Chapter Text
The air reeked of gasoline and smoke, there wasn't a single clear day in sight. Not even the rain could fix the musty air that would surely cause irreversible health effects in the future.
George coughed , accidentally taking in a whiff of some kids cigar as he walked through the town he knew so well. He moved to Florida before high school, now he was a high school senior going in to one of the best colleges in the state. He was the dorky kid no one really paid attention to, he fit in with only a few people. His group was small but they all got along well. He appreciated what he had greatly. He was lucky to find new friends after moving to the states. He thought he was going to be bullied on his first day. That was until the tall lanky kid named Karl approached him because of a graphic t-shirt George happened to be wearing on that day. They hadn't separated since.
Karl introduced him to Quackity and Bad, and now they were a group of outcast students that should be the prime point for bullying but were actually irrelevant to the rest of the world.
"Jesus," Karl swiped away the smoke they had walked through, "no one has any respect these days."
"You should be used to it by now," George snickered, rolling his eyes with amusement.
"Okay, Brit," Quackity spat with a lighthearted chuckle. Britain honestly wasn't any better to live in than where he was now; stranded in the humid Florida swamp.
It was Saturday, so they thankfully didn't have endless hours of boring classes to attend. But, it wasn't like they paid attention to them anyway. They would go out after school until the dark hours of the night regardless of what day it was. They all regretted it the next morning, but it was worth it.
"Hey look guys," Bad pointed to a poster and lead the group to it. "It's drive in movie night. They're playing King Kong! We should go!"
The three boys glanced at each other, speaking in a telepathic way almost, and nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I don't have anything tonight," George responded.
Quackity puffed his chest out confidently before he spoke, "I happen to know how to get in for free."
"What? Flirting with the ticket girls?" Karl teased. That comment ended with a slap to the chest from the shorter boy.
"No!" He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "The gates broken to the east and we can climb under." He pouted, refusing to look at his friend.
"That's very illegal," Bad pestered, objecting the idea immediately.
"It's not that bad. It's an old movie, no harm done." George sided with Quackity on this one. It didn't hurt living life on the edge. It wasn't like he hadn't run from the cops once or twice in his time in the states. "We can have more money for snacks that way."
Bad opened his mouth to object again, but closed it knowing these boys don't budge once their minds were set on something. Bad was the peacemaker of the group, he absolutely hated all conflict and would rather play it safe than risking his life. Which George understood, but couldn't get behind when there was adventures to be had.
"We don't even have a car. Isn't that how drive in movies work?" Karl brought up.
Quackity groaned, "Karl, that's why we are sneaking in! You ever been to a movie before?" He walked ahead of the group in the direction they were walking before.
Karl frowned and ran after him, "Yes i have!" The two continued to bicker back and fourth with each other. George kept to himself as he walked with Bad.
The buildings were old and outdated, stained from rain and mold. It was kind of disgusting. The sidewalks were cracked all over the place and the road wasn't any better. You couldn't walk a mile without someone threatening to pull a knife on you. But that was just Florida, he was used to it. Yeah, he had gotten mugged countless times, but it wasn't like he had much on him anyway. The whole scene never really bothered him. It was home.
They could never go anywhere to eat together. Seriously, it was a problem. Whether the food was roach infested, Quackity flirting with waitresses, Quackity and bad arguing, Quackity and Karl being rowdy.... Yeah, it was usually Quackity's fault. But it was funny.
They sat at a booth in the one diner in town that loved them. The chef liked giving them free food, which was great. He tells them they make his day better when they come in. They were like the MVP's of the diner.
"I cant believe you almost fell because a girl said hi to you," Quackity laughed, stuffing complimentary corn chips in his mouth.
"The side walk isn't very flat, that was not my fault!" Karl defended himself, shoving his best friend harshly with his shoulder.
"You're annoying," George deadpanned.
"And you're ugly, looks like we get no winners here," Quackity retorted without a thought. George jaw dropped, pretending to be offended even though he knew he had it coming.
"Be nice Quackity!" Bad scolded. He was definitely the mom of the group.
"He started it!" Quackity pointed fingers.
The waiters didn't even have to come by to ask the boys what they wanted. Within thirty minutes they had their plates ready in front of them. They were starving after not having anything all day besides the one snack they each got at the gas station at noon and it was almost six in the evening.
"After this we'll get into the movie right as it starts. No one will see us," Quackity told the group. He knew a little too much about sneaking into places but none of them questioned it. "'Get us good seats probably because most people stay in their cars."
"Can I sit next to someone that isn't Quackity," Karl interjected, raising his hand like he was in class.
"Shut the fuck up," Quackity glared at him with a face full of french fries.
"Language!" Bad frowned.
"Karls going to end up having to carry you home like the baby you are, Q," George added to the conversation. Quackity glared at him but didn't say a word.
They finished up and paid, leaving before Quackity or Karl pulled some type of embarrassing stunt to get them out of paying. It was getting dark, the sun hiding behind the large buildings. The sky illuminated a dark orange glow. It wasn't much help with seeing, but it would do. They knew their way around anyway. Most of their long trips were in the middle of the night.
It took the group twenty minutes to reach the drive in. They snuck around the back of the field and to the entrance Quackity told them about. Quackity went under first before the rest followed. There was no one around, no one suspected a thing. Lovely.
They snuck into a bunch of free seats and sat quietly as if they were there the whole time.
"What's this movie about," Karl whispered to Quackity.
"I have no idea, man," Quackity whispered back. The two giggled to each other before getting comfortable and paying attention to the movie.
"I'll get us some snacks," Bad whispered to the group before getting up to leave.
George was focused on the movie, he rarely watched movies. He never saw the point in them. They were all too fictional for his liking. Karl had his head rested on Quackity's, whose head was rested on Karl's shoulder.
About thirty minutes into the movie, the group of boys behind them were talking carelessly loud. They had been whispering the whole time, but now they were just getting obnoxious.
One of them flicked the back of Quackity's neck, laughing as he did it. Quackity jumped and turned around. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Oh, sorry, did I disrupt your date with your little boyfriend there," he pretended to be upset with Quackity's response, but really he was getting a kick out of it.
"We aren't dating! You're fucking gross. Piss off," Quackity snarled.
"Oh come on babe, you know you like it." He flicked Quackity's neck again.
"I'll kill you," Quackity growled quietly. Karl stepped in and put his hand on Quackity's shoulder to try to calm him,
"You're only going to make it worse."
"Yeah, kid. Hey, control your pet would you?" Another one of the snotty boys chimed in.
"Pet?!" Quackity dropped his jaw in offense, his anger only growing.
"Would you guys stop?" Bad turned around, trying to break the situation. "You're supposed to be respectful during a movie! There are people trying to watch!"
"Mamma bear's getting angry," another one mocked. "Uh oh! Better back off before she gets her claws out!" The group laughed at that.
George did not want to get involved, in fact he wanted to pretend he wasn't even there. But then one of them began kicking his chair harshly. George tried to keep himself composed. But once he was almost thrown out of his seat, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Are you serious?" He stood up uncomfortably from his seat. "What is wrong with you? What do you want?"
"Pretty boys attention," the jock pursed his lips and batted his eyes.
"Not the kind of attention you want," he retorted. "Leave us alone. You think you're funny, yeah?"
"You think you're tough?" The boy challenged. He wasn't even standing up, but George knew he could tower over him. And was much more buff than him. He could definitely get beaten six feet underground if he wasn't careful. George half regretted what he got himself into. "You're cute."
Karl and Quackity were still fighting with the boys that were previously messing with them, Bad tried keeping everyone calm, so George had to handle this himself.
The boy wore a clean letterman jacket, the same one from the school he went to. Which meant he has seen this dirty blonde asshole before. He knew the teams history of being utter jerks, he just never thought that they'd be victims of it. And he was not excited to run into them on campus after this incident.
"You're disrupting people's movie experience! Sit down!" The boy smirked mockingly, thinking he was smart.
George rolled his eyes, unimpressed and irritated. He grabbed his drink and took off the lid. Without thinking, he dumped the cup onto Dream, then smashed the styrofoam into his head. The group gasped in unison, about ready to jump George and his friends.
"Okay, we need to get out now!" Quackity panicked before dashing up from his seat.
A security guard nearby heard the commotion and pointed his flashlight on them. "Hey! You boys! Did you pay! What are you doing?"
The group ran for it. They ran in the direction they came from, quickly sliding under the gate and booking it. They didn't stop until they knew they were far enough from the drive in.
They found themselves in a field, panting and disheveled. Quackity began laughing, Karl following quickly after. Bad and George joined in. They all fell into the long, dry grass letting their giggles out.
"That was definitely not what I imagined movie night to be like," Bad chimed in, calming down.
"Much more fun than watching a movie." Quackity lauded on the ground, sighing contently. Karl found his spot on the boys torso.
"I don't think almost getting jumped by a group of tough jocks then getting chased down by security guards is my idea of a calm movie night," Karl chuckled, talking with his hand up in the air as he mapped out the galaxy above him.
George laid down and stared up at the stars.
"Hey, at least we are alive." Bad recalled. It was true. The situation could have been so much worse.
"Can't believe George poured soda all over that one guy," Quackity said. He ran his fingers through Karl's soft hair comfortingly. "Bold moves. Didn't think you had it in you."
"He was annoying. It was the only thing I could think of," he shrugged like it was nothing. "I don't regret it. I'd do it again."
Silence fell amongst the group. They stared up at the stars. They rarely got to see the stars. The city was so disgustingly polluted, you could barely see the night sky. From the field they could see everything. It was mesmerizing.
George didn't remember it, but he must have drifted off at some point because before he knew it the sun was coming up.