SUPER RICH KIDS | PHAN

fifty six.

dan.

dan's eyes stung as he stared at his feet, sitting on the dirt path, waiting for sunny's car to come into view. god, everything hurt.

maybe he shouldn't have reacted so drastically, but he didn't care. he was hurt and offended. how could phil do everything he had to make dan trust him, and then break that trust in seconds? it killed any hope dan had had of them working out. it killed any hope.

finally sunny's car pulled around the corner and came to a stop and dan stood up with shaky legs. it took everything in him not to break down. he took a shuddering breath as sunny got out.

"you don't have to do that," dan mumbled, going for the passengers seat. "just drive."

"what happened?" sunny asked, watching him with wide, scared eyes. dan shook his head, rubbing at his eyes to keep back the tears.

"nothing important."

"it must be important... did you have a fight?"

dan laughed dryly. "i wouldn't call it a fight. more like an... ending."

sunny's eyes went even wider and his mouth opened, and closed again. then he glanced toward the tracks. "phil's back there still?"

dan felt a stabbing pain in his chest and he nodded stiffly. "yeah. you can go to him if you want." his voice broke. of course sunny would want to go to phil- they were best friends. why had dan gone to phil's best friend for help?

oh, right. because he didn't know anyone else who could drive.

sunny shook his head, turning back to the car. "no... it's okay. you're my friend too." he smiled at him sadly. "and i know how phil can be. he has that fancy car to get home, anyways."

pain washed over dan in merciless waves and he only nodded, curling up in the passengers seat and squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as he could. was this a cruel joke...? was he proving himself by standing up for his beliefs, or was he just being petty and losing the best thing in his life?

but he didn't care. he didn't care. he didn't want to think about phil, or anything, really. he sighed and hit his head gently against the glass of sunny's window as he started to drive. the car bounced and rattled slightly as it ran over the dirt and gravel.

"i know i've asked before," dan said quietly, nearly a whisper. "but, how do you stay? how can you stay friends with him when he does... shit like this?"

"well," sunny said slowly, carefully, his grip tight on the steering wheel. "i don't know what happened just now but... he has his good moments."

dan scoffed coldly. "yeah, i know. but that isn't who he is, is it? deep down, he's not good."

"don't say that." sunny's eyes were on him. "it's the other way around. he has his slips up, but sometimes he doesn't even realize he's doing something wrong. you have to remind him, sometimes he just needs a little guidance. he's like a filthy rich toddler."

sunny's view of it made dan's insides thaw, and he winced. god, he missed him already. had he made a mistake?

"but," sunny continued after a second. "if he's done something really bad, or something that really hurt you... there's no reason you should stick around." he seemed uncomfortable. "i really want you to stick around, because i think you two could really make it and i think he really cares about you and you could talk it out, but... you know. it's your choice."

dan chewed on his lip, focusing on taking slow, deep breaths. "i feel stupid."

"how you feel is never stupid."

dan glanced at him and smiled weakly, hoping to lighten the mood. "if you think so highly of him, why don't you date him?"

sunny laughed. "are you kidding? fuck no. i couldn't put up with that little bitch."

dan giggled and looked away again, trying to keep calm. this was fine, he was fine. he didn't need phil to be happy.

"hey, do you wanna hang out tonight?" dan asked, resting his cheek in his palm. "katrina can come. i just... need a distraction."

sunny smiled at him, and nodded. "yeah... sure. that sounds really nice."

➹

as soon as dan stepped foot in the shelter katrina jumped up and ran to him, cupping his face in her hands and running her thumbs over his tear stained cheeks. "oh, dan, what happened?"

dan shook his head, fighting back a sob. "phil and i are no longer... a growing concern."

kat sighed, instantly pulling him into a tight hug. "i should've fought harder to protect you."

"no," dan sniffed. "i had to figure this one out for myself." he paused. "he's getting rid of the shelter. he got the fucking car."

"god," kat muttered, shaking her head.

"yeah."

as soon as she pulled back dan whirled around to face sunny, who was standing in the doorway a bit nervously. "do you have alcohol?"

sunny blinked. "um, yes, but uh-"

"give me it."

sunny glanced anxiously in katrina's direction, who shrugged. "dan, are you sure that's such a good idea right now...?"

dan raised his eyebrows, as if daring him - either of them - to fight him. "sunny, please." 

sunny glanced at kat one last time before shrugging and nodding half heartedly. "alright. let's... go to my place. i wanna at least keep an eye on you."

dan nodded, smiling. "thank you," he muttered as he passed him in the doorway, katrina not far behind him.

he didn't care what they thought. he needed some kind of escape. he needed some kind of fun.

he needed to forget phil, against all odds. for his own good.