Tidal Pools and Stars

Chapter 4

June 15

10:56 a.m

"It's raining."

Dream's eyes open at George's voice and it takes his vision a moment to focus on George's slender figure in the balcony doorway, a hand pressed against the glass. The room was dark, and sure enough, Dream could hear the gentle patter of rain outside. He stretches his arms above his head before letting them flop down to the mattresses with a heavy thud.

George tilts his head to look up at the gray sky. "Like... really raining."

Dream's heavy eyes drift over to him and he shamelessly stares at his distracted friend, still wondering how George managed to look so effortlessly put together even though his side of the bed was torn up like there was a bear fight.

"That's great," Dream finally says.

George turns to him. "No! It's not great beca-"

"Why?"

"Can you let me finish before asking why?"

Dream sits up and tries to fix his hair. "Can you stop complaining so early in the morning?"

"It's almost eleven."

"Did I ask for the time?" Dream snaps and he bites his cheek when George's mouth falls open in shock for a second. Dream sighs and mumbles a quick apology before throwing the covers off of him, ignoring how George's eyes follow him across to the room as he grabs his t-shirt he threw on the floor last night.

"What's your issue?" George asks. Dream turns to him in enough time to see George's eyes trail down to the bit of skin still showing from his caught t-shirt. Dream coughs and pulls it down.

"Nothing." Lie.

Dream felt weird.

He felt like that first day when you get sick. Or the day before. The day where your body feels like it's filled with worms and you don't feel terrible yet, but you know it's coming. His head felt fuzzy and his heart was beating too strongly in his chest while his stomach squirmed. Any time he looked in George's general direction, it was like that feeling was put on full blast and he felt anxious to make it through the day like this.

Luckily, George shrugs. "Okay...well, are you hungry? I was waiting for you to get up."

"You waited?" Dream says. He feels bad for making George wait- it was almost noon and Dream had no idea how long George waited for. "You didn't have to-"

"I don't care, Dream. I'm asking you if you're hungry." The mention of food and eating with George makes him sick even though he's done it a million times.

No, I'm gonna throw up. "Yeah...yeah, we can go grab something. I'm sure Isla is probably hunting for us, right?"

At the mention of Isla, George's face turns sour and he lets out a small groan at the possibility of having to deal with her again. Dream laughs but it sounds forced and he hates himself for feeling so awkward around George this morning, but he pushes through and makes himself stand next to his friend, his skin pricking from the shared body heat.

"I'm gonna go get ready," George says, sparing himself from Dream's jumpiness, and ducks into the bathroom with the door locking behind him.

Dream doesn't move from the glass door until he hears a small rumble of thunder outside. Raindrops race down the balcony doors and couples, that were once playing in the rain, now darted inside. The ocean looked green from the storm rolling in. Everything looked green in Dream's eyes right now.