My Sweet 16

My head had stopped hurting, thanks to the aspirin Jack had given me. I walked from our shared apartment to Oli's coffee shop in ten minutes.

"Hey Oli. What you doing?" I asked, seeing him closing the door.

"I'm getting a tattoo touched up. Want to come?"

"Yeah, might get one while I'm there." I replied, getting into the front seat of his car.

"Oh yeah? What'cha thinking about?"

"A skeleton on my left arm." I answered.

"Yeah? These things are permanent you know."

"I know I know. I've always wanted one. I've been thinking about it seriously for the past two weeks."
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Before he started, the tattoo artist drew me a quick sketch of what it would look like.

"Yeah, that's exactly how I pictured it." I said, nodding.

"Well, okay then, let's get down to business then. Lie back please." He said, adjusting the stencil slightly and reaching for the machine.

For ten minutes, I gripped the arm of the chair I was lying in with my left arm as he did the outline. I breathed a sigh of relief when he backed away, only to grit my teeth when he came back with the orange ink for the trick or treat bag the skeleton was holding.

Five minutes more and I was the proud owner of a skeleton tattoo on the inside of my left arm.

The tattooist gave me the whole advice on 'how to look after it'. It was the sort of stuff like, keeping it clean and putting a high factor of suncream on it if I went out in the sun. I'd expected that.

I paid the man and waited while Oli had his touched up. As I was waiting for him, my phone rang. It was Rian.

I unlocked the screen with one finger and answered, "Hello Rian."

"Alex, where the hell are you?" Rian said through the phone.

"I'm waiting for Oli to be finished and then I'm probably gonna go to work. Why?"

"Oh, that's ok then. It's just, after you went missing last night, I was worried."

"I only went to my apartment, at three o'clock this morning according to Jack."

"Ah, ok. See you later."

"Catch ya later." I replied, ending the call.
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"Hey guys." I said to Zack, Cassaddee and Rian, who was holding her hand.

"Hey Al - what is that?!?" Rian said, pointing at my new tattoo with his free hand.

I grinned, "My tattoo, d'you like it?"

"I think it's pretty cool." Zack said, sitting down after getting at coffee.

"Thanks. Is Jack with his slut?" I asked.

My question was answered by a round of nods from them. I inwardly sighed, why couldn't he be here? With his sense of humour, his hair and his brown eyes, he was perfect.

I mentally shook my head before concentrating on the conversation again. They were talking about the pros and cons of getting a tattoo.

"But if it's messed up, I wouldn't want to be stuck with it forever, would you?" Cassaddee argued.

"But, it's like, a memory of yourself at that particular moment in time." Zack said.

"Hmm... That's true," I agreed with Zack, "But I also think Cass has got a point. Rian?"

His head jerked up and his eyes went wide, "Huh?"

We all laughed at his obliviousness.