Steel City Cafe

[Crash Bandicoot]

He looked at her questioningly, a bit afraid to ask but his curiosity got the best of him. "...You...spent years where you didn't talk to anyone? Why?" Crash really was curious. Years ago, there might've been a time where he was the same way.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari glanced at him, surprised. "Well, yeah. Elementary school. Didn't talk to anyone because everyone made fun of me. Doesn't everyone go through a period like that?"

[Crash Bandicoot]

"...I suppose. But whereas I could name a few things to make fun of you for...everyone was amazingly nice to me in elementary school. Believe it or not, I was more like Neil back then and he was more like I am..." Then remembering that he was pissed at her, Crash quickly shut up and mumbled a short, "Where am I headed? Your place?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari shrugged her shoulders. "I don't exactly remember, to be completely honest. I guess... wherever you want to go."

[Crash Bandicoot]

He nodded shortly, deciding to head home. His fingers went to the radio dial, quickly finding Three Days Grace's new single, "Bitter Taste." Crash smirked to himself, turning the volume up a little to where it was probably annoying but not overbearing.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjn_gGfZwCs

Crash then made his way to his house, clearly speeding. "We'll head to my place. It's closer. You don't mind this song, do you?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari smiled a little, shaking her head. "No; I don't mind." She pulled her knees to her chest again and started playing with a rip in her sweats.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He glanced at her quickly, then looked back to the road. He reached over, turning up the volume louder. The guitars and drums in the song just seemed like noise and he bet everyone on the road could hear the music. Crash nodded to the beat, feeling his heart beat like he was in a club. He sped up more, almost flooring the car. "The place is a mess by the way. I've been meaning to clean up but just haven't. Hope ya don't mind."

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari shook her head again. "I don't mind the mess." She leaned over and looked at the speedometer. "Watch out... you don't want to be pulled over."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash's mouth dropped open a little. He looked at Ari with a wicked smirk, then turned back to the road and shook his head. "Unbelievable", he muttered, now flooring the car. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, leaning forward in the seat. "This thing doesn't go fast enough", Crash said to himself, turning up the radio's volume even more.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari's hand flung out to grasp the door handle. "Crash... please slow down," she said, her voice rising in alarm.

[Crash Bandicoot]

"What's that?! No...Sorry, I can't go any faster!!!" Crash sped through a red light, then turned a sharp corner and barreled down the street leading to his place. He turned the volume up more on the radio.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari, knowing that he wasn't going to slow down, decided to curl up into a ball with her hands over her head until they got to his place.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Once they made it to his place, Crash unlocked the doors, then got out, somewhat slamming his door behind him as he walked up to the door and unlocked it. Then he abruptly turned back to bend down to the window, smirking up at Ari. "You know where the bathroom is...or at least I think your brain isn't so basic that you couldn't figure it out, right?" Winking at her, he straighted up and turned on his heel to go back inside.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari got out of the car and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. She should have gone back to her place.

She walked into Crash's home and the up the stairs into the bathroom, closing and locking it behind her before sitting in the bathtub, crying.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash went to the kitchen, realizing that he was hungry. He saw that he'd left some chocolate chips on the counter from when Tawni was over and tried to make cookies. He just stared at the bag, his eyes narrowing and barely realized it when his hand shot out violently, spilling chips all over the floor. Then he made his way upstairs and leaned his head against the bathroom door.

"Hey. I'm getting hungry. Tacos ok?" he asked.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari lifted her head up from her knees. "Perfect," she said, wiping the tears off her face. She undressed quickly and hopped in the shower, letting the scalding water numb her thoughts. She washed and buffed every inch of her body until she was red before getting out and wrapping a towel around her slim frame. She stopped, wondering what she would change into.

"Uh, Crash?" she shouted, poking her head out of the bathroom.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He stared down at her and a cold stare flashed across his face. Just as soon as it had come, it was gone though, and a rather bored look replaced the previous one. "What?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari looked at his feet sheepishly. "You mind if I borrow a shirt? I'd rather not change back into my crummy clothes."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash let his eyes linger on her face a minute longer before he turned on his heel and stalked into his room. Riffling thru some drawers, he came back a minute later with one of his sweatshirts and dropped it on her head. It was dark blue with random silver symbols all over it. "Everything else is in the wash. Lynx kind of slept on it but it's what I got."

At the mention of her name, his pet serval wandered into the room and stared at Ari with calculating eyes. She seemed to scoff, then stepped over to Ari and circled her, rubbing up against her legs.

[Arianna Rivers]

(Great... Ari's in a towel and a cat is circling her... awkward...)

Ari smiled and moved back into the bathroom, thanking Crash profusely as she closed the door. She threw on her undergarments and pants before throwing on the sweatshirt- she was not surprised when she found out it went down to her knees. She threw her hair up in a pony tail and walked out of the bathroom, grabbing her grimy shirt off of the floor.

[Crash Bandicoot]

((Not awkward, fun! ))

Crash threw some taco sauce and ketchup into his taco mix and stirred it in the pan, letting the flame cover the bottom. He sighed, covering the meat with a lid as he walked out of the kitchen and into his room. On his way over there, he stumbled dizzily but caught himself just in time. Crash frowned, lifting a hand to his head to find it very hot. "What the hell?" he mumbled. The next time he stumbled was on the way to his bed but he missed badly and ended up collapsing on the floor.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari wrapped her hair in a towel and walked out of the bathroom, smelling the scent of taco meat. She smiled and padded down to the kitchen, expecting to see Crash. When she didn't, she turned off the oven and went to look for him.

"Crash?" she called, before hearing a loud thump from upstairs. She sprinted up the stairs and into his room, diving next to him.

"Crash? Crash!" she said, shaking him.

[Crash Bandicoot]

He was breathing heavily, his eyes shut in pain because his head was pounding way hard. The room might've been spinning and his head felt like it was on fire. Maybe it would explode. Crash just barely heard someone calling his name, shaking him but he couldn't even remember who was with him and he couldn't make out the body shape. "Mommy", he barely whispered.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari tripped her way over to the phone frantically, dialing 911. "Yes! Um, we need an ambulance here... I don't know- I'm at a friend's house for the first time... No, he just fell over and- "she felt his forehead "his head's really hot... Yes, I think he has a fever, but it's more than that! People don't just col-... Uh huh. Alright. We'll be here." She sighed at the stupidity of other humans and sprinted to the bathroom to get a cold towel. Ari raced back to his bedroom and slapped the towel on his forehead, kneeling next to him until the ambulance came.

[Crash Bandicoot]

Crash kept panting, heavily at first and then more quietly, his eyebrows furrowed in pain. Within minutes, sirens blasted thru the streets, the white car barreling down the road as the back opened up and Dr. Sanchez literally did a tuck-n-roll thing, landing on his knees and smiling confidently. He grinned and knocked on the door, humming Lady Gaga's 'Poker Face' and moving his head from side to side to the beat.

[Arianna Rivers]

(He's so weird... yet totally awesome!!)

Ari heard the knock and sprinted down the stairs, sliding over to the door and thrusting it open. "He's upstairs!" she panted, leading the doctor to Crash.

[Crash Bandicoot]

((Dr. Sanchez? Haha thanks!!! Best doctor eva!))

Dr. Sanchez raised his eyebrows and chuckled, but followed Ari urgently to the barely concious Crash. "So...Ari, is it? What exaclty's goin' down? The dodo's got a fever or somethin'?"

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari looked at him oddly. He was oddly friendly for a doctor. "I-I don't know. He just collapsed... and his forehead felt hot, but I didn't know collapsing was a symptom of the fever..."

[Crash Bandicoot]

Sanchez pursed his lips and walked over to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and seemed to brighten considerably, pulling out some leftover Chinese. Grabbing a fork, he started eating the teriyaki and rice, then came back over. "Well", he said around a mouthful. "It can be. Although usually there's something else going on...let's see..." He handed Ari the plastic box of food, then bent down by Crash and checked his temperature, took his pulse...

He frowned, lifting Crash's arm in the air so he could examine his forearm. "How long has he been shooting up?" he asked pretty seriously, turning to look at Ari with a concerned expression.

[Arianna Rivers]

Ari's eye brows furrowed. "What? I wasn't aware that he..." she trailed off, looking incredulously at Crash.