Six Feet Under the Stars

"Just back up slowly." Alex whispered keeping a firm grip on my arm. "Maybe they won't run."

That small hope was lost as a conjoined cry broke out among the youthful fans. Too soon they seemed to surround us, but Alex fought at the sea of girls trying to find the open pavement again. A brown-haired girl with an All Time Low T-shirt latched onto my skin like a leech and worked to pry me away from Alex so she could close in. As Alex tugged me like a suitcase, her pinchers left small half moons indented on my arm that stung like bleach.

With great effort, the two of us finally cleared the crowd and ended up in the middle of the street. Dangerously crossing in front of a yellow taxi admist honking, we then cut in front of a gray Taurus before making it to the other side relatively safely. The fans began to flood the pavement causing cars to stop abruptly and beep angrily. The commotion bought us a few moments of time.

"What now?" I practically yelled as my heart slammed inside of my chest from a mixture of adrenaline and fear.

"Don't scream. We'll figure something out," Alex soothed while his eyes searched for an escape route. "This way."

The 'way' was in between two brick buildings; an alley that was littered with old Coca Cola bottles and fast food wrappers. A homeless man crouched in the dirt scrounging for some leftover food next to some trash cans. His head shot up as we passed by then his eyes widened at the sound of the crowd making their way behind us. "Runnin' from the law?" He questioned sporting a missing tooth through his furry whiskers.

Alex and I had no time for a reply as we stepped up our pace and shot out the other side of the alley. He turned to me, "I trust your judgement; left or right?"

There was no hesitation in my reply. "Right."

Linking fingers with me, Alex made a turn and quickly headed down the street before ducking into a store with the air conditioning blowing out of the open front doors. A sign advertising 'Buy One, Get One' guided the way inside. We breathed a sigh of relief and sagged against the wall behind a tower of T-shirts on sale for twenty dollars. Poking his head out of the merchandise, Alex watched the crowd of girls frantically bolt past the doors and out of sight.

"Let's hang out around here for a while and catch our breath." He said wiping a hand across his forehead wearily. "That was intense."

"I almost got torn to pieces." Holding out my arm I showed him the indentions from the fans grip.

Alex let out a long whistle. "Sorry that had to happen."

"It's not your fault."

A sales associate covered in intricate tattoos strolled up to us, "Looking for a tattoo?"

The woman was pretty and in her mid-thirties with stringy blonde hair. A lip ring dangled from her lower lip and her tongue gently nudged it. The artwork covering her arms and neck that were visible, were very well done. The face of James Dean smoldered at me from her right shoulder as Marilyn Monroe held her ink dress down from just below. The famous actress melded in with the strong face of Humphrey Bogart. I stared at them, completely dazzled by the artwork.

"Want one?" She questioned shaking her arm with a smile. "They're pretty cheap here than other places around town. We're running a special now on faces. Also, name tattoos are getting pretty popular so if you want to get you girl's name on you, it's a good time."

Eyeing me, Alex laughed, "I'll consider it."

"Just let us know. I'll let you two look around." The woman smiled before wandering off again taking half of classic Hollywood with her.

After a moment I elbowed Alex in the side, "Get that one." A design of Pooh bear eating out of a jar of honey was featured on a far wall in front of us.

"Tempting. Though I'm more of a Piglet fan myself."

"If you get Piglet, I'll get Pooh." I grinned holding out a hand. "Deal?"

"No, that's a terrible idea." He told me with a chuckle and leaned against a glass case. "You gotta get me drunk first and then take me back here. Maybe then I'd consider it after a few good beers in my system."

"I'll remember that."

"But do you want any?" He asked seriously. Then paused and smiled slyly, "Wait a second, do you have any tattoos already?"

"A few." I admitted.

"What and where?" Curiously, he leaned forward, "Reveal the secrets to me, Melanie."

I pushed him away playfully. "It's nothing too exciting. A violet behind my ear," I brushed my hair back to reveal the purple flower, "Um, a Grateful Dead bear on my hip bone." Pulling the side of my jeans down, I revealed the colorful bear.

Stroking my hip bone lightly, Alex laughed, "It looks so happy."

"I know; I love it. And I'm also considering getting some of the Led Zeppelin symbols too. The problem is I have no idea where to get them. They would only look good as a tramp-stamp and I'm not sure I want to move into that territory yet. It's a little risky."

"Tread carefully." He warned with a wink.

I laughed and pointed out, "Well, I noticed the one of yours on your arm. Is that skeleton going trick-or-treating?"

"Yeah, he is. See, he's pissed because he didn't get any Twix."

Alex held his arm out to me and I ran my fingers over the printed image. "Brilliant. Truly brilliant. I don't think I'm up for any more additions today though."

"Me neither. I'm just worried about that pack of wolves outside. They could be anywhere hunting us." He told me dramatically, as if reciting a scary story huddled around a campfire with a flashlight under his chin.

"I guess we can just wait it out around here or try to sneak away some place else." I suggested. "I don't really know the city too well so it'll be an adventure either way. But that's how you have to discover places; just head out and see what you find."

"That's true. But I've been here before so I can play tour guide." He grinned widely, excited by the mere prospect. "And you know how else we can pass the time?"

"How?" I questioned, consciously feeling him lace his fingers with mine.

Alex stroked my hand with his thumb as he answered, "With a date."