Dan's mood was drastically falling until he was back to feeling depressed again. He never wanted to get out of bed and, at school, he just wasn't trying anymore. He was barely eating because every time he'd try at home, Ethan would whisper something in his ear about him being fat.

He really wanted it all to end again but he was still convinced that there wasn't anything wrong with his relationship. There was no physical abuse and Dan had asked for it all by being such an unlikable person so he assured himself that it was okay. He was just overreacting to it all. There was no need to get so sad. (Can I just say this is so so so wrong. Their relationship isn't right and Dan isn't thinking properly because he is being manipulated. If you are going through a similar thing to Dan, tell someone because it is not okay.)

-

"Can I borrow your phone for a second?" Ethan asked at dinner. Dan lifted his head up, handing Ethan his phone and thinking nothing of it. He then 'accidentally' dropped it into one of the glasses of water. It took him a couple of seconds to process it and, by then, he was scrambling to get it out but it was too late. "I'm so sorry!" Ethan handed the phone back to Dan who tried to turn it on but to no avail. It was broken.

-

"How's Ethan?" Phil asked at lunch one day. Dan shook his head, not wanting to talk about it in case he burst into tears. He didn't need Phil to ask him questions. He was fine. "Oh... Have you two fallen out?" Another shake of Dan's head. He then stood up and rushed out of the library as the tears began to fall. He really couldn't take it anymore.

He shut himself in the bathroom, just like he had done before when Phil confronted him about his parents. He practically collapsed onto the closed toilet seat, rubbing his eyes so hard that they were going red. He really didn't want to cry and admit weakness again. He heard the bathroom door shut and went as silent as possible but it was hard when he was breathing so heavily.

"Dan, I know you're in here." Phil voice was gentle but Dan couldn't tell if it was genuine. He didn't trust himself to consider people nice anymore because they always turned around and hurt him. If Phil found out about Ethan, he'd probably just make everything worse. Dan couldn't escape the boy considering they lived together and that made it all so much harder. "You can trust me, you know? I'm sorry for all the things I said before, I was just hurt that you replaced me so quickly."

Dan wished he didn't. He wished that he had stayed with Phil because then he would be happy with his life, not hating everything about it. He wanted to turn back the clock and stop himself from ever kissing Ethan.

"Tell me please. Maybe I can help you feel better again?" Dan swallowed, unlocking the door and looking at Phil. Phil recognised the emptiness of his eyes and cursed himself for not noticing the boy's pain sooner. Phil took Dan's arm into his hand and looked into his friend's eyes. "May I?" Dan nodded as Phil pulled up the sleeve of his blazer to reveal cuts. Fresh cuts. "Oh, Dan..." He hugged the fragile boy close, letting him cry into his shoulders. "I'm never going to leave you again. I'm always here and if ever need me, you have my phone number."

"D-Don't have a-a phone." Dan mumbled, his voice barely audible because of how much it was trembling.

"Why not?"

"D-Dropped it in w-water." Phil furrowed his eyebrows; something was telling him that he was only hearing half the story. Dan winced slightly as his sleeve was pulled down, showing how much pain he was in.

"There's something you're not telling me. Is someone hurting you?" Phil brushed a piece of hair out of Dan's face, looking at him with the most concerned eyes. Dan would have said that it was genuine sincerity but he couldn't tell anymore. What he used to think was sincerity had turned evil and dishonest. Dan rapidly shook his head, trying to convince himself that Ethan was a good person. He never hurt him physically so it was okay. Dan was just being a wimp. (Again, not okay. Just because your partner doesn't harm you physically doesn't mean they can't be emotionally abusive or manipulative.)

"Are you bullied?" Phil asked, despite having not seen anything happen in school. Dan was quick to shake his head. "Is it at that house?" Phil saw him hesitate before shaking his head again, telling him that he wasn't telling all of the truth. "It is."

Dan looked petrified. His face went paler than any ghost and his eyes were open wide, fresh tears welling in them. Phil could see his body trembling and it looked like the poor boy was going to pass out. "It's Ethan, isn't it?" Dan tried to push passed Phil, trying to escape the situation but Phil didn't let him go passed. "What has he done to you?"

He was shaking his head so violently that Phil was surprised he wasn't making himself dizzy. Dan then sunk down to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest as he sobbed.

"It's okay, Dan..." Phil put a gentle hand on Dan's shoulder, making him flinch. "Did he break your phone?"

"A-Accidentally. He s-said sorry." Dan wasn't blinking, just staring at the tiles on the bathroom floor with no expression on his face. Phil went to say something but went silent as someone walked into the bathroom before frowning and leaving after seeing the boy having a breakdown.

"What else has he done?"

"B-Books."

Phil looked confused before he figured out what Dan had meant. "The mangas..."

"I-It's fine. He l-loves me." The crack in Dan's voice showed that he didn't even completely believe it. He was just the shell of a boy, being controlled by someone because of his vulnerability. No one had ever loved him. Except Phil.

Phil couldn't help as his mind rewound back to when he confronted Dan about his parents. Dan always seemed to be manipulated and he thought it was because of how soft and kind he was.

Poor Daniel... I wonder, will things get better from here?

FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON THE UNKNOWN