Homeless~Phan

Chapter 6

I need to get out of here.
My breath comes out in pants, and I feel lightheaded. I lean against the counter to balance myself. I look at the tv again, but the reporter has already switched to another topic.
"Are you okay, sir?"
Behind the counter, a brunette employee is looking at me with concern. "Do you need me to get you a water?"
"No, I'm fine, you don't need-"
I don't get the chance to finish my sentence before a bottle of cold water is thrust in my face. I reluctantly take it as she says,
"Don't worry about paying for it, it's on me."
"Thanks." I say.
"It's no problem. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm sure. I just got lightheaded for a second there."
"Alright, my names Zoe if you need anything else." She smiles before disappearing into the back room with a swish of her ponytail.
...Alrighty.
That encounter was a bit strange, but she seems nice. As I drink the cold water, I feel myself calm down a bit. The fear I felt is still there, but not as bad as before.
After stuffing the water into my bag, I head to the door.
"Thank you!" I yell over my shoulder.
I hear a 'no problem!' before the door swings shut behind me.
I walk down the block, sweating my ass off. Maybe skinny jeans wasn't the best choice of pants today. It's past noon, and the sun is blazing.
I need to go to a place to relax... I should go to the park! There's plenty of shade there, so I can hopefully not die of heatstroke.
~
Some time later, I'm in front of the familiar Grantor Park sign. I can see the treetops from over the hill. Maybe I'll run into Chris, Phil, and Pj again. It was really nice to hang out with them yesterday.
Then, doubt washes over me.
What about Phil's panic attack? He was really upset, he might not wanna see me after that. Hell, he probably doesn't even like me.
I crest the hill, and see the vast forest stretching beyond the pond. And I see a familiar head of ebony black hair lounging comfortably on the dock.
Oh god, Phil's here. If he sees me, he'll think I'm clingy, that I came here to talk to him about what happened yesterday.
I begin to turn back, but then, out of the corner of my eye, see Phil waving wildly. When I look again, he's sitting up and motioning for me to come over.
'Oh god, I hope this goes smoothly,' I think as I make my way towards the dock.
Once I get there, I settle down beside Phil. Before he says anything, I begin to explain.
"Look, Phil, I didn't come here to, like, see if you were here or anything. It's just, this park seems like a really neat place, and I wanted to visit it again, and I just-"
"You're fine." Phil interrupts my babbling.
Well, at least he didn't get the wrong idea.
"I enjoy your company. I was actually quite lonely, before you came here. You see, Chris and Pj ditched me a while back, I don't know where they are now. But I was just laying here, watching the clouds. It was really boring. But now you're here, and I'm not alone!"
Phil smiles, and I swear to god, it's the most adorable thing I've ever witnessed.
Where the hell did that come from? I need to stop.
I look away quickly, before Phil sees me blushing.
"Yeah, I'm here now." I mumble.
Phil scoots closer to me, and says,
"Is that what I think it is?"
"W-what?" I stammer. Did he see something in my backpack? Oh god, if he did, there go my chances of friendship with him.
"That Muse shirt! I didn't know you were a fan!"
I sigh in relief. Thank god.
"Um, yeah! I've listened to them for years! Are you a fan, too?" I ask, suddenly interested in what Phil thinks.
"Duh. Of course I like them. What's your favorite album?"
"I'll have to say... Origin of Symmetry."
"Really, that's my favorite, too!" Phil beams again, and I feel butterflies in my stomach. And, I realize, hunger, too.
"Are you hungry, Phil?" I ask tentatively.
Phil nods.
"Starving. I haven't had any lunch. Say, there's a McDonald's not too far from here. You wanna grab a bite to eat?"
Fresh food definitely sounds appealing to me, and I nod enthusiastically.
"Alright, let's get going. I don't know how much more of this summer heat I can take. I can't wait to feel the air conditioning once we get there. Also..." He trails off observing my outfit.
"What are you thinking wearing skinny jeans in weather like this? Especially black skinny jeans," Phil scolds.
I scoff.
"I like to live life on the edge, Mom."
"I've always wanted to be a mother," Phil giggles.
"Ok, real talk, we need to get to McDonald's or I'm gonna die of heatstroke," I say, and with that, we both stand up and start walking towards the entrance of the park.
As we walk, I think about what happened yesterday.
How is he so calm, now? If I were him, I wouldn't even want to visit this place if I were triggered by something in it. I'm not going to ask about it, that would be rude. I hope he's okay, though.
Now we're on the road outside of the park. The sun is gleaming down both of our backs, causing us both to sweat profusely. I consider taking out my water bottle that I have in my bag, but decide against it. It's probably hot by now, and that would make me warmer than I already am.
"So," I try to make small talk as we make our way to the oasis.
"The Notebook."
"What about it? I thought Chris and Pj explained it to you yesterday," Phil says.
"Not all of it. I literally have a million questions about it."
"Hit me."
"Where do you keep it?"
"We keep it in an undisclosed location in the park. You can't know the exact spot unless Chris, Pj, and I agree to tell you."
"Why is that?" I ask, amused.
"We came up with a system of rules and regulations that go with the notebook. Yeah, it seems a bit childish, but we all agreed to follow through with the rules. The Notebook holds a special place in our hearts, and we don't want anything to happen to it. I'm not saying that you'd do anything, by the way. I'm just following our rules."
"Okay. That makes sense, with the rules and all. But, how do you keep The Notebook in the park without it getting taken or wet or something?"
"You'll find that out in time."
"You don't have to make everything so mysterious, Phil."
Phil doesn't answer me, but freezes and stares ahead. I look in that direction, and sure enough, I see the parking lot of the McDonalds in the distance, and let out a whoop of joy.
"WE MADE IT!" I yell dramatically.
Phil pretends to shed a tear.
"After all this time... After traveling the rough terrain for ages; we've reached our destination."
"This isn't Lord of the Rings, Phil."
"Yes it is."
"Prove it."
Phil suddenly turns to me, a gleam in his eye.
"Last one to McDonald's has to admit that the other was wrong!"
With that, he gets a head start while I process what he just said. A split second later, I'm on his heels, running as fast as I can towards the restaurant.
"I'm really out of shape," I think to myself as our footsteps echo off the hot pavement.
Phil reaches the restaurant a split second before me, and celebrates by doing a victory dance.
"I wiiiin!" He sings as he jumps up and down.
"You had a head start, that wasn't fair!" I wheeze. Thanks to that, I'm sweating buckets. "You can celebrate your victory inside, because if we don't go in right now I'm going to die, I'm not even kidding."
"Not until you admit I as right."
I look at him with exasperated eyes. Phil has a triumphant smirk on his face, and his eyebrows are raised, waiting for me to announce my defeat.
I sigh before saying,
"You were right, I was wrong; and yes, this is Lord of the Rings. Happy?"
Phil's grin grows wider as he nods.
"You're the worst person in the world." I state before pulling open the door.
The cool air hits me, and I feel like I'm in heaven. The smell of warm fries greet my nose, making my stomach rumble. Phil appears beside me.
"Ready to get in line?" He asks.
I stare into those blue eyes for a moment before answering. "Yeah."
Phil blushes, before heading to join the small line. I follow him, and look at the choices.
I could just order a water and medium fries... I have enough money for that.
That thought is scrapped as my stomach rumbles once more. I'll definitely need more than that.
Phil begins his order, and I finally decide what I'll get. Phil steps to the side, and I'm greeted with a smile from the redhead cashier.
"Hi, what can I get you?" She asks.
"I'll have..." I look at the menu once more, to make sure I have enough money.
"I'll have the medium fries, side salad, and a water, please."
"Alright, sir, that'll be £2.64," the cashier states.
Right. I have to pay for the food with money. In my bag. With all my other stuff.
I feel everyone's eyes on me as I take off my backpack. I open up the zipper, making sure no one but myself can see the contents inside. I feel my face turn red as I scramble to get the right amount of money.
"You're holding up the line. Everyone's waiting on you."
I finally get the money into my sweating hands and hand it to the cashier. She puts the money into the register and says,
"Your food will be here in a minute."
I step to the side to allow the next person to place their order. Phil looks at me with worry, but doesn't say anything. Our food arrives on two trays, and we both look for a table to sit at. Phil points to a cozy looking booth in the corner.
"Let's sit there."
"Okay."
We walk over to it, and sit opposite to each other. I shrug out of my backpack and set it beside me. Phil unwraps his sandwich and takes a bite. I poke at my fries.
Phil breaks the awkward silence by asking,
"Why do you carry around that backpack all the time?"
I freeze, and try to come up with an explanation.
I just can't tell him, 'hey, all my stuff I own is in there. I carry it around because I'm homeless.' He can't know I'm homeless.
"I um, just like to carry a lot of stuff around. You know, I like to keep all of my stuff in one place."
Lies. All lies. Phil definitely knows this, but doesn't say anything. I stuff a handful of fries into my mouth before asking,
"So where are you from?"
"What?" Phil asks, confused.
"You don't sound like you're from here. Are you from the north?"
"Yeah, I'm from Lancashire. My family moved to this neighborhood a couple of summers ago. Are you from around here?"
I hesitate before answering.
"Well, I was born in Berkshire, and I live around here now."
Of course, my family definitely doesn't live here. They still live in Berkshire. When I ran away, I made sure to get as far away from them as possible. So I went to London, where I'm sure they'll never find me. Of course, that was over a year ago. They've probably stopped looking for me, and I'd like to keep it that way. I'd rather die than go back to that hell.
Changing the subject, I say,
"Why doesn't anyone go to the park? Every time I've gone there, it's deserted."
Phil thinks about it for a moment, then says,
"I don't know, honestly. But I think that it's like a geode. On the outside, it looks ordinary, plain. Maybe because of the trashy look of the place. Most people only see this, and don't look further than that. But then, there's the small handful of people that care to take a look inside, and they find a treasure. That's why it's so special."
Wow.
"That was deep, Phil."
"Yeah, I get like that sometimes. Sorry for sounding like John Green."
I chuckle as I take a bite of my salad. "Don't be sorry, it makes you sound full of wisdom and understanding. Like the teenage equivalent of Gandhi."
"That's the best complement anyone's ever given me. Thanks, friend." Phil giggles.
I feel my heart speed up.
Friend... He considers me a friend.
I'm smiling like an idiot, staring into my food and blushing crimson. I take a bite of salad, hoping it would squelch the flutter in my stomach.
"What's gotten you tickled?" Phil asks.
I mumble,
"I've- well, I haven't had a friend before. You're the first friend I've had in 17- almost 18 years."
When Phil doesn't say anything, I look up. His eyes are filled with sympathy, and he asks,
"You haven't had a friend before?"
I shake my head.
"That's terrible. Why wouldn't anyone want to be friends with you? You're such an amazing person." Phil sounds genuine.
"You don't have to feel sorry for me. It's not your fault." Now I feel really bad for telling him.
"I know, but it's just so sad. I mean, I can't imagine what it's like for you."
"Well, now it won't be like that anymore. You said that I'm your friend."
Phil smiles.
"Yeah-I am. And I bet that Pj and Chris will warm up to you. In fact-"
He pauses before continuing.
"Chris is having a party tomorrow, at his house. And... I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?"
I stop chewing my food. Phil wants me to go? With him?
Phil notices my hesitation, and stammers,
"I mean, not as like, a date or anything. As friends. I mean- it's- I'd just be nice if you were there."
Phil's cheeks are red, he's flustered.
"Actually, I'd love to go."
Phil's face immediately brightens up, and he says excitedly,
"Oh, that's great! The party starts at 9, but I'd get there around 8:30, before everyone arrives. I told Chris that I'd help set up; you wouldn't mind tagging along, would you?"
"No, I'll help. Where's his house?"
"It's 1232 Wayberry Street, only a block or two from the park. It shouldn't be that hard to find."
"Sounds good. Just wondering, how many people will be there?"
Phil pauses.
"A lot. Chris is quite the partier. But you don't have to talk to everyone at the party, if you're not okay with that. You can just hang with me, if you want."
"Okay."
I can't believe he invited me to a party. I can't believe that Phil actually wants to hang out with me.
Ugh, I need to stop.
I wasn't the person who couldn't handle sitting across from a boy. Admittedly, a cute boy. Who was staring at me like he thought I could read Morse eye contact.
I take another bite of my salad and look out the window. The sky that was once blue and bright has turned cloudy and dark. The black clouds loom ominously over the treetops, threatening to pour down raining any moment.
Phil looks out the window, and says,
"We should probably head home before the storm hits."
"Yeah," I agree, and we both stand up to throw away our food.
The sky is a shade darker when we walk out of McDonald's. The smell of rain surrounds me, and the ominous sky looms above us.
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Phil asks.
"No!" I snap.
Phil looks hurt, and I stutter,
"I mean, I live all the way across town. You probably live closer, anyway. I can walk you to your house, if that's okay."
Phil smiles. "Okay. Come on, I don't live too far from here."
He grabs my hand and pulls me towards the neighborhood. His warm touch sends electric currents through my body, like I've been struck by the lightning of the oncoming storm.
"If we hurry, we can make it before the storm hits," Phil remarks.
Needless to say, he was wrong. We were too late to get to his house before the rain.
We were both drenched well before we arrived to Phil's house. The small, two story house had a certain charm to it. The white paint on the bricks was peeling off in certain areas, and the tall oak tree in the front yard loomed over the house like a protective mother. The black roof glimmered with the rain, and the windows were fogged with condensation.
"You have a really nice house," I declare as I walk up the front steps.
"Thanks! Hopefully you can come over sometime," Phil says as he takes a house key out of his pocket. He unlocks the wooden front door and steps inside. He leaves it open just a crack, and he leans his upper torso out of it. He asks,
"Are you sure that you'll be okay for the walk to your house? It's really far."
"I'll be okay."
Phil smiles, and the butterflies in my stomach begin to do somersaults.
"I guess this is goodbye, for now," he says solemnly.
"I guess so."
"It was really nice hanging out with you."
"Yeah, it was really nice."
"Don't forget, the party's at 8:30!"
"I'll be there."
Phil smiles as he locks eyes with me. His dark fringe drips water onto the wooden floor, and his eyes sparkle an ocean blue.
"Bye," he whispers.
"Bye."
He gives me another smile before closing the door.
I linger at the doorstep for a moment, with the sound of rain and my thoughts as my only company.
Phil's smile, Phil's eyes, Phil's voice, replayed over and over again in my mind.
Phil is fairly sure I'm his friend.
And me... I'm fairly sure I'm in love.

A/N:
Heyyyyy. I'm still dying on the inside after writing the last line. (Screams for 10000 years)
That line's pretty self explanatory. IM SO HAPPY I GOT TO WRITE THAT. I had such a great time writing this entire Chapter, it killed me with the feels. I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter because PARTIES. I'm so excited to introduce new people and have Chris and Pj back in the upcoming chapter. :)
Also, Zoe Sugg made a surprise appearance in this chapter. I'm so happy I got to include her in this story (also maybe look for her in future chapters *wink wink*).
And yes, I picked McDonalds as the restaurant Dan and Phil go to, because I have no idea what restaurants they have in London; as I don't live there. So I picked the restaurant that I was most familiar with.
THIS STORY HAS OVER 100 READS THANK YOU SO MUCH <3
If you like this chapter be sure to favorite and comment your opinions!
Until next time...