Separation Anxiety

Chapter One | Beginnings

George gazed around his new apartment as he placed the last box in the middle of the room. It was dark by the time he finished and plopped into his bed; his first day of college was tomorrow.

He thought about all the new experiences and opportunities that lay ahead of him, but also felt a twinge of homesickness as he thought about his family and friends back home.

Despite the exhaustion from moving, George found it hard to fall asleep. He tossed and turned, his mind racing with thoughts about the coming day. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he drifted off into a restless sleep.

-

A loud alarm echoed through George's restless night and the golden rays of a morning sun beamed through the blinds. He let out a sigh and put on his everyday outfit; a light blue shirt in a white box outlined with red, blue jeans, and white and black goggles. He usually cocked them on his head and only wore them over his eyes when the sun was bright.

A sigh parted his lips as George opened the door to his bedroom and walked into the hallway. He had to quickly make himself some breakfast, nothing fancy. Maybe some cereal? Or a hot bowl of oatmeal instead? He chose the bowl of cereal, but with a glance at the time sent him flying out the door with an energy bar instead.

He rushed out the door, making his way to his car. Turning on the ignition, he pondered his emotions. Being nervous was an understatement. How would his professors be? He hoped at least one or two were funny or at the very least, lenient on workload. On arrival he parked his car in a nearby lot and entered the building.

Now for the true test... where is my first class?

George looked around the bustling halls in a panic. Students were milling about, making it difficult for him to navigate and distorting his sense of direction. He checked his schedule for the tenth time, realizing that he was indeed running late on his first day of college.

He hurriedly searched for the classroom he needed, glancing down each hall in the hopes of finding it. The sound of laughter from various classrooms filled the air, making it even harder for him to focus. As the minutes ticked by, George began to feel his nerves getting the best of him. Would he ever find his way to his class on time?

After what seemed like an eternity, George finally found the classroom he was looking for. He burst through the doorway, feeling a sense of relief wash over him, but it was short-lived. As soon as he entered, he felt everyone's eyes on him, and he grew pink with embarrassment. He didn't plan on being late on the first day, but fate seemed to have other plans.

"Sorry," he mumbled, shuffling to his seat, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. The professor soon started the class, outlining what the semester would entail and the work expected from all the students. George tried his best to focus on the lecture, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had made a bad first impression. He decided to do better in the future and make the most of his time at college.

After what felt like days, the class finally ended and George was determined to leave as soon as possible. As he tried to make his great escape, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

George jumped, turning around to come face to face with a boy sporting dirty blond hair and a multitude of freckles. He studied the boy's face for a moment, trying to place him, but came up short.

"Hello there, I'm Clay!" The boy said with a friendly smile, his teeth white and perfectly aligned. George was taken aback by the attention–he was used to blending in and going unnoticed in his high school.

"Um, hi. I'm George, I just moved here from the UK," George replied, smiling nervously and fidgeting with his hands. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy–he wasn't used to being approached by strangers so quickly.

But Clay seemed genuinely interested in getting to know him. He asked George about his hometown in the UK, what brought him to the US, and his interests. As they talked, George began to feel more and more comfortable and realized that maybe he had made a new friend.

Before he knew it, the bell rang signaling the end of the class. As they gathered their things, Clay turned to George and said "Hey, do you want to grab lunch together? I know a great place nearby."

George couldn't believe his luck–he had only been at college for a day, and already he had made a new friend. He smiled, feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation for his future here.

The day went on without much more interruptions, but several of George's classes were shared by Clay. After each of those classes, Clay would call out "Oh, Georgie!" and George would roll his eyes, feeling annoyed by the sudden nicknames. He would continue onto his next class, trying his best to ignore Clay's antics.

But after the last time, George stopped and turned back to face the freckled boy. Clay giggled as George peered back with arrogance over the nickname.

"Never call me that again," George said firmly, trying to hide his amusement.

"Alright, alright!" Clay laughed, putting his hand on George's shoulder again. It was a basic action, but it made George's heart flutter in a strange way.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Clay asked.

George's chest tightened at the thought of having to face Clay again tomorrow. "I guess so," he replied, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

It was good to have made a friend on his first day of college, but the way Clay made him feel was different. George wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he was definitely looking forward to seeing where this newfound friendship would lead.

When George arrived home, he headed straight to his room and hopped on his computer to play with his buddy Darryl. By the time he logged off, it was already pitch black outside, and George knew he would have to wake up early the next day. Despite feeling tired, his mind kept wandering back to Clay.

The following morning, George wasted no time getting ready and met Clay on his way to class. "Hello again!" Clay greeted him with a smirk. It felt like the boy had a tracker on George. "Hey, Clay," George replied with a scoff. Clay then grabbed George's arm and started talking to him as they walked. For some reason, Clay seems fixated on George's face.

Once in class, Clay turned to George and asked, "Want to hang out sometime?" George was hesitant at first but then warmed up to the idea. "Why not? Where do you want to hang out?"

"We can go to your place. My apartment is really small," Clay suggested with a brief smile that faded into a frown.

George felt like something was off, but he didn't know what it could be. He decided to turn the question back around to Clay. "How about we go to your house instead? Mine's kind of messy, you know?"

Clay smiled slightly, clearing hiding something. "Like I said, mine is messy too. Whatever you want, though."

George was too curious to drop the subject, so he continued to push Clay into telling him why it wasn't fine to go to his apartment. "I mean, like really messy? Like there's nowhere to chill?"

Clay laughed slightly, clearly lying, but George decided not to push it any farther. Clay looked uneasy with the subject. George nodded slightly and waved his hand as if to wave away the awkwardness. "Yeah, I guess we can go to my place then." George tried to lighten the mood, but it clearly didn't work; Clay was distraught. "You alright, Clay?"

"Yeah, yeah...just, you know, thinking is all," Clay smiled but couldn't hold it for long. George felt like a hug would do some good, but maybe that would be weird.

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Kind of boring I know, I was struggling writing this because it was so boring, I promise it will get interesting, but I don't want to just rush into it, you know? Anyways I hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter!

Stay calm, Stay alive
Onyx