After School

[Crash Bandicoot]

He let out a short, irritated breath and stared up at Ari and that stupid dog. "Oh I'm so sorry, Ari. Next time I'll remember that you enjoy being covered in little puppy guts and intestines. My bad", he snapped right before wincing and gritting his teeth together. Hard.

He just leaned against her arm, not wanting to move at all.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari rolled her eyes and put the dog down, grabbing her purse. She rummaged through the huge thing, moving books, her sunglasses, wallet, and more books aside to find her cell phone. She dialed 911 and held it to her ear, telling the opporator about what happened.

[Crash Bandicoot]

They told Ari that an ambulance would come in about fifteen minutes, then hung up. Crash only stared at the dog as it hopped excitedly into his lap and he tried to move, struggling to get himself on his feet. "I don't need an ambulance, I'll be fine. It's not like I got ripped in half and my insides are coming out."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari gently pushed him back down to his former position. "No. You broke a rib. It could have splintered and if you move to much, the splinters can pierce an internal organ and you can bleed internally. You are NOT moving until the paramedics get here, got that?" she said sternly, daring him to contradict her.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He glared at her and opened his mouth to scream something in her face but realized that what she said was right. Crash only looked away and didn't say anything except "I ain't keepin this dog." The puppy, as if it could hear him, walked over to Ari instead and started licking her hand.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari smiled at the dog and rubbed behind his ears. She picked him up and held him up to Crash. "Oh, c'mon, how can you deny this face?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

He narrowed his eyes at it and growled a little. "Like this. I. Ain't. Keepin'. You." After he said that, the puppy licked his face. Crash just stared at it for a while before looking at Ari. "That thing's gonna get itself killed at my house. I do have a cat, y'know. And not the typical house cat. A serval. So looks like the only other option is it stays with you."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari's voice changed into something that sounded like the voices parents make when they're cooing over their newborn. "Oh, of course I'll keep him! He's just so addooorable.... Who can resist such a little darling. I know I can't, Aunt Ari can't resist this little face!" She rubbed her nose up against the dog's and he barked.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash sat staring at her just as the ambulance came. Someone hopped out of the back, took one look at Crash, and hauled him onto a stretcher, despite his screaming and kicking. Another paramedic looked at Ari and nodded to the back. "Hop in."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari sat the puppy inside her purse and shushef him before hopping into the back of the ambulance. "Crash, you're going to be fine," she said as she manuvered her way into the posititon designated by the head medic.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He only grit his teeth in pain and turned his head to the side, refusing to look at Ari. Ryden had told him that once and did he turn out that way? Nuh-uh! He'd only believe her when he was out of the hospital. "Whatever", he muttered. "Don't hold your breath."

One of the medics looked over at Ari. "Could you notify his parents about this?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari nodded and then looked at Crash. "Uh, Crashy? I dunno your parents' number.... what is it?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash flicked his eyes over to the medic in rage and ground his teeth together, tensing. Why did this idiot not know his family situation? Freakin new people. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He still wouldn't look at anyone. And she'd called him Crashy, like Eve did most of the time so maybe he was peeved about that too but he pretty much brushed that one off. "Call my uncle", he muttered, quickly telling her the number. "He's at work right now, so just leave a message, alright?"

The medic looked at him in worry. "Hey now. I really think this should be something you tell your parents. I mean I know you'll think they'll be angry at you but they--"Shut your stupid-ass face, asshole! I told her to call my uncle, get it?! Don't you think there's a reason I'm telling her to do that?! They obviously don't keep you very well-informed over there, do they?! Dumb-ass!" Crash shut up after that, looking up at the ceiling of the ambulance. The medic glared at him.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari gulped and typed in the number, letting the phone ring. Crash's uncle didn't pick up, so she left a message.

"Uh, hi. My name is Arianna Rivers and I'm a... friend of Crash's. He's been in an accident; he's not seriously hurt, but... I think he has a broken rib or two... Anyway, we're heading to Hallowtown Medical in an ambulance, so... feel free to call me at this number if you have any questions. Um, bye." She hung up the phone and turned back to Crash.

"I left a message..."

[Crash Bandicoot]

"I heard your message", he mumbled, sighing and then wincing and moaning when he found that caused him pain--more than he would've thought. He looked at Ari, his eyes a bit skeptical and disbeliving and...bored. "Y'know, once my uncle comes to the hospital, you can leave."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari cocked her head to the side. "Are you kicking me out or is that a suggestion?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

He barely shrugged. "Whichever. Just don't want you to feel obligated to stay with me if you got something better to do. Who the hell wants to be cooped up in a hospital if they don't need to be?" Crash glanced out the back window as they approached the hospital and once they stopped, the medic wheeled him out and smiled at Ari. "You can wait in the purple room on the right."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari thanked him and walked over to the purple room, sitting down and tapping her foot. This was going to take long, she knew, she just didn't know how long. Besides, it was 2:30 in the morning and her truck was still parked at the food store.

Bored already, she decided to talk to herself.

"As if I have something better to do. I'm awake in the first place to make a stupid pie for a stupid guy who got himself hit for a stupid dog. Gosh, what was he thinking?" she thought aloud.

The puppy sitting inside her purse barked loudly.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Dr. Sanchez slowly turned at the sound of the dog and darted his eyes back and forth. He figured the noise came from Ari's general area and laughed a little, walking over to her. "Ari, are you aware that something barked around you? Or...in you?" he tried when he saw nothing but her on the couch. He balanced his clipboard on his head in a goofy manner and chuckled again. "And I'm guessing somebody's stupidity is making you quite mad."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari blushed and manuevered her bag under the chair with her foot. She chuckled. "Eh, not really. I just wish Crash would use his head before he goes barreling into a situation."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Dr. Sanchez laughed at that. He didn't even say anything, he just laughed and sat down in the chair next to Ari. "Ok. That'll happen. It's pretty early in the morning but do your parents know--" Before he could say anything more, Crash's Uncle AJ waltzed into the room, waving his phone in the air. "No need to fear, children! I'm here! Got your message, girlie...oh, that was you, wasn't it?" he asked with a smile towards Ari.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari chuckled and nodded. "Yessir. That's me."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Uncle AJ smiled some at her and rubbed the back of his head. "So Crash broke a rib or...something like that? How'd that happen?" He lifted a cigarette out of his pocket, popped it in his mouth, and flicked the switch of his lighter until it caught, then lit it up.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari sighed and thought about where to start. "Well, Crash was at my house and he wanted to bake a pie, so we went to the store, had this huge fiasco, and then walked out to the parking lot. A puppy was in the middle of the road and a car was barreling towards it, so Crash ran out and pushed the puppy out of the way, but got nicked by the car himself, breaking a rib or two." She chuckled. "Doesn't exactly seem like a Crash-ish thing to do, in by opinion..."

[Crash Bandicoot]

His uncle started laughing at that, kind of hysterically like Dr. Sanchez had been. But then he stopped and frowned. "He was at your house...and wanted to bake a pie...at 3 in the morning? Nut", he said loudly, smoke puffing out of his mouth. Dr. Sanchez came back and handed Uncle AJ some papers to sign before turning to Ari. "Hiya kid. Won't be long now...nah, I'm just tryin to ease the tension. It's actually gonne take about another 2 hours. But everything's going good so far...You good?"

[Arianna Rivers]

"Eh, I'll be fine. I'm a teenager... we're programed to stay up all night worrying about friends."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Sanchez snorted and said something under his breath but shot Ari and Crash's uncle a smile before walking off to check how things were going, yelling over his shoulder not to worry. Uncle AJ ran a hand over his face and grinned sheepishly at Ari. "You guys really friends? That's shocking. That kid doesn't seem to make pals very easily...why are you friends with Crash, huh?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari thought for a moment before speaking. "He's... different. Most of my friends, and myself included, don't take risks or do anything spur of the moment, and, well, that's pretty much all Crash does. We're complete opposites, and he's comical and nice when he's not being run over... And he's my partner on a research project which is how we met in the first place. So he's a good friend."

[Crash Bandicoot]

AJ smirked a little and didn't say much else. He just walked outside so he could smoke in peace but threw over his shoulder, "Yeah ok. That guy doesn't know the meaning of the word 'friend'...or any relationship word for that matter." Two hours later, Crash came out of the ER stretching and yawning. "Jeez. This place is so freakin irritating. It makes me wanna puke up blood..."

Noticing Ari, he shuffled over to her and shook his head. "Aren't you tired?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari shrugged, pulling a half-drunk Diet Pepsi bottle out of her purse. "Nope. Got my caffeine right here and I've been going at it all night." She stashed it back in her purse. "How're you feeling?"