Stupid Boy ; George Miller

;contemporaneous;

9:10 PM

"George, was Max telling the truth?" I ask slowly, sitting cross-legged on Ian's bed. I'm facing George, gripping yet another bottle of Corona, this one unopened. "Like, was he just saying it to fuck with me?"

Please say he's telling the truth.

No, what the fuck. I don't want that.

George sighs and runs his fingers through his raven hair. He looks at me and I see that his eyes look more tired, sadder than they did earlier.

"Joji?"

He looks at me and gives me a sad half smile, then looks back down, nodding his head ever so slightly.

I open my mouth to speak, but before I get even a breath out, he begins speaking.

"Corinne, I'm so sorry. It's not fair to you, you've only just gotten here."

"Joji-" I manage to get out, but the boy in front of me quickly cuts me off, his words spilling like an avalanche.

"And I know that I hurt you when I left, but I was scared and by the time I knew how to tell you, I was stuck on a plane and Emily was sending me text after text telling me how awful I was for leaving you with no explanation. I thought you hated me for it, so I never contacted you."

"George, I-"

"But it hurt so bad not being with you and I've thought about you every day since I got on that plane, and when I saw you in the hall, I thought I had finally gone fucking insane and you were just a hallucination, but you're not and I'm in love with you, and I know I have no right to even say that, and I'm such an idiot for ever leaving you. I'm so sorry, Corinne." He finishes, putting his head in his hands.

"George." I say firmly, and gently remove his hands from his face.

He looks up at me, his cheeks red.

"Joji.." I trail off, trying to find the right words to say.

You know what you want to say. You know how you feel. Tell him.

I bite my lip, then let my words tumble out of my mouth. "George, you are everything I have ever wanted. No matter how hard I tried to hate you, I couldn't. I started dating another guy and I still couldn't get over you. I hated not knowing why you left, George. I missed you so fucking much." I think about the four years I'd spent missing George and waiting for him to come back, and the tears that had been threatening to fall finally do.

Joji says nothing, but instead gently pulls me into his chest. He rubs my back softly, and for the next few moments, all I hear is his heart beating.

"Cor, I miss you." Joji says quietly.

"I miss you too, George."

I feel his chest rise as he takes a deep breath. "Corinne, please take me back." He says shakily.

I pull my head from his chest and look up at him, nodding my head. "Of course, George."

He runs his fingers through my hair gently, a smile forming on his lips. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"You did." I reply smugly, receiving a light chuckle on his part.

"Stop that." He says before pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

The moment his lips make contact with my forehead, the bedroom door opens and the dimly lit room is flooded with bright light.

Apphia is drunkenly leaning against Tanner, clutching his arm for support. She presses a kiss to his neck and laughs, then faces me and George.

"I called it, I fucking called it!" She slurs out loudly.

"Nice, dude." Tanner calls to Joji, and Apphia giggles hysterically.

I thought she hated Tanner. Okay, Phi.

"Phia, what are you doing?" I laugh, shaking my head in my friend's direction.

Joji throws a small pillow at them. "Get another room, Tanner." He calls as they turn and stumble away, snickering."

"I told you they'd make up!" I hear Apphia giggle as they walk away. "You owe me $20."

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Song - If I'm Lucky (State Champs)

This chapter is so messy and ugly but I didn't know how to have joji ask her out again but I wanted it to happen in this chapter and I got in my feelings when I had them talk about missing each other and shit like ok cool two shots of depresso please