Conveniently, I got back to school just as lunch began, meaning the corridors would be swarming with students and I could slip into the crowds unnoticed. At my locker, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. Expecting the worst, I turned cautiously, but it was Dan. Immediately, I felt the corners of my mouth lift ever so slightly and the events of the rest of the day left my mind.
He held up his notebook, which read, "Wanna go somewhere quiet for lunch?"
I nodded, enthusiastically, and closed my locker to follow in Dan's wake. By this time the corridors were quite empty as everyone had gone to the cafeteria so we could walk side by side, rather than hunched at the edge of the hall as we often do.
"Where do you suggest we go?" I asked as I followed Dan towards the same doors I'd left the school through only a couple of hours ago. As we emerged into the chilly April air, Dan pointed across the school grounds towards the sports field.
"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrow and looking at Dan quizzically. He chuckled ever so slightly and suddenly grabbed my hand and started running towards the field, dragging me in his wake. He came to a stop at the far edge of the sports field, which was lined with trees. The younger boy beckoned me forwards as he sunk into the trees, and I wistfully followed. No sooner had we entered the patch of trees than we came to a stop. Dan removed his blazer and laid it on the grass, nodding at me to do the same, before sitting down and pulling out his notebook.
As I took in my surroundings I saw Dan scribbling what looked like an essay in his red book. We were tucked just out of sight of the rest of the school, enclosed in this canopy of leaves. A gap in the branches above our heads allowed a sliver of fresh sunlight to bathe us in light, casting a golden tint on our surroundings. When I looked back at Dan he'd finished writing and had set his notebook down for me to read.
"This is where I used to come every lunch time. It's away from everyone else and allows me time to think. The trees, the sun, the insects; they make me feel relaxed. This is my second favourite place in the world."
"It's beautiful," I said, looking into the boy's soft eyes, "have you ever shown this place to anyone else?"
Dan shook his head and lifted his notebook for me to read: "I've never had someone to take here before."
I shuffled over until I was sitting as close to Dan as possible before gingerly wrapping my arms around him. For a second he tensed up but then relaxed into it, reciprocating the hug and resting his head on my shoulder.
I don't know how long we sat there like that.
YOU ARE READING
Everything Will Be Okay (Phan)
FanfictionPhil is a broken soul. No friends, no one that cares. Until Dan, a younger boy who is just as broken as Phil, walks into his life. The pair build an unlikely friendship as they help each other through the hardships of life. But as things go from bad...
