Caught In The Scene (LiL PEEP)

Chapter 35

I made breakfast in the kitchen and moped around for hours before Reagan showed up at my door. It had only been me at home until then. 

"Hey." She said and then realized something was wrong. "Where...is everybody?" She searched around oddly as she made her way to me on the couch. I offered her a spoon to dig into the salted caramel vanilla swirl I was chowing down on a little too fast.

"I fucked up."

"Dang, I've never heard you cuss like that before. What happened?" She took a seat beside me and fell into the cushions gracefully, pushing away the spoon as a no thank you gesture. 

"Your loss." I sighed. "They left and I don't know where they went."

"Gustav didn't tell you?" She was surprised. I was a long time ago too. 

"No." The one syllable brought back tears. "I don't think he wants to continue our relationship after the tour."

"What?!" She freaked. "That's shit. Why would you think that? Did he say that to you?" Her attention was now totally on the situation.

"No, but Coldhart and Horsehead came over last night to discuss what will be happening in a few days and the question of what will happen when the tour ends came up. He said he doesn't know if he can keep up our contact when he returns home. I posed the question and asked if he wanted me to go with and he didn't exactly answer." Reagan held me as I fell apart. She's a good listener. "I yelled at him in front of the guys and he didn't even reassure me that it'd be alright. I straight up asked him if he wants to stay with me after the tour and he didn't answer. I didn't ask if it was possible, I asked what he wants. And he doesn't know..." Reagan bit her bottom lip, caught between a rock and a hard place. 

"Give it all time." She finally said. "Avery-Grace is the wiser of us but I'll try my best to help. For now, just take time to deal with this by yourself. Do you mind if I get Trace involved?"

"No, not at all. I just want this dealt with." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and sat up straight, wrapping the knit blanket tightly around me. 

"Can I tell you something?" She said to me.

"Yea." I looked from the fibers in the blanket to her face.

"I'm not supposed to say anything but Tracy told me that all the GothBoiClique guys are planning to get you tatted." I groaned.

"I thought we left this topic at the bar table in Heartwood Valley, New Mexico or whatever it's called."

"You did. We didn't."

"Oh, you girls are in on it too?" I accused my friend.

"Well duh. Team effort. GothGirlClique, bitch."

"GothGirlClique?" I laughed. "Y'all are so ditzy, you ditzy red head."

"That's racist."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" We laughed. "Thanks for coming over." I appreciated her company.

"Don't thank me just yet. Get in the car."

"There's always a catch, isn't there."

"Always." She winked and pulled me from my position on the sofa. I dropped the soft cloth on the ground but took the frozen yogurt with me. I knew exactly where we're going.

Seven miles later and I wound up outside of a tattoo parlor. She wouldn't let me out of the car. "Do we have to wait for them?" I whined.

"Yes, look. Here's Wiggy, Mint, and Tracy now." The trio got out of the car and strode up to the rusty, busted up truck. Mint knocked on the window and I rolled it down. Freezing, dry air consumed me. I hate my life.

"You know what you're getting?"

"Is that a question meaning I'm choosing or do I know what you guys are choosing?" I know how unamused I looked. 

"You're picking. Duh. It's gonna be on you forever."

"Look at Gus, I'm sure he didn't pick at least one of them."

"That's his problem." Wiggy came over to talk to me also.

"Does my Mom know about this?" 

"Um, no?" Wigs copped an attitude.

"Brat." I muttered under my breath and the people around me laughed too hard. Tracy started coughing.

"You're getting it on your face, right?" I shot Peep's best friend a look of hatred and cold-heartedness. He threw his hands up to surrender. "Fine, fine. The others are inside. Are you guys coming?" My vision whisked to Reagan immediately.

"You mean to tell me we could have been in the warmth this whole time?"

"Oops." They all giggled again and I jumped down from the tall vehicle. I wasn't so eager to see Gus as I was to warm myself to the very core. I opened the door myself and heard the bell toll above me. So welcoming for such a punk place, I thought silently. My gaze caught on a man resting in a brown chair staring directly at me. A tattoo artist was pecking into his skin with dark ink. The man winced a bit but never broke our line of vision. He didn't drop his eyes. He smiled.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shrieked and ran up to him. Gustav's parlor man was now changing the ink to a crimson red. In cursive letters, I saw the word Clea form on his jawline. A heart was to be added.

"Gotta make this love memorable forever, baby. I'm sorry for last night-" he paused while the guy worked on the outline of a small heart. When the man pulled back, my boyfriend continued. "I didn't mean to hurt you in any way, I'm just saying it's not very likely to happen. I do want you in my arms even passed the grave though, babygirl." I took his hand with my own icy limb.

"I understand." The pain didn't leave. What had happened had gone and went and will forever be a harsh memory. I'm just glad it's been resolved less than twelve hours later.

"Believe me, I am thinking about it. We can make this work."

"Aren't you technically, lawfully, morally a pedophile?" Mint joined the conversation, unwantedly. 

"Can you not ruin the moment?" He asked her.

"Sorry, but this shit is gross." I laughed as she went back to her puppy Wiggy. 

"Are they dating?" I inquired in a hushed voice.

"Most likely." Peep looked over at them and then back to me with a confirmed decision. "Definitely." He pulled me onto his lap like Santa Claus and asked me what I wanted.

"I know exactly what I want." The idea came fast but I liked it. "I won't tell you though. You'll find out." I suddenly wanted to get this tattoo.

________________

I'm here for each and every one of you! I love you and Gus loved you! We are one big family united by him! Rest In Peep!

Ps. They restocked his merch on lilpeep.party (website)

Ps. I'm making a sequel to this book soon!