Wanna Live It Up Just Because

Neon threw a blue corset top and black skirt on the bed Arpeggio and Jack still resided on. When she realized Jack was still leaning against the headboard next to her sister, she glared at him; he smiled in response. She knew he was planning something and it involved her little sister. Whatever it was, she wanted him to stop.

"Grim decided you're going to wear something that shows your insulin pump and your tattoos," Neon said.

How would her side tattoo be visible in a corset? Arpeggio picked up the article of clothing. The ribbon to tighten the corset was on the right where Arpeggio's tattoo was. She guessed the spaces between the ribbon would be big enough to show her drum montage. It had no straps— so the tattoo on her arm would be visible— and it clearly wouldn't cover her stomach— therefore her "tramp stamp" would also be visible.

Jack wondered how Arpeggio felt about not being able to pick her own clothes. Some managers cared about their band's image to extreme but he never pegged Grim to be one of those managers. Neon, on the other hand, seemed to be the most controlling thing on the face of the planet when it came to her sister. Maybe the rest of the band told Arpeggio what to do too. Maybe she never got to make her own decisions.

If that was the case, they probably did it for her safety. Diabetes can be dangerous if not handled properly. Jack once had a friend with diabetes who went into a coma because of his blood sugar plummeting. Of course they wouldn't want her to go through that.

But shouldn't they at least let her make some of her own decisions?

"Wait, you know about her tattoos?" asked Alex.

"How else do you think she got them? She's not old enough to get them without guardian consent," Neon stated, keeping her attention on digging through her bag.

"I assumed she got them behind your back."

"She's a good a kid, Alex. Unlike you, she wouldn't do shit like that."

"Are you assuming I would go behind my parents back to get a tattoo if I were her age?"

Neon's eyes met his, "Yes."

"You know, you're probably right," he laughed.

She rolled her eyes and returned to finding an outfit for the interview. Arpeggio stood from her spot on the bed, noticing that Neon would not have her outfit picked out for awhile, and walked to the bathroom connected to the hotel room. She locked the door behind her.

That's something she wouldn't normally do; she was supposed to keep the door unlocked. It was a rule made for her safety. If she were to pass out in the bathroom, her sibling, the band, or their manager needed to be able to get to her and bring her back to a conscious state.

But there were two men in the hotel room that she didn't know. Or barely knew. She figured her sister would want her to lock the door. It's not like her blood sugar was low anyway. Plus, she didn't want them to walk in while she was undressed.

She didn't think she did at least.

Arpeggio pulled her tank top and bra off, replacing them with the corset top. With expert fingers, she laced it. She wore these often; they were her favorite type of shirt. They may not have been the ultimate leisure top, but they were cute and she didn't need to wear a bra with them.

She unhooked her insulin pump from the waist band of her pants, looking at the small device for a second. Fingers attached to the portion attached to her body, she took a deep breath and pulled it out. A stinging sensation ran through her stomach as the needle exited her skin.

It was typical for her to change the insulin pump's placement when she was changing clothes. It made alternating pants easier. The device had to be changed at least twice a day, on occasion three times. Of course, changing it while she was changing clothes made sense.

She placed the device on the sink and pulled her lounge pants off her body. Quickly, Arpeggio pulled her skirt over boy shorts. Grabbing her pile of clothes and the insulin pump, she unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out, back into the bedroom.

"Where's my bag?" Arpeggio asked.

Her tiny voice attracted the attention of everyone in the room. Each noticed the insulin pump not attached to her body. Neon took the insulin pump from Arpeggio and grabbed the bag of diabetes supplies, getting the device set up so all she had to do was put it into her body.

"Are you supposed to take that out?" Jack asked, unabridged fear for the young girl's safety in his voice.

"I have to change where it is so that the insulin keeps working," she answered.

"Oh."

Jack allowed his eyes to roam the girl's tiny frame. The top hugged her body greedily and the skirt added a child-like appeal. She looked good. He noticed the bra hanging from the pile of clothes in her hand. Powder blue lace covered the cups with thin pink ribbons peaking through spaces in the lace. The center of the bra held a same pink ribbon tied in a bow.

Her sister let her wear stuff like that? Granted it was meant to be under her clothing. But why would she have a bra like that if no one was going to see it? What if someone was seeing it on the girl's body? That wasn't possible; Jack would not allow himself to believe she had a boyfriend.

She seemed too innocent to have ever had one.

"Your stuff is right here," Neon motioned to the pile on the bed, "I'm going to go change."

Arpeggio nodded. Her sister left the room, leaving her with the two semi-strangers.

"So you're going to put that back in now?" asked Alex.

She nodded.

"Can we watch?" he asked.

"Um, sure," she answered while she scooted onto the bed.

Jack and Alex moved to sit in front of her on the bed.

"You don't get to watch me set it up because Neon did that. All I have to do is put it in my stomach."

"That's the part we wanted to watch," Jack stated.

It seemed creepy that they wanted to watch her put the insulin pump in but Arpeggio figured they were just curious. She would be too if she didn't know anything about diabetes.

Arpeggio loaded the primed needle set into her insertion device. There was no way she would ever do this by hand again. It hurt too much.

She peeled the paper off the adhesive pad and placed the device against the new spot of insertion.

"Ready?" she asked the two men watching her every move.

Their eyes were glued to the complicated looking set up. Arpeggio tried not to laugh at the curiosity burning in their eyes. They nodded in response to her question.

"Okay."

She pressed the button on the insertion device. The needle plunged into her skin without hesitation. It didn't hurt at all this time. Sometimes it would sting; sometimes it would be plain painful. But the insertion device made it easier on her. She always hesitated when she put it in by hand, causing more pain then necessary.

"That happened so fast," Alex mumbled.

"Did it hurt?" asked Jack.

Arpeggio shook her head, smiling at them. She put the insertion device back in the bag. The bathroom door clicked open; Neon emerged, clothed in bright pink skinny jeans with various studded belts hanging at her hips and a black tank top.

"We need to meet Grim downstairs," Neon stated, throwing her clothes on top of her bag.

Neon headed towards the door; Arpeggio stood to follow. She hesitated at the entrance separating the bedroom from the living room of the hotel room, biting her lip above her lip stud. Hoping her sister wouldn't see her, Arpeggio turned to the boys still sitting on her bed.

Jack, who had watching her movements since she stood up, was the only one to notice her give a tiny wave. He smiled, returning her wave. Alex was too engrossed in the television to notice.

A blush coated Arpeggio's cheeks. With a smile on her face, she turned and left the room. Her heart was racing again. She was worried she would have hypoglycemic attack before the interview.