Chapter Text
Karl is definitely an introvert. He only has two friends and never goes anywhere. Call it depressing, but it doesn’t bother Karl. He’s fine by himself, thank you very much. It gives him space for the creative ideas to flow. He’d rather be in his room, surrounded by his art supplies and drawing for hours on end, than with people. And his friends, George and Niki, are okay with that.
“Karl? You still there?”
Karl jumps at the sound of George’s voice. He’d forgotten they were on call together while Karl draws and George works on homework.
“Yeah, yeah, still here. Sorry. Forgot you were there.”
George laughs. “Of course. Anyway, my parents are calling me for dinner so I need to go.”
“Oh okay, bye! See you tomorrow!”
“See ya,” George replies, then hangs up.
Karl sighs and takes his headphones off. He supposes now would be a good time for him to eat, too. He looks over his drawing. He’d actually been working on a project for art class, a redraw of Starry Night in a different style. He’d chosen realism, since that was what he was best at. But still, it would take a really long time, and he already had several missing assignments in other classes.
That’s his problem. He spends too much time on his art and not enough time on schoolwork. His mom is always getting on him for that, but sometimes, he would rather draw than suffer his way through sixty math problems that he doesn’t understand.
He heads to the kitchen to find some dinner and meets his older sister in the kitchen. They don’t acknowledge each other, as she scrolls through her phone, and he warms up leftover pasta from the fridge in the microwave.
Just as Karl is leaving, a plate of pasta in one hand and a soda from the fridge in the other, his older sister calls out.
“Did you finish your homework?”
Karl bites his lip and lies. “Almost done.”
“That’s a damn lie and we both know it, Karl, do your homework.”
Karl rolls his eyes and leaves. His older sister is already in college and visiting home for her college’s fall break. She’s the smart one of the family, working on her financial degree. She’ll make something of her life, while Karl will live forever with his mom, making art for no one.
Maybe his sister telling him off gives him the motivation, but Karl actually tries to do some homework. He makes it through one math assignment and one English assignment before he’s opening the drawing program on his computer and drawing again.
At least he got something done.
---
“Did you do your homework?” Niki asks when she joins him at his locker the next day.
“What are you, my mother?” he asks, avoiding her eyes by pretending to look for something in his locker.
“Yes. Did you?” Niki shuts his locker, forcing him to look at her.
“Part of it,” Karl replies, still avoiding her eyes.
“Ok this is ridiculous,” Niki says. “You’re coming to my house tonight and I am going to force you through all of your homework.”
“But I was gonna…” Karl trails off at Niki’s annoyed expression.
“What? Do art? You do that all the time anyway. Your grades matter, Karl. Come on.”
“Okay, fine. My mom is working tonight anyway.”
“Thank you,” Niki says, just as George walks up.
“Help me, George, Niki is kidnapping me and forcing me to do my homework,” Karl complains. Niki rolls her eyes.
“Good. You need it,” George says, and laughs at Karl’s pained expression.
“You guys suck,” Karl says, walking away. He glances back at his two friends to shoot some retort, but then slams into someone. He drops his phone and it clatters to the floor and skids a few feet.
“So sorry,” says the boy Karl slammed into, bending over to pick up Karl’s phone. When he stands up to hand it to him, Karl is suddenly speechless. He’s so pretty. He’s wearing ripped jeans and a graphic tee of some metal band and his wavy brown hair looks so soft .
“Here you go,” the boy says, holding out Karl’s phone.
“Uh, thanks,” Karl stammers. Curse his social anxiety .
“I’m Sapnap, by the way.”
“Karl,” he forces out. Why is it suddenly so hard to talk? He’s a jittery mess.
“Sorry, again,” Sapnap says. “See you around.”
Then he’s gone, and Karl is left wondering. What the hell just happened?
---
Karl has a hard enough time paying attention in class normally, and now it’s especially hard when all he can think about is his awkward interaction. He alternates between cursing his social awkwardness and wondering who Sapnap is. He wonders how he’s never seen him before, then backtracks when he looks around his class and doesn’t even recognize half the people there. Clearly, he just doesn’t notice people.
At lunch, he finds himself scanning the lunchroom for wavy brown hair and ripped jeans.
“Looking for someone?” Niki asks, noticing his searching.
“No,” he says, and quickly looks back down at his lunch. Niki raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.
“Big news,” George says, arriving at their table five minutes late, as normal.
“What?” Karl asks, taking a bite out of his sandwich.
“Dream asked me out!”
Karl chokes in surprise. He thought George’s crush would never get anywhere.
“That’s awesome, George!” Niki says excitedly. “Where are you guys going?”
“He’s taking me to see a band perform. He knows a couple guys in it. One of them goes to our school, actually. Sapnap, I think his name is.”
Karl nearly chokes again, but tries to cover it up. Sapnap is in a band?
“Actually, can I ask a favor?” George says. “Can you guys come? It’s my first date. Kinda nervous.”
Karl bites his lip. “When?”
“Tomorrow night. 8. I’ll text you the location.”
“Sure, I can come!” Niki says brightly.
“Yeah, I’ll come,” Karl says, hoping he doesn’t regret it. Normally he would say no, but he kind of wants to see Sapnap again.
“Thanks, guys,” George says, grinning. “I’m excited.”
Karl nods, his stomach already rolling around. But he’s committed, now. Maybe, since Niki will be there too, he won’t be so nervous. Maybe it’ll be worth it to see Sapnap again. He hopes so.