Tomorrow actually came quicker than Dan thought it would and now he was getting ready to leave his house to go to the party. Thankfully, PJ agreed that he would drive PJ there. Dan was extremely nervous about going to this party. He had never been to a party before. He didn't know what to expect or what was going to happen. He promised himself that he wasn't going to get drunk. He was only 15 years old. He just wanted to go to this party and have fun.
"Hey Phil." Dan said as he answered his phone. Dan was just walking out of his bedroom and was just about to leave the house.
"Hey Dan!" Phil said when Dan had answered the phone. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over."
"Tonight?" Dan asked. He bit his lip nervously.
"Yeah. Why? Are you busy doing something else?" Phil asked. Dan walked over to the front door.
"Yeah, um, I can't really come over tonight. I have some homework to catch up on and mum will kill me if I fail any of my classes. I'm really sorry. Maybe next weekend we can hang out though? Or maybe sometime this week?" He suggested.
"Yeah, alright." Phil said. Dan had a feeling that Phil wasn't buying that sad excuse, which made Dan nervous. "See you Monday." Dan frowned. He felt guilty for lying to Phil but he knew what Phil would say if he found out that Dan was going to the party. Phil would convince him not to go.
"See you Monday then." Dan said. They hung up on each other. "I'm leaving, mum!" Dan yelled. Luckily he was able to convince his mom that he was just going over to spend the night at PJ's house even though he wasn't. Dan opened the door and walked out of the house. He looked up and smiled, just as PJ was pulling into his driveway. Dan walked off the porch and walked over to the car and got in. "Where's Chris at?" Dan asked as he shut the door.
"Dropped him off before I came here." PJ said. "I have some bad news." Dan looked up at PJ. "Phil's not coming. Dan bit his lip as he looked over at PJ. "Dan, are absolutely positively sure you want to do this? You honestly, really don't have to go to this party if you don't want to. I'll totally understand if you don't want to go. They'll be plenty of other parties that we can go to." PJ said. Dan stared at him, not saying anything. PJ chuckled when he saw the look on Dan's face. He sighed and then he shook his head. "Alright. It'll be fine. You'll have fun. This guy always throws amazing parties." Dan smiled and nodded.
"Just, as long as you don't leave me with some stranger. I'll be fine." Dan said. PJ laughed before nodding.
"Come on, you know I wouldn't do that to you." PJ said. Dan smiled.
Dan and PJ finally got to the party and it didn't take long before Dan got separated from PJ. Dan was starting to panic. He didn't really know anyone at this party and he was 90% positive that Luke was there. That was the only thing he was worried about at the moment. He really didn't want to get beat up and humiliated in front of a bunch of strangers. That was the last thing he needed, especially still being new to the school.
Dan sighed in relief as he finally made his way through the crowds and into the kitchen. Dan bit his lip nervously as he looked around. There were a few people around but not as many as there were outside of the kitchen.
"Want a drink?" Dan jumped and looked over and was shocked when he saw Phil standing there.
"Ph-Phil? What, um…What are you doing here?" Dan asked nervously. Phil scoffed.
"I'm honestly not that stupid, Dan. I saw the look on your face when you told me you weren't coming to the party. And, homework? Really? That was your excuse?" Phil asked, crossing his arms against his chest. "What the hell are you doing here?" Phil asked as he walked over to Dan. Dan took a deep breath.
"I just wanted to fit in." Dan said. "I don't know anybody here and as much as I love hanging out with you, Chris and PJ…I want more friends." Phil shook his head.
"So, what you're saying is…We're not good enough for you?" Phil asked. Dan frowned.
"No! I'm just saying that I wanted to meet new people. Is that such a crime?" Dan asked.
"No, of course not. I'm only upset because you lied to me." Phil snapped.
"I'm sorry. I really am. But, it's just a party? What's the big deal? Why didn't you want me to come?" Dan asked.
"This isn't just some party, Dan. People are going to get drunk and someone will get hurt at some point in the night. I don't want that person to be you." Phil whispered. Dan frowned as he stared at him.
"Why are you so worried about me? Why aren't you worried about Chris and PJ?" Dan asked. Phil rolled his eyes.
"Because Chris and PJ have been to parties like this before. They know what to expect. Dan, I know you want to meet new people and have loads of friends and I totally get it. But, this is not the way to do that. They'll be other parties and I don't think a party like this should be your first." Phil said, taking a deep breath. Dan couldn't help but smile.
"I'm touched that you came all this way to a party because you were worried about me." Dan whispered. Phil smiled.
"You're my best friend. I just don't want to see you get hurt." Phil said. Dan frowned as soon as Phil called him his 'best friend'. Of course, Dan was extremely happy that he had a best friend now. He was glad that Phil finally came around to him and liked being around him but, Phil didn't have a clue about how Dan really felt. That's what hurt Dan the most. Phil bit his lip as he stared at Dan. "Hey, are you okay? Can I take you home?" He asked.
"I suppose." Dan said. Phil laughed. He reached over and grabbed Dan's wrist. Phil started to lead Dan towards the door.
"Howell!" Dan immediately looked over when someone called for him. Phil also looked over. He held onto Dan as soon as he saw that it was Luke who had called Dan. Dan froze as soon as he saw Luke. "Off to make-out with your new boyfriend?" A few people laughed. Dan glared at Luke. He shook his head and looked over at Phil. Dan really did not want to deal with Luke at the moment. He was thankful that Phil had come to this party and was taking him home.
"I want to get out of here. Let's go." Dan demanded. Phil nodded and pulled Dan out of the house. "I hate him so fucking much." Dan snapped as he and Phil walked off of the porch. Phil frowned as he looked over at Dan.
"Dan, don't let him get to you, okay?" Phil said calmly.
"I just…I just can't help it sometimes." Dan mumbled. "He knows exactly how to push my buttons."
"You just have to learn to ignore it, trust me. I know exactly what you're going through." Phil said. He started walking again but Dan stopped and pulled him back. Phil immediately looked over at him, blinking a few times. "What are you doing?"
"Do you?" Dan asked. Phil frowned. "You make it seem so easy."
"Dan, I've been bullied by these people half of my life. I met Chris and PJ and they helped me get through everything. So, yeah…I know exactly what you're going through. It gets better. I know that sounds cheesy but it's true." Phil said. "Can we just go home? I don't want to talk about this here." Dan slowly nodded.
"Would it be okay if I stayed at your house?" Dan asked. Phil smiled.
"Of course it would be okay." Phil said. Dan also smiled.
Dan and Phil walked together to Phil's house, stopping at Dan's house first of course. Dan was quite excited about spending the night at Phil's house. He had a couple times before now and it was always a good time.
"Do you think that I text PJ and let him know that I'm not at the party anymore?" Dan asked as he followed Phil into Phil's bedroom. They had just gotten home from walking home from the party. Dan felt bad for leaving Chris and PJ. He promised that he would go to this party and have fun and meet new people. Phil looked over at Dan as he shut the door.
"I wouldn't bother." Phil said. Dan raised his eyebrows. "I mean, PJ's probably already drunk so he won't see his texts."
"Or he's too busy with Chris." Dan added. Phil let out a laugh.
"I really don't need that mental image in my head, thanks Dan." Phil said. Dan smirked slightly. He walked over to Phil's bed and sat down. Phil bit his lip nervously as he watched Dan. He could tell that something was bothering Dan, he just didn't know what. "Hey, are you okay Dan?" Phil asked as he sat down next to him on the bed. Dan shrugged his shoulders. "You look a little upset or something. Something's bothering you." Phil said. Dan looked over at him.
"Have-Have you ever been in love?" Dan asked. Phil blinked a few times.
"Well, not really. I mean, the only relationship I've been in only lasted for a month." Phil told him.
"What happened?" Dan asked curiously. Phil shrugged his shoulders.
"He found someone else, I guess. I don't know. It was just a fling." Phil mumbled. Dan was surprised. He didn't know why anyone would want to be with someone else other than Phil. Phil seemed like the perfect boyfriend to have.
"Oh." Dan said. He let out a sigh as he looked down at his hands. Phil watched him carefully.
"Are you in love with someone?" Phil asked. Dan immediately looked up at him with wide eyes. Phil chuckled when he saw the look on his face. "I know it's a scary feeling. Being in love at such a young age. You shouldn't be scared though. You should have fun with it. Don't worry about what anyone else says. Be who you want to be with. That's my advice to you." Phil said. Dan bit his lip nervously as he stared at Phil. He went to say something but he quickly shut his mouth before he said anything.
Dan absolutely desperately wanted to tell Phil how he felt about him but he knew that it was too soon. Dan needed to wait a little longer. He didn't want to rush Phil into a relationship when they had only met just a month ago. Dan wanted to get to know Phil more before he said anything. It would be much better for the both of him and Phil.