"Mum, please don't make me go to school today.." Dan groaned, pulling the covers over his head to block out the incoming light.

"You have to, you can't miss it." His mum responded, her eyes practically drowning in sympathy.

"Watch me." Dan's voice was muffled by the duvet over his face.

"One day, Dan. That's all. You're going back to school tomorrow."

-

Phil wasn't in school that day and neither was Dan. It was just Chris and PJ who showed up. So, when the day terminated, they both headed down the familiar roads to Dan's home. They needed to tell Dan about what they had found out yesterday about Phil running away.

Once they reached Dan's door, they hesitantly knocked, hoping that Dan would answer so that they wouldn't have to go through a long, awkward conversation with his mum. Sadly, his mum opened it, smiling at them both."Hey Chris and PJ, are you here to speak to Dan by any chance?" She said, grinning widely.

"Yeah, we are." PJ responded, putting his hands in his pockets.

"He's really sick and I wouldn't want you to catch anything. Sorry about that."

"Please? It's really important? It's about a project we were told about today in school."

"Fine, just don't be too long, Dan needs his rest." PJ and Chris nodded before thanking Dan's mum and practically running upstairs to Dan's bedroom. They eagerly knocked on his bedroom door and, as soon as he heard Dan say they could come in, they walked into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Dan mumbled, pressing a couple of buttons on his DS to save the game he was playing.

"We need to tell you something. It's about Phil." Dan closed the lid of his red DS and placed it down on his bedside table, as if to tell his friends that he had his full attention on them.

"What about him? Was he in school today?" Dan's voice held the slightest glint of hope and PJ and Chris felt horrible that they were about to crush that hope.

"We spoke to his mum."

"How-"

"That doesn't matter! His mum told us that she hasn't seen him since yesterday."

"And.. what does that mean?"

"We think that he's run away or some shit." Chris summed up in a second or so.

"Why would he?"

"We don't know."

"This is all my fault." Dan muttered, bringing his knees forward so that they were tucked into his chest. "I'm such an idiot."

"It's not your fault. Something else may have happened, you know."

"Like what?"

"We don't know. Just don't blame yourself until you know all the facts."

"PJ, Chris?" Dan's mum called up the stairs, cutting PJ, Chris and Dan's conversation off. "I think you should leave now!" Dan sighed as PJ and Chris sent him a sympathetic smile.

"We'll call you later, okay?" Dan could only nod as PJ and Chris turned to leave.

-

"Mum, I promise, I have no idea where Phil is." Martyn's voice was low and it was shaking; he wasn't particularly a great liar.

"Martyn, I know you're lying. You've always been a terrible liar." His mum was trying her best not to yell, her voice was gentle and she was making as much eye-contact as possible.

"I can't tell you where he is."

"Is he at yours? Get him to come home, please? The school's really concerned and his friends need to speak to him."

"I can try but this isn't my decision, mum. Phil told me what you said.. why would you tell him that you didn't care about him?"

"I didn't say that."

"You pretty much did."

"I was frustrated, I didn't mean it. Please.. make him come home." When Martyn looked up and met his mum's eyes, he noticed that a small tear was falling down her cheek.

"I'll try. Just don't be too harsh to him, okay, mum?"

"Okay. I'll do anything if it means that he will come home."

"Thank you so much, Martyn. I love you so much, you know that, right?"

Martyn nodded. "I do."

-

"Where'd you go?" Phil asked as soon as Martyn walked in the door. He flicked his blue hair away from his eyes with a soft smile as Martyn offered him a grin.

"I had lunch with mum."

"You what?!" Phil practically screamed, jumping up from where he was sitting on the sofa in pure surprise.

"I spoke to mum. She wants you to come home."

"I can't.. you know that."

"She's really sorry, you know.. Please go home, Phil. It's best for mum and you."

"How is it best for me? It will mean that I have to go back to school and see Dan and I can't do that."

"You'll have to talk to him sometime.."

"I know but I don't have to right now. He cheated on me, Martyn! Do you even have an idea of how terrible that makes me feel? I trusted him and he.. he cheated on me." Phil's voice got quieter towards the end of the sentence and it took Martyn a few moments to realise that Phil was beginning to silently cry. "I don't even know if he ever loved me. I thought he did. He never seemed to be the type of person to cheat, did he? He seemed lovely, I really did love him but no. I'm not allowed to be in love."

"Phil.." Martyn enveloped his brother into a warm embrace and Phil couldn't help but think: at least someone cared. Maybe he would go home. Not for his mum, though. For Martyn.