chapter sixteen

                                    

                                          
dan
                          
As lunch grows closer, so does Dan's dread.
                          
Phil had told him that his group were going to be civil, and give him a chance, but Dan was still second guessing this whole thing.
                          
He doesn't want more friends. But he does want to make Phil happy, so he'll try this. Dan taps his fingers on his desk as the seconds tick. Twenty seconds until lunch...
                          
Dan glances out the window.
                          
Fifteen seconds.
                          
Dan glances forward and slightly left at the back of Pj's head.
                          
Ten seconds.
                          
Beside him at Joe.
                          
Five seconds.
                          
Dan closes his book.
                          
The bell rings.
                          
Dan waits back, slowly packing up his things to stall. He's the last one out of the classroom. Phil is waiting outside, much to his relief and dread. Phil being there means he won't have to walk there alone, which is good, but bad because he can't get out of it.
                          
"How did you know my classroom?" Dan asks, narrowing his eyes at Phil, who laughs and raises his eyebrows.
                          
"I'm a hardcore stalker," Phil replies seriously.
                          
"And the funny thing is that I wouldn't doubt that," Dan says, leaning against the wall and laughing, "you can be pretty weird sometimes."
                          
"You love the weirdness," Phil says.
                          
"Hmm..."
                          
"Come on, let's just get to lunch," Phil says, grabbing Dan by his wrist, as if he's read Dan's previous thoughts of running away.
                          
"Wait, I uh, I need to go to my locker," Dan says.
                          
"Fine," Phil sighs, "but you'd better be quick - and I'm coming." 
                          
Dan cringes but walks there anyway, Phil behind him. Dan unlocks his locker and pulls it open, staring into it. Dan never uses it, and he needs all the books in his bag, so he just states into the empty box.
                          
"Dan, seriously, we walked all this way so you could stall going to lunch?" Phil complains as Dan shuts his locker again, "y'know there's other ways of stalling which require less walking."
                          
Dan sighs, forcing out a small laughs.
                          
"Sorry, I just- I don't," Dan stammers.
                          
"You don't what Dan?" Phil asks, sadness and accusation laced in his tone, "you don't want to try?"
                          
Dan sighs again, looking down at his shoes with guilt. "I'm sorry," Dan says quietly, "let's go sit with your friends."
                          
"Thanks Dan," Phil says with a smile, taking Dan's wrist again and tugging him along behind.
                          
"Hey guys, you remember how Dan was joining us," Phil says happily, shoving Dan towards the table.
                          
They all turn to face Dan. He can tell that they're not all that entirely thrilled to see him, but he just hopes that their like for Phil keeps the battle at a ceasefire.
                          
"Uh, hey," Dan says awkwardly as he slides onto the bench next to Phil - luckily no one is on his right as he's on the edge of the seat.
                          
"Hi Dan," Pj says, eyeing Dan cautiously, "how are you?"
                          
"Um, alright I guess," Dam replies, looking down and picking at his sandwich.
                          
"I'm just gonna quickly duck to the toilet," Phil says, standing abruptly.