Smoke Break /Georgenotfound/

՜՞՜8՜՞՜

His friends looked at me dumbstruck.

"None that I'm aware of-" Clay started but Nick quickly cut him off.

"He's allergic to colors!!!" He clapped his hands together in a way that made it seem like the hardest medical case in history was just solved with his words. And to be honest, I had no idea what his words meant.

"What?" My brows pulled together.

"He's colorblind!"

Is he being serious?

My lips parted, but I didn't have anything to say. I watched the taller one scold his friend for talking nonsense, while George was miserably failing at breathing.

The wheezing sounds from the poor guy snapped me back to reality. I didn't know what to do, so just to be sure, I decided to go with my main thought until the ambulance would arrive.

"I'll be right back," I got up, looking at Clay, who was getting in position with so much dedication, "please don't slap him anymore."

He quietly put his hand down.

I wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with George, cause his friends provided me with no information about him except for the fact that he's colorblind. But it looked too much like an allergy. And if the cookies I baked were the reason behind it, I'm more than certain he's allergic to peanuts.

Anyway, I knew I had an epipen somewhere in my room. Having allergies myself, I remember buying one when I moved here just in case I got stung by a bee.

And luckily, I found what I was looking for in no time and ran back to their house.

The moment Clay's eyes caught the orange pen in my hand, I saw instant relief wash over his face.

Yet Nick looked confused, "Is that a gluestick?" He whispered to Clay, "Or a marker?"

I didn't want to waste no more time. I knelt infront of George and looked at his legs, silently celebrating the fact that he was wearing shorts. I knew I could still use the pen through clothing, but just to be sure, I pulled the leg of his shorts up till it revealed the outer side of his upper thigh, positioned the tip of the pen and firmly pressed it against his flesh.

"Sorry.." I whispered as it clicked, not sure if he could hear me or not. I just saw his muscles spasm from the sting and felt bad.

My trust issues are so bad that I held it there for more than ten seconds just to be sure.

I also grabbed his other wrist, the one without the watch, and pressed my fingertips into the side of it until I found his pulse drumming against my fingers. It was fast, but at least it's there.

I don't know why I thought he'd be dead when I could clearly hear his abnormally noisy breathing.

"So why did you poison the cookies?" Nick broke the silence with a barely audible voice.

And he said that while taking a massive bite out of the said cookie.

"You'd be dead if I did," I spoke, paying more attention to George's heartbeat than my words.

"Wait- he's dead!?"

"Nick, I swear to god, shut the fuck up." I was kinda glad Clay said that. It felt that his words were from the depths of my heart.

After forever, finally, the wheezing subsided, and we heard George take a deep, shuddered breath.

He's not dead.

"Oh god-" he barely managed to get that out and started coughing and intensively breathing. His eyelids were so swollen that I'm not sure if his eyes were opened or closed.

"Thank god.." I sighed, my hand just falling heavy on his wrist as I finally dared to let go of the obsessive thought of checking his vital signs as if that was going to help.

"Just in time.. the ambulance is here," Nick announced, kind of sounding disappointed that George was awake. The distant sound of the siren filled their house in no time through the open window.

"Fuck.." George spoke again. Questionable choice of a word in my opinion to waste your barely existent breath on.

From there, everything was just a big mess. The paramedics arrived, and George's friends failed to give them details about his medical history. George - with his half-responsive state, insisted that he doesn't have any allergies, and I let them know that I gave him an epinephrine shot.

They were confused nonetheless.

Then they proceeded to take him to the hospital. But before they could leave, I managed to swap contacts with Clay so that he could keep me updated.

What a day already.

I went back to my house, exhaustedly fell on my bed and waited. I kept thinking of possible outcomes and scenarios, and some of them scared me.

Like what if he died and they found poisonous something in his blood? Will I be put in jail? What if he died from an allergy and his friends blamed me for it. Will they put me in jail? What if it wasn't an allergy and I administered incorrect first aid. Is that a crime?

The hours passed, raising the absurdity of my thoughts to an astronomical level. Then finally, I got a notification.

Clay: Hey, it's Clay your neighbor

Why did he need to specify so many things? I saved his number in my phone infront of his eyes hours ago.

Clay: The doctors did allergy tests turns out he's allergic to peanuts

I knew it.

Clay: They also said to thank the girl with the epipen so thank you so much, you saved him

My heart was so full both with happiness and relief.

Aria: omg how is he now?

Clay: No longer looks like a pufferfish

I laughed at the message and saw him typing again.

Clay: Says the cookies were delicious

Oh my god, what an idiot. I wonder how long they're gonna keep him.

Aria: will you be back today?

Clay: Probably tomorrow morning, idk yet

Clay: Btw can you check if we locked the door? I have my keys but I don't remember using them

Aria: yeah ofc

I lazily made my way out of my house towards their door and tried to open it. I groaned in annoyance when it actually opened.

Aria: you didn't lock it

Clay: Wait fr?

Aria: yep

I saw him typing and deleting for a while, and then he sent a paragraph.

Clay: Listen, right next to the door there's a shelf that should have a spare key ontop. Could you pleaseee get it and lock the door? I'll come get the keys back from you tomorrow

Is stranger danger not a thing to them? Or did they just move here and have nothing to lose? Either way, if they trusted me enough to do that, why should I say no?

Also the nearest hospital is kinda far from here, so I get why they don't want to come back.

Aria: done

Clay: Aria you're a lifesaver

Clay: No but literally