Phoenix Rising (Phoenix of the Heart)

by Michelle Stevens

burned going down my throat, bringing tears to my eyes. I quickly bit into the lime Jim handed me.

  As soon as I finished, he poured another.

  “One is enough for me,” I said under my breath, so only he could hear.

  Jim grinned. “You need to loosen up, Phoenix. We came here to have a good time, and I don’t want you to leave yet.”

  Someone in the kitchen exclaimed, “What? You’re thinking of leaving already?”

  Mike protested, “You can’t do that to us, Phoenix. You’re the whole reason I came.”

  “Please don’t go,” Daisy pleaded from across the room.

  Jim gave me a strange smile as he put the shot glass into my hand. Then Mike shouted, “Here’s to Phoenix!” The group clinked my glass enthusiastically.

  I was touched so many people wanted me to stay. The group cheered as I quickly gulped the fiery liquid. Luckily, it went down easier the second time and I could feel its heat numbing my body. The tequila, combined with the screwdriver I’d had earlier, was beginning to take effect.

  Damn, I have to take a cab home now.

  Despite the inconvenience, I liked my sudden popularity. When Jim handed me another shot, I held up the glass and twirled like a ballerina.

  Mike started chanting, “Phoenix! Phoenix!” and the others in the kitchen joined in.

  Not wanting to disappoint my fans, I slammed the tequila down and bit into the lime. “Oh yeah!” I hollered. Cheers rang throughout the apartment, and all the attention became centered on the irresistible redhead in the middle of the room. I reminded myself of Scarlett O’Hara with a ton of beaus and hardly a care in the world. How could these poor souls resist my feminine charms?

  Girls Just Want to Have Fun came on the radio. I loved Lauper’s playful song, and it matched my mood perfectly. I glided through the crowd to an empty spot in the living room.

  “Turn up the music!” I shouted as I attempted to dance. Unfortunately, my balance was a little off because of my tipsy state. I ended up crashing into the large wooden coffee table and falling to the floor. It took a while for the pain to register, but when it did, I cried out pathetically, “Owie, owie, owie…”

  The apartment erupted in laughter at my expense, but I didn’t care. No, I giggled because it was funny. I looked up to see Jim laughing. Scott, on the other hand, did not look amused, and my heart dropped.

  Jim grabbed my shot glass off the kitchen counter and filled it with more tequila. He started towards me, but Scott stopped him midway. “Enough.”

  “Mind your own business,” Jim growled as he brushed past him and squatted down next to me. “Do another, Phoenix.”

  “I’m done,” I told him, turning away. I adjusted my dress and tried to stand up despite the fact the floor seemed much easier to manage. I didn’t get far.

  “Come on, you know you want it,” Jim said, stealing a kiss before lifting the glass to my mouth. I was vaguely aware I was way past my ‘happy place’ with the alcohol. The room began spinning.

  “She said she’s had enough,” Scott snarled.

  I felt everyone’s eyes on me. I took the glass, attempting to make light of the situation. “Here’s to a girl…” I held up the shot high above me, “a girl who just wants to have fun.” My hand shook a little as I brought it to my lips. Before I could take the sip, the glass was taken from me.

  “You’ve had enough.”

  His voice cut through my drunken haze like a beacon of light. Gentle hands lifted me up and I melted into his embrace. I looked up at my champion as he carried me out of the room.

  He looked so darn cute. I couldn’t resist reaching up and poking his mustache. I slurred my words when I asked, “Would that tickle if you kissed me?”

  Scott’s lips twitched, but he said nothing as he carried me to a bedroom. The soft bed enveloped me in comfort, and I then felt warm hands tuck a blanket around me before the lights turned off, leaving me in soothing darkness. I heard the door shut quietly, but angry voices thundered just outside the room.

  “Leave her be.”

  “You better not lay a finger on her. She’s mine!”

  “She is not a possession, you idiot.”

  “I’m going to punch you out if you don’t move!”

  “Try it.”

  “Why don’t you two just calm down…”

  I covered my ears, needing to succumb to the darkness. I woke up later and tried unsuccessfully to get up. I was vaguely aware of throwing up just before I passed out again.

  The Morning After

  I slowly became aware of my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was the smell of vomit. As soon as it hit my nose, I knew I was going to lose it and threw up over the side of the bed. I whimpered as I wiped my mouth and lay back down.

  The light coming through the curtain at the other end of the room seemed far too bright. I groaned, looking up at the ceiling. There was a light fixture in the middle of it with the cover layered in dust and dead insects. I wanted to puke again, but successfully resisted the urge.

  I listened, but there were no voices or sounds of movement outside the room. I looked around and saw posters of Pink Floyd and Metallica, as well as a cross on the wall. Panic seized me. I assumed that Jim had taken me home, but this was not my place. My foggy brain slowly sifted through the night’s events and concluded that I was still at Scott’s apartment.

  I groaned, wondering how I was going to get home when I was too sick to get out of bed. A wave of despair and humiliation engulfed me. I couldn’t understand how I’d gotten myself into this mess. This wasn’t who I was at all!

  A chill ran down my spine when I heard footsteps coming. The door opened and I looked up to see Scott standing in the doorway. Tears streamed down my face as I faced him, filled with shame. Instead of looking at me in disgust, he came over and gathered me in his arms. When the tears finally subsided, he pulled away.

  “Let’s get you cleaned up, Beth.”

  He helped me out of his bed and into the bathroom. Taking a warm washcloth, he gently cleaned my face with it. Then he turned on the shower and played with the knobs until he was satisfied with the temperature.

  Scott helped me up, saying, “I’ll leave you alone so you can shower.”

  “Thanks…” I mumbled. I attempted to get undressed, but felt violently ill and had to vomit in the toilet. I couldn’t help crying as Scott patiently cleaned me up a second time.

  He turned off the shower. “Maybe we’ll try that when you feel a little better.” He picked me up in his solid arms and carried me into the living room, placing me on the couch. “You rest here while I take care of the room.”

  I struggled to sit up. “I can’t let you do that.”

  He gently pushed me back down. “Don’t worry about it. I want you to recover, so stay here and do that for me.” He gave me a glass of water before he headed to his room and began cleaning the mess I’d made.

  Oh, the humiliation!

  I planned to get up in a few minutes to help, but found myself waking hours later to the sound of Scott typing in the other room. I gingerly got up and noticed my queasiness had subsided. My head still ached, but I was able to walk over to the door and lean against the frame. I watched Scott at his computer for a few seconds. He must have sensed my presence because he turned around and smiled.

  “Well, I see you’re feeling better. I thought you might sleep all day considering how much you drank last night.”

  I burned with shame. “I never drank that much in my life. I don’t know what was wrong with me last night. I’m really sorry.”

  “No need to apologize. However, I must say I don’t think much of your date. He was egging you on, even after it was obvious you were too drunk to stand.”

  I looked down at the floor and didn’t make an effort to defend Jim. I dreaded his answer to my next question, but asked, “Scott, I don’t remember much of last night. What did I do? I mean, did I do anything embarrassing?” I laughed miserably. “I can only imagine what everyon
e must think.”

  “The worst that happened was you crawling on the floor crying ‘owie’. I carried you to bed after that. Most people left thinking that your boyfriend is a real ass.”

  He’s not my boyfriend!

  I smiled weakly. “So what happened to Jim? It’s pretty obvious he left without me.”

  “After I put you to bed I asked him to leave. He wouldn’t budge, telling me I had over-stepped my bounds. He insisted on taking you home, but I wouldn’t allow it and then he went ballistic. Glenn threatened to take him out back when he wouldn’t calm down, but Mike eventually convinced Jim to leave without a fight. The party didn’t last long after that.”

  “I ruined your party? I’m so sorry, Scott. I knew I shouldn’t have come.”

  “I’m not sorry you came. I’m just sorry things turned out the way they did.” He smiled at me with those captivating gray eyes and the butterflies started. “It’s no great loss. I’ll have another party.”

  The phone rang, and Scott got up to answer it. As soon as he heard the voice on the other end, his expression turned hostile. He held the phone out to me. “It’s Jim. He wants to talk to you. Do you want me to tell him where to go?”

  I blushed and ran over to the phone. “What do you want, Jim?”

  “Don’t you think you should be home by now? I went by your apartment this morning and saw you weren’t there. I didn’t expect you to remain at Scott’s all night.” He paused for a moment and then added in an insinuating tone, “What have the two of you been doing over there?”

  My head pounded painfully as