***

Phil wasn't at school for the next week.

He texted Dan, but he never replied, because Dan didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of him. At school, Dan ignored Phil's other friends, much to their confusion.

No one knew why Dan was acting this way - except for Dan himself, of course.

Dan's father was around more, and despite knowing how much Dan despised him, Dan's mother did not seem to care in the slightest. She was still caring towards Dan, but it seemed as if she was still too scared to stand up to his father.

In other words, she chose her alcoholic ex-husband over her mute son.

This made Dan lock himself in his room for most of the time he was home. He was miserable, but kept it to himself, because his brother had his friends, and his father had started treating his mother nicely again, and she let him.

Dan was a selfless person, he always did whatever it took to keep those he cared about safe, even if it meant himself getting hurt in the process. This was a good quality, but perhaps it is also his downfall.

He doesn't want to go to school today. Phil will be back, he knows he will, be because he sent Dan a text saying so.

Although Dan hasn't replied to any of the texts from his now ex friends, he doesn't have the heart to block them, so he just lets his phone receive multiple texts, and lets his heart break a little more with each one.

On his was to school, Dan thought of possible ways to avoid Phil, but it would be hard, considering the guy is in majority of his classes.

It was worse seeing Phil in person.

Phil has a large, blue and purple bruise on his face, right below his eye, and it covered almost his whole left cheek. Dan winced when he saw it. The bruise stuck out more because of Phil's pale skin, and his friends were around him, no doubt asking how it happened, and Dan suddenly felt even more sick.

"Dan!" Phil called out when he spotted him, but Dan chose to ignore him, only walking away faster.

"Dan hold up! Don't be mad! Why haven't you replied? Are you okay? Dan wait!" Phil calls out after him, but Dan only runs faster, around the side of the building, until Phil's shouts can no longer be heard.

When Dan walks into the classroom, Phil waves him over next to him, but Dan walks to the middle, where there's an empty desk. He sighs, slamming his books on the desk and slouching down, hoping to avoid Phil's hurt gaze burning into his back.

Phil was confused and hurt as to why Dan left, he didn't understand him. Dan glances over behind him at Phil, only for a second, but Phil's expression is still forever embedded into his memory.

The hurt, betrayed, confused and overall saddened look on Phil's bruised face haunted Dan for the rest of the lesson.

At the break, Dan went to his new spot, under a large tree, away from Phil's group, but he could still see them through a window.

Dan saw them pointing him out to Phil as he picked apart his lunch. He didn't look up again, guilt and hurt curling up inside of him. He sighed, wanting the ground to swallow him whole, just so he wouldn't have to be here any longer.

"Dan, why are you ignoring us - me?" Phil asks, making Dan jump as he appears beside him, "was it something we did, was it about your father, did something happen, please just tell me Dan, I can see you're upset, and I want to know why Dan, please!"

Dan shakes his head, looking down as he shoves his things into his bag, standing up but Phil grabs his arm, preventing Dan from leaving.

"Dan, please, tell me why!" Phil pleads, his grip around Dan's wrist desperately tight

Dan just yanks his arm out of Phil's grip, before turning and running away, hiding behind a bush, and he watches as Phil returns to his friends, defeated.

Dan: no one else gets hurt because of me.

Dan watches as they all receive his text, and Phil sighs.

Phil: Dan, you didn't throw the punch.

Dan: no but my father did.

Phil: don't, it doesn't matter.

Dan: it does to me.

Phil: Dan, I'm your friend, please don't cut me off. it's not your fault, don't punish yourself for it!

Dan: we're not friends. and you're not getting hurt again.

Dan puts his phone in his bag and walks away, not wanting to see Phil or read any more texts. It was for the best, especially with his father around more.

Dan was just a magnet for danger, destruction, he was like a bomb, the more people who got close to him, the more people he ended up hurting.

But if no one was close to Dan, no one could get hurt because of him.

***

Phil was annoyed at Dan.

He knew Dan was avoiding him and his friends, and now he knew why, but he was angry that Dan couldn't see that Phil cared enough to still want to be his friend.

Dan thinks he hurts everyone, but Phil can see that he's mainly hurting himself, and he doesn't even know it.

Phil had told his friends about Dan's dad, but not about how he made Dan mute, that was for Dan to tell himself. They too were upset about Dan, but not as much as Phil was.

Phil had tried for the next few days to talk to Dan, but the little bugger was too good at making himself invisible.

"Dan please!" Phil calls after him when he sees him in the hall, but Dan sighs and walks away.

Phil runs after him this time, faster, and manages to catch Dan's arm, panting from running.

"Dan Howell, stop avoiding me. Don't let your father win. Just... Be my friend at school. Come back to our group, no one can hurt us there. You're hurting yourself Dan. Please, you owe that to me." Phil begs, staring down the boy.

He sighs before nodding in defeat, and Phil beams, his face lighting up before he drags Dan back to his group, his friends' eyes widening as they see the boy back with them.

Dan didn't know what to make of it. He was happy, he was, but what Phil didn't know was that his home situation was getting worse. It was starting again. His father had already moved back in, showering his mother in kind words and gifts, but behind her back, Dan was shoved against walls and yelled at.

He knew what would happen, but his mother wouldn't listen to him. And his father could see the texts. Dan was trapped, torn, and he couldn't do anything because he didn't have a voice.

He couldn't yell some sense into his mother, he couldn't fight his father back or tell him to stop when he was hurting him.

At the moment, Dan's lack of voice was causing him more pain than it ever had before. And he grudgingly admitted that at this time, he could really use some friends.

But he was determined to keep his home life to himself. If they found out, they'd try to stop it and get hurt, and Dan wasn't allowing that.

"I'm so glad you're back Dan, we all missed you! I hope you're okay. You can talk to us. I'm just glad you're back here!" Phil grins at him.

Dan smiles back and bites into his sandwich, listening to his friends, mainly Phil though, talk on about anything and everything.

He found it amazing how they never ran out of things to say. Sometimes Dan wonders if he did have a voice, if he's ever use it, because even when Dan is with people, sometimes, he feels like he doesn't have a voice, as if all the words have been sucked out of him, and he doesn't even want to talk, even if he could. It's hard to explain.

"The new assignment for legal is so hard. I don't know how I'm going to do it! Have you started Dan?" Alfie asks, referring to their latest assignment.

Dan shook his head, grimacing. Dan was an awful procrastinator. He just put things off. Once, the night before an English assignment was due, he cleaned his whole room and ate half the yogurts in his fridge.

"I haven't gotten any assignments yet, only a few tests, which is good because teachers say I ramble in essays as much as I do in real life which is why if there's a word limit I always go over it. I don't know why I talk so much it's just habit, I just always have something to say and I think it annoys people sometimes." Phil rambles, "but my friends put up with it because I put up with them!"

Joe laughs, shoving Phil playfully, and Dan's phone suddenly vibrates with a text.

Connor: guess who's coming to your house in a weeeeeekkkkkk??????!!!!!!

Connor: hint: he's the coolest kid around.

Connor: and he's coming to live with you for two months and go to your school while his parents go to Australia to study something for work.

Connor: and his name starts with c and rhymes with honor

Dan: are you serious! no way! that's so cool!

Connor: I thought you'd never reply

Dan: I can't wait to see you!

Connor: me too! your mum organized it with mine!

Dan: we have so much to catch up on!

Connor: I know nerd

Dan: I'm not a nerd...

Connor: are you sure you want to argue this fact?

Dan: shut up.

Connor: #slayed

"Who's Connor?" Phil asks, looking over Dan's shoulder, "is he your friend? What's he like? Can I talk to him? Please let me talk to him!"

Phil looks at Dan with pleading eyes and Dan sighs, Phil grinning happily when he starts making a group chat.

Dan has made a group chat with Connor and Phil.

Dan: Connor is my friend from America who's coming over in a week

Phil: oh cool!

Connor: no, hot, America is hot.

Phil: my bad, my bad. us people in England are just cooler than you. What's your last name?

Connor: Franta. and I think we are going to get on fine Phil.

Phil: no Connor, I think we are going to get on FRANTAsticly XD

Connor: YOU ARE MY FAVOURITE PERSON EVER!

Dan: you're idiots.

Connor: Dan fowell stop being such a downer.

Phil: I see what you did there...

Dan smiles at the chat, it was nice to know that they got along. And with Connor coming to stay, perhaps the troubles with his dad would subside.

But trouble never seems to stay away from Dan for long...

*****

AN: hope you liked the chapter! Please vote and comment! I'll try to update weekly.

Tell me what you thought of the chapter! Any ideas as to what can happen next?

Thanks so much for reading! :D