Promise? • phan

Dan

While sitting in the back on a police car I had a lot to think about.

How long will I actually be away? What if something happens to Tilly? What if my mom doesn't take care of her? What if Chris and pj find new and better friends? What if they all forgot about me?

Times like this I question of beating Phil was worth it. But in a way it was. Phil needs to know that he isn't a perfect little angel. He needs to learn how to stand up for himself or he isn't going to live through high school or college.

I stare out the window watching the trees go by. It was so quiet. They didn't even have music playing which made it 10 times worse.

After I'd say about 45 minutes the car comes to a stop in front of a long brick building with high fences and barbwire so no one escapes.

It feels just like prison already and I'm not even inside. "Okay Howell, if you try to run off or resist things will be a lot harder here." Mr. Bostwick spoke. I nodded my head and followed his commands.

With my hands handcuffed in front of me, we walked down long hallways filled with teenagers that have committed crimes or just didn't do their homework. Some deserved to be here and others didn't.

As we reached the end of the hallway, we stopped in front of a jail cell looking room with a young boy inside, not older 15 at the least.

"Okay kid. This is where you will be staying for 90 days or more. Dinner is at 7pm. I hope you straighten up here." Mr. Bostwick spoke with a almost hushed voice. "Oh and this is your cell mate, Oliver."

"Okay sir." I said. Honestly was was very scared to have a cell mate. What if he tries to kill me?! Well o don't think he would, he looks like the innocent kind that shouldn't be here.

They opened the cell door, in cuffed me and then finally shut the door and locked it. This is going to be great. I turn around to face the cell. It wasn't much. 2 metal beds with a pillow and thin blanket, A window with bars over it, a metal rusting sink, and a gross metal toilet.

Sitting on one of the beds was Oliver. I decided to introduce myself since I'll be here for awhile and I rather not be so lonely. I slowly walk up to him and tap his shoulder. "Hi my name is Daniel but you can call me Dan." I smiled at him. He smiled back. He had short dirty blonde hair, He was slightly tall, but not taller than me, and he had the bluest eyes I've seen. "Hi Dan, I'm Oliver but you already knew that." He chuckled half heartedly.

It was silent for a moment and I took a seat on the opposite bed. Oliver looked over at me with confusion in his eyes, "so Dan, if you don't mind me asking, why are you on here?"

I tensed up. Guilt washed over me. He's going to be scared when I tell him that I bully and someone at school everyday because that person thinks he's better than everyone.

"I um. Bullied some kid at school and beat them, I guess I hurt them horribly so many times that I ended up here." I told him in a low voice, my head hanging.

I looked up and he didn't seem scared, but curious. "But why did you bully and beat him so much? Did he ever hurt you?"

I replied, "well no, but he walks around school acting like he's better than everyone. He never talking because apparently he's 'mute' and he is too happy when he's with friends and it's irritating."

Oliver looked at me with disappointment. "Well Dan, you don't know that. He would have it worse at home. You can't judge him like that. He may put a fake smile on in front of his friends. He could be neglected at home, beaten even, and he is probably looking at school as an escape from that but you are just making it worse. That's probably why he's getting hurt worse when you have barely beaten him. Don't judge a book by its cover Dan. You don't know what really goes on behind closed doors."

I guess he was right, I didn't know Phils personal life. I just assumed. I decided not to linger on it at the moment as I was confused to why he was here.

"So Oliver. Why are you in here?"

And now I know why he looked disappointed. "Same as you Dan. There was this boy at school, he's 14, I'm 16 1/2, and to me he acted better than everyone. I had a hard life at home and seeing him so happy, made me jealous I believe. So I bullied him, never beat him though, but I told him to kill himself, go die and no one would care he would be doing the world a favor. And he seemed so happy and it seemed to never get to him until the unbelievable happened. He didn't show up to school the next day. I drove a young 14 year old boy that was having family issues to kill himself. I bullied him to death. I never thought that it would happy because I assumed he was happy. I don't want the same happening to you and the kid you are bullying. He could have problems Dan, and if one day he doesn't come to school because he decided to kill himself instead of having to spend another day of your bullying and his problems at home, you are going to feel like shit knowing you are the cause of someone taking their own life"

I was in shock. I was speechless. I say those things to Phil, but I doubt he would kill himself, he would be too scared. But after this I definitely had some things to consider.

Maybe I can't stop bullying him but maybe I could lay off enough to where he isn't hurt.

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QOTD: opinions on Oliver?

AOTD:troubled soul