marionette | DreamNotFound

- 11 -

does he hate me?

After George left Nick's house the morning after the party, he felt emptier than ever. He knew everything he did that day, he regretted going there. He fully blamed Toby for inviting him even though George didn't want him there. For a good reason, by the way.

Clay didn't talk to him at all, he just moved on with his life while George was having one breakdown after another at home. He sat crying on the floor leaning onto his bed, not even bother to take care of himself.

As Nick saw the look on George's face that morning, he knew he wouldn't hear anything from his best friend until they saw each other again in school at Monday. So, he let George be George, he knew he'd come back. Clay on the other hand, he looked somewhat happy, somewhat disappointed and sad. Nick knew Clay wanted to talk to George but every time he started talking, George didn't seem to care, he didn't even seem to notice someone was talking to him. He was dieing because of the hangover and the emptiness inside him (not physically, though).

As soon as George left, Clay turned to Nick and sent him a help seeking look. Nick shrugged, he didn't really know how to help the new student. George got his moods, you just need to know how to interact with them.

George on the other hand just cried, and cried, and cried. He lost track of time, his sleep schedule was all over the place. He actually didn't know when he slept, if he slept. He didn't even notice when Monday arrived so he was staying home, his parents have forgotten about their son's existence and his friends missed him. Clay and Nick were kind of worried. Nick just assumed he was sick or overslept, Clay remembered the first time he saw George and had seem him in the state he was last Saturday morning. So yes, Clay was worried, a different kind of worried than Nick.

George also missed school on Tuesday and Wednesday, only being pulled back into reality because his parents were screaming at him. School called because he was missing, so they thought he was simply skipping school and wanted to tell his parents about it. George nodded once in a while, not really caring about the words his parents said. He could barely pay attention to anything that was said to him, being light headed and dizzy due to the lack of food in the last few days. He ate some fruits or bread once in a while to not starve, otherwise, he thought he made a great progress and was kind of proud of himself. He was looking at his torso before hopping in the shower and finally giving his body the attention it needed. He had to admit, it felt pretty great to be under the warm steam again.

Meanwhile, Nick bombarded his friend's phone with messages and phone calls, texting hin on every social media platform possible. He was used to George disappearing for a few days but normally, it was only 2 days. Right now, it has been five days since he had last heard from his best friend.

As soon as Nick saw George arriving at school the next day, he ran up to him to pull him in a tight hug. He saw George's still red and puffy eyes, instantly knowing he had spend his days crying alone in his bedroom. Clay instantly noticed George's wight lost, scared of the consequences the small brunette might get. He knew Eating Disorders were a serious topic and he didn't want to lose another person because of them. People might not notice people's weight loses at first sight but as soon as you notice something is off, you will notice instantly. Honestly, George looked as if he hadn't eaten in forever, which probably was the case. Clay wanted to get George to eat at least something.

"Hey, Gogy," Nick said as he hugged him tightly. "Hello," George whispered, his voice being raspy, it not being used to actually being used. "Are you okay? Why didn't you answer me for five days?" Nick wanted to know, George taken aback because he was exposed in front of everyone. "Yeah, I'm good," he finally answered after a few seconds. Clay noticed how uncomfortable George was and tried drawing the attention onto him. "Guys, wanna get something to drink before school starts?" he asked. Will and Toby nodded and followed Clay inside.

George followed Clay with his eyes, tears forming in then, in his mind, he already rejected him. "George," Nick said for what felt like the tenth time, he couldn't get George's attention back on him. "George, please look at me," Nick said as he grabbed his best friend's face and made him focus on himself. "Tell me what's wrong," Nick demanded. George looked into Nick's eyes, asking, "does he hate me already?" Nick was confused - he had no idea what he was talking about. "Clay, does he hate me already?" George whispered. "Oh," Nick said, "George, baby, he definitely does not hate you. Please stop worrying. Nobody could ever hate you," he soothed his best friend. "I think he hates me," George said. Nick hugged George, "He doesn't hate you, why do you think he hates you?" "He left me," George explained. "First of, he left us alone so we could talk. Secondly, I'm pretty sure he left some messages on your phone. You should really check it sometimes," Nick said. "But still, he hates me, I can see it in his eyes," George said. "Baby, no," Nick said and pulled George closer. George laid his head down in his best friend's shoulder, his face facing the neck, crying quietly. Nick didn't hear it, but he sure as hell felt the tears drop down his back as they silently left George's face. "Wanna do some fun stuff today? To get your mind in a different place?" Nick asked softly. He felt George nodding.