Mr. B. Urie

20

It has been the quietest two months of my life. Summer passed quickly with Brendon by my side, a lot of the time swimming in his pool or lounging around his backyard. There was a barbeque, at which I met his two friends that he was once in a band with and their wives. I have to say, it's not as weird hanging out with older people as I thought it might be. We all have similar interests so conversation was never sparse.

I also approached Taya about the stupid slip up with Sarah. Apparently what happened was Sarah came to Taya's house to inquire about me and acted like she already knew the secret. So, what did Taya do? She said, "Please don't say anything about the abortion. Ariella wouldn't be able to bear it." What an idiot! And I told her so when I found out, but we're cool now. After all, Darren didn't have the worst reaction in the world, and he and Sarah are really happy together now.

Speaking of Taya, she's still seeing that guy from a while ago, which is surprising considering her history. I mean, I'm one to talk . . . Brendon and I have been together for almost a year. I'm not counting the six months away from each other as void, because we were both constantly thinking of one another. Anyway, the guy's name is Erick, and even though I've only met him a handful of times, he seems like the perfect match for her.

I'm so caught up in the fact that everything is going well, that even while I'm not feeling well it's hard to be pessimistic. Sure, right now my throat burns like someone spilt acid down it, I have a high fever, and my every muscle aches with the fire of a thousand suns, but Brendon is here to take care of me and no one is out to ruin my life. Yes, I am so sick that I can't even leave my bed. And by my bed, I mean Brendon's bed, of course. My dad is away again on business, so I'd rather not stay home alone.

Brendon walks into the room holding a tub of ice cream and two spoons. He silently settles in beside me, hands me a spoon and delves into the chocolatey goodness. "How are you feeling?" He asks through his mouthful of ice cream. I'm not very hungry, but I appreciate the gesture.

"Like a fucking demon is inside me." I squawk out. He smiles at me mischievously.

"Demons are sexy," he says, kissing me softly. Not that I don't enjoy his kisses, because I really do, but I don't want to get him sick too.

"B, stop," my voice is akin to that of a small child and a forty-year-old chain smoker hybrid. I'm sure it's quite hilarious to someone who doesn't feel like they're dying . . . "You're going to get sick!"

"Don't you think that if I was going to catch whatever you have, I'd already have it? Think about it, Arie. We've been sleeping in the same bed, sharing the same ice cream tubs—" a knock on the door stops him mid-sentence and he stands up quickly. "I'll be right back." He kisses my forehead and runs out of the room towards the front door.

He comes back a minute later, Taya in tow. "Oh my God! You're still sick?" She looks worried. Granted, I have been sick for over three weeks, so it's warranted. "Maybe you should go see a doctor."

At her words, I recoil into the pile of blankets on top of me. I hate going to the doctor, who doesn't? I mean they're intrusive and rarely helpful when a person is sick. "I'm fine!" I manage to squeak out. Apparently, she doesn't buy it, because she strides towards me, pulling the covers off of my body. The cold air makes me shiver, so much so that I can't seem to stop.

"Arie?" Brendon walks closer, placing a hand on my forehead to check my temperature. He immediately pulls it away and shakes it out. "Okay, you're burning up. We need to get you to the hospital." Speaking of the word burning, there's a putrid smell of burnt rubber in the air, and I scrunch my nose up at it.

"What's wrong?" Taya asks, starting to pull me out of bed. She's managed to get me sitting up with my feet on the floor.

"Don't you smell that?" I ask, standing despite my aching muscles. I can't tell where it's coming from, but it's a very distinct smell.

"Smell wh—" before Brendon can finish his question, I feel my body start to convulse and I fall to the floor. That's all I know before everything goes dark.

*****

Brendon's POV

"Oh my god!" Taya screams, trying to catch Arie before she falls to the floor. Neither of us gets to her in time, and her head crashed into the hardwood. I wince and kneel beside her. "What's happening, Brendon?"

"She's having a seizure. Don't touch her, just let it finish." I'm glad I have my first aid and CPR, although this isn't the best time to use them. Then again, there's really no good time to use first aid and CPR. "Call 911 and tell them where we are and what happened."

The only thing nearby that Arie could hurt herself on is the bed, but I can't move that so I wrap a blanket around the leg for cushioning and wait. A minute passes and the convulsions finally stop. I turn her onto her side and vomit shoots out of her mouth.

"The ambulance is on its way, is she breathing? Is she okay?" Taya comes back into the room and plugs her nose at the smell of Ariella's puke. I turn her onto her back again and check her airway and breathing. Her chest isn't rising and my heart speeds up. I take a deep breath and start on chest compressions.

"Do you know CPR?" I ask as I push down on Arie's ribcage. I can feel it cracking under the pressure. Taya nods nervously and kneels on the other side of Ariella's limp body, waiting for my count of thirty. When I'm finished, she breathes into her best friend's mouth. It's something no one should ever have to do, and yet here we are. I just hope we can save her . . .