Chapter Text
George’s POV
I woke up to a loud ringing. I groaned and rolled over in my bed. The blue-striped covers were thrown off the bed and crumpled on the floor, but I wasn’t cold. The Floridian sun beamed through my open window.
I fluttered my eyes open and stared out my window. The sun was high in the sky and I could hear birds singing outside.
I blinked away the sleep out of my eyes and turned my attention to the ringing. I flipped over, my oversized Beatles t-shirt folding over on top of itself. I stared over at my nightstand. My phone was vibrating on it's charger. I leaned over in bed to view the screen. It was a phone call from my friend Sapnap. I groaned. He always calls at the worst times.
Why was he even awake? Knowing Sapnap, he’s never awake before me. Normally he’s late for school or activities and I have to call him.
What time is it even? I reluctantly sat up in bed and grabbed my phone off it’s charger. 9:00? I jumped out of bed answering the phone.
“H-hello?”
“GEORGE!” I winced, pulling the phone away from my ear at his voice booming through my phone speaker.
“Yeah.” I was rushing, now changing from my sweats and t-shirts to jeans, hoodie, and red Converse.
“Where are you?” I shoved my charger, pillow, and sketchbook in my backpack, and grabbed my suitcase.
‘“I slept in, but I’m coming.” I popped a mint into my mouth instead of using a toothbrush, because I’d already packed it, and looked in the mirror.
“Well hurry up, the bus leaves in 15 minutes.” My hoodie was wrinkled from being in my drawer. My hair was all on one side of my head from sleeping, so I ran my hand through it and left it messy.
“Okay, okay.” I ran downstairs. My mum and dad were already at work, so I didn’t have anyone to bug me about waking up except Sapnap. “Is Clay there?”
“Jeez, you’re so clingy,” he snorted on the other side of the phone. “Why did you sleep in so much?” I stopped in my tracks grabbing a dry piece of bread for breakfast.
“Because I was talking on discord late last night.” I muttered.
“With?” Sapnap pried. I could practically hear the smirk on his face.
“With Clay.” Sapnap burst out laughing and I felt my face heat up. “Shut up you idiot.”
“Alright, fine.” I grabbed my keys so I could get back into the house when I got home. “See ya soon, bud.”
“Yeah okay.” I hung up the phone and shoved it in my pocket. Opening the door, I paused.
Oh I laughed to myself. I almost forgot. I ran into the kitchen grabbing the piece of plastic off the counter and pushed it onto my head. I couldn’t leave for two months without these.
Clay and I spent hours at the county fair trying to earn enough to get a 4 foot stuffed white blob thing that he was obsessed with. We were there from noon till almost 5 in the evening playing one of those balloon dart throw games. The entire time I was trying to hurl the darts accurately - which I was extremely bad at - and Clay - who was a billion times more athletic than me - screaming that it was rigged. Sapnap got bored of our antics and left, but we kept going, until we ended up with 90 tickets. We needed 100 to get the plush, but the guy running the booth told us we had to leave.
Clay seemed really bummed. He planned on naming the plush Dream since that was Sapnap and my nickname for him. I told him we could come back the next day with our previously earned tickets. I walked to the car, and he said he’d be there in a second.
When he made it to the car, he was grinning like an idiot. When I asked him what was up, he told me to close my eyes. When I did, he placed something plastic in my hands. When I opened my eyes, there was a pair of white, broad rimmed glasses with lenses so dark they were black. He said that he thought they would look good on me and that he spent all the tickets we made one them.
They’ve been my most cherished possession since then.
I ran down the street, my suitcase bumping behind me. Luckily for me, I only lived 3 minutes from school. When I got there. I searched the blacktop for Sapnap. There were two buses and a bunch of people scattered around with backpacks, duffle bags, and assorted luggage.
“Hey!” The voice sent chills down my spine. I looked down at my feet and walked faster, trying to find Sapnap frantically.
“Don’t ignore me.” I felt a hand grab my shoulder and turn me around. I kept staring at my feet, avoiding eye contact.
Techno. I wouldn’t call Techno a bully, he was actually kinda nice, but he was definitely intimidating, and liked to show it off. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m just trying to find Sapnap.” I tried to turn back around, but his grip on my shoulder was too tight.
“Huh,” he said simply, he took his hand off my shoulder and snatched my glasses off my head.
“Give them back!” Techno just laughed, holding the glasses above his head where I couldn’t reach them.
“Hey!”
I heard the phrase once again, but instead of feeling small and scared, I felt safer.
Clay grabbed the glasses back from Techno. “Here, George.” Clay smiled, extending his hand holding the glasses.
“Thanks,” I said, shoving them back on my head. “See ya later, Techno.” He just laughed at my quip, giving a quick wave before leaving.
Clay and I started walking over to Sapnap, who we’d spotted across the blacktop.
“When did you get here? I’ve been looking for you.” It may have been stupid but this made me blush, but I quickly shook it off.
“I just got here.” He nodded in acknowledgement and continued across the blacktop, where we met Sapnap.
“Finally!” He said melodramatically, flinging his arms around Clay and my shoulders. “I’ve been so lonelyyyyy.” Clay started laughing his tea-kettle weeze, and I giggled along. Clay’s laugh was contagious.
“I’m so sorry we ever left your side!” Clay whined like he was talking to a puppy, gave Sapnap a hug, while Sapnap continued to “cry” and I continued laughing before breaking up… whatever was going on.
“Come on, you babies,” I rolled my eyes. “We’ve got to put our luggage on the bus.” Sapnap pushed Clay away and started ruffling my hair, pushing my glasses way over my eyes.
“You’re the only baby here, Gogy.” I punched him in the arm, to which he responded with another whine. We continued onto the second bus, which had far less people on it than the first one. Of course, when Clay came into it, a bunch of guys and girls followed.
Clay was very popular among everyone at the school. Maybe it was because he was pretty good looking, or maybe because he was the captain of the basketball team. Either way, everyone genuinely liked him. There wasn't a guy at school who didn't want to be his friend, and every girl wanted to be his girlfriend. Despite this, and being infamously a flirt, he never really seemed interested. He was happy with just a couple of guys from the team, including Sapnap, and me for friends.
"Over here!" Karl waved from the back of the bus. He was sitting with a very bored looking Alex scrolling on his phone.
We walked over to them, storing our suitcases and duffle bags in the overhead compartments and kept our backpacks with us.
I sat across from Karl, so I was facing him near the window, and Clay scooted next to me. I assumed Sapnap would sit across the aisle from us, but instead, he just moved next to Clay, forcing him closer to me. I felt my face start blushing again at his arm against mine, but he didn't seem to be affected, so I shook it off again.
"This is so exciting!" Karl exclaimed. “2 whole months at a nature retreat!”
“Great,” Alex responded without enthusiasm. “Physical activity.”
“Oh come on,” Clay butted in. “It’ll be great. I heard we’ll get to make smoresss~” Alex finally looked up from his phone.
“Fine,” he put his phone face down on the seat next to him revealing a navy blue phone case with a sticker of a yellow duck, given to him by Sapnap, hinting at Alex’s nickname (Quackity).
Karl flapped his arms around Alex’s shoulders with the grand exclamation of "Yay!"
Sapnap, Clay, and I started laughing until Clay turned to look at me.
"When will you let me do that to you?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively. Why did he do this?
"When. Pigs. Fly." I flipped my glasses over my eyes. Clay started wheezing his laugh again, making me smile. I turned my head to face the window, just in time to see my english teacher, Ms. Amber (no one called her by her last name), stepping in our bus, and my history teacher, Ms. Falter, stepping into the other. They were our chaperones.
The trip was about to begin.