Aftershocks ➳ Philkas/Eyewitness

09

Episode 09: Nerds & Newspapers

Philip's trying hard to be a good kid. He really is.

After Helen's strong verbal warning, he's scared shitless about being sent away to a group home in the city, far away from his loving foster parents and, of course, Lukas. So he's trying to avoid trouble at all costs, and in order to do so, he just needs to blend in.

    Currently, it's Monday morning, and Philip is walking down the hall at school, keeping his eyes focused on the tiled floors. He ignores the whispers behind his back and the "accidental" shoulder bumps as students walk by on the way to first period. He takes a deep breath, unclenches his fists, and suppresses the urge to punch all the homophobes in the face. The last thing he needs right now is to start a fight.

    Philip sighs quietly and hurriedly twists the combination on his locker. He grabs his thick history textbook and stuffs it in his backpack alongside multiple folders and spiral-bound notebooks. Abruptly, he hears his phone ding and looks down to see a text message on his screen from Lukas. Smiling, he clicks the green icon and scans his eyes over the message.

    miss youuuuu

    Philip bites his lip and types back, It's been less than 24 hrs. Relax.

    After that, Lukas replies with a crying emoji, and Philip just sends back a blue heart. They're kind of adorable, Philip thinks. He never thought he'd have a real, genuine relationship like this. He never thought anyone could look past all his flaws and love him unconditionally, but then he met Lukas. Sometimes he feels the need to pinch himself to make sure he's not just dreaming the whole thing.

    "Hey."

    Startled, Philip turns around to see someone he doesn't recognize. It's a boy, probably a lower classman, with a warm smile on his face. He's wearing a grey sweater that looks far too big on his petite, delicate body. The jeans on his legs are filled with various holes and tears, leaving the pale flesh of his knobby knees exposed. A pair of black, thick-rimmed glasses cover his hazel eyes.

    "Hey," Philip replies, but it comes out sounding like a question.

    The boy laughs quietly, brushing a stray golden curl behind his ear. "You're Philip Shea, right?" he asks. "The new kid?"

    Philip nods slowly. The lump in his throat thickens.

    "I'm Jace," he explains, hazel eyes twinkling. "I'm the chief editor of our school's newspaper."

    Philip raises an eyebrow. "We— we have a newspaper?"

    "Yes," Jace chuckles. "The Red Hook Herald."

    Philip blinks slowly. "Oh."

    "Oh," Jace mocks teasingly. "Anyway, I heard you like taking pictures."

"Where'd you hear that?"

Jace shrugs, and a faint blush of pinkness rises to his cheeks. "I saw your Instagram. You're very talented, actually."

Philip falters. "Oh, um. Thanks."

Jace nods. "We happen to be in desperate need of a new photographer. Are you interested?"

    Philip's mouth feels dry. "I— um, I dunno. I've never really... taken pictures professionally before."

    Jace grins. "Well, if you decide you want to join our squad, we'd be happy to have you. Here's my number." He quickly grabs a pen from his backpack and uncapped it with his teeth before scribbling his cellphone number across Philip's palm.