BAD OMENS ✬ luke hemmings

3.5 | new tattoo

Aria is not at school today.

Part of it is that she's taking Michael out into the city to get his first – legal – tattoo for his birthday, which happened to fall on a Monday, and the other part is that she's not ready to endure an hour of after school detention.

She skipped all of last week after what happened in the art room. That moment of weakness, when she looked into Luke's eyes and saw something in them, felt a sense of – god forsaken – admiration.

Keeping things short, she was spooked. Mortified. Horrified. And she is not ready to return to the curse that is detention and whatever lingers in the air whenever they're alone together doing minimal, insignificant, activities.

Luke hasn't been showing up either. In all fairness, he's terrified too. He's been leaving classes early at the end of the day and Ubering home just to avoid her. Fortunately for him, Aria is not at school today.

If the office has noticed their absence, they haven't said anything about it. Both of them doubt they care that much at this point, and the worst that could happen is an email or phone call home.

Nevertheless, it's ten in the morning and Aria is banging on Michael's front door. They made plans, she told him – in person and on text – that they'll be leaving at ten o'clock to drive into the city. She booked an appointment for him and everything! And they cannot be late.

"Michael! Open the door!" She yells, banging on the wood, hoping that the noise will persuade him to get his ass out of the house quicker. "We've got to drive like forty-five minutes to get into the city, and the appointment is at eleven! We're going to be late!"

"Damn woman! Calm down!" Michael's voice sounds from behind the door, he's shoving his feet into his converse, grabbing a flannel to wear over his hoodie, along with his keys, wallet, and phone.

It's his eighteenth birthday. He was expecting a nicer start to his special day, maybe a surprise, a nice cake, but no, he woke up to five missed calls from Aria and loud banging on his door. Then again, she is taking him out to the city, she did book his appointment, she did drive him out yesterday afternoon for the consultation of the design.

And after all, she is paying for his tattoo.

Still, he's expecting a cake, or at least some balloons.

"Get your ass out of that house!" She yells, grasping the door handle and shaking it. "Hurry up! Or I'm getting that tattoo myself!"

Michael unlocks the door, staring at the girl he proudly calls his best friend standing in front of him with no cake or balloons. He shuts the door, locking it, and sighs. "Where are my balloons, party hat, and cake?" He asks.

"At the fucking tattoo parlour." Aria says, grabbing his wrist and pulling him towards her car, "Come on, let's go! We've got a whole day ahead of us!" She exclaims.

Aria planned for them to get the tattoo, to have lunch at the diner – where Ashton will meet them – then go and buy a cake, and drive home where the group will meet at Michael's house for a small little cake cutting and the exchange of gifts.

And since it's a school night, everyone should be home at no later than six.

"Yeah, but did we really have to leave at ten?" He groans, "I mean, it's a Monday, I doubt that they're many people getting tattoos at this time, or day. We could have done this on the weekend," he says.

"What? And go to school on your birthday? Lame." She says, opening the car door and hopping into the driver's seat, "We're too punk rock for that." She snorts, taking a little jab at Michael and his embarrassing phrase he uttered every single day during ninth-grade.