Loving Someone//Phan

daniel

Dan slumped on his seat on the bus and leaned is head on the closed window. God, he shouldn't have stayed up so late. The sleepiness was eating away at his brain and it was only a matter of time before he crashed. He had tried to go to bed early, really, but it was impossible with the constant yelling between his mom and her new boyfriend, Greg. "You dumb bitch,"  "You complete asshole," "You're the reason our son is a fag."

Nothing could drown them out. Dan had no headphones, and nothing but a crappy laptop to listen to music on. He wished he had speakers that could block out any noise around him, surrounding him in music like a force field. At the same time, Greg would beat his ass if he did.

Dan could feel himself slowly slipping in and out of sleep. It was so tempting, but falling asleep would be like giving out personal invitations to his peers allowing them to do whatever they could to humiliate him, and that was the last thing Dan needed right now. Instead, he decided to keep pinching his arm to keep awake.

The bus driver, who was the absolute worst driver ever, stopped quickly at the next stop, causing Dan's head to thump hard against the window. He gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, rubbing the sore spot. That was definitely going to leave a mark. Damn.

"Yo Howell!" someone yelled from the back.

Oh god. Just keep your head down, Dan. Maybe they'll go away.

"Hey, I'm taking to you, fag."

Dan shut his eyes tightly and placed his hands over his ears. Please, please go away.

"HOWELL I'M FUCKIN TALKIN TO YOU!"

"Hey, shut up and sit down!" the bus driver yelled.

Dan could hear laughing from the back of the bus, where the bullies lived. He clenched his fists and did everything he could to not hit something. Breathe, Daniel. Breathe.

It wasn't until he noticed the silent bus that Dan looked up and saw the new kid.

Everyone began to giggle, and even Dan snickered under his breath. He had never seen someone so helplessly awkward. It began at his black hair, which was obviously dyed judging from his light eyebrows, to his giant worn sneakers. In between was a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" t-shirt and blue jeans. Dan almost felt sorry for the kid as he clutched his books and began to make his way down the aisle, practically shaking. Dan picked up his book bag and set it on the empty seat beside him.
He felt sorry for him, but there was no way he was giving up his extra space to someone like that. He already had enough on his hands at this school.

The boy continued down the aisle, looking for somewhere to sit. The uncaring bus driver began to drive, almost sending him toppling over. He regained his balance and continued his search, getting closer and closer to the back of the bus. The bright light captured in his eyes was slowing dimming every time another person rejected him from their seat. Dan could practically hear the school bullies preparing for their meal in the back as the helpless boy got closer. This was not going to end well.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Dan pulled off his book bag and slid towards the window. God, what the hell was he thinking?

"Can I sit here?" a small voice asked. Dan kept his glance at the floor. Jesus, why was he even questioning this? This boy wasn't Dan's responsibility. At this school, it was every man for himself. He was going to have to learn that eventually, why not now? He's going to say no. He's going to put his book bag right where he-

"Please," his voice shook. Dan looked up this time. His heart fell a little as the boys eyes looked directly into his. It made Dan slightly angry, looking at his eyes. They were too many colors at once. For some infuriating reason, Dan wanted to know the color of those damn eyes.

Dan nodded and harshly gestured at the space next to him. He could feel the boy trying to figure out if Dan was friendly or a complete jerk. Being searched like that made Dan extremely uncomfortable.

The boy sat down, and that was it. He didn't speak, thank god, and he kept his distance. It was the longest bus ride Dan had ever endured. When they arrived at school, he practically tripped over the boy trying to escape. Maybe no one would see them get off from the same seat. Maybe.

Dan quickly got to his first class and sat down with a sigh. He rested his head on the desk and tried to calm his breathing. Oh god, he had made a terrible decision. He just wanted class to start as quickly as possible. Every moment was a possibility of someone jumping up to yell "Dan is in love with the new kid!" Ha. As if.

As he sat with his face in his hands, Daniel went over his options. He could move to the front, with the freshman.
But that was just as much social suicide as sitting with the new kid.

He would have to tell the kid to sit somewhere else. If he wanted to save himself from becoming even lower on the food chain of high school, he had to drop the new kid. That was final. As soon as the boy arrived on the bus this afternoon, Dan would kick him out. Easy.

The class began, but Dan was entirely zoned out the entire time. Maybe it was from sleep deprivation, or maybe it was the different colors he was turning around in his mind. Blue, green, maybe a hint of yellow...