𝗞𝗜𝗦𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧 // mcyt apply fic // ᶜˡᵒˢᵉᵈ

⁰²⁵ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀʙʏsɪᴛᴛᴇʀ

𝟶𝟸𝟻. [𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛]

𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚞𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗.

-

Rose wishes they could claim they couldn't remember the last time Cora was this drunk, but that's a lie. Cora was possibly even more wasted at the New Year's Eve party.

That doesn't make this any better though. It sucks. Rose knows Cora's going through shit with Karl, which is the only reason they agreed to be the designated driver. But goddammit, Rose has their own shit to deal with.

Their own shit, which happened to show up too, and has been hanging around Iris the whole night. Whatever.

Rose knows it's probably for the best. It's time to give up on him. If he can't forgive them, it's not worth it. And maybe it's for the best - Dream was... well... a dream. One too many years of crushing from afar had turned him into merely a fantasy, someone they had built up so high in their head, he almost wasn't real. He could never live up to the version of him that Rose had created, and their relationship was doomed because of it.

The point is, Rose doesn't need Dream.

What they need is a drink. Too bad they have to babysit.

They let their mind drift back to the list, to the two other names left still uncrossed, and then, they drift farther. Whose list are they on?

Then: whose list do they wish they were on?

Then: who at this party has weed?

Like an angel sent from Heaven, Cole appears, half-smoked joint in hand. They wonder briefly which of the three questions he was sent to answer, but the thought flies out of their mind the second the joint touches their lips. They've technically only smoked once before, but Rose feels like this counts as enough of a special occasion.

"See," Rose starts, continuing their conversation from the dance, "This seems much more your style than Winter Formal,"

He grins, "And Winter Formal seems more like your scene than this," He gestures to the living room filled with smoke, the stench of booze, and wasted teenagers partying.

They smirk. "Guess we're both trying something new tonight, huh?" They swear he goes a little pink.

Cora finally notices him and perks up. "Cole?! Ohmygosh you need to get me to a bong immediately," She slurs happily.

He scoffs. "Yeah, I don't think so," He pats her shoulder and Rose grins. "You look like you're intoxicated enough," Cora groans, but doesn't protest. Cole looks up at Rose and meets their eyes.

"I can babysit for a bit if you wanna go out and socialize for a bit," He offers, a knowing glint in his eye. He almost looks like he's pitying them, so they say yes.

"Thank you, and, uh, good luck," They wish him with a grin. He sighs mockingly and waves them off.

The second Rose is free, they beeline for the booze table, albeit stumbling through the crowd. They try to not think too hard about anything, but they can't help glancing over their shoulder once. Cole's hand-feeding Cora a slice of pizza while she resists in vain. Rose stifles a laugh and picks up a beer.

Fuck Dream. They have Cora, and now Cole, and friends are all they need.

-

[𝟶𝟻.𝟸𝟼.𝟸𝟹]