~Dan POV~
Once everyone has been paired up the teacher walks to the front of the classroom. "For this project," she begins, "you will be making a movie trailer. The trailer can be for a film of any genre you like, however some may be easier than others. Remember you're only working as a pair, but you can ask other people to be in the film too, as long as you do the planning and scripting. This will count as 10% of your media double award GCSE so plan it well! For today's lesson, you will be planning your ideas for genres, titles and scripts. We will start filming next lesson if anyone thinks they are ready to by then so make use of the time you have! Off you go!" Everyone immediately starts talking and writing things down. I turn to Phil to see him beaming at me.
"So!" He says enthusiastically. "What genre shall we do?"
"Maybe we could do something based around horror...?" I say, desperate not to sound pushy at all.
"That's a great idea! We could make fake blood and everything!"
"So what should the storyline be?"
"There could be a ghost!"
"Who haunts a family..."
"And kills one of them!" Phil eagerly starts writing this down. "And then," he says, grinning as he makes notes. "We could make things move by using string and make it look like the ghost is doing it!" He makes more notes. I can't help but smile. I can't wait to film this, Phil is so friendly and he has some great ideas! I watch him as he eagerly notes the ideas down, his fringe shaking slightly as he writes, concealing half of his face. After more planning and scripting, the school bell goes.
"PLEASE HAVE SOME MORE IDEAS PLANNED BY NEXT MONDAY." The teacher says loudly as we pack our bags. I walk out of the classroom next to Phil, my bag hitting my side as we walk.
"So what's your next lesson?"
I get my timetable out of my bag and check as we walk down the corridor, my finger scanning the page and tracing back to period two. "Biology."
"Me too! That must mean you're in my science classes!" I can't help but feel relieved, Phil was the only one I had spoken to yet, the thought of being in a class without him seemed daunting. It was obvious that not everyone would be as nice as Phil was. I still can't believe how nice he's been, and he wanted to be my friend! I can't help but wonder who his other friends are though. Does he have other friends? He must do, he's so nice and friendly, he must be really popular. I sigh as I think about this. Phil isn't going to want to be my friend, he probably has loads of others. Phil looks at me, flicking his fringe out of his eyes slightly, revealing a concerned exression.
"What's up Dan?"
"Oh, nothing." We finally arrive outside the classroom and join the back of a long line of students. The teacher walks into the classroom. "Come in class." We file in and take everyone sits in a seat. I l look round for a few seconds, unsure as to where I should sit, until I see Phil patting a stool next to him. I walk over and sling my bag on the desk. "Doesn't someone else sit here?" Phil looks down, looking embarrased.
"No." He says. "No one sits next to me." I get out my pencil case and so does Phil. I notice the miserable expression on his face. I try to talk to him to cheer him up.
"So, are your friends in other science classes?" He shakes his head. "Other years?" He shakes his head again.
"I don't actually... have any other friends Dan." Phil says, looking ashamed. "You're the first friend I've had in ages."
"But you're really nice!" I say to him. "Sorry, that sounded weird." He smiles at me.
"No, it's fine, I'm glad you think so!"
"So... did you used to have friends?"
"Yeah, I had loads, but then I... I told them something and I wished I'd never bothered."
"And what was that?"
~Phil POV~
"And what was that?" I turn to look at the brown haired boy sitting next to me, looking concerned. Should I tell him? He doesn't seem like the type of person who would judge me for it, but that's what I thought about everyone else too. But this is different, Dan doesn't have other friends to go to, and he seems genuinely happy that I'm his friend. I have to tell him, he'll find out soon enough anyway.
"Well, I told them the truth... I told them that I was gay." Dan looks at me for a moment and then sits up.
"Oh, I thought you were going to say you'd done something horrible then!" I look at him.
"You mean you're not bothered?"
"No, why would I be?"
"Well everyone else is. They all hate me for it. Nobody has spoken to me since I told them."
"Well I think it doesn't matter what you are, because you're still you. You're still the same person you were before you told me. I still want to be your friend!" He smiles at me, his dimples showing. I smile back, relieved. Dan was amazing, he didn't even care! I couldn't believe that he still wants to be my friend.
~Dan POV~
"Thanks Da-"
"PHILIP LESTER!" We both jump and look to the front of the classroom to see the teacher glaring at us. "WOULD YOU PLEASE CARE TO EXPLAIN WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAD TO COMPLETELY IGNORE ME FOR THE LAST FIVE MINUTES?" Phil looks down, blushing.
"No Miss, sorry miss." He murmurs, looking as though he wanted to dissapear.
"WELL PLEASE TRY LISTENING. YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING." The other kids laugh and Phil blushes harder.
"Don't worry about it." I whisper, smiling at him. He looks up again, smiling back, the pinkness in his cheeks fading. I can't help but feel sorry for him. All his friends turned against him because he told them he was gay? It wasn't fair
**Tranistion to the end of the day**
~Phil POV~
My heart sinks as the school bell goes, signalling the end of the day. I need to do something tonight, something I've been putting off for too long.
I'm going to tell my parents that I'm gay.
I didn't tell them after I saw everyone's reaction at school. I couldn't take telling anyone else.But Dan's reaction today made me realise that I need to tell people, they're my parents, they would be supportive, but I'm dreading it all the same. Me and Dan make our way out of the school gates.
"Are you going to the carpark?" Dan says as we stand to one side to avoid the wave of people walking past. I shake my head.
"No I walk home."
"Oh okay. I was wondering, did you want to meet up at the weekend or maybe one night after school to plan some more of this media project?"
"Sure! Shall we swap addresses?"
"Okay." He rustles around in his bag and gets out a pad and pen. I watch as he quickly writes down an address and hands me the piece of paper.
"Thanks." I say as I take it. He hands me the pad and pen and I write down my address and my phone number and give it back to him. "There, now you can text me and we can arrange a time." I felt unbelievably happy. I hadn't had a text from anyone in weeks. Nobody wanted to text me. But all of that was about to change.
"I'd better be off, my mum will be waiting for me. But I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Bye!"
We walk off in seperate directions. I want to scream and jump around and skip down the path. I'd done it, I'd made a friend!
"Oi, fag!" My happiness quickly dissapears. "What are you smiling about?" I turn round to see a group of four boys leaning against a wall, smiling darkly at me. I turn around again and continue to walk, deciding to ignore them. I quickly hear the sound of running feet and rustling bags coming towards me, then fall to the ground as I feel a fist come into contact with my back, making my body fill with pain. "Next time don't ignore us yeah?" They walk off, laughing and shouting. I pick myself up and rub the dirt off of my trousers, sighing. I regretted telling people at school, and yet I was about to do the exact same thing with my parents.
"Must be mad." I mutter to myself as I start to walk home.
~Dan POV~
I open the car door and sit in the front seat, beaming at my mum. She smiles back. "Had a nice day?" She asks.
"It was great, and I've already made a friend! We're working on a media project together and there's going to be special effects and everything!" I grin to myself just thinking about it.
"What about you Adrian?"
"Yeah, it was alright." I put in my earphones as look out of the window as we drive home, unable to stop thinking about Phil. I feel happier than I have done in weeks. I smile to myself. I think I'm going to like this school.
As soon as we get home Mum starts cooking dinner. "It'll be about 20 minutes okay boys? I thought we'd eat early tonight." I run upstairs and put my bag in my bedroom. I decide to get changed out of my school uniform, and put on a pair of jeans and a tshirt instead. I turn on my laptop and have a quick look on the usual websites, but nothing much was happening. I hear my mum call from downstairs. "DINNER'S READY!" I shut down my laptop lid and walk downstairs, feeling hungry as the smell of bacon hits me.
~Phil POV~
I unlock the front door and walk into the hall. I put my rucksack down on the carpet. "Hello dear." I sigh silently to myself. I wasn't particularly close to my parents, in fact to be perfectly honest I really didn't like them.
"Hi Mum." I walk into the kitchen to see my Mum and Dad leaning on the work surfaces, drinking coffee. I sit down at the table, my heart beating harder and faster as my nerves grow. I don't know why I wanted to tell them today, I just did.
"Um, can I tell you both something?"
"Of course sweetie!" My mum sits down opposite me.
"And you promise you won't get angry over it?"
"Of course not, what is it?" I take a deep breath to try and calm myself.
"Well, I've been meaning to tell you this for the past few weeks, but I was worried you would be upset over it. But I have to tell you... I'm gay." My mum just looks at me for a few seconds, a dissapointed look on her face. I look up at my dad to see his face growing a deep shade of red. Oh no.
"YOU'RE WHAT?!" My dad walks towards me, looking as though he wanted to murder me. I immediately get up and back away, knowing how short his temper was.
"I said... I said I'm gay." He walks up to me and grabs the collar of my shirt, pulling me closer to him.
"HOW DARE YOU LET ME DOWN LIKE THIS. NO SON OF MINE IS GOING TO BE GAY." He says, his breathing heavy and his grip on my shirt even tighter. I try to pull away. Eventually he lets go, but continues to glare at me.
"I'm sorry Dad, but I am." He stares at me for a few seconds, then I suddenly feel pain on the right side of my face and I fall the floor. He had hit me. I couldn't believe it. I knew he had been violent before, but never towards his own son! I feel tears roll down my cheeks as I start to cry. "I'm sorry Dad, I didn't realise you'd be so angry!" A shadow falls over me as I sense him getting nearer. He starts to kick me hard in the back, the pain overwhelming.
"GET OFF OF HIM MICHAEL!" My mum screams.
"STAY OUT OF THIS KATHERINE OR I'LL DO THE SAME TO YOU." My mum doesn't try to help. Selfish coward. She's always been afraid of Dad. I think he's hit her before, but I've never seen it, and I was too scared to ask my mum. After what feels like hours he picks me up off of the floor, making me wince and he touches the bruises now forming on my back. "NOW YOU GET OUT." He says, shaking me hard. "AND YOU STAY OUT. YOU ARE NOT LIVING UNDER MY ROOF ALL THE TIME YOU DARE TO CALL YOURSELF THAT." He lets me go and I run out of the room, pick up my schoolbag and quickly get out of the house. I run down the road, wanting to get as far away as possible. When I'm sure he's not following me, I sink down onto the path and start to cry, the raindrops hitting me, making me soaked. I don't know what to do. I had no idea he would react like that, how could I have known he was so homophobic? The violence doesn't surprise me though. My Dad's always been violent, he's been in prison before after he ended up drunk and in a fight, and after what he said tonight I'm sure he does hit my mum too. I've never told anyone about my family though, I'd rather keep it covered up. But now I had more important things to think about. Where was I going to stay? How was I going to keep on living if I didn't even have a roof over my head? I wipe away the tears that mix in with the raindrops hitting my face. I look in my bag for something, anything that would help or give me an idea. I find a piece of folded paper right at the bottom of my bag. Dan's address! Could I go to him? Or would that be weird? Right now though I don't really have much choice. I unfold the piece of paper and walk under a street lamp to read it. It was only around 5 or 6pm, but it being november meant it got dark pretty quickly. I just make out the address before the rain makes the ink run. "30 Swallow Way..." I say to myself as I try to remember where that is. I make my way down the road as I assure myself that I know where it is.
About 20 minutes later I pass a signpost that says 'Swallow Way'. I feel relieved, at least I had gotten something right today. I walk past the houses, trying to make out the numbers. Eventually I reach number 30. I look at the house. It was pretty big, and very expensive looking. I pause for a moment, feeling nervous. You don't have any other choice Phil. I walk up to the door and quickly ring the bell before I change my mind, my heart racing, tears still running down my face as everything sinks in.
~Dan POV~
I turn over the channel on the TV as I sit slumped on the sofa, eating icecream. Nothing good was on. I sigh as I flick through the TV guide, desperate to find something to watch. Before I can find a decent program the doorbell goes. "I'LL GET IT!" I shout as I get up, put my bowl on the coffee table next to the sofa and walk to the front door. I open it, smiling, but my smile soon fades as I take in the figure standing outside. It's Phil, soaking wet, his face blotchy and his eyes red with tears making them shine in the light of the streetlamps, his fringe stuck flat to his face and his school blouse almost transparent.
"Dan." He says, wiping away tears and moving his fringe out of his face, revealing a large purple bruise down the right side of his face. "Can I come in?"
That's it! I hope you enjoyed and sorry it was a bit dramatic and unrealistic but hopefully you don't mind! Please vote and comment if you enjoyed and tell me if you didn't- all criticism is welcome! I also apologise for any mistakes but it's quite late and the spell check on this thing doesn't work, bye guys!
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