The Bully

Chapter 5

"Dan! Phil! Dinner's ready!"

It had felt like an eternity before my mum called us down for dinner, even though it had actually only been 3 hours.

Phil and I had gotten an outline done for our project. We were going to do a slideshow with pictures from the internet because neither of us wanted to make our own.

I was really surprised when Phil shared some of his ideas. He was actually really creative and smart.

I still hated him though, because he still made my life a living hell.

I half expected Phil to push me down the stairs on our way down, but thankfully that didn't happen.

My mum sat the food down in front of us, and it smelled delicious. I started eating, but stopped once I realized that Phil hadn't even touched his plate.

I watched him as he stared at it. He was looking at it like it might disappear from right in front of him.

"Are you okay, Phil?" my mum asked.

Phil blinked a couple of times, then stuttered out an answer. "Y-Yeah, sorry. It's just...w-well, I'm not used to having homemade food. Usually it's either freezer meals or fast food."

I listened to what he was saying, trying to detect a lie. Don't be fooled. It's probably just an act to get pity from mum.

"Can't your mum cook?" I asked.

He didn't say anything. He just picked up his fork and started shoveling food into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.

I watched him eat, and, against my better judgement, felt myself take pity on him.

***

After dinner, we both went back upstairs. We still had a few hours until Phil was supposed to leave.

We hadn't been working for very long when I heard Phil speak up.

"Hey, Dan?"

"What?"

"I have a favor to ask you..."

My eyes widened. "And why should I do anything for you, after how you've treated me for the past few years?"

He said nothing.

I sighed. "Sorry. I'll at least hear you out."

"Thanks," he whispered. "I was...um...I was wondering if I could stay the night tonight..."

"Why the hell would you want to do that? So you can strangle me in my sleep or something?"

Phil tossed me a look. "That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "Can't be too careful."

He sighed. "I just...I don't want to go back yet."

"Back where?"

"Back home."

I thought it over, weighing my options. On one hand, this was the kid who had made my life a living hell almost every day for the past 4 years. On the other hand, he seemed genuine and maybe it would get him off my back for a bit.

"It's okay if you say no. I'll understand. I just thought I'd-"

"Sure, you can stay."

I saw Phil's head shoot up from the corner of my eye. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle. "R-Really?! Y-You mean it?!"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. But I'm not exactly wanting to make this a regular thing."

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks, though."

"I won't tell anyone at school, so you don't need to worry about that."

Phil looked at me with a confused expression. "Why would I...nevermind."

The rest of our work session was spent in silence.