Saving the lion- phan

{6} Texts from no-one

(Dan's pov)

I hate school. Let's just get that one over with. I mean, it's not that I'm not grateful for having a decent education, because I understand how lucky I am to have one, honestly I do.
In fact normally it's not even the lessons or the homework I hate. I think I just hate people.
Throughout my childhood I was legitimately the fucking sun from the Teletubbies, in that I actually smiled at people, showed my emotions, and, I hope, was a reasonably nice person.

But obviously people didn't like that.
When I started secondary school
(A/N secondary school is the same as middle school in america sorta except it's 7 years long instead of 2?) guys in my year started to call me gay and a faggot. Which wasn't too bad, because in my opinion it was their bad for judging people like that and using gay as an insult.

Third year of secondary school. The bullying was bad, but not unbearable. But I never really felt safe at school, because I had no friends, no one to rely on or talk to. The only place in which I felt safe was at home. My parents always made me feel loved and warm, and would comfort me whenever I'd had a shitty day (which was often).

Okay so let me get this straight. I didn't lie to Phil exactly, I just covered up the truth.
My dad had hurt me before. In Year 10, I came home one evening to find my dad ridiculously drunk, talking to himself. For a few minutes he didn't even notice I had arrived home, and I wish he hadn't noticed me at all.
But he did.
As he caught sight of me his red flushed face twisted into a malicious grin.

"Finally home, are we?" he said, his words unclear and slurred.

"Ummm.. yes.. but this is the time I always get home Dad..." I said anxiously.

"You.. little.. bastard.." he murmured.

Suddenly I felt a searing pain in my right shoulder, and gasped when I realised that I'd lost concentration for a few seconds and my dad had shoved me roughly against the sharp edge of our kitchen dresser. I winced, my face screwed up in pain.

"You're a fucking mistake, did you know that? You. Weren't. Meant. To. Happen. You were an accident. When you were born your mother was upset. YOU HEAR THAT?" he shouted, while I whimpered.

"That's not true..." I whispered, my voice close to breaking from crying.

"DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!!!" my dad shouted and sent a punch straight at my jaw. I screamed, as it felt like my jaw was broken or at least dislocated.
My dad simply laughed and continued to punch me until I blacked out.

I didn't go to school the next day. I spent the day at home with a large bowl of popcorn and Netflix.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

{Still Dan's pov}
My phone buzzed. I frowned when I saw it was from a blocked number, and when I had finished reading the text I clapped my hand over my mouth, feeling sick.

'You have until this time next week to ditch Phil or the kitten dies.' the text read.

My phone buzzed again.

'Don't think you can get around this, I'm watching you Dan Howell...' the text read.

'Fuck,' I thought.

But I couldn't ditch Phil. No fucking way. I'd only just become his boyfriend, and he has enough else to worry about without me breaking up with him one day after we got together... But it said Phil would die...

I put my phone on charge in my living room, before going up to my bedroom to play video games. They always helped to calm me down.

I put mario Kart 8 into the wii machine, and heard the familiar theme tune play. I smiled.