016 Valentine

February 14

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Philip POV

Theo asked me to meet her at the rose garden like usual. It's Valentine's Day, but she told me not to get anything so I wouldn't get caught.

"Hey Pa, I'm going to go to work on my English project with my partner..uh..Jared."

"Jared who?"

"..Kleinman."

"Okay I guess."

"Cool. Bye."

Dad smiled at me as I left.

Alexander POV

Wait. It's Valentine's Day. Doesn't mean he's going with that girl again. But he might be. And Jared Kleinman sounds insanely cool.

"Hey John, you remember that girl? /His/ daughter?"

"Uh yeah, what about her?"

"Do you know anything about whether she and Philip are still seeing each other?"

"I mean they go to school together. And she's in his science class, I think." He played with Fleebus, letting him crawl all over this cardboard contraption John made. It was pretty adorable.

"Oh. Do they still hang out?"

"Um."

"Hm?"

"I..don't know."

"I feel like they are. I can't. Burr-"

"You're overreacting. She's fine. Philip's fine. And-"

"You fully condone Philip dating a Burr?"

"Yes. He's not dating Burr. His daughter."

"Whatever. Come with me. I'm going to pick Philip up."

-

Philip POV

I approached the usual spot to find Theo looking kind of down. I asked if something was wrong and she said she was fine. Instead she just put her head on my shoulder and we just sat there for a while, looking up at the stars. She sighed eventually.

"You really okay?"

"Yeah."

"Swear?"

"I swear," she said.

"Okay fine. Well, you know what day it is?"

"Hm..? Tuesday?"

"Nooo. Valentine's Day."

"I knooow." She giggled. "Will you be my valentine then?"

"Shit, I was gonna you ask that." It was my turn to giggle. "But of course."

We both kiNda leaned in and our liPs were about to touch, when headlights flashed and stopped at h front of the school. We pulled away, curious. A man walked out of he vehicle. I'm kind of scared. He could be a hitman or something.

Nope. It's just Pa.

Wait. Why's he here? Nooooo.

"Philip? Person who is definitely not a Jared Kleinman?"

Theo looked over at me, confused. I sat up a bit more and said, "Well that's because it's not Jared." Nice save, Pip. Nice fucking save.

"Well I can see that."

"Don't assume her gender." I smirked a little.

"Philip. I told you about her."

"Told me what about her?"

"To stop being with her."

"Why? You're overreacting!"

"No. You're disobeying." Another man emerged from the car at he front of the school. Pa continued, "Now I do-"

"Give me a reason. You seem to really hate her, but I want to know why. Go ahead." I was standing at this point. Theo was too. She was walking towards the building, towards the way to her house.

Dad came out (ha) and made a beeline to Theo, completely ignoring my idiotic pa. He was talking to her. It looked like he was trying to comfort her and be nice. Thank god.

"Because I knew her father. He was the worst, most annoying and cruel ma-"

"So? She isn't her dad. I'm dating that guy's daughter, who is nothing like how you're describing her dad to be."

"I was a- Well he treated me-"

"Uh huh."

"Philip..." he started saying something but then it turned into incoherent mumbling. There was slight drizzle beginning to fall on us and the ground, but nothing terrible.

"Pa?"

"...and he was...he shot me. Herc too. I can't...John...I'm so..."

"Pa?"

Dad walked over - with Theo - and he tried consoling my dad to help him explain further. Theo stayed at my left side and watched, her eyes holding a slight bit of pity.

"Hitman. We were hitmen. Burr shot me on the plane. Then himself." He glanced at Theo. "Traumatic... In your eyes, I can see him. It's terrifying. He made me hate myself. He made me hate my life sometimes. I'm sorry. I'm just.."

Dad was hugging him now. Pa was crying now. Theo and I were confused now. No. I was. Theo walked forward. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that he.. that all of tha happened. I never knew him."

"It's been seventeen years." (Sorry I got that number wrong in a different chapter! I said eighteen I think.)

"You were there whe he died. You were the one my mom mumbled about," Theo said.

"Pa? I'm sorry too."

"I don't know. We don't all need to be sorry.