Just One Night // DNF

44 - Pancakes

A/N - 5000+ babes; get something to eat and drink. Enjoy my lovelies, and happy reading <3

It was like he had found the doors in the shapes of arms to a home he had unknowingly been searching for his entire life. 

✧✧✧

A groan sounds from the other side of the table, "Why are we doing this again?" George peaks up from a chemistry textbook and responds, "So you guys graduate."

Alex groans again and smacks his forehead against the table, his notebook cushioning the blow. Karl scowls in slight disapproval and slaps the back of Alex's head with his calculator, "You should be grateful George's is even helping us. Now sit up," He scolds. 

Alex flinches away from the TI-84 and rubs the back of his head, "My brain hurts." He complains, searching for an ounce of sympathy from anyone at the table. Nobody gives it and he huffs like a child. George rolls his eyes, "You need to study if you want to pass Pre-Calc," he says plainly, "you're failing."

Alex scrunched his nose, "I have a D." George blinked at him, "If you fail your final, you'll get an F in the class. Now finish the problems I gave you."

"You should be grateful George is willing to help us out, Alex." Nick chimes in. Karl hums in agreement, sending a pointed look at Alex who just groans again but picks up his pencil nonetheless. He sinks into the dining room table chair, avoiding eye contact with everyone. 

With finals being this coming week, George's closest friends begged, actually pleaded, for his help. Actually threatening to kiss his shoes type of pleading. Unfortunately, many of them were at risk of failing at least one class. Nick was struggling in English, Karl in Gov and Econ, and Alex in Precalc. George couldn't find it in his heart to say no, especially when Nick and Karl both pulled those damn puppy dog eyes he always fell for. 

So, it was currently Saturday and everyone was crammed at George's dining room table studying for their finals. Dream, who actually isn't at risk of failing anything, decided to join in, offering to help too. It definitely didn't have anything to do with his and Dream's plans tomorrow. They were going to go see Valerie. They were planning on bringing a little Christmas tree (a fake one of course because apparently, they don't allow real trees inside- which is bullshit because what's the difference between bringing a ton of flowers versus a tree? Whatever.) and help decorate with for her. Her doctor said she might be able to come home for a few days to celebrate Christmas if she shows signs of improvement. Dream said it's not likely and that her body is too weak.

Her condition's been fluctuating. Some days she's doing great. She's eating meals and drinking fluids, others she doesn't even stay awake for more than 30 minutes at a time. Her body is battling death every day, and sometimes she comes out worse than the day before. 

She has to keep the oxygen tube under her nose 24/7 now. With the cold weather, her lungs don't work as they normally do. Breathing had become a bit more difficult for her. Dream stresses about it, but he doesn't let George in enough to see how much. He knows it's a lot, especially since it's his baby sister. He can't even imagine the pain of watching someone he loved go through anything like that. He knew what it felt like to lose someone, to watch them disappear from the world, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"Wait, how do I find the vertex of the equation again?" Alex asks from the end of the table. Dream hums and leans over, quietly explaining the steps. Alex nods and writes something down, then thanks Dream for the tips.

George goes back to his textbook. He's reviewing the simplistic of acids and bases, but most of it he knows. He absorbs information like a sponge. Once it's taught, it just takes brief repetition for it to permanently stick. Usually, he wouldn't study for finals, but with it being his last year and that he was also waiting for a rejection or acceptance letter from his dream school, he'd rather keep his grades up. Just to be safe.