Page 54 of Random in Death
An all night long, since Nikki would cover for her and she’d spend the whole night with Moses.
They’d never actual slept-slept together before, or woken up together. The thought of it had Arlie’s romantic heart soaring.
When Sisters rolled into their third song, Arlie lifted her arms high, waved them.
“They’re good, Mose.”
“Yeah, can’t lie. But Arrow’s going to bring it. And they’re going to take it.”
He turned to say something to Dawn, and Arlie gave her attention back to the band.
If she’d designed their outfits, she’d have put the lead vocalist in red leather skin pants. She had the body for it. She’d have paired that with—
Something stung her arm. Her first thought was wasp, and in reaction she squealed. But the sound didn’t reach over the music and shouts.
She hated wasps, actively feared them. So she had to brace herself to look down, with her teeth gritted as she braced more to flick it away.
She only saw a red mark, which relieved her even as she thought: Bastard. Go sting somebody else.
As she rubbed at it, she saw some jerk grinning at her.
“You think it’s funny?” As she shouted it, Moses turned back to her.
“What? What’s funny?”
“Nothing. I got stung by a frigging wasp, I think, or a bee, I guess, and that guy—”
She broke off as, when she started to point him out, he wasn’t there.
“Forget it. Doesn’t matter. Just some jerk.”
“You got stung? Let me see.”
“It’s no big.” She didn’t want to spoil things because she was a baby about stupid wasps. But she pressed her hand to the mark, tried to ease the nagging pain.
“Come on, let’s have a look.” Moses nudged her hand away, turned her arm. “Whoa, that was some wasp. I bet it really hurts.”
“Yeah, feels hot, too.”
“I’m going to go get you some ice for it.”
“You’re so sweet.” It had her kissing him again. “Wait till the break between bands. It’s just a sting.”
But when the song ended to wild cheers, her legs didn’t feel right.
She had to sit on the ground while Moses went to get the ice. Ice would help because she felt really hot.
“Let me see.” Nikki, with her eye on medical school, took her arm. “Holy shit, Arlie, that looks infected. And it doesn’t look like a wasp or bee sting.”
Now her head didn’t feel right. It felt like it could roll right off her shoulders. Her arm was on fire. She thought she saw flames coming right out of it.
“There’s a rabbit over there. Where did a rabbit get those clothes?”
One look at her friend’s eyes had Nikki’s heart thumping.
“Dawn, call nine-one-one. Call an ambulance.”
“Is she allergic to bees?”