polaroid | georgenotfound

04

awoken by the laughter downstairs, dev and george startle awake.

"sorry," they both mutter, still unaware of what's going on as they pull their hands apart. dev yawns as she stands, stretching her cramped limbs.

"come on," she groans, "let's go downstairs."

the two trudge downstairs, their mothers immediately ending their conversation to look at their children, both with messy bedhead. 

"were you two asleep upstairs?" mrs. vu laughs softly, sharing a knowing look with mrs. davidson.

"george your hair is a mess. so is yours, devyn, if i'm being honest. any news you two want to share with us?"

dev sits down, resting her head on the counter next to her mom.

"what news would we have to share?" george mumbles.

"hmm," mrs. davidson hums, "it seems to me like a certain pair of friends could be more than friends. what do you think, lynn? (dev's mum!!!)"

mrs. vu smiles, eyes peeking from over her coffee mug, "i think i'm looking at a certain pair of friends that could be, well, i don't know, more than friends." 

george shuffles his feet, "mum, what on earth are you going on about? me and dev are just friends. just friends, always have been, always will."

"yeah, what he said. i know you two think we're going to get together like this is some wattpad story but we're just friends. if we were meant to be together, don't you think we would've gotten together a long time ago?" dev interjects. 

"i suppose so," mrs. vu humorously smiles, "you two seem very cuddled up upstairs though."

dev and george look at each other, blushing, before turning to face their mothers.

"uh, you saw what happened upstairs, mum?"

"yes, darling, we did. it was very cute, i will have to admit," mrs. davidson giggles.

"would you like to see the pictures i took on my cell phone?"

"mom you took PICTURES?" dev exclaims, looking for her moms' phone.

mrs. vu reaches for her cell that's in her back jean pocket, opening the photo app. george and dev huddle behind her, peering over her shoulder. their hands brush together as they both place their hands on the backrest of mrs. vu's chair. retracting their hands quickly, their cheeks flush again, both mumbling a sorry before paying attention to the photos.

several rows of images showing george and dev holding hands on the couch appear, causing them to groan, embarrassed.

"we're not talking about this ever again," dev flusters.

"i'm going to make it my homescreen, evelyn (george's mum, that's not her real name ofc i just made one up) has already made it hers. i just think it's absolutely adorable."

humiliated, the pair sigh before making uncomfortable eye contact.

"i can't do this right now this is so embarrassing. i'm going on a walk," dev stumbles towards the door.

"i'll come with," george offers, still concerned about her mental wellbeing from before their little scandalous nap. "it's- getting dark out," he stutters, attempting to cover his worry in front of the mums.

"sure, let's go."

"nothing naughty! hands to yourself, we don't want to be grandparents just yet!"

"this house is a hellhole. i'm never coming back," dev complains, rushing to get out the door.

"love you too! put a jumper on devyn, it's cold out. you as well george!"

"of course, mrs. vu!" he grins, grabbing his coat from the closet.

as they step outside, dev reaches into her pocket to pull out her juul. she inhales the smoke, then blows it out into the night sky, lit only by the pale moon.

"i thought you quit?" george questions, seemingly disappointed.

"ah, i told you i would try. and i did. as you can see it's not going very well. wanna hit?"

"no, devyn. we talked about this. and you know i don't smoke."

"it's hard. i told you already, i'm trying. stop trying to control me. we're not dating."

"what the fuck are you on about? i know we're not dating, obviously. i'm just worried about you, that's bad for your health you know? i care about you, dev."

she exhales, the smoke billowing as she sighs. the juul goes back in her pocket.

"sorry. i care about you too george. this habit- this bad, awful habit, i can't quit. i need it, i can't live without it. it helps me, as disgusting as it is. i know it's wrong, you don't have to lecture me."

"well, i can't live without you, and if you keep this up you're going to die."

"that's very flattering, but also very dramatic, gogy. i'm going to be fine."

"do you even watch those videos i send you about vaping and what it does to your lungs? there were very detailed diagrams of popcorn lung you were supposed to look at!"

"uhh," she pauses, "let's start walking," dev swiftly jogs down the stairs, picking up her pace.

george moves after her, his long legs allowing him to catch up quickly. 

"hey! did you watch the videos or not?"

"i can't answer that!" devyn speeds up, breaking into a sprint.

"WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS LATER!" george yells after her as she disappears down the sidewalk.

꧁𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑚'𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑑𝑜𝑚꧂
hi everyone...... addiction is very real and something we should definitely be more aware about. if you or someone you know is struggling don't be afraid to reach out and get help. thank you for reading <3 have a gr9 day ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎
SAMHSA hotline: 1-800-662-4357
Poison Control Emergency line: 1-800-222-1222
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255