I'll Be Holding on to You

three minutes

"I'll get the spider if you know wh-where it is," Moey called after me. "They'll want to see it to be sure."

"'K, you'll have to bring it. It's under the arm of the chair." I began running to the gate and on the fourth footstep slipped in water and fell on one knee hard, biting the tip of my tongue in the process. My tongue hurt worse than the jarring pain in my knee. Both began bleeding. "Ugh," I said, standing up again and waving off the concerned comments.

"You're fucking hopeless," Erika said, grasping my elbow firmly as she appeared at my side. 

I was so distracted by that fucking gold loop on her bikini top I forgot about Evie for a second or two. 

Freak wasn't done as we continued fast-walking. "I swear to God. The most accident prone person in the world. Where are we going?"

"Evie got bit by a black widow," I said, my hand cupped under my chin to catch the blood that seemed to be pouring out of my mouth. I continued toward the gate. "Jesus Christ." I leaned over into the dirt by the gate and spit most of the blood out, flinging my hand in that direction as well and then wiping it on the clothes I held. Gross. More ran down my shin and onto my foot. 

"We're fine, just kick back here with them," I said to Erika.

She responded with a resounding "Fuck off, Dory."

I got in the far back, Freak following me, because Evie was passed out across the middle seats and Cam perched on the edge, attempting to secure her with a seat belt. "I think she can breathe better while unconscious," he said matter of factly as Freddy began driving. "She's pretty freaked out. Why are you bleeding?" 

He moved enough into the seat to put on his own seat belt. Evie's head was in his lap and he held the makeshift ice pack to her hand. We were all pretty safety conscious, go figure.

I waved him off. "I just slipped, I'm fine. Bit my tongue."

Erika had found a wad of fast food napkins and was holding them to my knee. "I swear to God," she muttered again.

"Pipe down, Freak," I told her, sitting back for the remainder of the brief ride. And then we were parking in front of the emergency doors and Cam was handing her over to Freddy, and he ran with her like she was a damsel in distress through the doors calling for help. Cam went with them. I made Bowser stay with us so he wasn't in the way. He could go in later.

"Guess I can get dressed now," I realized, pulling on my shorts over my wet swimsuit bottom, while trying to avoid the chunk of flesh missing from my right knee. "Ow, ow, ow."

"I go in the house for three. Fucking. Minutes." Erika just looked at me, shaking her head. "Three minutes! How?!"

"Move, girl," I said, pushing her warm shoulder so she would get out of my way. "Let me move the bubblegum mobile."

"Three fucking minutes," she said again, but quieter, and she got out of the car while I blatantly watched and tried not to drool because she was just beautiful and curvy and perfect. It was like she bewitched my hands because they had some minds of their own regarding her and what they wanted to be doing.

Bowser whined because he didn't like to be away from Cam. "You're okay, not-Benji," I told him with a couple of pats on the head. He got on the floor to clean up some chips.

I took over the driver's seat and she took shotgun, shutting the door. "Fucking Evie. How does one even get bitten by a black widow on a sunny summer day? It's practically impossible."

"I know," I said. I stopped at the stop sign leading into the parking garage and opened the door so I could lean over and spit blood out as I felt in my purse for my cigarettes.