A week later, it was presentation day.
Dan and Phil gave statistics about LGBT+ youth suicides and depression that branch off from the prejudices they face. They played a slideshow of pride parades. They explained many more things about why the LGBT+ community shouldn't be judged just as nobody else should be judged and how they should receive the same respect as everyone else.
Dan and Phil went last, so when they finished, everyone left the room. Mr. Davids went to monitor the halls.
Dan was leaving when a group of boys who had previously bullied Dan came up to him and shoved him backwards, sending him stumbling into his desk and dropping his things for class. Dan leaned down to pick up his belongings but one of the boys knocked them out of his hands once more while another pulled him up by his shirt.
"What was that, you little faggot?" The one holding Dan's shirt said. "You think everyone should get equal rights? That's really funny. All the fags are going to burn in hell, and you'll be right behind them."
"Hey," Phil tapped on the boy's shoulder from behind. "Stop."
The boy looked Phil up and down and laughed at his glasses and pug jumper.
"Uh, let me think about it." He didn't even pause. "Nope. What are you going to do about it?"
"Well," Phil crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one side. "I can report you for bullying and harassment, plus, Mr. Davids is headed back this way, so I suggest you leave Dan and me alone."
Grumbling, the boy holding Dan's shirt let go and left with his little passé.
Dan and Phil knelt down to pick up Dan's things. Phil chuckled. "Just like the day we met."
Dan smiled. "Yeah."
"Have those guys given you problems before?" Phil asked as they walked to their next class.
"Yeah. It stopped for a week or so, but I think they decided they hadn't been dicks to me enough," Dan said, not telling Phil why they stopped for a week or so.
"Oh. You should report them."
"Yeah. Yeah maybe I should."
***
"Phil," Miss Jackson said near the end of the last class period. "Can you please come up here?"
Dan watched him go, wondering what she needed from Phil. He would ask at the end of class.
Less than a minute later, Dan looked back up and saw Phil looked like he was about to cry. He whispered something to her as his eyes welled up.
Phil sits back down in his desk without looking at Dan.
"Dan." Miss Jackson waved her hand at Dan, gesturing for him to come to the front of the classroom.
"Is everything okay, Miss Jackson?" Dan asked cautiously, afraid of the answer he might receive.
"Not really," She replied while running a hand through her hair. "I was just telling Phil a moment ago that I thought it was very kind of him to befriend you, especially because you, you know." Dan's heart began racing faster in his chest. "And he was shocked. Not because he was being recognized, but because he didn't know you have cancer. I'm so sorry, Dan. I didn't know he was unaware. If I had known, I assure you I wouldn't have said anything."
"It's okay," Dan lied numbly.
As Dan sat back in his seat, he could feel the blood pounding through his veins. He kept his head down for the rest of the period, dreading the end when he would be forced to face Phil.
When the bell rang, Dan practically three his books in his bag and shot out the door, ignoring Phil's shouts for him.
Dan speed-walked through the courtyard, hoping he wouldn't appear obvious to Phil when he walked out of the school. He should have known better.
"Dan! Dan, wait!" Dan heard Phil shouting as he grew nearer and nearer.
Dan finally stopped and say under a large, shaded tree. The tree was quite a distance from the school; Dan hadn't noticed how far he'd come.
Phil sat slightly behind Dan and pulled his body toward him, so Dan was resting against Phil's chest, his head nestled in the crook of Phil's neck.
Phil ran his fingers through Dan's hair, an act that reminded him of his mother and made him even more emotional that he previously was. But he would not cry. Not in front of Phil.
They were silent for nearly ten minutes before Phil finally broke the silence.
"Dan," Phil said, the pain and sadness clear in his voice. "Dan, why didn't you tell me?"
At those words, Dan lot all composure he had remaining and started crying, his sobs racking his whole body.
"I didn't want you to leave," Dan said through choked sobs.
"Oh, Dan, I would never leave you. Not for anything in this world. Not because of anything that could possibly happen in this world. Nothing could ever cause me to even think about leaving you. You're perfect."
"No, I'm not, Phil."
"Yes you are."
"Nobody's perfect."
Phil sighed. "That's the dumbest saying ever. 'Nobody's perfect.' I think it's completely untrue because that was created with one person with one opinion of what perfection is; everybody has their own idea of what perfection should be. I believe that, to someone, somewhere, everyone is perfect. And you're perfect to me."
The boys, once again, fell into a silence as Dan got the rest of the tears out of his body.
"Phil?"
"Yes, Dan?"
"We'll be friends forever, won't we, Phil?" Dan asked.
"Even longer," Phil answered.
Word count: 937
