M A S K
You know those books 'a series of unfortunate events' that you read as a child, well I've always felt a connection to them because that's what my life has been - a series of unfortunate events.
Wearing a mask is easy, but when that mask beg...
"Bubs, why the hell are you not dressed?" I ask as Leo slumps over to a stool in the kitchen, "seriously, you have to leave in ten minutes," I say rolling my eyes.
"Relax, it takes me like two minutes to shower and then two minutes to put on jeans and a T-shirt. Meaning I have six minutes to eat this bowl of cereal," he says condescendingly with a smirk.
"Whatever, just please don't make yourself late again," I say.
Leo's in his Junior year of high school which means he has to be out the house at 8:45 every morning to make it on time.
My shift at Black Heart, the tattoo parlour I work at, doesn't start until noon. When I was younger Rose always told me how I should use my love of drawing to build a career. Of course, I always brushed it off because there's no way that a kid like me could become an artist but since moving to the city I decided to transfer my skills to something attainable; tattooing. I have also always loved tattoos, however, I only have a few myself. Each of my tattoos have meanings, for example, the word 'LOVE' I have written on my finger in rainbow colours I got done with Lexi last year. We both decided we wanted matching tattoos and then when she told me the reasoning behind her parents kicking her out, I thought this was the perfect way to show how we'd always be there for each other and support each other no matter what.
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It's a very small and minimalist tattoo, much like the rest of mine, but it means a lot.
"Skye, I'm going!" I hear Leo yell from behind the curtain.
I walk out to say goodbye before he's quickly out the door.
I'm not sure why I always wake up to say bye to Leo, I think it's because I want him to have as many normal experiences as possible. I know he doesn't have real parents like his friends do that cook breakfast and do all that family shit but I'm really trying my best to ensure he doesn't miss out on too much.
***
"Hey Ty," I say to my boss with a smile as I remove my coat, placing it on one of the hooks near the door.
"Hey, Skye, your list's on the counter," he replies, pointing to the list of appointments I have today.
My shift is five hours with one break and forty minutes for lunch. I actually really enjoy it here. Ty is really nice and who I work with a majority of the time. My other co-worker Liam, whom I rarely see, only works weekends which I never do.
"Okay, great thanks," I reply as I pick up the list and glance over the appointment times.
Some people come in spontaneously without booking beforehand, however a large majority call in advance, especially if it's a larger tattoo that takes longer or spans over multiple sessions.
