Aloha phanfic readers :)

Here's chapter 4 :)

The world flew past as he was shoved roughly against a nearby wall, his legs buckling beneath him. Panting slightly PJ's eyes darted about his surroundings as his bruised skin scraped against its smooth surface.

"Thought you could avoid us did you?" a snide voice spat, kneeling down and wrapping a hand around his throat "You and your pathetic friend over there?" PJ gasped in agony, a deep pain resonating about his person….oh shit…what the heck….Blinking hastily he looked to his left to reveal Chris with a pair of strong arms restricting his own.

"Did you think we'd let him take all the wrap?" the voice taunted "We'll we've been saving something special just for you," The grip around his throat tightened and PJ choked; a vice restricting the air. Hearing a commotion Phil, who had been walking a few paces ahead, turned. A stabbing pain sent shockwaves through his chest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" he shouted, amazed at his sudden bravery. The two figures smirked, increasing their hold against the two struggling beings.

"And you are?" the one holding PJ asked, momentarily releasing him and standing up. Their eyes met, as if egging each other on, his face millimetres from Phil's. The boy ran a hand through his short black hair, as if daring Phil to challenge him. Adrenaline pumping Phil smirked, taking a step back.

"What's it got to do with you?" The boy's eyes blazed, gateways to a destructive mind. Like a rabbit caught in the headlights Phil froze, yearning to escape the confrontation…..I should not have said that….With one swift move Phil was on the floor, his hand soaked in claret as it held his face. Turning his attention back to PJ, the boy leant over him, a crooked smile tugging on his lips.

"Don't send your minions to take your place," he hissed, kneeling down and placing a hand under his chin "Take your punishment like a man," PJ winced at the contact, weakly brushing the boy's hand away.

"I'll never be ashamed of what I am," The boy's expression hardened, Chris struggled against his captors grasp.

"Jesus PJ, just give in!" he said, sensing the inevitable. The boy holding him, this one much more muscular, slapped the back of his head.

"Now now Chris," he whispered snidely "Alfie's just teaching him a little lesson," Chris shuddered as he felt his breath against the back of his neck, sending sparks of panic throughout his body. Alfie shot a cruel laugh in his direction.

"Don't worry your boyfriend'll get what he deserves," Both Chris and Phil, who had now gotten to his feet, winced at those words. Suddenly, in a frenzy of flailing limbs, Alfie's anger erupted onto PJ; like a prize-winning boxer in the final round. With every second passing a new bruise formed creating a patch-work of colour across his skin. Blow after blow PJ retched and spluttered, nausea building as an accompaniment to the pain. Soon everything seemed to be spinning and sleep was the only escape.

"Stop, stop it now!" Phil yelped, lunging at Alfie in protest…..this can't be happening….Momentarily ceasing Alfie turned colliding a fist with his abdomen.

"I don't think that's likely do you?" Phil collapsed to the ground again, his heart pounding and a bitter taste building in his mouth. Kicking him once for good measure Alfie turned back to PJ, maniacal laughter seeping from his mouth.

"Bet you wish you weren't a fag now don't you?" The boy holding Chris joined in gladly and PJ stuttered, words escaping him. Alfie knelt down beside him, taking his head in his hand, forcing him to look at him.

"I asked you a question," he whispered maliciously. PJ blinked slowly, streams of magenta flowing like the Nile across the contours of his face…..oh bloody hell….With shaking breath PJ remained silent, fearful of inciting another assault. Alfie tutted and raised his hand again.

"Suit yourself," As the words left his lips the doors of the canteen swung open, revealing it's only other occupants.

"Jesus Christ!" Dean said as his eyes widened in shock, Alfie's hand retreated slightly.

"What the bloody hell do you think your doing?" Jack exclaimed "And in public too!," Alfie scoffed, standing as he did.

"What's it look like?" Jack's eyes narrowed, his hands balling into fists. Kat shot him a look of warning; intervention was not the answer. PJ retched, slumping to the side with both hands on the ground. He stared up at his previous companions; a last ditch attempt at salvation.

"P-please….help me," His body shook as the world blurred before him. Darting his eyes they met with those of the brown haired boy at the back; his chocolate eyes swimming with remorse.

"D-Dan….Dan….please," By this point his voice was just above a whisper. Dan gulped, as if he'd been punched in the gut. Conflicting thoughts filled his head forming a prickling sensation behind his eyes…..look at him down there….so limp….so helpless….that could so easily be me…..Alfie smirked, delivering a fatal kick to his ribs. Snapping like a twig PJ broke, slipping completely to the ground with a low growl.

"Look at him," Alfie spat "Pathetic," Phil gasped as he stared at his defective consort, crawling over and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"PJ…PJ wake up!" he whispered frantically. A shuddered gasp answered.

"I wouldn't bother," Alfie said coldly "He's a lost cause," The boy holding Chris released him, sharing a look of accomplishment with his friend.

"Let's leave the fags to themselves, they're not worth our time," With a final blow to the head they both skulked away, their deep cackles a shuddering reality….take that as a warning….Eye's brimming Chris collapsed beside his partner; the guilt of his decisions engulfing him. Phil shook his head in anger. The others remained still.

"Peej….Peej can you hear me?" No one dared to move; the sight before them too great. PJ's body stirred.

"We need to get him moved," Chris said "People are staring," Nodding Phil stood, a look of desperation plastered on his face.

"He's really hurt….we need to get help," Again nobody moved, the silence only filled with sharp gasps and whispers as students passed them. Some of them stopped, others just walked faster as if the cause of the attack would get them as well. Chris looked up at Jack; the only one with any remote concern on their face.

"Jack come on please…." Jack remained still. Chris' words became frantic.

"Look I know you don't approve of us but please…this is serious…..h-he…" Again Jack did nothing. He turned to his friends as if they could give him the answer. Both Kat and Dean's expressions hardened.

"I-I-um," he stuttered…..I can't leave him like this….but I can't lose them either….I…I…Kat stepped forward.

"I'm sorry," She gestured to her friends and they followed, heading down the corridor.

"Fucking cowards!" Phil shouted angrily as they went to turn a corner. This quite frankly surprised him; he had never been one to swear. Briefly Dan turned backwards; blue connecting with brown. He sighed softly as if trying to send a silent message of apology but Phil was having none of it; he merely shook his head in disappointment. Dan swallowed hard; this boy's disapproval forming an evident lump in his throat. With another sigh he continued to walk and soon disappeared out of sight.

"Typical," Chris muttered rubbing PJ's arm softly. Phil stared at the space where Dan had been. Like a bubbling volcano his anger built, threatening to spew lava and whither his decent composure. He exhaled in frustration.

"Are they all like this here?" Chris nodded solemnly as if reluctant to accept these home truths. Fear gripped Phil as he did this….wait….why am I scared…..Suddenly a high pitched voice could be heard behind them.

"Oh my goodness what happened?" Phil turned to reveal a tall, blonde haired girl stood before them; her piercing blue eyes swimming with worry. Eying him suspiciously she knelt beside PJ, removed her jumper and pressed it against his bleeding form.

"Shh, shh it's alright," she cooed. Chris withdrew slightly, grateful for the assistance. Phil gave him a perplexed look sensing he was as confused as he was. Since when did anyone at this school care about 'fags'?

"Take this," she muttered hastily throwing the jumper at Chris "Hold it against the wounds until the bleeding stops," She gestured to a large gash across the side of PJ's face. Chris nodded. With a swish of blonde hair she got to her feet walking over and picking up her bag (which she had thoughtlessly dumped against the nearby wall). After a few moments of rummaging she withdrew a gauze dressing and medical tape. Phil furrowed his brow. Why would a student carry medical supplies? She knelt back down beside PJ and cleared her throat; indicating for Chris to move. Peeling back the sodden fabric she was able to slowly patch up his wounds; her touch caring and soothing. PJ smiled weakly, regaining consciousness. She reciprocated his gesture. Once she had finished her work she threw the jumper back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Phil grimaced slightly; that's surely going to stain.

"Right now we need to move him," she said forcefully, looking from Chris to Phil "Give us a hand will you," Together both she and Chris managed to hoist him to his feet, slinging each of his arms over their respective necks. Phil gathered their stray belongings that had been scattered in the confrontation.

"Follow me," he said "Chris which room is PJ's?" Chris thought for a moment.

"Oh it's room 2023, same one as me," Phil managed a small smile before leading them down the corridor, through the double doors and up the stairs. Turning back every so often Phil continued to lead until they were stood outside a bright red door decorated with various Simpson's posters.

"Phil take him while I unlock the door," Shifting slightly Phil and Chris swapped places and, fingers trembling, he inserted the key.

"In we go," Dragging PJ's broken body they shuffled into the darkened room and lay him down on the bed closest to the left-hand wall. He winced as the duvet encased his body; caressing the broken skin. Cautiously, Chris sat on the bed beside him while Phil and the girl perched themselves on two chairs.

"So what happened?" she said finally, turning to Chris "Who did this?" Chris shrugged.

"Take a wild guess," She tilted her head in thought before shrugging. There were so many students in this school that altercations were common; normally over trivial things. But this; this was different. Chris sighed.

"Marcus Butler and Alfie Deyes," PJ stirred at the mention of their names and sat up slowly against the wall.

"Really nasty pieces of work," Chris leant forward instantly, taking PJ's hand in his.

"Hey how you feeling?" PJ squeezed his hand and forced a weak smile.

"Never better," he whimpered with sarcasm. Continuing to gaze his green eyes met those of the girl that helped him.

"Anya?" Anya blushed shyly.

"Hi," she mumbled, staring at her hands. Chris raised an eyebrow and Phil noticed; obviously he had no idea who this girl was. PJ shuffled so that his legs swung over the side of the bed, decreasing the gap between the two of them.

"Thank you," he said. She flicked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Please, it's the least I could do…..I'm sorry about everything that happened," Smiling warmly PJ pulled her into a hug, relishing in its familiarity. Chris cleared his throat and they pulled apart and smirked playfully at them.

"Anyway, thanks a lot, and stay away from my man, bitch," He snapped his fingers sassily and she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"And you must be Chris?" she said, smiling. He nodded and gestured to Phil.

"Yeah….and this is Phil," Phil smiled, revealing a pink tongue and flicked the hair from his eyes. Anya held out her hand and he took it.

"Nice to meet you," The four of them chatted playfully for a while on mindless, random topics, just wanting to forget the day's events. Suddenly the air became heavy and the smile slipped from Anya's lips. She sighed sadly.

"I've missed this," PJ's expression fell and he looked away, the window a worthy distraction.

"I wish it wasn't like this," he said, rubbing his bruised arm "I can't help that things had to change," Both Phil and Chris ceased in their small-talk, the mood in the room switching dramatically.

"Things shouldn't have to," she whispered "If only people weren't so judgemental," PJ stood up and took her hands in his.

"I know…..have you spoken to the others lately," Anya shook her head.

"I can't face their eyes leering at me, assuming I'm some heart-broken soul," He pulled her into another embrace and her muscles relaxed. After a brief period she pulled away and PJ re-took his seat in the bed. He yelped as he did this. Chris and Phil exchanged a look before Chris wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist. Anya breathed in sharply.

"Peej what are you going to do?" she said softly "It's not like this is just going to go away," Phil nodded in agreement.

"Anya's right, you can't just ignore this," PJ rested his head on Chris' shoulder and sighed; it was just too much.

"Please don't say anything, I can't be dealing with unnecessary attention," Reluctantly they all agreed as today had been tough enough on him without adding to this stress.

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"Oh Jack cheer up," Kat hissed as they entered Louise's room; the group having been silent up to this point "You've got a face like a bull-dog chewing a wasp," He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze but chose to ignore her words all the same. Instead he sat on the end of the bed in silence, slipping in his headphones and allowing the varying melodies to take him away. Huffing in frustration, Kat leant against the doorway.

"What is his problem?" she said gesturing to the three other figures scattered about the room. Dean shrugged while Louise just said nothing; the day's events still fresh in their minds.

"What d'you think Dan?" Kat said in an inappropriately sweet voice. Dan, who had been trying to focus on a magazine article, looked up incredulously; a fire burning deep in his eyes.

"Just leave it yeah," he said coldly. Ignoring her many more attempts to get through to him he shuffled further down into the bed, embracing the pain resonating in his lower back. Dan closed his eyes; the real world unable to compete with the scenarios being imagined within his head…..Something was changing within him as if in a sudden realisation. He felt lost….lost in a world that before seemed so comforting but now frightened him to no end. In a way he saw himself in PJ and this prospect worried him. It's as if it was serving as a warning. He was a caterpillar, gorging itself on his heterosexuality; emphasising it to everyone. But, over the past few weeks his desires have grown stale; his inclination towards the female being becoming less obvious; was he boring of Kat? Had her over-bearing opinions encouraged his retreat? Maybe, but he really didn't want to find out. School was hard enough without his conflicting emotions. The cocoon was forming and Dan knew it. It's just the boy he would be at the other side that remained a mystery. Kat clicked her fingers in front of his face.

"Dan….Dan you still there?" she said loudly. He coughed awkwardly.

"Sorry….just thinking," Kat frowned.

"You've been doing that a lot lately," Cautiously she shuffled up onto the bed with him and snaked her arms around his. His body stiffened at the touch. Kat scoffed.

"Jesus Christ what's the matter with you lot," Suddenly each pair of eyes were on her. She shifted slightly. Louise walked over and sat beside her, placing a comforting hand on Kat's shoulder.

"It's nothing really Kat, it's just seeing PJ like that was a bit of a shock" she said calmly "And on the first day back too," Kat's expression softened but not enough to say it showed empathy.

"I get that but come on," she said "He had it coming," Louise hummed sadly. Both Dan and Jack shifted uncomfortably. Silence fell over the group.

"Y'know Kat does have a point," Dean said finally "And I for one am glad I'm not a queer," Again, Dan and Jack shifted uncomfortably. Louise stood up, yawning.

"Well, let's just hope, sexuality aside, that he's ok," Dean and Kat nodded reluctantly while the others did nothing. Louise sighed. Who'd have thought that PJ's simple preferences would have changed the dynamic of their group so greatly? Over the next few hours the tiredness crept up on the group and after saying their goodbyes they thinned out; destined for their respective rooms. When Dan reached his the room was empty and he just slumped down on his bed. Today had been eventful that's for sure. Well, tomorrow is when the hard-work starts so hopefully it will be better. Hopefully it will serve as a suitable distraction. He closed his eyes tightly; willing for nothing to happen between now and when he awakes.

*in Hagrid voice* A storm's coming Harry, best be ready when she does.

So whaddya think? I hope it wasn't too boring. Well at least a little more happened in this compared to the others. Don't forget to review!

Byeeee! :)