Without love ~ phan

Chapter I

Dan's POV

The phone rings just as I'm running a comb through my hair for the fiftieth time. They say a lucky day starts with Ultra Clutch© hairspray and fifty brushes. Any more means one less blue-eyed betty at your doorstep, any less means your favorite mirror will break and honestly, who knows which one is worse?

"Hey, you've got a hold of Daniel." I use my best, sleek, Corny Collins-esque voice when answering the phone because that is the only way I know. "Danny!" "Link! How's it hangin'?" On the other end of the line is my best friend Link Larkin who also happens to be my top wingman. He is the reason all of the prettiest chicks at Patterson Park high school know my name, so clearly I owe him a lot.

"Everything's mostly fine but I do have one situation I was hoping you could help me out with. It's about Amber." Here we go. I don't know how I wasn't expecting this considering this is the fourth time he has called me with the same problem. An argument breaks out between the two, he can't bear to lose his "precious darlin'", he calls me explaining his issues, and I rush in to help because I couldn't let my best friend be heartbroken. The end result is always me having to make a deal with little miss obnoxious so that they'll stay together forever. Because she's definitely what he needs in his life.

Did I mention I really hate her? She's arrogant and tends to point out what a person is most insecure about. She can make the whole school turn against you, even if you've been popular for years. I am so sick of her. She's the only girl I know with a pretty face that I would never go for and that is saying something.

"What happened this time?" I try not to sound too exasperated as I open the door to a long, pathetic rant. "This one's major so I'm gonna save it until school starts." What could be so significant that he needs to tell me in person? Could she have threatened him? I chuckle at the thought; she may get angry sometimes but she would never give up Link. It's a simple science that says that only superiors can be in relationships with other superiors. The others are placed in the world to maybe get lucky with one in their own pack. This common knowledge stands and everyone knows which side they belong to. If Amber let go of Link, she would slowly gain a reputation as the single freak who broke up with THE Link Larkin. Man, that would be great.

"Okay. I'll see you then." I hang up the phone and put the comb I just realized I'm still holding, in my back pocket. I then give one last wink to the mirror and walk out my front door to the bus stop.

***************

"So what's going on? Please, I'm dying to know."

I wish I could say I'm being completely sarcastic, but something doesn't feel right. We're not the only ones standing up in conversation in the room, yet we might as well be in the glaring spotlight. His cowering stance is doing nothing to rescind the sweat from my forehead. None of this is laughable.

"I think I'm going to break up with her."

I'm backing away from him as he walks towards me. His head isn't concealing me from the blinding daggers of light anymore and if I move back any further, only gravity can catch me. I'll just fall through the dirty floor that I always took advantage of.

"Amber?"

"Who else would I be talking about?"

There's no more stage left and my body is rushing down a bottomless black hole.

"I just--I mean--w-why? Everything was going so great...?"

"I prefer someone else. In fact she's coming in now."

I faintly see a mattress at the bottom of the merciless drop until I behold the sight of her walk through the door. He's thrown me a life preserver to try to save me from falling. No. It can't be.