Blurry Nights

Chapter Eighteen | I Have Too...

George closed his mouth; how was he to know what was occurring between Sapnap and Karl?

"Why exactly are you bringing me into this?" he asked.

Gibson placed down the pen he had written with. "Did you know that something was going on between the two?"

"I knew they were mates; I didn't feel anything else was going on," George answered honestly.

Gibson wrote that down as if he were assembling a case against the group.

"Is there anything else you need?" George asked. At this point, he wanted to leave.

"Just one thing: Clay hasn't been telling you any private information regarding his treatment, correct?" Gibson asked.

George shook his head immediately. "No, neither of us shares anything regarding our treatment."

Gibson wrote that down before getting up and opening the door for him. "Just let me know if you find out any more information regarding Nick and Karl. And be careful; I don't want you to get their sickness."

Sickness? Is he insane?

George nodded, following Dave out of the room. On his way to the main area, he skimmed through the room's windows to find any of his friends. Though he couldn't locate any of them.

He sat alone for the last few minutes until they followed the staff to their cabins.

George got zero sleep that evening. There was too much going on in his head. He was scared for his friends; they were all in trouble except him. Dream was in trouble for 'attacking' the staff, and for Karl and Sapnap, the punishment would be vastly more severe.

-

Days were long. Undoubtedly longer for George, who had nobody. He didn't know who he was more worried for, Dream, Karl, or Sapnap. He loved Dream, though his other friends were in a just as dire situation.

George was lying on his bed when the door caught his attention. He got up quickly; he didn't move toward Dream until the staff member was long gone.

"Dream!" George raced over to him, who had a tense gaze on his face that halted him in his tracks. "What's wrong?" George asked, his smile contorting into a frown.

"I'm leaving for a long time," Dream answered.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" George asked, the blood draining from his face.

"I must protect our friends, Sapnap, Karl, Eret, you..." His eyes darted to the ground.

George shook his head. "No! You're not our mother! You can't take care of all of us!"

"I don't have a choice. I made a deal with Gibson. Sapnap and Karl will be released tomorrow in the main area. I ask you to take care of them. They will need it," Dream said, his voice in a subdued tone, despite the fact that he was upset.

"No! I can't without you!" George begged, tears seeping from his now-glossy eyes.

With trembling hands, Dream held his cheeks. "I have to do this." George touched his head to Dream's, letting their tears mix.

"No..." George cried. Dream backed up, beaming at George. He watched as he left, his heart destroyed. George knew what this meant. Dream was stuck with Gibson... God knows what Gibson had intended.

-

George followed the crowd, his head low. With Dream gone, things weren't the same. He wished he could see Dream in the central area, though he knew it was doubtful.

Sapnap sat alone, fidgeting and glancing around. George sat across from him. Sapnap set his chin on the table. "I'm sorry about Dream."

George's eyes widened. Did he know?

"Dream doesn't deserve to be... to be punished because of me," Sapnap uttered, his voice soft.

"What happened? Gibson asked so many questions. He said something had been going on between you and Karl?" George asked, which pushed Sapnap to shy away.

"I messed up. That's all that happened. It doesn't matter; it won't happen again." Sapnap buried his face in his arms.

"Where's Karl? They let him out, right?" George asked, glancing around the room.

He looked up at him. "Yeah. He's in medic."

George's eyes widened. "They hurt him!?"

Sapnap hushed him immediately. "They hurt all of us. You and Eret are the only two to avoid it."

"Is Dream hurt?" George asked fretfully, only to be hushed again.

"George, they are watching us very closely; you have to shut your mouth. He was the last time I saw him," Sapnap sighed. "All of us were at medical."

"Together? What happened?" George whispered, glancing at the guard who was watching before turning back to Sapnap.

"Treatment happened. We aren't allowed to share any information about what happened. I think we should all keep our distance from now on. I just wanted to apologize about Dream; I know he was your friend; I didn't mean to get him dragged into any of this." Sapnap finished, standing up, his hand in his pockets, before nervously walking away.

With no clear answer, George was alone to consider what could have happened to his friends.

He rested his head on the table, sighing. He was barely holding back his tears. He didn't want the staff to get suspicious.

A few hours passed before being brought to their cabins.

He followed the staff to his empty cabin. The room was quiet. He flopped on his bed, rubbing his eyes as if the next time he looked, Dream was there.

But he wasn't.

He couldn't bear one more day without Dream.

George didn't realize how much Dream influenced his life. He was here to be fixed and ended up falling for a boy. George wanted to go home, be better, and get rid of the "sickness." Now George felt as if he was getting nowhere.

George barely got any sleep that night.

-

George followed the rest to the main area. He was hoping Dream would be there, but he knew it would be irrational to hope. George didn't listen to any meetings, staying in his own world.

George was dazed until he heard his name in the background. He snapped out of it, looking at the staff member.

"Are you even listening, George?" The staff member crossed their arms.

George chewed his nails. "Yes, sir," he answered nervously. The staff member rolled their eyes, annoyed.

"Then what are we talking about?" The staff member glared at George.

"Something about being homosexual?" George didn't know what he was saying, stumbling on his words.

The man called over another guy with short brown hair and blue eyes.

His arms were crossed as he stood against the wall. He glanced up, noticing he'd called over. He lifted himself off the wall, walking over to the group.

Every nerve in George's body was screaming at him to run, that the guy was a threat to his safety. Without giving much thought, he got up, bolting toward the door, which led to wherever Dream was.

George pulled on the door, and to his surprise, it was unlocked.

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Guess who's back! What's popping, guys! Had a very bad breakup and couldn't get myself to write anything. I miss writing more than anything, and you don't know how happy I am to be back! I missed y'all! Glad to be back!

Stay Calm, Stay Alive
Onyx

:D glad you're back!!

~lead editor ruby