Zack, Rian, and I now sat in the waiting room of Danny's Tattoo and Piercing Parlor. Zack checked in and told the receptionist he was going to get his nose pierced, only sealing his fate. The poor bastard.
I sat in the corner in a plush, black leather chair with Zack sitting in an identical chair next to mine, and Rian across from us. I was flipping through a magazine when a man with short, slicked back hair and ear stretched to the size of baseballs appeared in front of us.
"Zachary Merrick?" The man's voice was almost silky but still deep.
"That would be me." Zack sounded defeated like an injured puppy.
"Hi, I'm Danny Leal. I own this shop." The man smiled and shook Zack's hand.
"You can follow me." We followed Danny back to a small room with a black leather chair almost like one you'd see in a doctor's office. Zack took a seat and Danny began to gather the supplies to pierce a nose.
"So, you wanted to get your nose pierced?" Danny lamely attempted at small talk.
"Yessir." You could clearly hear the disdain in Zack's voice.
"Which side are you getting pierced?" Danny's gloved hands held a purple marker.
"Um, left side, I guess." Zack closed his eyes tightly and gripped the arms of the chair he was seated in so tightly his knuckles were the color of snow. Danny put a smalls dot on the left side of Zack's nose.
"Here?" Danny asked as he held up a mirror. Zack opened his eyes, nodded, then closed his eyes again.
"You seem a bit... hesitant. You sure about this?" Danny looked a bit unsure.
"Absolutely!" Zack tried his best to seem enthusiastic.
"So for starter jewelry you have two choices. This starter stud," he held up a small nose stud that had a tiny silver half sphere on it, "or this one," he then held up a stud identical to the first but with a small diamond instead of a half sphere.
"Definitely the first one." Zack's voice was faint.
Danny held a needle in his hand at this point and walked over to the chair.
"Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three." Zack's eyes shot open and he gasped. All the blood had drained from his face and he looked like he was about to pass out.
"You good there?" Danny asked him.
"Yeah." Zack said, barely audible.
"I'm gonna go ahead and put the jewelry in now. It shouldn't hurt." Danny threaded the needle out and the stud in. He held up a mirror so Zack could see.
"Doesn't look bad, actually," Zack seemed pleased, "I don't think I'm going to kill you, Rian."
"You are so very welcome, Zack." Rian said as he did a little bow.
"Shut up," Zack said trying to hide a smile.
--
I followed Zack and Rian into their house once again.
"Mom, we're home!"
"Hey," Mrs. Carla poked her head out of the kitchen, "oh, you actually got it pierced. You'll regret that in a month." She sounded so casual about it.
"Didn't think I would?" Zack retorted.
"Not at all." She replied as she turned back to whatever she was cooking.
"What's for dinner?" Rian changed the subject, obviously hungry.
"Tacos." Mrs. Carla answered the question before Rian could even finish the question, obviously anticipating it.
