the love club

xi

Dan

Chris and Pj were given a 3 week suspension each. I really didn't plan on telling the school, but my mom forced it out of me and made me report it to the vice principal but I was more than grateful that they had been removed for the rest of the semester. Phil didn't attend school for the rest of the week which saddened me. I didn't want to pity him, and I never thought I would but I did. I couldn't leave him to just be sad either, as much as I wanted to, so on Friday night I made chinese food, packed it into some containers and walked to Phil's house.

The cerulean sky was lit with an aura of the setting sun, euphoria rays warming my skin and if it wasn't for the Chinese food that was slowly chilling in my bag, I would have stopped to take it all in.

What if he doesn't like chinese food, was a large concern in my head as I neared his house. Even though it wasn't even close to a date, I was worried I wouldn't receive his approval about arriving at his house uninvited with half a kilo of rice and corn in my bag.

I walked up his steps nervously, going through the plan in my head on how to announce myself confidently to his parents or whoever answered the door. My breathing was kind of ragged from the cold air and my nerves, so I took a moment to compose myself under his front porch. Raising my fist, I knocked three times so I seemed polite but casual. After a few moments, a lady answered the door with a polite smile.

"Hello, we don't want to buy anything." She greeted me and I frowned for a moment before catching on.
"No, I'm not here to sell anything." I laughed awkwardly. "I'm," I paused. "I'm a friend of Phil's from school. My name is Dan." My hands were shaking ever so slightly from the awkward encounter. "Is he home?"
She laughed but I couldn't tell if she was laughing with me or at me and it made me feel slightly isolated. "Yes, come in."
She ushered me inside her abnormally large house that I had only ever seen when it was packed with people and alcohol, which was currently not the case.

"Did you get rid of them?" Somebody called from the couch.
"Don't worry dear, it was just a friend of Phil's." He turned around to face me, giving a surprised look. I tried not to be intimidated by his gaze, but his large figure even sitting on the couch gave me a small amount of anxiety. I quickly moved forward to shake his hand, which he kindly accepted with a firm grip.

"Are you a new friend of Phil's?" He asked, looking me up and down. I nodded quickly, holding the strap of my bag tightly.
"Do you play football?"
"No, sir." I replied quietly. He nodded approvingly, looking at the woman who had greeted me, who I was guessing was Phil's mother.
"He's upstairs sweetie," she said kindly. "First door on the right." I nodded quickly, muttering a thank you and removing myself from the situation as quickly as possible.

Their house was confronting; tall white walls covered in family photos that seemed like they didn't belong there, assorted red and black ornaments that failed at giving the Victorian styled house a modern feel and instead made it feel cold and empty. I walked slowly up the staircase, my hair flipping as I neared the first door on the right. It had Phil's named badly painted on it in blue paint, which looked like he possibly did when he was younger, but I wasn't here to judge. I was just here to deliver my now cold chinese food and leave.

After a moment of contemplating turning back and leaving, I knocked on his door twice.
"Come in!" I followed the muffled voices instructions and slowly opened the door, taking a deep breath.

He was sitting on his bed, pressed against his bedhead with his knees up, one headphone hanging from his ear. The room was lit with a lamp, his curtains opened as a juxtaposition of golds, peach and oxford blue hues flowed through his large window that was directed to the left of him. He looked up at me confused, his eyebrows in a knot.

"Dan?"
"Hi Phil."