Paper Bags and Plastic Hearts

I was fidgeting with my fingers, poking my thumb in and out of the hole of my long sleeved shirt as Andy and I were walking towards my car. I was growing a little nervous in anticipation of having a needle poke through my eyebrow. Not that I was scared of needles, but I couldn't help but feel anxious. What if it really hurt? Unlike Andy, I had low tolerance for pain. Or so I thought.

“Farrah?” Andy said as he noticed my fidgeting. “You alright?”

“Uh….no,” I laughed nervously.

“Calm down. You won’t be there alone,” he assured.

I gulped, nodding fast. “Y-Yeah.”

Once we reached my car, I climbed into the driver’s seat while Andy slipped in the passenger’s. I paused, biting my lip, as I stared intently at the steering wheel.

“Hey, you okay?” Andy questioned with a touch of concern in his voice.

I let a small nervous laugh escape my lips. “It’s funny. I’ve wanted this for a while and I begged for my mom’s permission. And, uh, now that I have it, I’m scared shitless of following through.”

Andy's expression softened. “Look, if you don’t wanna do this, it’s fine.”

“But I want to.”

“But you’re scared,” he chuckled. “Go with your instincts.”

I breathed out. “My instincts are telling me to stop being a wuss and do it.”

“Really? Or maybe you just think they are,” he guessed.

I grunted. “Look, I can’t let my stupid fears take over. I’m gonna get my eyebrow pierced. I’m gonna be a man about this! Er, girl. Well, you get it.” I waved my hand.

He laughed. “Okay, great.”

I nodded and found myself staring quietly at the steering wheel again. Andy eyed me strangely.

“Farrah?”

“Yeah?”

“Want me to drive?”

I bit the corner of my lip and gave him a sheepish look. “If you don’t mind.”

He shook his head with a chuckle before opening the door and stepping out of the car. While he made his way around, I climbed over to the passenger’s seat, hitting my head on the roof in the process.

“Ow.” I rubbed the top of my head as Andy got into the driver’s seat.

“What happened?” He asked quizzically, putting the seat belt on.

“Nothing. I just hit my head,” I replied, waving my hand.

He shook his head and laughed, while turning the engine on. I too laughed and buckled myself in. Andy backed away from the lot and we were off. I was mostly quiet the entire time. I tried calming myself down by breathing in and out loudly and emitting a series of ‘oms’. This caused Andy to keep giving me weird glances.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Meditating,” I replied with my eyes closed, releasing another ‘om’. “It’s soothing.”

“It’s weird.” He laughed.

“No it’s not,” I argued. “Those who do meditation of Om will get tremendous power.”

He made a face. “Okay, I’m sort of sensing a crazy vibe from you.”

I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Thanks so much for ruining my meditation time.”

He just laughed and I narrowed my eyes at him before looking out the window. We were in a part of town I’d never been in before. We passed by a bunch of stores which had bright neon signs.

“How come I’ve never been here before?” I mused, mostly to myself.

“Maybe cause you’ve never done anything reckless in your life,” Andy answered my rhetorical question with a teasing laugh. “This part of town is for the troublemakers.”

I scoffed. “How would you know I’ve never done anything reckless?”

He arched a brow, but his eyes never left the road. “Have you?”

“Sure I have.”

“Oh? Mind telling me?” He smirked.

I returned the smirk. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

This made him laugh. “Nice one.”

About a minute later we arrived at a tattoo/piercing studio called Hellastic Tattoos & Piercings. I couldn’t help but stare at it in wonder.

“Hellastic?” I said, looking at Andy.

He nodded. “I’ve been here about a year ago.”

I nodded.

“You sure you wanna do this? Last chance to back out,” Andy said with a small chuckle once he’d parked my car in a small space between two other cars, which were parked a bit crooked.

I took a deep breath as I stared at the blinking green sign. “Let’s do this.”

He smiled. “Alright. Let’s go. And remember, look eighteen.”

“And how the hell do you suggest I do that?”

“I don’t know, lower your voice or something. Make it less girly and squeaky.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed. “I do not have a girly voice!”

He laughed. “I’m kidding, Farrah. Jeez.”

I rolled my eyes at his unnecessary teasing and unbuckled my seat belt before opening the door and slowly stepping out of the vehicle. I then walked over to Andy and we both entered the studio.

The minute I stepped foot inside, my mouth immediately gaped. It was really cool. There were various band posters plastered on the walls and the floors were decorated with a black carpet that had thousands of white stars on it. A few people were getting tattoos done and others were sitting on some waiting chairs.

Andy and I walked up to the front desk which had a guy behind it. He looked like one of those bikers people usually see in movies. His arms were covered in ink and he was wearing a black bandana that had a white skull on it. He had numerous piercings on his face and to top it off, he was wearing a leather vest with a bunch of zippers.

“Hiya! Welcome to Hellastic. How can I help you guys?” The guy greeted cheerfully, leaning his elbows on the counter. Despite his old biker exterior, he looked like a really nice man. Funny how his personality totally contradicted his appearance.

“She wants to get a piercing,” Andy told him, giving me a slight push forward.

I instantly smiled at the guy, who smiled back. I hoped he wouldn’t think I was underage.

“Alright. And where do you want it?” He asked me.

“Eyebrow,” I answered.

He nodded. “Awesome. Take a seat over there and we’ll call you in a minute, okay?”

“Okay, thanks,” I said, trying to maintain a calm expression on my face before turning around and walking with Andy towards two empty chairs.

“He totally thought you were eighteen,” he said quietly with a laugh.

“I know!” I chuckled. “I really thought I’d get busted or something.”

“How’s it feel to get away with something?”

I grinned. “It’s awesome. Although, this would be way more exciting if I was doing it behind my mom’s back. Then I’d really feel like a badass. But then she’d probably disown me on the spot when she saw me and I wouldn’t have anywhere to live. I’d be nothing but a homeless teenager roaming the streets.”

He laughed. “True, true.”

I looked around the shop and watched a girl, maybe in her early twenties, getting her hip tattooed. She looked so calm and relaxed, almost as if there wasn’t a needle running deep through the layers of her skin. Just the sound of those little ink machines was making my stomach lurch.

A little while later, the biker guy called me and told me to go take a seat on a white chair that stayed in the far corner of the studio. I took a deep breath and stood up. Then I looked at Andy who was still seated. “Aren’t you coming?”

“You want me to come?”

“Yes,” I answered, giving him a ‘duh’ look, which he responded by snorting in laughter. He stood up and we both walked over to the chair. I slowly sat myself down and eyed the table beside me, which had a bunch of needles in plastic bags and alcohol bottles. I could feel my muscles tightening inside me and I gripped the arm rests. Andy gave me a reassuring smile as he stood next to me.

“Don’t look so freaked,” he whispered.

“I-I’m not freaked. I-I’m t-totally calm.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Your stuttering makes that statement totally believable.” He rolled his eyes.

I gave him a brief glare before breathing through my nose.

A woman suddenly emerged from a room and she walked towards us. She looked freakishly like Kat Von D. She had long black hair, a nose piercing, a lip piercing and about ten earrings in her right ear. Not to mention both her arms were showered in colorful ink.

“Hi there, pretty lady. I’m Gwen,” she greeted brightly, extending her hand.

I took it and smiled at her. “I’m Farrah.”

“Nice name.” She smiled. “This your first time getting a piercing?”

“Yeah, it is.”

She nodded and then faced the table and grabbed a pair of latex gloves, slipping them on. “So Farrah, which one you want?” She asked, showing me a few types of piercings that were all secured in plastic bags. They were different types of barbells and I settled for the most common one. “That one,” I pointed.

Gwen nodded. “Alrighty. Which eyebrow?”

“Left,” I replied, tensing up again. She was holding a big scissory plyer thing in her hand.

She must’ve noticed my look of fear while she held it up because she let out a laugh. “Don’t worry, this is just to hold your skin.”

I nodded, swallowing hard.

“It’s okay, honey. I know you’re nervous but don’t be. Everything here is sealed and sterilized.”

“Oh,” I sighed. “Um, will this hurt?”

“Well, it’ll sting just a teensy bit, but it’s quick, trust me.”

“Okay.” I took a deep breath. Gwen began rubbing something wet against my eyebrow before she took a marker and marked the spot she’d be piercing. She then took a small mirror and held it up in front of my face. “Is that good?” She asked.

I stared at the two purple dots she had drawn over and under my eyebrow. “Yeah,” I answered. She put the mirror down on the table and took hold of the scissor thing and a needle. I took another deep shaky breath.

“Don’t be nervous, love. This’ll be fast.” She glanced at Andy. “Maybe you should hold your girlfriend’s hand while I do this. It’ll help her calm down.”

My eyebrow arched. “Oh, he’s not--”

“She’s not--”

Andy and I both exchanged glances as we spoke at the same time. Gwen gave us both a weird look.

“Uh, sure, okay,” Andy coughed awkwardly as he reached for my hand and held it firmly in his own. I was a bit surprised by this but didn’t say anything. After all, I needed some sort of comfort, didn’t I?

“Ooookaayyyy.” Gwen chuckled. “Ready, sweets?”

I nodded, exhaling through my nose. “Yeah.”

She took the plyer thing and held the skin at the corner of my eyebrow before holding the needle up in her other hand. I closed my eyes and felt the needle being pushed up my skin.

“Deep breaths, honey,” Gwen said, as I emitted an inaudible whimper, which caused me to squeeze Andy’s hand. Hard.

It’s not that it hurt, it was just a weird stinging sensation. I could feel just a bit of blood prickling down from the spot she had penetrated the needle, and she gently wiped it off. Then I felt another sting.

“Alright, now I just need to screw the bead on and…….done,” Gwen announced.

I opened my eyes and breathed out, now feeling a sort of throbbing sensation. I looked at Gwen.“That’s it?”

“Yep.” She grinned. “Told you it was quick. Here, check it out.” She grabbed the small mirror again and placed it in front of me. I examined my reflection carefully. A smile tugged at my lips. It looked so cute.

“I like it,” I said.

“It looks great on you,” Gwen said with a chuckle, eyeing Andy. “You have a brave girlfriend, kid. And beautiful too. You guys make an adorable pierced couple!”

I laughed awkwardly as did Andy, whose hand I was still clutching. Gwen then turned away to remove her gloves and I took that time to release his hand, which was left with redness all over.

Oops.

I grinned sheepishly at him. “Sorry.”

He rubbed his hand. “It’s okay. You just cut off a bit of circulation but I’ll be fine,” he joked.

I laughed. “That wasn’t so bad. I really thought it was gonna hurt like hell.”

“Everyone thinks that,” Gwen stated with a laugh as she faced us again. “Alright, Farrah. Since this is your first piercing, I’ll run a few things by you. Healing time is from two to four months. First week, don’t touch it. Expect a little bruising around the eye for the first few days. After a week you can touch your piercing but remember to wash your hands. Unwashed hands carry bacteria and it can cause a serious infection. While healing, your piercing will need to be cleaned once daily. I suggest you do it in the shower. Uh, you’ll need some antibacterial soap. And be very careful when you dry off, otherwise it’ll get pretty gruesome. Oh, and wait till your piercing is healed before changing the jewelry.”

I nodded, listening intently to all of her instructions while Andy just kept silent beside me.

“So basically if you take good care of it, it should be no problem,” Gwen concluded with a smile. “Okay, pretty girl?”

I smiled at how awesomely nice this woman was. “Okay. Duly noted.”

“Great!”

“Thanks,” I said before sliding off the chair.

“No prob, kid.” She hugged me briefly and after, I went back to the front desk to pay. It was cool to see that everyone there was so nice. I couldn’t believe how afraid I actually was. Everything just felt so comfortable now.

“Bye, Farrah. Come again soon. Maybe your boyfriend would want another piercing or perhaps a tattoo?” Gwen chuckled, waving.

I glanced at Andy, who just smiled crookedly at Gwen.

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to come again. Thanks, Gwen. Bye!” I called also waving as Andy and I left the studio.

I laughed a little as we walked along the sidewalk towards my car. “It’s throbbing.”

“Yeah, but it’ll stop soon. See how easy it was? I can’t believe how freaked out you were,” he teased, shaking his head.

“Me neither.” I laughed. “So, how do I look?” I asked, stopping in my tracks, causing Andy to stop as well.

“Like a badass,” he laughed.

“Awesome. Now all I need are some leather pants and combat boots and I’m ready to rock,” I joked.

“Or maybe a mini skirt and some fishnets,” he snorted.

I playfully pushed him. “Don’t tease or I’ll kick your ass, Biersack.”

“You do realize I’m six foot two, right? I mean, I can squash you like a tiny bug.” He smirked.

“I’d like to see you try,” I laughed tauntingly.

He shook his head. “I'm not even gonna argue."

We made our way to my car and once we were settled in, I looked at myself in the rear view mirror. “Man, this looks so cool. I can’t believe I actually did it.”

Andy just chuckled as I pulled out of the small spaced parking lot and onto the street.

“You know, I think that woman was hitting on you,” Andy stated.

I snorted. “She was not.”

“Seriously, she was. She kept calling you beautiful and pretty and all that.”

I laughed. “It’s funny that she kept calling me your girlfriend and you didn’t say anything.”

He shot me a surprised look. “Well, it’s cause I thought you were gonna say something.”

“But I was in the process of getting my skin punctured,” I said reasonably.

He shook his head. “Oh, who cares if she thought we were together? It’s not like we’re ever gonna see her again.”

“You don’t know that,” I laughed. “I might just come back for another one.”

“Hmm.”

“By the way, how’s your hand?” I asked, glancing at him before fixing my eyes back on the road.

Andy held his hand up and flexed his fingers. “Good news. I can feel my fingers again.”

I snorted. “You’re mean.”

“Hey, I held your hand in your time of need!” His face held a hurtful mocking look.

“Only because Gwen told you to,” I laughed.

“I would’ve held your hand if you asked,” he said defensively.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Aww, you’re such a sweet kid, Andrew,” I teased, grinning.

“Ugh,” he grimaced at the sound of his full name.

“You not like Andrew?” I asked.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Cause it’s stupid.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s a nerd’s name.”

“But you are a nerd,” I laughed.

“I am going to ignore that last comment.”

That only caused me to laugh harder.

After a minute, I got lost because we were still in that part of town that was unknown to me. Andy had to guide me along the way until we finally reached some familiar streets. This time, I didn’t forget the directions to his house and we were parked in front of it in no time.

“Be proud. I officially know where you live now,” I laughed.

“Congratulations, I applaud you,” he teased, clapping his hands.

“Screw you, Biersack.”

He laughed teasingly.

I pushed him playfully. “Get out of my car.”

“Alright,” he said, opening the car door, ready to step out.

“No, wait,” I stopped him.

He sat back down, raising a brow at me. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for coming with me tonight. I really appreciate it,” I said in a serious tone.

He smiled lopsidedly. “You’re welcome. It was fun. Well, not the part where you crushed my fingers but whatever.”

“Ugh, way to ruin a perfectly serious moment.” I rolled my eyes. “But sorry again about your hand.”

He laughed. “Really, it’s okay. It didn’t hurt. I was only teasing. You’re fun to tease.”

I smirked. “So are you.”

He glared playfully at me.

“Y’know, it’s funny how you were basically a mute when I met you. I never thought we’d actually hang out like this.”

“Me neither,” he agreed, nodding pensively. “Life is a hoot, ain’t it?”

“Yes. A big one,” I laughed.

He grinned. “Well, good night. “

“Night,” I replied with a small smile.

He got out of the car and closed the door before leaning down to the level of the window. “Take good care of that piercing.”

“I will,” I laughed. “I’m responsible.”

“Yeah, I don’t know. What responsible person pierces their eyebrow?” He teased.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m a badass, remember?”

“A responsible badass? Don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a thing.” He laughed.

“Yeah, well, it exists,” I said, pointing at myself.

He grinned. “See you, Hanley."

“Bye, Biersack."

He snapped me a two-finger salute before walking to his house. I watched him go with a small smile on my face before starting the car up again and driving off.