Will You Hold My Heart? - Phan

Chapter 2

Phil

The air was brisk and pleasant, with grey clouds lightly fluffing the air around. The sun wasn't visible, although it was kinda bright outside. The air felt very soft and powdery on my face.

My shoes scraped along the pavement, brushing along every rock and pebble, and making a gritty noise on dirt.

I heard the faint noise of birds that perched on trees, watching the leaves fall around me. I stared at a pretty pink flower in front of me and admired its delicate petals.

Why am I here?

--

I stopped in front of a giant school that was white with a dark blue trim. The windows were neat and clean, and already seemed inviting. It looked huge from the outside, but I could tell that it was even larger on the inside.

Dozens of students swarmed the main entrance and scurried inside to meet their friends. I stared and sighed.

I grinned and felt a tiny hint of excitement. I no longer had to deal with them. Finally, I had the fresh start that I had been longing for.

Once I walked through the entrance, I was greeted by a blast of warm air and the booming sound chattering of students. I internally cringed shriveled up from the unfamiliarity.

Ignoring the awkward feeling, I walked down the hallway which were surrounded by rows of lockers and a crowd people. Occasionally, they would turn to look and shoot confused looks at me, the stranger.

I jerked as I felt my flower crown being snatched off of my head. I quickly whirled around and saw a tall boy with curly red hair running away with it in his hand. My heart was racing as I chased after him.

The boy realized that I was following him and stops running. He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Only pathetic gay losers wear flower crowns, you fag."

I frowned and crossed my arms.

He curled his lip and sneered at me, roughly throwing the crown at my face. It smacked me across my cheek and fell to the ground, leaving my face stinging. He spat at me and strutted away.

I laid my hand on the area where the crown hit me. Bending down, I picked it up from the tiled floor and placed it on my head.

The warning bell rang, so tried to find my first class, which happened to be art. I begin running down the hallway, frantically looking for the art studio.

Suddenly, I bumped into a large figure and landed to the ground with a thud. I winced and rubbed my tailbone in pain.

"Hey!" A voice grumbled. "Watch where you're going."

I looked up at the person I bumped into. He had a thin face and brown hair with a fringe that partly hung over his left eye. Beneath his furrowed eyebrows laid a pair of brown eyes that glinted and glared into my own. I have no idea why, but they... made my stomach flip.

Why am I thinking like this? What's wrong with me?

I couldn't help but wonder why half of his hair was straight while the other side was curly, and why his clothes were covered in mud.

He looked down at me and narrowed his eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry, sorry," I stammered. "I just-"

"It's rude to stare, you know," the boy said curtly. He leaned on one hip and crossed his arms.

"No! I wasn't staring at you." I nervously twisted my fingers together, praying that this conversation could be over.

He brushed his hair out of his eyes and frowned at me. "Lying makes you go to hell."

I sighed and try to stand up again, but he stopped me and held out his outstretched hand. I simply sat there and stared at the gesture like an idiot.

The boy raised an eyebrow at me. "Are you gonna take it or are you just gonna sit there forever?"

What is this?

Heat rose to my face as I took his hand and as he helped pull me up to my feet. His hand was warm against my cold one. I hastily let go of my grip on him and let my arms hang limply at my sides, unsure what to do with them.

What the hell just happened? And why did I enjoy it?

I awkwardly pretended to study the ground while I dusted myself off. He coughed, so I glanced back up at him. He rolled his eyes at me and crossed his arms.

"I'm Dan, by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Phil." I nudged my hair out of my eyes and give him an embarrassed smile.

Dan mumbled something quietly and then turned his head away from me. His breathing was a bit heavier and I could practically see his heart thumping around in his chest.

Almost as if he was... nervous?

I looked at him with a confused look on my face. "What?"

He sighs deeply with relief and then clenches his jaw tightly. "Nothing," he snapped.

"Are you sure?"

Dan hesitated, considering my request. Then he finally opened his mouth and spoke defensively. "It's not that important, Phil," he said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "If you say so."

I'm pretty sure it was important.

It might have been my imagination, but for a second, he had a slight pink tinge on his cheeks and ears.