cool | phan

talk.

dan had been at this school five weeks now. he was very happy to report that he was three weeks phil-lester-free and knew his way perfectly around the school. he didn't look like a small year seven kid now!

dan was waiting for the bus one afternoon, happily thinking about his friends and being phil-lester-free. he hadn't even thought about phil so much lately!
however, while he waited for his bus (which was always late - thanks bus driver), phil lester walked coolly back into his life.

he sat down beside dan, who was seated on a bench. there were other benches around them - some empty, some full of kids from dan's bus and some full of kids from the bus that arrived after his, which dan presumed was phil's bus.
"hello dan," phil smiled at him. dan looked up at the sky, cursing whoever was up there for giving someone such a beautiful smile.
"erm- hi, phil." dan replied, mustering the coolest smile he could.
"so, I know you catch a late bus and it probably won't be here for a bit longer - can we talk?" phil asked, watching him with those gorgeous kaleidoscope eyes.
dan sighed. his friends had drilled him on saying no to phil if he ever asked.
"of course! i'd love to talk." dan nodded, realising that that wasn't a very cool thing to say. phil looked happy though so dan decided he must have done the right thing.

phil stood up and walked away. dan decided that that meant he should follow. he followed phil until they arrived just outside the maths block of the school. it wasn't a very long walk from the bus bench area and, if you craned your neck, you could see if the bus arrived.

dan turned to look at phil who was leaned against the wall, watching him. dan felt his cheeks go red. phil had an oversized black sweater on today. it flashed some of the skin of his pale right shoulder. dan, however, was wearing plaid in his attempt to seem cooler. obviously, he'd failed.

"so, dan. have you been finding school alright?" phil asked, sounding very responsible.
"oh yeah, it's been nice - for school i guess." dan smiled and phil nodded.
"mhmm it's a bit of a weird school. lots of weird people in it."
"are you one of those people?" dan asked, hesitantly.
"i guess." phil shrugged. "do you think you are too, dan?"
"maybe." dan shrugged as well.
"have your friends been talking shit about me to you?"
dan bit his lip before nodding. he knew he shouldn't. his friends might suffer consequences. but phil looked so innocent and disappointed and sad. he had to tell him.

he shouldn't have told him.

"i thought so. people that talk about other people like that shouldn't be trusted." phil said, shaking his head.
"isn't that... a little hypocritical of you?"
"hmm, a little, i suppose. we're all hypocrites, though dan. that's the first thing you should know, okay?" phil furrowed his brow.

dan was very very confused. what did phil mean by that? dan already knew that (kind of). dan was opening his mouth to reply when phil stepped away from the wall, towards dan.
"your bus is here, pretty boy. i'll catch you later," phil smiled brightly at him and dan smiled back.

then he walked back to the bus benches and walked through the gates to board the bus.
on the bus trip home he thought a lot about phil.
most of his future bus trips would be dedicated to thinking about phil.