Adam only nodded, and Phil felt a chill run through him. Phil’s words sank into Phil more than they did for Adam. Just to get the upper hand, Phil made himself sound like a criminal. He played with fire a bit too much. He made an internal note to never do that again and continued.
“No, I mean it. If I hear a word of this, nothing personal, but your life will become a living hell. I’ll see to it. I’m taking it on faith that you did this because you wanted to help me, but if you do anything to hurt me, I will not be hesitant in hurting you back. I’m a good guy, but I’m not that good. No one is. You have some serious dirt on me after I spilled my guts to you, and bad things will happen if you use this against me.”
“I promise.” Adam replied in a voice flecked with fear.
“Great.” Phil replied, satisfied he had scared Adam into not being his liability. “I’m sorry, and no offense. It’s just, you know… not such a nice world out there.”
“I understand.” Adam nodded. “What’s term two?”
Phil didn’t understand what Adam was talking about for a second, then remembered. He got too caught up in his own tangent. “Oh yeah. Two, don’t do anything like this again. I’m big enough to admit it – you helped me see a few things. In a way I’m glad we had this talk. But in another, I don’t want to see you for a month. Don’t go sticking your nose into other people’s private business again, especially when it’s this deep, alright? Be a good boy.”
Adam nodded diligently.
“Great.” Phil sighed, exhausted. “Anything else or are you good?”
“I’m good.”
“Cool.” Phil couldn’t help but grin. “Next week’s report had better be fucking good for this.”
“I’ll try.” Adam smiled back warmly. If nothing else, even if they couldn’t work shit out personally, Phil was at least glad that Adam knew how to be professional in a work situation. Unlike Nicole.
“It’s all I can ask.” Phil replied. “Now get the fuck outta here, and have a nice evening.”
“You too!” With that, Adam gathered his things and promptly left, leaving Phil in an empty room with his thoughts. Well, almost empty – Megan apparently left her backpack behind. Phil made a note to take her backpack to the office’s lost-and-found, but he found himself unable to move.
This room had a lot of memories in it… The council, sure, but also his first kiss with Nicole, even if Adam was being a voyeur about it. Olivia blowing him countless times. The time Jerry White, his best friend last year, told him for the first time that he was gay, but he couldn’t come out until the end of the school year, followed by him crying on Phil’s shoulder for a good half an hour. Phil’s first time he admitted to Mr. Scott, the principal, that he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life and how scared he was. There was a lot of history in this room, and in a few short months, Phil would just be… leaving it. Forever.
Phil had no idea how long he’d stayed in that room, but eventually he heard someone else enter. He tore his gaze away from the floor to see Megan shyly enter, only noticing Phil a couple seconds after.
“Oh!” she exclaimed in shock, then composed herself. “Hi, Phil.”
“Hey Meggs.” Phil said as casually as he could. “Here for the bag, huh?”
“Yeah.” she merely said, picking it up.
“Great.” Phil replied, not even bothering to get up. “You have a great night now.”
“You t- yeah, you too.” she timidly replied. She stared at him for a bit, then grabbed her bag, not as if she didn’t want to talk to him, but simply not knowing what to say.
She was almost out the door when something possessed Phil to speak to her. “Yo, Megan.”
“Yes?” she immediately replied, voice full of fear, obediently coming back into the room.
Phil couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax, relax, relax. I’m not gonna kill ya. What, do I seem that intimidating after this long we’ve worked together?”
Megan shrugged shyly. “It’s not that – you’re not – I’m scared of everyone. E-everything.”
Phil laughed again. “Sounds exhausting.”
Megan cracked her first smile. “Sometimes.”
“Am I scary, Megan?” Phil continued, cracking a smile. “You’re a good third party to trust. We haven’t gotten to know each other that well yet. Am I scary?”
“N-no, you’re not scary, sir.” Megan replied diligently.
Phil emitted a chuckle. “I’m no ‘sir.’ I’m just Phil, man. I just wanna know how I come across to others. I just had a long talk and I’m… doubting things.”
Megan nodded. “You talked to Adam, didn’t you?”
“Not just a pretty face.” Phil dryly replied. “Now how would you know something like that?”
“I saw him in the main hallway. He told me my backpack was here. I could put two and two together.” she simply replied.
Phil couldn’t help but grin. “You’re smarter than you let on, you know that?”
“I don’t know about that.” Megan replied with a shrug.
Phil stared into her eyes. “Yeah, you do.” he accused with a smile. “You totally do. You want to look modest and look good for others, but hey, I can keep a secret.” Phil playfully looked from side to side and moved in. “You can run circles around people, especially boys, sometimes. Can’t you?”
Megan smiled her second smile, and this one was bigger and more genuine. “Sometimes.” she softly admitted. “Sometimes, yeah.”
A silence filled the room with Phil expectantly looking at her before she continued. “I don’t think you’re scary, Phil. You’re authoritative but it’s good for the council. You get a lot of stuff done.”
“Really? Thanks.” Phil replied, knowing he was good at his job already but also knowing responding with ‘Yeah, I knew that’ was douchey. “It’s not too much or anything?”
“No, it’s not too much. If people can’t handle you, maybe they’re just not sure of themselves.” Megan offered, growing a bit more comfortable.
Phil sighed and nodded a bit, giving a pause before he spoke. “Nicole and I aren’t tight right now.” he admitted. “She’s definitely sure of herself. She might be confused, but she might also really dislike me.”
“Why only those two options?” Megan asked quietly.
“Long story.”
“Oh. Well… I don’t know what to say.” Megan admitted.
“Yeah, fair enough.” Phil nodded.
“I get why you’d ask Adam about her though.” Megan continued.
“Oh yeah?” Phil sported another grin. “Why’s that?”
“Well, given they hang out a lot and are sleeping together right now, it just makes sense he’d know her well.”
Phil’s grin shortened to a muted, lipless smile. A pit the size of Kentucky formed in his chest, and his heart sank to his feet to accommodate the pit. He felt like throwing up. Adam Watson, that fucking cretin. So, he got to Nicole too, and odds are he and Nicole didn’t exactly start yesterday. He was being played. By Adam, by Nicole, by who knows else. “Ah. Well, um…” Phil fumbled.
Megan went white. “Oh no. You didn’t know that, did you?” she panicked. “I’m sorry. Um, can you forget I said anything? I didn’t mean to – I shouldn’t have-”
“Meggs, don’t worry.” Phil replied in a weirdly calm voice. “Yeah, I didn’t know, but like… whether I knew it or not, that’s something that’s happened. I could get angry about it or just accept it.”
“You still like her, don’t you?” Megan pieced it together.