George flipped through the channels, huffing when every single one buzzed with the same news he'd heard a million times before. He sighed, turning off the TV entirely, though the silence was just as haunting. Stepping over to his window, he gazed out at the small town he'd lived in for a little over a year now. Moving from England for college had been a big step for him, and going alone had been daunting.
Now, he found himself missing his crowded family home across the seas, where it was never exactly silent. When he first arrived in America, he'd been excited to start a new life and take on the world. However, he'd only had time to attend four weeks of in-person classes before the Sleeping Death had put a pin in his plans. The college closed its campus, and for awhile, the school continued with online classes.
Eventually, they'd cancelled the semester entirely. While the Sleeping Death wasn't the most prominent of all current sicknesses going around, it was precise and mysterious. It picked off people one by one, sending each of them into a calming sleep where it would slowly shut down their bodies. A pleasant thing, really. It was enough to make his school close down for awhile after someone in their town fell sick.
But George found it more annoying than worrying. He couldn't go out to the movies, eat at big restaurants, or anything that someone would do on normal days. Hell, he hadn't even had time to make friends before he'd been forced into seclusion. Of course, that was more of a personal problem, as he never really worked up the nerve to talk to anyone besides the professors and the occasional seat-mate. Well, except for him, but he was a different case.
Fernwood was a small town, boasting the college campus as it's main attribute. Stores and restaurants popped up to accommodate the growing population of younger people, but that was really it. George's own house was a simple one-story home, nothing fancy, but he'd saved up more than enough to pay for it. Years of working part-time jobs had paid off, finally taking him to America, only to be crushed by a little virus.
Recently, the college's main building had been taken over by the SDC, the Sleeping Death Corporation. They were a corporation run by three rather astounding scientists, though not much information about them was available online. They'd founded at around the same time as the Sleeping Death had started to catch the eyes of media stations all across the country.
They followed all the new cases across the nation, setting up special labs in each town where a case was reported. There, they would take the victims into their care and try to keep them alive. Or whatever big health corporations did, George wasn't an expert. Usually, as there had been a few success stories, they died within a week or two.
The success stories were few for the very reason that most people's immune systems were killed almost instantly by the virus, or so the professionals said. There was little information available to the public. George figured it was because they weren't so sure themselves, and they didn't want to put information out into the world that could be proven wrong in the span of a day.
As for the SDC itself, it was a closed circle of only the best scientists and doctors. They didn't accept many people into their corporation, not even as volunteers. They explained away their strictness with their so-called 'no exceptions policy'.
Basically, they made no exceptions. It was fairly straightforward. If they thought you had the disease, they'd quarantine you without hesitation. They'd set up a headquarters in every single location where cases of the Sleeping Death popped up, resulting in maybe forty towns housing some form of the SDC members. They refused to let more than a couple reporters into each location, for fear they might catch the disease and spread it to more people.
George sighed as he stalked down the hall into his bedroom, collapsing onto the bed. He ran a hand through his hair. Thoughts of his last day of school played through his mind again when he pulled out his phone, as it had a million times before. It'd been a few months since the school had shut down, and the SDC had moved in, and it had given him plenty of time to regret his past choices.
The last day of school had been relatively normal. Most of the professors spent their periods telling their students what to expect for their online classes, and that was really it. George went from class to class immediately, not bothering to spend his break between periods to chat with the friends he didn't have.
When he went to classes early, usually they'd be empty, as even the professors liked to take their time. However, he had one english class that was never entirely empty. Throughout the year, every time he stepped into the class, there was always another boy there. Always the same boy, and he was always there before George, no matter how early he was.
The boy sat there, in his seat at the very back of the classroom, with his blonde hair looking messy and his eyes following George all the way to his seat. To his knowledge, that boy's name was Clay. He was fairly loud during class, always talking to his seat mates or answering the professor's question.
At first, Clay's presence hadn't phased him. Just another kid who had nothing better to do than sit and wait for class to start, George had told himself. But as the days passed, George could always find Clay around campus between classes, always laughing with his friends. So then, why would someone who did have something better to do stay in that empty classroom, silently staring at the back of George's head.
And that was another thing! George could feel him staring, and if he looked over his shoulder, Clay would jerk his head away quickly, as if he hadn't been. They'd never spoken, not once. George didn't have the confidence to start a conversation, though he wasn't sure why someone as loud and cheery as Clay didn't try either. So there they would sit, for twenty minutes in silence before the rest of the class would shuffle in.
Sometimes George would wonder to himself what went on in Clay's head. The blonde didn't particularly catch his eye at first, but sitting in a room with one person and no one else would make you fairly used to their presence. He caught himself accidentally finding Clay in a crowded hallway. He was always smiling, always happy, but it was never directed a George. When they sat there for those twenty minutes, three times a week for four weeks, Clay didn't display any of his extroverted personality. Not even once.
That's why, on that last day of school, when George walked through the door, and Clay wasn't there, he was surprised. He sat down at his seat, silently pulling his laptop out of his bag. His eyes kept drifting, looking to where the blonde was supposed to be. It was strange, almost, to see the seat vacant. He'd never been earlier than Clay, and Clay had never been absent from class.
After roughly five minutes, the door pushed open, and George looked up. His eyes were met with a familiar pair, though he couldn't really tell because of his colorblindness, looking like a deer in headlights. Clay froze, standing there with his gaze locked on George. Slowly, and almost shyly, Clay raised a hand and cracked a sheepish smile. For the first time in four weeks, he spoke, " Hey."
" Hey," George responded, trying to hide his shocked tone. He winced, hearing how sharp his accent was in comparison to Clay's American one. He panicked for a moment, and a beat went by where they were just staring at each other silently. Finally, he choked out a quick, " You're late today."
" Technically, I've still got fifteen minutes before I'm late," the other boy chuckled, and George relaxed a bit. This was good, this was the kind of conversation friends had, he told himself. " I'm sorry I couldn't beat you like I usually do."
" Is that why you're always early," George huffed, feeling the smile rising on his face. " To best me in a race I didn't know we had?"
" Sure," Clay said, shrugging. He turned and leisurely walked to the back of the class, stopping by his usual seat. George watched him as he casually turned back and took the seat directly next to the brunette. The Brit let out a small hum of surprise, but Clay didn't notice, or if he did, he pretended not to. " Nice day isn't it?"
" It's raining," George snorted, gesturing the window. " I wouldn't call that nice."
" I would, I like the rain," Clay said, more upbeat than the brunette was used to. " It means I don't have to do anything."
" Is that so?" George murmured, glancing over at his laptop briefly. The screen flashed, asking him to put in a password to unlock it. He thought for a moment, seeing Clay out of the corner of his eye. In one swift movement, he shut the computer and turned to give all his attention to the blonde, who looked beyond happy. " I suppose the rain is rather nice if you want to get out of something."
" Yes, I believe it is rather nice," Clay said, doing his own british accent in an almost mocking way, but George didn't feel offended in the slightest, because the moment he finished he began to laugh. The brunette watched, amused as Clay wheezed at his own joke. " Sorry, sorry, I don't have many British friends if you couldn't tell."
" I'm afraid I don't know much about your friends, no." That was a lie. It was a small college, George knew everyone's friend groups, especially people like Clay who were classmates. Even if he didn't know their names, he knew their faces, and he knew Clay was telling the truth. " But it's fine, I don't have many American friends, so you sound just as funny to me."
Clay raised an eyebrow, but he didn't have time to say anything before people started filing through the door and the professor called for class to begin. Class went by quickly, and George marveled at how content Clay looked sitting next to him silently, rather than being in the back with his friends. The professor turned to write something on a board, and the blonde slipped him a note. It was a childish thing, to be slipping notes when he could've just spoken and the professor wouldn't have cared.
George unfolded it, and saw a phone number, with a little smiley face above it. When he looked over at Clay, the blonde winked and grinned. The Brit set it aside, rolling his eyes, but inwardly celebrating the chance to make a friend. Class ended shortly after, and George packed his things. He moved to say goodbye to Clay, but hesitated when he noticed the blonde had already been surrounded by his friends. With a sigh, he decided he'd just message Clay later, and he left.
Except, months later, George had been stuck with the realization that he'd never slipped the piece of paper into his pocket. And he'd had to live with that, every day worrying that Clay thought he was rude enough to ignore the phone number entirely. He'd had one chance at a friend, and he'd blown it. It had felt nice for the few seconds it had lasted, having someone to talk to and joke with during class.
George had plenty of friends back in England, and he messaged them constantly, but he'd met most of them in grade school. He didn't know what had changed, but he wasn't nearly as outgoing anymore. It was easier when he was a kid, and you'd see your friends every day at school. The real world was much less forgiving.
He stood up, stretching. He wouldn't be sleeping any time soon, and sitting on his phone made him feel unproductive. George frowned when his stomach growled. He'd been putting off shopping for as long as he could. While he wasn't scared to go out, he didn't really want to put himself in any sort of danger. He was still a student, and he couldn't afford to be sent to the SDC's hospital because he was craving an ice cream or something.
But the day had come, he was out of bread, eggs, and just about everything else too. He had to head out, and if he looked at the positives, it was probably a good idea that he get some fresh air. The supermarket wasn't far from where he was, about a ten minute walk. He usually took the bus, but public transport wasn't running as of late. Carrying groceries all that way by himself was going to be a pain, unfortunately.
He slipped on his mask and stepped outside. The sun blinded him and he regretted leaving his sunglasses inside. It didn't take him long to get there, and he helped the time go faster by writing a shopping list down on his phone. He needed eggs, bacon, milk, and a few other things. He left a space open for whatever snacks caught his eye when he got there. George sighed, annoyed by how hot it was. God, did the sun ever stop?
When he arrived in the supermarket, it was less packed than he'd originally expected. Someone checked his temperature at the door, and when he was clear, they let him in. He tried not to dawdle, hurrying past the aisles he knew he didn't need to see. As he stepped into the bread aisle, he was thoroughly upset to see it mostly picked over. With a sigh, he went for some off-brand version of the bread he usually bought.
" Hey! Be careful," a voice called from another part of the store. George frowned, looking around. A few more laughs came from nearby, and the brit noticed other customers looking just as confused as he was. George peaked around the corner, to the clothes section of the store. Two men of similar heights were raving about a tiny tuxedo that had obviously been picked from the kids' section. One of them held it over his head as the other tried to grab it. " We're gonna get in trouble, put it down!"
Wait a second, George thought. He knew that voice, he'd heard it a million times. Sure enough, the two turned around to reveal Clay laughing with his friend. The brunette's eyes widened, and he was tempted to duck out of sight again. He wasn't given the chance when the blonde glanced over and his eyes widened.
George froze as Clay's friend saw him as well, though his energy didn't hesitate. " Hey, that's George," he announced loudly, prancing over and bringing the taller blonde with him. George glanced between the two, unsure of who Clay's friend was. The dark-haired boy pulled down his mask, and he had a stupid grin on his face that George thought he recognized for a moment. His question was answered in the next breath, " I'm Nick! We have Spanish together!"
It took George a minute, but a look of realization finally dawned on his face and Nick cheered, throwing an arm over his shoulder. " So, he does recognize me!"
George snorted, shrugging him off. He looked back at Clay, painfully aware of how quiet he'd been. The blonde was staring at him, a far-off look in his eye and a small smile on his face. It was George who smiled sheepishly under his mask this time, saying, " Hey."
" Hey," Clay said quietly, pulling down his own mask. The elephant in the room was still weighing on both of them.
The blonde opened his mouth to reply, but George beat him to it, " I'm sorry I never called, I lost the piece of paper you gave me."
He'd beaten himself up over it night after night, dreaming of what he would say if he ever saw Clay again. He was not going to miss his opportunity now that he'd been given a chance. The other boy blinked, and Nick glanced between the two of them. " Woah, wasn't aware you two had some sort of tragic past. God, get a room!"
Clay laughed, and George felt himself relax a bit. The tension evaporated, and the anxieties that'd been nipping at him for months, fell away. Nick cackled alongside his friend, whose laughs had evolved into loud wheezes. George clicked his tongue, though he was smiling as well. Pulling his mask down, he scoffed, " It wasn't that funny!"
" Doesn't matter," Nick said, calming down. " Once Clay starts laughing, it's hard to make him stop!"
" Shut up, it is not," Clay complained, shoving his friend into the side of the aisle, causing a few cereal boxes to fall and spill. " Oh shit, whoops."
A store employee looked over to them, raising an eyebrow. George sucked in a breath, horribly aware of how much he didn't want to get kicked out. Quickly, he waved to her with an awkward smile. " I'm so sorry," he started. " But I dropped these while my friends were messing around. Do you know where I could find a broom?"
The girl was taken aback, probably by his accent. He was a little surprised too, when she nervously mumbled something and then rushed off. Clay whistled, " Oh, someone has an admirer."
" It's just because of that stupid accent," Nick huffed. " She wouldn't be blushing like that if she heard him speaking Spanish."
" Hey, I'm not that bad," George retorted. " At least I don't spend the entire time making googly eyes at the girl in front of me!"
" So, Georgie does pay attention to other people," Clay chimed in. " I always thought you just lived in your own little world."
George considered his words, but he wasn't able to respond before the girl returned. She swept up the spilled cereal, waving the brit away when he offered to help. Though she cast him quite a few sideways glances when she thought he wasn't looking. Nick snickered, and Clay elbowed his side to shut him up.
The girl left soon after, with a few thanks from the boys. Clay shook his head once she'd gone out of earshot. " Thanks for taking that bullet for us," he said. " Nick only has one more warning before they ban him from coming in here!"
Nick rolled his eyes, and George felt pride swell in his chest. He was doing it, he was making friends. And he was talking to Clay again, finally. A warm feeling filled his veins, and he allowed himself to have fun, to be himself, even if it was only brief. Clay noticed the list on George's phone screen. " Oh damn, you actually came here to shop. We probably shouldn't distract you."
George glanced down and shook his head. With a sigh, he said, " No, I'm happy to talk to people. It's been way too long!"
" Surely, you've hung out with your friends a little bit," Nick snorted. " I know the lockdown is strict but you can afford to bend the rules occasionally, right?"
" Unless you're one of those health nuts," Clay added. George hesitated, looking down at his feet. The blonde quickly jumped in, " Wait, I was just kidding, no offense if you are!"
" Oh no," George dismissed. His voice got quieter as he went on, " That's not it. I just don't really have many American friends."
" Oh," Nick said softly. He fidgeted awkwardly. " Sorry."
" It's not that big of a deal," George lied. " I was too busy with school to fool around, and then I blew my only shot at making a friend by being so forgetful."
Clay smiled, glancing down at George's phone. Suddenly, he snatched it away. The Brit gaped, obviously not expecting that. " Woah, hey, give it back!"
" Nope, mine now," Clay laughed, holding it over his head when George reached for it. " I'm just borrowing it for a second, calm down!"
George huffed and crossed his arms as Clay typed something. When his phone was handed back, a new contact had been added. The blonde winked at him, pulling his mask back over his lips. " Now then," he said. " Can we help with your list?"
The brunette glanced down at his phone and then back up at the other two, who were waiting for him. He had two new friends, for the first time in months. With a nod, he agreed, " Of course, let's go."