Philly Ink

(Lauren's POV)

The hotel room at the local Holiday Inn wasn't top of the line by any means. The breakfast was mostly gone by the time I got to the bar area, and it was filled of random visitors to the area. Some were probably doing a historical tour of the local battle field, others visiting their children at the local colleges. But a select few where obviously kids from out of town. And there was no guessing why they were here. Each wore a different CKY shirt covered in signatures from the night before. Turning around quickly, and headed back up to my room.

This had been one of the main reasons I moved to Philadelphia. Mean I had always loved West Chester, just not the kids to visited it in hopes of spotting my slightly older brother. A year and two days separated Bam and me, but it was so not enough. Growing up people always thought we were twins and it was something we use to both hate. Now only I hated it while Bam thought it was hysterical as hell.

Dressing in my usual style, I looked over my reflection. Leather pants, shredded to hell 'Poisonblack' tee, and pair of biker boots. Was what I normally would have warn if I were back in LA. But being in PA meant I had to add a jacket to the mix. The dark denim jacket was filled with patches from all the different bands I had inked up. Turbonegro, HIM, Poisonblack, The 69 eyes all had the bigger patches. Various smaller ones filled in the gaps in between and the only one I was missing was CKY, but since GG was strongly against tattoos, I refused to add a patch onto the jacket.

The keys to my rental car jingled a bit in my hands as I crossed the parking lot. There was no coffee in my system and it had to be fixed quickly. It wasn't long before I found myself parking the car in front of the house I grew up in. The very last time I had walked out of it, I had been starting my life. I had an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop as a piercing girl, a boyfriend, and a connection to as much weed as I wanted.

Opening the door, I looked around and spotted my father's brother on the couch drinking out of a dixie cup. “VITO!”

Spitting some of it back into the cup, the over weight man stared at me in shock “YO!” that's all he said as I walked by and into my old room.

Hidden in the ceiling of the closet, I lowered down a silver box. It had started out all black but I had filled it up with enough drawings it was now a completely different color now. I hated thinking about the past. Turning the case over I looked at the back and felt a tear roll down my cheek. It was spray painted in red almost graffiti style.

Lauren & Paul

Tears rolled down my cheek as I fell to the ground and cried. It was so long ago, but still felt so fresh. As if that day was happening again right then and there. Wiping my eyes, I attempted to kill the waterworks as I heard Vito come down the hall. “I just needed to get this.” nearly bolting out the door, I attempted to get into my car as fast as possible. “I'll see ya later Vito.” then a thought came into my mind “Don't tell Phil you saw me!”

And with that I was off. Pretty much like before.

… October 1, 1999

“Lauren I want to sleep!” the whiner called out from under his blankets “I need sleep for a demo later today.”

Bam rolled over and pulled the blankets over him as I stood at the foot of his bed. “You are so lazy!” I would have just left him there, but I had a better idea. “Jess would have helped me!”

“He's on tour Lauren, I'll help you in the morning so let me sleep!”

A sigh left my mouth “It's noon asshole. And your just jealous Jess is a real rockstar while you're stuck acting like one.”

It was all it took for me to get Bam up and moving. So what if I had to tell him the sooner my car was packed the sooner I was gone. He started moving so fast and had enough reinforcement that I could just sit back and watch all the guys work. “How did he get all this help here?” Babs sat next to me on the top of my 1988 Honda civic. “The last time I saw this many people was the party last weekend.”

“Bam made a despite cry to his friends and teammates. Guess I have been really pushing him lately huh?” If his hatred for me got this car loaded faster than hell, why not get them moving faster? “BAM!” not only did I get Bam to turn around, but all the guys standing around too “Jess would drive me there too!”

“No I wouldn't!” I leaped off the car and hugged my oldest brother “What the hell is all this about?”

Had to think on my toes. I was moving it with my pot head boyfriend of nearly six months, a person Jess wasn't quite found of. But it was a way out of the house that both of my older brothers still lived in. Plus both were becoming well known which caught way too much attention for my liking. Mean cameras in my way when I'm trying to brush my teeth, no thanks. “Lauren is moving to Philly, I get a room again!” Bam exclaimed cheerfully at the thought of getting his old room back. But then again it was his idea for Raab to move into the basement causing my bros to bunk up! “And there will be quiet.”

“Not if your around moron.” the mutter left my lips quickly.