The Boy at Camp - Phan AU

Chapter One

Dan Howell walked through the halls of his high school, his head down. His hair was straight as a perfect line, and he donned a wonderful array of colors, such as a black t-shirt, black jeans, and a tiny bit of white on his otherwise black shoes.

It was time to start another day in his lie of a life.

See, Dan had a secret. A secret he had never told anyone. Ever.

Dan was gay.

But, of course, he couldn't tell anyone. Because then word would get around the school, who would notify his parents, who would send him away to a summer camp to "fix" his sexuality. But he knew he was gay, and no one was going to change that about him.

It was the middle of June, which meant only a few more days before summer vacation, where Dan would be anti-social in is bedroom instead of in a school building. He was so ready to be out of this place, where he was constantly hiding his true identity. He didn't have any friends, so it wasn't very hard to hide it, but people had suspicions. Such as Jack.

"Hey, faggot," Jack said as he walked up to Dan, pushing him to the ground. Dan landed on his backpack, his binders poking into his back. "Where are you going in such a rush?"

"Uh, c-class," Dan stuttered, looking up at him in fear. Jack was the school bully. He was infamous in the halls, and everyone tried to avoid him. He had even put on kid in the hospital after beating the shit out of him and then stuffing his face into a toiler until he had passed out. Dan was scared that he would be next.

"Class can wait. Why don't you come with me and my friends? We have something cool to show you," Jack asked. The way he looked at Dan showed that it was more of a demand than a question.

Dan was lifted up by Jack's goons, whose names Dan had forgotten. They led him to one of the bathrooms, and Dan knew he was about to meet his doom. They pushed him against the wall, figuring that no one else was in the bathroom.

"So, how's it been being a faggot?" Jack spat the words in Dan's face. He glared at him. "It's wrong to be that way, you know."

"I bet he likes it up his ass. He's totally a bottom," one of Jack's goons said, causing the rest of them to laugh. Dan said nothing.

Jack kicked him in the side, causing Dan to double over. "Say something, fag!" he shouted, fists clenched.

"I'm not gay," Dan said quietly. That caused Jack and the others to laugh.

"Lying's a sin, you know," Jack said, kicking Dan again.

"Hey, maybe we should baptize him. Since he's such a sinner," one of Jack's friend's suggested. A smirk grew on Jack's face.

"That's a wonderful idea, Caspar," he said. He kicked Dan one more time and lifted him up. He kicked open the first stall and threw Dan in front of the toilet. "Have you ever been baptized?" he asked Dan.

"Y-Yeah. I did when I was younger," Dan replied. His heart was racing and he stared at Jack nervously.

"Well, I'm not a priest, but this should be good enough to get rid of those sins," he said, laughing. He nodded to his friends, who grabbed Dan tightly. They pushed his face into the toilet.

Water surrounded Dan's face, and the laughter of the other boys was muffled. He closed his eyes and kicked around, trying to get out. He quickly felt himself losing air. He tried to scream, but it came out muffled. The boys laughed harder. "Help!" Dan cried into the water, but it was no used. Water filled his mouth, and he struggled harder to get out and be able to spit it out. He felt dizzy and he started to struggle less. He felt like he was about to pass out, but he knew that as soon as he did, his lungs would start breathing in the water. He was going to die.

Suddenly, he was roughly lifted out by his hair. He spit out the water and took a deep breath. His lungs burned as Jack glared at him. "So, faggot. Tell me. Are you gay?" he asked.

Dan took another deep breath. "N-No," he croaked. The grip around his hair tightened.

"Well, looks like his baptism didn't work. I guess we need to try again," Jack said, laughing. Dan took a deep breath, ready to be plunged back in the water. Jack smirked and kicked his stomach, knocking the air out of him. Dan was shoved back into the water immediately after.

He tried to struggle again, but the grips on his arms and hair were too strong. He realized that it was no use and stopped struggling. He continued to hold his breath, but he was extremely close to passing out. His lungs were starting to work on their own, and Dan's mouth opened. He breathed in some of the water by accident. He could hear muffled yelling, but he couldn't make out any words.

Suddenly, the hands on Dan's arms were pulled away, and Jack pulled him up by his hair. He coughed and took a deep breath of air, too weak to fight back anymore. Jack smirked at him.

"Class is about to start," he said, kicking Dan's stomach again. Dan coughed and doubled over, still trying to take breathe. Jack's goons surrounded him and started kicking his sides. Dan started crying, but he tried to hide it. They kicked harder.

The bell for first period rang, and the boys all rushed out of the stall. "See you later, faggot!" Jack shouted before running out of the bathroom, a chorus of laughter following him.

Dan stayed where he was, curled in a ball on the bathroom floor. It was wet from the water that had splashed out of the toilet when he had been struggling. His lungs still burned and he continued taking deep breaths. His sides ached and he couldn't move. He cried, hoping someone would come to help him.

But, of course, no one did.