Touch ☞☜ Phan

Chapter Sixteen

Amelia excuses herself from the group as Lacie heads over to the chocolate fountain.

Phil nods at me as I begin to follow Amelia after she slips around the corner. 

I'm apparently not the only one who is following Amelia.  I spot Kara, who drops her earbuds again as she runs after her.

"Kara!," I shout, causing the girl with hair that falls down her back in brown curls to turn around and face me.

"Now's not the time, Dan.  In fact, it's never the time for me to speak to people like you," Kara spits, immediately turning back around.

Before Kara can run after Amelia again, I say, "You dropped your earbuds for the second time," bending down and picking up the earbuds. I dangle them from my ringed hand.

Kara turns around and reaches for the earbuds but misses due to my incredible tallness.

"Why did you bully Amelia when you went to North?  Are you running after her right now so you can do that again?," I ask. "It seems that you're planning on talking to a person 'like me' right now."

Kara pouts as her face turns red.  She's fuming.  "Amelia's a liar.  Don't believe the things she tells you.  She just craves attention."

"Amelia is the least attention-craving person I know, Kara.  You're the one who's lying."

Kara sighs.  "Perhaps, but Amelia deserves pain.  I'm doing the world a favor by showing her that she's unwanted in it."

"I want Amelia here.  So do her other friends."

"You all deserve torture."

"Why are you so angry and hateful?"

"Why are you so naive, Dan?  My mum and dad are getting a divorce because my dad is like you and Amelia.  He wants partial custody of me, but he'll never get it.  I don't want to be forced to be around him or answer his calls.  He is the liar, and he abandoned me. He also deserves torture. Every person like you deserves torture."

I shake my head.  "Love doesn't deserve rage, hatred, and punishment, Kara."

"That isn't love, Dan."

"You don't know what love is, Kara."

"Yeah, I do. Just because I've had several failed relationships doesn't mean I don't know what love is."

"You don't know what love is if you can't recognize what Phil and I have as love. Your dad also loves you. He cares enough to call you, and he wants you around him. He wants partial custody of you. He's not abandoning you—you're abandoning him. Lacie and Amelia love each other. You can't identify love when it's directly in front of you."

Kara ignores what I'm telling her and says, "Please return my earbuds and don't be a thief.  I got those made specifically for my ears. Those earbuds are worth more than your relationship with Phil, and that's a comical understatement due to how much your relationship with Phil doesn't matter."

I text Phil himself rapidly before returning the earbuds to Kara, who smirks and darts in Amelia's direction.

Phil runs up to me and follows me as I dash out the door, chasing after Kara.  I call the police and report Kara's hate crimes into the phone as Phil and I follow Kara into an alley.

Not wanting Kara to flee the scene upon spotting Phil and me, we hide behind the corner, poking only our heads out as Kara speaks words to Amelia that Phil and I are luckily unable to hear.

In a few minutes, the police arrive as soon as Kara begins to places her hands around Amelia's neck.  Kara puts her hands up and kneels down as soon as the police instruct her to do so and is handcuffed.

Amelia appears perplexed until she spots Phil and me and runs over to us in tears.  "I don't care about how you find things out anymore, Dan.  I'm just glad that you do," she says, hugging Phil and me.

***

As Phil, Amelia, and I return to the party, Amelia heads over to Lacie and finally begins to tell her about what has been going on.

I separate from Phil to walk over to Starla and congratulate her on her new relationship.

"Thank you so much, Dan.  I know that the timing isn't the best, but I'm extremely content.  Jasper doesn't know about my abuse yet, but I know that he'll be comforting and understanding once I tell him.  He always is."

I hug Starla and give her my number.  "Phil and I will always be around," I say.  "So will Amelia.  I think you two can help each other out and really relate to each other."

Starla nods, smiling.

When I turn around, I sift through the faces of the partying people until I spot Phil, and I can't believe my eyes when I do.

There Phil is, leaning up against the wall.  I'm stunned.

Jasper, the host of this party, is speaking to Phil.  I head over to Phil and Jasper and eavesdrop on them talking about how cute Lacie and Starla's sister are together and how thrilled Jasper is to be Starla's boyfriend. Phil really is able to be loved by anybody.

Phil notices me and immediately introduces me to Jasper.  "Hey, Jasper, this is Dan, the boyfriend I mentioned."

Jasper waves to me.  "Phil really loves you," he says. 

I smile and look at Phil.  "I know."