***
Dan was nervous.
They were going to ask him stuff, like Alfie did, but what if they found him boring, what if they hated him, what if they found him rude, or annoying, or...
The possibilities of things Dan could do wrong we're endless and Dan spent the entire time leading up to lunch torturing himself with everything he could think that could go wrong and mess everything up.
When lunch finally rolled around, Dan cautiously approached the table, which was abuzz with conversation already. He sat in between Alfie and Joe, Phil was opposite him.
Immediately, after Dan finished eating, Phil passes him what appears to be his biology book, open to a blank page with a question written there an a pen sitting patiently on the blank paper.
Dan pulls the book closer and reads the question.
Favourite animal?
Dan rolls his eyes and scribbles llama. Everyone takes time passing the book around and reading the questions and answers Dan is giving, and it's actually pretty fun. Dan gets a range of questions, serious and stupid ones.
What's it like not speaking?
Frustrating at times, but at least I have my health.
Do you like cheese?
Yeah...
Favourite pass time?
Social media
Why do you wear so much black?
Because black is amazing.
Are you funny?
Yeah I guess so
Describe yourself in five words.
Awkward, tall, mute, sarcastic, nerdy.
That last one made Dan cringe as he wrote it, but there was no erasing it. While those words described Dan perfectly, it wasn't the best words to use, as they didn't reflect Dan as the most interesting, cool person.
When the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, everyone sighed, annoyed at the bell for interrupting them. They all enjoyed getting to know Dan better, and they thought he was a good match for their group, they just needed him to feel more welcome and comfortable, as he was still quite awkward and shy.
"Ready for math?" Phil asks, raising an eyebrow at Dan.
Dan rolls his eyes, sighing and giving a sarcastic, forced smile, showing his non existent enthusiasm, making Phil chuckle at the boy.
"I can see we share the same obvious passion for math. I hate math, it's so boring and mostly pointless, like I won't need trigonometry and pi and all that. I just need my trusty iPhone with it's calculator." Phil rants to Dan as they find seats at the back desk with Caspar, a guy with dirty blonde hair and a seemingly permanent, enthusiastic smile.
"Yeah. We don't need half the school subjects to succeed at life." Caspar inputs, winking at a blonde girl who was staring at him from the front of the room, to which she blushes profusely and ducks her head as her friends laugh.
"So Dan, how do you usually communicate, y'know, with your family and stuff?" Phil asks, turning to Dan.
Dan pulls his black iPhone out of his pocket and holds it up to Phil.
"You text?" He asks, raising an eyebrow, to which Dan nods, "that's genius, like, wow. That's so much easier than writing and instant! Just like actually talking through writing, why didn't we think of that? Can I give you all our numbers so we can all talk? Yeah that's a good idea, I'll make a group chat, if that's okay, can I have your number? I think tha-"
"Phil you're rambling again." Caspar interrupts, causing Phil to grin guiltily.
"Sorry. I was excited, I ramble when I'm excited. Sorry if it's annoying at all, but-" Phil begins
"Phil..." Caspar laughs and Phil just grins, biting his lip to stop the words from spilling out of his mouth.
Dan writes his number on a piece of paper and hands it to Phil, who grins like a kid at christmas. Dan then spends the entire math say with the teacher, who is helping him learn the current unit they're studying, whilst his pocket vibrates uncomfortably.
Dan glances back at Phil who hold his phone up behind the teacher's back and grins widely, to which Dan rolls his eyes and shakes his head, praying for math to be over.
"Are you okay Dan?" Me Hall, their math teacher asks as Dan cringes, trying to ignore the constant buzz of his phone in his pocket.
Since Dan can't exactly respond, he scribbles 'can I go to the bathroom?' on a blank page, to which the teacher nods.
"Go ahead, come back quickly though." he says as Dan gets up and races out of the room, past Phil and Caspar who are trying their best not to laugh.
But their laughter is different to the one that Dan is used to, it isn't spiteful or mean spirited, it's more of a harmless joking laugh.
Once Dan managed to lock himself in a cubicle, he pulls out his phone to find a spam from an unknown number, which is obviously Phil. Dan scrolls through the possibly hundreds of texts, reading a few and setting Phil in as a contact.
Phil: hey it's meeeee
Phil: yknow Phil
Phil: Philly
Phil: I'm amazing.
Phil: amazing Phil
Phil: how's math
Phil: am I annoying you.
Phil: I think I am
Phil: how are the vibrations in your pocket?
Phil: hahaha
Phil: I'm evil.
All the texts are basically like that, annoying, small messages, but humorous. Dan finds them quite entertaining and makes a mental note to go read them later. He walks back in the classroom, but leaves his phone in his bag this time.
"How was math?" Phil asks, grinning at Dan.
Dan rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone, typing out a quick text to Phil.
Dan: great. you talk as much on text as you do in real life XD
Phil: I'm taking that as a good thing.
Dan: whatever helps you sleep.
Phil laughs and Caspar shoots them a confused glance.
"I want to join in too!" he exclaims, pouting at them.
"Patience grasshopper, I shall add everyone after school. We cannot have Dan's jeans vibrating all last period." Phil says as the two of them chuckle together.
"Dan looked so uncomfortable!" Caspar laughs causing Dan to hit them both lightly on the arm and roll his eyes, but he was grinning too.
Dan was happy.
***
That afternoon, when Dan got home from school, he was in a good mood.
But that was soon shattered, for when he pushed open the front door and walked into the kitchen, his mother had a grave expression on her face and his brother was not raiding the fridge like he usually was. Dan's eyes widen as he assumes the worst but his mum calms him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I-it's your Dad Dan, he said he was ready to talk to you both, that's where Quinn is now." She says
[an: I know that isn't dan's brother's name but it's an au story so :D]
Dan's eyebrows crease in confusion and dread. The last memory he had of his father was one drunken night when Dan was six, twelve years ago, and he hit Dan across the throat with a beer bottle. Dan thinks he was aiming for his head but missed in his drunken state. Dan still has a scar from the shattered glass, and now hates when people touch around his neck, as he thinks back to this memory.
And that - surprisingly - is the only memory Dan has of his father or prior to the event.
Dan's mother then took him and his baby brother away from him after that, although Dan cannot remember anything else from that fateful night. He only remembers the sound of cracking glass. After leaving though, Dan hasn't seen him since, and that fact hasn't exactly bothered Dan either.
"I know you probably don't want to go, but he's changed, he really has Dan." His mum pleads, "he is your father."
Dan sighs, not arguing. But he doubts that a man can change too much from an alcohol addiction and being abusive to his family.
After texting his new friends for an hour, Dan is happy, and even forgets his problems; he hasn't told his friends yet though, he doesn't want to dare them off or anything like that. How bad could a dinner go?
Dan's mood shatters when a loud knock, well, it's more like a bang, at the door echoes through the house. He hears his mother open the door and a few minutes later shout,
"Dan he's here!" His mother shouts from downstairs.
Dan sighs and tucks his phone in his pocket. He sweeps his fringe to the side and looks in the mirror at his all black attire before heading downstairs.
His father isn't like he remembered, he's clean cut, tanned skin, clear, brown eyes, short dark hair and a tall frame. This isn't the pale, skinny, blood shot eyed zombie Dan had lived with before.
"Hey son. It's been a while. How are you Dan?" he asks, smiling lightly at him.
Dan just stands there awkwardly in response. Doesn't his father know he is mute? Surely it didn't happen after they left?
"Just come into the car." he says, grabbing Dan roughly by the sleeve and tugging him to the car.
Dan passes Quinn on the way, who gives him a terrified, wide eyed expression and imitates cutting his throat. But Dan is shoved into the passengers seat and his father takes off down the road.
"So, we're going out to dinner, how's it been Dan?" his father asks, glancing at him.
Dan can't reply, and waits for his father to realise. Surely he must know...
"Oh, yeah. You're mute now aren't ya kid. I guess I hit you hard enough with that bottle eh?" he says, laughing menacingly like it's some sort of sick joke.
Dan stares at him, wide eyes and partially confused.
"Oh, you didn't know? Do you remember the night you left me? Well, I was drunk, and I hit you in the throat with a bottle. You mum took you to hospital, but it was too late, you'd lost your voice and your all your memories." he says softly, "I'm so sorry Dan. That was the last straw for your mother and a wake up all for me. I've changed, I swear."
Dan stares out on the road ahead, unable to believe what he just heard. His father was to blame for his miserable, mute existence? Dan feels shocked, confused, bewildered, and can't seem to comprehend what he just heard.
And for the first time in his life, even if he did have a voice, Dan was speechless.
*****************
AN: hey! I know this chapter was pretty hectic and all, but I figured it was time for some drama... Dun, dun, dun...
Anyway, please vote an comment if you enjoyed, and thanks so much for reading my book, I really appreciate it! The more votes and comments the faster I'll try to update! Hope you enjoy the book so far. :D