A New Life (River Phoenix)

Fight Night

The sound of crashing came from every inch of the room; a growing crowd gathered around the center.

I got up from where I'd been sitting with a couple of strangers and walked to the scene.

People cheered, chairs and tables were pushed, and faint trickles of liquor splashed on my forehead.

Clearly, a fight.

I glanced around quickly, not spotting Piper, Flea, or River anywhere in sight.

In panic, I shoved past the crowd and got to the middle, spotting Piper.

Her hands connected with the face of another girl, pushing and shoving her back.

Oh perfect, I thought.

My first instinct was to run to her, capturing the attention of everyone watching.

"Piper!" I yelled to her. "Hey, Piper!" I repeated, wrapping my arms around her torso and pulling her back.

She squirmed from my reach but I held tight as another girl held back the woman Piper had been fighting with.

"Calm down, okay?" I told her as seriously as I could.

She starred at me for a quick second and then relaxed, pushing out of my reach. I knew she was mad at me but I didn't care, I wasn't going to let her cause a scene.

"What the fuck." I heard Flea say as he ran to Piper. It was then that I noticed the blood she had running from her nose and onto her knuckles.

"She was asking for it." Piper said, loud enough so that the room could hear.

The girl's attention turned to us as she started to walk towards Piper.

"Swing again." She threatened. I felt the air thickening as she said so, allowing Piper to gather her anger again.

Thankfully, Flea held her back.

"Why don't you shut the fuck up, alright?" Flea asked her. "Come on, let's go." He insisted.

"Why don't you tell your psychotic girlfriend to calm her drunk ass down?" A man yelled.

Flea's attention immediately altered.

"Say that again, pussy." He yelled.

Before I knew it, both of them were sprinting to each other, one of them ready to throw the first fist. Perfectly timed, River came over.

"What the hell is this?" He yelled. The attention of most people in the club turned to River, most of them shocked.

When he saw what was happening, he walked to Flea and the man.

"If you're going to fight Flea, you might have to kick my ass too." He said calmly.

The air was thinning out again, everyone wondering what they'd witness next.

The man hesitated and stepped back.

"No man, I'm not going to fight you." He answered.

River sent him a soft smile as if that was the exact reaction he was expecting.

I knew no one would have the heart to hit River.

-

We decided to head home for the night.

None of us really spoke, or even walked close to each other for that matter.

Piper led us back, holding her shoes in one hand and a cigarette in the other. You could tell by her limp she was tired and hurt.

Flea trailed behind her, keeping his head down for most of the way back. I knew he had a lot on his mind.

Next was River. The indent of his body was like a silhouette underneath the street lights. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he examined the world around him.

And then there was me.

By the time we reached the apartment, we took our usual seats in the living room; River collapsing tiredly on the floor.

"Is everyone cool?" I asked.

"I'm tired." I heard River whine, his voice muffled and face pressed against the floorboards.

Flea looked to Piper, examining her as she held her face.

"That was so fucking embarrassing." Piper said, wiping the blood of her knuckle onto her pants.

"That bitch was asking for it." Flea told her.

She laughed and walked to him, sitting on his lap and kissing him.

And with them, a kiss turns into more quite fast.

Because I was still stoned, I hadn't realized how long I'd been starring at them until my stomach started to turn.

This is kind of gross.

"I think I just heard a moan," River joked, still face down on the floor. "What's going on up there? I don't want to lift my head."

"I'm making out with Flea." I joked.

I watched as River's head shot up, looking to us.

We all laughed at his quick reaction, even River had a slight laugh.

"I was going to say." He stated before lowering his head again.

For a while it was silent. We all took in the calmness of the moment; without the booze and blunts and busted up knuckles.

After a few moments, I got up.

"I'm going to sleep," I started. "You coming?" I asked River, approaching his still sleepy body and tapping his side with my shoe.

I heard him groan as he readjusted himself on the floor.

"I'm really enjoying myself down here." He told me, his voice muffled.

After kicking off my shoes and changing into a pair of Piper's sweatpants, I grabbed a blanket and walked into the living room.

Piper and Flea had taken matters into their own room as River laid quietly on the floor.

I tossed the blanket over him and knelt down next to him, kissing him through his hair.

"Night." I told him, but he was already sleeping.