Fan Behavior (Georgenotfound)

Nineteen: "Go all out for your friends" - October 26

Lilac was supposed to have a chill morning. She and Andi had gone to get breakfast together. The sun was shining when they went out. They had both gotten a full night's sleep and woken up in good moods. Breakfast tasted fantastic, Lilac's tea and Andi's coffee were both in stock, and altogether, things seemed to be the best they'd ever been.

And then she happened to look a few days ahead in her calendar.

"What?!" Lilac exclaimed, nearly falling back in her office chair. She flailed for a bit as she tried to regain her balance, feet and chair landing with a thud on the floor.

"What?" Andi echoed, turning to her from her desk where she was packing her backpack, asking in a questioning tone rather than a panicked one.

"George's birthday is in six days," Lilac realized, seeing the dark blue notification slotted in the November 1st square of her calendar. "I haven't even figured out what I'm going to get him."

"I have a few ideas," Andi began, but Lilac didn't even have to be looking at her to know exactly what she was going to say.

"Don't even," Lilac said, making Andi chuckle.

"Alright, fine," Andi conceded. "What are you going to do? I can try to help before I leave." She was supposed to go study with a friend from one of her classes for an upcoming midterm.

"I don't know, I haven't even thought about it," Lilac fretted. "November always sneaks up on me, and there are so many November birthdays that I need to worry about, too."

"Your own included," Andi reminded her. "But George first. Do you have any idea what you want to get him?" Lilac stayed silent for a moment, and Andi took that as her answer.

"Okay," Andi said, zipping her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder, perching on the edge of the desk. "Then why don't you start with what you like about him and what he likes to do? Maybe you can get him a gift based on his hobbies."

"I feel like I don't even know him that well," Lilac said, brain feeling empty in that moment.

"Sure you do," Andi prodded. "You know some of George's hobbies, right?"

"He likes to play video games, obviously," Lilac said, getting that one out of the way easily. "He likes to cook. Sometimes he reads, but that's a little more rare."

"That's a good start," Andi said, nodding encouragingly. "What else?"

"He was telling me about how he used to draw the other day..." Andi let Lilac talk for a full five minutes about George, smiling as she watched her friend say she didn't know enough about him and then list obscure things she recalled him mentioning once in a conversation weeks ago.

"It sounds like you know him pretty well, if you ask me," Andi said once she was done, and Lilac started chuckling as she saw the look on Andi's face. "You must pay a lot of attention to him when he talks if you remember all of that."

"I guess I do," Lilac said, "But I still don't have any ideas. Guys are so hard to shop for." Andi rolled her eyes.

"You're telling me," Andi agreed. "In that case, why don't you talk to a guy and get his opinion? Text one of the boys. Text tommyinnit or something."

"What?" Lilac laughed, almost choking on air. "What on earth would make you suggest that?"

"Children are honest," Andi shrugged, and as much as Lilac hated to admit it, she was right. Tommy wasn't actually that much younger than she, but if there was one thing that boy was, it was honest. So, just because Andi ended up triple-dog-daring her, she sent Tommy a message over Discord, asking him what she should get for George, just to see what he would say.