Lights Are Off | DNF Highschool AU

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!! REFER TO TRIGGER WARNINGS !!

Sitting down on a bench, George pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one before putting the lighter back into his pocket. He didn't want to go home, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. He settled on going to the park, to the same bench he'd go to when his father's drinking habit became too much for him to handle. The same bench he went to when he couldn't handle the abuse. The same bench he went to when the smell of alcohol and weed became too much to handle.

The first night his father came home drunk and wasted, was the night George promised himself he wouldn't become like his father. A promise he's long forgotten. He never wanted to go down the same path his father did, but seeing as his father used it as a coping mechanism made George wonder if they actually worked, if they actually helped him with stress.

So on that dreadful night, the anniversary of his mother leaving. The third year of his mother's absence, he looked through the kitchen cupboards and the pantry until he found a bottle. He stared at it, he was doing the very thing he promised himself he never would. But he desperately needed an escape, something that wouldn't keep reminding him about his mother. He took the bottle, the memories of his father passed out on the couch with those same bottles scattered on the floor and on the table coming back to him. He took a sip. George winced at the terrible taste but found himself taking another sip and another and another until he eventually finished the bottle.

    After the alcohol it got worse and worse. George eventually started seeking anything that would get him that high, that chance to escape reality for a few hours. It got to the point where he didn't care what he had to do to get a few of those precious green leaves. He would skip school and attend parties. He'd take anything that was offered to him. He sold his body on several occasions, all for some money to get himself high or drunk. He regretted it but he didn't care, he would buy a bottle or some weed and get himself high, forgetting everything for the rest of the night.

    It was a Wednesday and George hadn't attended school since last week, but he decided to go today. He woke up at 8:25 AM and got up knowing he was late but didn't care. He walked into the bathroom intending to take a shower, he looked in the mirror seeing the scars on his arms, the painful memories all coming back to him at once. He eventually snapped out of his trance and stepped into the shower. Once he was finished he got out and dressed in a white shirt and jeans. He contemplated eating before school but his idea was shot down by the thoughts of his father. He got up and grabbed his bag before checking the time 8:43 AM, "Great.." he muttered before sneaking by his living room and started the walk to school.

    George finally arrived at the school and walked into his first period to which he was late to. All eyes were on him, but he didn't care. "George?" The teacher asked, he hadn't seen George in about a week, and when he finally does, George looks as though he's falling apart. George ignored him, keeping his head down as he headed to the back of the classroom where his desk was. He sat down, putting his head down on the desk. He tried paying attention but all he could think about was how angry his father would be when he came home.

Eventually, the class ended but George stayed back for a few minutes, waiting for the halls to clear a bit before he went to his next class. He stepped out of the classroom, slowly making his way to his next classroom.

He entered the classroom with mere seconds before the bell rang, he went to the back of class, taking his usual seat. He noticed a tall blonde eyeing him from across the classroom but ignored him. George didn't recognize the blonde, but he didn't truly recognize himself let alone anyone else. He shrugged it off, thinking the blonde might just be some new student who's never seen him before.

George closed his eyes, slowly drifting off into a restless sleep.

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* TRIGGER WARNING *

    George was sitting under the kitchen island, his mouth shut tight with his hand clamped over it. He prayed his dad wouldn't look in the kitchen for him.

    His dad had been coming home drunk more and more frequently, each time being worse than the last. At first George thought it might just be a one time thing, but one soon turned to three, three turned to five and so on until George had to pray his dad would be passed out before he came home from school.

"Oh George, hiding from your father now are we?" His Father asked, his words slurred and voice loud. Tears were streaming down George's face, his knees pulled up to his chest with his hands covering his mouth to try and muffle any cries that escaped his lips. He heard footsteps before he could see his dad's legs and shoes in front of him. George's eyes widened, praying his dad wouldn't find him, praying his dad would leave him be, praying his dad wouldn't hurt him.

"George, you better come out from where you're hiding," His father's words were slurred, his voice cold and anger was evident in it. Slowly his father crouched down, to look under the kitchen island. George's breath hitched, tears continued streaming down his face as sat in a panic.

"There you are," his Father said, a sickening smirk plastered on his face. His Father reached a hand to George, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him out from under the island. "N-no! Stop!" George yelled, trying to pry his father's hand off of his shirt.

Once he pulled George out from under the island, he practically threw him against a wall, holding him up by the collar of his shirt. His Father threw a punch at his face, before repeatedly punching his stomach.

George screamed for him to stop, his head was pounding and stomach was extremely sore, his father bent down, picking up a glass bottle. "Let's see what I can do with this," His Father said, quickly grabbing George's arm.

George's eyes widened and he started screaming for his father to stop, for his father to not hit him but it was too late and his father had hit his arm with the bottle, causing two shards of glass to get stuck in his arm. George screamed, louder than he thought was possible as his father pulled out the two shards, taking one and running it across George's neck leaving a faint cut.

George kept screaming until his throat was raw and his voice was hoarse, he couldn't feel his arm and his stomach was extremely sore. His father eventually let him be and he slid down the wall, slowly slipping out of consciousness.

* TRIGGER WARNING END *

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    He was abruptly awakened by the tall blonde from earlier.

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Word Count: 1210

First chapter!
Stay hydrated and take care of yourselves!
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