Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf

“So,” Kurt started as we walked down the mall hallway, “have you decided whether you’re going to get your ears pierced yet?”

“I really don’t know…” I trailed off, biting my lip. “I didn’t ask Aileen, and I’m just not really sure that I want something shoved through my poor earlobe.” Immediately, my hand went up to yank on my earlobe. “I like my earlobes.”

“And earrings will accent them! You know, you might as well try it. And if you really hate it, then you can let them close up. Clean slate.”

“Not really. There will be little scar thingies…” I bit my lip again, and Kurt slapped my arm.

“I told you not to do that. And I’m telling you, you’re going to love the earrings anyway.”

“But what about Aileen?”

“Aileen’s not going to care,” Kurt waved off in dismissal. “If you want, I’ll call her.”

“Okay,” I agreed, handing over my cell. “If Aileen says that it’s okay, then I’ll get them done, just for you.”

Kurt grinned in victory as he started going through my contacts. Right in the middle, he jumped visibly when Jack and Diane by John Mellencamp started blaring.

“Puck’s calling you…” Kurt trailed off, handing the phone over.

Confused, I hit accept. “Hi,” I greeted. “I was going to call you later, but-”

“OH MY GOD, ELLIE, PLEASE DON’T KILL ME,” Puck shouted over the phone.

Grimacing, I held the phone about six inches away from my ear and tried to get some function back. “And why, dear Noah, would I want to kill you?” I sounded out slowly, trying to keep my jaw from locking.

“Santana and I were working on the movie last night, and it was really late, and I wasn’t thinking straight and I fell asleep on her couch.”

I went back over the sentence, trying to figure out what was anger-worthy in that. “That’s it? You just fell asleep on her couch?”

“Well, yeah. But…I don’t know. I feel guilty.”

“You didn’t kiss her, right?”

“No.”

“You didn’t make out with her, sleep with her, do any sexual kind of thing with her, or touch her in inappropriate places?” Kurt was looking at me like I was absolutely insane, but I put a finger up to show that I’d be with him in a minute.

There was a short silence. “No.”

“Okay, then I’m not angry. I don’t care.”

“You don’t?”

“You slept on her couch, Puck. I really don’t care.”

“…Oh. Okay. Um, so what did you want to say?”

I laughed for a second. “I was wondering if you were available to come over Finn’s and Kurt’s later because I was thinking that I kind of need you for a scene in our music video. But if you’re busy taping with Santana, then…”

“No, we’re done. That’s why we worked so late last night; I just wanted to be done with it.”

“Ah, okay. So I guess I’ll see you around four?”

“Sounds great. Bye, Red.”

“See ya.” I hung up the phone and turned to face Kurt.

“What the hell were you talking about?”

“Puck fell asleep on Santana’s couch last night, and he thought I was going to flip, but they didn’t even do anything.” I rolled my eyes and handed the phone back over. “I mean, I would have preferred he’d gone home, but it’s not the end of the world that he fell asleep.”

Kurt stared at me for a second longer before going back through my contacts to find Aileen. After dialing her number, they talked for a couple minutes, and with every passing second, Kurt’s smile was growing and growing. Realization dawned on me that I was actually going to have to go through with getting my ears pierced, and a stone settled in the pit of my stomach.

Finally, Kurt hung up my phone and handed it back to me smugly. “She said it was fine, but you better take care of them, because she really doesn’t want to have to bring you to the doctor if they get infected.”

“Okay,” I sighed. “A deal’s a deal.”

We walked over to a kiosk in the mall that pierced ears and a woman came over immediately to help us. “Hi,” Kurt greeted. “Where are the earrings that would be best for new piercings?”

“Are you getting them pierced?” she asked.

Kurt gave a slightly horrified look before shaking his head. “No, she is.”

I rolled my eyes for a second, and the woman laughed. “Okay, well these ones here are the best, although you want to go with studs more than hoops because they’re easier to get used to and sleep in.”

Taking deep breaths to try to steady my heart, I went through the large assortment before finally seeing a pair of Minnie Mouse earrings with little pink bows.

“Can I see the Minnie ones, please?” I asked, trying to contain myself from giggling like a schoolgirl.

The woman graciously handed them over, and I turned to Kurt with them still in my hand. “Pleeeease?” I begged. “Look at how cute they are.” To emphasize my point, I stuck them right in his face.

When he looked around them at my pouting face, he sighed. “Go ahead. If that’s what you really want.”

“Yes!” I exclaimed, fist-pumping in the air. People were staring, but they could watch all they wanted.

I was just glad that I was starting to get pumped for getting my ears pierced.

The woman walked around to the other side of the kiosk and directed me to the chair. Finally, the butterflies started going again as I settled down.

“Want a teddy bear?” she questioned, handing out the little tan stuffed animal.

Part of me wanted to, but I declined so that Kurt didn’t get even more embarrassed that he already was, hanging out with someone who was getting a cartoon character for her first earrings.

The woman was very diligent about getting the dots absolutely perfect. After I approved them, she picked the little gun thing up into her hand and held it in the proper position, my earlobe in the middle. “Okay, I’m going to count down from three. When I say one, expect the pinch, okay?”

I nodded, bracing myself for the pain. However, since Kurt told me that it wasn’t going to hurt, I didn’t expect the pinch to be as hard as it was. “Ow,” I muttered.

“Too late to turn back now,” the woman teased, walking around me to do the other ear.

Kurt was laughing, probably at my twisted facial expression, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was the other random people who were walking by and chuckling at what a baby I was.

After wincing for the last piercing, I went to stand up, taking another glance at that teddy bear.

“Are you going to pass out?” she questioned, watching me carefully.

Immediately, I laughed. “People pass out?”

“Oh, yeah. I just had a woman pass out yesterday. We have smelling salts just in case.”

“Well, I’m fine,” I assured her. I looked in the mirror and grinned at the little Minnie Mouse ears.

The woman gave me the instructions for how to take care of them and handed me the bag. And after I paid for them, Kurt and I were on our way down the hallway, me swinging the small bag I’d just received, Kurt looking around at the stores to see where we were going to go next.

“You know, I really wish you’d picked real earrings.”

“What? These are real earrings!”

“They weren’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“You can’t always get what you want…” I sang to him, but careful not to be too loud. Wouldn’t want to embarrass him or anything. God, it seemed like I had to hold back so much around him.

Kurt rolled his eyes before turning to me. “What time is it?”

“Um…one fifteen?”

“Perfect.” He grinned before pulling me into a store, and I let out a loud groan. I’d just gotten my ears pierced for him? Was that really not good enough?

Sigh.