Sunflower Treehouse | DreamnotFound

Friend

-3rd Chapter start-

The Same Day

The first period was Maths, George missed one day of class but apparently it wasn't enough for him to start cramming. He casually took notes and listened to the teacher. He didn't have any difficulty academic wise so his parents didn't mind him not going to school for a day or two. After what seemed years of the teacher rambling about equations and slopes, the bell finally rung. George sighed and quickly put his stuff on his bag, rushing to the back exit of the classroom. 

"George!" The teacher called with a stern voice, he lifted his finger up and signalled him to come over. Reluctantly, with his head slightly facing down he went across the classroom to the teacher's desk. 

"You were absent yesterday.." George nodded 

"We talked about the Properties of Parallelism, Perpendicularity and Symmetry, you took notes of the lesson today right?" The teacher wrote on a piece of paper and tore it off his pad with a loud crunch, handing it to George. George read the note and nodded at the teacher. 

"Ok, you're off" The teacher dismissed. George's eyes widened but before anything else, he turned around and walked away. 

'That's it?' He wondered as he entered the hall, the place he hated the most. Noisy, people shoving people aside, shouting, flirting, the usual. He was fortunate enough not to get bullied. And with him being the one with the grades, he surely expected some will come after him but after a year in this school, still no one. 

'Maybe I'm just that forgettable..' he thought to himself. He had made a few acquaintances but that was in the beginning of the school year where everyone tried their hardest to fit in. Soon his acquaintances turned into strangers, they had found their own people and George still hasn't. 

As he made his way to the next class, he saw him. The bright blonde boy, leaning on the wall looking around at the students in the hall, he hesitated on approaching him since being seen or even being associated with him never ended well with other newcomers. They usually end up being forgotten or left alone just like George did, but at this point he was used to it and he didn't mind. However, seeing other people pass through the same treatment because of him didn't go well with his conscience. He passed by Clay, not making any eye contact nor any friendly pleasantries as quickly as he could. Then a tap on his shoulder. 

"U-Umm George!" A friendly voice over George's shoulder was heard over the noisy and chaotic hall. George was quick to deny any type of friendliness or greetings that Clay might propose so he told him bluntly. 

"I don't think you should talk nor be associated with me" George muttered with a low voice, he looked at him in the eyes. 

'Woah' his gaze fell deep on the other boy's eyes. It was the first time he looked at them and he was completely mesmerized. 

Clay's face was shocked, he didn't know what he did to deserve such a cold treatment from the only stranger he ever talked to since moving to the UK. He lifted his right hand to the back of his head, scratching, tilting his head in confusion. 

"Well, up to this point you were the only one who ever talked to me, so who else should I talk to?" Clay reasoned with him. With a faint smile and a shoulder shrug, that smile once again got George feeling bad about even denying his friendly attempts. He found himself smiling, still influenced by the other boy's contagious smile. He nodded. 

"Okay" George muttered with his own faint smile. 

---- 

After a rough day of school, Clay and George decided to walk home together, their neighborhood was nearby and neither one of them wanted to sit through the awkward bus ride, whatever that was. 

George constantly finds himself glancing at the other boy from time to time, whenever Clay looked back he averted his gaze, not wanting to meet eyes with the other after their brief moment on the student's hall. Since they were still strangers to one another, Clay shrugged it off as George being himself, he was confident that he would quickly pick up on all of George's quirks after a week or two. 

"What grade are you in?" George finally broke the silence. 

"6th" Clay responded in a very abrupt manner 

"What?" His thick british accent echoed in the other's ear. "What?" Clay responded with his own accent, shooting him with a confused look. George looked at him from his head to his feet as both of the boys reached George's side of the street. George's height was about the same as the other probably Clay being taller, he couldn't accept it. 

"Well what's your grade?" Clay filled the awkward silence between them. He felt observed. He looked away as he pulled the other strap of his hanging backpack, putting it on properly. 

"8th" George mumbled under his breath. George sighed and closed his eyes, he seemed sad and Clay had little to no idea of what was happening. Clay patted the other boy's head in an attempt to comfort him. George instantly looked at him very confused, he immediately swatted the other boy's hand as he shook his head. 

There was a moment of silence between them, a moment of absolute awkward silence. 

"Yup! I'll go" Clay pointed at his house across the street as he nodded at him. George's face was hot with embarrassment from their interaction, he quickly nodded back at the other boy. 

"Mhm!" He mumbled as they turned around quickly, rushing home. George shut the door behind him as he put a palm on his blushing face. 

"What the hell was that!" A chill down his spine made him shiver from the whole cringe ordeal, but before he knew it, he was smiling wide, Clay made him smile. His mother turned around the corner of the house when she heard the door shut, she looked at him worried at first but then softened up as she saw her little boy smiling after school. She crossed her arms, leaning on her left leg. 

"So.. what happened today?" She asked him happily. George looked at her with a bright smile she hadn't seen for a while. 

"I made a friend!"

-3rd Chapter end-

Word count : 1,068