Sequel: Pins and Needles ›
Philly Ink
Getting the First Strike In
(Lauren's POV)
“So…” Babs swirled the whiskey in her wine glass as I giggled next to her. Some spilt onto the floor but I didn't care. It's what room service was for. “So we need to hang out more!” Pointing the glass to me some got onto my Iggy Pop Tee. “Oops.”
A shrug was my answer. “Whatever. I haven't done a tattoo in over a week. Let’s go drunk tattoo Novak!” Giggling at myself I stood up and walked to the door. “You graduated to tattooing right?”
“Kinda.” She shook her hand in a weird motion. “Like I've done a couple, but not ready to do a drunken one ever.”
I attempted to process the statement, but gave up. “I don't speak Miller-ish, mind translating?”
“Yeah, Hey this bottle isn't empty yet!” She yelled at the Jamieson bottle in question. “What the hell?”
That was an emergency. “QUICK!” I shouted while running only to do a face first nose dive into the bed. Recovering quickly I looked to Babs. “We have to drink it before the others show up! They know I sleep here!”
“Why would you tell them that?” Babs poured more whiskey into each of our glasses. Would have been on the rocks if we remembered there was ice on the table next to us. “Never tell them where you sleep!”
I sat and thought. “Think I said something the other night and Bam looked it up, I don't know.” A light bulb appeared over my head. “We need to strike first!” Of course in saying so I had fallen off the bed. “and I know how to do it! LEGALLY!”
Getting my cell phone, I scrolled through the contacts until I found Ape. Which considering she was in the beginning would have normally meant it would have been an easy task unless you had drunk as much whiskey that I should have been marked flammable. “MOM!” Couldn't help but giggle. “Oh it's ringing.”
“Hello?” A half asleep voice came on the phone. “Lauren?”
“MOM! We need a ride, too drunk!”
Valuable pranking seconds had passed before Ape came back on the line. “Where are you so Phil can pick you up?”
“The hotel, need to go to Bam's house and light his blanket on fire.” More silence came, causing me to check the phone. Had a full signal though! “MOM!”
The voice was hesitant. “Lauren, if you're at the hotel then why do you need a ride-”
“I don't wanna be a drunk driver! I have to get to Bam’s and light his blankets on fire!” Babs sat next to me nodding her head. Mean how did Ape not get this? “Babs agrees with me on this!”
“Goodnight girls!”
Making a sad face, I heard a knock on the door. “THEY ARE HERE!!” Babs jumped up, but fell back onto the bed.
Grabbing my heel to use as a weapon, I looked through the door hole thing. “It's the desk dude.” I opened the door and looked around the hallway. “Did they pay you?”
“Huh?” The younger guy raised a brow. “I just have to ask you to keep your voices down, people are complaining.”
Rolling my eyes, I slammed the door shut. “PEOPLE THINK WE ARE BEING LOUD I GUESS!”
“Laur, why haven't we ever worked in the same shop?”
It was a good question. “Deron and Jess work together, I don't see why we can't!” Then another thought popped into my head. “You should work in the shop when I open it. But as an artist, not some receptionist bullshit! Get ourselves some lackies and shit!”
“Love it! Should plan it when we are wober, mean sober.”
Morning came quickly and I woke to find a sheet of paper just inside the door. Reading I couldn't help but laugh. “What's so funny?” Babs came out of the bathroom, hair wrapped up and obviously about to start her straightening.
“Have a week to be out of here.” If I wanted to be clean, this was my only chance. Once done, I walked out and just let my hair do whatever it felt like. It was a wavy mess of random curls and straight pieces. Could care less. “What are you doing with that?”
Babs showed me the silver case, and that she had opened it. “I remember you- you said you weren't going to use this again.”
“My machine is still in the process of being shipped.” I watched as Abigail held the liner machine in her hand and looked it over. “It's the only one I have here, gotta use it. Hell I don't even have my car here yet.”
The machine was completely green except the black and pink heart on the panel. “Lauren you used this on-”
“Not right now Babs.” I cut her off before getting to my suitcase and grabbing that day's outfit. “Have a couple of clients lined up so I gotta get ready.”
Babs was obviously judging my actions, yet didn't say a word. Next month was going to be exactly ten years, made it a little hard to deal with.
“So…” Babs swirled the whiskey in her wine glass as I giggled next to her. Some spilt onto the floor but I didn't care. It's what room service was for. “So we need to hang out more!” Pointing the glass to me some got onto my Iggy Pop Tee. “Oops.”
A shrug was my answer. “Whatever. I haven't done a tattoo in over a week. Let’s go drunk tattoo Novak!” Giggling at myself I stood up and walked to the door. “You graduated to tattooing right?”
“Kinda.” She shook her hand in a weird motion. “Like I've done a couple, but not ready to do a drunken one ever.”
I attempted to process the statement, but gave up. “I don't speak Miller-ish, mind translating?”
“Yeah, Hey this bottle isn't empty yet!” She yelled at the Jamieson bottle in question. “What the hell?”
That was an emergency. “QUICK!” I shouted while running only to do a face first nose dive into the bed. Recovering quickly I looked to Babs. “We have to drink it before the others show up! They know I sleep here!”
“Why would you tell them that?” Babs poured more whiskey into each of our glasses. Would have been on the rocks if we remembered there was ice on the table next to us. “Never tell them where you sleep!”
I sat and thought. “Think I said something the other night and Bam looked it up, I don't know.” A light bulb appeared over my head. “We need to strike first!” Of course in saying so I had fallen off the bed. “and I know how to do it! LEGALLY!”
Getting my cell phone, I scrolled through the contacts until I found Ape. Which considering she was in the beginning would have normally meant it would have been an easy task unless you had drunk as much whiskey that I should have been marked flammable. “MOM!” Couldn't help but giggle. “Oh it's ringing.”
“Hello?” A half asleep voice came on the phone. “Lauren?”
“MOM! We need a ride, too drunk!”
Valuable pranking seconds had passed before Ape came back on the line. “Where are you so Phil can pick you up?”
“The hotel, need to go to Bam's house and light his blanket on fire.” More silence came, causing me to check the phone. Had a full signal though! “MOM!”
The voice was hesitant. “Lauren, if you're at the hotel then why do you need a ride-”
“I don't wanna be a drunk driver! I have to get to Bam’s and light his blankets on fire!” Babs sat next to me nodding her head. Mean how did Ape not get this? “Babs agrees with me on this!”
“Goodnight girls!”
Making a sad face, I heard a knock on the door. “THEY ARE HERE!!” Babs jumped up, but fell back onto the bed.
Grabbing my heel to use as a weapon, I looked through the door hole thing. “It's the desk dude.” I opened the door and looked around the hallway. “Did they pay you?”
“Huh?” The younger guy raised a brow. “I just have to ask you to keep your voices down, people are complaining.”
Rolling my eyes, I slammed the door shut. “PEOPLE THINK WE ARE BEING LOUD I GUESS!”
“Laur, why haven't we ever worked in the same shop?”
It was a good question. “Deron and Jess work together, I don't see why we can't!” Then another thought popped into my head. “You should work in the shop when I open it. But as an artist, not some receptionist bullshit! Get ourselves some lackies and shit!”
“Love it! Should plan it when we are wober, mean sober.”
Morning came quickly and I woke to find a sheet of paper just inside the door. Reading I couldn't help but laugh. “What's so funny?” Babs came out of the bathroom, hair wrapped up and obviously about to start her straightening.
“Have a week to be out of here.” If I wanted to be clean, this was my only chance. Once done, I walked out and just let my hair do whatever it felt like. It was a wavy mess of random curls and straight pieces. Could care less. “What are you doing with that?”
Babs showed me the silver case, and that she had opened it. “I remember you- you said you weren't going to use this again.”
“My machine is still in the process of being shipped.” I watched as Abigail held the liner machine in her hand and looked it over. “It's the only one I have here, gotta use it. Hell I don't even have my car here yet.”
The machine was completely green except the black and pink heart on the panel. “Lauren you used this on-”
“Not right now Babs.” I cut her off before getting to my suitcase and grabbing that day's outfit. “Have a couple of clients lined up so I gotta get ready.”
Babs was obviously judging my actions, yet didn't say a word. Next month was going to be exactly ten years, made it a little hard to deal with.