AUGUST IS A FEVER

21

The three of you were tired. Hungry too, only being reminded when your stomach became loud and rowdy. That was when you all realized you hadn't eaten anything for a long while. For you, a day, and for George and Clay, two. Your stomach was almost cramping at this point, you couldn't imagine how the boys felt in this moment. The pain was immense for hunger pain standards, but nothing that you couldn't bare.

"God." Clay groaned, his hand going to his stomach. "My stomach is, like, basically vibrating. Feel." He said taking your hand away from your stomach to his.

To your surprise, he tucked your hand under his hoodie and straight onto the soft skin of his stomach. He wasn't chubby, but he wasn't fit either. Somewhere inbetween. On the skinnier side from all the running he'd done in the passed year or so. Your face felt warm as you blushed out of embarrassment. His skin felt warm and comforting against the palm of your hand. You didn't expect Clay to do something this bold or let you touch him in such a vulnerable spot. Although you were taken aback by the sudden gesture, he was right. His stomach was very loud and rumbly.

"Clay, stop." George began as he gestured to your face as you tried to cover it, trying to hide the flustered expression on your face. "She's obviously uncomfortable." You knew George was only trying to help, but oh, was he wrong. Part of you liked how much Clay trusted you. It was flattering in a way.

Clay who was looking at George turned back to you, to see that your hand was covering your warm face as blood rushed to it. You were on the brink of breaking a sweat.

"Oh, sorry." Clay apologized, dropping your hand, letting it fall to your side. "I should've asked first. That's my bad." He said, a warm pink color rushed to his face, blush dusting it flatteringly.

God, did he really have to be so pretty? Everything about Clay was beautiful from the way his dirty blonde (almost light brown) hair would fall and frame his face to the way his freckles scattered on his cheeks and nose like the stars in the sky. He was so effortlessly handsome. Part of you felt envy for his beauty, but the other part of you felt drawn in. Captivated as if he was a magnet. You couldn't seem to help the speed your heart would beat around him, it fluctuating between resting and pounding speeds. The way he made you feel was apparent. One part of you scolded yourself for being so attracted to him when you'd only met him a few days ago. The other part couldn't care less. You were torn between two opinions to say the least. Maybe it would be better to suppress these confusing feelings as it might not be the smartest move to pursue them - no matter how much you desired to.

"It's okay." You mumbled.

Why we're you being shy around him so suddenly? You were being sassy and unafraid to be yourself before, but in this moment when you actually acknowledged your feelings that you brushed over for the passed few days, you'd began to feel self conscious in fear of Clay losing interest in you. It was his idea for you to be in their group and you were in fear of him wanting to remove you from it entirely.

Clay seemed to notice this shift in your tone around him. He thought of it as negative and as his fault, thinking about what he just did making you uncomfortable, even if that couldn't be further from the truth. In a sort of guilt, he slumped. Slouching as he walked along you and George. Unbeknownst to you, the feelings you had felt towards him were mutual. However the way you reacted to his apology gave him mixed signals. He thought there was no way a pretty and kind person like you would like a person like him. He was having doubts himself. Clay decided then it would be better to suppress his feelings as well. He couldn't let him wanting to be more than just friends get in the way of survival, right?

You all eventually found yourself at the 7/11 you were initially driving to. As the sight of the building caught your gaze, your face lit up and you almost cracked a smile. At last you would be able to stop by for the food you so desperately needed in your systems to avoid shutting down. Excited at the sight of the convenient store, you began to jog towards it with the remaining energy you had left in your body.

"(Y/n)! Wait up!" George called, laughing at the sudden excitement that filled your aura as you ran off. He began to run towards you. Clay on the other hand walked normally as he saw the two of you run together in to the store.

A pang hit his chest as he has a small theory of a realization. What if George liked you? And even worse, what if you liked him back? He did notice that the two of you had become suddenly close and how he had a sudden interest in you. He even noticed how George would defend you. No. There was no way his best friend would go after a person he liked. George already knew that Clay liked you. Still, Clay had doubts like he always did in these situations.

You ran into the store, pushing open the door quickly and looking around. Your face dropped as you saw how rotten it looked. There were plants growing in the ceiling, cracking its way from the roof into the building. It didn't look beautiful like the mall. Instead it appeared strangely haunted and unsettling. It almost felt as if you were being watched. There was broken glass on the floors. It was most likely from the glass middle of the doors of the refrigerators as they seemed to be shattered. You didn't like the way the store made your skin crawl and the hairs on your arms and legs stand. When you turned to George and looked at his face, analyzing the way it scrunched slightly and how his shoulder caved in, you could tell he felt a similar way.

"I don't like this place." George said in a somewhat hushed voice. Not quite a whisper, yet not quite a normal volume either.

"Me too. Let's hurry up and get out of here." You told him, walking up to him and grabbing his hand as you brought him to a snack aisle. There was some things left, but it was mostly empty. This place was probably raided before, which could explain the broken glass on the floor from the refrigerators.

George took his share of bags of chips and candy and went off to look for drinks. You heard footsteps and you turned to see Clay standing there with two Slim Jims he had found.

"Want one?" He asked. You looked at him and smiled as you gazed into his warm eyes. He was so kind, it just melted your heart by just how considerate he was.

Just as you were about to reach up and take the Slim Jim, something caught your eye behind Clay. A tan SUV pulled into what was left of the parking lot. Your eyes went wide as you saw a man - an adult man - step out of the car and pull out a hand gun, placing it in the back of the waist band of his jeans. A soft gasp escaped your lips.

"Where's George?" You asked frantically.

"Why?" Clay asked, envy woven deeply into his tone of choice. It was extremely apparent but you chose to ignore it. There was no time for drama at a time like this.

"I'm over here!" George called on the opposite side of the store.

"Keep your voice down, will you?" You chastised the boy. "There's a man outside. We need to leave and now." You told them both sternly.

Both boys looked outside the muddied glass doors, only to see what you reported was true. With widened eyes, Clay turned to you and grabbed your hand, booking it towards the back exit.

"Let's go!" Clay called for George.

First Lady Jane, now this strange man? Could you guys ever catch a break?