Chapter Thirteen: Losing Friends

Rachel ran into the house to find Phoenix battling flames that reached up to the ceiling.

"Phoenix, get back, you'll get burned!" she cried, panicked.

"Don't worry mom, I've got this!" he assured her, heroically.

"See, told you I got it," Phoenix grinned.

"I think I need to sit down," Rachel felt dizzy. Fate had left her alone for so long she had begun to let her guard down. Could it have moved on to her son, now? She hoped not.

The fire was the main topic of conversation at breakfast the next morning.

"I just wanted to reheat some of the pizza," Phoenix explained, "I guess I should have taken it out of the box, first?"

"Well, the damage is done now, I'll have to pick up a new oven after work today," Rachel sighed before changing the topic, "Sometime this week, though, I'm going to call the salon about that hair appointment, we need to get that mop of yours taken care of."

"No thanks," Phoenix replied.

"What?" Rachel blinked.

"I don't want to get my hair cut," Phoenix said, finishing his last bite and getting up from the table

Rachel sat confused for a moment, her spoon raised halfway to her mouth, before getting up to stop her son.

"Hold on a minute. Really, Phoenix," she reasoned, "you're starting to look scruffy."

"Why do you care? It's not your hair," Phoenix asked, starting to become annoyed.

"This is getting ridiculous, I'm not going to have you walking around looking like some hobo's child!" Rachel replied, frustrated that her son couldn't see how unreasonable he was being.

"God, mom, you're so superficial. Why do you have to worry about what other people think all the time?" and with that he shut himself in the bathroom to get ready for school.

Rachel was shocked; her son had never spoken to her like that before. There was nothing she could do about it now, however, as she had to get to work.

That afternoon, Phoenix was running late. He had promised Sadie he'd meet her at the library after school to study, but he had stayed late to sign up for the debate club. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset to be kept waiting, he had something important he wanted to ask her.

They had been perusing the stacks of books for a while after he'd arrived before Phoenix finally worked up the courage.

"So, the Homecoming dance is this weekend," he said, trying to make it sound casual, "I was thinking we should go together."

"Oh!" Sadie looked apologetic, "Well, um, I was already planning to go with Waylon..."

"Waylon Bostic?" Phoenix was confused, he'd never thought that she might turn him down. He'd figured that being her best friend had made it kind of a sure thing.

"Yeah, he asked me and, well, I didn't know if you'd want to go..." she tried to explain.

"Yeah, I've only been your best freind for forever, why would I want to go with you?" he was starting to get upset.

"Phoenix, that's not fair!" Sadie pleaded.

"You know, I've gotta go, I told my mom I'd be home early today," Phoenix made up an excuse, and left before he could say anything he'd regret.

Paulie was waiting for him when he got home.

"There you are, 'Nix, I've been looking for you. I'm bored, let's go find something 'fun' to do," he rubbed his hands together, scheming.

"Not now, Paulie," Phoenix snapped.

"Whoa, what's got up your butt?" Paulie asked, intrigued by his usually calm friend's change in demeanor.

Phoenix sighed, "It's Sadie, she's going to Homecoming with Waylon."

"Well, I can't say I know what you see in that chick," admitted Paulie, "But I think what you need right now is to blow off some steam, and I know just the thing."

Phoenix allowed himself to be persuaded, and a few moments later the boys were hopping in a taxi to the other side of town.

"You aren't gonna chicken out on me, are you?" Paulie asked, handing Phoenix an egg as they approached the house.

"No way," Phoenix was no coward.

Before he could put any more thought into it than that, Phoenix found himself lobbing an egg at Waylon Bostic's front door.

He had gotten off several satisfying splats before the door opened and Waylon himself came out to see what the ruckus was. Paulie had gone off to the side of the house to work some hijinks in the garden, leaving Phoenix alone out front.

Seeing Waylon looking confusedly at the mess on his door, Phoenix suddenly felt ashamed. He fled the scene of the crime, hoping that he hadn't been spotted.

He had no such luck.

"I can't believe you threw eggs at Waylon's house!" Sadie was pissed at school the next morning.

"Why do you care about that guy so much all of a sudden, anyway?" Phoenix interrogated.

"Phoenix, come on! This isn't like you. Why are you acting like this? Did Paulie put you up to it?" Sadie looked honestly concerned about her friend, but somehow that just made Phoenix feel worse.

"Paulie had nothing to do with it!" he lied, "Maybe I'm just sick of always being the goody-two-shoes, straight-A kid all the time."

"You know what, forget it!" Sadie exclaimed, throwing up her hands, "If you're going to be like that I don't even want to talk to you!"

Phoenix stared sullenly ahead, refusing to watch as his best friend stalked angrily away.

A few days later, Rachel was driving home with another promotion under her belt, although her excitment over it was somewhat dulled. Usually, she would come home and celebrate with Phoenix on such an occasion, but he had been sulky and avoidant ever since they'd had that argument about his hair.

I suppose I was a bit too hard on him, she thought, I mean, longer hair is a lot more fashionable on boys these days anyway, isn't it? By the time she pulled into the garage, Rachel was determined to make up with her son.

Phoenix wasn't home yet when she arrived, but Rachel figured he must be out studying with Sadie and Paulie, so she decided to start on dinner while she waited.

She had just started chopping up some veggies when she heard the front door open and Phoenix walk into the kitchen.

"Oh good, you're here, I wanted to talk--" Rachel started, turning around.

"Phoenix Keatts! What on earth have you done to your hair," Rachel gasped.

"I cut it," he replied matter-of-factly, "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Rachel lost her temper.

"That is not what I meant, young man, and you know it!" she fumed.

"Geez mom, calm down," Phoenix was taken aback by his mother's sudden anger.

"I will not calm down! I came home today planning on telling you that I was too hard on you last time, but this is just over the top. You're turning into some sort of a-- a hooligan!" Rachel sputtered.

"Oh yeah? Well would a 'hooligan' have donated the hair he cut off to Locks of Love?" Phoenix shot back, satisfied with the surprised look his mother got on her face upon hearing that fact.

"Well, you are not going to the school dance looking like that," Rachel threatened.

Phoenix rolled his eyes, "I'm not going anyway. Stop acting like you know me or what I'm 'turing into'. You're so busy with your work all the time you don't even know what's going on in my life. So just stay out of it and leave me alone!"

Rachel could only stand in stunned silence as her son stormed off. Was he right? Had she really messed things up so badly?

Meanwhile, Phoenix was blaming himself. First Sadie hates me, and now my mom, he thought miserably, I just keep ruining everything.

---

Yikes, there was a lot of arguing in this chapter. And that last picture is just too sad. ><

So, I didn't mention it last time, but Phoenix's new trait is rebellious! I thought it would be interesting trying to combine that with his good trait, and figured I'd try and make him have a sort of chaotic good alignment, if that means anything to anyone. ^^; Right now he's still figuring some stuff out and dealing with teenage mood swings, though, so forgive him if he's a little angsty for awhile. xD

The "Homecoming" dance in the story was actually prom, obviously, but since it happened right after Phoenix started high school, I thought it would make more sense this way. I play with extended ages, so I'm hoping there will be another one later that can be the actual "prom".