Punctured, Bruised, and Barely Tattooed(15)

She nodded. “Yeah, okay. Can I have you pick for me?”

He drew in a deep breath and smiled. “Sure. If that’s what you want.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Now…get inside and get some sleep.”

“You don’t want to come in for a while?” Her body was thinking about something it hadn’t done in a very long time.

A sly grin told her he’d already considered it and decided against it. “Not tonight. Maybe next time.”

She couldn’t remember unlocking the door or saying good night to him because her mind was too busy processing that he’d told her there would be a next time. A tattoo and another date. She could definitely live with that.



The next morning, she told Tina and Lacey about the date, and they both said it sounded hopeful. Tina thought it was cool that Kory was considering her first tattoo finally, but Lacey was a good friend and said nothing, even though Kory couldn’t help but notice the slight eye roll.

When she was in class later, she could hear the slight buzz her phone made in her backpack. It was repetitious, so she knew she was getting a phone call. She was curious but stayed focused on her professor’s lecture. The hectic pace of summer classes meant she couldn’t afford to be distracted, not even for a few moments.

All bets were off when the professor let them go for the day, though. She pulled her phone out of her backpack while she waited outside for Tina beside the girl’s car. Kory felt fortunate that her friend attended WCC like she did, and as long as she could arrange her classes around Tina’s, she had a ride. Work was another matter, but she lived a hell of a lot closer to work than she did the college. She didn’t mind walking most places, and the only time it really got to her was when the temperature was extreme either way. In the spring, she’d had an extra two hours to study in the library because Tina had one more class than she did, and Kory felt like the study time had helped her grades.

Oh. The phone call had been from Stone. She should have expected that a call from him would make her happy, but she hadn’t anticipated how much. She felt warm and eager, and when she saw that she had a voicemail message, she played it. “Kory, Stone here. I have an opening Friday night at seven o’clock. You in? Call me back.”

She didn’t hesitate. When he picked up, she said, “Oh, Stone, it’s so nice of you to offer to do this, but my payday is the Friday after. I don’t have any money for a tattoo right now.”

“I said I would do it. I never said I would charge you.” She was silent for a few seconds, and he started talking again before she could say anything. “Really, Kori. On the house. I just—you know, if you want a tattoo, I want to make your experience as stress free and painless as possible. Do you trust me?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I do.” She spied Tina walking toward the car from across the parking lot. She waved but she wasn’t able to get her friend’s complete attention.

“Good. Friday night at seven.”

She felt nervous all over again. She knew she would continue feeling that way until she got it over with, even practicing the deep breathing exercises her therapist from years ago had taught her. She just had to do it. That was the only way she could face her fears and overcome them. She knew this.

She had this.





Chapter Seven



LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, Kory touched up her makeup. She understood that people didn’t think much of the way she painted her face. They simply thought she drew black around her eyes and called it good, but that wasn’t it at all. Yeah, she went heavy on the black, but she wore a little eye shadow and mascara, too.

Dressing was more difficult. She couldn’t decide on a shirt. She found a pair of jeans with the knees ripped out a little and chose those. Afterward, she searched through the shirts hanging in her closet and the t-shirts in her dresser and started to fret. Why was she worried? Stone already liked her enough to hang with her and he was going to tattoo her for free. He probably didn’t care what she wore.

That wasn’t why she was so nervous, though, and she knew it. No, Kory was scared shitless of that goddamned tattoo gun. It was irrational, and Stone had tried to assure her that it would be okay…that she could trust him. She had to find a way.

So she looked through her shirts one last time and settled on a black Eve to Adam tee. It was a little more snug around her small breasts than most of her other t-shirts, but she didn’t care. It was rare that a shirt hugged her like that.

Even though it had been hot outside earlier in the day, some gray clouds had drifted in. She wouldn’t have minded rain, but the clouds were just teasing. She decided to walk so she wouldn’t have to beg Lacey for a ride. Lacey had a date that night and was fretting over her own shit, so Kory ate an apple and then headed out a little after six, wishing Lacey good luck with her date.