Tentacles

17

I spent a lot more time at the tattoo parlor after that. 

By the end of the next two months, I had three new tattoos and got a nose ring.

One of the tattoos was on my ankle, a group of black stars (pretty simple). Another one I got on my wrist, the word Sloth in the same typewriter font (Hailey got one too that said Roadkill.)

My third one was on my back. It was a simple silouhette of a bird flying towards my shoulder, symbolizing my sister, and the words We Only Part Until We Meet Again in the same typewriter font that I've grown such fond of.

Hailey only got two more, Including the Roadkill tattoo. Hers was on her lower forearm, a flower with watercolor blues and purples.

I had also ditched my contact lenses in exchange for black, thick-rimmed glasses.

The sun outside shone brighter as summer grew near, which had turned my dark, ginger hair into more of a light auburn, and the freckles had started popping up.

I had ditched the sweaters for dark beanies and long cardigans and leggings.

I remember the day I took Hailey to Hot Topic for the first time.

She was geeking out over literally everything. We had got her a tye-dye Panic! At The Disco shirt, a Scrump backback, about eighty assorted buttons (I'm not even kidding), an Attack On Titan hoodie, and a blue beanie that had a reference on it that I didn't understand.

Hailey gasped when she heard this. "You've never heard of Yuri On Ice? Okay, three words: Gay Figure Skating."

I also got a bit of merch myself, a Nightmare Before Christmas hoodie and a shirt with Ryuk from Death Note on it.

We left broke.

Hailey smiled up at me as we left. "Can we get married here?"

I took my hand in hers. "We could get married at a fucking gas station, as long as it's you I'm marrying and not Dave the Lawnmower."

She squinted a bit. "I thought it was Harry?"

I rolled my eyes.

I heard a squeal come from Hailey as she spotted the sign in front of Starbucks that read Unicorn Drinks. I took her inside and waited in line for about twenty minutes, only to find they were all out.

She walked out, frowning, but I placed the beanie on her head and she seemed to cheer up a bit.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, leading me into Ulta. "I need hair dye."

Her hair was turning a light-brownish pink, so I walked in with her.

She stood in front of  the hair dyes. "Purple, blue, or pink again?" she asked, holding up three pastel boxes. I kissed her hair. " You look beautiful." She rolled her eyes and hit me with one of the boxes. "Shut up, you flirt."

She ended up with the blue hair dye, and we walked up to the register, where a woman with a pin with a cross on it stood, frowning. "Ma'am, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

I frowned. "Excuse me?"

She straightened one of the signs next to the cash register and cleared her voice. There, in big block letters, was We Have The Right To Refuse Service to Anyone. 

I cleared my throat. "Excuse me?"

Hailey tugged on my sleeve like an eight-year-old. "Come one, Jaimes, let's go."

I pressed my hands down on the counter. "You know what, no!"

"Jaimie," said Hailey firmly, and I looked down to see the hurt in her eyes. "Let's go. I can get hair dye somewhere else."

I whispered "okay" under my breath and I left with Hailey's hand in mine. "Damn homophobe," I said as I left the store with a frown on my face. Hailey pulled the beanie off her head and put it on mine. The corners of my mouth turned up just slightly.