Just One Night // DNF

43 - He Knows

A/N - 3100+ babes; It's a little short, but I think you'll enjoy. Missed you guys! Get something to eat and drink my loves. Happy reading <3

"I slept with him."

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"Two more weeks till finals," Karl said. He was hunched over his sketchbook, a mechanical pencil in one hand, a monster in the other from which he took occasional sips. Niki hummed from next to him, her gaze fixed on blending orange and red on thick cardstock-like paper.  

"Then break." Niki smiles, eyes flicking up to watch Karl draw a line. "And Christmas." She looked at George who was slumped in his chair, feet up with his shins against the edge of the table, his notebook hidden behind his legs. "Do you celebrate Christmas, George?" She asked.

George peeked up from his sketch, "Sure. Kind of." Karl flicked a brow up, "Kind of?" George shrugged and went back to his drawing. He was trying to get the curve of Dream's shoulder right, but somehow he just couldn't. He tapped his phone screen, keeping his reference picture lit up. It was the snapshot he took on his birthday that left him embarrassingly breathless.

"My parents work a lot so it's hard on the holidays. 50/50 shot they get called in or not on Christmas." George said blandly. He came to terms with the lack of holiday cheer a long time ago. Niki's face fell a bit, eyes flickering to Karl before she asked, "What do you do if they get called in?"

George shrugged. They got called in last year. They told him he could do whatever, go to Nick's or Alex's, or stay home. He decided to smoke Alex's stash that was kept in an empty shoebox on the top shelf of his closet and drown himself in half a bottle of whiskey instead. The next morning he woke up with a killer hangover and still no parents. He ended up opening the presents alone.

"Whatever I want, I guess." He shrugs off, trying to ignore the memory of last Christmas. He used to love Christmas. Loved the cookie making and writing Santa the list of gifts he'd like. But, the last years haven't felt like it was Christmas. Maybe it was because he was getting older, or maybe it was because he hadn't felt happy since he was 12 years old.

"That's," Niki started, but trailed off with a quiet, "lonely." George ignored the comment and instead focused on the curve of Dream's jaw. Eyebrows pinched together, he sank further in his seat. He was distracted enough to not catch the look Niki and Karl shared. It was filled with pity and worry.

But ignoring that, George had finally gotten his spark back. After his birthday, he couldn't put his sketchbook down. He was drawing most of the same things. Dream. Dream Dream Dream Dream. Hence why he was hiding his sketchbook from every single prying eye. Karl had asked to peek, and he refused. He didn't need him asking questions he didn't know exactly how to answer.

"I think I might throw a little Christmas party," Niki said, dropping her pencil on her sketchbook. Karl flicked his brows up and hummed a, "Oh really?"  

Niki nodded and leaned back in her seat, fingers reaching up to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Maybe not a party, per se. It won't be at my house. Probably something close to a holiday celebration with a group of friends." Karl abandoned his focus on his drawing, "Go on."

Niki smiled, it was a bright, beautiful thing that made everything in a 10-mile radius shine a little bit brighter, "One word. Ice skating." 

"That's two words, actually." Karl chuckled. Niki rolled her eyes and batted him away, "There's a hi-fen, therefore it's one word." Karl cuts in, "I don't think-" "Anyway," she pressed her palms against the wood of the table, catching George's attention. His phone was about to die anyways. He flipped his sketchbook shut and peeked over his knees in interest, "I'm thinking, us, Beck, Nick, Alex, Dream," she flicked her eyes to George as if searching for some sort of reaction, " maybe Schlatt, Hannah, and Dylan. We go to that ice rink downtown sometime over break. I heard that the food trucks down Central Ave are great and that live bands play every Friday. Not to mention that there are supposed to be lights decorated everywhere. It sounds fun."