Disappearing Act// Phan [Complete]

Chapter 33: Secrets and Lies

Pj's POV:
"I have to tell you this." I said, stalling as much as I could. I took a deep breath. I'd stalled for nine years, this was it. B nodded supportively.
"I understand that this is tough, don't worry if you can't carry on." B said quietly, her hand placed delicately on my knee. She peered around my hair to look into my eyes.
"No." I said defiantly. "I need to do this. It was 2007. Phil was worse than ever. He attempted at least six times in a year. He was picked on at school for having good grades; for being too nice; for his sister being a "slut" when nobody knew that she was raped; and for anything they could come up with. Phil sank lower and lower with every word. I was his only friend. They would turn on me sometimes, asking why I was friends with such a weirdo. They even tried to turn me against him. They would beat him up and laugh because he cried. He was weak in their eyes. He didn't cry because he was weak, he cried because he was strong for too long. In early 2008, Phil met a girl. She was a "popular". She was one of them. He was gullible, looking desperately for love. Her name is Sophie."

B's POV:
I took a sharp breath. Pj continued. "After he met Sophie, the light returned to his eyes. He was smiling and happy, just like when we were kids. He was blinded by her beauty, and didn't see what she was doing to his sister. Amber was a beautiful girl. Her long ginger hair and bright blue eyes were what made her different. She always stood out in photos and crowds of people. Slowly, Sophie was killing her. She put her down at every opportunity. Phil was blind to it. Amber would tell him about it and he'd just brush her off, saying "It was friendly banter." But he didn't know. It all got too much for Amber. She left and Phil realised his mistake. He tried to break up with Sophie but she wasn't having it. She made his life a living hell. By then, he was cutting again. He got worse and worse. Until one day, he came into school smiling. It was the first time I'd seen him smile in months. It was a beautiful, radiant smile. It was October 2009. The day he met Dan. He doesn't lie when he says that Dan saved him. He did. And I saw the effects.

Dan was his saving grace."