one of the boys » david dobrik au

thirty one

The next morning was the day I was so worried about. Though we didn't have enough space to house all of our extended family, they usually came down the day before Christmas and stayed in a hotel near us. We always did Christmas eve dinner all together as our official Christmas celebration. It was much more formal. The next day, we'd do a Christmas breakfast which was usually more chill. We never told Karmen's side of the family about the breakfast, so it was by far my favorite part of Christmas festivities.

"Are you ready?" Alejandro asked as I walked into the kitchen. "A cropped sweater? Ballsy."

"Says the kid with cuffed jeans," I laughed.

"Cuffed jeans are subtly gay."

"Your dad wears bootcut jeans with a giant belt buckle. Your skinny jeans are not subtly gay," I reminded him, and he sighed.

"Where's your boyfriend? Worry about him, not me."

"He's in the shower," I explained. "We have to be good today, okay? No starting shit. Karmen's gonna have a fucking meltdown."

"We both know that we are never the ones starting shit," he replied with an eye roll. "But I will try to be nice. There's only so much I can do."

"I know," I whined, propping myself up on the counter. "Whatever happens today, I just want you to know that they are complete idiots, and we're all glad you're here."

"Well, duh," he said. He was never one to be emotional or sweet. Still, from the small smile on his face when he was trying not to look at me, I could tell it meant something to him. "You should change."

"I'm just trying to spice things up," I laughed, smiling to greet David as he walked into the kitchen. "Every year I try to conform and every year something is still wrong."

"What was wrong last year?" David asked, jumping up on the counter to sit next to me. I was glad he was more comfortable doing so now; last time he was here, he would've stood for ten minutes then awkwardly ask if he could sit with me.

"What happened last year?" I asked Alejandro, who stared at me shocked that I didn't remember.

"The hoops!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe you don't remember the hoops! That was the weirdest one yet."

"Oh, yeah," I rolled my eyes, then turned to David. "My hoops were too big, apparently. You know, people always say the bigger the hoop, the bigger the hoe. She takes that literally, I guess."

"No way," his jaw dropped. "Your earring choice made her mad?"

"Yep," I sighed, leaning my head against his shoulder. "I'm telling you, man, this shit is serious."

"...Is my outfit okay?"

Alejandro and I tried not to complain when Karmen was within earshot. I could just tell by the look on her face that she was not ready. Cooking was already something that stressed her out (hence our takeout Thanksgivings), and knowing that disaster was eminent did not help.

I tried to contribute to the cooking and setting the table, but I knew at some point everyone besides Angie, the actual cook of the group, was just in the way.

Luckily, Angie's parents arrived first. John and Nancy White were angels that walked the earth. They treated Angie like a princess, since she was the only child, and that meant I was their only grandchild and perhaps their pride and joy.

When Angie came out, they probably thought they'd never get grandchildren, especially since she came out long before gay people were even considered for adoptions. That meant I was special, and they treated me like it.

"Camilla," Nancy kissed me on the head when I opened the door for her. "You look beautiful, my dear. You just get prettier and prettier every time I see you."

"Thank you, Nana," I blushed and stepped out of the way. "Come in! You can put the pie in the kitchen. Hi, Papa."

"Hi, sweetie," he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. "I've missed you. How's college?"

"It's going good!" I smiled. "Oh, this is my roommate David. He's gonna be with us for Christmas."

"David," his eyes flicked over to David, who nervously smiled. My nana was already staring at him with stars in her eyes. I felt bad for him, but there was nothing I could do about it now. Papa stuck out his hand for David to shake. "You're not really her roommate, are you?"

"He is," I answered for him.

"And not your boyfriend?" Nana asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Not yet," he told her, and she patted him on the shoulder.

"Good answer, kid. We're glad you're here."

And so it was all fine... for another hour or so. Isadora and her son Antonio were nice and polite for a little bit, but it didn't take long for the claws to come out.

It was when my abuela met David, right before our meal, that she had something to say.

"You've already got another boyfriend?" she seemed to turn her nose up in distaste. "I didn't know Karmen raised you like that, but I guess it makes sense."

"Raised me like what?" I tried desperately to hide the bitter tone to my voice.

"Like a slut," her face held no emotion. She really didn't care. David tried to grab my hand, but I shied away. "With your whole belly out. Like mother, like daughter I guess."

I didn't even fight back as I turned on my heel and stalked towards the basement door. I heard David's soft voice say, "Not to be disrespectful, but Camilla is an angel, and you should really apologize for saying that to her."

"What?"

"She doesn't deserve to be treated like that," he repeated himself, a little firmer. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

I worried for him, but luckily, I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs behind me. He frowned when he saw me standing with tears in my eyes, his arms opening for me to fall into. "I'm sorry, Milla."

"She's just such a bitch for no reason," I whined, knowing I couldn't cry or I'd ruin my makeup. "I can't believe you said that to her."

"Me either," he chuckled, and all my tears just sucked back up into my body. "I couldn't just let her talk shit, though. I'd feel bad."

"I appreciate it," I told him honestly. "No one ever stands up to her like that."

"She's gonna hate me."

"She hates everyone, apparently," I rolled my eyes. "You'll be fine. Hi, Mom."

"Ally told me," Karmen sighed as she came down the steps, her curly hair already up in a bun. "I'm sorry, baby. I know how she is."

"It's not your fault," I sighed, letting her wrap her arms around me. "I'm already over it. And David was already mean to her, so. I'm sorry Christmas is ruined."

"Christmas eve is ruined," she corrected me. "We've still got tomorrow. We can always turn it around."

I hoped she was right.

Im sorry im a bad wattpader i havent been here in FOREVER whats new everyone

College is killing me lmao

Xoxo abby