Not Afraid to Die

"Can I have a root beer?"

"No."

"But Arpeggio is getting a root beer."

"I don't care what Arpeggio is getting. You are not getting a root beer."

"But, Dante."

"Your food's already been ordered."

"There's a vending machine down the hall."

Dante sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb. How long had his younger sibling been pestering him about getting a root beer? He hadn't been keeping track. Lolita would periodically ask him for the carbonated beverage, he would turn her down, and she would find some reason she should have it. As it was, enough energy was coursing through her veins.

And he had to deal with her after this.

"I'm not giving you money to get a root beer."

"I have money."

"Lolita, you're not getting a root beer. You're having fast food for the second time this week. No root beer."

"Dante," Lolita whined.

"No. Do you have your pills with you?"

Sighing, Lolita drawled, "Yes."

After her talk with Arpeggio, she decided to take her mind off of Rian for a bit by harassing her brother. The root beer wasn't her main concern. She didn't want it. Not really. She was just trying to distract herself. It was working pretty well. Dante was an easy target. Despite the fact that he cared for her a good deal, he got frustrated easily.

It helped that Arpeggio was in the booth with her sister, setting up her drum set properly. She wasn't there to remind Lolita of the conversation.

This game was also good for ignoring the light throb in her head.

"Good. Take them when the food gets here."

"Do I have to?" Lolita whined.

"If you want to live, yes."

"Can't we compromise?"

"You'd think you're making her do math homework or something," Lestat commented.

"No, if it was math homework, she'd be running from this building, screaming," Dante stated.

"I would," Lolita nodded.

Her brother knew her well. Math homework was the worst threat Dante could use on her for a serious punishment, though he wasn't likely to punish her ever. Her father didn't even seriously punish her.

She got away with a lot. It was probably because of her HIV. It was too likely that Lolita would pass away before anyone got to apologize. And who wanted her to die while grounded? She was a free spirit, constantly happy and in motion. She wasn't meant to die while under the constraint of punishment.

Lolita surely didn't want that to happen.

The phone in Lolita's pocket vibrated. She pulled the object from her pants and held it up to see the caller ID. Dante tilted his head at the sight of the cell phone. He patted his pockets, finding all to be empty.

"Is that my phone?" Dante asked.

"Yeah," Lolita chirped, momentarily distracted from the vibrating phone.

"How did you get my cell phone?"

"The gnomes gave it to me."

"Gnomes?" Dorian asked.

"I knew I shouldn't have let them out of your closet," Dante grumbled, playing along with his sister's claim and ignoring Dorian.

There were no magical creatures living in her closet. None that he knew of at least. She could very well have been breeding unicorns for all he knew.

"You're problem." Lolita pressed a button on Dante's phone and brought it to her ear. "Daddy," she squealed before the man on the other end could say a word.

"Please don't tell me you killed your brother," her father said.

"Silly daddy, Dante is still alive."

"Can I talk to him, honey?"

"I don't think he can talk through the gag. Would you like me to relay a message?"

Dante raised an eyebrow, listening to his sister's side of the conversation.

"I need to make sure everything is going okay and remind him you have an appointment with Doctor Cart in a few days."

"But I just saw her three days ago."

"That was an emergency visit, not a checkup."

"Daddy, the emergency visit included a checkup."

"Lolita, there was a change in medication. You know the doctor needs to check to make sure the pills are working."

Lolita sighed, "Okay."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Now, give the phone to Dante."

"Fine." Lolita held the phone towards her sibling.

Her brother grabbed the phone, brought it to his ear and immediately greeted their father. Lolita turned her attention to Dorian and Lestat.

"When is Jazz getting here?"

The keyboardist still wasn’t there, and Lolita wanted to see her. After finding out about Jazz's past cutting problem, she was curious, though she probably wouldn't ask the questions on her mind. She didn't think she could bring herself to violate Jazz's privacy like that.

But she wanted to understand.

"Soon," Lestat responded, "She's one of the people bringing food."

"You need more than one person to bring food?"

"Well, we all wanted food from different places, so instead of making her drive all over town, we got Alex and company to pick up some of the orders."

"Everyone in All Time Low is helping?"

"We figured we'd put those lazy asses to work."

That meant Rian would be there. At some point, he would show up with food. Lolita didn't know how long he would end up staying, but she could feel the butterflies already igniting in her stomach at the prospect of his stay.

This crush thing was getting out of hand.

She needed to think about something other than Rian.

"Dante, can I have a root beer?" Lolita asked.

Dante, who was slipping his phone into his pocket where Lolita hopefully wouldn't get it, turned his attention to his sibling. "Didn't I already tell you 'no'?"

"But, Dante, I need it."

"No, you don't."

"Dante," Lolita whined.

"No."

"I'll die without it."

"You'll live just fine without it."

Pouting, Lolita looked at Dorian and Lestat. Both seemed to melt instantly under her pitiful gaze. They were so easy to play.

"Lestat, why is Dante so mean to me?"

Lestat almost looked relieved that she didn't ask him for a root beer. "He's not trying to be mean, cupcake. He's being a good big brother and looking out for you. No one wants you to get sick."

Lolita knew that she needed to remain healthy, and that was the sheer reason Dante wouldn't allow her to consume a root beer. Sure, she wouldn't die from drinking one root beer. But it would cause her to fall into the habit of drinking root beer, or soda in general, at any chance she got. Her system would become unhealthy and less likely to protect her from infection. She had been lucky so far, remaining away from AIDS for eighteen years. Most people weren't that fortunate.

Her mother certainly hadn’t been.

And she knew no one wanted to see her sick. It caused stress and pain to those who cared for her. Her father took it the hardest. He was trying to keep her alive to the best of his ability, and he had been doing a spectacular job at it. As a single parent, it was hard for him. He never wanted to raise children on his own, and he didn't want either of his children to pass away.

Dante had his share of hardship when it came to her being sick. He was her brother. He had seen their mother pass away and watched his younger sibling grow up with the same disease that killed their mother. Lolita wasn't sure he could handle her dying.

It seemed like neither her brother nor her father would accept that she would die young.

She didn't expect them to.

Before Lolita could continue whining, the door to the room flew open, eccentric keyboardist standing in the opening with food in her hand.

"Hello, party people."