Winter break
"Man does time go by fast. Can't believe it's winter break already!" Skeppy told the rest as the dorm mates settled down in the compartment.
George yawned. Winter break was honestly the best since it was the only month he could get an actual break with lots of nap time.
"What will you guys be doing?" Eret asked. "I'm going to my grandparents like usual."
"Well, I'm looking forward to observing more diamond auctions." Skeppy replied happily.
"I'll be going back to America to hang out in my hometown." Connor chirped up.
"I'll probably be staying with my aunt" Wilbur said, sharing a look with George. "Or I might be going back to camp."
"I'm always so curious about this camp you guys go to." Skeppy commented.
"Yeah can we join it?" Eret asked. "I've been wanting to join a summer camp."
"Well maybe in the future." Wilbur shrugged. However he had a bad feeling that what he said is true. He shrugged it off, hoping it was nothing.
"George! There you are." Dream and Sapnap popped up. "Come on, we got the wizard's chess ready."
"Hurry hurry! I've gotten some practice and am so ready to finally win!" Sapnap announced excitedly.
George sighed. "I'll see you later guys, I need to go and beat these idiots."
"Well to bad for you George! I'll win this time!" Sapnap continued to boast confidently.
"Right." George pretended to roll his eyes in exasperation.
"HOW DID I LOSE AGAIN!?" A shout can be heard from train corridor not even 10 minutes later.
"You've gotten better." George shrugged. "Just need more practice."
"Your tone doesn't match your sentence!"
Dream wheezed. "Alright alright, I guess it's my turn against George now."
After a few more games, it seemed impossible to the other two on beating George.
"Isn't this too overpowered?" Sapnap muttered. Dream agreed while laughing.
"Oh look we're here." George noted while looking out the window, stopping the raven-haired boy's complaining. The trio grabbed their trunks, and went to leave the train. George could see the rest of the demigods standing together, waiting for him and his mother.
"My parents are over there. I'll be going first. See you guys later!" Sapnap told the other two, waving goodbye at them as he ran to a rather rich looking middle-aged couple.
"Looks like my parents are here too." Dream murmured as he caught sight of a couple who was making expressions of displeasure at the two.
"Yeah I need to go as well." George said, pointedly looking at Tommy who was shouting "Gogy! Stop flirting with big D and come here!"
"Well, see you in two weeks George." Dream smiled him.
"Yeah see you." George smiled back. And though both didn't notice it, the smiles they gave each other were smiles they gave no one else. Green and blue coats turned opposite of each other, and walked away in contentment.
_______
"George, it's been awhile!" Rae hugged her old friend.
"It has. A year hasn't it?" George hugged her back. "How have you been?"
"Oh you know, the usual." Rae shrugged.
"Where's Corpse?" George asked.
"Oh he'll be back tomorrow. He's recently started boarding school in China." There was a hint of worry on her face as Rae replied. "He's sent letters, and it seems as if he's quite happy there."
"If he says he's happy then he must be, Corpse doesn't like to pretend." George reassured her.
"You're right, he doesn't. I just worry sometimes." Rae sighed.
"You do worry a lot. I remember when we where younger you started crying when Corpse and I were supposed to get our medical shots, saying that it was too sharp for us to be near." George said in a fond and teasing tone.
"Well- in my defence, if the doctor wasn't careful, you guys could've gotten injured!" Rae said indignantly, crossing her arms in embarrassment.
George laughed. Rae was like his elder sister. Similar to Alyssa, they both were his elder sister figures. Though George was older than both of them by at least a month, they acted as if he was younger. George figured they'd probably get along with each other.
"So, you doing good in Scotland?" She asked.
"Yeah, didn't get much sleep though."
"Of course you didn't." Rae rolled her eyes. "Your definition of sleep is twice of mine."
"Sleep is important." George argued. "More sleep means more healthier."
"More lazy more like it." Rae argued back teasingly. "I remember when we were kids, you used to fall asleep every time we played hide and seek. It always took us so long to find you, and when we did, we find you snoring like a baby.
It was George's turn to turn embarrassed. "In my defence, sleep is in my family's genes."
"Right." To Rae it was probably some random excuse, she didn't know George was being serious.
_______
Corpse arrived the next day and the three decided to have some fun while catching up by going to an amusement park they've been going to since they were children.
As Rae went to get some snacks, George and Corpse sat on a bench, outside the snack shack.
"How's boarding school in China?" George asked.
"It's been honestly great." Corpse answered. "Took me awhile to get used to but I managed to make some friends that helped me. Although some people didn't where I came from apparently."
"Where you came from?" George raised an eyebrow. "They didn't like that you weren't Asian? That's stupid. They're stupid."
"Well...something like that I guess." Corpse replied with a bit of hesitation.
"Just ignore them, they're all just talk and wimps. And if they go more than just talk, beat them up and blame it on self Defence." George said, then looked like he was thinking about something. "Though you're too nice for that. Maybe you can sue them? Or can you give me their names? Did you tell this to Rae?"
Corpse rolled his eyes. "I told her when I got back home, and she threw a fit and started cursing them in Filipino. As much as I'm grateful to you and Rae being so protective, their families are rather powerful, so I prefer if you both don't take action."
"I'd beat them any day." George said immediately. His magic gives him an upper hand against muggles, and he can ask Hecate for the second favor to cover up the evidence. Or he can turn them into pigs, or he could curse them with sleep deprivation. He had many choices.
It looked like Corpse wanted to say something else, but before he could, Rae returned.
"And here are our tacos. What were you guys talking about by the way?"
"Just how Corpse had been doing in school." George replied.
"So you agree we should beat them up."
"Yep. Choice of murder weapon?"
"I've got a kitchen knife that is sharper than it looks."
"Okay both of you stop that." Corpse sighed, looking done with their murderous antics.
_______
"It's been awhile since I went to the cinema." George said as they walked towards the building decorated with many neon signs and lights.
"Same here. There's no televisions in school either sadly." Corpse agreed.
They bought some snacks and went to the theatre 9A, where they took their seats next to each other, Rae sitting in the middle.
15 minutes into the movie, Rae was already crying. George held out a box of tissues to the older girl, while Corpse held the snacks so it was easier for her to take, both already being used to this.
"I was always jealous of you, you know that?" The man on the screen spoke, as blood trickled out of his mouth. "Always the perfect golden child, my mother adored you. And honestly I did too."
Rae sobbed, blowing her nose into a tissue. Corpse just stared at the screen confused, while George cringed.
"Honestly Rae, that guy wasn't even on the team we were rooting for." George said after the movie was done.
"But! The bromance between him and the main character!" Rae argued. "They deserved better!"
"How did he adore a guy he was jealous of?" Corpse asked.
"It's like- ugh I don't know how to explain it." Rae whined at the other two's indifference. Sometimes she wished there was another person in the group that can relate to her.
She watched as Corpse stopped George from throwing away the popcorn box, saying "Don't throw that away, there are free refills here."
"Are we seriously going to go all the way back to the snack bar just to get more puffed corn?" George whined.
"We are going to pass by the snack bar regardless to leave!"
She smiled. She thought, then again she wouldn't exchange those two for the world.