My eyes snapped open as I heard the front door slam. The mouthwatering smell of fish and chips drifted up the staircase as I looked over at my alarm clock.
7:13pm
Way too early for my parents to be home. The majority of the time they aren't home before midnight, and they always leave at around six the next morning. And they never bring home food.
I dragged myself off my bed, stumbling slightly as I headed for my bedroom door. I wrenched it open and made my way to the top of the stairs, glaring down into the dim lighting of the hall. Then the unmistakable sound of my mother's voice rang through the house:
"Philip, we're home. And we brought dinner!"
I descended the staircase, almost cautiously. As I headed to the kitchen the smell of fish and chips got sickeningly stronger.
"Philip." my mum and dad said together as they noticed my presence in the door way.
"Why are you home from work so early?" I asked, addressing both my parents as they unpacked the carrier bag, pouring greasy chips onto plates before plonking a cut of battered cod on top of each mound.
They picked up a plate each and, while avoiding the question, my mum passed me a plate and gestured for me to go through to the dining room. Sitting down at the table, my two parents sat not touching their food.
"Eat." my mum said.
I took my first bite of chip, my parents tucking in a few seconds later. We all ate in silence for a few minutes before I broke the eerie quiet.
"Why are you home so early?" I repeated the question.
Sighing, my dad spoke up: "We got a phone call at work from one of your teachers."
I sighed too, looking down at my steaming plate, taking another chip and shoving it in my mouth to try and avoid what I knew was coming.
"Why didn't you tell us you were being bullied!?" my mother cried, her voice cracking mid-sentence.
I sighed again before saying in a small voice: "I didn't think it was a big enough deal to bother mentioning."
"Big enough deal? You were being beaten up on a daily basis!" Mum cried.
"But you were always so busy with work. I didn't want to bother you."
At that, my mother got up from the table and came round to the other side before wrapping her arms around me, burying her tear-sodden face into my shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, Phil. I didn't realise how little we were there for you." She mumbled into my now damp t-shirt. She removed her face from my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes before saying, "Philly, please know that I am so sorry for not being here. From now on, I will be home more often. I won't work as late. I'll be here for you. I'll be the mother you've gone without for so long."
A tear fell down my cheek as I smiled at my mother before saying only two words. Two simple, yet heartfelt words. "Thank you."
Throughout this entire conversation between my mum and myself, my father had remained silent. Still without speaking he had his last mouthful of fish and chips before picking up his plate and clearing the table. He then retreated upstairs without saying a word. I looked over at my mother to find her sending me a 'don't ask' look.
I got up from the table and started heading upstairs myself, telling my mother that I was tired and would be having an early night, despite sleeping for several hours that afternoon. I shut my bedroom door before collapsing on my bed. I felt emotionally drained from the previous conversation with my parents.
Despite not feeling very tired, I found myself closing my eyes and drifting into an empty sleep.
*
A/N: Hi. It's been a while, huh? Sorry about that. I don't have any real excuses apart from exams, mental health issues (worse than usual), friend drama and general exhaustion.
I feel like I'm apologising every chapter for taking forever to update so, from now on, if it takes anything longer than a week or two, please assume that I am very sorry (I will probably still say sorry though).
So, yeah, I just realised there is, again, no Danyul in this chappy but oh well. I feel like I'm kinda getting into this story and, considering I am making this all up as I go along (apart from the general storyline) I feel like I'm slowly discovering Dan and Phil's stories with you guys.
Anyways, I'm gonna start writing the next chapter now.
Stay hairy, my coconuts (???)
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Everything Will Be Okay (Phan)
FanfictionPhil is a broken soul. No friends, no one that cares. Until Dan, a younger boy who is just as broken as Phil, walks into his life. The pair build an unlikely friendship as they help each other through the hardships of life. But as things go from bad...
