bucket list//dnf

prologue - dandelions

"catch me if you can, bitch!"

george's bare feet hit the damp grass as he chased his best friend through the park's field. pine needles and sticks and dog shit littered the field the pair were running in, but they both expertly dodged it all. george's fluffy brown hair was pushed in different directions by the breeze blowing against him, while nick's thicker hair was just gently tugged and tossed.

"oh i will!" george shouted back against the wind. his arms were outstretched in the "grabby-grabby" hands. he had pretty long arms - once he got close, he could easily grab nick. if only the brit had longer legs.

nick was a pretty lanky teenager, and he had quite a good amount of height on george. he used that height to his advantage as he took long strides to outrun george. if he was being honest, it wasn't hard to outrun george without his added height. the pair had been running for about five minutes now, and george didn't have a lot of stamina when it came to physical exertion. nick was already wondering when george would have to stop running.

as if on cue, george paused to catch his breath. the humid summer air flooded into his lungs and he gulped it down greedily. nick did the same. both panting, they slowly walked over to meet each other in the middle of the field.

wordlessly, they lowered onto the grass and sprawled out. like discarded dolls, their limbs were flung everywhere. nick rested a hand on his chest. george put one up to shield his eyes from the blazing sun.

they both laid there for a while, letting their breathing even and their pulses slow. the sun smiled down on them, licking at their skin and making them squint. a slight breeze washed over them. the thick and humid florida air suffocated them a little bit.

"you ever just . . ." nick trailed off. george pursed his lips slightly and turned his head to look at him. nick looked back. smiles played at their lips.

"yeah," george breathed happily. nick giggled.

comfortable silence once again enveloped them like a warm hug. it was just like when they were kids - no moving, because where they were was perfect. no talking, because hey already knew everything about each other. 

well, almost everything.

"hey . . . nick?" george asked. his tone suggested awkwardness and anxiety.

"yeah, dude?" nick responded with a calm, welcoming tone. george relaxed a little.

"what's your stance on being . . . gay?" george wanted sink into the soft dirt and wet grass as he asked. his voice was quiet, and he worried he might have to repeat his question.

"i mean, my parents don't really support it, but i'm perfectly fine with it," he responded. something in his tone made george think there was more to it than that, but he ignored it.

george turned his head away from nick to be met by some dandelions. his eyes widened before shutting to avoid getting the yellow weed in his eyes. his pale fingers reached out and wrapped around the green stems of the things and ripping them out of the ground.

he decided to be bold. after all, you only live once.

george turned back to face nick. he propped up his face by letting it sit in his palm while his elbow was on the ground and handed him the handful of flower-like weeds. "i am gay," he said lightly.

it was like saying those three words drained him of energy. his head flopped back on the ground and he sighed. george closed his eyes and held his breath as he waited for nick's response.

"dude . . ." george's heart was pounding. he was terrified he was going to loose his best friend because of his sexuality, even though nick had literally just told him that he wasn't homophobic. he opened his left eye, the one closer to nick. nick had turned and grabbed dandelions just like how george had done. nick placed the flowers on george's chest. "same."

george let out a loud bark of laughter. nick giggled along, their happy yet forced exhales and joyful yet pained inhales creating the perfect melody of friendship.

they felt like everyday should feel like this for them. with cotton ball clouds floating around on the sky that looked just like the paint george had accidentally spilt on nick's favorite shirt a couple years ago and the sun kissing their skin, with soft green grass cushioning them and crumbly dirt under the grass and under their fingernails, it was perfect. they were the happiest they had been in a long time.

they were both fifteen that day. they had no clue what was to come.

801 words

this chapter is short because it's just the prologue so don't worry the other chapters will be longer!! love you guys