The tree boy / phan

Chapter 2

The first thing that PJ does when he arrives at school is finding Phil among the crowded hallway.

Although he is taller than most of the students around him, he still finds it difficult to properly scan across the hallway as the passbying students couldn't help but keeps on bumping him in the shoulder. It makes him irritating because the physical pain coming from his shoulders is really distracting.

"Hey, get out of the way, skinny head! And stop standing right in the middle like a lost baby searchin' for his mama!" A board-shoulder boy teases him, while smacking him hard onto the ground using his massive spiky school bag.

PJ tries to lift himself up with both of his hands, but fails to do so as his hands are furiously shaking. Shaky hands is one of his biggest symptoms of being feared, he hates himself for that.

On the floor helplessly, he tilted his head back and gives the students who are forming a circle around him an appealing look, hoping at least one of them will be kind enough to help him up.

But they all just ignore his now watery eyes, look away and walk away, as if this scenario never happened.

PJ closes his eyes in disappointment and turns his head to let his cheek kiss the dusty floor. He knows that deep down in their minds, they would help him, it's just that the emotion of fear restraints them from risking a punch from that bully to do so, causing what humans describe as selfishness.

He curses humanity under his breath. To him, humans existence is more of a curse than a blessing to this world. Pollutions, creation of plastics, animals extinctions... are all causes by humans. If he could just delete his own species one by one... except Phil though.

He smiles inadvertently to himself just by the thought of him. Phil is literally his sunshine. Stating the facts, he is always kind to everyone and would help others who needs help. PJ is one of the examples of being saved by him from the bullies, who picks up on him occasionally and call him a 'Freaky Frankenstein Nerd'.
Sometimes he wonders maybe Phil actually possesses pure angelic blood in his veins, even if this theory is against his scientific mind.

"Hey kid, why are you still laying on the ground? Didn't you heard the bell rang? Get up and go to your class this instant!" a deep hush voice interrupts PJ's train of thoughts and snaps him back into reality. He flutters his eyes open to face a grumpy male teacher's face. Abruptly, he pushes himself up, blushes and mutters "So-sorry.", then runs off to his first period class across the now empty hallway.

As he approaches, mix voices of chatting from his fellow classmates immediately bloom into his ears and the teacher is still nowhere to be seen.

When he spots Phil in the right corner of the room, relief soon relaxes his whole body and he moves his feet to walk towards him.

But his body soon tenses up when he is close enough to see Phil blush-smiling as his rival who is already behind his crush, rubbing circles on Phil's...... butt?