It wasn't fair. Bolton had everything he wanted. He was popular, funny, he had a girlfriend, he had mates, and he had people's respect. No one crossed Bolton. Phil didn't have any of that. He'd never managed to get more than a peck on the lips off a girl, never mind sleeping with one. He didn't have any friends either. Bolton and Paul had made sure of that. He was a loser. No one liked him. He had no one. Even his own mother had left him and now he lived with Rachel. Even Rachel and Eddie preferred Bolton. He'd seen the way they looked at him, like they were proud. Especially Rachel, he'd seen the way her eyes lit up at the boxing match or when Bolton did well at something. She never looked at him like that. She just seemed worried, or worse, pitying.
And now, Miss Campbell had got Bolton and Paul to make friends with him, and they pitied him too. He knew Rachel had had a word with Bolton, getting him to be nice, trying to make him make friends with him because she knew he'd do it for her. Rachel wouldn't be interested in him now anyway. She had Eddie, waking up beside her each morning. She couldn't share in his misery anymore, because she had someone and it wasn't fair. It infuriated him. At least before, she and Eddie were alone as well, but now they had each other, an exclusive duo, leaving him alone again. Now she was using Bolton as another quick-fix solution to the Phillip problem. He wanted to be Bolton Smilie. To be popular and attractive. To make Rachel proud. He'd tried just acting like him at first, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough.
That morning, when he snapped, he'd had Bolton over from the night before. He woke up late and everyone else was already up. Rachel and Eddie and Bolton. They were sat in the kitchen, eating breakfast, and they were laughing. Rachel had her head on Eddie's shoulder and she was giving Bolton that look and it was too much. They were laughing at him, he could tell. He didn't know what they'd said, but he could tell. And they looked so happy without him. When he walked in, they stopped and he knew. He knew they didn't want him and it wasn't fair.
He walked towards the kitchen. He knew the drawer he needed. "Alright mate?" Eddie asked, his arm around Rachel as she turned to face Phil, smiling. Then her smile slid right off her face.
"Phillip, what are you doing?" she asked him, trying to sound calm and failing as a slight tremor made its way into her voice, her coppery eyes darting towards the object in his hand.
"Yo, Phil…" Bolton trailed off when he saw it, glinting. Phillip smiled as he advanced towards them, brandishing the knife in front of him. "Phil, mate what are you doing?"
"You all want me to go away, none of you want me."
"Phillip, you don't have to do this," Rachel whispered as Eddie shielded her instinctively. "You know that isn't true."
"Shut up," Phil spat, turning to her. "You all pity me. You and Eddie want Bolton more than me. You want me to be like him. You're the one to blame for this. It's all your fault anyway." Rachel looked terrified. "You're the one who stole Eddie off my mum; if it wasn't for you, they'd still be together and she'd still be here."
"What happened between me and your mum, Phil. It wasn't Rachel's fault. It was mine. I lied about who I had feelings for. It was not Rachel's-"
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Phillip shrieked. "It was her fault! She's a whore! She ruined everything! It's her fault, all hers'! Hers' and Bolton's!"
"Me? What have I done mate?" Bolton asked, trying to ignore the knife which was still so tightly in Phillip's grip.
"It was you! You turned them all against me. You made them hate me! If it wasn't for you, I'd have friends, I might even have a girlfriend. But no, I'm stuck here alone, because of you."
"But you and Flick Mellor-"
"No, me and Flick didn't work out, because you lied and said she wasn't taken and then you," he turned to Eddie, "told me to give her a present. I know. You were all laughing at me behind my back."
Eddie stood up. "Come on Phil. We know you're upset, but this is a bit much."
"Upset?" Phil shrieked. "Upset?! I'm not upset!" and with that, he grabbed Rachel by the wrist, jerking her out of the chair and holding the knife to her throat.
"Phillip, let her go. Let her go right now." Eddie commanded, trying to stay in authority.
"You can't tell me what to do! You're not my dad!" Phil yelled, pulling the knife to Rachel's throat. She let out a whimper and Eddie's eyes glazed over. Bolton just sat where he was, terrified. "Not so funny now, am I? Hmm? Still think I'm a joke?" At that moment, Eddie went running forward, trying to wrestle the knife off him and free Rachel from his grip. Phillip plunged the knife into his stomach and he slumped back, Rachel falling to her knees beside him.
"Eddie? Eddie, please," she whispered as Bolton grabbed Phil by the wrist.
"You're fucking sick mate," he ranted.
"Shut up."
"Look what you've done! Why would you stab him?"
"Shut up!" Phil cried, stabbing Bolton as Rachel stood up to stop him. Bolton grabbed his chest, eyes glazing over as he too staggered onto his knees, crying out in pain.
"Phillip, stop." Rachel begged, "Let me call an ambulance. Please," she was sobbing now. "Please. I'll help you. I'll try to keep you out of trouble."
"Stay where you are."
"Please, let me go," Rachel tried, before trying to push her way around him to get to the phone. Phillip lashed out a third time, grabbing his aunt before she could fall and throwing her to the stone floor, where she crawled over to a barely conscious Eddie, leaving a trail of blood along the floor. "Eddie, I'm so sorry…" she told him. "Bolton, I…"
"It's not fair, is it Rach?" asked Phillip as his aunt lay before him, trying to revive Eddie, sobbing so much her whole body shook. He grabbed her shoulder, twisting her towards him harshly. "Answer me."
"Phillip, give me the phone."
"No can do, Rach," he told her, pulling back the knife and then stabbing her again. She gasped, falling back into Eddie's body as the life began to seep away from her, her breaths hitching in her chest. Finally it was just Phil and Bolton. "Now who's jealous, eh mate?" he laughed, kicking Bolton's weakened form. "I doubt if I'll see you around." And with that, he turned and left the kitchen, now the scene of such carnage, and he laughed as he walked through the front door, smashing the glass windows with the knife as he did. Now for Flick and Marley.