The New Boy: Phan High School AU

Chapter 29 - Phil's POV

an: haha get rekd u guys

As much as I like working on the play, I'm kind of starting to resent it. I mean, I've barely even seen Dan this week, except for Monday in the library. It's just been rehearsal after rehearsal, some of them going till like 11 pm! And while he's in rehearsal, I've been working costumes with Jamie. So we're not even in the same room!

It's about 6 pm, and we've already been in rehearsal for about 2 hours when Mr. Vanderbilt calls out. "Guys, anyone in Fairy Tale Creature scenes is gonna need to stay an extra hour, but the rest of you can leave at 9:30 as planned. That said, take 45 minutes for dinner or whatever,  meet back in the house for notes when times up. "

"Thank you, 45!" Everyone calls, before rushing back to dressing rooms to change into their street clothes.

"Hey, guys, let's take a break, too," Jamie says to the kids working in the costume shop with us. She clicks on her mic. "Will? Saoirse? Can your team take 45 as well?"

My phone buzzes.

Dan:
Hey, wanna come to the courtyard? I have Chris and Pj bringing food 🍕🍕

Me:
Sounds good! 😁

Dan:
Great meet you in 5!

"Hey, Jamie, do you wanna come get some food?" I ask.

"No, thank you. I have a,, prior engagement. " She answers. "Come on people, no one left in the costume shop please. Go outside! Get some fresh air or something!" She makes shooing motions, gesturing for people to make their exit.

The costumers all leave, except for Jamie, and we spread out, some going to the hall, some going to sit in the house, some going outside, some to wait on stage. I walk down the hall and push open the double doors leading out to the courtyard.

"Hey, guys!" I call out to Chris and Pj. They're already sitting on a bench, a box of pizza between them.

"Hello, Philippe. Come-a getta some pizza!" Chris says in a bad Italian accent. Pj whacks him on the arm before handing me a slice. I settle on the bench next to them.

"Pizza!" I hear someone shout. "Yes, good, I'm starving."

Dan walks up to us and grabs a piece before sitting heavily down next to me. "I Am fucking Exhausted. I've just been dancing for like a straight up hour. " He runs his hand through his hair and I can't help but stare at him. He still has his Duloc Dancer makeup on; bright red circles on his cheeks, small black triangles under his eyes. His hair is curling slightly from being under a hat for the past few hours and he looks...really good. Like I can't even explain it.

"Damn, Phil, undress him with your eyes anymore and you'll have taken off his skin!" Pj jokes.

"Right? Like get a room or at least get together already." Chris adds.

"Ugh! Never in a million years!" Dan exclaims. "C'mon, Phil, lets go somewhere where such slander can't harm us."

We start to leave but then he doubles back. "And I'm taking another piece of pizza!"

We walk back into the school, and stand outside the door of the auditorium so Dan can finish his pizza. It gives me time to think. What is so  'Ugh! Never in a million years!' about us dating?  Why would Dan be so vehemently against the idea? Even in a joke, like Chris made.

Dan opens the door and gestures for me to go through. "We've still got a good 15 minutes before rehearsal starts back up again; do you wanna hang out here?"

"Yeah, I guess."

We walk down the aisleway and "mid....two, three... " I hear Dan muttering under his breath, but I'm not really sure what.  We move into a row of seats.  "one,two,three,four,five,,, Here," He says, motioning for me to sit next to him.

He's fidgeting with his thumb. "Sorry about them, back there."

"Oh, it didn't really bother me." I answer.

"Really?" He looks up at me. "Good. So,,,um.,.." He leans in slightly, still fidgeting with his thumb. "I was wondering if, um.., if do you wanna go out with me?"

"Like on a date?" I ask. Heck yeah, I would! I'm kind of surprised; after his comment to Chris, this is pretty much the last thing I expected.

"Well,..,yeah. " He answers. "And maybe.,..like,,as my...boyfriend?"

"Um, sure,, yeah. Okay." I smile. "I'd like that."

"Really? Great!" He grins. "Um, Wow. Okay, I need to go change into the Wolf, but I'm really glad I did this."

"Yeah, me too," I say.

He runs off, back to the dressing room, and I sit in the audience, in the middle section, third row, seventh seat from the right.  I feel the wooden armrest under my palm and I wonder if it's real, if I'm real, if any of this is really real. Did Dan really just ask me out? Am I now going out with Dan Howell?

"Five minutes!" calls Mr. Vanderbilt. "Thank you, five!" everyone answers, rushing to finish changing or get into place. I walk to the costume shop in a haze, still wondering if I heard Dan right. Is he really my boyfriend now?

I'm not paying attention and I walk straight into Danny. "Sorry! Hey, your Duloc makeup is a little smudged."

"Oh it's fine," He answers. "I need to get into Fairy Tale costume anyway."

"You'd better hurry, you've got less than five minutes now." I inform him.

"ShIt, really? I gotta go, thanks Phil!" He takes off running down the hallway.

I enter the costume shop to find Jamie setting up a sewing machine.

"You've got red lipstick on your face."

"Do I?" she asks absently. She swipes a hand across her cheek. "Oh, this is face paint, not lipstick. "

"How'd you get face paint on your cheek?" I ask, though I have a fairly good guess.

"Pass me that basket of mending, would you?" I wonder if she's deliberately changing the subject.

u can't see me but I am both crying and making a fuckboy face at all of u after writing this

also I am dying I have an audition for spamalot and its on Thursday and they legit did not even send out the audition information till Saturday night so I have approx. 3 days left to prepare lmao