The Bucket List

“What happened” she heard a voice wheeze out as Grace opened her eyes from where she laid half way out of a tent. She giggled as she saw that the voice had come from Pat who was laid faced down next to the fire with marshmallows smushed into his hair.

“Shh Patrick John Kirch stop freaking shouting!” she heard coming from the direction of a mass of blonde of hair which she guessed was Faith.

From the amount of empty alcohol bottles that were littered around the clearing she guessed that everyone else had got extremely drunk last night.

“Jared you’re girlfriends being mean” Pat sighed rolling over to pout to the sky.

“Pat shut the fuck up!” Piper exclaimed picking up an empty can and throwing it at the poor boys head.

“You ready to get out of here? She heard a voice murmur into her ear causing her to jump about three feet into the air.

“Sure” she replied with a smile turning to face the culprit as she grabbed his hand allowing him to help her to her feet.

“Guy I’m going to take Grace home” Garrett called out to everyone who just groaned back, he merely shrugged keeping hold of Grace’s hand as he led her threw the woods and towards his bright yellow car.

She sighed with relief as she sat back against the seat and the air conditioning began to work full throttle. Garrett just chuckled rummaging through his CD collection before picking one and starting to drive.

“I love this song” Grace murmured as Yellowcard began to play through the speakers “So what’s the plan for today my Carrot?” she questioned, giggling slightly at the face Garrett pulled at the name.

“I’m taking you for your birthday present, but first I got to take you home because I have to say Grace that you stink” he joked as she gasped rolling her eyes as the pulled into her drive. “See you in twenty” he called as he pulled away from the curb.

*

“Come on Garrett” Grace whined as Garrett flinched, even though he had tattoo’s himself he didn’t want Grace to get them, for her beautiful ivory skin to be tainted with black ink. He was beginning to regret this idea.

But it was her decision, something she wanted to do before it – Garrett didn’t even want to admit it, he didn’t want to lose her, something so innocent shouldn’t be living with something so cruel.

Grace smiled over the table, sipping from the giant white cup that was placed in front of her, releasing smoke from the liquid inside.

“Hurry up and eat Gare!” Grace exclaimed, pulling on his hand lightly, as he smiled standing up declaring himself full as the small girl laced her fingers with his pulling him out the building and down the street.

“Grace, are you sure about this?” Garrett asked his hand still entwined with hers as she led them both down the street. She just turned to him with a smile, nodding as he stared at her.

As soon as they reached the building, Garrett knew it was too late, he knew he would have not only Bailey on his back but also Rissa, and possibly in the future he would be hunted down by Grace’s parents.

As they sat down, looking through the designs as they waited not only for the receptionist but also the tattooist to come back from their lunch break, they had to deal with the teenage apprentice who sat behind the desk, his eyes skimming up Grace’s tanned bare legs. Garrett scowled, fake stretching to end up placing his arm protectively around Grace, which she leaned into.

“So you never told me what you want done, are you going to tell me now?” He asked, his eyes looking into her emerald green as she gave him a small smile.

“Well my little Garrett, you shall see when it’s finished... but you will hold my hand right?” she questioned, her brows knitting as she closed her sentence. He chuckled nodding slightly as he pulled her into his arms.

“Of course silly!” he whispered softly, placing a kiss carefully on her forehead, she just grinned, leaning further into him as she skimmed through the magazines.

After about ten minutes a man with a bald head and over ten facial piercings walked in the shop, a wide grin on his face.

“Ah, so you must be my two o’clock appointment?” he asked as she nodded, a smile spreading wide across her face, “Well you’re a little earlier so I’m just going to go set everything up, now I’ve looked at the picture you’ve sent me and I have everything ready I just got to be sure it fits, so where are you wanting the tattoo?” the guy chuckled sitting in the seat next to the cocky apprentice who sent Garrett a smirk as Grace stood up.

“I was thinking on my wrist?” she replied gnawing at her lip as she approached the counter.

“Okay then, that sounds good to me, if you’d like to come into the back room, your boyfriend can come with and we will get started” the guy said, slamming his hands on the table as he stood up grinning widely as he beckoned them through the door.

“Black and grey or colour?” he questioned as he headed to a cupboard turning to look at us over his shoulder.

“Black and grey” Grace replied immediately taking a seat on the tattoo chair and looking to Garrett with a warm smile.

“Okay then, first time?” he asked getting everything settled turning to the pair as she nodded “Alright, before we get this show on the road I’m going to show you the stencil so you can make sure the spelling is correct, and then I’m going to place it on your wrist so you can then see if it’s the right place, okay?” he asked looking at her as Grace bit her lip and nodded, the man smiled warmly at her, going back out the room to the front of shop, swapping some words with the apprentice before coming back.

Grace released Garrett’s hand, walking to the full length mirror and looking at the stencil, analysing it to see if it was exactly right, before heading back to the chair and giving the tattooist a warm smile.

“Alright then my names Dave, and I’m going to do a small line first so you can get a feel of what the pains like, that sound good?” he asked Grace as she nodded turning to look at Garrett as the man picked up the Tattoo machine, turning the gun the faint buzz of it filling the room.

“Gar I need you” she mumbled, grabbing his hand tightly as he smiled down to her softly.

Her face grimaced slightly as she felt the needle on the skin, the feeling foreign to her. She tried to smile at Garrett trying to not let him see that she was in pain.

“You’re doing so good Gray, when John came for his first tattoo, you know the lip one, well he cried like a baby, and look at you not even whining or crying” he said, his finger gently stroking the side of her face as she smiled up to him.

“Garrett after this can we go to your house?” Grace asked softly her voice breaking as she gripped his hand tightly as he started to tattoo over her rib. “And invite everyone around and watch my favourite film, while eating pizza?” she finished squeezing her eyes shut.

“Of course we can, and we will even make Pat sit next to Kennedy and Bailey and see which one snaps at him first, and I’ll make you a milkshake, any flavour you like” he replied warmly, leaning down to kiss her temple.

They went for a couple of minutes, mumbling to each other about silly things, Garrett making her smile with his little promises to make her cookies and take her out to dinner at her favourite fast food place.

“You’re all done” Dave said, turning off the machine, wiping down the tattoo one more time, before looking at Grace with a smile so does he get to see it now or does he have to wait?” he asked her with a smirk as Grace turned to look at Garrett.

There on her right wrist was three hearts placed next to each other going down her arm. It was simple yet beautiful, something that fitted Grace to a t.