After School

[Crash Bandicoot]

He shrugged. "Eh..." Stepping closer to her, Crash dug in her purse and pulled out the Diet Pepsi. He chucked some back and instantly spit it back up. "Ugh. This is diet." He paused for a second before shrugging and finishing it. "I can't lift anything heavier than 8 frickin pounds. Can't drive. And I gotta do these stupid exercices so I don't get stiff." He threw the now empty bottle over his shoulder and started walking to the exit. "So basically, I'm a vegetable."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari shrugged. "At least you weren't hurt worse. You could have been killed." She was silent for a second, and then brithened up. "Are you still able to make pie?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash whip-turned his head, glaring at her in disbelief. "What the...I just got mutilated by a car and you still wanna make pie?" He looked at the wall of the hospital and finally shrugged. "Whatever. Guess so. You want pie this badly? Why not just buy one?" he mumbled.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari scoffed. "No, I PERSONALLY do not wish to make a pie. But I know that a couple hours you completely adamant towards it, so I didn't know if that inkling was gone. Honestly," she yawned, "I could crash right now... no pun intended." She started walking toward the car.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He glanced at her and had to stiffle a yawn himself. "I'd go for a nap." He was about to say more when his attention was caught by a flash in the sky. Lifting his head up, he sucked in a breath and just stood completely dumbfounded. A meteor shower. He couldn't believe it. Now? Streaks of light rained down around them, the corners of his mouth curling up into a grin. "Wow..." Crash barely whispered.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari beamed walked to the bed of her truck, putting down the hatch and climbing in. She balled up her jacket and laid it down under her head, laying on her back to watch the stars.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash slowly made his way to Ari's truck and leaned against the bed, tilting his head back. "You ever seen one of these?" he muttered.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari thought for a second. "Once. When I was really small. My dad bought me a telescope just for that night and we stayed out until 2 in the morning watching the shower." She chuckled, remembering. "My mom was absolutely livid because it was a school night. I think it was one of the only times we all together in the same place."

[Crash Bandicoot]

He smirked just a little. "Saw one once with Neil and his sister when we were little too...and back then, my Mommy would be so paranoid about dropping me at Neil's because...well I'm not really sure why. She just had this thing about leaving me, I guess." Crash narrowed his eyes at the memory before turning to look at Ari. "Your parents travel a lot or something?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari nodded. "Both of them are always gone for work. I think I see them... maybe... once a month for a couple of hours and then they're gone. And they're never in the same place at the same time, save for Christmas and my birthday. Even then..." She thought for a second and then sat up, tucking her knees under her chin and resting her head on them. "My parents used to fight. A lot. I think they were thinking of getting a divorce, but this was their alternate arrangement. I think they thought it would be easier for me if I wasn't being shuffled from parent to parent; although, this arrangement is much worse, in my opinion. But, don't get me wrong, they're both happy and doing what they both love to do, and as long as they're happy, I think this is the best arrangement."

She sighed. She hadn't said so much about her parents before. Going over her speech in her head, she wanted to tie up one last loose end.

"So yeah, I get the house to myself and I have a car, obviously. My parents set up a bank account that they put a generous allowance into for me to buy food and whatever I want. I can do whatever I want when ever I want and with whomever I want; luckily, I guess, I'm not much of a partier, so I give them nothing to worry about. I have my friends and one or two of my family members live about an hour away in case I ever get into any real trouble. I make my own schedule and just... live my own life. It sounds odd, I know, but I'm basically living by myself, just a couple of years early."

She sighed.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash blinked at her somewhat hectic life. Or maybe hectic wasn't the word, more like...eventful. He thought about everything she had said and had to agree with her on a couple of levels. "I mean to me, it's way better if your parents are around and I'd hate it if they had to travel so much. Mine fought a lot too...pretty sure they were on the verge of divorce but Dad took care of that before Mom had a say. And then I took care of Dad. But all ended well, I guess", he mumbled, now thinking over his family situation. He stared up at the sky and sighed, knowing this was gonna turn into another advice-esque conversation between them.

"I mean if they're still around for you...just don't take 'em for granted. Love your family so you don't end up corrupted and screwed over. Cherish the time you do get to see them cuz at least you get to see them. Some aren't so lucky."

He watched the meteor shower in fascination for a while.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari smiled a small smile and looked over at him. "What happened to your family?" She then stopped herself and back-tracked. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

[Crash Bandicoot]

He shrugged. By now, Crash didn't really oppose to telling this story. People were gonna find out sooner or later and he didn't really think it was something to hide. "My parents died in a...tragic...kind of way. Damn, that's not even the word. Fucked up is more like it. My dad killed my mom when I was about ten. And so I killed him." He shrugged again like it was no big deal.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari's eyes widened and she stared at him for a second before blinking. "I'm... so sorry, Crash... that must have been absolutely terrible."

[Crash Bandicoot]

"Fucked up is more like it", he mumbled again, like he was in some kind of trance. After a while he blinked and looked at the shower. The lights were kind of annoying him now. "Come on." He hopped off the bed and cried out a little, forgetting that he'd gotten rib surgery. "Dammit! Shit..."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari got up and hopped over the edge of her truck, landing with the grace she didn't know she possessed. She slid over next to Crash and put her hand near him in case he fell. "Alright, big guy, let's just get you home. You wanna go back to Neil's or go to my place?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash's teeth clenched together on instinct. The last time he saw Neil, they hadn't been on the best terms and he didn't feel like apologizing at all right now. "Yours. Wait, what? No, I'm fine. The meteor shower isn't even over yet!" he somewhat whined. He looked at Ari with a set expression.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Alright, alright... but could you sit in the back of the truck with me? I don't want you hurt yourself if you fall..."

[Crash Bandicoot]

He shot her a side-long glare. "What the heck?" Never-the-less, he climbed into the bed with her, sitting indian style while he leaned against the back, looking at the sky. "You think I'd be stupid enough to fall down when I'm already hurt? Come on now. That's totally something you would do."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari stuck her tongue out at him. "No- I...wait, yeah, that'd be something I'd do." She leaned her head against her rear windshield and watched the sky. "I just wanted to make sure that you don't hurt yourself anymore than you already are. I don't want to make yet another trip to the hospital today... or the rest of my life..."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash smrirked a little bit. "Yeah. It might be nice not to have to go there every ten minutes." He looked down and towards the ground when something moves out of the corner of his eye. Smirking, he noticed a centipede on Ari's leg, wondering if he should say anything. Maybe something not so blunt about the bug. "Y'know..." He scowled a little at the use of Tawni's favorite word. "This world would be a lot more peaceful if everyone had no fears."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari narrowed her eyes at him, not noticing the bug. "You're not about to turn all poetic on me, right? Otherwise, I really think I am going to have to take you to the hospital to get your head checked out."

[Crash Bandicoot]

He laughed bitterly. "Poetry ain't my style and I think you're the one who'll end up going to the hospital in this situation. Riiiiiiiiiiight?" Crash smirked and leaned down near Ari's leg, grinning madly at the many-legged bug there.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari screamed and flung the thing at Crash, quickly scurrying to the opposite end of her truck. "I. Don't. Like. Bugs. You. Are. Such. A. JERK!" she said through her teeth.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash dropped his jaw right after catching the centipede in his hands and placing it beside him. He couldn't help but laugh at her reaction though and was laughing pretty hard. "What the hell, Ari?! I'm a jerk all of a sudden cuz I told you there was a bug on you?! Great." He kept on laughing until he was laying on his back and holding his stomach.

"If anyone, you should be the jerk! You pretty much busted my ear drums."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari glared at him. "Well, I'm sorry. A non-jerk would have taken the bug off of me instead of just pointing it out." She stuck her tongue out at him.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He shoved her lightly and rolled his eyes with a smirk. "And a non-jerk would've turned her head so she could scream in the other direction. Honestly. Are you trying to make me deaf? It takes two whole seconds. See, watch." Crash slowly turned his head in the other direction, then looked back at Ari with a scowl.

((I want something to happen to them...more like Ari!!!!! haha))

[Arianna Rivers]

(Wha....? I'm so confuzzled....)

Ari stuck her tongue at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I still say you're the jerk..."

[Crash Bandicoot]

((I just want something to happen but I dunno what... )

"I am not!" he snapped, finding it bothered him that she thought that. Once the shower stopped, he yawned loudly and looked at her with a semi-bored expression. "Would a jerk offer to treat you to ice cream?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari looked down at her watch. "Um... it's kind of 5 o'clock in the morning... aren't you exhausted?"