A New Life (River Phoenix)

Different is Good

Panic began to set in as we took what seemed like the 100th turn.

River and I didn't speak; I followed a few steps behind him. It seemed like hours had passed until he stopped in front of a brick apartment building.

"Flea and Piper are probably upstairs." He told me, signaling for me to follow him inside.

Anxiously he lead me upstairs, where Piper's faint laughter was the first thing I noticed. I didn't know what to say to her or what she'd say to me. She'd abandoned me in a club, and the slur of her laughter indicated she was drunk.

Piper laid on a big, light green bed next to Flea. They weren't touching, just laying near each other in laughter.

Flea's eyes rolled back and fourth as he continuously moved his head. Piper shot a sloppy smile at me.

"You found me!" She exclaimed.

I could practically smell the whiskey as she talked.

I looked over at River, who's arms were folded as he examined the scene. He stayed focused on Flea, asking how much he had drank.

"Oh, you know," Flea started. It was obvious he was unsure. "Just a couple shots."

I rolled my eyes and walked out of the room; Piper's drunken face had sent me into the oddest sensation. My bestfriend was drunk on a bed with some older man, and I was sober and homeless for the moment.

I had no apartment key.

The night had taken a strange turn, and though I trusted River, I wasn't exactly excited about staying with them much longer. They seemed to get more drunk by the second, even River's words began to lightly slur.

"Are you okay?" River asked, stepping into the hallway with me.

"I'm fine," I answered. "I just don't know what to do now. I mean, Piper's clearly not in the right state of mind and I don't have a key to my apartment. I just knew this whole night would be a bad idea." I shut up when I realized how much I'd been talking.

A small smile plastered on River's face, and my eyebrows furrowed at his strange look.

"What?" I asked.

He smiled and began walking into the kitchen, opening the cabinet and removing a pack of some sort of food. I watched as he walked back over to the bed room and threw them at Flea, who's voice raised.

"Thanks, Rio!" He yelled as the sound of unwrapping echoed through the room.

River sat down in the living room and patted the seat next to him. Slowly I came and sat next to him, slouching back and sighing.

"Piper will be fine." He insisted.

"I know she will be. I just hope she isn't doing this every night." I explained, realizing how horrible this move would be if she kept up her habits.

"I don't  think it's like that," River started. "I've only seen her out a couple of times. She never was one to drink much until she met Flea. I think it's more of a personal thing."

"What do you mean a personal thing?" I replied.

He slouched back and extended his right arm out behind me.

"I just mean, like, before she met Flea, I always saw her standing around,  chatting with people at the bar and such. She rarely ever had a drink in her hand."

I questioned his response.

"Did you just watch her or something?" I asked, jokingly.

He laughed slightly and shook his head.

"No, I didn't watch her. The Viper Room has such a wide variety of people, but rarely do you see an orange haired woman inside. So when you see someone with hair as bright as hers, you take notice. Not sure why it's such a rare occasion. I guess all people seem to look the same to me." He explained.

"So, she looked different to you, then?" I asked him.

He shrugged weakly.

"I mean, her orange hair. It's a strong, beautiful color. You can't miss it, really. So, I could say she looked different to me. But, not in the same way that you do." He replied.

His statement sent a spiral into my head.

"What do you mean, 'not in the same way that I do'"? I questioned.

I could tell by the slightly confused look on his face he was unaware of what he said. He blinked and adjusted himself in his seat.

"Oh, um, I'm not sure." He answered.