Summary: An argument starts it all. Hell comes after for Dan Howell, the school pastel boy. He only wanted to help, but got backstabbed in the end. From safe position in the school hierarchy, Dan is up to neck in an affair he never had and starts finding threats in his locker. He needs someone on his side if he wants to make it to the end of high school. A mysterious punk boy promises him protection. The condition he needs to meet, though, is far from normal.

Hey there, superasia8 speaking!

I wanted to celebrate a few achievements in a way that won't be only me thanking you, saying how amazing it is to be a part of such friendly fandom, and so on and on. I decided to write something and this idea popped into my mind. This is a child which was born from me mashing few interesting write prompts together after asking myself; 'and what if it got to this...'

I'm really close to hitting 500 kudos, I've hit 10k hits, which is amazing because I'd never think not a native speaker like me could get anything above one or ten; I'll be also reaching 100k word count as this story progresses. All on AO3. Thank you for all the love and support 3

I also want to give big thanks to my friend for looking over this story and checking for any wild random typos 3

And now read. I hope you enjoy :)

"Bastard!"

Dan ducked down from the thrown heel, unconsciously hiding his head in his pastel sweater. Eyes wide, he stared at the small, petite blonde girl in front of him.

"You were never there!", Ellie shouted. Her eyes shone with anger and her balled fists spoke for themselves. She was very much damn angry. Dan had never heard someone speak so loud.

"Oh, so it is my fault now, huh?", came a retort from behind him.

"You wouldn't even have time for me! Didn't consider it'd be good to call!"

Her hair moved up and down as she bent on the floor of the hall. Upon finding nothing else, she grabbed one of the books from her bag. A Geography coursebook in her hand was ready to be launched in Dan's direction.

"I swear to God you're the most annoying on this planet!, yelled Rob, his friend since playground, who stood behind him."I told you- I told you so many times I've called! It's not my fault your phone is shit!"

At that the girl's expression flashed with fury. She threw the book at the men's heads. Dan ducked down, the book missing him mere centimeters. He thought deep down that soon enough, he'd gain so much practice, the movement would become an unconditional reflex.

Dan took a step forward, now properly stepping in between the fighting couple.

"Guys, please stop-," he were to say 'fighting' and would more likely add 'making a scene' in his mind, but the blonde cut him off.

"This dick here," she barked, pointing an accusative finger at Rob, "neglects his girlfriend! And I'm not speaking here about the usual, 'forgot to pick you up' or 'I didn't realise our three-year anniversary was coming up' kind. No, I'm speaking of something so much more annoying and offending! I'm speaking of forgetting about calling his girlfriend for a month!", she fumed, barely keeping herself in place.

Dan raised his hands, attempting to get the couple to stay away from each other. He didn't think he was that strong to hold down a hearty and his really badly pissed off girlfriend at the same time.

"Guys, guys! Just listen out each other, okay?", he shouted, hoping it would work and, yes, it did. Two pair of eyes fixed on him and he breathed a sigh of relief. He had to stop the two from fighting, because God knew if they tore each other to shreds if he didn't.

"You Ellie, you were away, right?" The girl nodded shortly, her hard stare not leaving Rob's. "You have been on an exchange program, away in France, am I right?" Another nod and the girl's deathly gaze faltered a little. "And Rob, he didn't call you at all, for all this time?"

Ellie hissed, "Not a damn time."

"It's not my fault-!", his friend began explaining and as he got closer, Dan took his opportunity and kicked him in the ankle to silence him. Rob cursed but shut up at last.

"International calls are pretty expensive, don't you think? And have we all forgotten about how Rob got himself into a fight which ended in him being cut off Internet, his phone and even his old playstation?", he spoke, only now registering the circle of people gathered around the three of us. News in Mayfield High School spread with a speed of light and even sometimes, it outruns it. The last thing Dan wanted was his friend's break-up a hot topic on everyone's tongues. And if they did break up, the news would be heard by everyone in the school even before the morning paper would come out.

"He fought for your good name, Ellie. Rob smashed Rick's nose for a good cause."

'That's what I've heard', he added in his mind.

The blonde girl looked Dan down, as though he was only a child who still believed in fairytales and Santa Claus.

"Oh, Danny," she said, laughing bitterly and Dan gritted his teeth at the nickname. She stepped toward him and stopped, uncomfortably close and looming over his low frame, dressed in a pink pastel sweater, light blue jeans and a flowercrown on his head. Dan has never felt so small before.

"If Rob hasn't done something much worse, I'd easily forgive him neglecting me. Even for a whole month!," she added with pressure and the girls around whispered to each other.

"I- I don't get it," Dan stammered, and suddenly he felt as though the crowd was cornering him. He glanced at Rob behind him, attention whom was focused on the floor. Dan blinked.

"I could easily forgive if Rob Hugh Spencer hasn't cheated on me behind my back!", she explained, turning her head toward the accused.

Dan didn't register her words at first. When the message reached his brain though, his eyes went wide and he looked back and forth between the two,

"Rob? But- You can't just-"

Most people were incredulous, gesturing wildly, their eyes beaming with, partly alleviated now, hunger for a new topic to gossip about. Only the tall dark boy leaning on the school locker remained silent and unmoving. Away from the crowd, he stood with two others who looked as bored as one could be.

Dan turned to his friend, an old pal he thought he knew so well. He looked for some confirmation it was true. His friend's head, hanging low in shame, seemed to be an enough answer.

"Rob? You didn't- Oh God..." he whispered, stepping back from the couple till his back met the locker.

It was as though everyone suddenly disappeared, there was no Rob and no Ellie. No outsiders looking for a story to feast on and start a whole ton of new rumors about. No fights, no break-ups, no couples. He couldn't believe how Rob could cheat on Ellie. They have been together for around three years, seemed inseparable, perfect and in harmony being together. This must be a nightmare.

"Give me your phone," snapped Dan back into the present.

Ellie stood, one hand on her hip, and palm outstretched and opened. A sheen of sweat broke out on Rob's forehead. He stammered for a good explanation.

"Ellie, it's not what you think it is...," he told with a sickly sweet voice. The girl scowled.

"Are you out of your mind? I know exactly what it looks like. I've seen you text someone repetitively, I've been told you've been texting someone repetitively and I know you've been doing it. Don't even bother with hiding, just give me your phone so I know who is the bitch who doesn't have any fucking morals and steals someone's boyfriend!", she ended with a high note, glowering at her soon-to-be-ex boyfriend.

Dan hesitated as he took one step, but decided he needed to get in between the two. The last thing they needed was a fight. And so he took a second, and another one and another step, being in a fighting couple sandwich in a matter of seconds.

"Ellie, you know the truth, okay, you don't have to see the evidence of this...", Dan struggled with finding a word which would give away the meaning well, "You don't need to see the messages, as well. Ellie, it's for the better. I'm sure you wouldn't really want to read them-"

"Oh, hell I do," she said, crossing her arms in front of herself, seemingly keen to know everything. Dan didn't think that would do her any good. Just another reason to bawl her eyes out.

"Ellie, Dan's right, let's just stop, this is pointless...", agreed Rob, stepping forward, near Ellie. The girl squinted her eyes as Rob looked at her expectantly. The whole crowd remained silent as well, waiting for the outcome.

Ellie's features softened and she smiled at Rob, nodding. Dan's pal returned it, albeit weakly and he was just about to walk off or turn around, Dan couldn't tell for sure, when Ellie leaned down and snatched Rob's smartphone away from him.

Ellie was furiously skimming over the messages in her ex's phone. Rob stood rooted to the place but then he was screaming at his ex, gesturing aggresively. In all that ruckus, was Dan, the pastel boy who would rather eat his cereal and watch stars in the night than work out, now trying to stop his well build friend from jumping on Ellie.

The girl was looking up at Rob from time to time, a victorious smile playing on her lips. That was, until she froze. Her jaw clenched, but tears welled up in her eyes. She crinkled her nose as she spat out,

"You've been fucking your best friend?"

The people stopped their chatters momentarily.

The laughs died down.

Dan mumbled, "What."

Even the tall dark boy and his band seemed to lean in, interested.

"You've been fucking him?," she asked, pointing at Dan. The brunet felt light-headed.

"You've been fucking that stupid pastel freak for all this time?!", she demanded, her fists balled by her sides and Dan thought a figure by the lockers slipped and barely face planted into the floor. Dan shrank and took a step back, not knowing what to do. He would like to know how did he suddenly became his best friend's lover.

"Danny, it says," she read out the contact and his legs felt like rubber, his world seemed to spin around him. "I've known he's a faggot, but you, Rob? Really? After all this time?", each time she shook the phone in Rob's face, who seemed to be a few shades paler. Dan's heart was pounding, he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. He felt close to tears.

He could easily explain it was just a joke, an ordinary swap of the contact names, a silly joke. But there was no force on this world that would help him rewind Ellie's words. Because now everyone knew, they knew his secret, they knew who he was and there was no way to change it.

Several things happened. People went crazy as Ellie's fist connected with his face, almost making Dan topple backwards. A big rustle of everyone getting excited with the fight and there was Rob at the edge of his vision, terrified as well as Dan gave him a meaningful look. Because Dan knew, he knew very well who truly was behind that number, who was Rob's lover and Ellie's hated person. Oh, if she knew.

Head pounding, cheek pulsing and world swimming from the tears, or the blow, Dan stood shocked and terrified of what was to come next.

Someone whistled, probably to congratulate on such strong hit, someone shouted, "Do it again!", another person was taking pictures for who knows what reason. Surely not as an evidence if the crowd decided to stump Dan's face into a plump. Dan wondered if the concerned look he caught from one of the students was real or was it merely his imagination.

"Ellie...", he whispered with his throat squeezed so tight, his voice came out sounding like he ate gravel. "This isn't- it's not me, this is an understanding, please, believe me. I give you my word and, and Rob can acknowledge it's not like that... Rob? Rob?!", he called out hopefully, but as he turned around there was no sight of his friend.

He looked around frantically, his eyes landing on the tall dark boy once again. He stood much closer now, towering over the rest of the people, a strong individual with tattoos and charisma so big, no one even dared to push in on him. Yet, there was a barrier he seemed unable to cross; the distance and other people. He seemed to be trying to move forward through the crowd. Dan didn't have much time to look into the stranger's face as another slap, or what he'd rather call, a blow, caught him off surprise.

His head collided with the locker and his vision swimmed, now certainly not from the tears. He whimpered quietly as he tried to slowly pull himself upright. The crowd was cheering; for them it was fun and another topic to talk about, for Dan, as his mind came to realisation, could become a life and death situation very soon.

Someone kneeled in front of him and Dan blinked, only after several seconds recognising the face as Ellie's brother, Erick, who had six-pack carved into his stomach, as some were saying.

"Erick, listen, this- it's wrong, okay, you're wrong, God...", he muttered, clutching at the back of his skull and grimacing at the pain from the touch. "Let me explain," he said, only weakly protesting as Erick pulled him off the ground and shoved him into the locker.

Erick didn't seem pleased with him talking, it seemed. His face was twisted and eyes squinted.

"Dan, is it?", he muttered, and Dan was sure that first of all, that was a bit dumb question considering just a few hours earlier he and Erick had been laughing at the same joke, and second of all, that his voice sounded like he was riding a really big vehicle with a quiet engine. Or was he the vehicle or the engine?

No, he couldn't have been, right? Cars were made from metal and as much as Dan wasn't a mechanic or an enthusiast, machines were metal and humans definitely weren't.

Wait, am I saying this right, he wondered.

"Hey!", Erick shook Dan's shoulder and Dan looked into his eyes, but his gaze felt like it was a heavy gun placed in an untrained hand. "Your boyfriend left you, huh? See, that's a good thing. Faggots should be separated from the rest. And maybe it would be better for the society for them to seperate themselves on their own, you know?", Erick looked into Dan's eyes but his words made less and less sense. A sound came from behind Rick, or was it Rob in front of him? Wait, why was he clutching at his sweater like that? Dan didn't think Rob has ever touched him since he came out to him. Neither did Ellie. Didn't know why... what's that sound? Whose that face belongs to? An angel?

"-ey, look at me. Dan, right? Are you alright, does something hurt you?"

Dan wondered if angels wore leather jackets, had pierced lips and abandoned their wings.

"An-gel," he muttered, but the angel's skin wrinkled on his forehead and his eyebrows scrunched together. Have Dan just offended him by accident? What did he say? And, ew, why did he feel so drunk? Drunk?

That's what people feel like when they drink, he was sure. He just had no idea how it was possible to feel like that when he hadn't had any alcohol today, or tomorrow. Were his veins clear? And if they weren't, could anybody help him get rid of the weight his body seemed to be pushed down to the ground?

Questions, so many questions.

And no answers.

And his angel.

Dan upset him, the angel was screaming, shaking him.

Answers, so many questions.

Why no questions?

Why was sky going black; no one forecasted a storm for that day.

Dan was supposed to make it sunny again. But only dark clouds filled his vision.

He didn't know where his angel has gone to. Couldn't see, couldn't hear. And at last, Dan stopped thinking as well.

The next chapter is written but will be posted this Friday or Saturday as we've had a small fire and things got hectic and messy since then. All in all, be ready for more high school problems soon :)

Tell me what you think of it; it motivates to write more and quicker ^_^