the quiet ° phan

ii. meet

The school was more elaborate than Dan imagined.

Phil showed him all of the hidden alcoves and pathways. He told him how best to get to his classes and where the cleanest toilets were.

During the tour, the bell rang.

"Oh, crap! What time is it?" Phil exclaimed.

Dan was about to look at his watch, but Phil grabbed his hand before he could. He started running and pulled Dan along with him.

To say Dan hated running was an understatement. However, running beside Phil wasn't torture. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Dan felt...okay.

They both smiled widely, chuckling as they arrived in English class (Dan's laugh was inaudible, of course), both out of breath.

"You're late," their teacher Mr. Schneider blatantly pointed out.

At this point, the entire class was staring at Dan and Phil. Their smiles melted off their lips and they took their seats. Mr. Schneider clasped his hands together and stared resentfully at them.

"Philip, I'm very ashamed of you," he said. "And you...you must be our new student. Please come introduce yourself to the class."

"Sir, he—" Phil started, but the teacher ignored him.

"The boy can speak for himself."

"But sir, he's mute. He can't speak."

"Well, surely he can still write. I would hope he's not a delinquent."

Mr. Schneider beckoned Dan to the front of the room. Reluctantly, Dan came forward. Mr. Schneider handed him a piece of chalk before stepping away from the chalkboard and examining Dan.

Dan was shaking. He hated not knowing if people were whispering about him behind his back. At the same time, it was better not having to see the faces of his classmates with their lips moving rapidly. Still, he could feel 30 sets of eyes staring at him as he wrote the first letter of his name. It was incredibly awkward hearing only the sound of chalk scraping the board.

Dan had already written "Hi, my name is" and was in the process of writing the first letter of his name when the stub of chalk fell out of his hand. This was the worst possible situation he could imagine. He didn't dare lower his hand or bend down to get the chalk. He just stood there with his chalk-dusted hand floating in the air and all eyes on him. He could sense the whispers. It was too much for him. With his breath still ragged, he sat back down and sunk into his desk.

All while Mr. Schneider lectured him about proper customs and etiquette, Dan tried signing to Phil what had happened. For whatever reason, Phil seemed to understand and he spoke privately with the teacher about the whole situation. Even if only for a moment, all the attention was on Phil instead of Dan.

"Alright then, but only because your mother said so. Philip, you may take your seat. Now, sir, would you mind reintroducing yourself while Mr. Lester translates?"

Dan nodded reluctantly. The pressure of his first day seemed to ease up just a bit when Phil was there for him.

• • •

After a few somewhat dreadful classes, lunch finally arrived. From what Phil told him, lunch was the breeding ground for social status. He made it seem more like a battle for popularity than a time to eat.

However, at lunch, Phil directed Dan to an empty table. At first, Dan thought they might be waiting on someone, but no one came. It was just the two of them.

Do you usually sit alone? Dan signed. Phil didn't look up at him but didn't respond. Dan started looking around at all the other tables to see what this "complex social order" was and why Phil wasn't a part of it.

Finally, he saw what Phil meant. Each table held a distinct set of people, all from different social standings. It was one table in particular that caught his eye, one that he couldn't quite figure out.

There sat six people, all seemingly different and yet connected: the blonde who seemed to be constantly smiling; the gorgeous brunette sitting beside her; the well-built boy trying to interject in their conversation; the boy sitting across from them stealing the brunette's food; the guy next to him playing with that food; and the one who seemed left out in all the shenanigans.

Who are they? Dan signed to Phil, pointing at the group. Phil still refused to answer.

After a few minutes of silence, Dan pressed him again. Why can't we sit with them?

Phil sighed and finally decided to use his voice. "They're bad people." Dan left him alone so as not to annoy him further.

Dan went back to staring at the table. He made eye contact with the brunette, after which she turned to her blonde friend and starting whispering. Dan hated not knowing what they said about them, but he didn't have to worry for long because the pair came over to his table.

"Hi, I'm Zoe," the brunette said, "and this is Louise." The blonde waved when her name was mentioned. The two started giggling and Phil rolled his eyes when they did.

"What's your name?" Zoe asked.

Dan spelled out his name not with sign language, but by making his fingers into the shape of each letter of his name. By the end, the girls seemed to understand him.

"I've never met a Dan before," Louise said.

Dan couldn't say anything, so he just sat there with two pairs of eyes examining him.

"Well...bye, Dan," Zoe said. She and Louise waved at him as they walked away.

When Dan looked back at his guide, he saw a look of distaste on his face. Phil lifted his hands from the table to sign one word.

Don't.