Strangers When We Meet

Trent Reznor's voice screamed out of my speakers as I drove to meet my best friend Frankie, in my new car. Well, it wasn't exactly new, it had been around before I was born, but it was new to me. A present from my granddad, a hand-me-down, but I still loved it.

Nine Inch Nails cut off and 30 Second to Mars came on. I sang along to one of my favourite bands, at the top of my lungs, not caring that people in the car next to me were giving me weird looks. I was in my zone as I sang along with Jared Leto. “I run, hide and tear myself up, start again with a brand new name...”

The guy on the passenger side of the car next to me giggled and pointed his finger at me, very childish, so I flipped him off. That shut him up. It always feels good to do that

I pulled off once the light was green, not letting anyone spoil my good mood. As I pulled up to the Steak 'n' Shake ten minutes later, Frankie stood outside, shoulders slumped, a cigarette between her lips, looking pissed.

“Didn't I tell you those things were a danger to your health?” I shout at her through the open window.
She pouted and yanked the door open.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, “Be gentle.”

“Zip it, Fun-size. I'm not in the mood.” she said as she climbed in, slamming the door dramatically.

“What happened now?”

“They fired me.”

“Again?”

“Yeah, some lady complained about how slow her food came out. But what was she expecting,” Frankie threw her apron in the backseat, “She came in during the busiest time of the day, service isn't going to be lightening fast.”

“And they let you go because of that?”

“No, it was more because she was someone important, some big shot that the manager knew. And I might have said a word or two to the bitch.”

“Frankie.” I said in an exhausted voice.

“I know, Brie, I know. But I'll just get another job.”

“Mm-hmm.” there was little point in my lecturing her, so for now I dropped it, “June can't make it, morning sickness.”

“Again? When is that shit going to stop?” she picked up my iPod, “If that isn't reason enough not to get knocked up, I don't know what is.” she turned on Green Day's, 'Wake Me Up When September Ends'.

I gave her a sideways glance. “Someone feeling nostalgic?”

She growled at me which only made me smile. It had been her and her ex Johnny's song.

Frankie untied her long dark hair and let it blow in the wind coming through the rolled down windows. She puffed on her cigarette, still looking pissed. “Let's go over to see Oliver.”

“No.” I said automatically.

“Scared?” she teased.

“No.” I tried to hid the face that I was, but she knew me too well.

“Come on, Let's go see Oli.” she said his name with a British accent. Oliver was actually Welsh and he worked at a comic book shop uptown. I might have had a bit of a crush on him.

“Actually I have a better idea.”

She arched her eyebrows. “Oh, yeah?”

I smiled wickedly and let her guess. So ten minutes later we pulled up across the street from a tattoo and piercing shop.

“Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack, Jack. Come on, chicken shit.”

I hopped out of the car, Frankie followed. We walked inside and immediately looked one of the design books.

“Hi, Ladies.” Liz, one of the artist, said, “you're back.” she addressed that to me. Frankie looked over at me, surprise on her face.

“Yup. I know what I want, and where I want it.”

“Alright, how bout you?” Liz said to Frankie.

“I think I'm gonna get my nose pierced.” Liz told us to wait and went back to talk to one of the other artist there. “June's gonna be pissed. She too preggers to join. Ha. Are you sure about this. Your mom is gonna freak.”

“I can handle it.”

“Sure. You're gonna be grounded or life.”

“You know she has two tats, right. A butterfly on her shoulder and a rose on her thigh.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Shocking, I know. My mom was actually cool once.”

“Well, at least your mom wasn't a groupie. That's so embarrassing.”

I laughed. Frankie's mom had some stories about the rock star she slept with in the eighties, before she was born of course. So Frankie wasn't afraid of her mom seeing her tattoo or piercing, in fact she'd be proud.

I told Frankie what I was getting. “Really?” she said, smiling, “I'm gonna get one too, like matching tattoos. June is really going to hate us.”

“Yup.” She asked me where I was going to get it. “I'll put it some place I can easily hide it.”
Frankie made a face, “On your ass?”

“No. ”

“Are you really sure about this? This is forever.”

“I'm sure. If you wanna back out, feel free to do so.”

She crossed her arms. “I'm not backing out, Pixie dust.”

“Good. I'd never let you live it down if you did.”

“Don't I know it.”



So a few hours later I dropped Frankie off at her house and headed home. I was late, and mom had been blowing up my phone. When I pulled up to the house I took a deep breath, ready for the fight that was bound to begin and climbed out of the car.

Mom was in the kitchen, my step-dad, Andrew, was there too, as well as his daughter Kim, I forgot that it was Friday and she and her brother would be over. I didn't care much for either of them and the feelign was mutual. I don't know where Andy Jr. was.

“Late again.” Mom said, hands on her hips.

“Sorry.”

She glared at me, then my heart stopped the moment she noticed the lip ring. Maybe that had been a bad idea. “What is that?”

All eyes were on me. “What is what?” When in doubt, always play dumb.

“Brie Georgia Shannon Taylor, what were you thinking?”

Oh no, she used all of my names. This wasn't good.

I ran a hand nervously through my pixie cut, dark hair. “It's cute.” I reasoned.

“It looks ridiculous.”

“Yeah.” Kim seconded. Kiss ass.

“No one asked your opinion, Kimmie.” I said through my teeth.

“Take it out now.”

“No.” Besides it hurt to even touch it right now.

“No?”

Oh, Lordy. Mom strode over to me. Fire in her eyes.

“Mom, I'm sixteen. Am I not allowed to make stupid decisions? You did before.”

“Yes, I did. But nothing like this.”

I was going to point out the fact that she had been on a two years older than me when she got pregnant, and who knew what else she had done when she was my age, so she had no room to talk, but I found it best not to piss her off any further.

“Did your friends put you up to this? Did Francine?” She was talking about Frankie, and for the record that wasn't her name. Mom just like fucking with her.

“No one put me up to anything. Mom, I just wanted to get a piercing, is that so wrong?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose, visibly frustrated .

“Catherine.” Andrew said coming to my rescue, “Let her be. There's nothing to be done about it. You tell her to take it out now, she just may do it again in a few weeks.” He smiled at me and whispered to mom, “You can't win every battle.”

Sometimes I liked that man. I mouthed thank you to him. He nodded. Kim noticed the exchange between us, a frown in her face.

“Go to your room. We'll discuss this in the morning.” her voice was low and I knew she was trying to reign in her anger.

“Yes, ma'am.” I muttered, turned and walked away before she changed her mind.

Once in my room I moved the dresser over to block half the door, Kim had a tendency to try to come in my room uninvited and I would hate for her to do that now. I undressed and went over to the mirror. I pealed back the bandage on my side and smiled.

The four symbols going down my ribcage weren't very large, my skin was still red, a bit swollen but I knew it was going to be amazing once all that was gone. It had hurt like a mother fucker, so did the piercing, but both were so worth it. I admired Liz's skillful artwork a bit longer, then pull on a tee shirt and slid the dresser back in place. I couldn't wait to show June tomorrow.



“I officially hate you both.” June said as me and Frankie sat in her bedroom the next morning. We had just showed her our tattoos and piercings.

“Don't worry.” Frankie said, “In about a year, you can get one too. Of course by then we'll have several more and you'll have to play catch up.”

A pillow hit Frankie square in the forehead. I might have laughed and then the same pillow hit me.

“You guys seriously couldn't wait a few more months?”

“You should have thought about that before you decided to become a statistic, Junipher.” I joked.

“I really do hate you both.” she said, glowing at the two of us. “How did your mom take it?”

“She was pissed, obviously, she grilled me about how I was messing up my face, I won't be able to get a real job it I continue down this path, yada, yada, yada. Wait 'til she sees the tat.”

“You'll be dead. I may come to your funeral.”

“Ha. Ha. How's all the throwing up going?”

“Better. I only did it once today. Yippee.”

“You're yipping that?” Frankie said, “Man, your life really sucks now.”

“So did you do it yet?” I asked June.

She shook her head solemnly.

Junipher was afraid to tell her boyfriend Craig that she was pregnant, in fact she was debating whether or not to keep it at all. She was doing a good job of keeping it from her parents, but it was only a matter of time before someone put two and two together, if they haven't already.

“Dude, you've gotta tell him.” Frankie said.

“I really don't.” she brushed her red curls away from her face. “I might go an have that abortion, then he'll never have to know.”

“You've been avoiding him haven't you?” I asked.

She looked guilty. “Maybe a little.” she let out a heavy sigh. “What if I tell him and he leave me? What then?”

“Then he doesn't deserve you.”

“What am I gonna do? I'm just a kid, I'm too young to have a baby.”

“My mom was nineteen when she had me, she stayed in college and raised me. I turned out fine.” Frankie snorted. “Shut it. Whatever happens we're here.”

“And your folks are gonna find out sooner or later, you better figure out what you're gonna do.”

I could see tears welling up in her hazel eyes, “June, it'll be okay.”

She nodded and pretended to fix her hair as she discretely wiped her eyes. My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I fished it out and saw that it was my mom.

“Oh, lordy.” I muttered and answered.

“Just because you have a car doesn't mean you have to use it every five seconds.”

“Hi mom.” I rolled my eyes.

“Tell her I said hi.” Frankie whispered, she and my mom didn't get along, she liked to tease her. “Tell her.” she said when I ignored her.

“Frankie says hi, and June too.”

There was a pause. “Tell Francine and Junipher hello.” she didn't sound pleased.

“She said hello, Francine and Junipher.” I told them in a sing-song voice.

Frankie flipped her off, June giggled. Mom preferred June, but only by so much, and if she finds out she's pregnant she'll be at the bottom of the totem pole like Frankie.

“Did you forget that we were supposed to be over at your grandparents house.”

“Oh, sh-” I stopped myself and instead said, shoot. “Sorry. I forgot. I'll be be back home in twenty.”

“Make it ten.” she hung up.

“She's still on edge, huh?” June asked.

“Yup.”

I told them where I had to go. I had promised to help granny and papa sort through their stuff. They had moved here from Louisiana a few months ago and had brought a lot of baggage with them. There was some things they thought my mom might want so that was how we were going to spend our weekend, because it was going to take at least two days to sort through all those boxes, maybe more. So I said bye to my friends, and headed home and together mom and I drove over to her parent's place.