Page 22 of In Too Deep
Kris nodded and took a deep breath as Nick left the room carrying the drawing. She was relieved to have a few moments to relax before the needle started buzzing.
Izzy gave her hand a squeez. “Do you really want to do this?”
Kris nodded. “I do. It’s just scary. Does it hurt?”
Izzy, who had multiple tattoos scattered about her body shook her head and chuckled. “Mine never did. The feeling is more annoying than painful.” She used her fingertips to brush the hair back from Kris’ forehead. “Relax, cutie pie. You’re gonna be fine. I promise.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
“Have I ever let you down?”
Kris’ head shook ever so slightly. “Not yet.”
The girls exchanged a smile as Nick returned with Izzy’s drawing traced on the transfer paper. “Where are we getting the ink?”
Kris chewed her lip and pointed to the outside of her right bicep, assuming it would look best there. Izzy and Nick seemed to approve of her choice. Nick used an antiseptic wipe to clean her skin, then pressed the paper against her arm, and the image of the mermaid transferred perfectly. Nick held up a mirror to let her check the positioning. She gave him a smile and a nod, pleasantly surprised at how excited she was to have the drawing become a part of her forever.
“Ready?” Nick asked as she sat down and wiggled his thick fingers into a pair of black latex gloves. Kris took a deep breath and nodded with her eyes closed.
Exhaling, she said, “Let’s do this.”
The buzzing of the tattoo machine filled her ears and when the needle touched her skin, she had to turn her head away. Izzy had lied: it hurt like hell at first, but she gritted her teeth against the pain and soon, it was more annoying than painful. She closed her eyes and focused on the warmth and comfort of Izzy’s hand in hers.
Kris had no idea how long it had taken, but when she opened her eyes again Nick was wiping her arm with paper towels. “All done,” he said, holding up the mirror again. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s amazing,” Kris said with a tear in her eye. She looked at Izzy and smiled.
“It’s awesome sauce, cutie pie,” Izzy said, clapping her hands and bounding up and down like a little kid. Nick put a bandage over the fresh ink and recited the instructions on how to care for it. He held out a big hand to help her out of the chair and led them back to the front of the shop.
* * *
“What now?” Izzy asked as they stepped out into the brisk, cold night air and pulled their coats tight around them. Although Kris felt a little nauseous and lightheaded after getting the tattoo, she knew she didn’t want their night on the town to end so soon. She squeezed Izzy’s hand and said, “I don’t know, but I don’t want to go back to the dorm just yet. Let’s do something fun. Something that doesn’t involve needles and giant, scary men.”
“I have an idea!” Izzy giggled and tugged her hand, leading her down the street. Kris willingly followed. She had never felt so alive before. She’d never done something so spur of the moment and wild. It was invigorating and addictive. She felt brave and capable of anything, so long as Izzy was at her side.
Izzy led her to a building six blocks away, further from the center of town. It was an old brick building with a flashing neon sign on the front that read Lola’s Lipstick Lounge.
“Lola’s Lipstick Lounge?” Kris said with a wry smile. “Have you ever been here?”
The look on Izzy’s face said yes, but she tried to look innocent as she shrugged and said, “I don’t really recall.”
Kris pondered the neon sign for a moment, then threw up her hands and said, “Okay! Let’s go check it out.”
CHAPTER SIX
“ID’s, ladies,” the massive bouncer standing just inside the door wiggled his fingers at them. “Eighteen and up.”
Kris and Izzy handed over their ID’s and tried not to giggle as the bouncer looked them up and down. Satisfied that they were of age, he returned their ID’s and stamped a large red X on the back of their right hands.
“Enjoy your night, ladies,” he said, ushering them in.
Izzy took Kris’ hand and pulled her into the club. Kris felt like she was entering another dimension. This was her first time at a nightclub and she was invigorated by everything she saw. Purple and blue lights strobed, programmed to follow the beat of the music. In fact, everything, including Kris’ heartbeat, seemed to follow the beat of the loud music.
She held on tight to Izzy’s hand and gazed toward the packed dance floor. She quickly realized that every single person on the floor was female. Some wore boy clothes and had short hair, others shared Izzy’s eccentric style, but the ones that really caught her eyes were the ones who just looked like normal college girls… girls that looked just like her.
Izzy pulled her towards the bar and ordered two Cokes, but Kris couldn’t peel her eyes away from the women on the dance floor gyrating to the heavy music. She watched in amazement as they danced and kissed and touched. A jolt of emotion cursed through her body and threatened to bring tears to her eyes.
She let out a deep breath as a weight was lifted off her shoulders. For the first time in her life she felt like she actually belonged somewhere. And she wanted to dance…