The Exchange Student ➵ phan

Chapter 11

About 2 hours later Lyda's finally everything she's been looking for (the jumper excluded of course) and Phil is nowhere to be found.

For some reason he trusted me with his stuff so now I've got his record player held under my arm like it's made of pure gold and a bag of clothes I chose for him.

A few of the clothes such as the purple Gengar shirt and the Nyan Pops with a Nyan Cat promoting cereal on the front are just for fun. Sometimes it's nice to mess with Phil.

"Oh!" Lyda exclaims, a large smile growing on her face. She rushes towards a woman with a toddler on her hip and slightly older toddler pulling at her hair.

"Grace!" She calls, ecstatic, gathering the woman into quite a large hug.

"Lyda! What brings you to my neck of the woods?" The woman asks with a jolly laugh, backing away to rearrange her short blond curls.

"My exchange student for the year is shopping for school with me. Phil's gone off somewhere, but when isn't he?" Lyda lets out a hearty laugh and my eyebrow raises.

That seems kind of rude, oh shit, am I supporting Phil now? The image of Phil's bright eyes from that photo and his arms in black t-shirts and that cute little thing he does where his tongue pokes out and ugh. Yep, I am defending him because I think he's hot. I'm turning into a tumblr fangirl over Phil.

"Dan?" Lyda snaps her fingers over my eyes and I jump, laughing at my silliness after.

"Sorry. You were saying something?" I vaguely remember Grace's lips moving but I didn't listen in.

"I was asking where you are from. You don't sound very British." Grace answers, still smiling. She smiles a lot.

"Oh I'm from California."

"Ah, the city of bright lights. Don't bring any drugs into your school without my permission." She giggles, elbowing my side.

I can physically feel my walls sliding up, red lights flashing in my head. Danger danger uncomfortable.

"I'm going to- I'm going to find Phil, would that be alright?" I ask Lyda, already taking tentative steps away from the mismatched group.

"Yes of course, when you find him tell him we need to head out."

I nod, flashing them one correct smile before turning on my heel and rushing down the street. Where the hell I'm going I have no idea, somewhere away from that awkward conversation.

For some unknown my feet walk me straight into the Record Store, Julian hanging records from the wall while some song I know by heart starts to play.

This place has quickly become my safe haven, people always talk about that one place, the beach, a park, anywhere they feel accepted and loved unconditionally. And to me it's the old record shop on 64th Street that nobody would give a second glance.

"Eh, Little Bear. Back for the CD?" Julian jumps from his small step ladder right in front of my face.

"No I'm looking for Phil. I figured he may be around here?" I ask, trying to lean nonchalantly on the wall when my eyes catch an old vinyl in the back rows. "Holy cow you have Teenage Dirtbag here?"

"It is the jam of the lonely Little Bear. I think I saw Phil head towards the bathroom a few minutes ago. Funny how you and him always seem to find each other in the most unexpected of ways." Julian muses.

I slip the record player in my bag of clothing and pick up the vinyl. "2 pounds? C'mon Julian this is a classic. And why do you keep calling me little bear?"