Notes - Phan High School AU

19

I have decided to dedicate this part to kgirl160 because they a) wanted backstory and b) was my first reader {they also seem lovely:) } Thank you :D

the creak of swing sets has always unnerved me. i don't know why.
it was the night that i snuck out for the first time. my 'friends' and i were planning on going to the tree house that euan's dad had made us in the summer and spend the night there.
halfway through high school musical 2 we were busted. we all said goodbye as our parents came to collect us.
i received a lecture from mum on the way home and expected to get the same from dad.
i was partially correct.
it started with a lecture. a lecture that progressively got louder and harsher. a lecture that was accompanied by a lot of alcohol on my dad's part.
that lecture ended when he got so worked up about everything, somethings not even involving me, that he pushed me back into a wall. i was only 7 at the time and this terrified me. i asked him to stop multiple times as he started hitting me and slapping me. my father was never a violent person but the drinks had brought it out of him.
our 'conversation' ended when he smashed the bottle across my throat.
i felt the impact. my head slammed against the wall and the thick shards of glass wedged themselves into my throat.

it wasn't my family that i awoke to in the children's hospital, i awoke to see the worried faces of mr and mrs jones from next door.
a doctor walked over to me and smiled. "daniel james howell. i suppose you are wondering why you are here. you were brought into the hospital at 3:45 am last night, unconscious and with glass lodged in you neck. we have operated and removed the glass however as a result of the surgery you are no longer able to speak. in patients who have had the same surgery as you their voices came back 5-6 years after the surgery. the same should happen to you. i advise that when it does come back not to strain it. do not try to talk too much and do not yell or raise your voice as this could cause other complications. you will be released in 2 nights."
the doctor walked out of the room and i turned to mr and mrs jones. reaching over to a note plad that was on the side table i wrote: thank you
they smiled and said that it was no problem. they had alerted social workers and the police about what had happened and told me that i was allowed to go to a support group on thursdays if i wanted.

as the doctor said, i got my voice back 5 years later however i kept it a secret.

2 years after that was when i came out as bisexual to my parents. they were not pleased at all with this and they started ignoring me. when my brother asked them why i am not sure what they told him but he never looked at me or spoke to me again. occasionally he would leave a sweet or a little bit of money for me but that soon stopped.

so now i am here. 10 years later still not speaking, still without a proper family and still crying under my black and white checkered covers.