed his eyebrows as a swirl of confusion and concern started to trickle in.
"George, thank god," said a choked, strained voice that must've been Dream's mother. "I know you think Clay cheated on you - I don't know the extent of it, anyway, he kept insisting he didn't, but I'm not sure - anyway, he - he got in a really bad car crash, and he's at the AdventHealth hospital." She let out a sob, and George felt a dull cold run through his body as his heart raced rapidly.
"Are you serious?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.
"Yes, he's in critical condition - we're not sure if he's going to m-make it -". She paused, trying to gather herself, and George found himself unable to breathe or comprehend anything. Dream couldn't die - he just couldn't. All thoughts of cheating or otherwise vanished from his head as his mouth opened and closed dumbly.
"Thought you should know," Mrs. Johnson finished, jolting him from his thoughts.
"I'm coming there now," said George when he found himself able to speak again. "Thanks for telling me."
He hung up, looking at Amanda in shock. "Dream got in an accident and he's at the hospital in critical condition."
Her jaw dropped, and she looked back at him, tears gathering in her eyes. "I'll drive you," she said shakily.
He nodded slightly, unable to muster words, or even a reassuring smile. He pulled on his shoes, put his phone in his back pocket, and they ran out of the apartment as fast as possible.
The car ride was a strained one, both of them in complete shock. They rode silently most of the way there, until George broke the silence with a question he had asked multiple times since his conversation with Dream. His voice was quiet and desperate as he spoke pleadingly, hoping against all hopes that the answer would be different that time.
"Amanda - are you sure Clay cheated on me?"
She was silent for a moment as they came to a stop at a red light. "Why do you keep asking that?" she said finally.
"I just -". He paused, fighting the lump in his throat. "He seemed so sincere, and I was wondering, maybe you didn't see it right, or...". He trailed off, looking at her desperately.
"I saw what I saw," she said simply, but George suddenly noticed she looked determinedly away from him, and his heart plummeted into his stomach as he abruptly thought of something awful.
"Amanda," he began slowly, "can you swear to me that you aren't lying?"
She looked at him, her features perfectly arranged into a quizzical expression, but he noticed her crystal blue eyes fill with guilt. "Why would I lie to you?"
The light turned green and she turned back to the road, but George stared at her as if he'd never seen her before. "Swear to me," he ordered.
"George, I don't know why you don't believe -".
"Swear to me, Amanda... please."
She bit her pink lip desperately. "I -." She paused, and they had just pulled into the hospital parking lot when she admitted, "I can't."
He inhaled shallowly, and his head dropped into his hands. "Tell me the truth," he said after a moment, his voice strained.
"George, I'm so sorry," she said, looking terrified. She pulled into a parking spot and fearfully looked anywhere but his eyes, resembling a scared, caged animal.
"Tell me the truth," he ordered, lifting his head up and looking at her, his tone sharp but slightly choked.
She hesitated, eyes panicked. "He... didn't cheat on you."
George shut his eyes tightly and leaned back on his seat, covering his face with his hands. A weary groan escaped his lips. "Why did you tell me he did?" he finally asked, his voice tight and quiet.
"Because...". There was water brimming in Amanda's eyes as she gazed at his tired, tense figure fearfully. "Because I liked you... and I couldn't have you if Clay already did." A tear escaped, slowly trickling down her cheek.
"Right." All was quiet for a moment, then George suddenly opened the door and got out, slamming it closed and walking rapidly away.
Amanda climbed out immediately and jogged towards him. "Wait! Where are you going?"
"To see my ex boyfriend," he said sharply, not bothering to turn around, and quickened his pace.
"Wait!" She ran after him, tears rapidly streaming down her face. "George, I'm s-sorry!"
He whirled around sharply in front of the hospital door, wiping his eyes angrily. "Sorry doesn't cut it." He opened the door and walked inside, leaving her standing, mutely watching his retreating back.
********
George didn't realize he was shaking until he arrived outside the room Dream was in and couldn't open the door since his hand was trembling so much. He took a deep, shuddering breath, willing his hand to steady, and turned the knob.
The door creaked as it opened, revealing a bandaged figure sprawled on a hospital bed and five people sitting around him. They looked up at him as he walked in, and who he figured to be Dream's mother stood up. Mrs. Johnson strongly resembled her son, having Dream's exact wavy dirty blonde hair, which was pulled in a loose ponytail that sagged even more as she walked towards him. Her worn face was streaked with tears, but she managed a smile as she pulled him into a hug.
"Clay would be so happy you came," she said quietly, pulling back to look at him in a motherly way that made him pinch his arm as hard as possible to make sure he didn't break down.
"He didn't cheat," he managed to mutter. "Someone... told me he did, but they were lying."
A look of relief fell onto her pallid features. "Thank god," she murmured. Her gaze turned to the four people huddled around Dream's bed, talking quietly, and George realized they must be Dream's siblings and Mr. Johnson. "Let's give them some privacy," Mrs. Johnson said softly, and they obliged, trailing her out of the room.
Once alone, George rushed to Dream's bed, kneeling on his right side. He stroked his cheek gently with trembling fingers as a tear ran down his cheek.
"I'm so sorry, Dream," he said thickly, staring down at the bandaged boy's unconscious face. "I should've known... you would've never...". More tears freely streamed down his face and he clutched Dream's limp, unharmed hand, stroking his fingers with his thumb. "It's all my fault," he whispered.
He rested his head on the bed, bringing their intertwined hands up to his face. He breathed in Dream's familiar lavender scent and placed his lips on the unconscious boy's hand, hot tears sliding from his face onto the mattress.
Dream's breaths were becoming ragged, and George could feel his heartbeat speed up unnaturally. He lifted his head immediately, heart in his throat, gazing at the broken boy as if he could wish him better with his eyes. "You're my world too," he told him desperately.
The sound of a long, drawn out beep suddenly filled the room, and George jolted his head up, heart pounding frantically. He whipped his head around, trying to decipher where it was coming from.
His gaze switched to the heart rate monitor suddenly, and with a seizing panic, he realized it was flatlining.
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...y'all must really hate me by now
thank you sooo much for 7k reads!! thank you so much for all the nice comments in the last chapter, they really make my day better :) if you like this story please be sure to vote and follow me for more!
by the way updates will be a little early this week bc i have something when i usually update :))
reminder to wear. a. mask. thank you!