Title: Falling Through

Author: alienangel19852003

Summary: Phil and Keely are best friends, and they've been that way for three years. Despite the fact that both of them want to be so much more. Keely decides to go out with someone else just to shake Phil up so that he'll admit his feelings, it ends up scarring the both of them more than they can ever imagine. The secret they have to live with ends up bringing them closer than ever.

Rating: M, rape, violence, teen partying, teen pregnancy.

Disclaimer: I do not own POTF, I cannot stress that enough. Title comes from Over My Head (Cable Car)by the Fray.

"Nothing More than Apathy"

"So…" Keely Teslow drawled allowing the one word to hang in the air forever.

"It's your sentence," Phil Diffy smirked.

The two friends were hanging out in his bedroom like they did every Wednesday after school. They were sitting on his bed facing each other and playing a game of cards just like any other day. But today was different, Phil couldn't stop thinking about how pretty Keely looked even thought he'd always thought she was one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen.

She was dressed in a sky blue tank top and denim Capri pants, her hair framed her face in golden ringlets, and she wore subdued makeup nothing over the top for once. She was just Keely, and he liked that.

"Phil? Did you hear what I said?" she asked.

He frowned; he'd done it again spaced out thinking about her. One day she was going to get wise and then he'd be up the creek.

He blushed, "Sorry, I spaced for a second."

She smiled, "Up for another game."

"Yeah sure but after this we work on Messerschmitt's assignment 'kay?"

She nodded.

It was the next to last week of school before summer vacation, and Messerschmitt was riding them harder than ever he was fully intending to make them work right up until the final bell.

Keely attempted to shuffle the cards, only successfully making them fly all around them.

"I'm still working out the kinks before I run off to Vegas," she blushed.

He smiled and helped her collect the cards. They both grabbed for the three of clubs, their fingers touched and they looked sharply up at each other.

He boldly held her gaze for a minute trying to see if she'd felt anything this time. There was always something between them, he couldn't explain or rationalize it if he tried. He always felt this tingle when ever they touched, and when she pulled him into one of her famous hugs, the whole world went away ant it was just them.

He'd just chalked it up to merging hormones rushing around, boys and girls being so close to one another. He thought it was feeling tied to girls his age in general, but he didn't feel that way with other girls not that he'd dated many.

"Phil…" Keely whispered her voice sounded needy and afraid.

"What is it Keel?" he asked searching her eyes he saw a flash of something, but she looked away and it was gone.

"Will you teach me to shuffle?" she blurted.

Phil knew that wasn't really what she wanted to say.

"Yeah, sure. Keely, you know you can tell me anything right. We promised each other that we'd do that." He said reaching out to touch her hand.

"I know. This is about Bruno…he wants to go out…with me… I told him I wanted to talk to you about it first…"Keely said.

Phil nearly hyperventilated, he knew Bruno had a thing for Keely he'd tried to feel her up in the garage and ended up grabbing Phil's ass several times.

"I know we're not together, together, or anything but…I didn't think it would be right to start seeing someone without discussing it with you first." Keely continued.

"You're right we're not together, together." He said, saying it out loud nearly killed him, "You don't need my permission to see someone Keel. If you happy that's all that matters to me." Phil turned away before she saw the tears glistening in his eyes.

She smiled, he didn't see it or the tears in her eyes.

Once Phil had recovered enough to force a smile she leaned up on her knees and hugged him.

"You're the best Phil." She whispered.

He frowned, she felt so right in his arms. She belonged with him not with Bruno, but he'd never say that. Because they weren't dating and now they'd never be.

They talked and laughed until she had to go meet her mother for dinner. He had this oppressive weight on his chest, like he'd made a big mistake it was the most ominous feeling that hurt with every breath.

He accepted the offer for family game night, and they played a bunch of lame games. He should have been on Pim's team because his father was just dragging him down. When it was over he felt a bit better, he hadn't been playing much attention to the game once his father really started losing it for them.

It was just one date, Phil tried to rationalize. It would be enough to make Bruno and Keely realize that they didn't have anything in common. He would have to wait it out.

Friday, morning rolled around and the infamous date loomed only hours away he was off to a good start pretending it didn't bother him. But things got real bad real fast, Keely was eyeing him strangely in the broadcast lab, then she flaked on having lunch with him, well with the whole group to go off campus for lunch with Bruno.

Via cornered Phil in the hall after fifth period.

"I didn't think it would come to this." Via stated, a frown creasing her brow.

"What he?" he asked.

"Bruno asked Keely to go steady and she said yes. All because you didn't tell her how you feel."

Phil spazzed and nearly ripped off his locker door in the process.

"What?" he asked, couldn't possibly know how he felt.

"Keely and Bruno are now a couple. As in boyfriend and girlfriend." Via spoke very slowly.

"I am not slow." He told her.

"Well, why on earth didn't you tell her how you feel about her?" Via demanded.

"Feelings? Where are you getting this?" he asked.

Via shot him a look, "Keely feels the same. She didn't think you did. Bruno kept asking her out so she accepted thinking that you wouldn't let it happen. She wasn't asking your permission she was giving you a chance to tell her how you feel before she went out with Bruno."

"I don't understand women at all." Phil whispered shutting his locker.

"I should talk to her…" He said forgetting Via was there.

"You should have told her yesterday, today just might be too late." Via said as Keely strolled down the hall with Bruno wrapped around her like some jock jacket.

Phil felt like banging his head into the lockers.

"What am I gonna do? Bruno is a cool guy, but we both know his freaky reputation." Phil said.

"You'll figure it out you made a 1500 on the SAT's and you have a reputation of your own." Via said giving him a friendly clap on the back and walking away.

Phil did have reputation for being the eccentric smart guy. He wasn't known for how many touch downs he'd made in the backseat. He'd never even been parking with a girl. His little sister Pim had more a reputation than he did at seventeen Phil Diffy, had only kissed three girls in his entire life.

He sighed and headed to class, only to be accosted, by the insane Vice Principal on the way to class for not having his shirt tucked in. it was the end of the school year and the place was crawling with representatives from Principal Tillywack's office evaluating the students.

Phil managed to get through his last few classes without incident, until he got ready to leave the school parking lot. He'd waited for Keely like he'd done since he'd gotten his car.

"Where's Blondie?" Pim asked, climbing into the front seat.

Phil didn't say anything he was much too busy scowling.

"From your Cowell like scowl I gather that she had better things to do…Too bad, I really thought you kids were going to make it." Pim said pretending to shed a tear.

"Shut up," Phil grumbled throwing the car in reverse, not caring for the pedestrians he hit in his wake.

Pim had been watching entirely too much reality TV.

"Okay I know you're upset, but there's no need to kill anyone."

"I am not upset Pim. I'm mad as hell if you hadn't noticed, I nearly ran down a blind kid back there."

"I know that we've never opened up or shared secrets or any kind of the Full House shit," Pim began, "And I'm thankful for that. But you know that if you need to talk I'm here. And if you tell anyone I said that those pictures of you dressed like Toto from the Wizard of OZ will get posted on the schools' web site."

Phil didn't say a word, he kept driving.

"If the pointed silence is any indication you really need my help." Pim said.

"Why are you offering to help me?" Phil asked.

"It's a community service for home economics. So I volunteered to work in the councilor's office, mostly so I can get dirt on my fellow students. And now I can't turn it off." Pim exclaimed.

"Thanks for the offer but I'm fine." He stated running a red light.

"You're hardly fine." Pim said calmly as possible to say that she was clinging to the dashboard for dear life.

"You let the girl you've loved for years run off with the Fabio of the junior class."

"How do you even know who Fabio is?" he asked.

"He's the guy on the romance novels Ms. Teslow lent mom." Pim said.

Phil rolled his eyes; he'd hardly seen their mother since those books came into their home. Phil pulled into their driveway making it home in record time. He got out and slammed the door leaving his sister sitting there waiting for her vital organs to arrive. Finally, Pim got out slamming the door and falling on her knees and saying some prayer in Latin.

"Tell mom and dad I'll be in the backyard hanging myself if they need me." Phil told her as he headed for the backyard.