dan remembered the first day of school that year extremely well. he had met phil over the summer, when the air felt dry and warm and the trees outside their houses swayed with a breeze that seemed ever present, but still never managed to cool them off in the slightest. dan was grateful when fall hit, it felt like a refreshing change that washed over their suburban neighborhood seemingly overnight.

he wasn't, however, grateful for school.

"are people nice?" phil bounced against the leaf-coated concrete, his sneakers making soft crackling noises on top of the wispy sheets that fell from the branches above their heads. "do you think they'll like me?"

"yes." it wasn't a lie; dan did think people would like him. phil seemed genuinely very likable, if not a bit loud and excitable. he was like a huge golden retriever that thought it ought to be a lap dog. besides, dan had already learned in his short time of knowing him that answering in short sentences or in a single word was best when talking to phil.

phil's eyes brightened, glittering and reflecting the pinkish sun that hovered lazily above them. "really? oh my gosh, my old school was terrible, you have no idea."

dan bit his lip, keeping his mouth shut although he was fairly certain he had a pretty good idea.

he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose and filling his lungs with the autumn air. he was surrounded in the smell of the trees and wind that came from somewhere else, and he absolutely adored that scent.
when he heard the bus pull up with a loud screech, he just wanted to ignore it. he wanted to turn around and walk away, go back to his nice warm bed and sleep some more. or, better yet, sink into the leaves beneath his bright pink sneakers, into the earth and gone.

but then he felt phil's hand on his arm, his fingers clutching at the sleeve of his brand new pretty forest green sweater, and he couldn't avoid it anymore.

phil pulled him toward the glass doors that were lined in protective black rubber that dan had gotten so incredibly used to, a wide smile still stretched across his face.

the bitter looking bus driver gave them each a suspicious look (because an eleven year old wearing pink shorts, pink shoes, and a green sweater that looked as if it was made out of wool and a hyper thirteen year old wearing a ratty pokémon tee were surely up to no good) before turning back to the front of the bus, sipping his coffee. the mug read 'best grandpa in the world'. he probably didn't actually get that from a grandchild, but rather a pitying mother or father. dan felt kind of bad for him.

dan's gaze dropped and he stared at the filthy floor as phil pulled him down the aisle. all around him there was shouting, pushing and cursing, anything you'd expect from a bus made especially for children who didn't want to be there.

a girl's leg protruded into the aisle before him to try and trip him up and a blush creeped up dan's neck, making his skin hot and itchy. he stepped over her and heard a sound of disappointment. phil didn't seem to have noticed the debacle.

finally he pulled dan into a seat near the back, letting dan sit near the window, which he was grateful for. dan knew the back of the bus was possibly the worst place for him to be near but he knew phil didn't know yet, and all he wanted was to be near him, a familiar face in a crowd of hateful ones.

dan immediately rested his head against the cold, frosted over glass, and watched his breath pool and melt the icy shards that stuck to the translucent surface.

"are you excited?" phil asked.

"yeah."

dan could hear him smiling. "good."

a ninth grade boy that sat in the seat in front of them suddenly turned around, and dan simply glanced before quickly looking away again. oh no.

"who're you?" the boy asked rather demandingly, his gaze locked on phil. phil seemed unbothered by his cold tone.

"phil."

the other boy rolled his eyes. "you're new, though?"

"yes."

he hummed thoughtfully, studying phil's face. dan couldn't help but watch him rather anxiously, chewing on his lip, frightened of what he would do or say next. he wished he had the courage to tell him to leave phil alone; it was his first day, and he really didn't want to watch phil's smile melt away like the frost on the window had.

the boy turned to him abruptly, glaring at him fiercely, and dan visibly flinched. "what are you looking at, faggot?"

before dan could even comprehend what was happening or what he had said, phil had grabbed the ninth grader by the hair and forcibly pulled his head down against the seat backing that stood between them. it was a cushioned surface and probably hadn't even hurt much at all, but the boy cried out in shock nonetheless as if phil had stabbed him.

dan looked at phil in pure awe, shocked and astonished. phil looked angry, but in a way that seemed brief and shallow, as if he had already gotten it out of his system when he had smacked the boy's head against the seat.

"i don't like that word," he explained softly (for once), and pulled his bag to his chest, silent. he didn't seem very excited anymore.

dan chose not to bother him.