Tattoo Artist | o. diaz

sesenta y ocho: Act Up

"Girlfriend? Is she getting a tattoo?" Venus asked, turning around to look at the filled seats in the shop.

"Venus, stop playing." Oscar glared, grabbing Venus' wrist as she tried to walk away.

Venus snatched her wrist back and stumbled at the force. "Don't touch my body." Luciana looked up at her, and stopping made the guy she was tattooing look at where she was staring. "Get out of my shop before I call your probation officer, Spooky. You aren't wanted here."

Oscar watched Venus step back and then walk into the back room. When the door shut, he realized everyone was staring at him. "The fuck you staring at?"

Everyone turned away, except Luciana who glared at him and shook her head until he walked out by aggressively throwing the door open. Once Lu heard the car door slam, she went back to the tattoo she was doing.

Venus sat in the back room, on her phone for about 5 minutes just to make sure Oscar was actually gone before she went back out. Once she saw the impala make skid marks and go down the street, she walked out and took the next customer. Venus managed to keep herself busy for 4 hours with tattoos and piercings until Luciana finally got the chance to talk to her one-on-one.

"Were you watching Jane the Virgin without me again?"

Venus stayed silent as she washed her hands. "Maybe." She shrugged. "Only because you're always taking forever and I'm impatient."

"Mama, I was working." Luciana laughed. "Come, let's go back home before more customers come." Venus sighed and grabbed all her stuff. Luciana was already outside and was waiting for Venus to lock the door before getting into her car. "Don't you think Luis should go to an actual babysitter?"

Venus scoffed and shook her head. "I don't trust people out here. They might do something to him, and I don't want another court case." Luciana tilted her head against the window, but nodded in understanding as they pulled up to her parents' house.

Luis has been looking out of the living room window for the pass 10 minutes, and when he saw the car pull up, he was quick to tell Lisbet. "Abuelita, mamá aquí!" Lisbet came from the kitchen as Luis put his backpack and shoes on and ran to the front door.

Once the front door opened, Luis sprinted out and was caught by Venus who threw him up and caught him. "Hey, papito! Have fun?"

Luis nodded his head and adjusted the white headband he had on. "We played tag and hide and seek."

"Venus, deberían quedarse para cena."

Venus looked up at her mom and tilted. "Did you cook too much food again?" Lisbet smiled and meekly nodded her head.

"It was an accident."

Venus hummed and turned to Luciana. "You wanna stay for dinner?"

"Hell yeah! I'm telling you, señora, su comida es la mejor en todo Freeridge." Luciana hooked her arm with Lisbet's and began walking into the house with Venus and Luis right behind them.

"Tía loca." Venus nodded her head, agreeing with Luis, but closed the front door behind them.

× × ×

"Real ass bitch give a fuck 'bout a n-! Big Birkin bag hold 5, 6 figures!"

"Stripes on my ass so he call this pussy tigga! Fuckin on his scammin' ass, rich ass n-!" Venus carried on. Both her and Luciana danced around the living room with the speaker blasting, and Luis stood on the coffee table doing the same thing. Luciana started twerking and Luis bent over, putting his hands on the table and copying her actions. Or at least trying to.

In the middle of their dance party, the doorbell went off and made everyone look to the front door. Venus turned the music down and Luis pouted, but continued dancing. "You invite someone?"

"No, but the guys have been up our asses for like 2 weeks since you and baldy broke up." Luciana said as she walked towards the door. "Told you." Luciana opened the door and all the cholos ran inside the house.

"Venus, why's your kid dancing like a crackhead?" Andres shouted from the living room.

Venus, Luciana and Luis gasped and Luis threw a shoe. "Leave him alone, puto. You danced the same way at prom."

"I was drunk at prom, leave me alone."

"No." Luis threw his other shoe at Andres, which he caught, and stuck his tongue out. "Baldy."

Luciana spit out her soda and started laughing. "I'm adopting you." Luis smiled and started clapping while Luciana set a case of beer from the fridge down. "So, what do you want?"

All the cholos shrugged and leaned back once their beer was open. "It's cold outside."

"And you come here instead of going home?" The cholos nodded as Luis crawled down from the coffee table. "Don't you have families?"

"We see them everyday." Pablo said. Venus shook her head as the song changed.

"You should be. Some people don't have a family."

"Okay, my mom doesn't love me as much as your mom loves you."

Luciana smacked her lips and looked at Andres. "Why you lying? I saw your mom bring you sunscreen one time and start rubbing your face because it was 'too hot to go out'."

"That was like 3 years ago."

This time, Venus smacked her lips and looked at the bald cholo across from her on the other couch. "That was the day before thanksgiving, lying ass."

Andres shook his head and smacked his lips. "Man, shut up. Always in my business."

Venus shook her head as Andres and Luciana bickered back and forth and sat back between Pablo and Enrique. "You guys got weird friends."

"They're both yours."

Venus scrunched her face and looked to Pablo. "Says who? I don't have friends. They disappoint me."

"Bitch, this isn't Vine."