Doll Face

Chapter 2- Dan

Waking up to another day of school is like realizing you got dumped into the eternal abyss of hell. It may sound like I'm exaggerating, but I'm really not. Most of my time at school is spent pent up in my classes or in the library where I can sit by the window. I'm far enough away from everybody that I don't have to interact, but still close enough that I can study them. The student body here at Manchester Prep isn't that bad, but there is just one thing that bothers me about the whole population of this school. They are all pretty much homophobic. That is one of the main reasons why I don't have friends here. Once I figured out who I was in secondary school, I knew it wasn't something people where comfortable with. I never made an effort to be anyone's friend because I knew if they found out I would be harassed until I graduate. It's better this way because having a ton of friends doesn't make me feel safe, I feel at my most anxious state. I'm okay with seeing one person because it's not too much to handle. 

Mum gently says, "Dan, honey? Are you getting ready?"  

"Yes mum, don't worry. I'm already dressed." I took one look at myself and really realized how much I've changed since freshman year. I'm a lot taller and my face has become more structured. The one thing I'm proud of is how far I've come with my hair and the way I dress. Before I used to straighten it every single day and wear black all of the time. Don't get me wrong, black on black is my aesthetic and I will still wear it, but I've learned through time that there's more to being me. I'm so much happier with the way I come off as when people see me. Even though when I see them, my inner self starts to break down. I've always been a stoic child, and still to this day I am. Coming out of my room with my pastel purple shirt, some cheeky ripped jeans, and pastel purple converse I scan the room for anyone. I see mum in the kitchen drinking her coffee waiting for me, and I see Eddie on the couch taking a nap before he goes off to school too.  Grabbing mum's attention I race down the stairs and hug her before I make my way to school. Before I head out of the door, mum yells, "Honey Claire's son is walking with you to school today!" Shit shit shit shit shit. How am I supposed to make conversation?!? Hopefully he can do a lot of the talking. Oh well, here we go. Now, walking out of the door for school held so much more angst. I opened the front door and he was sitting on the porch swing at his house. As I was walking over to him at the slowest pace possible, I took my time to look at what he is wearing. I was something similar to what he wore yesterday, a plaid button up shirt and some black jeans. As I'm walking up the steps to his porch he looks up at me and I freeze. We make eye contact and we both smile warmly at each other. His eyes were like clear blue lakes and his cheekbones looked godly. His whole being looked like a china doll, but like, ten times the size. I could actually look in his eyes all day, but I wouldn't want to give him a weird vibe coming from me. We have already stood together for about to minutes now not saying anything, but just studying each other. I decide to speak up, which is NOT normal considering I would usually be the one cowering in social situations like these. It's his eyes, they aren't harsh or judging, just caring and soft. "Hello, I'm Dan, your next door neighbor."