A Mere Observer

Crashing and Spying

"OUT OF THE WAY BITCHES," Naome shouted to the crowd. Her wings bobbed furiously while she elbowed her way through the bodies. It only added to my dizziness but Naomi's arm wrapped around my waist kept me steady. "We've got a sick child, and no one's keeping her from vomiting on you!"

Like the savior she was, the sea of people parted for her. She kept trudging through with Naomi and I close behind. For the sake of my sanity or at least my stomach, I tried desperately to ignore the nauseating amount of peoples' stares by watching my feet. Then that started to trigger more tummy-tumbling so my eyes trailed upward until they couldn't focus on one thing –which led me to give up. Everything was going to make me feel nauseous.

The fog in my mind expanded until I could only comprehend a few scenes of Naome's flurry of long, swift legs or wide stares from onlookers. Every now and then a distinct shock of pain from my stomach would even make me whimper. I was only vaguely aware that Naomi still held on to me but there were moments I was sure my body was simply floating.

"Breathe slowly, Mel," a soft voice whispered to me. It was so soft I could feel it like a bunny's fur at the tip of my fingers.

"Get a wet paper towel," another distant voice said before coldness touched my forehead.

There seemed to be a lull that lasted a split second but also hours before I opened my eyes all the way. There were extremely bright lights above me and I realized I was lying down. With a slight glance to my right I saw Naomi standing close to my feet, leaning against the tiled wall while chewing at her nails. She noticed my small movement and came to pat at the towel on my forehead, "Mel," she said.

Naome was instantly at her side, the two of them leaning over me like angels in front of the white lights. We were in a bathroom, I finally recognized, and I was spread across the counter beside a mirror.

"What happened?"

Naome gust a relieved yet unbelieving laugh. "You tell us!"

I tried to recount what could have made me completely shut down –it couldn't have been the last thing I remember which was being in the Maritime booth. I felt suffocated, but that wouldn't be enough to make me crash.

Crash.

I gave a pitiful sigh.

"The coffee."

The Omies leaned in closer with scrunched faces to see if they heard me right.

"I drank too much coffee. I never drink that much coffee and I guess my body reacted weirdly to the caffeine."

They reeled back with their own sighs like they were relieved I wasn't possessed.

"Well, babe, congrats on scaring the shit out of us."

I quickly sat up, projecting my head-towel into my lap. "I'm so sorry. I can't thank you guys enough for saving me."

"What were you doing all alone in the Maritime booth?" Naomi asked.

"And are you sure there wasn't something else in that coffee? Like, whiskey maybe? Because you looked like me on my birthday last month. After I mixed something with my whiskey I was totally out. Like, within minutes."

"No, no whiskey," I laughed nervously.

"But why were you in the Maritime booth?"

I swung my legs over the counter and swiveled them slightly, watching my shoe laces bounce while trying to ignore the lingering dizziness. "My brother and his friends are YouTubers signed on with Maritime and they were playing a game on stage."