― do over

Just when things were looking up, he was taken back here. The second, if not worse, night of his life.

He was sitting in front of a mirror while his sister dabbled some sort of foundation across his face, particularly under his eyes. Supposedly, they were baggy.

He didn't doubt that.

His sister only was looking out for him, doing her best to cheer him up. That's all she had really been doing for the last twenty four hours.

Twenty four hours ago he became single for the first time in years. But he was far from looking to mingle, truth be told. He had stormed into his house, tears caked on his face. He remember the panic on his sister's eye as she got up from the math homework on her desk and followed him into his room before he could shut the door.

Dream had looked at her, trying hard not to unleash his anger on her. She only wanted to help, and that's what she did. She grabbed his hand, sitting next to him on the bed. She was only a few years younger, barely a freshman herself, but yet her maturity was beyond his years.

He had rested his head on her shoulder and took deep even breaths while she waited patiently for him to speak. And then he spilled.

His sister had always been one for he and George's relationship. Her bright smile when he told her he liked him, and her constant helpful advice made the last few years so cheerful.

The giddy look on her face when he took George to prom. The knowing smirk when he didn't come home that night. The assuring hug when George didn't return his calls.

All for this. She pulled him closer in her arms, saying something like "I'm here if you want to talk," and squeezing him. So he told her everything.

She was quick to oppose George once she heard the full story. Her words stung Dream as much as they would have stung George. Calling him careless, ignorant, and a cheater. That one hurt the most.

And then they watched cheesy horror movies so Dream could feel something again. She would do this for the next few weeks just to help him recover.

It was the night of graduation, and she leaned back from applying the skin colored foundation. "That looks better. Still a little baggy, but no one can tell."

Dream nodded absently. He would have to face George for the first time since the incident. Since he caught him cheating. This is no way how he thought he would spend this night.

They had planned to go to the party afterwards and dance the night away and probably end up dirty dancing to some sensual song. They would kiss under the neon lights, lean against eachother, and say, "we did it."

Not anymore. He had sent George one single text. We're over. Nothing else needed to be said. He couldn't find the words to do so, anyway. After that, he simply turned off his phone and gave it to his sister to hide. She promised she wouldn't send any texts to George. True to her word, she didn't.

His sister touched his shoulder. "Hey. Just avoid him. It can't be that hard. One more night and it's over."

"Easy for you to say. It's gonna be obvious when two best friends just stop talking to each other completely," Clay argued, feeling his voice crack again. Best friends. Another thing he lost.

Not only his partner, but his best friend. His everything.

"That suit looks really nice on you," she tried genuinely, gesturing to the sliver and white suit Dream had, adorned with a wintergreen tie.

"We we're gonna be matching," he mumbled, even more dejected than before.

His sister placed her hands on her hips, striking a pose that one would associate with a Karen. "Clay," her words were firm. "If you relate him to everything you're never going to get over him."