Not So Perfect//Phan

02

*Dan*

My heart hammers in my chest like a hummingbird as I run down my street, looking back several times to make sure she's not following me.

After a few blocks of running aimlessly, I slow down to catch my breath, looking around and seeing that I've ended up in the park.

I begin to slowly make my way don to my favourite bench, the one that I come to sit and think at sometimes. I keep my head down, fixing the earbud that had fallen out of my ear when I ducked to avoid the beer bottle flying at me.

As I approach the bench, I'm about three feet away when I see there's already someone sitting there on one side of it.

I jerk my head up to see the most beautiful boy I have ever seen in my entire life. His hair is black, which looks dyed because his eyebrows look much lighter, a shade of blonde. His eyes are a piercing bluey-green. He's wearing black framed glasses, a blue and green plaid shirt, complimenting his eyes, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows neatly. His skin is pale white, almost the colour of snow. And he's wearing black skinny jeans. He sits with one leg crossed over the other and a thoughtful look on his face, staring back at me.

Realizing that I've been staring, I quickly look down and mumble a quiet 'sorry', turning around and starting to walk away.

"You can sit with me if you want." A voice says from behind me as I take my first step away from the boy.

I turn back around, giving the by a slight nod and a polite smile, sitting down on the bench on the opposite side of him, leaning my head on my hand while resting my elbow on the back of the bench.

"What are you doing out here?" His voice says again, almost drowned out by the loud music playing in my ears, which I'm sure he can hear.

I take my earbuds out, turning off my music and stuffing them in the pocket of my black jumper.

"Thinking." I say simply, not really comfortable with telling this stranger why I'm really out.

"Ah, thinking." He repeats in a dramatic tone. I chuckle quietly, the laughing coming out as more of a snort. "That can be nice," he says, looking up at the sky, which is now almost dark. "It can also be very dangerous," he adds so quietly that I almost don't hear it.

He looks down at his pale, bare arms as if looking at something that is invisible to my eyes. I focus more and then I see it. There are faint white scars lining up and down his arms, from the top of his wrists to his elbows. They're in a similar pattern to the ones on my arms, only his are pale, almost non-existent, while mine are red and angry looking.

The boy looks up at me once again, flashing me a crooked smile that lights up his face.

"I'm Phil, by the way." He says, holding his hand out for me to shake.

I take his hand with my own, which is half covered by the sleeve of my jumper. "I'm Dan."

"Nice to meet you, Dan." He says, letting go of my hand.

"You too."

We sit in silence for what seems like hours, but is probably not even a few minutes. I keep glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, where he sits, not moving.

"I should probably head home." He says, not moving.

After a few minutes, he scoots closer to me, pulling out his phone and handing it to me.

"You seem like you could use a friend; we should exchange numbers."He says.

"Friends?" I say, slightly shocked. I haven't had a friend in who knows how long. It's been years.

I take his phone hesitantly and punch my number into his contact, putting the name as just 'Dan'.

"Yeah," He says, taking his phone back with that adorable crooked smile on his face.

He types on his phone for a few seconds, then my phone buzzes in my pocket.

I take it out to check the text, almost certain that it's from Phil. And it is.

Yo D-Slice.

I smile at the text, a chuckle lingering in my throat as I look up to meet Phil's eyes again, but he's gone.

The smile drops from my face as I look around the dark park in confusion. I squint my eyes to try to see further, but the only light is coming from a single street lamp about three metres away, only allowing me to see a bit more than that.

I look back down at my phone and text Phil.

Where did you go?

Send

Almost instantly, my phone buzzes in my hand.

You'll see me around.

And with that, the beautiful boy is gone.

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Sorry if this chapter was a bit shorter. I'll try to make the next one a little longer.

I apologise if I don't update every day. It's just that I don't have internet at my house anymore, or at least my laptop isn't working there. So I write everything by hand, then when I get to school I type it up, but I don't always have time every day.