the quiet ° phan

iii. speak

The next day, Dan met Phil in front of his mom's office. Any trace of annoyance from the previous day's events was gone. Phil was all smiles, his lovely blue eyes shining.

They walked to English together, and this time, they were early. When they entered, Mr. Schneider glanced at them before grumbling and returning to his work.

They took the same seats as before but pulled their desks closer to each other. They faced each other, their elbows nearly touching.

So as not to invoke the wrath of Mr. Schneider, the two communicated via sign language.

Tell me about yourself, Phil signed.

What is there to tell? I'm mute. That's about all there is to me.

I doubt you're that boring. And besides, you're not mute, so please stop using that word. You just communicate in a different language, but you still have a voice and you still speak as loud as everyone else.

Dan didn't reply at first, and by the time he raised his hands to sign back, the bell rang.

Just then, Zoe walked in and sat in the empty seat to Dan's right. Dan didn't know what to do until Phil took the words right out of his mouth.

"I didn't know you were in this class," Phil said, looking past Dan at Zoe.

"Yeah, I sat in the back yesterday," Zoe said.

"Oh. There were seats available in the front yesterday, though. Why didn't you sit there then? Why now?"

In response, Zoe blinked rapidly and opened her mouth to justify her actions, but at that moment, Mr. Schneider got up and began to write out the lesson plan.

While the teacher couldn't see them, Dan quickly signed something to Phil.

Why do you hate her so much?

Phil looked just as taken aback as Zoe did when Phil questioned her earlier.

I don't hate her, Phil signed. You just don't know her like I do.

• • •

The rest of the day, Dan couldn't help but wonder why Phil acted so hostile towards Zoe and her friends. His interest peaked at lunchtime when he caught Phil staring at him while Dan was studying Zoe's table.

Immediately, Phil turned pink and looked away. It was refreshing how much he cared about Dan, but even so, he was hiding things from him.

Dan didn't want his guide to be his only friend. He wanted to explore the world of secondary school with others as well. Yes, he was a socially awkward teenager with a condition hindering his communication with others, but people were taking interest in him. If they were as nice as they seemed, then maybe Dan could get to know them better despite his condition.

After having spent most of lunch watching Dan, Phil finally spoke.

"Daaaaannnn, let's do something."

Dan kept his gaze on the other table. I want to talk to them, he signed.

"What?"

Dan rolled his eyes and signed back, I mean it. You're my guide. Now's your chance to guide me in speaking to others.

Reluctantly, Phil agreed. He followed Dan to the other table, holding his breath and hoping everything would go right.

"Louise, Zoe, Alfie, Joe, Caspar, and Marcus, meet Dan," Phil said. "Dan, this is Louise, Zoe, Alfie, Joe, Caspar, and Marcus." He pointed at each one when he said their name. "Dan is new here and also happens to be mute. Please be nice."

"Why wouldn't we be nice?" the boy named Joe said, popping a grape into his mouth.

Phil didn't reply, just sighed and nudged Dan. Suddenly remembering why he was here, Dan raised his hands to sign his first message. He had so many things to say, yet he didn't know what to start with. Instinctively, he went with the most stupid response ever: Hi.

"Dan says hi," Phil said. Only one boy, Caspar, stifled a laugh, but everyone else kept a poker face.

"So, what do you think of Manchester?" Louise said in attempt to break the ice.

It's okay, I guess, Dan signed. I haven't been here too long, only a week or so.

Phil translated for him, his eyes lingering on Dan as he repeated what had been signed.

Lunch was almost over, and so was Dan's short conversation with the group.

"Let's go," Phil said, pulling Dan's arm. Dan tensed at his touch. Phil quickly let go and blushed.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before leaving. As the two boys hurried to their next class, Dan looked behind him at his new acquaintances and back at Phil. Between them lied a mystery, one that Dan hoped to figure out. But first, he had an afternoon with Phil to attend to.