A teenage boy with a packet of mysterious seeds

Author's Note: This one is a slow burn, but I swear if you stick with it and get invested with the characters, when the big corruption does hit it will be intense.

It was a bright spring afternoon, full of sunshine and fresh blossoms. The winter chill had finally left for good, leaving a placid warmth in its place. Unfortunately, Anthony wasn't feeling the new season. Instead, he was feeling nerves and frustration.

The source of Anthony's nerves walked next to him, seemingly blissfully unaware of his feelings for her. Her name was Bonnie Andrews and, in Anthony's opinion, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Any time Anthony looked at Bonnie for too long, it felt as if he were looking into the sun. She was too damn pretty.

It hadn't always been like that. Anthony and Bonnie had grown up together as outcasts. Anthony had been the string bean and Bonnie had been the class fat girl. They were both clever and nerdy and painfully awkward. There had been a kind of balance there that made their friendship perfect. Then Bonnie broke that balance.

Even when she had been heavy, Bonnie had been a pretty girl. She had a sweet, open face and big brown eyes and a bit of a pudgy nose that Anthony found to be adorable. She also had a generous helping of curves. Still, she had still been hefty.

Somehow, everything changed in a matter of months. Perhaps it was the last vestiges of puberty deciding to pay Bonnie a visit after her eighteenth birthday. It definitely wasn't exercise - something that Bonnie still vehemently opposed on principle. Whatever it was, it caused the pounds to melt off of Bonnie. She slimmed down rapidly throughout the first semester of their senior year. Actually, a better way to describe it was that her flab migrated to all the right places. Anthony swore Bonnie's curves were fuller than ever. For the first time in the history of his friendship with Bonnie, Anthony had trouble talking to her. His heart beat faster whenever he was around her. He stumbled over his words. If Bonnie noticed, she didn't let it on. God, Anthony wanted to ask her out so bad, but he kept chickening out.

"Earth to Anthony! Earth to Anthony! Are you there buddy?"

Anthony yelped in surprise as he realized that Bonnie was trying desperately to get his attention.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

"You were telling a story and you dropped off half way through, ya weirdo," Mack said.

Mack was Anthony's _other _best friend. Their friendship was nearly as close as Anthony's friendship to Bonnie, sans overwhelming romantic feelings.

"Oh, right. The seeds," Anthony said, remembering the little paper bag burning a hole in his pocket.

If Bonnie Andrews was the source of Anthony's nerves, the packet of seeds was his source of frustration.

"Oh yeah, my mom is making me help my old neighbor with gardening. Her husband died a few years ago, and I guess she gardens to cope. Something like that. So I'm helping her tend to it."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Bonnie said.

Anthony blushed, hard.

"Yeah, erm, thanks. Well anyways, she apparently wanted me to order these super rare, exotic, special plant seeds and I kind of put it off. Eventually it was too late and the seeds wouldn't come in time."

"So what the hell are you going to do?" Mack asked.

Anthony felt his nerves abate for a moment. This was the part of the story where he got to brag and he loved bragging.

"I ordered some exotic seeds off the dark web."

"The dark web? I don't like the sound of that," Bonnie said. "Isn't that where you buy illegal and, erm, worse things?"

Anthony immediately felt himself backtracking. The last thing he wanted to do was make a bad impression on Bonnie - even if they had known each other for over a decade at this point.

"Well it wasn't really the dark web. More the deep web, which is different. I meant the deep web. It isn't as bad. Anyways, I bought these seeds and I'm hoping she won't notice the difference."

"I don't know man," Mack said. "Those seeds could be for anything. Shit, you might end up growing pot!"

Anthony shrugged, "At least I would make a profit."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "you guys are ridiculous."

They reached the parking lot and began to say their farewells. Anthony lingered for a moment and called out to Bonnie. Bonnie turned, a ray of sunlight catching her beautiful brunette curls.

"Yeah Anthony?"

Will you go out with me? Will you make me the happiest boy on earth?

"I'll, um, see you around."

"See you!" Bonnie said, smiling brightly. Anthony felt like melting in place.