Chapter Text
Later that night, when the exhaustion that had been weighing over him all day finally managed to pull him under, George dreamed.
He was lying in the middle of a grassy field, dew drops clinging onto the swaying grass around him, soaking into his back despite the warmth the sun radiated from where it perched itself in the expanse of blue sky above him.
He remained there for a moment longer, breathing in deeply a scent he could not identify, or maybe there was no smell to begin with. His hair was being ruffled lightly by the passing wind as his eyes fluttered shut, a serene calm washing over him.
There was a sudden sinking in his stomach as his body screamed at him that someone was laying beside him, but he did not turn to look. Somebody shifted closer to him, their hand lightly grazing his cheek and jawline, but he still did not open his eyes.
As soft lips pressed onto his own, George merely exhaled deeply as he felt the fluttering of his heart invade his every senses, making him feel warm, calm, safe.
The kiss broke too soon, and when George finally opened his eyes, he found himself gazing into pools of liquid honey.
"Clay," he said, his voice just above a whisper. There was the sound of birds chirping, and then the boy above him smiled. The sun appeared to create a halo around his head, his dirty blond hair turning into wisps of gold, his cheekbone and jawline highlighted in a way that made him look like a deity sent directly from the heavens. George watched as his lips parted, and then in a voice that was neither his nor anybody's George could identify, he said:
"Still convinced I'm Clay, huh?"
George awoke the next morning, the sunlight filtering into the room and tickling him awake, casting it's brightness over the tangled bodies of Sapnap and Karl in the bed beside him. As George fidgeted with his own covers, bringing his knees up to his chest to press his face into, he couldn't help but feel completely and utterly confused.
ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ
Once Clay was finally able to maneuver past the crowds of people asking him about his leg when he arrived to school in crutches the next morning, he found Sapnap, Karl, Quackity and George idling beside his locker. He was surprised to see Karl was half clinging to Sapnap, his arm looped through the other and bringing him in flushly to his side, as Sapnap and Quackity appeared to be bickering about something. Clay tentatively approached the group, George's eyes immediately darting to his.
When their eyes met, Clay felt as though someone had just sucker punched him in the stomach and knocked all the air out of his lungs.
George was wearing a loose, military green long-sleeve with a white shirt underneath, making Clay bite back a grin when he realized George probably saw it as yellow. He wore loose ripped jeans and his usual white tennis shoes. What caught his eye, however, was the black beanie he wore, his dark brown locks pressed down and messily peeking out from under it, the bangs nearly reaching his eyes.
"Hi," Clay said dumbly, still openly staring at the beanie on George's head. He watched as George moved his hand up to it, swiping at his hair a little bit only for it to flop back into place.
"Hey," George answered softly, and Clay couldn't help the smile that lit up his face.
"The beanie...?" Clay had to ask, but before George could give an answer, the rest of the group's attention had shifted to Clay.
"That's Quackity's beanie," Sapnap explained with a grumble, elicitation an accusatory reprimand from Alex about the nickname. Clay tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy that curled in his gut as his eyes slid from Alex to his beanie on George's head.
"This nimrod accidentally put on two beanies this morning and didn't notice," Karl explained with a giggle, letting go of his hold on Sapnap to nudge his shoulder against Alex's, who turned to glare at the taller boy.
"Yeah, but I literally asked you if I could wear the extra beanie first and you said no. And then George asks you a second later and you stuff it on his head!" Sapnap huffed as he crossed his arms with a pout. George had a self satisfied grin as Alex moved to rest his weight on him, and Clay thanked the Lord he was in need of crutches at the moment and couldn't move around too easily because it was the one thing preventing him from walking up to the two and ripping Alex's arm off of George's shoulder himself.
"That's because I like George more than you," Alex quipped.
"The first words you said when you joined VC last night were about how you hated him," Sapnap countered.
Alex shrugged, putting on a wicked grin. "Times change."
"This is unfair! The beanie doesn't even match his outfit," Sapnap continued complaining, Karl saying something like "Sap, you know nothing about matching outfits" and Sapnap telling him to shut up, but Clay wasn't exactly listening as his focus remained trained on Alex's arm still perched on George's shoulder.
He didn't even realize he was glaring until Alex stiffened under his penetrating gaze and practically jumped off of George. The action made Clay feel a bit guilty, though another part of him was glad he had finally gotten off of him.
"I should probably get to class now," Alex said quickly, his eyes flicking between Sapnap and Karl. "Congrats again. And good luck on your speech presentation, and George," Alex turned to point at George menacingly, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Don't lose the beanie."
"I won't, I won't," George laughed lightly as Alex scampered off, the group echoing their respective goodbyes.
"Wait, what did he mean by congrats?" Clay asked as he looked at the pair clinging onto each other curiously. Now that he thought about it, the two seemed a lot more...touchy than usual. Sapnap turned to beam at him, Karl covering his grin with his hand as his face went pink.
"So last night we had a talk and..." Sapnap trailed off, wrapping his arms around Karl's waist delightfully. "We're dating now!"
"No shit!" Clay gasped, a surprised smile making itself present on his face. "Dude, that's so awesome, congrats you two! About time."
"That's what I said, too," George snickered, side eyeing the lovesick couple. "It really took them long enough. How dense can you get."
"Hey! Rude," Sapnap pouted, swatting at George's head who moved away from the attack with a smile. "I'll forgive you for saying that if you give me the beanie."
"Nope, mine now," George gripped the beanie on his head and stuck his tongue out at him, Clay feeling his heart squeeze at the sight.
"C'mon, Sap, he's not giving it up. Let's get to class," Karl chuckled lightly before dragging Sapnap away by the hand to their homeroom class despite his string of complaints. Clay watched them go with a smile, incredibly happy and proud of his best friend for finally working up the nerve to ask out his crush. Once the two were out of ear shot, George turned back to look up at Clay with a shy smile.
George's words from the night before suddenly rang in his ears.
"Mmm, maybe I do."
"Are you feeling alright? Your face is kind of flushed," George gestured towards his own face as if to emphasize his question, making Clay stiffen and his heart speed up.
Why did he have to remember that right then?
"I-I'm fine," he choked out quickly, clearing his throat and looking away from George's pretty brown eyes. "I should be asking you that. Did you sleep well?"
"Ah," George stammered out, and for some reason it was George's turn to flush red. "Y-Yeah. You could say that..."
"That's...good," Clay responded, mentally face palming at how awkward he was being.
Seriously, what was up with him?
"Oh, but your foot...Has it been bothering you?" George perked up, lightly tapping his foot against Clay's cast, an action that Clay couldn't help but find absolutely adorable.
"I've pretty much gotten used to it, but..." Clay huffed a bit, glancing at his cast. "It does get really itchy. It's kind of annoying since I can't scratch it."
"That sucks. I wish I could help you but I don't exactly want to scratch your foot, either," George wrinkled his nose in disgust, making Clay huff out a laugh. An idea suddenly came to him and, despite his heart hammering against his ribcage and threatening to jump out, he put on a charming smile.
"You might be able to help another way," Clay grinned cheekily. George gave him a puzzled look, prompting Clay to continue, his voice dipping low. "You could...kiss it better."
George's mouth flopped open and closed a few times before he cringed. "Ew, I'm not kissing your foot."
Clay barked out a laugh before shaking his head, thankful George couldn't feel his stuttering heartbeat. "No, you idiot. I didn't mean kiss my foot."
A tense silence stretched between the two, and Clay drank up the sight of George's face turning pink, his lips falling slack and his eyes going wide as saucers. Finally, he practically breathed out, "Oh."
Clay let out another wheeze, though it was more of a nervous reaction than anything as he quickly began to backtrack. "I was kidding, George, relax. It was just a-"
He didn't get to finish as suddenly George was grabbing the neckline of Clay's shirt, pulling him down towards him and crashing their lips together.
Clay's eyes widened comically, and he didn't even get a chance to process the kiss as George pulled back just as quickly as it had happened, his face a furious red as he looked up at Clay with an almost determined look in his eyes.
"There," George muttered before letting go of Clay's shirt and turning on his heel, practically sprinting away from him and towards the direction of their class. Clay watched him go in absolute shock, his mouth slack and his eyes still blown wide in astonishment.
The hall had been empty by then, everyone having already gone to their respective homeroom classes before the bell could ring, but even if it had been bustling with students, Clay would have been unable to pay them any mind. He stood unmoving beside his locker, his brain short circuiting as one of his hands crept up to graze over where George's lips had just been.
As the tardy bell sounded all around him, his cheeks began to hurt as the biggest smile he had ever worn formed onto his features.
ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ
After an entire class period of throwing not so subtle glances at George, who always met his eye with a not so subtle glance of his own (even once sticking his tongue out at him and making Clay choke back a laugh), Clay found he did not pay attention to a single thing the teacher had said that entire lecture. The bell rang and everyone moved to exit the classroom, and as Clay hastily got his things together, he could not seem to take his eyes off of the brunette, almost as if the boy had put him under a trance with that kiss.
It's as George was trailing behind Karl and Sapnap to exit the classroom that Clay snapped out of it and blurted out, "George!"
George froze, his head turning back to meet his eye in surprise as Clay flashed him a crooked smile. "Good luck on your speech presentation."
George's smile was bright and beautiful as he turned and walked out of the classroom.
ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ
Another class period later, Clay is making his way down the bustling hallway as best as he can with the aid of crutches in search of George (who he may or may not want to spend the lunch period with) when the last person he wanted to see moved into his line of sight.
"Hey, Clay," Sam said as she stepped in front of him, effectively blocking his path to continue forward and ruining his attempt to ignore her. He stared at his ex, hoping his face didn't give away the annoyance that began to bubble underneath the surface.
"Sam. Hey."
"I just...your ankle got worse?" Sam gestured quickly to Clay's cast before her hand fell back down to her side, fidgeting a bit with the grey sweatpants she was currently wearing.
"Yeah, pretty much. I'm fine, though, just need to be in this cast for a bit," Clay shrugged one shoulder, adjusting the crutches under his arms to rest his weight a bit atop them. Sam nodded slightly.
"Alright, that's good." Sam sucked in a sharp breath before beginning to back away a bit, looking as uncomfortable as Clay felt. "So I should...I'll go."
Clay doesn't know what demon decided to possess him in that moment because he suddenly found himself blurting out, "Wait."
Sam stopped mid-turn to leave, glancing back at him a bit hesitantly.
"Can we talk?"
ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ
The two found themselves seated at one of the benches placed in the front of the school. The area was relatively empty, and the wind picked up the moment they sat down as if it sensed things were about to take a turn for the worst. Sam remained quiet beside him as Clay fidgeted with his phone, passing it from one hand to the other as an uncomfortable silence stretched on. He finally sighed and set it down on the bench before speaking up first.
"I just want to understand." Sam gave him a questioning look. "Why you cheated," he clarified awkwardly. Sam's mouth pressed into a thin line before she looked away.
"I'm sorry, Clay."
"No, don't," Clay gripped his knees, his knuckles turning white. "Don't do that. Don't start apologizing. I just...want an explanation."
Sam remained silent for a long moment and Clay was about to speak up when she said, "I was horrible to you, Clay."
Clay's eyes widened comically, completely taken aback by her blunt words. He watched silently as Sam slouched a bit, bringing her knees up to her chest to rest her head on.
"I treated you terribly, and not at all like how I should have as your girlfriend, I know that. You weren't happy with me. And honestly, I wasn't happy with you either." Sam's voice had began to waver as she wrapped her arms around her legs, curling herself up into a little ball. "I was going through a lot of crap that I don't want to get into- it was just an internal battle that for some reason I couldn't tell you about even though you were my boyfriend. I couldn't tell anyone, for that matter. So I tried dealing with my shitty mental health and my constant insecurities on my own and ended up taking everything out on you. And for that, I'm so, so sorry, Clay. I soured our relationship from the start and we only lasted as long as we did because the toxicity became normal for us even though it never should have been."
Clay remained silent as he digested her words, still in shock at what he was hearing. But Sam wasn't done. "I met him when I was at my lowest. I know that doesn't excuse anything, but at the time, I just needed something new. Someone that didn't know what a shit person I was. A clean slate, if you will. So I started messing around with him behind your back to try to find some normalcy with him that I didn't have with you. I thought, maybe he would make me feel like I was okay. Like nothing was wrong with me. I didn't end up feeling that way, of course, but by then I had already become too dependent on him, too."
Clay hadn't even noticed the tears that had begun slipping down Sam's face until the quiver in her voice was too noticeable to ignore. "I'm so sorry, Clay, truly. I should've broken things off with you before I did any of that. Honestly, things between us should have ended so long ago. Our relationship wasn't normal or right in any way- we were only continuing to hurt each other by being together. And then I chose the worst possible moment, after the accident-"
"Yeah, your timing was pretty shitty," Clay cut her off with a sigh, carding his hand through his hair as he looked away from Sam's tear stricken face. "But what's done is done. We can't change what happened in the past, just continue moving forward."
"I know. But I just...want you to know how sorry I am and..." Sam trailed off, and Clay glanced at her to see how she clasped her shaking hands together. There was a forlorn smile on her face. "I'm getting better. Slowly, but I'm getting there. I'm seeing a therapist currently, and I broke things off with the guy after you ran into us last week. I knew it wasn't right to stay with him, it was practically just a repeat of our relationship and it's a cycle I needed to end, so..." Sam turned to meet Clay's gaze, another tear slipping down her face. "I'll get better. And I will become the type of person I was unable to be for you."
Clay frowned slightly. "Sam, we can't- I'm not-"
"No, no, I'm not saying I want to get back together with you. That ship's sailed, I know that," Sam corrected quickly, uncurling from her position to swing her legs freely. "I just meant, I'll become better for my next person. And I don't know who they will be, or when I'll be ready for that, but...I hope by the time that comes...I'll be better."
Clay nodded in understanding, turning away from her saddened gaze once more. "I see."
There was a stretch of silence, and then almost hesitantly, Sam asked, "How's your sister?"
Clay let out a soft laugh as he recalled his most recent conversations with his little sister. "Better than ever. She gave me a lecture the other day, actually. About how I should stop blaming myself for the accident already."
Sam visibly stiffened at his words which made Clay turn to her questioningly. "What is it, Sam?"
"How can you blame yourself when it wasn't even your fault?" Her voice was barely above a whisper but it seemed to strike Clay like a knife to the chest. "I was the one on the phone arguing with you, distracting you from the road- Clay, the only thing you did wrong was let me yell at you while you were driving."
"Sam, hold on, don't tell me you blame yourself for what happened," Clay's eyebrows screwed together in confusion, and at Sam's silence they only furrowed more so. "Sam."
"I never properly apologized about that either, huh," Sam spoke again, her voice still dripping with guilt. Without much thought, Clay moved a hand to the back of her head and brought her close to his chest, resting his chin atop her black dyed hair.
"Don't blame yourself, Sam. Dris- Catherine never blamed you, okay? And even if she did, she's forgiven you by now," Clay murmured softly as Sam relaxed into his chest. "I didn't realize the accident affected you this way, too. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. For turning my back on you when things got hard." Sam's arms slowly wrapped around Clay's frame. "Thank you for talking to me. I think I needed this."
"I did, too," Clay admitted, shifting a bit to properly return the hug, gently squeezing her in his arms. "I wish you the best, truly. No matter what happened in the past, I'm willing to move past it. And if this makes your load a little lighter, just know that I've forgiven you."
Clay could feel the tears soaking into his t-shirt as she furrowed her face into his chest. "Even now, you're so good to me. I never deserved your kindness, Clay. I hope you find someone that will be good to you just as you are to the people around you, even those that don't deserve it. For that alone you deserve everything."
Clay subconsciously squeezed her tighter, not saying anything at all. His phone started vibrating on the bench just beside him, and it kept on buzzing until it abruptly fell silent before he could even notice.
ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ
"What the fuck."
George glanced up to the row above him where Tommy and Wilbur were seated. He was currently eating lunch with his friends at the bleachers surrounding the football stadium like they had the week before. Karl and Quackity had joined them, since Karl insisted on watching his boyfriend's football practice like the absolute simp he is, but they had left for the moment to head back inside in search for some food at the cafeteria.
The sun was beating down on all of their heads and making the bleachers they sat on just a fraction away from becoming scorching to the touch. Despite the sun, though, a gust of wind had just picked up a moment ago, occasionally causing shivers to travel down George's back.
The football team was out on the field practicing drills, and though George would occasionally pinpoint Sapnap just to burst out laughing the times he would get tackled, he would be lying if he said he didn't wish Clay was also out there. But of course he wasn't, not with his fractured ankle and inability to play until he recovers.
If he was being honest, a part of him was almost selfishly disappointed. He would have liked to watch Clay running about on the field again, playing the sport he appears to love so much (even if George can't understand any of it).
Tubbo had stood up from his spot beside Tommy to walk over to a dirty blond boy wearing dark sunglasses waiting for him at the end of the row. Tommy's fists were shaking in anger as he suddenly shot up, glaring at the boy George vaguely recalled went by Ranboo. Niki, who was seated beside him, also curiously watched the scene unfolding before them.
"You're leaving with him again?" Tommy continued loudly, pointing accusingly at Ranboo as if he had just personally insulted him.
"Tommy-"
"Don't Tommy me, Tubbo. Seriously, what is so special about this guy? Literally all the time it's Ranboo this, Ranboo that. You are always hanging out with him now! I didn't even see you during lunch or after school yesterday until you got home super late because you were out with him, and even in class after our presentation you were whispering amongst each other! And now here he is again because you just can't seem to get enough of him!" Tommy shouted, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically before letting them drop, his hands falling limp at his sides in defeat. George couldn't see Tommy's expression from where he was sitting, but his voice had a twinge of hurt. "I haven't seen much of you lately, man. It feels like you're avoiding me. Did I do something?"
"Tommy, no, of course you didn't do anything," Tubbo reassured quickly, moving a bit to stand in front of Tommy. "Shit man, I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I guess I just...got excited I made a new friend."
Tommy was silent for a moment before he shook his head, letting out a quick breath. "Shit, no, Tubbo. I'm sorry. You're allowed to hang out with other people, I'm sorry I'm being so-"
"Clingy?" Wilbur supplied for him. Tommy turned for a second to shoot him a sharp look.
"No, Wilbur. Shut up, I'm not clingy," Tommy pouted, turning back to face Tubbo. "I guess I just felt-"
"Left out?" Tubbo finished for him, flashing him a crooked smile. Tommy huffed a bit, crossing his arms.
"Seriously, you two have to learn not to try and finish people's sentences, it's freakish. Fuckin' weirdos."
Despite the harsh words, Tommy's quip came out in a lighthearted tone which thankfully seemed to clear the air a bit, lifting some of the tension that had fallen over the group as everyone let out a bit of soft laughter at his remark. George watched curiously as Ranboo suddenly surged forward down the row to stand just beside Tubbo.
"I'm sure Bo never meant to make you feel left out. No, I'm positive he never meant that," Ranboo started. Everyone's gaze turned towards the taller blond, making the boy cough a bit at all the attention trained on him before forcing himself to continue. "I know we didn't get off on the right foot, and you don't seem to like me very much but I, um...." He seemed to steel himself before turning to face Tommy head on. "I would like us to be friends, too."
"Wot."
"We're going to Five Guys to eat lunch and we would like you to join us," Ranboo finished, and though his posture seemed determined his hands were fiddling together nervously. Tommy gaped at him, clearly taken aback, and as the silence stretched on Ranboo began to squirm under his gaze. "O-Only if you want to, obviously. It's up to you. But it would be cool if you came."
"You want me to go with you guys?" Tommy repeated dumbly, his gaze flicking from Tubbo to Ranboo and then back again. Tubbo rolled his eyes at him, a smile stretching on his face.
"Of course, idiot. We actually wanted to invite you to come with us yesterday but then you started yelling about how you wanted to fight Boo," Tubbo snickered a bit as Tommy grumbled a string of unintelligible excuses.
"You should go with them, Tommy," Niki spoke up, looking up at the boy with an encouraging smile.
"Yeah, just don't actually fight the guy, man," Wilbur added, to which Tommy responded by shoving his head to the side.
"So you coming or what?" Tubbo grinned hopefully, Ranboo leaning down a bit beside him to gaze at Tommy with a similar expectancy. Tommy stared at the two for a beat longer before exhaling dramatically, shoving both of their faces away to get them walking.
"Alright, alright, only cause you want me to so badly. Let's go to Five Girls or whatever."
"It's Five Guys," Ranboo corrected.
"Fucking hate that place already. Seriously, Ranboo, are you actively trying to make an enemy out of me," Tommy grumbled causing Tubbo to burst out laughing, the trio walking down the bleachers and down to the field to head to the parking lot, chatting loudly amongst themselves. George, who had remained silent the whole while watched them go, and just before they were out of view, he spotted Tommy's grin lighting up his features as he let out a loud spout of laughter that carried all the way back to where they were seated.
"I kept telling Tommy to just talk to Ranboo. He obviously wanted to befriend him, but that idiot kept trying to argue with him instead. Made the poor guy think he hated him," Wilbur shook his head as he let out a fond laugh. "It's almost endearing how bad he is at making friends like a normal person."
"Oh, don't be so hard on him. He's trying his best," Niki giggled with a same fondness, and George couldn't help but smile at Tommy's familiar antics.
"Niki, there you fuckin' are!" a voice suddenly yelled, cutting through the comfortable silence that had settled amongst the remaining three. George watched as Minx ran up the rows of bleachers to where they were seated, her gaze trained on Niki alone. "I was looking for you, dummy."
"Why didn't you just call me?" Niki smiled as Minx sat down between her and George. Minx stared at her blankly.
"I'll be honest I don't know why I didn't think of that."
George let out a snort that made Minx turn her attention to him.
"Gogy!" she beamed.
"Minx," George responded with a fond rolling of eyes.
"Nice beanie. You kind of look like Quackity like that."
George smiled. "It's actually his."
"Of course it is."
"I'm here too, you know," Wilbur spoke up behind them, waving as if to call attention to himself. Minx looked around, pretending not to see him.
"Y'all hear sum."
"Seriously, Minx, what are you, five?" Wilbur laughed lightly as Minx stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, George, I nearly forgot!" Minx spoke up suddenly, and then moved to wrap her arms around George, squeezing him tightly. "I promised you a hug yesterday!"
"Oh, right," George chuckled, awkwardly returning the hug before she was letting him go. Niki was staring at the two with wide eyes before a sly smile made its way onto her lips.
"Nice one, Minx," she teased, nudging Minx a bit with her shoulder.
"Ew, no! Niki!" Minx said quickly, faking a gag before turning sheepishly to grin at George. "Er, no offense."
"None taken."
"But anyways, no. Me and him? Nothing is going on here. We are just friends," Minx assured, wrapping an arm around George's shoulder and poking his cheek. "Plus, this man's already taken."
"What!?" George yelped, his face flushing at an alarming rate. He avoided looking at the smug smile on Minx's face.
"Oh? Am I wrong? My bad, didn't know friends just casually suck face-"
"MINXHSJFKCLX," George slapped a hand over Minx's mouth but it was already too late, because Niki was gaping at him while Wilbur was smiling at him with an oddly knowing look.
"George, you kissed someone?" Niki gasped. George wanted to dig a hole in the football field and bury himself there.
"I, um...yeah?" George stammered out, looking anywhere but at his friends. He was going to tell them eventually, but he didn't expect to have to so soon. "It's a long story..."
"Laying down in a hospital bed to kiss someone is not that long of a story," Wilbur grinned mischievously, and now it was George's turn to gape at him.
"Wha- How did you-"
Wilbur gave him a look. "Who's house do you think I've been staying at."
It took George an embarrassingly long time to realize what he was saying, but once it dawned on him his face probably would have rivaled the color of a tomato. "Oh my god, he told you!?"
"He?" Niki repeated in shock before a million watt smile lit up her face as she reached over Minx to hug George. "Oh my god, George!"
"Guess the cat's out of the bag," George said lamely, a sheepish grin on his face as she let him go to beam at him.
"Don't you mean the cat's out of the closet?"
"Shut up, Minx."
"So are you bi?" Niki asked curiously. George furrowed just brows.
"Honestly, I hadn't really thought of it until now. I suppose I am? I just assumed I only liked girls my whole life but then I met..." George blushed furiously, covering his face with his hands. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing."
"No, it's cute!" Niki giggled, and then she reached over to grab hold of George's hands, bringing them down from his face so he could look at her. "Awe, it's alright! Being bisexual is so freaking cool. I should know since I'm bi, and I'm pretty awesome."
"You are!?" Minx shouted suddenly before she lost her balance and fell backwards, her back hitting the row behind her just beside Wilbur's legs. "Ouch."
"I am! I didn't tell you?" Niki said, and Minx stared at her with accusatory eyes, though the look wasn't very menacing due to the flush overtaking her cheeks.
"No! I had no idea!"
"I thought you had a good gaydar, Minx," George teased, and then burst out laughing when Minx attempted to lunge herself at him, only to lose her balance and fall back on her ass again.
"Shut the fuck up, asshole!" Minx growled as George continued laughing hysterically, Niki and Wilbur watching the two in amusement. Finally they all calmed down as Minx shook George's shoulder lightly.
"What are you still doing here? Go spend lunch with your boyfriend! Isn't he in crutches right now?"
"He's not my..." George started to refute, but then realized what else Minx had said. He shot up from his seat. "Shit, that's true! Most of his friends are in football practice and Karl and Quackity were with us earlier. Who is he spending lunch with??"
"You if you hurry! Now go, lover boy! Scram!" Minx hurried him, shoving him to start moving down the row of bleachers. "And remember what I told you! Don't throw everything away 6 months early!"
George flashed her a thankful smile as he began to make his way down when a thought came to him, making him quickly turn around and hurry back to Minx. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you." He leaned in to her ear and whispered something, and then turned and bolted when she let out a sharp gasp.
"WHAT?! YOU KISSED HIM AGAIN?!?!?!?" she screamed, followed by similar reactions from Wilbur and Niki, but by then he was already at the bottom of the bleachers and running out of the football field.
ˑ༄ؘ ۪۪۫۫ ▹▫◃ ۪۪۫۫ ༄ؘ ˑ
George slowed to a speed walk once he was out of the stadium, glancing around just in case Clay happened to have exited the building and was somewhere nearby.
He roamed around for a bit outside before realizing it would be futile trying to find him like that, but he didn't have Clay's phone number so he couldn't just shoot him a text asking where he was.
He scrunched his eyebrows together and took out his phone anyway, deciding to quickly message Minx.
George [12:29]
do u know Clay’s # answer quick
Minx [12:29]
HE HASNT EVEN ASKED FOR UR #????
Minx [12:29]
you two are on another level of hopeless
George [12:29]
shut up and give me it
Minx [12:30]
alright alight find geez so demanding
Minx [12:31]
+1-407-***-***
Minx [12:31]
there ya go lover boy
George quickly added the number to his contacts under the name "Clay". His finger hovered over the message button as he hesitated. He figured Clay might not see the message if he tried texting him so it would just be easier to try calling him first. He steeled his nerves and clicked the call button instead.
He brought the phone up to his ear, glancing at his surroundings. He had been wandering for a while outside the building and found himself near the front of the school. As his phone continued to ring in his ear, he walked up the side of the school and around to the front, glancing at the trees and benches set up to make the entrance look more appealing. He was going to walk through the double doors leading inside when a couple seated at one of the benches made him do a double take.
His eyes widened as his hand fell limp to his side, accidentally pressing the end call button in the process. He stared at the boy and girl hugging, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
From where he stood he couldn't make out the face of the girl due to her back facing him, and the guy's face was mostly obscured as he buried his face into her shoulder, her inky black hair brushing against his dirty blond one.
But George knew that dirty blond hair. He had ran his fingers through those soft curls before.
George's gaze fell to the white cast enveloping one of the boy's feet. And just beside him, leaning against the bench were two forgotten crutches.
As he watched the two pull away from each other, George stood frozen, unable to even attempt to flee the scene.
He didn't understand what was going on. What was happening? Who was that girl? Was she a friend?
Golden eyes slid to his and widened. George startled at being spotted, and he considered making his way over to them until the girl noticed the boy's staring and turned to follow his gaze.
The face he saw was a familiar one. It was the girl that he and Clay had ran into when they had been exiting the building the night of the football game where Clay sprained his ankle.
It was Clay's ex-girlfriend.
"George?" Clay said, his brows furrowing in confusion. It was no wonder he had that reaction since George felt seconds away from throwing up, his face probably as pale as snow. Sam remained silent beside him, glancing between them as they continued to stare at each other in confusion for two different reasons. George had to force a smile onto his face, though it may have come out as more of a grimace.
"I..." George started, his throat running dry at the worst possible moment. He cleared his throat and forced out, "I, um...sorry to interrupt."
"George, wait-" Clay called out, but by then George had turned on his heel and pushed open the double doors, walking through them without once turning back. His heart was hammering inside his chest as he screwed his eyes shut, wondering what in the ever living fuck he had just witnessed.