Flower Girl {Editing}

22. Protea

Song: Free me by Sia

Protea flower meaning: Among the oldest families of flowers on earth, dating back 300 million years, Greek legend tells us that protea was named after Proteus, the son of Poseidon. With its mythological associations to change and transformation, it's not surprising that in the language of flowers, protea symbolizes diversity and courage.

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Claude said goodbye to his friends after spending a few hours after school chatting and enjoying some pizza. He dropped his girlfriend off at home and made his way back to the school, knowing that there was football practice today and that Bucky would still be there. He couldn't stop thinking about what August said to him and how he had felt the year before when he realized that he had a thing for Bucky.

Only Blaine had known. That was the only person he told because Blaine was someone he knew could speak with him about this new revelation.

He sat in his car outside of the football field, watching as the players concluded their game. He exhaled, his knuckles paling on the steering wheel of his car. He jumped as his phone rang, swearing as he looked at the caller ID. "August!?" He asked, answering.

"Nervous?"

"W—what? Auggie, what are you talking about?"

She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't born yesterday, Claude. You drove back to school, didn't you?"

He looked up and down, then out to his rearview mirror. "Did you bug my phone with a tracker?" She burst out laughing, and he had to hold the phone away from his ear. "Quit laughing."

"Haha, I'm sorry—," she giggled, trying to stop, "pfft Claude, relax. I sensed how tense you were before you dropped me off. That conversation got to you a little, didn't it?"

He sighed, slouching back in his seat. "Yeah, a little."

"And that's perfectly fine. Remember, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to. Please do it for you or don't. It's all your choice. No pressure."

He pursed his lips, chewing on the inside of his mouth as he observed the athletes finishing up their practice. "But... what does that mean for us? What if... what if he..." he trailed off again.

"If we live life asking what-if questions. We'll never live a life worth living. Stop overthinking this, Claude, I trust you, and you trust me. Plus, whatever happens between us, we'll deal with it. You were the guy that took a huge leap and followed after the girl you liked, right? And if you didn't follow me that day, then this... you and I might have never happened. So, I want you to be that curious Claude that I met that day at the greenhouse. The one willing to stalk me," she giggled, "just because of how much he liked me. If things go bad, my arms are always open, and if they go good, then my arms are still open. Whatever happens, happens. What's life without some risk?"

His blue eyes blinked away tears at her speech of encouragement. "You really are an amazing human being, Auggie."

"Human? Boo, I'm an alien all the way."

He laughed wholeheartedly, and she joined in. Claude wiped his eye, sighing happily at having spoken to her. "Thank you again, August... I'm still nervous, but I'm also curious to know the answer."

"That's my boyfriend! Good luck. Call me after, okay."

He nodded to himself. "Yeah." They said their goodbyes, and he clicked off the call, releasing his other hand from the steering wheel as he unbuckled his seat belt and decided on what he was going to do.

He got out of his car, making sure he had his keys and phone on him as he walked towards the field. Claude had known that he had a very unsated curiosity that always made him question himself. Blaine, having come out years ago, made an impact on him and also caused him to look at himself and what he truly liked. He had never had any interaction with this kind of thing to prepare him for the possibly of being bisexual, but after acquiring an attraction to the school's star footballer... he had to think long and hard about what that would mean for him.