Phoenix

‘Guess what?’

‘For the record, you’re the broken one.’

‘Tried to sing-along, but we got stuck.’

‘So, we turned it over and over again.’

For a mid-November morning, the air wasn’t nearly as chilly as usual. Sweat still rolled down my face as I panted, rounding a corner at a steady jog. My Nike clad feet propelled me forward on the grassy trail as I quickly maneuvered my favorite running place—a tranquil woodland area in my hometown of Dawson, Missouri, called State Park.

My long blonde hair flopped around wildly in the messy bun that sat at the top of my head as I ran. A grey headband secured my fly-aways and a pair of AirPods sat snugly in my ears, filtering music from my Apple Watch that was wrapped around my right wrist.

‘This will be the last time that I spin our life.’

‘Never gonna play again.’

‘You’re not the one I was in my bed.’

‘I’m not the song you want in your head.’

An older woman was walking her Shi’Tzu a few paces ahead of me, so I moved over to one side out of respect and a little precaution as well. I’d never met an animal that didn’t like me—yet—but it never hurt to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I passed unscathed and jogged about a half mile before my feet met the concrete sidewalk of Harper Street, where I proceeded to slow to a steady walk. A car here and there passed by me as I made my way to the small single-story house that I rented with my best friend Autumn.

She and I have known each other since we were in diapers. Our parents were best friends, so naturally her, her older brother Austin, and I all became as thick as thieves as well. The Lockhart’s were my family away from family. Autumn, Austin, and I all caused so much trouble together that our parents named us the ‘Three Diablos.’

A smile spread across my face just at the reminder.

It’s nice to be home again.

I’d been living with my Aunt Lyza and Uncle Henry in Nevada up until recently due to losing both of my parents seven years ago. I had just graduated from high school at the time, had a full ride to Wayne State University in Nevada for Pre-Veterinary Medicine, and was all set to move into my dorm in a few weeks when the accident happened and changed everything. WSU tried to reach out to me a couple of times, but I was still too engulfed in my grief to be bothered to answer or return their calls.

Aunt Lyza and Uncle Henry took great care of me in the years of me living with them, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It took me a while to come to terms with the accident, but once I did, I started being more like myself again. I even found a boyfriend, but he just ended up being a significant waste of time and a total creepazoid. Things went south with him after being together for six months and just continued to get worse until I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I decided it was time to move back home and start over.

Autumn was ecstatic when I told her the news one night over the phone. She had been asking me for months when I was going to come home. She missed me—her exact words were, ‘I’ll go crazy if another year goes by without seeing you,’ like the drama queen she is. And almost a week later, I drove nine and a half hours back home and honestly haven’t looked back since.

It’s been a year and a half now since all of that went down.

My breaths spewed in and out of me as I heaved. I raised my arms above my head to help draw in more air while placing two fingers on the pulse that was pounding at my left wrist. It thudded steadily against my fingertips while my legs ached dully.

Dropping my arms after regaining some control of my breathing, I mouthed the words to the song playing in my ears as I walked. I peered at my watch for the time, mentally noting that Autumn was probably getting ready for her shift at the local diner right about now.

Seven forty-five am.

Coming up to the front door thirty minutes later, I pulled the earbuds out of my ears before fishing for the single house key that I stuffed into my sports bra this morning. Once I successfully retrieved the key from my breasts, I inserted it into the lock and quietly passed over the threshold and re-locking the door behind me. I placed the key back on the hook next to the door before bending down to untie my shoes. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I straightened to my full height and stretched.

The house was silent as I moseyed into the kitchen and opened the fridge to retrieve a Key Lime Pie yogurt from the shelf. Closing the refrigerator door, I padded to the silverware drawer on the other side of the open range electric stove for a clean spoon while humming to myself softly. I scooped some of the deliciousness into my mouth while turning briskly on my heel to lean back against the counter and crossed my legs at the ankle.

I had just placed another spoonful of yogurt into my mouth when a loud yawn sounded from the hallway, startling me, and almost making me choke. My eyes landed on Autumn as she shuffled into the kitchen with her dark brunette hair standing up in odd places like she had just stuck her finger in a socket.

Her pale skin was bare, aside from some black smudges under her eyes. It was most likely from some stubborn mascara that didn’t wash off thoroughly last night, or even at all knowing Autumn. The grey sleep shirt she wore was half-tucked into her fuzzy pink pajama bottoms, and only one sock adorned her left foot as she came to a stop in front of me.

She looked like a train wreck.

Or a mad scientist.

Scowling, she peered at me through slightly narrowed eyes. She rubbed the sleep from them one at a time—smearing even more mascara in the process— as she scrutinized my appearance. My best friend’s dark green eyes landed on the yogurt cup in my hand last before she sighed at me loudly.

“Hollie, don’t you ever get tired of waking up at stupid-o-clock in the morning to go running?” She groaned groggily, sneering the last word while curling her lip up in obvious disgust for my choice of morning activity.

Technically, I don’t run. I jog, but I didn’t have the patience to continuously correct her. She’s never been one for exercise aside from what we were forced to do in high school, and she can’t seem to understand how I do it so religiously.

“No,” I replied, shaking my head with a shrug. A smirk tugged at my lips as I stared at her pointedly.

“I don’t mind it. At least by waking up at ’stupid-o-clock′ in the morning, I know that I won’t be late for work.”

She glared at me for a minute, mocking me with her nose scrunched up cutely before she froze as she registered what I said. Her eyes widened moments before her head whipped to the clock above the TV in the living room with a gasp.

“Fuck! Mr. Donnelly is going to kill me!” She cursed as she bolted back down the hallway to her room to get ready for her shift that started fifteen minutes ago.

I chuckled to myself as I tossed my empty yogurt cup into the trash before strolling down the hall to my room. Opening my door, I quickly glanced over it with a satisfied little sigh. My queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room with a slate-gray comforter and matching pillows. The black faux leather headboard propped against the wall, and two matching nightstands sat on either side of the bed, one holding a lamp and the other a digital alarm clock that was mostly decoration because I never used it.

A dark cherry wooden dresser sat in the corner, diagonal to the end of my bed, but between the closet door and the bay window. The bay window had some more pillows on the seat, and a couple of my favorite novels stacked neatly in a pile to the side.

Everything was the way I left it this morning, but every morning after my jog I always seemed to take inventory of it. As if something could’ve gone missing within the hour that it took me. Maybe it was one of my coping mechanisms after losing my parents, and I do it out of habit now. I don’t really know why I do it, but it’s like clockwork.

I shrugged to myself as my eyes landed on the bath towel that hung over the basket in the closet. Wandering across the room, I slung it over my shoulder before laying out some comfy clothes to change into after my shower. Walking over to the bay window afterward, I opened the blinds slightly to let a little light in before finally making my way across the hall to the bathroom.

Leaning over the tub, I twisted the faucet on before hissing as ice-cold water drenched the back of my head because one of us forgot to disengage the showerhead.

Wonderful. It’s a good thing I already planned on washing my hair.

After adjusting the temperature to my liking and re-engaging the showerhead, I closed the shower curtain as steam began filling the medium-sized bathroom. Turning briskly on my heel, I set my towel on the toilet before proceeding to strip out of my sweaty clothes with a grimace. Sweat and stickiness were to be expected, considering I just ran five miles, and sweat is a normal bodily function when exerting yourself, but that didn’t make it any less gross.

How could a normal human sweat so much?

I had just pulled the shower curtain closed after hopping in when the door opened, and Autumn’s feet shuffled across the tiled floor. I listened to her as I backed myself into the hot water, chills appearing along my arms, and the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end as I got accustomed to the water temperature.

I could hear her out there sifting through the make-up bag that sat on the vanity, mumbling incoherently, and cursing to herself as something clattered into the sink. About a minute later, a loud thump echoed through the bathroom and a loud curse followed.

“Ow!” She exclaimed with a hiss of pain, groaning loudly. “My pinky toe!”

I don’t know how she managed to stub her toe, but all I could picture was her standing out there on one foot holding the hurt appendage, and I just lost it. The sound of my laughter bounced off the walls as I slightly hunched over to clutch my stomach as I laughed.

A few seconds later, the shower curtain flew open harshly, her head popping into my view. She glared half-heartedly at me as I reached for my shampoo but seeing her face at that moment only caused me to laugh more. That in turn, had her narrowing her eyes further at me as I stood there under the running water in all my naked glory.

I’d never really been shy when it came to my body. At least, not for a couple of years now. Plus, she and I have been friends for so long that nudity didn’t bother either of us anymore. We’ve seen each other naked countless times between all the beach days and sleepovers we’ve had. I mean, it’s not like I have anything that she hasn’t seen or doesn’t have herself anyways.

Except maybe a couple of tattoos and piercings, but that’s beside the point.

“Stop laughing at me,” she scowled, pouting like a child. “You wouldn’t be laughing if it were you who was late for work and stubbed your poor little pinky toe.”

“I know,” I agreed, trying to stop my chuckling as I spun around to let the hot water cascade down my front, angling my head to peer at her over my shoulder. “But, I have today off. And besides, my jogging helps make sure I’m up in time for work.”

“Yeah, but you work at a bar slash night club. You don’t usually have to work until two in the afternoon anyway.” She grumbled with a small scowl.

“Still,” I said, a teasing glint in my eyes. “Maybe you should start running with me, Auttie.”

In response, she picked up the nearest thing to her—which coincidently was the shampoo that I just used—and squirted it in my general direction before pulling the curtain shut once more. I chuckled softly again at her as I turned back around to lather my hair with conditioner. She resumed fiddling around in the make-up bag some more for whatever it was that she was looking for.

“I’ll have to stay later to make up my lost time, so don’t wait up for me!” She yelled to me over the running water.

“Okay, be safe and text me if you need me!”

“I will! Later, Hollie!”

The sound of the bathroom door closing sounded as I washed my body, shaved, and rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. Stepping out onto the rug after shutting off the water, I started drying myself off as I hummed the song I was listening to earlier.

‘You’re not the one I want in my bed.’

‘But I’m gonna be the song stuck in your head.’

I tossed my dirty clothes into the hamper in the closet before sauntering to my room to put on the clean clothes laying on my bed. I changed rather quickly before running a brush through my long blonde strands and going back to the bathroom to hang the wet towel. Before exiting, I dug my blow dryer out of the vanity drawer, plugged it in, and flipped my head upside down as I turned it on.

My hair was so thick and long that if I didn’t at least partly dry it, it would still be damp an hour later. And I didn’t want to wait all day for my hair to dry.

Talk about a pain in the ass.

After putting my hairdryer back in its place, I walked out to the living room and plopped down on the leather sectional couch. Reaching over to my right, I dragged a cream duvet over my legs as I got comfortable. With a small sigh, I turned on the flat-screen TV and began channel surfing for a movie or something interesting to watch.

After going through about ten or fifteen channels, I noticed one of my favorite movies was just about to start. With a smile, I quickly turned on the surround sound system Austin got us as a house-warming gift and snuggled more under the blanket as “Underworld” began playing on the screen.