Song for this chapter: Tongue Tied- Grouplove

History is a pointless subject, a misconception that allows people to believe that if they really try hard enough they will never entirely be forgotten, and that's a lie. There will be a day when there isn't anybody left to remember who Albert Einstein, Aristotle, and Plato are, won't be the books and records to teach new, struggling generations of the icons that lived on this Earth. One day everybody on this planet is going to die, and eventually the sun will burn out and every moment leading up to that second in time will be for nothing. And yes, I do understand that we can't repeat history, and that we should learn from our ancestors' mistakes, but that doesn't change the fact that I won't make it past the walls surrounding me at this moment in time. So really, what's the point of me being here and listening to Mrs. Apple ramble on about the French losing yet another war?

To make history even worse, it was one of the only subjects I didn't have with any of my friends, one of the my only classes I didn't have with Phil. When it came to school Phil and I were practically the same person, recieving all the same grades, except maybe I'd get a 48 on a math test when he got a 50, only to be made up with my 50 on a paper when he would get a 48. It pretty much always evened out.

Looking down at the doodles I had subconsciously been drawing on my paper I appreciated the intertwining lines that had begun as tree branches and molded into a web of a confusing pattern. There were only fifteen minutes left in class, yet I felt like I would die if I had to stay seated in the cold chair for a mere minute more. While my anxiousness was most likely due to the extreme boredom I felt in the class, it could also be due to the fact that it was Friday, and Friday means game night with Louise, Chris, PJ, and Phil.

Between the five of us we all took turns hosting game and pizza nights each Friday night after school. Game nights included Mario Kart, ridiculous board games, pizza, cosmic brownies, ice cream, and all of the week's latest gossip. Nobody in our group of friends really cared what all was happening with our peers but Louise and Chris were complete sluts for the latests rumors and inside information.

Drawing myself away from my own thoughts of the upcoming night, I dragged my eyes across the clock and saw that surprisingly enough, there were only two minutes left in the hour. Everybody around began packing up their bags, the sounds of zippers and rustling drowning out Mrs. Apple's overly-perky voice. Just as I threw my lumbering bag over my shoulder and stood up the bell rang, signifying the beginning of a rumbling stampede to lunch.

Making my way into the lunchroom I took note that I was the first of my friends to arrive and I sat in our normal spot, close to the corner of the room. I was only a few bites into my peanut butter and banana sandwich when I spotted Phil walking towards the table with a wide smile on his face. Pulling out the chair next to mine the blue-eyed boy scoffed at my sandwich, "Ewww, why would you ruin a perfectly good sandwich with bananas?"

"Bananas are good, I don't know what you're talking about Mr. Cheese is Only Good On Pizza."

Phil shot daggers at me for a few seconds, to which I stared back, before he dropped his gaze and responded, "Shut up."

As Phil began to eat his own meal, he started by eating the cookies his mom had packed him, our other friends arrived and dropped their bags with grunts, leaving the table to go get their lunches from the cafeteria. Predictable as ever, it wasn't long before Phil tried to spark up conversation, insistent that silence was never acceptable. "So how was your history class?"

"Boring as ever," I sighed dramatically, "I don't even understand the point of that class."

"History can be fascinating!" Phil said excitedly, proceeding to whisper under his breath, "Not really, but you know."

Knowing for a fact that history was Phil's least favorite subject I gave him my best unamused face and tried a little harder to make some conversation, "So why did you look so happy when you were walking over here? Somebody ask you to the winter dance or something?"

The black-haired boy screwed his eyebrows at that and scoffed, "Haha, you're funny Dan, but no, I'm just happy that it's Friday."

Not really knowing what to say other than, "Me too," I nodded my head and greeted our other friends as they sat down.

The rest of lunch was filled with complaints of school and both dirty and punny jokes from Chris. Towards the end of the period, all five of us agreed to meet at my house around six that night to begin our traditional game night. Grudgingly, I headed to my next class which was math with Chris and Phil. Despite having the rest of my honor classes for the remainder of the day I didn't mind being in the hell-hole of a school because I would be with my friends. Still though, I couldn't bring myself to put much effort into my work with the looming stormclouds of inevitable death floating through my conscious.

. . .

It was five forty-nine when the doorbell first rang and I was greeted by the smiling face of Phil. "I see you went ahead and changed into your pyjamas?" I asked while my eyes wandered up and down Phil's body before realizing my actions and jerking my head back up to meet his eyes. My actions seemed to go unnoticed by Phil as he rolled his eyes and stepped into the house. In Phil's arms he carried what appeared to be a cookie cake. I had never loved this boy more than right now. Reaching out for the cake I brushed my fingers across Phil's hand and I was reminded of the night at the ice cream shoppe and the comfort and warmth that Phil's hand had brought me.

Pushing my romantic thoughts for my friend aside I made my way up the carpeted stairs of my home with a clumsy noodle following me. As soon as Phil stepped into my plain, aesthetically pleasing room he noticed the candle that was lit on my bookshelf.

"Dan! Did you buy a sugar cookie scented candle?" Phil said with excitement leaking from his voice.

"Calm down Phil," I laughed, "It's just a candle, I actually stole it from my mom."

Phil nodded his head in approval as my heart swelled, it's always the smallest things that make Phil happy. I turned towards Phil as he sat down in the hammock hanging from my ceiling, his favorite place to sit in my room, and looked towards his eyes. Phil didn't see me staring as he was taking in the simplistic decor of my room, but I could see that he truly looked happy. Seeing Phil so effortlessly content made jealously bubble up in my stomach and poke at my sides, I so wish that I could feel the joy that Phil possess without even trying. The world really isn't fair sometimes.

I was broke out of my daze as the doorbell sounded again. With both Phil and I tromping down the stairs we were met with all three of our other friends standing at the door. Opening the door and pulling them inside I snatched the pizza from Chris's hands and only stopped at the kitchen to grab some plates and napkins before making a mad dash for my own bedroom. Knowing what I was doing, the rest of the teenagers went up to my room and had all the food set out for devouring. With the food placed in the middle of the circle we formed, I began playing some YouTube videos for background noise as we ate, all too hungry to be bothered to talk.

By the time we were on our fifth video we had all finished the pizza and had already started eating some of the various sweets brought to the game night.

"Guys we just ate two large pizzas between the five of us. That's the most we have ever eaten at one time, my god." Chris said in exasperation.

"You helped just as much as the rest of us." I noted.

Chris huffed at my comment and reached across the circle to pull a cosmic brownie from the box sat next to Louise.

"So what should we do tonight?" Phil asked, once again refusing to allow silence to lull between us comrades. "Should we play videogames? Board games? Is it a truth or dare kind of night? What should we do?"

The entirety of the group chuckled at Phil's suggestion of truth or dare, us group of friends weren't exactly ones to play typical party games. The idea led me to thinking about what we would even ask as truths with this group of people. We all knew nearly every secret about each other and the thought of thinking up something that the four people sitting around me wouldn't know sounded nearly impossible. Not to mention our dares would probably be to lick your own elbow or some stupid shit like that.

With the weight of Phil's question lingering in the air we all glanced around at each other. I could tell just by looking at my group that we were all exhausted from a tiring week of school and other activities. Finally an instance where everybody knows how I feel all the time.

I noticed the way that Phil's eyes skirted around the circle and could read that he was getting nervous that nobody actually wanted to be here. Not that we didn't want to be with our friends, but a bed sounded awfully comfortable. Phil's eyes landed on me and I blurted thoughtless words out of my mouth, "Let's try playing truth or dare."

Louise, Chris, and PJ all nodded their heads, looking less tired now that the mental exhaustion of making a decision was taken away. "I'll go first then." Phil said confidently.

"Dan, truth or dare?"

I hesitated as I thought of the potential things that Phil could make me do or say, none of which seemed that threatening. "Truth I guess."

Phil seemed to think for a second, obviously not having a truth picked out, but only a dare. I wonder what he was planning on making me do if I had chosen dare. "If you could go on a date with one person in our school who would it be?"

You.

I pushed my first instinct away and really thought about who the most attractive person in our school was, other than Phil. "Chloe Clarke." I said while turning to smirk at PJ. The whole group laughed at my choice and pointed their fingers at PJ as they chuckled.

"Okay Dan, you're turn to choose somebody and ask them truth or dare."

"Louise, truth or dare?"

Louise didn't hesitate at all before responding with a quick, "Dare."

"I dare you to slap my face."

Louise's face looked horrified for a second before an evil smirk passed her lips and she got on her knees to crawl over to where I was sat. The blonde girl raised her eyebrows as if to ask
"You ready?" and once I nodded my head she drew her hand back and whipped it across my left cheek.

"Ow! That really hurt!' I said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

The rest of my friends laughed, although Phil didn't laugh nearly as hard as the other two, as Louise shouted, "You're the one who dared me to!'

"I know, I know." I mumbled under my breath before calling out PJ. "Truth or dare Peej?"

"I'll go with truth after that whole incident."

I hesitated for a moment before settling on a question I had been curious about for months. "When you and Abigail broke up, who broke up with who?"

Abigail had been PJ's girlfriend for nearly five months last year and it was a mystery to all of us why they had broken up at the end of the school year. Although the question I asked was something everybody had been to afraid to ask, I couldn't help myself, I wasn't going to die without knowing the reason PJ seethed every time he saw Abigail. Looking around the group PJ seemed to be debating whether or not it was worth telling the truth to his group of friends.

"Fuck it." the curly haired boy muttered under his breath. "I broke up with her. She is a complete and utter bitch to be honest."

We all stared back at PJ, that hadn't exactly been what we were expecting, for months now we all just assumed that the reason our green-eyed friend had never shared anything about the breakup was because Abigail had broke up with him, and he was too embarrassed to admit it.

PJ seemed as if he wanted to avoid any questions, despite the fact that all of us were too nervous to intrude on the breakup anymore. With tension high in the air, PJ took it upon himself to move the game along.

"Chris!" PJ said enthusiastically as he turned to the boy sitting next to him.

"I choose dare." Chris said, beating PJ to the question of what category he would choose.

"I dare you to lick the bottom of Phil's foot!"

"What are we five PJ?" Louise asked with obvious annoyance in her voice, knowing Louise she was probably hoping that the game would get at least slightly sexual at some point.

"I'll do it!" Chris jumped up from his spot on the ground, maybe just a little too excited for what he was about to do.

I peeked a glance at Phil, wondering if he even consented to any of this. Based off the furrowed eyebrows and slight frown on Phil's face I could tell that he wasn't looking forward to what was about to happen. Without even hesitating Chris sat back down in front of Phil and pulled Phil's leg out from under him so that he could better access his foot. Once Phil's foot was in Chris's hand Chris placed the taller boy's foot directly in front of his face and glanced around the body part to meet Phil's eyes.

"Do you have any foot fungus I should know about?"

All four of the other people sitting in the room made disgusted noises at Chris's question and Louise took the opportunity of Chris's confused look around to push him into Phil's foot. The whole front of Chris's face collided with the bottom of Phil's foot and Chris only hesitated a moment before licking from Phil's toe to his heel.

By this point PJ was gagging in the corner, Louise hiding her face in her arms, Phil wiping his foot on the ground, and Chris heading to the kitchen to get some water to rinse his mouth out. As for me, I stayed in my spot and stared at where the event just took place. "I think Chris just made out with Phil's foot." My words seemed to catch everybody's attention as they began to laugh a little.
"Chris isn't that the farthest you have gone with kissing someone?"

My last comment sent everybody rolling with laughter and soon enough all us, minus a grumpy looking Chris, were sprawled out on the ground holding our stomachs. I would probably pay for that comment later.

"Guess it's Phil's turn then." Chris said sarcastically to get us all to shut up. We really shouldn't have laughed that hard, it's not like any of us had been farther with somebody than what Chris had. "Truth or dare Phil?"

"I'll go with dare I suppose."

I was slightly surprised by Phil's choice, he normally would have chosen truth. I couldn't help but wonder if there was something that Phil could be hiding that he was afraid he would have to reveal if he asked for a truth.

"I dare you to kiss Dan, on the mouth…" Chris said with a smug look plastered on his face.

My heart began to race with Chris's words. There was no possible way that my best friend just asked me to kiss one of my other good friends, who also happened to be my crush, on the lips in front of my other friends. Thoughts raced themselves around my head and I could feel myself start to get dizzy from each of the possible outcomes that my brain conjured up.

What if Phil didn't want to kiss me? What if Phil did want to kiss me? What if we ended up kissing and we leaned the same way? What if one of us laughed while it was happening? What if we kiss and I like it, but Phil doesn't? What if our other friends sitting in the room judged us for something that we would do while kissing?

Chris was evil, yes I probably deserved the dare after the comment I made, but Phil didn't, and Chris knew that neither of us had had our first kiss yet. My stomach tied itself in a knot as I stole a glance around the circle to see uncomfortable stares from Louise and PJ as they scanned back and forth between Phil and I, every once in awhile sending Chris a face as if to say, "Why the fuck did you just say that."

Hiding behind my eyelashes I stole a glance at Phil to see him nervously twiddling his thumbs and biting his lip as if he was deep in concentration. Not knowing what to do with myself I tugged at my sleeves and began peering at everything around my room except for the ebony haired man sitting to my left. Scanning my room, I took a mental note that the sugar cookie scented candle was still burning on the bookshelf, the wooden wick eliciting only the faintest of sounds amongst the overwhelming quiet in the room.

As if his voice was the sun to a long-winter's ice Phil finally spoke, "Dan I love you, but I'm not going to have my first kiss be in some stupid truth or dare game." Phil seemed to judge the expression on my face, one that I'm sure only read a mix of relief and gratitude with a hint of disappointment, before continuing. "I'll gladly kiss you on the cheek though!"

I smiled, the corners of my mouth reaching the edges of my eyes for once, my dimples prominent, as I shyly nodded my head in Phil's direction. Our other three friends finally looked up from their laps, which they had found very interesting once Phil had begun talking, and smiled at Phil's solution to the awkwardness that previously encompassed the room.

Before I could even tell what was happening I found Phil only inches from my face and then suddenly his lips were pressed against my cold skin. The warm kiss made my insides explode and my cheeks heat up. Phil was so light and caring with his kiss and I didn't know if I could actually handle the older man's mouth on my face. As cliche as it may sound I could feel the sparks fly like a fountain on the Fourth of July. God, if Phil's lips just on my cheek felt that great I couldn't imagine any other sort of intimacy with my blue-eyed friend, just the thought made me want to explode with contentedness.

Still with a smile on my face and my eyes unfocused I spoke to the whole group, "I think we should just play Mario Kart now." My voice was slightly higher than normal due to my sustained shock.

"Yeah I think that might be a good idea." Louise said whilst scanning the group in front of her.