Everywhere Phil went, he was paranoid someone was talking about him. Some rumor was spread about him, and everyone was talking about it.
Phil could feel them staring at his back, and it gave him a nervous feeling. But he tried to ignore it.
He made his way to his locker, and opened it. A sticky note made his blood run cold.
The world would be better without you, you piece of scum.
He frowned, grabbing the sticky note and crumbling it up. He shoved it in his pocket, and stared at his tiny mirror on the inside of his locker for a moment, trying to calm himself down.
He told himself to not let them win.
He took a deep breath and gathered his things for class, ready for anything that could hit him.
-----
It did not take long for Phil to be informed of the nasty rumor about him.
A classmate had confronted him, asking him how he could do such a thing. Phil obviously had no idea what he was talking about.
The classmate informed him of what he apparently did. Phil felt sick to his stomach.
"I didn't do that, I swear," Phil said, but his words fell on deaf ears.
The classmate angrily stormed away, not believing him.
Phil felt lost. What was he going to do about this? He didn't even do it, but here he was being harrassed because of it.
He thought of the sticky note from earlier that day.
-----
Phil kept getting more and more sticky notes with harsh words on them, and people kept confronting him, telling him awful things.
He felt like the world was against him, and he felt powerless to fight back. Hopeless, hopeless, hopeless.
And eventually he reached his breaking point, having felt truly alone and unwanted.
Phil Lester killed himself.
-----
Only a handful of people showed up to the funeral. Everyone else was too disgusted with the act he allegedly did to mourn him.
But if there was a person who cried harder than Phil's family, it was Dan, Phil's best friend.
The one who couldn't save him. The one who knew his pain, saw the happiness leave his eyes, but couldn't save him.
The one who felt the most guilty.
Dan wanted to scream. He wanted to be so vocal about his sorrow for the boy who died too young, but felt like he couldn't talk at all. His throat was closed up, and he felt like he could barely breathe.
He walked up to Phil's grave after the service, and placed down a black rose. He looked at the grave.
Here Lies Philip Lester
A kind son, loving brother, and a happy soul.
So much for being a happy soul, Dan thought bitterly.
If there was anything Dan could do for him now, it would be defending him. None of those people knew the truth, and Dan was going to spell it out to them.
They ruined the spirit of an innocent man, and killed him.
Dan would make sure they felt sorry for the life they took away.
