Phillip and Beth met at Cedar's hospital in the Spring of 1983. She had fallen down a flight of stairs (thanks to her abusive stepfather, Bradley), and shared a hospital room with Mindy, who had faked an accident to get Phillip's attention.

Phillip was immediately drawn to shy, sweet Beth, but he was also seeing Mindy and was her date to the Prom. Phillip decided to set Beth up with Rick so he could still spend time with her. That night, Phillip and Beth were crowned King & Queen of the Prom, and as he held her in his arms during their dance, Phillip knew that he was in love with Beth. But he also knew that Rick was falling for her as well, and backed off pursuing her.

The gang, affectionately known as the Four Musketeers, spent the summer hanging out and getting ready for classes at Springfield University. Rick and Beth grew closer, as Mindy felt Phillip was finally hers.

But when the secret of Phillip's true parentage came out (he was not a true Spauling but the son of Justin & Jackie Marler), the young man's world came crashing in around him. Beth's evil stepfather, who tried everything to keep Beth away from Phillip, overheard Rick and Mindy discussing the secret. When he found Beth & Phillip (who had just professed their love for each other) kissing in the stables, he sent Beth away and told Phillip the truth.

Phillip angrily confronted his two fathers, and dismissed Rick and Mindy when he learned they knew the truth but didn't tell him. The only person he had left to lean on was Beth.

Phillip moved into the country club stables and got a job as a stableboy. He and Beth spent time there studying and creating--him writing and her drawing. But Bradley did not like it, and took to spying on his stepdaughter. He even went so far as to threaten Phillip with a gun. Phillip and Beth decided that she would move into the dorms on campus, But everything would change on the night of homecoming.

In order to avoid a confrontation with Bradley, Beth agreed to meet Phillip at school. But Bradley was home and drunk. He prevented Beth from leaving by waving the gun and threatening to kill Phillip. Once he passed out, Beth tried to sneak off, but Bradley caught her. He hit her and threw her down on the couch, where he raped her.

Beth was in shock. She numbly went upstairs to take a shower. When Phillip showed up looking for her, she refused to see him. She couldn't bring herself to tell him what happened.

Phillip continually tried to see her, but she refused. She did finally face him and coldly told him that they were through. Confused, Phillip turned to Mindy for comfort. When Beth finally felt strong enough, she returned to school, but still refused to spend time alone with Phillip.

She eventually ran away from home, and moved into the Reardon boarding house. But Bradley found her and tried to make her come home. She refused, and Tony Reardon threw him out. But Alan, believing that Phillip was better off without Beth, set Bradley up at a new job in Vancouver and told him to make sure that Beth went with him.

The next day, Phillip showed up for Annabelle's class a few minutes late. He hurriedly wrote Beth a note so that they could talk later and dropped it on her desk as he passed. Moments later, Beth spotted Bradley and her mother out in the hallway.

Phillip noticed them next, and motioned to Rick. They were formulating an escape. Bradley, Lillian and a police officer entered the class ordering Beth to accompany them to family court. She refused, and Rick created a diversion as Phillip threw a chair through the window. He grabbed Beth and they ran off together.