Just by Chance- Phan AU

Chapter 2- Dan's POV

I got off the bus and walked into an empty house. I threw down my backpack and for one second considered actually doing homework, but then that second and I walked to the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and grabbed out one of my mum's beers and downed it. I was feeling disgusted with myself and all I wanted to do was forget and drown out the part of my conscience that was nagging at me.

I grabbed another beer and sat on our sofa, turning on the television. Why do I hurt people like I do? I asked myself. I hate myself for that. I just didn't know what else to do to keep from being the loser that was bullied. my phone buzzed and I picked it up to see that I had a text from my girlfriend, Elana. You busy tonight, Dan? I have the house to myself ;) I sighed and texted back. Sorry, babe. I'm actually going to study tonight. Love you, maybe another time. Lies.

I moaned and threw my phone on the sofa somewhere, not wanting to deal with Elana bitching about me being too busy for her. Truth is, I didn't even like her. Or my last girlfriend, or the one before that. Or any girl for that matter. But I had to continue to date girls so my secret wouldn't slip- I'm gay. If anyone knew, or even suspected, my social status would slip and I would be back at the bottom of the totem pole like I was in middle school. 

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew I heard my mum screaming in my face. "DANIEL JAMES HOWELL. HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING? YOU ARE UNDERAGE. THAT IS ILLEGAL. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?" I looked at my mum and shrugged. "Long day at school."

"I don't care how long of a day you had, Daniel!" My mom yelled. "You are freaking underage." she sighed and sat down on the ottoman in front of our sofa and took my hand. "Dan, I'm worried about you. I got a call from the headmaster about your grades; he wants a conference. Your lifestyle, to be blunt, sucks. I know that when you say that you're going 'to the movies' or 'to a friend's house' on the weekends that your going to a party. I'm not an idiot, I was a teenager once, you know. You're always in fights at school, you're so cruel to your fellow students. Does this scare you? Do you ever feel like you're just going nowhere?"

I sighed. She was right; to be completely honest, I did scare myself. The excessive drinking, the way I treated people. I hated all of it, but I just couldn't stop. My mum continued her lecture.

"What happened to the Daniel you were in middle school? The sweet boy who loved drama, who did his best in school? You didn't always make straight A's, but even when you failed a test, or had a D in a class, I knew that you were trying, that you were applying yourself. What happened to the Daniel you were when Dad was here-"

"Shut up, Mum! Dad's gone, and so is the old Dan! This is who I am now! Why can't you accept that?!" I got up and stormed off to my room, slamming and locking my door. I collapsed on my bed, crying. My dad and I were incredibly close, but when I was in seventh grade, he went on a business trip. He was only supposed to be gone for a week, but when two weeks, three weeks, one month passed with no word from him, Mum and I were scared. We finally got a letter from him, but all it contained were divorce papers. He had apparently had a affair with a woman while on his trip and left us- his family, for God's sake, for this woman. I haven't heard form him since.

Everything went to hell after he left. That's when Mum and I stopped getting along. That was when I met my current friends and started partying. Dad was the only one who I had even considered telling that I was gay; I was going to when he came back from his trip, because I knew that he would be accepting and loving. But when he didn't come back, I never told anyone. I just suppressed it.

I laid in a fetal position on my bed, crying for a while before getting up and changing for bed and falling asleep with my earbuds in, listening to Muse. 

~One week later~

I arrived in the part of our school building reserved for study hall and saw Phil standing there, his backpack slung on one shoulder, waiting for me. "Oh, hi, Dan." He said. "We'll be in this room." He gestured to one of the rooms that were connected to the study hall. 

I followed him in and sat down on one side of the table, with Phil sitting opposite of me. He got out his laptop, which was covered in stickers- I mean, you couldn't even see the laptop anymore- but I recognized most of them. Pokemon, anime, and Tumblr- all the things I secretly loved. "Seriously, Lester?" I said. "What's with the stickers?"

Phil didn't even look at me. "I like stickers, okay?" he muttered. "So, I think that we're going to start with Physics, because we have a test in two days. Get out your physics book and a notebook."

I pulled out my book, turning to the chapter that we were going to have a test on. Phil moved his chair around next to me. "Okay, is there anything you don't understand?" I shook my head. I was actually really good at science and understood it pretty well, I just never did any work. "Okay, then we'll just go to the questions for this section. Go ahead and answer them, and I'll check them over. Let me know if you don't understand anything."

Phil got out his own homework and started working while I was answering questions. I saw him check his phone fairly often- probably to see when he could get the hell out of here. I was doing the same. 

"Um, Phil? I'm done." Phil nodded and took my paper and checked over them. I noticed the way his eyebrows came together when he was concentrating, how he slightly stuck his tongue out. He was just so cute so-

No. I told myself. No, you have a girlfriend, Dan. You are not gay. Phil is a loser, someone who you shouldn't even give a second glance. Stop. "These- these are all right." Phil's voice pulled me from my thoughts. He looked genuinely surprised. 

"Dan, this is pretty hard stuff. If you can do this, then why are you failing?" I shrugged. "I don't believe in homework. Or classwork. I have better things to do."

"Yeah," Phil muttered. "Like drinking, partying, and making out with your girlfriend." He looked up at me. "Okay, we'll just go through the questions and I'll check them over."

For the next two hours, I did physics questions, Phil checked them over and we moved on to the next section. I was stuck on a particularly hard question when Phil stood up. "My dad's here; I have to go. We got through most of the chapter, which we'll finish tomorrow. Keep these questions and answers and use them as study guides." Phil then left without another word.

I got up and went outside to wait for my mum. When she arrived I got in the car and was showered with questions. "How was tutoring? How was Phil? Is he nice? He seems nice! What do you want for dinner?" I turned towards the window, ignoring her.

"Well, okay, Dan. I'll just stop and get fast food." That was the last thing I remember before my mum was shaking me. "Dan? You must be tired. I got you your usual, so maybe you should go to bed after you eat." I nodded and went inside.