Tattoos

Cuz the ink in my skin
Where the needle went in
However many years ago
They left marks on my arm
And they say who I am
Everywhere that I go

The way I fell in love with John O’Callaghan was not fair. Not fair at all. I had never met him but had heard enough about him through a mutual friend of ours. “Dude. Jax. He’s perfect for you. You’re prefect for him, it would so work!” Jared says and put on my gloves, Jared abused our friendship for free tattooing. Most of my friends did. Not that I minded. I used him for free band shirts when I could.
Okay. Maybe it wasn’t love. It was more like lust. And I don’t even think I was in lust with him. Not even. I was in lust with the idea of him.
“It’s good you’re finally meeting. Lay down some base work before the next tour- talk throughout. Fall in love and make tattooed babies after.” Jared nods and I laugh, rolling my eyes.
“Calm down, Jare.” I smile and he rolls his eyes. “You’re excited too. I see that extra makeup.” He points out, wiggling his fingers at my face. I slap his hand away and laugh. “I’ve got the power here, Jare. I’d cool it.” I say and he chuckles.
“Sorry I’m late!” John says, coming in with coffees and doughnuts. “I’m compromising.”
“Thank you!” Angel sings and sweeps by, collecting the food from him. I patted the seat next to me.
Jared had convinced John that I should be the one to do his sleeve. He had been collecting tattoos on an arm for a while, and finally decided to bring them together.
He just didn’t know how to do that. He sits down and shakes my hand I put the glove on that one and smile. “What is this?” I asked and pointed to something on Jared’s arm I haven’t seen before. “Are you cheating on me? Who did this?” I asked.
“Someone who wasn’t as good as you.” Jared said and fluttered his light eye lashes. I laughed and looked at it. It wasn’t very good. “Is this what I’m fixing?” I ask and he nods. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I daw around it and frown. “I don’t think there is much I can do with it, maybe shade it in and do that picture of Chewy we were talking about?” I ask and he nods.
“Blame John for the tattoo. He convinced me.” He says and I laugh.
“Nope. It’s what you deserve for cheating on me.”
The buzzing starts after I stencil on Chewie. I calm down from the stupid tenseness I feel from John coming off of me, melting off.
The first time I got a tattoo I was scared shitless. Sixteen and without my Mommy I walked into the tattoo parlor, fake ID in shaking hand.
The sound was the most terrifying thing. From the front of the store I couldn’t see anyone being tattooed, but I heard the buzzing, and pictured as if in slow motion. It was the buzzing that got me. The incessant, mindless buzzing that had me sweating, and shaking as I got into the handsome tattoo artists chair.
I held my breath as the needle first punctured the skin of my inner arm. “Oh. That’s it?” I asked and relaxed. He chuckled and focused in on the tattoo.
As soon as I was really legal, we started dating and have since broken up, but I guess I wounded the man’s ego when the student surpassed the teacher.
“Babe.” Anna said and I looked up. “Yeah?” I answered. Anna, my work wife and fellow tattoo artist owned the shop with me, equal partners though thick and thin.
“I’m off for the day. I gotta primp myself up for that hot piece of ass.” She joked.
“Your girlfriend is a lucky girl.” I smiled and dipped my needle in more ink.
“That you are.” She winked and I rolled my eyes. Idiot.
“Oh that’s your girlfriend?” John asked. “I didn’t know you were gay!” He said and I looked up with him at wide eyes, taking the needle off Jared’s skin.
“Oh- I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make it weird.” He laughed and I blushed, looking back down at the pale skin in front of me.
“It’s okay.” I said and Jared looked at me with wide eyes. He knew I wasn’t gay.
Angel laughed, and I glared at her. She shook her head and I groan to myself. I open my mouth to tell him I’m not gay but he keeps going.
“She’s hot. Nice job, dude.”
Great. Now I’m a dude.