Bad Words | phan

1-The Assignment

Daniel James Howell arrived exactly seven minutes and eighteen seconds late for fourth period Health class in Year 13 (senior year, my fellow Americans). No one in particular cared enough to count the time, seeing as no one really liked Dan. His peers did, however, admire and envy him. As a quarterback and a classic bad boy, he lived and thrived on a pedestal, granted to him by those less cliché. To the guess of many mothers, Dan happened to be a slightly disturbed child, with tattoos and a slight alcohol problem, though he stayed away from drugs and only smoked occasionally. He possessed a clear mind, with no mental problems. In fact, Dan had a knack for reading and writing, though he would certainly never let anyone know and kept his grades just below a C+, with slight variations to make his grades seem more believable.

Philip Michael Lester sat in his chair at the front of the classroom approximately nine minutes and forty two seconds before Dan was issued a tardy. He never found it easy to like Dan Howell, though Phil would certainly be nice to him, as he was with everyone. After Dan had called Phil a "cross-dressing queer" in Year 10, Phil struggled to share his warmth to Dan. In Year 10, Phil was still struggling with his sexuality and scarcely wore what he felt happy wearing, going instead for what he felt secure putting on his body for the world to see. Philip had since accepted himself thoroughly, down to the shape of his body. Most teenagers considered him to be a genius, as he always scored the top grades and took the highest level classes. Phil never involved himself with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or even parties, afraid of ruining his image.

Everyone in the classroom jumped when the door slammed opened, revealing Dan. He was dressed in a black leather shirt and black skinny jeans. His black Vans added to the general aesthetic of his outfit. Ink peeked through the edges of Dan's collar, revealing parts and pieces of his tattoos that everyone wondered about. The brown fringe, streaked with purple, had been brushed to the side of his forehead, out of his eyes. Smirking made the silver lip-ring stand out menacingly, but also revealed one of his dimples. Dan was pale, as always, and it fit his personality quite well.

Unimpressed and unamused, the small, blonde teacher stopped tapping her pen and looked up from the papers on her desk. She raised her eyebrows, following Dan with a pointed look until he slumped into his seat. Immediately, the pencil-the only thing he had brought to class-began to wriggle in his fingers, as he laced them with the wood in a slow, tedious motion.

"You are almost ten minutes late to my class, Daniel," Miss Copard announced, narrowing her light brown eyes at the boy before returning them to their normal shape and size.

"But I'm not," Dan replied, sass leaking into his voice as he looked to the teacher with a new smirk growing on his face. Giggles sounded through the classroom, though Phil refused to turn his eyes from the sheet in front of him.

"Mr. Howell, why are you late to this class?" she asked, ignoring his previous comment as she ran a hand through her short bob.

"Because I was busy," Dan scoffed, rolling his eyes and looking to the clock as though he had more important places to be. A few more immature people laughed softly, trying-and failing-to be quiet.

"Busy doing what exactly?" asked the teacher, resisting glaring at the young boy.

"Making out with my girlfriend," Dan replied, meeting the teacher's eyes.

"Daniel, that is entirely inappropriate," she scolded fiercely, narrowing her eyes.

"It's not my fault no one wanted to marry you," Dan deadpanned, causing more laughs. "Of course, I can't blame them."