Where I'd Gone ⌲ River Phoenix ((COMPLETED))

Tiny Dancer

He made me melt inside. I really wanted to tell him that I like him, but I genuinely feel like it would ruin our friendship. And as far as I know, he's in love with Martha. He slowly got up from his corner and smiled at me. "Thanks, Chris." I smiled back but he walked away before he could see it.

I walked back outside only to find River pinned against the wall by Kiefer. Kiefer balled his hand and pushed River's head at the door. "Let... Me go!" River shouted through the commotion.

"I helped you read your lines in the trailer, and you repay me by pouring mud over my car..." Kiefer breathed 2 inches away from his face. The short blonde girl who Kiefer had been with tried to intervene, but he pushed her away. So it wouldn't be a help if I tried to interfere. 

"Leave him alone!" I yelled. I guess it caught his attention so he let go of River's shirt and traveled his mean eyes over to me.

"Christine please don't get into this," River added as he finally got out of Kiefer's grasp. Kiefer walked towards me and squinted his eyes.

"What the hell is your problem?" He asked again with that same scowl I saw earlier. He had that kind of stance that made me realize he was going to attack me, so I pulled out the lighter I kept in my pocket. He took a step back as I lit it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you wanna smoke?" I teased as I lit a cigarette. I wasn't afraid of him. "I mean, unless you want your face to be next, I suggest leaving us alone." I gave him a smile, as I twirled the lighter around with my fingers. As he slowly turned around and walked away, I dropped the lighter awkwardly and picked it up before he could see. I sighed and went up to River and asked if he was okay. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for that." He said. I went in for a bear hug and he awkwardly squirmed away, and that's when I realized that he's the kind of person who likes to give out hugs, but feels more reserved when someone gives him one. "Hey River... I think I should head home, it's getting kind of late." I asked as he finished talking to Wil.

"Why don't you join us to dinner?" His hopeful eyes got me, so I had to say yes.

"Sure I guess. . ." 

At dinner, River was on the left of me, and horizontal from him was Wil, and opposite from River was Corey, oddly enough, Jerry wasn't there.

Through dinner, we talked about things, mostly bands and singers from the last decades. River told me how crushed he and his sister were when John Lennon died 6 years ago. Then Corey told us how he met Yoko Ono in Central Park a few years back.

"She was short," Corey remembered, "And had this long inky black hair that covered most of her face. She was very noticeable in a crowded park." He laughed.

"How'd you know it was her?" Wil asked as he chomped on some pizza.

"Man, she was petting a squirrel and feeding it crackers." We all chimed in with various chuckles.

"Did you get a picture?" I asked.

"Nah. I wanted to leave her alone. She looked like one of those priceless paintings in an art museum." He joked.

As we finished up dinner, River seemed a bit agitated. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't know, I feel like Kiefer deserves an apology." He stared down at his fettuccine and his eyes seemed almost like they were about to pour out into a waterfall of tears.

"That asshole doesn't deserve it River... But knowing the kind of person you are, you wouldn't end a fight without saying sorry... So, I guess I agree that he deserves one." I gave him a reassuring smile. He turned around sharply and I found him staring at Kiefer, suddenly doubting his decision. Then he gave me one last look and slowly pushed himself off the chair.

"Hey man, Kiefer I'm sorry." River said softly as Kiefer slowly turned around.

"Hey... It's fine. I found out my girlfriend cheated on me so I went on a rage. It was her car anyways." He laughed as he put his hand on River's shoulder. "Brothers?" He smiled and it seemed as if the murky clouds in his eyes gave way into a type of sunlight that crawled throughout River's golden hair.

"Brothers." River smirked and they shook hands.

As River came back he smiled at me. "Thanks, Chris. I really appreciated that. You're a great friend."

FRIEND. Friend. F r i e n d.

"Friends always have each other's backs." I looked into his sparkling eyes and watched them crease up from his warm smile.

After we finished dinner, we headed out into the parking lot. The humidity started to rise, but the wind made it feel like the air was actually thin. The moon settled into a faded cloud that glowed into the oak tree's silhouette forming into a shadow that almost looked like a tiny dancer.

Hold me closer tiny dancer. Count the headlights on the highway. Lay me down in sheets of linen, you had a busy day today.

As the oaks swayed in the wind, I heard whimpering in the distance. I looked around the cars, and my eyes widened as I spotted the source of the whimpering. It was Jerry, who also mysteriously never came to dinner.

"Hey... What's wrong?" I sat next to him as he rocked back and forth, flooding his hands with tears.

"I feel like I'm on a cloud," He sniffled. "And I can't get down." Next to him was a plate with a half-eaten brownie on it.

"How many did you eat?" I asked as I finished the last brownie.

"It doesn't matter how many I ate..." As he moved his hands away from his eyes, I noticed they were bloodshot.

"Jerry... You gotta tell me exactly the truth. Were there pot brownies being sold at the fair?" He looked at me with sweat coating his face and nodded. Then River and Corey joined us.

"Do you think they're still selling them? I could use some." Corey joked as he leaned his head against the car.

"C'mon Jerry. Let's take you home." River and Corey helped lift him up and laid him down the backseat of the car. Corey hopped into the car, and while everyone was still piling in, River looked over to me.

"Man I hate it when I see my friends getting caught up in drugs like that." Maybe it was just the way his eyes twinkled in the moonlight that made my body want to fold into his.

"I used to think drugs were for scumbags.-" He looked at me sharply and raised his eyebrows.

"Drug addiction isn't just for bad people or scumbags. It's a universal disease," He argued. We crawled into the car and didn't say one word to each other for the rest of the drive. Not too sure if I struck a nerve.

After everyone got dropped off at their houses, River insisted to drive me to my house, as he just got his license. His driving wasn't actually half bad, even though he almost ran into a pedestrian.

After he parked at my house, River smiled and gave me one last wave goodbye, and then he was gone. Just like that.