Something Lost, Something Gained (BEING EDITED)

Chapter 15: Tattoos and Taken

Luke and I walk through the front door of Elan's house to complete and udder silence. I noticed Bastian's car parked in the driveway but no Bastian.
"Hey Bash you here?" I cup my hands around my mouth. I hear the back door slam open and then the house was filled with the scent of cigarettes.
"Yeah I'm here." He says and walks to the sink to wash his hands. "You're late."
"Well I can't help that you made me walk home you arse." I say starting to become angry once more.
He leans back against the counter, crossing his arms. "Luke, you might wanna leave." Luke looks from me to Sebastian and then back to me. He shakes his head and walks to the basement.
"So what the hell was that today? I mean, I don't even know what happened. Like, please explain to me what was even going through your mind!" I feel myself begin to shake as I practically scream at him.
"Whoa there girl, calm down." Bastian says, his hands raised.

"Ugh and then you had to drive her home! I mean what in the actual hell."My words seethe from my mouth.

"Seriously if you could just give me a second to explain myself Lucinda." Bastian yells. He moves towards me and grabs my wrists. I jerk my arms from his hands and step back. Only he steps with me. "I took her home because I wanted to apologize to Camila for using her like that. I also had to explain to her why I did it, and why it can't happen again."

"Whatever," I turn around to leave but Bash grabs my shoulders and spins me around.

"Don't you get it?" His fingers tilt my chin up, "I like you, you idiot."

Bash's face comes closer to mine. I can feel his breath upon my lips. My eyes notices lip gloss still on his. I shove him away. "You can't kiss me, not after you just kissed her." "Come on Luke, we've got a Strawberry to pick up!"

Luke comes running up from the basement, his face stuffed with food and two pops in his hands. He gives me one as we walk out the door. "I don't care what he says, what Sebastian did was wrong." Luke says opening the garage. Inside sat my baby, a black 1970 Pontiac Firebird. Luke's eyes widen as he sees my new/old car. "Can you please explain to me why we didn't take this to school?"

"My mom just sent it. My baby got here this afternoon." I grab the keys from the peg board on the wall. I walk over to the drivers side and hop in the car. Jamming the keys into the ignition my baby roars to life. The interior of the car smells faintly of smoke and my lavender perfume. Inhaling deeply, a smile forms on my face. I glance over to see Luke having a mini stroke as he touches the door of the car. He runs his hands over the hard plastic.

"This is the most beautiful car I have ever seen in real life," He dotes.

I back out of the drive way and throw the car into first, slowly letting off the clutch. Strawberry, here we come.

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My car slides into Lilith's dirt driveway causing a thin spray of dirt. I put her in park and walk up to the side door of her house. I knock in short patterns of three until a small woman answers the door. Her hair is cut into a short straight bob, similar to her daughters. Her eyes light up as she smiles at me.

"You must be Luce!" the woman screams as she throws her arms around me. "I'm Lilith's mom! She's told me so much about you! I didn't even know she had any friends until you came along. So I heard you guys are getting tattoos, oooh sounds painful."

The small woman peppers me with questions and remarks about her daughter, completely different from the Strawberry I know. "Yes, I'm Luce. Yes, we are getting tattoos. No, it's not that painful, and yes I will take good care of your daughter." I try to reply as fast and as efficiently as possible. Red's mom goes to open her mouth again but she appears before her mom could even get out a word.

"Seriously mom, please try not to scare her away. I'll be careful, and I love you." Lilith plants a kiss on her moms cheek and makes her way towards the car.

"Happy Halloween!" I shout over my shoulder as I walk away.

Strawberry slides into the middle of the bench seat, wedged in between Luke and I. Her knee brushes his and I see her face turn red. The drive to the tattoo place is only about twenty minutes, as it is just in Marshall. Luke picked the one that his friend Alan worked at, called Dope Ink or something like that. The building its self was small and had a large bay window. Inside you could see six chairs of which two were filled.

We walk into the shop with pockets full of money and pits in our stomachs. A tall man with orange hair greets us at the counter. He has a large and easy smile on his face. "Hello, and welcome! What can I do for you?"

"Yo Al, what's up?!" Luke holds his hand out. They do some weird high five/hug things.

"What up little bro? These your ladies?" Alan says giving Luke a noogie.

"In his dreams," I say laying my drawing on the counter. "You think you could do something like that?"

"Whoa, did you draw that?" Alan asks. I nod my head. "That's sick."

After we all pay Strawberry, Luke, and I are lying down on our chairs. I face down, on account of my tattoo being on my back. The air is cool on my bare back, I really wish I had a shirt on. I hear Lilith whimper from the chair next to me. I reach my hand out to her and she gladly takes it. Luke on the other hand is toughing it out like a man as Alan begins what will be an upper arm sleeve. The guy who works on me wipes my skin with an alcohol wipe.

The hum of the needles fades into background noise as I focus on the pain that begins in the center of my back. Each poke near my spine causes me to inhale sharply. "Remember to breathe normally!" Alan says from the next chair. I laugh, which causes me to be in even more pain.

"Strawberry you doing okay?" I ask. I hear her sniffle.

"Yeah," she says but I can tell she's been crying.

After a few hours the tattoos are finally done. It was odd that we finished at the same time. My back had went numb a while ago, which I was glad for. The guy had told me to wait here while he went to get some plastic wrap to cover it. I get comfortable in the chair and feel my eyes drift close. I hear footsteps coming my way and then feel a poke in my neck. Then everything goes black.