Static In Your Head

[maya-bird]

“I’m sorry,” Scarlet said, and her eyelids fluttered, like she was having trouble keeping them open. She was curled up against the door, looking like she was feeling the severe effects of nearly bleeding out, when Ari reached over and slapped her cheek a few times.

“Shut up and wake up,” He said loudly, narrowing his eyes. “You fall asleep and you’re done for. You wanna be done for? Because it sure as hell seems like it to me. It doesn’t seem like Tempest is keeping you here, or anyone else for that matter, if you do this.” Ari was pissed, and he just kept talking, swerving around a corner. There were only a few more blocks to the hospital. “You say you care about him; you obviously don’t. Because if you cared, you wouldn’t pull this shit and leave him to wake up to you like this!!” His voice had risen to a shout, and he tried to lasso his emotions and bring his tone down.

Ari shot a sideways glance at her, a grim look on his face, and pulled into the front of the hospital, where there were some people waiting. He assumed that Tempest or Kyle had called the place and informed them of their arrival, because he sat in the idling car while the paramedics put Scarlet on a stretcher.

[icefire]

Scarlet thought about what he had said, realizing that it must've been Tempest finding her like that. For the first time that she had really let it all out since what happened to her mother, she cried like a baby. She felt lousy for herself, and realized how stupid she was being, Tempest didn't need her if she was just going to sulk about hating herself. She tried, she really did. He was her brother, and she had always tried her hardest to be like the mother that she felt she had ripped from him.

Sobbing quietly into the stretcher, she told herself over and over again that she was never going to let him see that. Scarlet was going to try her hardest to be a mom, even if she was only 17 and felt trapped at all times. Tempest didn't need to see all the shit that hit the fan. The salty tears were salty and had a disgusting taste, and she didn't deserve to cry. She didn't have the right to feel sorry for herself.

Scarlet made herself stop, and finally let her eyes close as they hooked her up to an I.V. to the side of the sterile bed. The room was clean and sterile as well, the smell of cleansing chemicals wafting around. Wrinkling her nose, she drifted into sleep, with the decision that this was going to be made up to Tempest.

[maya-bird]

Once the paramedics rushed Scarlet inside, Ari swerved back and picked up Tempest and Kyle, driving them to the hospital. He parked the car and led them inside, leaving them sitting next to each other in the comfy hospital chairs. He felt stupid standing there with striped pajama pants on and a black tank, while everyone else seemed to be fully dressed and not looking like they had just been scared half to death. He walked up to the counter and leaned on his elbows. “Look,” He said to the clerk, “Not to be pessimistic or anything, but do you have any idea how much patient ‘Scarlet’s,” He did air quotes, trying to calm down with a little humor. “Williams’s treatment is going to cost?”

The lady looked at some papers, then pointed down at the paper. “Ah, she messed herself up pretty bad, but she’ll only need stitches and a whole lot of blood transfusions. That’s two hundred, three hundred tops.”

Ari swallowed, wanting to tear his hair out at the roots. “Is there any way I can pay this in cash, right now?” He tried to calm down again, grinning a large grin.

She looked biffed, and rolled her eyes. “Right here, right now? You got it, then pay. Teenagers like you are too lazy to fill out all this paperwork, so just sign your name, give me the money, and then you can leave to go visit your girlfriend.”

“Awh, jesus.” Ari sighed. “She isn’t my girlfriend!” He protested angrily, signing his name in that distinct scrawl that he called his handwriting. “She’s a close friend.”

“Yeah, whatever. Just go visit her and by the time you get back I should have the cost tallied up.”
They had to wait an hour or so before they visited Scarlet, and when they could, the boys raced down the hallway, jerking open the door. Ari followed reluctantly.

[icefire]

Her breath came softly in her sleep, an I.V stuck in her arm. She was curled up against the plastic bed siding, preventing her from falling over. The expression that was worn across her face was peaceful and serene compared to what it was before, and she looked rather pathetic in her curled up ball. Sleep was peaceful, but as soon as she heard the door open, she was awake. Turning over, she felt a sharp pain when she saw Tempest.

Refraining from crying, she sat up, "Tempest, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to see me at my lowest." She turned her face away in shame until she felt her little brother give her a big hug. Turning back to him, she hugged him tightly, burrying her face in his shoulder. Scarlet let out a strangled sob, "I don't deserve to cry, I'm sorry... Forgive me.... Just don't hate me.... If it's too my to ask, then hate me. But I will always take care of you."

Tempest sighed, and laughed a little, "Sis, I'll always love you. It'll just be a while before I'll trust you near anything sharp." They both laughed a little at his comment, as she still cried into his shoulder, feeling horrible no matter what he said.

[maya-bird]

Ari let Kyle sit in the comfy chair while Scarlet and Tempest talked, while he stood next to the window, pushing the blinds aside a bit to look outside. It was cloudy outside, but sunlight shown through the breaks in the clouds, and Ari frowned slightly. He needed to get back and move the couch onto the porch if it was going to rain. He closed the blinds and leaned up against the wall next to Kyle, yawning a bit.

When Tempest and Scarlet threw their arms around each other, Ari snorted quietly, smirking at Kyle. “Saps,” He joked, looking around the room. Kyle snickered, and they exchanged amused glances before the doctor came in.

“You should be fine, Scarletta, if you change your bandages and try not to jostle them around,” He said with a professional tone to his voice. “If I may ask, how did this happen?” He exchanged glances with all four of them, and you could see their minds working.

Ari snapped to something. “Skateboarding accident. Scraped her arms up real bad, she did.”

The doctor shook his head, because you could obviously see the cuts, but he nodded. “Ok. You,” He said to Ari. “I heard you had a question about the price, come with me.” Ari rolled his eyes and followed the man out of the room.

[icefire]

Scarlet heard Ari joke 'saps' in the background, but she smiled too. It was true, they were being a bit dramatic.... Well, she was.

When the doctor had come in asking about how this had happened, she freaked out, but stayed calm on the outside. She sighed inwardly at Ari's excuse, and cocked an eyebrow up when the doctor asked about Ari asking about the price. Staring at him questioningly as he left, she tried to comprehend why he would ask about the price. Unless.... Oh.... Was he going to pay? She'd feel obligated to pay him back if he did...

Plus, she had also recently kind of been a bitch to him, and he had really helped her more then he needed to. Scarlet waited patiently for him to come back and ask him of his actions.

[maya-bird]

“Well….” The doctor trailed off, questioning him for a name. “Ari.” He said, looking at his signature. “ The bill is rather low for two teenagers and some kids showing up with no papers, no records, no insurance, nothing. You better be thankful that I patched your friend up for you. “ Ari nodded. “Now you better keep her from really using her arms for a bit.”

Christ, Ari muttered in his mind. “Yes, sir. Now can I just give the cash to you, or to the lady up front?” He took his shoe off and snagged three hundred dollar bills from under the sole of it. The doctor looked shocked, but took the money, and gave him his change.

“You and your friends can leave in a bit, if you want. If she needs to she can always stay the night….” Ari ddidn’t hear the rest because he had already turned and strode back into the room, mimicking the doctors nasally voice.

[icefire]

Scarlet looked up when Ari walked back in, a serious expression on her face, "How much do I owe you?"

Though she was not quite sure how she would cough up expenses of the medical bill, she could do it somehow, even if it involved her having to work overtime. She owed him much more then just money, he put up with her stupidity. That was like asking for an arm, knowing her. There was the whole fact that he helped Tempest when he was in peril of his stupid older sister as well, she really owed him for that.

Most of all though, she owed him for being there for her even after she was such a nosy bitch, and that was something that was hard to regain trust from.

[niftybunneh]

Name: Brook
Age:16
Gender: Female
Appearance: Thin build, Medium light brown hair that falls to mid back, hazel eyes, pale complexion.
Etc: She moved from Conneticut (to the place where Scarlet and Ari are XD) She tends to be very quiet and out of sight in her room reading. She takes long periods of time to sit and ponder her thoughts. Thinking of how she will handle moving to a new town and making new friends. Brook had to move because of her mother leaving her and her father.

[maya-bird]

OoC:// Nice character, Bunneh! Maybe you should introduce her in the next few posts or so.

BIC://

Ari tapped his chin, as if he was thinking how much she owed him and calculating the costs. “Well, I think gas money for these trips would be about twenty…….and then the hospital bill is two hundred forty six……” He sat on the edge of the bed, glancing quickly at Scarlet to see her wide-eyed, “…and then there’s the shock value of all of this, which, when added with the others, means that you better never do this fucking ever again.”

Kyle snickered slightly, elbowing Tempest a bit, and who was also laughing a bit, just with a rather grim complexion. “Just never do it again,” He said grimly, being so very un-Ari like, “And we’ll forget about the money. Okay?”

[icefire]

Scarlet looked to the side, looking vacantly out the window with a dull expression. She thought a moment, thinking of how nice he was being. Did she really deserve kindness to this extent? Scarlet looked back towards him, strait in the eye, "Don't worry, this will never happen again. I know it won't." there was a steel reflection of emotion in her eyes, though her face was blank.

She held his gaze for a moment, her eyes hard and unemtional once again, before lookin back out the window and at the puffy clouds. Why was he so nice to her? Scarlet wondered silently, staring out at the clouds once. She knew she was going to leave this god forsaken hospital before the nigt came though. That thouht was about the easiest thing she had to figure out right now.

[niftybunneh]

Brook stood in her new driveway lightly kicking a little pebble around, thinking of how stupid this move is. "Brook can you give me a hand and bring the rest of the boxes in?" her dad asked. "Sure dad" saying in the kindest voice possible, despite how much she dident want to.

Brook finnished bringing in the rest of the boxes, and kicked one before she walked off to go see her new room. She climed the stairs to find it was alot smaller than she thought it would be. Looking in the corner of her room she saw that the moving guys already brought in her bed. Flopping down on it, she thought what this town would be like but more importaintly what the people would be like. She let out a long breath of air and decided to go take a walk to go see what the town looked like. "Dad im going out for a walk." "Ok, hey maybe you'll meet some new friends." he relpied. She sighed and mumbled incoherently, walking back out side and pickeing up the pebble from earlier, puttting it in her pocket, and began her walk.

[maya-bird]

“Yeah, you better not.” Ari said, and Kyle looked surprised that his brother’s voice was filled with caring. The former rarely gave out money or anything, and the latter was therefore very surprised. He hated that he felt bad now when he was an asshole, because his life would be easier if he could just be a jerk and refuse to pay. Standing up, he went and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “We should go now.” Was all he said before he refused to give eye contact to anyone in the room.

[icefire]

Staring out the window, her head nodded in agreement. Wait, was that caring in his voice that she had detected a moment ago? Too many things just weren't adding up right now, she needed to just drop it. She stood up, realizing the hospital had changed her bloodied shirt and had just given her a new, plain, white one. Sighing, she walked over to the door and looked back at everyone around the room.

"Well, shall we?" She opened the door, standing in the doorway.

[maya-bird]

“Let’s blow this place before they realize that it’s illegal to pay a hospital bill the way we did. But whatever, this is the ghetto. Now let’s get a move on,” Ari said, ushering Kyle and Tempest out the door before him. He scanned the room for any left behind belongings, or things he could snatch, but came up empty. Turning to Scarlet, he swept his hand towards the door in an elaborate gesture of politeness.

“Ladies first,” He winked, despite himself, then chuckled at his own audacity.