Speak [ phan ]

chapter two

***

Dan soon finds himself being dragged to his second period class by Phil.

Phil seems to be friends with everyone, Dan notices how everyone seems to say hello to him, or smile at him, so Phil must be well liked and popular, and it didn't really surprise Dan. The only thing he found annoying about Phil was the fact he talked to much, but that wasn't necessarily bad considering Dan's situation.

Quite a few people took notice of Dan too, asking Phil who he was, and Phil gladly introduced Dan as he couldn't do it himself. Phil doesn't mention bout Dan being mute, so when their gazes turned to Dan, he just smiled awkwardly before averting his eyes elsewhere, probably coming off as either a dick or just really shy.

Phil guides Dan to a desk near the back whilst they wait for their History teacher to start the lesson, as only half the class is present so far. Someone turns around, a guy, who is quite short, with tanned skin and brown hair flicked up in a modern hairstyle.

"Hey Phil, who's this?" The guy asks, smiling at them.

"This is Dan, it's his first day today. Dan this is Joe, he has the honour of sitting with me during breaks and the occasional time when I venture outside." Phil says, grinning at them and Joe laughs.

"Does Dan get the honour too?" Joe asks, smiling.

"Obviously, Dan is really cool. Plus, he's new so he needs somewhere to sit, plus I think we'd be good friends and he's really easy to get along with. A great listener too aren't you Dan?" Phil jokes, nudging Dan with his elbow.

Dan rolls his eyes but chuckles silently and shakes his head, showing Phil he's not offended by the obvious and lame joke.

Joe raises an eyebrow, confused at Phil's joke.

"Um, Dan is mute, he can't speak." Phil explains, causing Joe's eyes to widen.

"Oh, that's why you haven't talked. I thought you were just really quiet. Well, whenever you need someone to tell Phil to shut up, come to me and I'll be glad to." Joe jokes, smiling cheekily at Phil.

Dan smiles and nods while Phil jokingly glares at Joe, before they both start laughing horrendously, making others turn and stare at them. Dan can tell this is normal, from the way people just roll their eyes and look back or smile longingly at the pair.

Suddenly, Dan feels as if he's intruding on something, as if he shouldn't be here. A feeling he is very familiar with. If these guys are the well known jokers, Dan knows he will never fit in with them. And for the billionth time in his life, he wishes for a voice of his own.

"Morning class." The teacher says, walking to the front of the classroom as the last few students take their seats.

"Morning." The class choruses, the tone of their voices the type that would make anything sound boring and monotoned.

"So, today we will be starting our new unit of work, but first we have a new student, Dan Howell who is next to Phil up there. We hope you settle in well here Dan." The teacher says, smiling kindly before turning to show a PowerPoint on the board.

Dan sighs in relief that she didn't ask him anything, probably because she knows about his condition. It does come in handy, because Dan absolutely hates the feeling of people staring at him, and public speaking. So it works in his favour sometimes. Also, he knows he won't get called on by teachers for questions, allowing him to not pay attention if he wants.

After class, Phil and Joe drag Dam towards a crowded lunch table set under a tree. A couple of people are already there, lounging around either at the table or on the grass, backs against the tree. Dan can tell that even if this group isn't the stereotypical 'popular' group, they're well respected as they gain many wistful glances or stares of envy, especially Dan, the newcomer immediately accepted.

"Hey guys!" A girl with blonde and pink hair grins at them, "are you Dan? You're the talk of the school y'know. We haven't had a new kid in so long."

Great, Dan thinks, just fucking great.

"Yeah, this is Dan. I met him this morning when I ran into him, I reckon I scared him, but anyway." Phil says, rambling on, "anyway, uh Dan is going to sit with us. He's pretty cool except he's kind of mute so he can't talk."

"Really?" A guy asks from the table, his thick eyebrows raised and dark hair hidden under a beanie.

"That's what being mute means idiot." The brown haired girl beside him says, rolling her eyes at him.

"Hey, don't call me an idiot! You fall for the fake high five every time!" He says, smiling fondly at her.

"You're my idiot." She says, putting an arm around him and leaning into him as he kisses her forehead.

"Alfie mate, I do not feel like watching you and my sister be all cute whilst I want to eat," Joe scowls, crossing his arms as he sits opposite them.

Phil pulls Dan on the seat next to him and introduces him to everyone, but there's too many names flying around for Dan to comprehend, he only knows a couple so far. By the time the bell rings, Dan is exhausted from trying to learn all the new things they were telling him about how this school works.

"Dan, you have legal studies next by the looks, I don't take that, but Alfie will show you where to go, he's in that class with you. I'll see you period four." Phil says, smiling at him before walking off with Joe.

"Hey Dan, Phil told me you're taking legal too, so let's go." Alfie says, smiling at Dan as they walk to the class, "I usually like to talk through class, but I guess we could pass notes, that could work."

Dan nods as he takes a seat next to Alfie at the back, and Alfie opens to a page at the back of his book, using a pen to ask Dan questions about himself, which Dan scribbles answers to underneath.

The class blurs by, and Dan didn't listen to a single thing said, he was too busy writing notes to Alfie, who was more than glad to take his mind off the class. When they walk out and Alfie leads Dan to his next classroom, Dan notices the many students looking curiously at them.

"You know, I think notes work better than whispering." Alfie says thoughtfully, "the teachers don't notice as much, they think you're writing notes."

Dan nods in response and Alfie stops outside a classroom.

"Phil is in there already, so I'll see you later yeah?" Alfie asks, to which Dan nods, "oh and you seem like a cool person Dan, well, through your notes you did. I think you'll fit in with us."

He smiles genuinely at Dan before walking away down the hall. As Dan walks into the classroom, Phil is talking to two girls whom Dan hasn't met yet, but when he sees Dan, Phil waves him over and shoots the boy a smile as he sits next to Phil.

Dan smiles as Phil starts chatting to him about the horrendous art class he just had. Why had Dan not been to this school earlier? Everyone was so much nicer and more accepting. Alfie's words about him fitting in ran through his head, and Dan smiled to himself.

Finally, he was happy, he just hopes it will last.

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