Illuminated // Phan (boyxboy)

Chapter 4

For Dan, school was pretty much uneventful for him that morning , much like every other day of school really. Only, this time he had to keep a special eye out for a skinny black haired boy at all times, he knew that Scott didn't say he had to monitor Phil constantly but he felt the need too. He just got the feeling that Phil wasn't telling him or Scott everything about what was happening to him at school.

He tried to avoid the gang he used to bother with as much as he possibly could, a twinge of fear grabbing at him from the back of his mind that they'd reject him for being a care kid. It wasn't as if he actually give a shit about them, he had Phil now; plus he still had Alfie, Louise, Troye and Tyler. The rest of them could do one for all he cared, they'd never been real friends to him, just people who tried to get him high or drunk as a tag along to their big social parties.

As sad as it seemed he knew he would have to keep Phil a secret from people like Marcus Butler and his gang; they'd pulverize the small boy to a pulp if they could get their hands on him. That's just how they operated; picking on the smaller kids because they couldn't do anything back or tell anyone; isolating them in their own minds. He really fucking hated them. Just thinking of Phil begging that morning to stay home from school, sent anger coursing through his veins and he had to take gulps of oxygen through a spaced count to make sure he didn't lose it right there.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a smiling Alfie who had his arm around a girl who even to Dan, who was gay, was beautiful. "Hey buddy, you look distracted; got your eye on somebody then?" He laughed back at Alfie, giving him a joking push. Alfie was one of the few people who Dan had told he was gay and he was incredibly supportive of Dan and his choices. His mouth turned up into a smirk because he literally did have his eye on somebody, a very small, scared somebody who he worried was getting upset by himself.

He thought back to Phil's silence and shaky replies to his questions on the way to school and a scowl soon found his way to his face as he searched more frantically through the sea of student for Phil.
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They walked by each other in compatible silence on the walk to school, happy to be near each other. Well, at least Dan was. Phil kept looking nervously behind him as if he was waiting for someone to pop out and scare him. Every time Phil spotted anyone, they didn't necessarily have to be in their school uniform, he would hunch himself over, walking so fast that Dan worried he would break out into a full on sprint and he would have to actually do exercise to keep up with the frightened boy.

"Phil, why do you look as if you're expecting someone? Do you usually walk to school with someone else?" Dan had mused out loud, determined to at least solve some of Phil's mystery.

Phil had just stared at his shoes miserably before glancing up at Dan from behind his fringe. As Phil usually kept his head down due to his minimal self confidence, Dan had completely forgotten about the black eye that stood out ostentatiously on the milky white canvas of Phil's face.

"Fuck, I mean, crap. Phil, how did you get that bruise around your eye and spare me the bull shit you told Scott about falling down the stairs at school, we both know that's not true." He softly demanded, wanting information but not wanting to frighten Phil. They'd both stopped now but Dan wasn't worried about time, Phil was worth being late and getting a detention over and plus, Phil had made them leave early that morning, not telling him why. Dan was glad now though it gave him time to try and help Phil before school, even though he had resented it when they were walking out of the door at the same time Dan would of probably been getting up yesterday.

Phil had just stared at his shoes again and shrugged his shoulders, wanting nothing more than to go back to the care home and hide away. He didn't think he could cope with school anymore, not the students, not the teachers, not the lessons, not the additional support classes they had put him in but most definitely not the bullies.

Dan as if he could sense Phil's growing dread, crouched in front of the boy before whispering, " You know you can tell me anything; right Philly?" He desperately wanted Phil to be able to confide in him, he wanted to be the one to fix Phil and show him hope in the world again. Phil looked past him, not meeting his gaze again, seemingly suddenly interested in the trees around him. Dan knew that Phil could hear him just fine but let it go, knowing Phil was likely to get agitated the closer they got to the school and didn't need Dan bringing up painful memories to add insult to injury.

Dan stood up, bruising non-existent dirt off of his collar before he stepped closer to Phil and walked by his side until they had got to the school. Dan was about to hug Phil and wish him good luck and tell him that he could come find him if he needed anything, but the pale faced boy had already ran away from him, in the opposite direction of the school, immediately being swallowed by the crowd and lost in the throng of students.

Dan had to just stand and stare as a feeling of unease grew inside of him.
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"Mate, are you sure you-" Alfie's words were cut off by the bell for first lesson. With one last searching look, Dan span on his heels as he began the assent of stairs into the school building.
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Phil's day was rather different. That was one way to generally sum up everything about Phil and school; different. He had different classes, different lessons, different break times, different speaking activities, different everything and he was sick of it. He wanted to be normal for once, just for one day. He wanted nothing more than to be average, to just sink into the crowd of students and not be noticed; he wanted to be mediocre, average, the same as everyone else. Instead, he was above average intelligence, skipping two school years for his work. Sure he was still in year seven, but his work was was up to that of the standard of a year nines, the teachers even said it was probably better. That's not what he wanted, being average wouldn't have him being beaten up everyday at school.

As soon as he and Dan had gotten near the school he bolted, turning fast on his heels in the completely opposite direction. Unable to cope with the idea of going back. He headed behind the school towards the large expanse of trees which he would be able to climb easily due to his slenderness. He could thank his parents for that and he almost chuckled from the sick irony; almost.

When he was as comfortable as he could be in the large oak tree, he contemplated how it had got to this point. He was eleven, surely most kids his age would be merry with excitement at the prospect of meeting up with their friends again after the holidays.

That wouldn't apply to Phil though, he had no friends here, only enemies who wanted nothing more than to hurt him at any given opportunity.

In the distance he could hear the bell for second lesson as he climbed swiftly back down the tree and headed inside the school building.

"Metal carbonates are also bases and have specific reactions, refer back to your books for exemplars of ones we have already studied," He heard Miss Chomps' voice ring out from the outside the classroom. Deep breaths, he rationalized with himself, you're on a free lesson now, you just have to go in there and get your registration mark so Scott doesn't find out that you skipped earlier. He cautiously opened the door and peered inside, "Would anybody like to give me an example of one of the- Oh, Phil. You're late again," She stared at him disapprovingly, "Your care worker rung me this morning to say-" she clamped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just disclosed to her class, her eyes brimming with regret.

Phil felt his heart pounding in his chest as he bolted from the classroom, the words of the class practically screaming in his head "It's Freaky Phil!" "Someone get it out, the stupid fuck up might infect us all." The voices were too loud and they hurt, God they really hurt. A fire felt as if it was burning inside his lungs as he struggled to find oxygen before he bolted out of the school and back under the oak tree, too weak to climb it, settling for laying under it, just to rest his eyes for a while.
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Dan Howell had been having a normal day of school up until second lesson when he heard what happened with Phil and how the younger boy had fled the building .With shaking fingers sent a text to Scott frantically, "Scott, Phil's gone missing and he was in a bad state before he did." Heart pounding in his chest, he fell back into his chair, hands supporting his head as he cursed Scott for making Phil come to school that day.