( ACT ONE; CHAPTER FIVE )

" the first steps "

TWO HOURS WENT BY BEFORE THE PING GEORGE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR CAME FROM HIS PHONE. His body practically lurched for it when the message came through, an unknown number being the sender.

— imessage —

(***)***-****
hey!! this is camille :)

george
oh hi! how was hanging out with
your friend?

camille :)
good, but she wasn't too happy
about me being late lmfaooo

george
i mean you did get a movie marathon
buddy so i'd say it was worth it 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

camille :)
definitely worth it
so how old are you???

george
just turned 24 on the first of november,
what about you?

camille :)
i just turned 23!! october 30th :))
scorpios unite 😫😫😫

george
we're elite 😍😍😍
ngl i was scared you were asking
since you were like 17 or something

camille :)
LMFAOOO nope i'm older than i
look ig
i wish i could introduce myself more
in person but this pandemic just loves
to ruin everything 🙄🙄

george
yeah no this sucks so bad i can't even
imagine how bad it is for the worse
countries yk?

camille :)
yeah no for real

george
we could do something in person
as long it's somewhere not so crowded

camille :)
good point 😳😳
when are you free

george
uhhhh basically any day you are
most likely
i don't have much of a life outside
my room lmfaoo

camille :)
oooh gotcha
hm how about this wednesday around
noon?

george
as expected i am completely free
sounds like a plan 😎😎 what will
we be doing 😳😳

camille :)
ok hear me out-
a picnic !!

george
don't hate me but i don't think i've
ever gone on a genuine picnic 😩🙏

camille :)
WHAT
well then ig i'm gonna be your first
picnic partner
i'll text you more details about where
we'll go once i find a spot

george
i'm so excited now oh em gee
what should i bring?

camille :)
if you could bring some drinks n
something to sit on that'd be great
and if you're feeling extra rich you
can throw in some deserts 😳😅😏

george
ok ok i can do that :))
any drink requests??

camille :)
as long as it's not any sort of fruity
soda no i'm pretty good with anything

george
ok pog

camille :)
pog?

george
LMAOOO it just means like cool
like you can say pog, poggers, pogchamp
it's a gamer term

camille :)
oh wait i knew that
WAIT ARE YOU A GAMER

george
......YES

camille :)
that is cool :))
all my friends are either gamers or
like hippies so that's epic

george
oh em gee are you a gamer too?

camille :)
i mean i never got into it but sometimes
when i go to people's houses i'll play if
they ask me to😋😋
oh hey do you have instagram?

george
i do!! but there is a plot twist 😳😳

camille :)
what is it 😳😳😳

george
i may or may not just be a tad bit famous
in the gaming community
if that makes you uncomfortable at all
i completely understand tho

camille :)
wait that's so cool??? oh em gee what is
ur @

george
@georgenotfound

camille :)
OH SO YOURE FAMOUS FAMOUS
HUH SODKWJKDJEJ

george
uhhhhh if you say so😍😍

camille :)
this is so cool!! are your fans gonna
go absolutely crazy since you followed
me orrrr

george
if they notice they might say something
but i mean if i tell them to respect privacy
it's not a big deal
are you sure you're not like weirded out or
anything by it 😳😳

camille :)
no it's so cool having a famous movie
marathon buddy
as long as i don't get attacked by your
fans it doesn't matter much at all
even though i can just make it a
private account

george
i wont let them be mean dw 😎😎
i'm just surprised you're not like scared
or anything idk

camille :)
no this is so pogchamp

george
you said it!!

camille :)
yes yes yes
ok i gotta go my mom's calling me

george
all good
see you wednesday, camille!

camille :)
omfg forgot to tell you but you
can call me cami !!!
anyway see you then george<3

george
ok cami :))
read 3:48 P.M.

— real life —

As soon as conversation was over, George was quick to call both of his right hand men. Sapnap joined the call first, followed shortly by Dream.

"Did she text you?" Dream mumbled, sitting up in bed.

"Yes! I have a date! I mean, I don't know if it's necessarily a date but we are hanging out!"

Both of the Americans erupted into cheers, building up their friend.

"I knew you could do it! I had faith since the beginning!" Sapnap lied, but was still kind, nonetheless.

"What are you two gonna do?"

"She wants a picnic, and I've never tried one, so we're doing one!"

George could not wipe the smile off his face, even if was trying to. He couldn't even remember the last time he was so exhilarated.

"Not what I expected, but sounds fun. How did the whole liking-her-post thing go? Does she know you're famous?"

"She didn't notice the liking thing, but when she asked for my Instagram I told her. I said, y'know, if you're uncomfortable I understand. But she was fine with it, and a lot of her friends are gamers too! I'm so pumped, you guys." The British man was talking so fast he was almost inaudible.

"Dude, you have got to be one of the luckiest guys in the world," Sapnap stated, giggling like a child.

"I don't even know if she sees me romantically! I hope she does. I mean, do you guys think she does?" George said, but went on before they could answer. "She did put a heart next to my name when she said goodbye to me. You would think her asking for my number then planning a picnic with me would mean something, right?"

Neither Sapnap or Dream had ever heard their friend go on such a tangent before. He was rambling nonstop.

"Calm down, Jesus. I have a feeling she likes you. Just when the date comes, don't rush anything. Let whatever happens flow naturally. How old is she?"

"She turned 23 October 30th. She's a scorpio like me."

"No way, that's sick! When is your date?"

"This Wednesday. Noonish. She said she'd text me the location when she found a good place. All I have to do is bring drinks, something to sit on, and maybe deserts."

Sapnap exhaled, letting Dream talk. "Bring water, coke, and lemonade. Great combo. Oh, the American lemonade, not the British one. We can help you pick your outfit, too. Maybe even bring her flowers?"

George chuckled, but was met with silence.

"I'm not kidding."

"Yeah, neither am I. George, we are going to help make this the best date of your life, even if we are 1000 miles way," Sapnap said, following Dream's lead.

George's cheeks heated, heart warming. Usually he was the one being bullied, not pampered. The gesture was appreciated, though he would've done the exact same for them.

"Thanks, guys."

"Sure. Next up you gotta get a driver's license," the Texan teased him, returning to old antics.

"Haha, very funny. I'm in the process of getting it right now, it's just kind of hard having to remember how to tell stop from go if I can't even tell what colors they are."

"That's a you problem. If I was color blind, I would just simply see colors. I'm built differ-"

Dream wheezed. "Shut up, idiot."

( AUTHOR'S NOTE! )

it's so hard trying to get a realistic
sense of humor for 23 and 24 year
olds but whatever ig i'll just die trying😜

if you are thinking the book is sexy (like
you) then mayhaps considering
sparing a vote 😩😩

i love you and i am proud of you<3

-cal