where's my love

I

5 years later

Walking through the hallways of high school was indifferent to Dan.

 Though it was his last year, he didn't feel any different. He was still walking through the same darkly lit hallways, with faded two-by-two inch lockers, which were never used, so they just were an unnecessary feature at this point, though a decade ago they would serve a purpose. Now, each row has a metal rod in the hole where the lock would normally be, being constantly knocked into when the teenagers were either making out, leaning against them, or shoving each other into them.

The lockers weren't the only things in the building that proved how old the school actually was. Along with the faded colors, there was a multitude of pictures and articles hung around the building behind display cases, showing some of the previous graduate's accomplishments, and showing the upcoming graduates that they had the potential to be as successful as those before them, or so the faculty thought. Instead of encouraging students, they were left just as useless as the lockers.

Dan continued down the stuffy hallway, occasionally glimpsing to the side at students waiting patiently outside of their classrooms until the bell rang. The majority of the students were on their phones, listening to music or talking with their friends, while the minority were reading pages from their textbook or copying something down into their notebooks. 

Dan reached the double doors that lead to the pavilion, letting a couple inside, before squeezing his way through the doorway before the door slammed shut. He continued down the pathway until reaching a small bench in the corner of one of the many connected buildings.

The bench was located under a few trees, which provided shade for when the sun was shining in the afternoon. He sat in the center of the bench, bringing his legs up and crossing them, then taking off his book bag and placing it next to him on the bench. He opened the bag and took out his book. He lost the laminated cover to the book years ago, and after dropping it in water and honestly not taking the best care of it, the spine of the book barely made out any letter, but though the book was badly damaged and in terrible condition, it remained one of his favorites. 

Dan flips through the pages to where he left off and begins reading the first paragraph. After reading a few lines, he lost interest in the story (getting distracted by shouting coming from the crowds), his eyes wandering over the book and to the large groups of students around the campus. 

Many were under the shaded area of the pavilion, others seated under the covered area of the gym, while some groups were scattered around the basketball court next to it. Not many students were playing (only a few of the guys who were fit, but never joined teams), and a few girls standing around (presumably their girlfriends), who were more focused on their phones than their actual boyfriends. 

Dan looked over to the other side of the court, seeing another group of girls looking at the 'players', and then turning to each other, whispering something, and then lightly slapping each other while laughing. Dan shook his head and returned his focus to the book laying abandoned on his lap.

Before even being able to turn the page, he feels someone sit down next to him. He sighs and closes the book, leaving his pointer finger in between the pages to mark his place. 

"What?" He asks harshly, turning his head to see a familiar black-haired boy sitting next to him. Phil had one of his legs propped up on the bench, his arm wrapped around it, and his chin resting on his knee, looking up at Dan. His usually blue eyes seemed bluer today because of the morning sunlight shining through the branches. Not that Dan was paying attention.

"Good morning Dan!" he replies happily, seemingly unaffected by Dan's harsh tone. 

"What's so good about it?" Dan grumbled. Phil made a face and shook his head, the smile never once faltering.