Lost Cause [Imagine Dragons Fanfic]

27 - All that matters

Now Dan jumps up, slams his hands on the table and stares at Waynes's uncle. Everyone is quiet, waiting for his next move, where we clearly didn't even expect that one. Even Wayne's uncle seems surprised, maybe even a bit intimidated as Dan stares him down.

"Listen!" Dan now starts talking in a calm and stern voice, but at the same time, he seems upset over a million things.

"You can see me the way you want to see me, but stop talking bullshit like that. You don't know a single thing about me! Yes, I live on the street and? It's been the best place for me until I came here."

Wayne's uncle snorts: "Why? Because it's the best place to get drugs?" I am about to jump up and say something, but Dan waves me off.

"I did not choose to live on the street!" Dan is clearly getting emotional now. He forms fists and I'm sure it's just because he doesn't want us to know that they're shaking. He glances at me and says: "You know what? You've asked why I don't trust anyone, here is why." He looks back to Wayne's uncle: "Hopefully that will make you shut up."

"Dan, you don't need to...," Wayne's mom says but Dan quickly shuts her up.

"When I was six years old, f*cking six, my family got murdered in front of my eyes. I went to an orphanage and that place was garbage! It was so bad that when I was eight, I decided to run away! And I'll be honest with you, living on the street is much better than living in that goddamn orphanage! I've been beaten up pretty much all my life over the smallest things or just for fun. I've been used for things you can't even think of. So stop telling me that I'm less then, or that I'm a bad influence because if I am, it's because this whole system we're living in is horse shit."

He takes a deep breath and throws his hands over his head, I can see his eyes water up as he continues: "I've never had a caring family before, I don't know what it's like to be wanted or loved. I had to deal with people like you my whole life. People that tell you they only want to help and they know everything. Look where it got me, nowhere than the streets! And then I meet these guys and they change my life completely. I've never even had real friends and for sure none like these three guys. People with a nice family and nice houses and that can go to school and that probably don't know anything about what's going on in life, but to be honest, not a lot of people do. But here they are, we started talking on the streets. They didn't judge me as you did! I've never met someone like them before. And now here I am standing, telling you my whole f*cking life story when I told myself to never ever trust a person ever again!"

He quickly turns around and walks a few feet away, then he crouches down and runs his hands through his hair. I shoot Wayne's now silence uncle an angry look and walk towards Dan. Slowly I crouch down next to him and wait until he notices me, then I once again lay my arm around his shoulder. Both of us stay silent and Dan is silently letting some tears streaming down his face.

Suddenly we hear a chair fall and a person slamming their fist on the table. We exchange confused looks, Dan quickly swipes his tears away as we turn around and stand up again, but we stay at our place. Watching Ben who jumped up and is now angrily glaring at Wayne's uncle.

"And now, listen to me! You have no right to talk like that about anyone! You pushed our friend way too far and made him say things he didn't want to. It's none of your business how he grew up! It's not about gender, race, money, the place you live at or which clothes you're wearing. It's about what's inside of a person and nothing else matters! Stop judging people right away! He is our friend and will ever be our friend and you will never change anything about that! God, why do people always have to judge each other on first sight? What's your problem man?"

Ben shoots him a last look and then walks over to us. He joins Dan's other side and also lays his arm around his shoulder. "You alright?" He asks and Dan just nods, unable to speak.

Slowly Wayne is standing up too. "You kinda ruined my birthday all day long. I wanted to spend a nice day with my friends, all of them, which of course includes Dan. You better start thinking before you open your mouth again, maybe one day you'll be as smart as a teenager like Ben is. Now I ask you to leave my party because I want to spend my time with people who are worth it!"

He also walks over to our little group, gives Dan a friendly nod and places himself next to me. We still stand together as Wayne's uncle and aunt leave the garden and walk away and I'm pretty sure that his parents are giving us proud looks at the moment.

And to be honest, the guys are right! All of them. What does a backstory tell you? You don't know a person by knowing how they grew up. All that matters is the here and now and you should never let anyone take that from you! As long as you stay true to yourself everything is going to be fine! I'm not eager to find out about Dan's life, I just don't want him to leave mine anymore. I want to be in a band with my three best friends standing next to me. Life is short you better spend it with the people who are actually worth your time! And those guys definitely are!

...............................

Believe it or not, but this is the end, my friends. I think I got a pretty okay message in the end. Thanks for being part of this journey. I will forever be a Firebreather, maybe I will write another FanFiction. But for now, I'm out of that business, at least for some time, maybe I'll write something different

Thanks for sticking with me. It's been a pleasure writing for you.