Undercover (Phan)

Chapter 9

Phil's POV

Hanging out with Dan the other day was actually really nice. I'm glad that I invited him over. I know we've only known each other for a short amount of time so that might make it a bit difficult for us to open up to one another at first, but I really think he and I are going to end up having a really good connection while he's here. I really hope he and I will get to hang out and talk to each other more before he leaves. I have no idea when he might be leaving, but he's told me that he moves around a lot and will likely not be here permanently. It's too bad because I've really grown to like him since meeting him. It's only been a few days though, so I'm sure he'll be here for at least a few weeks.

It was just so great to find out that Dan and I have more in common than we thought we did. We both know what it's like to lose someone that's meant a great deal to us in awful ways. I don't know what exactly it is killed Dan's mother, all he said was that she'd gotten "sick", but that in itself sounds horrible. I really think he and I will be helpful to each other in trying to figure ourselves out and learning how to cope. Obviously we aren't just going to sulk around talking about death every time we hang out, but I still think it will be great for us to hang out and...understand each other, you know?

I'm extremely happy the next morning when I wake up from a dreamless sleep for the first time in what seems like forever. For waking up so early, I feel like I've got tons of energy and like I've got a bit more bounce in my step. I got ready and made myself breakfast, ready to go out and face the day. For once, my mother didn't come downstairs to see me off to school, which actually makes me happy because that means she's getting an appropriate amount of sleep. That's what I want for her. The fact that she was in such a good mood yesterday and is sleeping more actually gives me hope that she might finally be getting better. I suppose one or two good days doesn't mean a full recovery, but it's at the very least a step in the right direction.

I headed to school, feeling good about myself and the possibilities of the day ahead. I'm extremely hopeful today, which I'm hoping won't end up coming back to bite me. My head is filled with thoughts of Dan, which unfortunately distracts me from my driving. I have no idea how I managed to get my license, honestly. I want to get to know Dan more though, and I want to keep introducing him to things he hasn't done before. I still cannot believe he hadn't seen E.T. until last night, and that he's never seen any of the Back to the Future movies! I begin to start mentally planning days that I could have him over to have a marathon of the movies. I'm extremely excited to have made such a good new friend so quickly.

I really hope that I can help him cope with all that he's going through. He seemed genuinely upset last night telling me about his mother. He definitely seems like he needs comforting. I know what it's like to go through what he's gone through - sort of - and no one deserves to go through that level of hell or to feel that kind of pain. My overall hope is that by me showing him comfort and understanding, I'll figure out what to do with myself as well.

This whole thing has made me feel much better about Dan. I was incredibly paranoid about him at first. On some levels, I still feel the need to be suspicious about him. But maybe that's just paranoia. Maybe my paranoia will go away once I get to know Dan a bit more. He seems like a really nice guy. I definitely want to do all that I can to become better friends with him.

I pull up to the school and take my thoughts away from Dan so that I can focus on parking without it resulting in disaster. Once I'm satisfied, I walk up to the school and search for my friends. Once I find them, I stroll over to them with a big smile on my face.

"Hey, guys!"

"Someone's in a good mood," Chris comments.

I shrug, "I just have a good feeling about today. I think things might finally be starting to get better at my house."