𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 ➷ ℙ𝕙𝕒𝕟

. 13 .

Dan's P.O.V.

Phil leads me back down the pathway and out of the forest, holding my hand the whole time.

We get into his car and drive back in silence. Not an awkward or bad silence, but a comforting one. A silence that just engulfs you and hugs you tightly.

Phil makes the five-minute drive back to his house. We both get out and I wait for Phil to unlock the front door again.

Corky greets us with a simple lift of his head and a doggy smile.

"What time is it?" I ask Phil, wondering how much of the day has already past.

"It's only about 12:00AM." He replies, checking his phone.

We both sit down on the couch next to each other.

"Really? It seems so much later. I've never skipped school before. Should I go back? I feel kinda bad now..." I start to ramble off.

"It's fine. I've skipped school plenty of times to know that you'll get off with an 'I got sick' excuse the first, and occasionally the second, time." Phil cuts off my rambling.

"Why do you skip school so much, Phil?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't really know. I just don't find it worth my time. There are things that I can do that are way more fun than learning about some crap I'll never use later in life."

"I guess that makes sense. Do you smoke a lot?"

"Woah, where did that come from?!" Phil exclaims loudly.

"Sorry. I was just curious. I've seen you smoke once and when you come into class late you smell of smoke sometimes." I look down at my hands in my lap, wringing them together.

"I don't know if it's a lot, but I smoke at least once a day. I know it's bad for my health and whatnot."

"Why?" I look up and over at Phil.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you smoke?"

"Oh. I don't really know. I don't have a reason for most things I do in my life. Just living it to the fullest I guess."

I nod my head, stopping the conversation I had so suddenly started.

"Do you want to have a movie marathon?" Phil asks me, trying to change the subject. I felt kind of bad for bringing it up.

"Yeah! Where's the blanket?" I agree, looking over at Phil in search of a cozy blanket.

Phil chuckles and grabs the blanket that was hanging over the back of the couch. He drapes it over us.

As Phil scrolls through different movie options, I scoot closer to him and curl up against his side. I lay my head against the side of his arm.

Phil finally decides on a movie and sets the remote down.

He wraps his arm around me, resting it there.

Hours pass of us just sitting there, slightly cuddling each other and watching movies. It gets to be about four movies in before we get bored.

We both agree that we've had enough movies today, it's time for something else.

"What do you want to do now?" I ask Phil.

"I have some video games we could play. Want to do some Mario Cart?"

"Sure! I used to play that all the time. I'm pretty good if I don't say so myself."

"We'll see about that." Phil gives me a cheeky smile before standing up off the couch to go set the game up.

For the next few hours, we play Mario Cart with intermittent snacks every once in a while.

I warned Phil; I was pretty good. I beat him almost every single time. That didn't stop him though, he kept try and eventually had a small winning streak before I took him down again.

We bantered back and forth, laughing with each other. The situation seemed so surreal. Me, a tiny, pastel boy who breaks his bones easily. Phil, a tall, tough punk guy who was really handsome with the best smile in the world.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't starting to fall for him. Develop the ever so slight crush. I didn't want to acknowledge it; Phil probably didn't return my feelings. He probably wasn't even gay.

I didn't let my mind dwell on that too much, I was supposed to be having fun! I was, too. Being at Phil's house on a Friday instead of at school was the best day I could ask for. I never thought I would be having fun on a day I skipped school, even though I would never get the balls to skip school without a valid excuse.

Phil's taught me that I need to let loose sometimes. Have a bit of fun in my life. To stop following society's expectations.

After beating Phil for what seemed like the millionth time at Mario Cart, he leaned back on the couch and sighed.

"You're too good! I don't think I'm going to beat you again anytime soon. What time is it, anyway?" He questions.

I take my phone out of my bag and turn it on, checking the time.

"It's already 8:00PM! Dang, that time passed fast. I should probably head home soon. I don't want to bother you or your parents when they get home."

I go to pack up my stuff and make sure I have everything when I'm stopped by Phil's hand in my shoulder.

"You could stay the night! As long as your mom is okay with it. My dad is gone out on a business trip this week. He won't mind."

"Are you sure?" I stop my movements and look over at him.

"Yeah, totally."

"I'll text my mother and tell her then. Thanks for letting me stay." I smile and turn my phone back on.

I text my mom and tell her I would be staying at a friend's house tonight and I would be home Saturday. A rushed text comes back saying it was fine.

"She says it's fine." I lean back on the couch.

"Cool. Do you want to change into some pajamas? I'm sure I can find something that fits you."

"If you have something for someone as short as me, then sure. Thanks again, by the way." I chuckle.

"It's absolutely no problem. Let's go."

Phil stands up off the couch, and I follow behind him towards his bedroom.