"Dan... time to get up. C'mon."
"Ughhh five more minutes..."
"Danny, we're gonna be late, you gotta get up."
"Noooo."
"Yessss."
Suddenly, I feel a pair of lips pressed to my cheek. Bolting upright, accidentally knocking an off-guard Phil right over the edge of the bed and onto the floor with a thud.
"Oops, s-sorry, Phil," I say through nervous chuckling. He looks up at me with a goofy little smile on his perfect lips.
"It's fine. I shouldn't have... y'know. I'm sorry," he apologizes. I shake my head.
"Don't worry about it. Anyway, I'm awake now. So what was so important that you had to kiss me on the cheek for it?" I ask, feeling myself involuntarily blush as I say the last part.
"School," he states bluntly.
"I said important."
"School is important. You know that," he insists. I just shake my head.
"Whatever you say."
"Dan, Phil! Come for breakfast," I hear his mum call. Phil must've told her I was here.
Phil and I both jump up to throw on our clothes and rush into the kitchen. Mrs. Lester made pancakes, Phil's favorite.
"It's nice to see you, Daniel. I'm glad you feel comfortable coming over here when you need to. Our door is always open for you, I'm sure you know that," Mrs. Lester says, giving me the most motherly smile in the world.
"Thank you, Kathryn," I reply graciously.
Like I said, I love this family.
***
"Daniel! Pay attention."
I turn to look at my chemistry teacher and sigh.
"Sorry, Mr. Way," I mumble. His face flashes a hint of concern, but as soon as it was there, it disappeared.
"Please see me after class, Mr. Howell. You aren't in trouble, by the way," he adds, glaring at some snickering students that like to tease me.
I nod, resuming my tired staring out the classroom window.
I wonder what I'll find when I get home. My house seemed pretty quiet when I passed it this morning with Phil on our walk to school, so maybe my dad passed out again and my mom went off to hide somewhere like she usually does.
Hopefully that's all I'll find.
Hopefully.
After class ended, I reluctantly walked up to the front of the room and stood in front of Mr. Way's desk expectantly.
"Hey, Daniel. How are you doing? Is everything okay at home?"
Oh great, here we go. I really don't feel like going through all the pity questions.
"I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. My home life is of no concern to you," I reply, a bit harsher than I intended. Mr. Way doesn't even look fazed.
"As a student of mine, your home life is actually of great concern to me. I can tell by the large bruise on the side of your forehead, that seems to be quite recent, and the way you basically wear the same clothes every day, that something serious is going on outside of school. All I want is to be able to help you. I know how uncomfortable it is to talk about personal things, but I want you to try. Please."
I never should've underestimated this man. He's too observant. I need to get out of the situation, fast. Straight up lying won't work on this guy though, so I'll have to be careful about how much I let on.
"Okay, fine. It's just a little family issue, that's all. My parents have been really busy lately so I've had to get things done on my own. The bruise was just from when I slipped and hit my head on the kitchen sink. Will you let me go now? I'm gonna be late," I say as casually as I can, playing innocent.
Mr. Way gives me a skeptical look, but eventually waves me off.
"Just know you can come to me if you need any help," he calls as I swiftly exit the classroom.
"Yeah, whatever," I mutter.
***
It's that time of day again. Is my dad passed out cold or drunk out of his mind? Time to find out, I guess.
"Please be asleep, please be asleep," I whisper as I quietly open the front door and slip inside, setting my bag down gently.
Much to my disappointment, there he is, my alcohol induced father, rummaging through the fridge. Great. Maybe if I'm quick enough, I'll be able to get up the stairs without him noticing. It's the best option I've got.
Not waiting a second longer, I spring into motion and make a silent run toward the worn out staircase. I make horrible life decisions, don't I?
"Where the hell do you think you're goin'?
Oh shit.
YOU ARE READING
"Straight"
FanficIn a world where you're born with the flag of your sexuality printed on your wrist.... -Phan AU- // Dan Howell knows the rules. He knows how the world works and how you're supposed to act if you want to be treated well. That doesn't stop him from f...
