Status: Thank you for reading!
The Long Journey Ahead
How You Snaked Your Way Into My Heart
I looked at my hair in the mirror. How the hell did I change so much in such little time? I look tons older. I stopped looking 14, but at least 16 now. Too much stress. Way too much of it.
I sighed. My hair. My beautiful black hair that's now a flaming red. Why did Frank have to pick such a bright red? It doesn't matter. The more I don't look like me, the better.
Mrs. Iero popped her head into the open bathroom. "Wow! You look even prettier!" she smiled.
I smiled sadly back at her. "Thank you."
She knew what that meant. She sidestepped into the bathroom and hugged me. A mom hug. Do you know how good that feels? A mom hug can make you feel like things are going to be okay even if it's for a temporary time. I sighed, contented.
"Jes, you know that you'll be fine. Don't stress over this. There's a reason why you came here and got away from your parents okay? Don't regret any of this."
I nodded and walked out the bathroom, into the kitchen with her. I wasn't too sure what Mrs. Iero was planning to cook today for dinner. She just told me to dice tons of garlic and tomato.
I took a tomato and was about to grab the knife before I felt hands cover my eyes. "Guess who?" he giggled. Isn't it weird to hear a guy giggle? Still, he giggled.
"GOD, is that you?" I joked.
"No! It's your Frankie!" He released his palms from my eyes and hugged me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.
My Frankie. That sounds really nice. And the whole hugging me from behind is a total flirt move right there. But it's wrong for him to do that to me. He's flirting right in front of his mother, he has a girlfriend, and why did I let him hug me like that? It's a possibility that I like Frank. I shouldn't though; I'm too fucking messed up in the head for him.
"Jes! Come on! We have to go. I have a surprise for you!" Frank screamed in my ear.
"Okay sir! Goodness! Mrs. Iero, may I go with Frank?" I asked politely. She nodded and left me to go on my way.
I walked out to the moist spring air with Frank. Without hesitation, he reached for my hand and pulled me with him.
"Where are we going?" I wondered aloud.
"You shall see," was all he would give.
We passed blocks that I was familiar with and then began running past streets I've never seen. I was getting a headache looking from side-to-side trying to figure out where he was taking me. After a little bit more of running, Frank pulled me into a small shop. The walls were covered with wallpaper. Wait...that wasn't wallpaper; those were tattoo drawings!
Oh. Hell. No.
"You're not making me get a tattoo! I'm not old enough!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, tearing my wrist away from his hand.
He looked at me, shocked. "Frank who's the chick?" a guy behind the counter asked.
I turned my attention to the new stranger. My cheeks flushed.
"Embarrassed much? I'm Darren," the guy behind the counter said and walked up to me. He stood at almost 6'0", thin stick-like figure, short bleach blond hair, two eyebrow piercing on his left eyebrow, and wore an all black outfit.
I suddenly felt really shy and scared. I just smiled and tried to hide behind Frank.
Frank rolled his eyes. "This is Jes. One of my friends. I was wondering if you can give her snakebites."
"Sure I can. But that's not the polite way to ask a question."
I let out a laughing breath. They both looked at me. "May I please get snakebites?"
Darren smiled. "There you go. Was that so hard Franklin?"
He scowled and sat down behind the counter. Darren led me to a little booth type thing and told me to sit down in the chair that reminded me of a dentist's.
He didn't even bring out the clamp and I was already scared out of my mind.
"Calm down. It doesn't hurt that much. All you'll feel is a very hard pinch. Want me to keep you distracted?"
I nodded my head furiously and took a big gulp.
"If you say so. How old are you?"
"14."
"That's really young. You're not supposed to even get these without parental permission but Frank works here so it's cool I guess. I'm 18 by the way. I don't own this shop though, my cousin does. I just work here more than his lazy ass does."
Boy, does this guy ever stop talking?
"Do you need a job?"
"I think I need to get one soon. But I'm too young," I said through gritted teeth. I was told not to move my mouth too much or bad things would happen in the piercing process.
"That's fine. I can get you a job here cause I know how much Frank likes to talk about you." I raised my eyebrows. "Not lying here. His girl, Casey is getting a little suspicious."
He finally shut his mouth. That gave me time to think. Does that mean Frank likes me? That would be so awesome! But what about Casey? She's really nice and a cool person. I don't want to be the reason Casey and Frank are fighting or having problems in their relationship.
"And there you go. All done!" Darren announced and brought a mirror to my face.
I gingerly touched my new piercing. It hurt a little to touch but either than that, I loved them. "Wow," was all I could say.
Frank peeked at me. He gasped. "You look...beautiful."
I blushed and got out of the chair and the booth. I took the money I had left saved to pay Darren but he waved it off. "Don't pay me. It'll be an employee bonus or something."
I nodded and smiled. "Employee bonus?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, Darren offered me a job here and I guess he finally made the decision to hire me."
"That's cool," Frank muttered and stared at me funny.
"What?"
"Nothing. Nothing." I raised an eyebrow, about to turn away when I felt his hand cup my cheek. His action took me by surprise and my breath was caught in my throat. He closed his eyes and moved closer to me...and pulled on my hoops.
"OW! YOU BITCH!" I yelled and started chasing him around the place.
"But I love you!" he pleaded. That made me growl and pick up more speed.
"Oh how wonderful it will be to work with the two of you," Darren sighed dramatically.
I sighed. My hair. My beautiful black hair that's now a flaming red. Why did Frank have to pick such a bright red? It doesn't matter. The more I don't look like me, the better.
Mrs. Iero popped her head into the open bathroom. "Wow! You look even prettier!" she smiled.
I smiled sadly back at her. "Thank you."
She knew what that meant. She sidestepped into the bathroom and hugged me. A mom hug. Do you know how good that feels? A mom hug can make you feel like things are going to be okay even if it's for a temporary time. I sighed, contented.
"Jes, you know that you'll be fine. Don't stress over this. There's a reason why you came here and got away from your parents okay? Don't regret any of this."
I nodded and walked out the bathroom, into the kitchen with her. I wasn't too sure what Mrs. Iero was planning to cook today for dinner. She just told me to dice tons of garlic and tomato.
I took a tomato and was about to grab the knife before I felt hands cover my eyes. "Guess who?" he giggled. Isn't it weird to hear a guy giggle? Still, he giggled.
"GOD, is that you?" I joked.
"No! It's your Frankie!" He released his palms from my eyes and hugged me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.
My Frankie. That sounds really nice. And the whole hugging me from behind is a total flirt move right there. But it's wrong for him to do that to me. He's flirting right in front of his mother, he has a girlfriend, and why did I let him hug me like that? It's a possibility that I like Frank. I shouldn't though; I'm too fucking messed up in the head for him.
"Jes! Come on! We have to go. I have a surprise for you!" Frank screamed in my ear.
"Okay sir! Goodness! Mrs. Iero, may I go with Frank?" I asked politely. She nodded and left me to go on my way.
I walked out to the moist spring air with Frank. Without hesitation, he reached for my hand and pulled me with him.
"Where are we going?" I wondered aloud.
"You shall see," was all he would give.
We passed blocks that I was familiar with and then began running past streets I've never seen. I was getting a headache looking from side-to-side trying to figure out where he was taking me. After a little bit more of running, Frank pulled me into a small shop. The walls were covered with wallpaper. Wait...that wasn't wallpaper; those were tattoo drawings!
Oh. Hell. No.
"You're not making me get a tattoo! I'm not old enough!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, tearing my wrist away from his hand.
He looked at me, shocked. "Frank who's the chick?" a guy behind the counter asked.
I turned my attention to the new stranger. My cheeks flushed.
"Embarrassed much? I'm Darren," the guy behind the counter said and walked up to me. He stood at almost 6'0", thin stick-like figure, short bleach blond hair, two eyebrow piercing on his left eyebrow, and wore an all black outfit.
I suddenly felt really shy and scared. I just smiled and tried to hide behind Frank.
Frank rolled his eyes. "This is Jes. One of my friends. I was wondering if you can give her snakebites."
"Sure I can. But that's not the polite way to ask a question."
I let out a laughing breath. They both looked at me. "May I please get snakebites?"
Darren smiled. "There you go. Was that so hard Franklin?"
He scowled and sat down behind the counter. Darren led me to a little booth type thing and told me to sit down in the chair that reminded me of a dentist's.
He didn't even bring out the clamp and I was already scared out of my mind.
"Calm down. It doesn't hurt that much. All you'll feel is a very hard pinch. Want me to keep you distracted?"
I nodded my head furiously and took a big gulp.
"If you say so. How old are you?"
"14."
"That's really young. You're not supposed to even get these without parental permission but Frank works here so it's cool I guess. I'm 18 by the way. I don't own this shop though, my cousin does. I just work here more than his lazy ass does."
Boy, does this guy ever stop talking?
"Do you need a job?"
"I think I need to get one soon. But I'm too young," I said through gritted teeth. I was told not to move my mouth too much or bad things would happen in the piercing process.
"That's fine. I can get you a job here cause I know how much Frank likes to talk about you." I raised my eyebrows. "Not lying here. His girl, Casey is getting a little suspicious."
He finally shut his mouth. That gave me time to think. Does that mean Frank likes me? That would be so awesome! But what about Casey? She's really nice and a cool person. I don't want to be the reason Casey and Frank are fighting or having problems in their relationship.
"And there you go. All done!" Darren announced and brought a mirror to my face.
I gingerly touched my new piercing. It hurt a little to touch but either than that, I loved them. "Wow," was all I could say.
Frank peeked at me. He gasped. "You look...beautiful."
I blushed and got out of the chair and the booth. I took the money I had left saved to pay Darren but he waved it off. "Don't pay me. It'll be an employee bonus or something."
I nodded and smiled. "Employee bonus?" Frank asked.
"Yeah, Darren offered me a job here and I guess he finally made the decision to hire me."
"That's cool," Frank muttered and stared at me funny.
"What?"
"Nothing. Nothing." I raised an eyebrow, about to turn away when I felt his hand cup my cheek. His action took me by surprise and my breath was caught in my throat. He closed his eyes and moved closer to me...and pulled on my hoops.
"OW! YOU BITCH!" I yelled and started chasing him around the place.
"But I love you!" he pleaded. That made me growl and pick up more speed.
"Oh how wonderful it will be to work with the two of you," Darren sighed dramatically.