I Like Bad Boys (Phan)

Chapter 10 - Friends

Phil's POV

Weeks. Weeks. We went out secretly for weeks. I didn't even care to keep track. I had never been happier with any girl. Alex spoke to me at a minimum, which was the only downside. I didn't care. Dan was way above him to me.

I was becoming better at dealing with my emotions now too. I was beginning to feel more comfortable with him. I could talk and smile with him in the publicity of our school now, and sometimes sat with him at lunch when my "friends" ditched. I didn't ditch anymore. There was no point. Heck, thanks to Dan, I even got better grades. Everything seemed perfect.

Dan's friend, the OCD girl named Emma, very quickly snapped to realization when she caught Dan and I talking only a week or so ago:

What happened was that I was alone at lunch, and I decided to sit with them. Dan introduced her to me and me to her. "Emma, this is Phil. Phil, Emma." She nicely but confusingly said hello.

I met eyes with Dan too often. It was very giggly and awkward, since we couldn't talk much about anything without going red. Emma looked confused. She had gasped. She pointed at me, then at him, back and forth.

"Dan, are you...?"

He looked at me, and I knew if he could trust her, I could too. I shrugged and allowed him to nod to her.

"DAN AND PHIL A–" she screeched, and Dan stopped her by covering her mouth.

"Emma shh!" he had said, his hand still pressed against her mouth. "Calm down. It's private, okay? Don't tell anyone, got it?"

She nodded, and he released her.

It was a very awkward day.

Anyways, Emma and I are friends. She gave me a talk about how I better take care of Dan and not break his heart or she will beat me up. I made her a promise that I would never.

For the first time in these weeks, Alex not only approached me, but, instead of a few words, decided he wanted to talk. I didn't want to be angry with him. I didn't want to hold a grudge.

"Phil," he said. "Dude, sorry for snapping at you before. Can we just get over it now?"

Seriously? That's all? "What do you mean?"

"Come on, man. We've been friends forever. Do we really have to fight?"

"What do you really want, Alex?"

"To get you to stop being so cold with me."

"Then what's with the snooping? So what if I'm dating someone? Do you really need to know who?"

He sighed. "You know, you're right. What does it matter?" He stuck out his hand. "Friends?"

I was still upset with him. Did he really mean it? Did he really want to forgive and forget? What did I have to lose? I shook it. "Friends."

He smiled, but I wasn't sure I really meant it.

Dan's POV

It was the end of the day and I waited at my locker for Emma, who wasn't there. I felt a tap on the shoulder. I thought it was maybe Phil, but no, I faintly smelled cigarette smoke. I recognized the flaming red hair and specific piercings easily.

"Hey Dan," he said with a grin. "What's up?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Can't a guy just stand around without being questioned?"

I turned around from him and began to walk. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

"So what's new, Dan?"

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk. You know, catch up."

"Why should we catch up?"

"Why shouldn't we?"

I ignored him.

"So Dan," he said, "who are you going out with?"

"No one. Why do you care?"

"I don't care. I only asked."

"Well, no one."

"It's okay," he said. "He told me."

Did Phil tell him? Alex was his friend, wasn't he? Phil told me they had been fighting, though. Maybe they made up.

"Who told you what?"

"Phil told me you were dating him. Is that true?"

I didn't know if it was okay to admit it now or to keep it quiet. I decided, for Phil's sake, to play it safe. "I'm not dating anybody."

"Dan, there's nothing to hide anymore. I already know about you and Phil. It's fine. I was just asking. But he said it was okay to tell me. We're friends."

Well, okay then. "Okay then."

"So when are you meeting him next?"

"Do you really want to know? Do really want to know where I go and what I do with my boyfriends after –"

"Hey Dan!" I heard a call from Emma. "Come on, let's go!"

"Let me just say," I told him, "no, you don't." I ran off to go meet Emma, and to get away from him.