Not On Fire (Phan AU)

33 | these memories i think i'll keep

It's the day after his birthday, two days since he's got out and only an hour since he's left his house today, and he's already gotten three quick glares, five stares, and one mother who refused to even let her kid breathe the same air as him. In other words, it's a great day. Truly. He even hears someone refer to him as "that delinquent boy who terrorized the city" when he's leaving the fifth store he's been in at the mall, all in an attempt to find Phil a late, late, late, late birthday present. Emphasis on the late part.

He's just about to get some food and call it a day when he walks past the bookstore in the mall. Starting there would have been a good idea--if only he had known what books Phil's interested in. He had tossed out the idea before he even checked it out, but as he's waiting in line to get a sandwich, he just happens to glance at the store out of the corner of his eye, barely catching the sign announcing a new book. The name doesn't even register first, and he turns his head back around to look at the menu above him, trying to figure out what he wants. A split second later, he whips his head back around.

On the top of a poster advertising a new book, one that he's never even heard of, it's a review written by the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Without even thinking, he's taken the first step towards the store and then the next one, leaving his spot in line. Obviously, it's not the book. But as far as Dan as concerned, a raving review by the author of the book comparing it to the book makes it almost as good.

The bitter smell of coffee greets him almost as soon as he steps into the bookstore, and for some reason, it calms him. For a split second, everything feels right in the world. He can't get his mind off Phil. He's not going to try to anyway.

The place is almost empty, save for one employee working (which in this case means sipping the coffee from the coffee shop inside the store and reading a book with her legs rested on the counter), leaving it peacefully quiet. It takes no time for him to find the book without any help as it sits on a display near the front of the store.

The cover is all black, save for the small, uppercase white letters that spell out the title and the name of the author--What Nobody Tells You (About Being a Teenager) by Taylor White--and scribbles. He doesn't even read the back; he can already tell this is the book to get Phil.

But he reads the back anyway, finds out that the story follows a freshman, a sophomore, a junior, and a senior in high school through their lives. That it's about how hard it can be sometimes and how amazing it can be other times. How sometimes both happen feelings happen at once.

He picks up another copy before going to check out. He can't help himself.

***

It's not necessarily a surprise that his friends are all at his house by the time he gets back. His parents had been unusually insistent that he get out of the house for a few hours to do something, whatever that be, and when he had tried to call Phil and then Louise and, desperately, PJ and Chris, he had received frantic no's saying they couldn't hang out before quickly hanging up. Nor is it a surprise that his parents have chosen this specific moment to go out on a date. But that's because they told him they wouldn't be before he left.

Nevertheless, he can't help the smile on his face when he opens the door and they all scream out surprise, despite not having even attempted to hide or turn off the lights, like you usually do with surprise parties. Then again, it never really was going to be much of a surprise. They all suck at keeping secrets.

He fakes a look of a surprise for a second before dropping it and moving to sit in the middle of Phil and Louise on the couch, PJ and Chris having already claimed the two armrests.