Phil stared out the window of the car, too nervous to continue reading his book. The trees blurred into cleanly cut hedges, and Phil realized that he was almost at his new school. Oh my god, he thought. I'm actually here. He quickly shoved the book he had been reading into his bag.

"Phil," his mum called. "We're here! Are you nervous? Are you excited?"

Nervous wouldn't even begin to describe how Phil felt. He was going to a new school for kids of the rich and famous. Phil's dad was the CEO of a major company and was often away, but Phil had a kind and loving family. They had decided that Phil needed a better education than the one that he was getting in his hometown, so he was sent to this boarding school. He was worried that he wouldn't fit in or make new friends because of his social status and his lack of intelligence when it came to being generally social.

"I'm really nervous, mum. But…I, uh…you can help me carry my bags, but don't stay too long." Phil didn't want to be seen as the dork that had his mum walking around with him everywhere.

"Are you sure, sweetie?"

"Yeah." Phil said hesitantly. He knew he was going to miss her, but wasn't sure if it would be a "cool" move to be with his mum for very long. Phil just wanted to fit in.

"Okay. I'm going to check you in, alright?"

"Alright."

Suddenly, Phil could see the grand, wrought iron gates that surrounded the school. It was ancient. The car drove through them and around a bend into a huge parking lot in front of the school. The sign above the doors read "Pickerton Academy". The building itself was enormous and old. It rose up high from the ground and sprawled over the perfectly cut green lawns surrounding the school. There were other buildings Phil saw, too. The walls of all of them were made of weathered gray stone. Phil was the most intimidated he had ever been by a building.

His mum parked the car as close to the school as she could, and she got out to help Phil with his bags, which were in the trunk of the car.

"Mum, I've got it," Phil grumbled, grabbing more bags than his pale arms could carry and fumbling with them before dropping them onto the ground.

"Oh, Phil. Let me help you!" His mum insisted, picking up bags from the ground. Phil blushed a light pink with embarrassment at his clumsiness, mumbling something about how he could carry them perfectly fine and didn't need help. He grabbed the majority of the bags from the ground so had more than his mum and stated off towards the school.

When Phil reached the doors to the building, he nervously shifted his weight, looked up at the height of it, and opened the doors with an air of false confidence. His mum walked in behind him as Phil looked around, exploring his surroundings. The room Phil stood in was quite large; it seemed to be a lounge of some sort. The floor was marble and was covered in furniture, such as chairs and couches. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling. A fireplace stood in the corner of the room, but it was unlit because it was still a bit too hot for a fire. A desk stood off to the right side of the room with a short, pudgy, balding man behind it. When he heard the door close behind Phil, he looked up and motioned him to come over.

"Ah, another student! Welcome, welcome, to the Pickerton Academy! What is your name?" he asked, smiling warmly.

"Um, Phil. Phil Lester," Phil replied.

The man extended his hand towards Phil. Phil shook it and felt like the man was going to cut off his circulation.

"Ah, Phil! I'm Mister Arland. Now, how about we get you settled in, hm? What year are you in?"

"Ten."

"Good, good! Let's see…Phil Lester, year ten…." Mr. Arland muttered to himself, flipping through papers. "Ah! Here we go. Your room is in Building B, Room 221. Your roommate is Daniel Howell. Wonderful boy. He was here last year, so if you'd need anything, he'll know. I know his father. I'm sure the two of you will get along well! Now, can you find your room on you own, or would you like a tour guide?" Mr. Arland questioned.

Phil cut his mum off just as she was about to say something. "We're good. I can find it on my own, thanks."

Mr. Arland smiled at him. "Alright! Just ask anyone if you need help. Here is a map—you'll probably be needing it for your first few days of classes. You can always ask for another if you need one. You have the supplies that was mailed to you, yes?" Phil nodded. "Good. Well, Phil, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon! Good day!"

"Thanks," Phil mumbled quietly. His mum gave Mr. Arland a kind grin and walked off behind Phil.

"Oh my gosh, Phil! I'm so excited for you. I know that you don't exactly want to be here, but it's going to be a great experience for you," Phil's mum gushed.

Phil half smiled at her. She was right, he didn't want to be here. Phil wanted to be at home with his freedom and hours upon hours of alone time and computers and gaming systems. Now Phil had to share every day of his life with another human being. On the other hand, Phil was sort of looking forward to new classes, new teachers, and a fresh start. He had cut his hair into a fringe and dyed it black, which contrasted with his vibrant blue eyes. He liked the way it looked, despite his parents' complaints that his hair should be naturally coloured. As Phil made his way down to Building C, however, his nerves started to increase slightly. What if his roommate—Daniel Howell, apparently—wasn't nice? What if they didn't get along? What if he bullied Phil? Phil had had some unpleasant experiences in the past with bullies. Phil's mum walked behind him silently, not wanting to embarrass her son. Phil thanked her silently for this.

"Mum? Is this the room?" Phil asked suddenly, stopping abruptly.

The sign on the door said '221'. "It is," Phil's mum replied.

"Mum, you can leave now," Phil mumbled.

"Oh, alright. I'll write to you, ok? Have fun and be good." She gave him a hug before walking off.

Phil took a deep breath and knocking on the door. After waiting a few moments, he heard a groggy, muffled voice coming from inside the room.

"What?"

"I'm your new roommate. Can I come in?" Phil asked.

"What." The voice in the room sounded disappointed. "I thought you wouldn't be coming."

"Well, I'm here. And I'm coming in." Phil turned the knob on the door and opened it.

The room was incredibly clean and looked rather nice. There were two beds, two chairs, and two desks. A large window sat in the middle of the wall, showing the endless, perfectly manicured lawns of the outside. The most incredible sight, though, was Phil's roommate. He had an almost identical opposite haircut as Phil, except that it was brown. He had black earrings and wore black skinny jeans and a mostly black t-shirt. And he was hot.

Phil was gay. He knew he was gay. However, no one else knew. He had no friends that he was willing to tell, and he didn't feel ready to let his parents know. Phil didn't know how he could spend an entire year surrounded by a boy the likes of Daniel. Phil would probably die of heartbreak. Why did all the cute boys have to be straight? Maybe Dan wasn't, but Phil didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Um, hi," Phil said, clearing his throat and pushing his bags on to the floor on the side of the room that Dan hadn't taken.

"Hi," replied Daniel.

"So, uh, I'm Phil Lester. And you're Daniel…Howell?"

"Dan," Dan corrected haughtily. He glared at Phil nastily. "Listen. I did not want a roommate. I do not want you as a roommate. Don't talk to me, don't look at me. We'll get along if you follow my rules. You are not going to talk to me outside of this room. You aren't going to talk to me in this room. We are not going to be friends. We're going to exist in the same room but not in each other's lives. OK?"

Phil stared at Dan, slightly incredulous. Mr. Arland said that Dan Howell was nice? Liar.

"Ok," Phil squeaked. Damn it. He didn't mean to sound that pathetic and small, but there he goes, making a fool of himself.

Dan gave Phil the ultimate death glare and turned around, putting headphones on his ears and plugging them into his laptop. Within seconds, Dan seemed immersed in the internet, so Phil decided to unpack his things. He heaved the bags into his side of the room and unpacked his belongings, one by one. It felt sort of strange, unpacking, because now that he was taking things out of his bag, everything seemed very cement. Phil was actually at this school, he actually had a roommate, and he actually had a dorm. This was actually happening. He had been anticipating coming to this school for so long that it seemed surreal now that he was here.

After Phil had put everything where he decided it should go, he wasn't quite sure what to do. Phil went about his side of the room and tidied up little things; putting away the sock that fell and tucking the covers into the bed. What was he to do next? Dan was still on his laptop. Phil decided to get his out too, put on headphones, and went on tumblr. He typed an email to his mum, telling her that he had settled in well, and pressed send.

Phil was bored. He had nothing to do. There was a computer in front of him, but it wasn't interesting. He honestly just really wanted to talk to Dan. It ticked Phil off that he was being such a twat and he decided that he was going to say something to Dan whether he liked it or not.

"So, Dan. Um…would you mind showing me around the school? I don't know where anything is," Phil sputtered quietly, immediately regretting speaking after he did.

Dan froze, stopping what he was doing on the computer and pausing his music, and looked at Phil. "Excuse me?"

"Could you show me around the school? I don't know where anything is," Phil repeated, a bit nervously.

"No." Dan said shortly. "I won't. Use a map."

"Please?" Phil almost begged. He really did need someone to show him around or he was going to be lost when it came time for classes. He could use a map, but he always got mixed up when it came to reading them.

"There are maps. Don't you dare bother me again," Dan snarled.

"Could you please take a break from that and show me around. Then I won't bother you again," Phil bargained, unsure of himself.

Dan glared menacingly at Phil, causing him to shrink backwards involuntarily. "I said no. I will not show you around. Figure it out on your own."

"Dan. You've been here before and I haven't. Will you just show me around a building or something? Please?" Phil pleaded.

Dan looked Phil dead in the eyes. "You know what—fine. I'll show you around. Fine."

Phil was admittedly a little intimidated by Dan because of his hotness and hostility, and being as shy as he was, had no idea how he had managed to get Dan to show him around. Phil put on some shoes and waited for Dan to do the same. While standing next to the door waiting for Dan, Phil bounced nervously on his toes. Dan shot him what seemed to be his signature death glare from the floor where he was putting his shoes on and Phil ceased his bouncing.

Dan stood up and scowled. "Alright. Let's go." He walked out of the room.

Phil hurried behind him.