Bridging Hearts (DNF)

Chapter Six - Full Circle

Fanart is not mine.

George's POV:

The bell rings, signaling the end of the school day, and I shove my books into my bag, walking out of the room with my bag in my hands. My phone buzzes in my pocket as I sling my backpack over my shoulder. I pull it out and see a text from Clay.

Hey George! Got basketball practice rn but some friends and I r hanging out at the park afterward. Wanna join? It'll be fun :)

My heart skips a beat, and I quickly type back, Sure sounds great! What time?

Around 5. Meet by the basketball court?

Got it. See you then!

I put my phone away, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. I've seen Clay with his friends, but I've never really hung out with them. I wonder what they're like and if I'll fit in with Clay's group.

At 5 o'clock, I start walking to the park, feeling a little anxious. I spot Clay and his friends already there. Nick is tossing a football back and forth with another guy who I don't recognize. Karl is sitting on a bench, waving enthusiastically as I approach.

"Hey, George!" Clay calls out, jogging over to me. "Glad you could make it."

I look him up and down subtly. For some reason, he looks really good. He's wearing a white sweatshirt that has a brownish rectangle on it, with grey sweatpants.

"Hey, Clay," I reply. "Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem. Let me introduce you to everyone." He gestures to the group. "You've met Nick and Karl, right?"

"Yeah, briefly," I reply.

Nick jogs over, a grin on his face. "Hey, George! Good to see you again."

"Yeah, good to see you too," I say, feeling a bit more at ease.

Karl bounces over next, nearly tripping over his own feet in excitement. "Hi, George! Glad you could join us!"

Clay laughs, patting Karl on the shoulder. "This is Sam," he says, gesturing to the guy with the football. Sam waves. "And that guy over there is Alex," he adds, pointing to a short, lanky guy who's hanging upside down from the monkey bars.

Alex moves toward us, but misses a bar, landing flat on his face on the grass. Everyone bursts out laughing, and Alex raises his middle finger to the monkey bars as he gets up and walks over to us. I stand there awkwardly.

"You alright?" I ask Alex.

"Si, mi amigo," Alex replies, smiling. "Nice to meet you, Jorge."

I can't help but smile back. "Nice to meet you too."

"Alright, now that we're all here, who's up for some basketball?" Clay suggests, grabbing a basketball from his bag.

"Count me in," Nick says, already heading towards the court.

"I'll watch," Karl chirps, plopping back down on the bench.

Nick shakes his head. "Come on, Karl. We need you to make the teams even."

Karl pouts but finally relents. "Fine, but you owe me ice cream later."

"Deal," Nick says, kissing Karl on the cheek. He pulls Karl close to him, whispering something that makes Karl start to giggle.

"I'll play," Sam adds, taking the ball from Clay and dribbling it.

"Yo tambien," Alex says.

"Let's see if you can keep up, George," Clay teases. "Sam doesn't even play, so I'd hope you can at least beat him."