When I walked into the cafe, everyone's heads turned to look at the new kid. The new boy, they kept saying. Yeah, I am the new boy, don't get me wrong, but I feel great pride in knowing that they don't know even half of the truth. I sit alone, facing the oak-framed window. What I see is magnificent rolling fields, bordered by trees, bare in the dead of winter, a harsh contrast to the front of the building, which overlooks the city skyline.
"Hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to get killed?" I hear before I can even reach into my bag for my sketchbook. I look up and find Daniel standing there, scowling.
"Huh?" I ask. He sighs heavily and grabs my arm, pulling me up. "What's going on?" He drags me over to an empty table in the corner. "What the hell man?"
"First off, don't call me man. Second, you can't sit there. That's where the jocks are. Jesus," Dan says, leaning down to whisper. Sure enough, a swarm of heavyweight football players sot down, loud and obnoxious. I sigh and pull out my sketchbook, beginning a drawing of a boy, thin and tall, with scars across his chest. I smile. And then--
"Hey I know you!"
My heart stops.
"You're danisnotonfire!"
I breathe again, my chest aching. The redhead girl I ran into earlier is now standing at our table, smiling at Dan, who appears uninterested. I continue to draw, adding intricate details to his hair and eyes. Dan, clearly trying to make it seem as if he hasn't heard her, looks at my drawing, pretending to be interested.
"Why are you sitting here?" she asks. He looks up.
"Why not?" he asks. I bite my lip and focus harder on the drawing. Then I hear her laugh cruelly.
"You haven't seen the YouTube channel?"
I stop. Like, full stop. My heart drops into my stomach. I drop my pencil. My eyes widen and I swallow hard.
"What channel?" Dan asks. I stand suddenly and grab my sketchbook and bag. Dan looks at me and I nod at him before leaving my seat and the cafe. I wind up in a stall in the bathroom. He's gonna watch my channel, isn't he? He's going to find out. And who-knows-how-many people know too? This isn't going to be good.
YOU ARE READING
Dream Shadow
FanfictionPhil starts at a new school in the heart of London and is assigned Dan as his peer mentor. Dan is quiet, an outcast. Phil, in his old school, was the same way. Now it's even worse at this new school. The only thing different is that nobody knows his...
