"Yeah, of course." She pulled away and reached for my carry-on bag. "Come on, let's go inside."
I had a bad feeling she was lying to me, but I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and followed her.
Halfway to the complex she looked over her shoulder at me. Eyes pleading, she asked, "Promise me you'll be cool?"
With no idea what I was promising to be cool about, I nodded. "Okay."
"Say the words, Markie."
The last time Ariana had told me to 'be cool' she'd gotten nail polish all over my favorite sweater, which the brat did not have permission to wear. I could handle spilled nail polish--I could even handle her smoking pot, I was just glad to see her alive--so I followed her into a small apartment with mismatched furniture, dim lighting, and a haze of marijuana smoke
"Babe, you get the check yet?" a man's voice asked.
I scanned the room, but couldn't see anyone there.
Ariana frowned, shuffling through the mail before she set it on the counter. "Nope. Still didn't come."
"Damn. I was counting on that money. Well, hurry and get ready. We gotta bounce!"
Ariana gave me another apologetic smile. "Matt--my boyfriend--lives here. You promised you'd be cool."
So, she had a live-in boyfriend? No big deal. Ariana was almost twenty-one, and if this was what she chose to do with her life, who was I to stop her? Before I'd managed to get my I'm-okay-with-this game face on, Matt came around the corner dressed in a giant condom wrapper and holding a beer. My breath caught, and not in a good way.
Ariana's smile turned to a grimace. "Matt, this is my sister, Markie."
He nodded at me. "Hey, babe."
Circling Ariana's waist, he pulled her into him and tried to suck her lips off while his hands roamed all over her body. Shocked, I stood there like an idiot, wondering if I should slap him or if I still had to "be cool." She squirmed against his grasp, casting sideways glances at me. I was two seconds from ripping him off her when she finally pushed him away.
"Whoa, what was that for?" Matt asked, his words slurring together.
"My sister is right there." She gestured wildly at me.
"So?" He shrugged and smacked her on the butt. "Go get your costume on."
"Actually, I was hoping we could stay home. Markie just got here, and I don't feel good all of a sudden."
She didn't look well either. Now that we were in the light, I could see the sweat beading across her forehead, her skin looked pale, and she still had the shakes.
"Are you fuckin' kidding me right now?" Matt asked. "After--" His eyes cut to me. "After what I just gave you, you're going to stay in? Tonight? We're supposed to party."
What he just gave her?
Ariana frowned. "No. I'm sorry. You're right. I'll go get dressed." She turned toward me and asked, "Do you have a costume?"
Her eyelids drooped, and she looked like she was about to pass out right there. I moved closer, just in case.
"No, I forgot it was Halloween. And you..." I put my hand to her forehead. She didn't have a fever, but her skin felt clammy and cold. "You're sick. You can barely stand. What's going on?"
Matt, the condom wrapper, glared at me. Then he drained his beer and tossed the bottle on the counter. It didn't break, but the clatter made me wince.
"Matt, wait." Ariana reached for him.
He dodged her advance. "You're sick? Really fuckin' convenient. You know how important this night is to me, and you don't give a shit." He threw up his hands, storming out the door. "Fuckin' selfish, Ari."
The door slammed behind him. Wondering what had just happened, I stared at the spot he'd vacated.
Ariana ran after him. Or tried to, at least. She barely made it out the door before tripping over her own feet and slamming her shoulder into a pole. She slid down and sat on the ground.
