Hurting on the Inside [phan]

chapter 3

phil

Phil just stands there in the empty yard in front of school, not daring to go in. He is trying to tell his feet to move but they just won't listen. He just stands there, glued to the ground.

He doesn't know how long he has been standing there for, but he heard the 9:00am bell go when he arrived. He had tried to arrive slightly late as to avoid the rush of people and the noise of friends who have known each other for years talking about their plans for this weekend.

He wishes that he didn't have to keep changing schools, let alone start a new one half way through a term. Any new people will have joined their friendship groups and found there people already and they won't be classified as new anymore. No one likes a new guy intruding their group of friends.

Finally, after what must have been about 20 minutes, his feet finally co-operate and he starts to move, slowly, towards the steps leading to the front door.

As he predicted, no one was in the corridors. All he could hear was the odd voice coming from an open classroom door.

At least he has his younger brother at this school. Well, adoptive brother.

Phil's past had been far from easy. At the age of 14 he was put into an orphanage when his parents were sent to prison and no living relatives that wanted Phil were found.

He has been in 8 foster homes since then, all around England. No one really wanted a small, pale 14 year old. Everyone wants a cute baby or a smiley toddler to raise as there own. He was simply to old.

Then one day, the day of his 17th birthday, along came the Lesters. Two married men with another adopted son called Parker. That day was one of the happiest of his whole life.

The Lesters fell in love with him straight away and after only a week of fostering him, they asked for the adoption papers.

Life got 110% better and Phil finally felt like he belonged.

However he didn't feel like he belonged here as he walked to the school office to get his new timetable and get given the tour. He knew the procedure and it never got any better, whatever school he went to.

But who knows. Maybe this one will be different. Maybe some people might welcome him to this school rather than just push him away.

***

dan

Wherever Dan walked through the school all he could hear was the same rumour being repeated again and again. Lunch break had just started and this gave everyone the time to talk and time for the rumours to spread and to change.

"My cousins brothers friend used to go to school with him."
"Yeh I heard he's a total weirdo."
"Apparently his parents are in jail."
"I heard he bribed the Lesters to adopt him."
"I heard he threatened them."
"Apparently he's insane."
"He killed 4 puppies!"

Rumours totally suck.

He walked through the corridors moving away from all the rumours and went outside to the chestnut tree that stood in the middle of the piece of grass at the back of the school. This was the place where all his friends were at lunch break, as the lunch hall was now, unfortunately, filled with people.