Phoenix: The Rising

by Bette Maybee

  Julie turned and stared in the mirror. “I shouldn’t have told him I would go.”

  “Well, you did, and if you cancel, you’re gonna have one upset guy on your hands. If he gets in trouble on game day and can’t play, then you’re gonna have the whole school body to deal with.” Charsey grabbed Julie by the shoulder and turned her around. “Just go out with him. Just this once.” She squeezed Julie’s shoulder. “Who knows, you may end up liking the guy. And besides that, I’m gonna be at the party. It’s not like you’re gonna be alone with him.”

  Julie looked down at her hands, which were clenched white. Everything in her told her not to do it, but she knew she was going to.

  “Okay.” She looked up at Charsey’s smiling face. “But just this once.”

  Charsey put her arm around Julie’s shoulders and walked her to the door. “Good. I’ll pick you up before the game.” She opened the door and shoved Julie into the hall. “You’re gonna have a great time, Jules. Don’t worry!”

  Julie watched the door close, turned, and walked down the hall. There was no way she was going to have a good time. Zero. Zilch.

  ****

  The White Mountain Warriors ran onto the field, heading towards a gigantic paper-covered hoop decorated with a poorly painted rendition of their mascot. Charsey held one side of the hoop as the two huge Penemue brothers led the charge, ripping through the paper with their hands held high. The rest of the team followed close behind. Julie sat by herself, up and away from the crowd of screaming students who gathered down near the fence. She hadn’t really made friends with anyone other than Charsey and couldn’t quite figure out why Charsey decided to be her friend in the first place, considering that Charsey was one of the most popular girls at White Mountain. She figured it might have had something to do with the fact that her father was the new president of Bishop State Bank, plus the fact that Charsey could be a little shallow. She didn’t care, though. Being new in the community, she needed to show some sign of normalcy. She couldn’t be a total hermit. It also felt sort of good—to have a friend—someone she could talk to. She certainly didn’t get that at home. She even enjoyed Charsey’s idiosyncrasies. She was the ultimate ditz, and was always entertaining, even though she got on Julie’s nerves at times. Besides, Julie hadn’t had a best friend in years. It felt good.

  Julie looked over the roster. Kas was listed as a six-four, two hundred-fifty pound tackle. His brother was a half-inch shorter and four pounds lighter. She scanned down the list of names. God, they were huge compared to the rest of the team! Sloan, the blond obnoxious boy from her American Lit class, was dinky compared to them, coming in at five-ten and one hundred-sixty pounds. Her eyes stopped on the last name, and she felt her heart flip in her chest. Eli Sullivan! What was he doing on the roster? This was only his second day of school!

  It wasn’t long until Julie had her answer. Eli was a wide receiver, and by the second quarter, he’d already scored three touchdowns. His six-foot-two, one hundred-ninety pound frame sailed through the air, catching passes that looked impossible for a normal person to catch, but he did it beautifully. Julie held her breath each time the quarterback went back for a pass. Eli would scramble and turn just in time for the ball to connect with his outstretched hands. She even caught herself cheering, something she would normally never do.

  Eli had also gotten hit hard a couple of times, by the same corner back each time. This gargantuan player rivaled the Penemue brothers in size, but seemed to be a bit slimmer and quicker. Julie took a peek at the Palisade’s roster and couldn’t believe it. He was a Penemue! Dan, at six-three and two hundred-thirty pounds, must have been related, maybe a cousin. The Penemue clan obviously made them pretty big. Julie laughed to herself. Maybe they were the Nephilim, those legendary gigantic killers that Grace and Tina were so concerned with. They certainly were gigantic compared to the other players, but they definitely weren’t giants. At least, they didn’t fit the image of giants Julie had pictured in her mind: mindless, nine-foot, knuckle-dragging, club-wielding behemoths. Julie dismissed the ridiculous thought as Palisades began scoring.

  By the end of the fourth quarter, White Mountain was leading and Palisades was going to make a last-ditch attempt to tie it up with a field goal. Their kicker had been waiting on the sidelines, pacing back and forth through the whole game when he was finally called in. Julie felt sorry for the kid. It must have been horribly nerve-wracking for him to kick, knowing that he was either going to put them into overtime or be blamed, unfairly, of losing the game for his team.

  Julie held her breath as the ball was hiked and set for the kicker. Just before he made contact with the ball, Kas barreled through the line. He blocked the kick, and the ball danced between his hands before he gained control of it and took off running. Unfortunately, Kas’s momentum carried him forward, and he connected with the kicker, driving him back a few yards before slamming his body into the turf. Kas continued running, swatting opposing players away from him as his long legs carried him to the end zone. The crowd erupted with a roar. White Mountain won. Julie’s attention, however, was focused on the kicker who lay motionless on the turf. She was sure Kas had killed the kid. After all, he had to have over a hundred pounds on him. She exhaled with relief when she saw him sit up and wave weakly to the fans, who once again roared their appreciation. His teammates helped him limp off the field. Football was such a barbaric game.

  ****

  Julie stood outside the gate and scanned the almost deserted parking lot. She thought Kas had told her to wait at this spot, but now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe she should just walk home.

  “I never would have taken you for a football fan.”

  Julie twirled around to find Eli standing behind her with a black motorcycle helmet tucked under his arm. He ran a hand through his freshly showered hair, slicking it back away from his face. God, he was beautiful! Undeniably expensive, low-rise jeans hugged his narrow hips, and a navy tee clung to his still-damp chiseled torso, accentuating the obvious six-pack hidden beneath it. Julie felt a bit dizzy as her heart beat out of control. Why did she react this way when he was around? She grabbed the fence, lacing her fingers through the chain-link.

  Eli reached out and grabbed her arm. “Are you okay?” He apparently had no idea that his touch worsened things for her, and she shrugged her arm away from him.

  “Thanks, I’m fine.” She gulped in some air and exhaled slowly through her mouth until she began to feel a bit better.

  “So, do you need a ride home or something?” He held up his helmet. “I brought my bike, but there’s room for two, if you want.”

  Julie shook her head, too vigorously she realized, when she saw a slight smile flicker at the corner of Eli’s lips. She felt the blood rush up her neck, but couldn’t say a thing. Damn him! Why does he keep doing this to me?

  “Jules is with me, Sullivan.” Kas seemed to materialize out of the shadows.

  The muscle in Eli’s jaw twitched in response to Kas’s presence and his eyes darkened, never wavering from Julie’s. “Are you sure you don’t need a ride?”

  Kas pushed past him and put his hand around Julie’s waist. She cringed at his touch and pulled away slightly, but he held tight. “I told you, she’s with me.” He looked down at Julie. “Isn’t that right?”

  Julie swallowed and averted her eyes from Eli’s. “Yes.” She looked back up quickly. “But thanks, Eli.”

  Kas led Julie off to the south end of the parking lot to a black Ford pickup. Julie was surprised when Kas opened the door for her. It was like dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and she didn’t know which one would surface and when. Julie got in and glanced back to the gate where they left Eli. He stood in the same spot, watching them. As soon as Kas started the engine, Eli headed for the lone motorcycle parked up by the front of the school. Kas drove slowly through the lot. When he got near Eli, he raced the engine and then peeled out, leaving Eli in a cloud of burnt rubber.

  Julie clutched the dash with both ha
nds as they bounced out of the parking lot and made a sharp right onto the gravel frontage road that ran in front of the school.

  “Slow down, Kas! Please!”

  Kas laughed and then accelerated. “You need to get out more.”

  Julie bit her lip and looked out the side window. She wished, now, that she had taken up Eli on his offer of a ride. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kas glance her way. He slowed a bit more.

  “Sorry, Jules, I just don’t like it when a guy moves in on my territory.”

  Territory? Julie snapped her head towards Kas. “I am not your ‘territory’, Kas Penemue!”

  Kas smiled, drove silently for another minute, and pulled to a stop. “We’re here.”

  A couple dozen cars riddled the front lawn of the two-story home, which was ablaze with lights. Music blared through the open windows. Off to the side of the house, a bonfire burned. Someone manned a keg by the fire, handing out clear plastic cups to the kids gathered around it. Just as they were about to enter the house, one of the cheerleaders Julie recognized from the game ran by, squealing, with the Sloan kid in pursuit. He held two cups of beer high as he ran. The beer sloshed out of the sides of the cups, narrowly missing the front of Julie’s shirt.

  “Watch it, asshole!” Kas yelled after Sloan, who had already disappeared around the corner of the house. He boldly wiped at a few spots of foam clinging to Julie’s chest. Julie flinched from his touch and pushed his hand away.

  A smile spread across his face. “Just trying to help, Jules.”

  Julie shook her head as her face burned with embarrassment. “Thanks, but I can do it myself.” She brushed away the foam. Within a few seconds, the dry desert air erased the last remaining traces of moisture.

  As soon as they stepped in the door, Julie saw Charsey across the room. Charsey stood on her tiptoes and waved. The crowd of kids parted like the Red Sea as Charsey made a beeline towards them.

  She stopped in front of them, chomped her gum and looked up at Kas. “I can’t believe you actually got our little Julie to come. She’s not much for parties, you know.” Julie could have belted her, not for the comment about parties because it was totally true, but for calling her “our little Julie”. Instead, she bit her tongue and forced a smile.

  “Charsey Winters. You’re looking delicious, as usual.”

  Julie saw Kas’s eyes drift down to Charsey’s cleavage, which was billowing over her tube top. Charsey’s hand snaked up to Kas’s face. She pulled him to her and gave him a full-on kiss, pressing her chest up against his. Julie could swear she saw an exchange of tongues before Kas pulled away from her. Julie cleared her throat and looked up at Kas.

  “Kas, could you get me a beer?”

  Kas tore his eyes from Charsey’s cleavage.

  “Sure, babe. Be right back.”

  Julie had no intention of drinking. She just wanted to get Kas away from her for a few minutes so she could talk to Charsey.

  “Where’s Eli? I figured you’d be here with him.”

  Charsey’s eyes flashed. “Well, you figured wrong. I decided Eli isn’t my type.” Her eyes trailed over to Kas. “Now Kas, on the other hand...” Julie couldn’t care less if Charsey was interested in Kas. As a matter of fact, she would gladly turn him over to her. But right now, she wanted to know what was going on with her ditzy friend. She grabbed Charsey by the arm and dragged her down the hallway. Finding an empty bathroom, she pulled her in and locked the door behind her.

  “Are you drunk, Charse?”

  Charsey pulled out a tube of strawberry lip-gloss from her pocket, turned to the mirror and applied a double layer, smacking her lips together in approval.

  “No.” She put the tube back in her pocket, then leaned forward and kissed the mirror, leaving a perfect imprint of her lips. “I’m not drunk, sweetie. I am in total control.”

  “Then why are you acting like this? Like a—”

  Charsey finished her sentence, “Ditz-extraordinaire?”

  She turned back towards Julie and cocked her head. “That is what you think of me, isn’t it, Julie?”

  Julie lowered her eyes, ashamed that Charsey knew exactly what she thought of her.

  “Ummm ... well, yes, sometimes.”

  She looked back up to see Charsey smiling.

  “I’m a pretty good actress, aren’t I?” Charsey lifted an eyebrow. “Boys love the ditz, Julie. Well, most of them, anyways. Plus, it keeps me out of your precious AP classes. Those kindergarten courses I qualified for are a breeze, and that’s how I like it.” She unlocked the door and pulled on it. “You know what they say, Jules, ‘all work and no play makes Charse a dull girl’. A paraphrase of a very old proverb.”

  Charsey hesitated, closed the door again, and walked back to a now baffled Julie.

  “I like the second part of the proverb better, ‘all play and no work makes Charse a mere toy’.” She leaned in and whispered directly into Julie’s ear, “I like being a toy, Jules. I like it very much.”

  Julie swallowed and stood frozen to her spot as Charsey breezed out the door, humming.

  Who the hell was that?

  ****

  Kas turned around just as Julie came back into the room. The scowl on his face made it pretty obvious that he had been looking for her. “Where’ve you been?”

  “Umm ... sorry, I just needed to use the bathroom.” That seemed to appease him, and his scowl softened just a bit. “Did you happen to see where Charsey went?”

  Kas, being at least a head taller than most of the kids at the party, scanned the room. He motioned with his head to the top of the stairs. Julie turned just in time to see Remy disappear around the corner of the upstairs hallway with a giggling Charsey flung over his shoulder.

  “Looks like she and Remy are gonna have a good time tonight. Lucky bastard.”

  Julie swallowed in disgust.

  “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, Chica.” Kas handed Julie one of the three beers he carried. He downed one of the remaining ones, crumpled the cup and threw it over his shoulder. “Drink up.” He tapped his cup against Julie’s.

  “Right.” Julie took a sip and watched Kas as he downed his second beer in three gulps.

  “Come on, Jules. Finish that one and I’ll get you another.”

  “I really don’t drink much, Kas.” Not only did she not drink much, but she also wasn’t relishing the idea of him driving her home in a drunken stupor. Julie thought that maybe she could reason with him. “How about I just have this one, then I can be the designated driver and get you home in one piece?”

  Kas laughed and held his hands out to his sides. “You see this body? I can handle a dozen beers and still walk a straight line, so don’t worry about me. Besides, you need to loosen up.” He pushed her beer towards her, and it splashed down the front of her shirt, soaking it. Kas’s eyes followed the trail of beer. She looked down and could clearly see the details of her bra showing through the front of the white shirt. She dropped the cup and crossed her hands over her chest as she felt the heat of embarrassment and anger race up her throat.

  Julie ran out the front door and marched down the long, dark lane that led out to the road, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid. How did she let herself get in this predicament? If she had just followed her instinct—if she had just listened to that little voice—then she wouldn’t be in this mess! She’d be sitting in her room, by herself. Alone. Again. She couldn’t stop the tears as they flowed down her cheeks, tears of anger and embarrassment, regret and loneliness.

  Julie heard the roar of an engine behind her, and headlights lit up the lane as she ran to the side. A horn blared and the vehicle screeched to a stop. Julie tripped over her own feet and tumbled down a shallow ditch.

  “Julie?” It was Kas. He appeared at the top of the ditch as Julie stood and brushed herself off. He reached down and grabbed her by the hand, hauling her back up. Kas was the last person on Earth she wanted to see right now, but she accepted his help without complaint.


  “Get in. I’ll drive you home.”

  That little voice inside her suddenly sounded a lot like Eli Sullivan telling her to steer clear of Penemue. This time she intended to heed the advice. “No thanks, I’d rather walk.” She took off down the lane.

  “Don’t be stupid. A girl was run down last week, remember? Do you want that to happen to you?”

  Julie stopped. He was right. Her house was almost three miles away, and there would be a bunch of drunken kids out on the road. She glanced back at Kas. “Okay. But please take me straight home.”

  Kas drove silently, occasionally glancing over at Julie who sat staring straight ahead, watching the road signs. She leaned forward and squinted as the Wilkie Road sign came and went.

  “You just missed my turn!” She looked over to Kas.

  “Oops.” His voice was too calm.

  Julie’s stomach lurched to her throat, and her heart began to race. “Turn around, Kas.”

  Kas looked over to her and he smiled. “Just relax, Jules. I’ll turn around up here.”

  Julie exhaled. She felt a bit better, but only for a brief moment. Kas turned onto a gravel road but instead of turning around, he kept driving. Her heart began to pound as the fear mounted.

  “Kas, you promised you’d take me home.” She couldn’t keep the tremble out of her voice.

  Kas pulled to a stop and shut off the headlights. He turned to Julie. “Yes, I did. And I will.” He grabbed Julie and pulled her across the bench seat. “But first, we’re gonna have a little fun.”

  Before she could even react, Kas had his arms around her. Being in Kas’s arms was like being caught in a bear trap. She couldn’t move. She pushed uselessly against his unyielding chest as his mouth fell on hers, ravaging her lips and forcing them apart. As his mouth moved from her lips to her neck, she gulped in some air, tasting blood.

  “Kas,” she pleaded, “please don’t do this!”

  He snorted as his mouth moved lower. This can’t be happening! Julie squeezed her eyes shut and tried to wedge her hands up between them to protect herself. She heard a door open.