The Perfect Storm

Chapter 5 - Something Else to Me

Kiana's POV:

I woke up alone on the couch. The Walking Dead marathon was still playing on the TV. I wiped my eyes and yawned. Where was Chris?

"Chris?" I called out.

"In the kitchen!" he yelled back.

I walked around the corner and found him setting up some pizza and Sprite. He remembered. A huge smile crept onto my face. Marco's cheese pizza and Sprite was all we would ever eat when we were in middle school. We would go up to Chris' treehouse, eating and laughing. Talking about the future, what we would do when we got older. He always said he wanted to study photography. I shook my head, remembering the memories.

Chris pulled out my chair, "My lady." He chuckled at himself and I laughed at him. I nodded and sat on the chair.

"Thank you, Chris. You remembered," I looked at him with so much happiness.

He smiled back just the same, "Of course. How could I forget?"

Later, Chris' POV:

After we ate, I decided we would start off with the simple things. Kiana's look was almost complete. All she needed now was a tattoo, maybe snake bites or a septum piercing. It would show that she wasn't playing around. She had to work on her "bad girl" attitude.

We started with tattoos.

"You ready for this?" I asked her, because I knew she couldn't handle things like this too well.

"Let's just get it over with before I change my mind," she said and walked into the small room, and laid down on the arched chair.

When my buddy Marcus started cleaning her chest, she tensed up.

"Kiki," I began, "just breathe. Don't focus on the pain."

She quickly nodded. She slowed down her breathing and closed her eyes.

"It hurts like a bitch. But I can tell you're tough. You'll be fine," Marcus assured her.

When he started, Kiana reached out for my hand. I took it and interlaced our fingers, and my stomach was churning again. She sank her fingernails down, but I didn't care. Instead of letting go, I held it more tightly.

"You're doing great, Kiki," I whispered to her, and she nodded.

Her eyes fluttered open and started to water, but she took it better than I expected. It was over before she knew it.

"Is it over?" Kiana asked quietly.

Marcus smiled at her, "All done, baby girl. Just wait a while until you remove the bandage, it should only take a couple hours."

"Thanks, Marcus," she hugged him. He nodded at her and smiled.

"I appreciate it, man," I told him.

"Favor for a real friend. See you later, Vega," Marcus gave me a quick hug and left.

Kiana's POV:

I took the bandage off, and took a good look at it in the mirror.

"Damn, that's sick. It looks good, Kiki," Chris said behind me.

I laughed and nodded, "Hell yeah, it does. It was worse than I thought it would be."

Along my chest, just below my collar bones was where the words here's to life and here's to love were imprinted on my skin. I smiled at how different I was already.

Since we were already at the shop, I allowed Chris to choose which piercings I should get. I didn't know what looked good. Ultimately, he decided on a silver septum and a single black stud on my lower lip. 

Again, I took his hand with mine. I felt bad that squeezed his hand so hard. It stang like crazy, but it was better than getting a damn tattoo. But that didn't mean I wouldn't add any more in the future.

Afterwards, we went back to Chris' place. It was a small, one bedroom apartment with a tiny kitchen and a living room. I guess it was alright, considering he was the only person living there.

"Kiana," Chris got my attention and held up a cigarette box. He smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm down," I said with a grin.

I knew it wasn't tobacco. Inside the box were prerolled blunts of various types of weed and herbs.

He started off with a surprise. I closed my eyes and pulled one out, and giggled. He took it from fingers while I opened my eyes.

"Open up," he told me. I obeyed and cracked open my mouth. He placed it right in between my teeth. He set down the box and grabbed his lighter. He lit up the joint, and took multiple glances from my eyes to my mouth. I smiled, and took it in. This is a cliché, but my stomach were exploding with butterflies.

I've done this before with Chris. It was my last night with him before he dropped out.

I inhaled through my nose, and held it for a while before exhaling and smiled at him. He took my hand suddenly, just like at the tattoo shop. I interlaced our fingers, and smiled at him brightly.

He then placed his fresh joint and gave me the lighter. I lit it with my free hand and watched him. He smiled at me, and for the first time, I looked at him. I mean really look at him. His eyes were the ones you could get lost in. They were a mossy green, and they glimmered in the dim light. His smile was amazing. He was toned and tall. Chris' dark brown hair was swept up in a messy quiff, making him look amazing without even trying.

He was something else to me now.

And I don't know if that was good, or bad.