CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE !

[ real life, imessage, social media ]

- ❝ WHY'S A FORK TALKING TO YOU... ❞ 💌

ʳᵉᵃˡ ˡⁱᶠᵉ !

chris thinks the universe has something against him.

actually, he knows the universe has something against him, because otherwise he wouldn't currently be sitting at the santos dining table, forced into a casual dinner with his and rory's families.

the atmosphere at the dinner table is anything but comfortable for him. he's just sat there, sandwiched between matt and rory's mom, feeling the awkwardness hang heavy in the air. the clinking of cutlery on porcelain plates seems unusually loud today, a stark contrast to the usually animated family dinners he's used to.

he steals a quick glance at rory, who is seated across from him, her eyes fixated on her plate. her are lips pressed into a thin line, and she refuses to even look up at him. the tension between them gnaws at him, creating an uncomfortable knot in his stomach.

he has no idea why rory is giving him the cold shoulder. just yesterday, they had been getting along better than they had in years, but now it's as if a wall has fallen between them. he misses their now easy banter and her genuine smile when she looks at him, something he's missed out on for so many years.

to his right, matt and nick are engaged in their own hushed conversation. they don't seem aware of the growing chasm between chris and rory. that, or they just don't care. either way, the grins worn by both of his brothers only emphasizes the awkwardness that chris currently feels.

chris sighs, feeling like he's navigating a minefield. he wonders what's gone wrong, but he honestly has no idea what he could've done.

he knows it's something though, because even mason, the most extroverted person chris knows, is unusually quiet. his normally animated face bears a strange solemnity, clearing showing that something's up.

honestly, chris just wishes rory's dad was here. if he were still alive, none of this would happen. he was always the best at reading people, knowing exactly what to do when someone was upset or mad. he had this sort of happy aura about him, one that made it impossible to be in a bad mood when he was around.

so when he passed, it left probably the biggest void possible. chris gazes to the other end of the table, where he would always sit, and even almost a year later he can't get over how empty the space looks. it's like piece of the puzzle is missing, leaving everybody with a whole that's impossible to fill.

even during the years when he and rory didn't get along, chris still adored her father. he was honestly like a second dad to him, the type of person you want to have in your life forever. he can't even imagine how rory and mason felt, and still feel.

it just makes it all the more shitty for him. he wants to be close to rory, to know what's wrong so he can find a way to make it right. but how is he meant to do that when all she does is shut him out?

chris looks around the table, his eyes landing back onto mason. he looks positively bored, his chin resting on one of his hands and using the other to push around the remnants of his meal on his plate. as he looks at the boy, an idea pops into chris' head, and he immediately sets down his knife and fork and pulls his phone out of his pocket, making sure to keep it hidden under the table.

ⁱᵐᵉˢˢᵃᵍᵉ !

mas 😎😎 ; mason
topher ; chris

topher
yo

ʳᵉᵃˡ ˡⁱᶠᵉ !

chris looks up from his phone, making direct eye contact with mason as he does so. he gestures downwards, causing mason to furrow his eyebrows, confused. sighing, chris quickly holds up his phone and points at it. mason's eyes widen comically, before he nods and gives chris a thumbs up before looking back down, presumably on his phone.

ⁱᵐᵉˢˢᵃᵍᵉ !

mas 😎😎 ; mason
topher ; chris

topher
yo
read

mas 😎😎
sup

topher
wait
why the fuck is my name still topher

mas 😎😎
cuz it's still funny as fuck
duh

topher
i stg

mas 😎😎
😊
ok anyway whats 🆙

topher
oh right
so um rorys kinda not talking to me hahaha
and idk why lol haha

mas 😎😎
the "haha" literally makes this more embarrassing for u btw 😔

topher
okay kys

mas 😎😎
ria's not talking to you?
welllll
see the thing is
likeeee
that's kinda not my problem ❤️

topher
bruhhhh
cmon 😇

mas 😎😎
why do u care 🤨🤨

topher
um
wdym 😂
i don't.

mas 😎😎
right...
then why r u asking me
ask her urself big man 😜

topher
i cant ask her if shes not talking to me you idiot
so....do yk why😇

mas 😎😎
i'll answer if u tell me why u care

topher
r u serious

mas 😎😎
yes
spill

topher
i have nothing to spill

mas 😎😎
me when i lie

topher
you're so unfunny

mas 😎😎
how about i tell u 😌
cuz clearly ur too stupid to figure it out
so basically u like my sister (DISGUSTING!)
and bc ur an idiot you've def done smth stupid and upset her

topher
WHAT
i haven't even done anything??????

mas 😎😎
notice how u didnt deny the liking my sister part

topher
ummmmmmm
😂.

mas 😎😎
ew ur STILL not denying it?
gross

topher
...

mas 😎😎
ur actually disgustingly down bad yk that right

topher
no i'm not???

mas 😎😎
yeah u really are
i've seen u doing the sad emo puppy dog eyes all evening

topher
i have literally not been doing that but okay.

mas 😎😎
sure buddy
so why do u care
u never told me 😕

topher
ummmmmmm

mas 😎😎
ummmmmmm?

topher
so like
i might like her
just a little
🤏
but probably not yk

mas 😎😎
foul 🤢

topher
KYS

mas 😎😎
LMFOAOOFOSOAODFOOSAO
ur so down bad 🫤

topher
in what world am i down bad

mas 😎😎
all of them...
u haven't talked for one day and ur losing ur mind over it
not to mention that when u guys "hated each other" u were still constantly doing everything to get the others attention
ur both not slick like at all

topher
why would i need to be slick

mas 😎😎
this is actually beginning to pain me like i'm 🤏 close to gouging my eyes out with the fork sitting right in front of me
like it's staring up at me screaming "do it mason👹"

topher
what the actual fuck is wrong with you
why's a fork talking to you...

mas 😎😎
my fork and i are like this 🤞🤞
anyways

topher
literally what

mas 😎😎
I SAID ANYWAYS
INDICATING THAT WE SHOULD MOVE ON

topher
"indicating" - 🤓
big word for you mas

mas 😎😎
coming from the man who can't even spell twenty

topher
no cuz
the second e just looks right yk?

mas 😎😎
literally no

topher
ok.

mas 😎😎
okay well i hate to say this but astorias been hiiiiighk all 😭😔💔 about u today and bc i'm the best brother ever i asked her whats wrong

topher
"best brother ever" you're just nosy

mas 😎😎
and what abt it

topher
🤨

mas 😎😎
k anyways...

topher
so???

mas 😎😎
so!!!
i have no idea lol

topher
WHAT
R U JOKING

mas 😎😎
no?

topher
after all this you don't know????????

mas 😎😎
um
yeah!

topher
i hate you

mas 😎😎
wrong sibling brotha ❤️

topher
haha.
😐

mas 😎😎
😁😁😁
me when i'm a genius

topher
how does that make you a genius
you didn't find out anything
so ur just stupid

mas 😎😎
ummm actually 🤓☝️☝️
i just got u to admit that ur down bad for my sister
which is 1. gross 2. disgusting 3. kind of cute ig?

topher
wow.
loved by mas 😎😎

ⁱⁿˢᵗᵃᵍʳᵃᵐ !

mattsboyfriend

liked by therealkaliuchis, minisourgummyworm, lilskyes and 1,502 others

mattsboyfriend i hate mason pt. 1 (more to come)

tagged ; masonsant

user mason is me i am him

user why is chris actively beefing with the entire santos family
↳ lunareclipse real like their mom is next
↳ mattsboyfriend luna???

designateddriverasf is this why masons giggling at smth under the table
↳ minisourgummyworm is this why ur frowning at ur phone under the table
↳ masonsant yes and yes!
↳ mattsboyfriend no 😊

user this is so silly

storyofstori realistically mason just won 8 ball
↳ masonsant correct again!
↳ mattsboyfriend says the one leaving my 4 in a row on delivered...
↳ storyofstori ermmmmm 🤣

user looks around in confusion
↳ therealkaliuchis user continues to be the realest i am SICK of these cryptic posts and pretending ik whats going on
↳ user SPEEEAAAKKKK!
↳ lilskyes when kali is litch one of the fans

user his freckles are mama btw
↳ lilskyes mama is crazy (truth!)
↳ mattsboyfriend skye get out of my comments
↳ minisourgummyworm yeah SKYE.

view all comments.

finally remembered this fic exists awwww

i actually missed christoria so bad icl

━ ava ᥫ᭡